Levin felt distressed as he saw the little girl was fainting in his hand. She didn't have any physical scars or wounds on her body, yet the phantom pain she felt must be so overwhelming that the moment he held her hand, she fainted without even recognizing him at all.
"So, are you finally feeling satisfied?" His tone was colder, sending shivers to the enemy who was still hiding in the dark. "Come on, Mister Illusionist. I have already figured out your little trick. Just get out of your hiding spot!" He called out the enemy.
Yeah, right after he shot the gun at himself, Levin woke up immediately while his body was sweating and his breathing was violent and unsteady. Then, he checked his body and found that all the wounds created by the alien disappeared, and he didn't feel the physical pain anymore. However, the memory and feeling of committing suicide were still there, and everything was so real. That was when he realized that the enemy's ability was to create the illusion that could still inflict pain on its victim, a terrifying ability to fight against.
Levin didn't know how the illusion was triggered. Hell, let alone thinking about something so complicated like that, he still had a severe headache from shooting himself inside the illusion. From his point of view, everything was still shaking around, making it difficult for him to walk, let alone run, or any other high-intensity activity. However, when he realized that Mira was still out there in danger, he didn't even hesitate, grabbing the laser gun that somehow was still untouched in the ground and started to search for the little girl's whereabouts.
Fortunately, she didn't go too far, so he didn't have to search for too long before meeting her again, and even though he didn't know how to stop the illusion, since he got out of it by killing himself, he knew that once the target of the illusion fell unconscious, the illusion would fall. So, he didn't hesitate to send a chop straight to the back of Mira's neck, forcing the girl to lose consciousness instantly.
However, her condition was even far worse compared to him a few moments ago, and she wasn't a trained soldier with a high tolerance for pain like him. When Levin saw the faint smile of relief from the girl after realizing that he was there, he could feel his heart ached. That was why he was so furious, couldn't even imagine what kind of torture she just suffered under the illusion. Somehow, he felt guilty, thinking that she was in this condition because he was too careless.
"So, you managed to break my strongest illusion, nightmare torture, huh? Ku… Ku… Ku… As expected from the strongest warrior from the other dimension. You are different from the little girl over there." The creepy laugh echoed from all directions, announcing his presence to Levin. "However, how would you fight against the enemy you cannot even see? You don't have any hope here!"
"SHOTGUN MODE!" Levin shouted immediately, pointing his gun at the darkness in front of him. Right after that, his lanky gun changed its appearance, growing longer and bulkier just like a shotgun. Right after that, he didn't hesitate at all, pulling the trigger and letting his weapon shoot a barrage of laser beams to counter the attack.
BAM!
BAM!
BAM!
Unexpectedly, all the lasers he shot met the enemy's attack, and they all exploded instantly, destroying the entire forest around them. The silence was palpable, and if Levin could see his enemy's face, he would see shock, awe, and frustration in it.
"So, we are playing hide and seek, huh? Come on! Restore the forest again! Use it as your hiding spot again!" Levin called out. For a moment, a tense silence fell on the spot. However, it only lasted for a second before the forest suddenly restored itself, going back to its original position as if nothing happened. "Good. At least you can hide your cowardness well enough." He nodded, acknowledging the enemy's talent.
The wind suddenly howled violently after that, reflecting the pure, unadulterated rage the enemy felt after being mocked by Levin. It seemed the soldier touched his sore spot here as the rage could even affect the weather.
"So, I am a coward, huh… Ku… Ku… Ku…" The enemy said it slowly and creepily. "Not the first time I have ever heard something like that. I didn't expect someone would say it in front of my face again. This sure brings me back to an old memory… Hahaha…."
Levin just rolled his eyes, not even caring about the enemy's creepiness and said pretty nonchalantly, "Well, seems like he is a wise man to be able to point that out."
"A wise man, huh? Yes, he is, indeed…" Now, there was a hint of nostalgic feeling behind the psychopathic tone of the enemy's voice. However, it disappeared instantly, replaced by a maniac laughter once again. "Well, or should I say 'He was'? He has died already, buried by me in the deepest abyss in the world! Maybe, you can send my greeting the next time you both meet in hell!"
In the next second, a terrifying aura suddenly came out of the forest. Levin was so familiar with this kind of aura that he didn't even need to see or guess what kind of creature had just come out of nothing. However, he was still a bit surprised to see not just one, not just two, but three intelligent aliens that were his worst nightmare coming at him. However, because he knew it was just an illusion, Levin wasn't that much afraid as how he felt before when the illusion hit him the first time.
"So, how is it? How is the power of this coward? Ku… Ku… Ku…" The laughter from his enemy could be heard once again. "So, what if you can get out of my nightmare torture? What if I triple it up?! How would you handle this?!"
Levin stood still, not even reacting to the provocation. He knew his condition the best. Even in his normal condition, he doubted he could deal with one, and now that he had to fight against three with the phantom pain from the last illusion and the exhaustion from the last fight against the fire mage, he knew he didn't have any hope surviving in this condition.
He also didn't dare to pull the same trigger as he did to get out of the illusion like before. Not counting the possibility that he wouldn't get out of the illusion and just died on the spot, even if he managed to survive, the phantom pain and headache he felt was so real, and he didn't dare to face the pain again, not when he still had enemies in front of him.
As a result, Levin just closed his eyes deeply, trying to take a deep breath and relax as much as possible.
"Ha! So, you finally give up, huh?!" The enemy laughed louder when he saw Levin's current state. "It is too late! No matter how much you beg, I will end this fight as soon as possible! Just die!"
Right after that, the three aliens charged in with their quick speed. The first strike was coming, slashing straight in his chest. Then, a punch was delivered on his gut, something that the intelligent aliens learned from the best fighter on Earth. After that, he felt a sharp pain in his calves, and he didn't even need to see it just to realize that one of the aliens just bit him in that spot.
Still, despite the unimaginable pain he felt, Levin was still calm. He didn't even show any hint of resistance, just letting all the aliens toy with him as if he were nothing. Still, when the enemy saw that there was no hint of desperation – or even pain – on Levin's face, he was pissed.
"Enough! Everyone, stop playing around! I want to have his head in the next minute!"
Just right after he said that the three aliens jumped straight on Levin's body, wanting to present him to their boss. Levin himself just shook his head, feeling pity for the aliens in front of him. 'You all have always been high and almighty in front of humans, and now here you are, fighting for another human that you always saw as an ant. What an irony."
Levin didn't just stand on his spot helplessly, though. He sharpened his senses, especially his hearing, trying to figure out something. Right when the alien's claws were about to reach him, the soldier opened his eyes suddenly, and before the enemy could see what was going on, the enemy suddenly saw a beam of laser coming in his direction.
"Finally, I got you. Game over, Bastard."
"Wha – "
BAM!