"Are you two from the same species?" Apoloziro asked.
Vinh nodded.
"We both come from a planet called Earth."
"I see."
HE78 let out a faint mechanical sound.
"Based on my analysis of your biological structures, your planet appears to be in a developing stage."
Levi immediately pulled Vinh aside and lowered his voice.
"These are your teammates?"
He glanced at the three standing behind him.
"They don't exactly look trustworthy."
"Don't think like that."
Vinh scratched his head.
"By the way, do you know if there's any ship here that can actually leave this place?"
Levi thought for a moment.
"There is. But getting to it won't be easy. It belongs to the Axian warriors deployed to the battlefield."
"Axians?"
Vinh repeated.
Levi nodded.
"The race that captured me."
Then he narrowed his eyes.
"How did you even end up here?"
Vinh let out a long sigh.
"Long story. You can see the war outside, right?"
"I was captured by a race called the Dejteo and thrown into the battlefield as cannon fodder. That's where I met these three."
He pointed one by one.
"Hongco."
"Apoloziro."
"HE78."
Levi didn't answer. He simply stared at them.
In his mind, they looked like a group of strange and dangerous creatures.
Then he sensed something.
Someone was outside.
Without making a sound, Levi extended his hand. A wall instantly rose behind the hidden figure, blocking every escape route.
He stepped forward.
"So it's you."
"Nyxara?"
Nyxara froze.
Her eyes widened.
"Levi..."
"You're... a spy planted here by the Dejteo?"
Before she could continue, several weapons were instantly aimed at her.
"Keep talking."
"If you want to die."
Nyxara's expression darkened.
Hongco tilted his head.
"Who is she?"
Levi answered calmly.
"My teammate. Just like you, I ended up here against my will. Otherwise, I have no idea what they would have done to me."
Apoloziro immediately stepped forward.
"Then kill her."
CRACK.
He crushed a water bottle in his hand.
Instead of falling to the floor, every droplet gathered together and formed a long, razor-sharp blade.
HE78 spoke.
"Don't. Killing her here would only create more problems. Take her hostage instead."
Apoloziro glanced at him.
"You're taking her side now?"
Then he turned toward Vinh.
"And what about you? You know him."
Vinh crossed his arms.
"I agree with HE78. There is no reason to kill her."
Nyxara remained silent.
Then her body suddenly dissolved.
Her form became formless, fluid, unstable.
She attempted to slip away through a narrow gap.
But the moment she moved—
CRACKLE!
A violent current exploded throughout the area.
Everyone jumped.
Even Levi flinched slightly.
Nyxara cried out as her body was forced back into a stable form.
Apoloziro blinked.
"What was that?"
Hongco calmly stepped forward.
"If you want to run, try it. I've already spread electrical currents throughout this entire area."
Nyxara stared at him.
Then transformed again.
This time she aimed directly for him.
The instant she entered her formless state—
CRACK!
The electricity became even stronger.
Her body convulsed violently.
Hongco smiled.
"We can play this game as many times as you like."
Levi finally stepped in.
"If you still want to find a way out of here, stop this nonsense."
Then he looked toward Vinh.
"You said you wanted to leave this place, right?"
"Yeah."
Vinh stood up.
"Then tell your teammate to stop."
After a while, Levi and Nyxara stepped aside.
The two of them talked as if nothing had happened.
As if they weren't enemies.
As if weapons hadn't been pointed at each other's heads moments ago.
Nyxara looked at Levi.
Then at Vinh's group.
Then back at Levi.
A long silence followed.
Finally, she spoke.
"Perhaps..."
"I was wrong to trust you."
Levi's eyes narrowed.
Nyxara took a deep breath.
"LEVI IS A TRAIT—"
FWIP!
A compressed spear of water shot forward.
It pierced straight through her abdomen.
Time seemed to freeze.
Water began flowing from the wound.
Nyxara stumbled.
Then collapsed to her knees.
Hongco.
Vinh.
Even Levi.
All of them turned toward the same person.
Apoloziro.
"You—"
Levi froze.
For a brief moment, he couldn't believe what had happened.
Then the alarms started.
Energy signatures surged.
Someone had found them.
Levi's expression changed instantly.
"RUN!"
BOOM!
A massive wall erupted from the floor.
Just in time.
Several energy shots slammed into it from the opposite corridor.
The entire structure shook violently.
Nyxara fell to the ground.
Water continued leaking from the hole in her body.
Levi clenched his fists.
His heart sank.
They had been discovered.
And now...
everything was about to fall apart.