Upon hearing that request, Nerissa looked troubled.

Halric, however, choked out through tears, "Lucien, why did you trick me by saying Ms. Loden was seriously injured and needed me to rush over? If it weren't for you, how would she be put in such a difficult position now?"

Nerissa looked at me in disbelief. "It was you? How could you trick Halric into coming here? Do you hate him so much that you'd send him to his death?"

Even though they had hurt me countless times before, hearing their accusations without any attempt to understand the truth still made my blood run cold.

"We've been fighting this war for three days and nights. We barely even have time to save our own lives… How could I possibly have the time to trick him into coming here?" I countered.

As I explained, I met Nerissa's gaze. It was clear she didn't believe me at all.

I lowered my head and smiled bitterly. "Forget it. You wouldn't believe me anyway."

Aurelia snorted coldly and turned to Noctis. "Everyone knows you two are good at putting on an act. Noctis, were you involved in this? If you dare to harm Halric on purpose, I'll divorce you!"

"Do as you please," Noctis replied coolly.

His indifferent reply unnerved Aurelia.

"You…"

Before she could go on, Drako interrupted, "I want that wyvern now! Otherwise…"

Halric's face turned pale. "M-Ms. Loden…"

He only called out softly once, and Nerissa immediately rushed to my side.

She lifted my clothes and said, "Bear with it. He's the orphan my close friend left behind. I can't just watch him die. Besides, this was your fault to begin with."

Without waiting for my reply, she brought the blade down.

"Nerissa! Have you lost your mind? He's your husband! Stop! Stop it right now!" Noctis roared helplessly.

He shouted again and again, but he couldn't stop her. Meanwhile, my entire body trembled from the pain.

Gritting my teeth, I demanded, "Is it really because of your friendship with his father… or because of something else?"

Nerissa didn't dare meet my eyes. She only quickened her movements.

Drako watched the scene play out with great amusement.

He was grinning widely as he made another request. "I've heard that Noctis has a Soul Gem inside his body that can greatly increase one's cultivation. Oh, great goddess of fire…"

Before he could finish, Noctis cut him off, "I'll give it to you. I'll give you anything. Just make Nerissa stop!"

Drako replied lazily, "That won't do. Don't you people of the Novem Skies always say everyone has to face their own fate? Well, he is fated to suffer what he's suffering today."

Aurelia walked up to Noctis and began extracting his Soul Gem without hesitation. "I didn't like what you said earlier. Let this be your lesson."

It didn't take long for Drako to get what he wanted, and he was clearly delighted. "You five are truly interesting. I've never seen anything like this. What if I asked you to choose who lives and who dies?"

As soon as he said that, everyone's expressions darkened.

Merrick could no longer hold his tongue. He stepped forward to persuade Nerissa and Aurelia again.

He pleaded, "You absolutely cannot choose Halric over them! If the Chaos Twins die, Chaos will awaken! Think of all the lives around the world!"

The sacred Cosmic Tree on Mount Everspire had given birth to Noctis and me, the Chaos Twins. Together, we possessed the power to destroy all lives around the world and return everything to primordial chaos.

But the world could not exist without the Cosmic Tree. Without it, all living beings would suffocate and die.

That was why they feared us but could not live without us.

As Nerissa hesitated, I looked at Drako and said hoarsely, "They've already made their choice. Can't you see it? No matter how many times you ask, the result will be the same. Your demon lady and demon empress are looking for male consorts, aren't they? Noctis and I will go with you."

Noctis agreed, "Yes. We'll go with you."

Nerissa panicked and questioned, "Lucien, are you truly so shameless that you'd willingly become the consort of such vile creatures?"

"Have you two gone mad?" Aurelia demanded.

Their concern lasted only a moment before being cut short by Halric's sobbing.

"Ms. Loden and Ms. Ignis, it's all because I was captured that you're caught in this situation. I should take responsibility for this myself."

He raised a blade, intending to kill himself.

But in the next moment, Halric's hand went weak, and the dagger fell to the ground.

As he bent to pick it up, Nerissa immediately said, "We'll give Lucien and Noctis to you. Release Halric!"

Aurelia hurriedly chimed in, "I agree. Let Halric go!"

For Halric's sake, the two of them disregarded even the cosmos.

The elders tried desperately to stop them.

"You cannot do that! If the demons have the Chaos Twins, we're basically handing our lives to someone else!"

"That's right! Besides, the twins were personally raised by the Celestial Sovereign himself and are like his own sons. How can you abandon them for the sake of someone else?"

Their accusations and persuasion had no effect.

Nerissa looked at Drako and said firmly, "Give Halric back to us. You can take the two of them. Alright?"

"Yes. Otherwise, we'll all perish together," Aurelia added.

Drako said, "Fine. That works for me. And it's not because I'm afraid of you. I'm just in a hurry to return and report to my superiors."

When the elder tried to interrupt again, Nerissa said, "There's no need to worry. I have a way to ensure they cannot awaken Chaos."

Noctis and I exchanged a glance and frowned. Even we ourselves didn't know of such a method.

Aurelia turned to Drako and said, "You don't want to bring back two disasters waiting to happen, do you? Bind them. We'll handle it."

Drako was more than willing to comply.

Nerissa came before me and raised her right hand. Six Cosmic Tree stakes floated above her palm.

"Don't blame me for this, Lucien. You were the one who volunteered to sacrifice yourself to the demons," Nerissa muttered.

"If I told you I didn't want to, would you save me?"

She didn't answer my question.

After Aurelia took the stakes, she hesitated for a moment as she looked at Noctis. "You two framed Halric. So, this is what you deserve. Go to the Demon Realm and be their male consorts, then. If I'm in a good mood later, I may come rescue you."

As soon as her words fell, she drove one of the Cosmic Tree stakes straight into Noctis' left ankle. The force of it caused him to collapse to his knees.

"Noctis!" I coughed up a mouthful of blood and fell to the ground.

Nerissa showed me no mercy either. She drove the first stake directly into my heart.

Then, they hoisted both of us up. The stakes were embedded into our limbs, our foreheads, and our hearts. They didn't stop until we were barely breathing.

Merrick winced at the sight of this, feeling sorry for us. Still, he asked, "Are you certain this will prevent them from awakening Chaos?"

"These stakes were made from the Cosmic Tree. By doing this, we've severed their connection to the tree. So, they won't be able to access it," Nerissa answered.

Drako clicked his tongue. "You're absolutely ruthless even toward your own husbands. You can give us demons a run for our money."

"This is only proper when dealing with the twins that can end the world," replied Nerissa.

Tears of blood streamed from my eyes. Everything between Nerissa and me ended that day and at that moment. It was all gone with the wind.

Nerissa and Aurelia had only read about this method from some ancient texts. So, they were actually wary about its true effectiveness.

Nerissa came to me and said softly, "This is just a temporary measure. I will definitely come to the Demon Realm to save you."

Aurelia also unexpectedly came forward to wipe the blood from Noctis' face. "Sorry you have to endure this. Wait until I come rescue you. Until then, do not invoke the Force of Chaos."

Even now, they still believed that Noctis and I would blindly love them forever. They continued to blatantly deceive us under the name of love.

Unfortunately, the pain had left me dazed. I couldn't say a single word to refute them.

Since everything was settled, Halric was finally released.

He immediately threw himself into Nerissa's arms and cried inconsolably, "Ms. Loden, I was so scared just now. I thought I would never see you two again."

Aurelia looked at the red marks on his neck from being strangled and touched them tenderly. "Does it hurt, Halric? Don't worry. I'll develop a better ointment for you so it won't leave even the slightest mark."

While our wives fussed over another man, the demons tossed the two of us onto a prison cart like we were trash.

As we were taken farther and farther away, Halric shouted after us, "Lucien, Noctis, it doesn't matter that you tricked me into coming here. I've already forgiven you! From now on, I'll take care of Ms. Loden and Ms. Ignis in your place!"

He seemed to think that Noctis and I would meet our demise.

…

Once we entered the Demon Realm, many female demons were drawn to the cosmic energy that Noctis and I radiated. Every single one of them stared at us hungrily.

"It's the Chaos Twins! You're amazing, General Ashgrave. Only you could have completed the task so efficiently and brought them back here so soon. But… Before you hand them over to Lady Brimstone and Her Majesty, can we have a taste of them first?"

Drako thought for a moment before bursting into laughter. "Of course! They're going to become male consorts anyway. Enjoy yourselves!"

Instantly, flattery and cheers rose one after another.

Noctis had already lost consciousness, while I forced myself to stay awake.

I stared at the demons and said weakly, "How dare you… I am…"

But my voice was too faint, so they ignored me completely.

Some of the demons had already begun touching me. Just as my clothes were about to be torn apart, the demon lady, Isolde Brimstone, appeared behind the crowd.

The moment she saw me, her eyes widened in horror. "Lucien!"

At the same time, the demon empress, Sylvara Eldritch, blasted the crowd away. "Noctis… Noctis!"

Only when Isolde pulled me into her arms did I finally feel a trace of warmth. "You… finally came."