[Kill me.]

The wives, who were watching everything happening in the Main Universe through Nux’s eyes, felt their hearts being pierced by thousands of needles when they heard those words.

"No...

NOOOOO!!!!!

NUXX!!!!!"

Amaya lost herself, the devouring energy around her flared, the Progenitors appeared around her, trying to calm her down or stop her from doing anything foolish but—

BOOOOOOOOM

Her devouring energy flared, pushing all the Progenitors away, then, her energy began to tear open the Universe’s Walls, opening a way towards Nux so she could go and help him.

Or at least...

That was the intention but...

Amaya, or any other woman here in general, was simply too weak to break the Walls between the Universes and leave.

This was also the reason Vyriana, Astaria, Sharnoth, Aeliana and every other woman just... stared at the screen in front of them with hollow looks on their faces.

Because—

They had already tried what Amaya was trying to do.

And they failed as well.

The women couldn’t leave.

Nux had made it impossible from the very beginning.

Azriel watched the scene in front of him through a screen, he watched his daughter kneeling on the ground with that dried, empty, dead look on her face and...

There was nothing he could do.

He wanted to help, he wanted to fight together with Nux, even when he knew he wouldn’t be of much help and would probably only get in the way, he wanted to be there but—

He was the Universe’s Child.

And Orravyn...

The Infinity of Eternity made it impossible for the Universe or any being connected to the Universe to know about what was happening and where it was happening.

The worst part?

He couldn’t even expand his senses and search on his own, because now that his senses were connected with the Universe, the moment he found out what was happening and where it was happening, the Universe would too and before he would be able to do anything—

The Universe itself would crush Nux and erase his existence.

Azriel was... completely sidelined and that made him clench his fists in anger.

If only...

If only he hadn’t abandoned his powers and Yrniel.

If only he was as strong as he once was.

If only he wasn’t connected to the Universe like he was right now.

And as he thought about all this—

He couldn’t help but recall that woman’s face.

The Seer.

She came to him centuries ago, made him abandon his powers and become the Universe’s Child.

At first, he thought it was a second chance, a chance to get his wives back.

But only now did he realize that it was nothing more than that woman’s trap to make it impossible for him to interfere in this situation and help the man his daughter loved.

It made him feel... numb.

Just how long had that woman been planning this for...?

Just... how many possibilities did she predict...?

All these questions were there, in some part of his head, but right now—

His focus was entirely on his broken daughter as he dreaded what she might do.

That was when it happened—

"It’s over."

Azriel heard a voice.

It was Amaya.

All this while, the woman had been attacking the Universe Wall with all her might, but at this point, even she could see it wouldn’t do anything.

So...

She made another decision.

"Instead of watching him die—"

She spoke and as she did, Azriel’s blood went cold because... he could see his daughter was listening to her with that intense, determined look in her eyes.

"I will be going first and wait for him."

Amaya declared, Aeliana’s eyes shined at those words, liking that idea more and more, Azriel’s eyes widened in horror, he tried to say something, to stop them, but before he could—

"Don’t be foolish."

Another voice was heard.

Azriel quickly turned and his eyes fell on her.

Shadow.

Shadow was the only woman who hadn’t moved from her spot ever since the battle started, she didn’t try to attack the boundaries of the Universe, neither did she try to kill herself, she just... watched.

But the moment Amaya’s devouring energy surrounded her, Shadow made it stop and looked right into her sister’s eyes.

"He hasn’t lost yet."

And those words made every single woman present there react.

"What...?"

Amaya’s expression changed, her Devouring Mist disappeared in an instant as she now stared at Shadow with an intense, hopeful look on her face.

"I said, he didn’t lose."

Shadow repeated slowly, making every single one of her words clear.

[What are you saying...?]

Azriel asked, looking at Shadow for answers.

The women were the same, Shadow looked at all of them and—

"Don’t you see?

We are still alive, that means Nux hasn’t lost."

When the women heard those words, their eyes shined with enlightenment and hope, Azriel on the other hand, was even more confused.

[What does that...]

He tried to ask.

Shadow looked at him and—

"Nux is our Universe, if he perishes, his Universe and beings connected to his Universe perish with him."

She started explaining.

Azriel nodded, that much he knew.

"Nux knows that as well, he knows our lives are connected to his, he knows that if he dies, we die too."

The Vampire Progenitor nodded again, even now, he was still following.

"But... he didn’t die.

He let himself be captured.

Why would he do that?

Why would he let himself be captured when he knows the Infinities could reach his wives through him?"

That was when Azriel realized it as well.

Why would he do it...?

As far as he knew Nux, in a situation like this, he would very much end everything right here instead of getting his wives captured and tormented, which, the Infinities would do the instant they realized how valuable they were to him.

Then...

Why didn’t he end everything...?

Azriel thought about it for a moment and the answer became clearer.

[He has a way out.]

He muttered and Shadow grinned.

She looked up, at the Energy of Chaos that was becoming denser and denser and her grin widened.

"Two more minutes."

She declared.

"Two more minutes are all Nux needs."

Yes, that was what he had been planning, the moment Orravyn captured him and he realized he couldn’t escape—

Nux played the role of a defeated enemy, an enemy who was prepared to go down, but he wanted to go down with pride.

This was also the reason he was talking to the Infinities in the first place, he wanted time, he wanted them to talk to him, manipulate them into giving a farewell speech, or saying something like how he made a mistake of fighting them and whatnot.

Even torture, even if the Infinities decided to break him mentally, to take away his ’last wish’ of a prideful death and decided to make him scream till he begged for death—

Anything would work.

As long as it held for three minutes.

And it worked.

The moment he asked the Infinities to kill him, they smiled—

"Kill you? You really are young and naïve, huh..."

Seraphielle chuckled as she gently cupped his cheek with her hand with a gentle look on her face.

The rest of the Infinities looked at him with smiles as well. They all knew what was going to happen, they all knew what Seraphielle did when she had this ’gentleness’ on her face and for the first time in maybe trillions and trillions of years—

None of the Infinities felt disgusted by it.

Instead, they were looking forward to it.

They were looking forward to how Seraphielle was going to break him, in fact, they participated in it.

"He is indeed."

Ul’Thakar laughed.

"He really believed death would be the end of it."

The Infinity of Darkness grinned.

"We are not going to kill you, Nux Leander.

That would be too easy."

Zylarith spoke up, hovering towards him as his violet eyes shined brightly.

"We are going to use you to make our way to the Universe you came from, we are going to learn your secrets, we are going to find every single thing you have been hiding..."

The Infinities continued—

Explaining every single thing they were going to do with him, slowly and properly, making sure they noted his expressions to the last second.

Nux played his role very well too, he tried to remain strong, but he let his fear ’leak’ from time to time, giving the five the satisfaction that they were winning.

When the wives saw what he was doing, they couldn’t help but smile.

Two minutes.

That was all Nux needed.

"N-No..."

Nux stuttered, looking at the Five with horrified eyes, the Infinities grinned.

"Oh this is just the begin—"

Zylarith tried to speak, to cut him off, to fill his eyes with dread but just then—

"Stop it."

Another voice was heard.

"It is embarrassing to see your lot made fools by a mere child."

The Seer was here.