Investing In My Four Crippled Yandere Wives Get 1000x Returns
Chapter 35|Returned in Kind

Chapter 35: 35|Returned in Kind

The rift had been classified A-rank, same as the Obsidian Wyrm’s Hollow they’d cleared weeks earlier, but classification, Allen was quickly reminded, only ever told part of the story.

They’d descended into a flooded cavern system beneath the city’s old reservoir district, tracking reports of an escalating beast population that risked breaching containment within days if left unaddressed. The Association had flagged it urgent enough to warrant immediate response, and Fallen Crown, now operating under official guild status for barely a week, had accepted the assignment eagerly.

The Leviathan hadn’t appeared in any of the preliminary scouting reports.

It surged from the flooded depths without warning, easily fifty meters of armored, serpentine bulk, jaws wide enough to swallow a person whole, and struck with a speed that defied its massive size, catching Allen mid-throw before Guardian’s Instinct could fully register the threat.

He felt the impact before he registered what had happened — crushing force driving the air from his lungs, water and darkness closing over him as the creature’s tail sent him hurtling into the flooded cavern’s depths, Ashfall Talons scraping uselessly against armored scale as he fought against the disorienting, suffocating pressure.

’This is bad,’ he managed to think, lungs already burning, vision beginning to blur at the edges. ’This is really—’

The water around him erupted into brilliant, controlled ice, freezing solid in an instant, and Allen found himself suddenly braced against a solid platform rather than sinking further into crushing depths, Myria’s voice cutting sharply through the chaos even from a considerable distance.

"MOVE HIM NOW!"

Vivian was there before he’d even fully processed the reprieve, enhanced senses guiding her unerringly through the flooded chaos, hauling him bodily from the water with strength that belied her usual composed elegance. Everlyn’s roots surged up simultaneously, wrapping protectively around them both, providing cover as Irene’s flames roared to devastating life against the Leviathan’s exposed flank.

Allen coughed water from his lungs, vision swimming, distantly aware of Everlyn’s hands glowing urgent green against his chest, healing magic working frantically to counteract the damage from the crushing impact.

"Stay with us," Vivian said fiercely, cradling his head against her lap even as the battle raged around them, voice tight with barely restrained panic. "Allen, stay with me."

"I’m here," he managed, voice rough and weak. "I’m—"

The Leviathan’s roar cut through whatever he’d been about to say, and Allen watched, still too disoriented to properly assist, as his wives moved with a coordinated, furious precision that eclipsed anything he’d witnessed from them before.

Myria’s ice locked the creature’s massive tail solid against the cavern floor, sacrificing considerable focus and stamina to maintain the containment despite the Leviathan’s thrashing resistance. Irene pressed forward relentlessly, Supreme-tier flames burning through armored scale with devastating, unrelenting intensity, driven by something far fiercer than mere combat instinct. Everlyn’s roots anchored deep into the flooded cavern floor, redirecting the water itself to expose vulnerable sections of the creature’s underside, while Vivian, torn between protecting Allen’s vulnerable form and joining the fight directly, finally settled him carefully against a raised section of stone before rising with lethal, furious purpose.

"You don’t get to touch him," she said, voice carrying clearly despite the chaos, blade already moving with brutal, precise intent. "None of you ever get to touch him again."

The fight that followed was shorter than Allen expected, four Supreme-tier abilities converging with a fury born not just of combat necessity, but of something far more personal — the shared, unified terror of nearly losing something none of them were willing to lose again.

The Leviathan’s final death throes sent water crashing violently through the cavern before its massive form finally dissolved into fading light, leaving the flooded chamber eerily silent save for their own ragged breathing.

Vivian was at his side again instantly, followed swiftly by the others, all four of them gathering around him with a desperate, protective closeness that spoke louder than any words could have managed.

"I’m okay," Allen said, voice still rough but steadier now, Everlyn’s healing magic having stabilized most of the immediate damage. "Really. I’m okay."

"You almost weren’t," Myria said, voice tight with barely restrained emotion, her usual composure entirely shattered. "I’ve watched people I care about die before, Allen. I refuse to watch it happen again. Especially not to you."

"None of us are ready to lose you," Irene added, kneeling beside him, flames finally extinguished, expression stripped of its usual bravado. "So maybe next time, let us actually do our jobs before diving headfirst into something with fifty meters of teeth."

Everlyn’s hands remained pressed gently against his chest, healing magic still faintly glowing, her expression carrying a fierce, silent determination that needed no words to convey.

[Investment Detected: Milestone — "Dependents united in desperate, unconditional protection of Host, confirming reciprocal bond strength."]

[Sincerity: Extreme. Emotional Impact: Extreme.]

[Reward Generated: +2,000 Investment Points.]

[Total Investment Points: 41,120]

Allen let the notification fade quietly, focusing instead on the four faces gathered around him — fear and fierce protectiveness still evident in each of their expressions, the aftermath of genuine terror slowly giving way to overwhelming, relieved gratitude.

"I promise," he said quietly, meeting each of their gazes in turn, "to actually let you all do your jobs next time."

"See that you do," Vivian said, though the sharp edge in her voice couldn’t fully mask the tremor of remaining fear beneath it. She leaned down, resting her forehead gently against his. "I meant what I said back there. You don’t get taken from us. Not by a Leviathan, not by your family, not by anything."

"I don’t intend to go anywhere," Allen said softly, reaching up to gently cup her face. "I promise."

Around them, the flooded cavern slowly stilled, the immediate danger passed, but the weight of how close they’d come to genuine tragedy lingered heavily in the air — a stark, sobering reminder that despite everything they’d built together, despite every reward and every bloodline evolution, they remained achingly, dangerously human beneath it all.