Mistaken Match: Marrying the Enigmatic CEO
Chapter 2383; The Big one Shows Up
Santiago let out a dry laugh. “So, this is what we’re working with?”
He hadn’t led a battle in years, though it didn’t feel like it. His instincts were already back two days keep into the Eightfold War Grid. The marching, the tension, it all felt familiar. Like a part of him had been waiting for this.
Now that he’d finally reached the first core point, it wasn’t nearly as overwhelming as he’d expected.
Of course, he knew exactly why. Without Magnus guiding them, this entire formation could’ve swallowed them whole. The Eightfold War God spanned five islands and was known as the largest tactical structure ever created. One wrong turn, and you’d be lost for good, possibly dead.
Magnus’ voice came through the comm just as Santiago stepped forward. “Dragon Saint, take down that wall ahead. It’s one of the four core points. Destroying it will cut the grid’s power by a quarter. Once all four are gone, the entire system will collapse.”
His voice carried to all squads. Everyone could hear the update.
The other teams were still trying to find their way, so this moment was a morale booster. It was proof that Magnus really could pull this off.
“No problem,” Santiago replied, reaching for his Silver Dragon Spear.
Before he could take another step, a thunder of voices erupted from beyond the wall.
Dozens of soldiers came pouring out geared up and fully armed. This wasn’t a scattered defense force. This was trained military, locked in, and ready.
Santiago’s eyes lit up. “Now we’re talking, I was starting to think I’d make my trip for nothing.”
He turned to his men, energy rising in his voice. “Let’s go! Tear through them and shut this thing down!”
“Kill!” The warriors from Chanaea’s Northern Region charged with full force. Their battle cry shook the ground.
They weren’t just disciplined. They were sharp, fearless, and built for moments like this.
Santiago surged ahead of the pack. As the fight broke out, he noticed something strange, the enemy didn’t flinch. No fear, no hesitation. Their movements felt mechanical.
Every one of them was a martial artist. They were no match for Santiago himself, but stronger and faster than standard soldiers by a long shot.
Without Liora’s rhythm and combat enhancing music, the tide of the battle might’ve gone the other way.
With him leading the charge, the fight quickly started to tilt in their favor.
On Graypine Island, Gautier couldn’t see the fight, through its sound come through loud and clear. Even over cooms, he could tell the first core point was ono the brink of falling.
Just as he tensed up, a massive transport ship arrived at the dock. More ships followed in formation. He laughed at the sight. “Perfect timing.”
Gautier stepped forward with a grin. “Since I’m the one pulling the strings, let’s crank up the difficulty. Time for nightmare mode.”
Meanwhile, Squad Two, led by Emmanuel was still navigating the grid. After two full days of marching, the layout hadn’t gotten any easier.
His memory was razor sharp, though even that wasn’t enough with confidence, like it had started learning the terrain on its own. He wasn’t following logic anymore. His instincts were taking over.
Sage and others had given up on trying to understand the formation. None of the roads matched what they remembered. After two day, they were basically starting from scratch.
Sage had come to a quiet conclusion; this entire formation wasn’t meant for ordinary soldiers. It was designed for tacticians, the kind of minds that saw patterns where others saw chaos. For everyone else, survival was just a matter of luck.
Just then, Magnus come over to the comm. “Emmanuel, you’re up next. I’ve locked down the second core point.”
Emmanuel sighed. “Now you help? So, the last two days of wandering were just a warm-up?”
“Not exactly. The grid has what’s called a Gate of Death. Stop moving too long, and the terrain crushed you… cough…” Magnus replied
His voice cracked into a fit of coughing.
“Magnus?”
Hattie immediately rushed to his side, her eyes filled with concern. His nose had started bleeding.
“It’s fine,” Magnus comforted her quietly, cutting, the comm to avoid alarming the others. He forced a smile in Hattie’s direction.
She knelt beside him. “You haven’t eaten in two days. You need a break.”
“I’ll be fine. Just keep the IV going. The second I stop, this entire operation falls apart.” He replied, then reconnected with Emmanuel.
Emmanuel could already imagine Magnus state. His own team was exhausted from two days of marching, while Magnus had been mentally holding the entire formation together without rest. The worst part was that he still had to keep going for a few more days.
Aurora had stayed behind to protect him, acting as a guard and sensor. She could detect threats before they ever get close.
Following Magnus’ signal, she hooked him up to a fresh IV drip and stood watch.
Emmanuel came back over the comms, “Magnus, I think I’ve got it. I can’t explain it, but my body’s figured out the rhythm, feed me the core pattern, and I’ll guide my team to the next core point myself. You focus on finding the others. Your body won’t hold out forever.”
That made Magnus smile.
They’d been through too many battles to doubt each other now. Emmanuel had the kind of natural battle instincts you couldn’t teach. Magnus was the mind. Emmanuel was the muscle memory.
After receiving Magnus’s base structure, Emmanuel locked it in and took over the leadership of his route.
Magnus shifted focus to help Xarri’s team locate the third core point.
Elsewhere, squad one was wrapping up their fight.
Santiago and Liora had crushed the enemy forces, suffering only a few hundred losses while wiping out over two thousand enemies.
The path behind them was soaked in blood. Crews had already started relocating bodies to clear space.
Liora called, “Santiago, now’s the time, Use the Silver Dragon Spear and hit that wall.”
The four saints had nothing left to hold back. Most of them believed this would be their last stand, and they were going all in.
“Now’s the time!” Santiago nodded, took a swig of wine, and then raised his spear.
The wall was nearly 33 feet thick and made of energy-absorbing stone so that it wouldn’t break easily.
He stepped up to strike, then froze.
Two figures had just appeared on the wall above them.
A man and a woman stood side by side, radiating a dark, suffocating presence. Something, about them felt ancient and unnatural, like the air had shifted just to make room for their arrival.
Santiago’s grip tightened.
A grin crept across his face, part excitement, part caution.
Hu muttered, “Well, it took you long enough. I’ve been waiting.”
He raised his voice so all could hear. “The Great Saint King of the Holy Fire organization, Pol Godin!”
The entire field went silent.
No one had expected that name.