Mistaken Match: Marrying the Enigmatic CEO
Chapter 2396; Let Go of My Wife!
Bam! Bam!
Xarri and Quintus were knocked to the ground once again, smashing through the wall as they went. But as long as they were still breathing, neither of them had any intention of giving up.
Unlike Quintus, who was determined to fight to the death, Xarri kept glancing around, scanning the battlefield. Then, two things caught his eye, sparking a flicker of hope once more.
First, Mackenzie had walked up to Sarah’s containment chamber. She stood there silently, tears falling down her cheeks, her aura surging wildly as though something had come back to her.
Second, the Holy Fire organization’s forces had broken through the outer defenses and were pouring into the compound. It was still unclear whose side they would take, but if Mackenzie invoked her authority as Saintess, everything might turn around.
“Quintus, I’ll hold off Orunis! You get the Saintess to the top of the temple and have her call on the Holy Fire organization to destroy this place!”
At this point, Xarri had no time to plan quietly with Quintus. He had to shout. Besides, Orunis was far too smart. Even if they tried to whisper, he’d figure it out just by watching them.
“Heh… I refuse!” Quintus coughed up a mouthful of blood and pushed himself to his feet.
Xarri stiffened, but before he could speak, Quintus grinned and said, “We switch roles. That way, we’ll be doing what we’ve always been best at.”
Xarri froze, his chest tightening with emotion. He knew exactly what that meant, whoever faced Orunis had the highest chance of dying. But he didn’t argue. Without hesitation, he grabbed Mackenzie and charged up the stone steps.
“Your Holiness, your name is Mackenzie Quillen, the wife of Emmanuel Lowe. You love your family, including your sister, Sarah Quillen, who’s trapped in this container…” Xarri spoke as quickly as he could, hoping to spark Mackenzie’s memory and get her to invoke her authority as Saintess to rally the Holy Fire army.
Mackenzie’s eyes remained fixed on Sarah. So, this is my sister…
“Die!”
Of course, Orunis wouldn’t let them succeed. He lunged at Xarri, aiming to kill him on the spot.
Xarri’s eyes narrowed.
Orunis was faster, and Xarri still had to escort Mackenzie to the top of the temple, how could he manage both?
Just then, Quintis threw himself at Orunis, trying to tackle him. But Orunis had predicted that move. He pivoted and kicked Quintus into the air. And that wasn’t all, there were mechanisms embedded in the temple walls. Hidden beneath Orunis’ robes was some sort of controller. Instantly, a storm of arrows launched toward Quintus.
Thwip, thwip, thwip.
Quintus couldn’t dodge in time. Several arrows pierced his body, freezing him mid-motion.
“Quintus!”
Though Xarri was shaken, he didn’t stop. He drove his sword through the temple roof with full force and shouted, “Your Holiness go now!”
Mackenzie nodded. The curse worm was still blocking her memory, but she was confident in her instincts. She trusted her judgment and knew where she stood.
But just before she could ascend, a man stepped in front of the stairs, smirking viciously.
“Gautier Verkade?!”
Xarri’s heart dropped, Gautier’s sudden appearance threw everything into chaos.
Even Orunis frowned, Gautier wasn’t part of his plan either.
“Mackenzie!”
At that moment, Emmanuel sensed something from within the temple.
After mastering the Art of Sunflame, he gained the ability to sense other fighters’ energy. More importantly, Mackenzie’s aura entered Solaris Island and absorbed the power of countless Sun Stones, her energy was impossible to miss.
The moment he confirmed she was inside the temple, Emmanuel charge in like a madman. But before he could reach her, the entire perimeter of the temple erupted with a deafening roar.
“Kill the Chanaen soldiers!”
The Holy Fire organization’s forces had stormed into Solaris Island. But with the Great Saint King, the Great Saintess, and the Blackshoot Princess all gone, the army had become a headless swarm, operating solely on their original mission plan.
“Boss, we’ve got big trouble! We’re up against too many enemies!” Sage shouted while fighting off attackers.
Emmanuel clenched his jaw. He knew his wife and the others were inside the temple, but he couldn’t give the order to destroy it at all costs, not yet. He could only issue a temporary command. “Sage, hold them off as best as you can. I’ll break into the temple first. Wait for my signal, then destroy it!”
“Understood!” Sage yelled back.
However, in reality, they didn’t even have the firepower to destroy the temple. There were no weapons of mass destruction at their disposal, only their unwavering faith in Emmanuel and their belief in protecting Chanaea’s destiny. They trusted that their commander would find a way.
After giving the order, Emmanuel let out a furious roar and unleashed a flurry of the Northern Region’s Reverse Dragon Palm strikes, charging forward into the temple alone.
“Mr. Orunis,” Gautier said with a cold smile, “why don’t I escort Your Holiness into the inner chamber?”
Before Orunis could answer, Mackenzie shouted, “Get away from me!”
She didn’t know why, but even though she couldn’t remember who the man was, something about him made her feel deeply repulsed. In fact, ever since the Great Saint King, the one who had poisoned her, had died, the control over the curse worm inside her had vanished. Her mind and body had grown volatile and unstable. She lashed out at Gautier on instinct.
Xarri and Quintus had already witnessed the sheer force Mackenzie now possessed. She’d managed to throw off even the Blackshoot Princess. Someone like Gautier should’ve been no match for her. But to their surprise, Gautier had anticipated Mackenzie’s strike and sidestepped. He even grabbed her wrist with practiced ease.
Crafty as ever, Gautier had no intention of revealing his full strength just yet. He wasn’t about to absorb Mackenzie’s power and show his hand to Orunis. Until now, no one had seen him fight seriously, no one could guess his true abilities.
Xarri and Quintus were both stunned. Since when had Gautier become this dangerous?”
They both wanted to protect Mackenzie, but they had already been gravely wounded by Orunis and couldn’t even stand up.
“Mr. Orunis,” Gautier said smugly, “Shall I escort Your Holiness into the temple? After all, you’ve got other VIP guests to entertain.”
The net second, Emmanuel burst into the temple and locked eyes with his wife standing on the stone steps. His voice rang out with urgency and devotion. “Mackenzie!”
Mackenzie flinched. The moment she turned and saw Emmanuel, her whole body froze.
“Mackenzie don’t worry! I’ve come to get you out!”
Then, his gaze shifted sharply to Gautier, Emmanuel roared, “Let go of my wife!”
Wife?
The word hit Mackenzie like a hammer. Her head throbbed violently, and she instinctively clutched it in pain. Something was coming back to her.
This man is my husband? His eyes are too sincere to be lying!
But Gautier held tightly onto her wrist.
Whoosh!
Emmanuel channeled his strength and prepared to strike Gautier down with a Dragon-Breaking Palm, but Gautier ever the coward, immediately ducked behind Mackenzie to use her as a shield. Emmanuel had no choice but to pull back his attack mid-strike.
‘Alright, get the Saintess into the temple now!” Orunis snapped.
He had no other options. He was the only one capable of holding back Emmanuel and the others, and right now, the only one who could assist him was Gautier.
Even he couldn’t predict what kind of trick Gautier might pull.
“Right on!”
With Orunis approval. Gautier took advantage of Mackenzie’s dazed, pain stricken state and dragged her down the steps in a swift leap.
“D*mn it, Gautier, let Mackenzie go!” Emmanuel shouted in fury as he vaulted toward the temple rear chamber.
But it was as if the enemy had predicted his every move. Just as he leaped, the Sage Saint appeared out of nowhere and struck him hard in the abdomen with a sudden kick.