Rise of The Abandoned Husband

I cradled Isabelle's broken body against my chest as we emerged from the Second Mystic Realm portal. Her skin was cold, almost translucent. The rise and fall of her chest was so slight I had to strain to detect it. Behind me, Min-Li stumbled through the portal, carrying another rescued girl—her friend from the extraction chambers.

Relief flooded through me when my feet touched solid ground outside the Guild's main complex. We'd made it out of the Mystic Realm. But that relief quickly soured as I looked down at Isabelle's face. She was barely alive. What they'd done to her...

"We need to move," I muttered, already scanning for the quickest escape route. "The Guild will send people after us."

Min-Li nodded, her face drawn with fatigue. "The east gate has the fewest guards. If we—"

"Going somewhere, Liam Knight?"

The voice froze my blood. I turned slowly, keeping Isabelle secure in my arms, to find Kenneth Minnx blocking our path. He wasn't alone. Behind him stood seven figures in identical black robes with silver trim—members of the Umbral Covenant.

"Kenneth," I growled. "Step aside. I'm not in the mood for games."

He smiled, that same smug expression I'd come to hate. "After all we've done to help you reach this point? I'm hurt, truly."

"Help me?" I nearly laughed. "You've manipulated me from the start."

"Semantics." Kenneth waved dismissively. "The point is, you've accomplished your mission. You've retrieved Isabelle Ashworth. Congratulations. Now it's time to fulfill your end of our arrangement."

I shifted Isabelle's weight in my arms, feeling her blood seep through my clothes. Every second we wasted here was a second closer to losing her forever.

"There was never any arrangement. Now move, or I'll move you."

One of the robed figures stepped forward—an elderly man with a meticulously trimmed white beard and eyes that seemed to contain galaxies. The air around him distorted slightly with each breath he took.

"I am Elder Barrett Hill of the Umbral Covenant," he announced, his voice carrying an undercurrent of power that made my skin crawl. "You stand in the presence of a Half-step Martial Sage. Choose your next words carefully, young man."

A Half-step Martial Sage. Just one step below the legendary Martial Saints. Under normal circumstances, I would have been intimidated into silence. But with Isabelle dying in my arms, circumstances were far from normal.

"I don't care if you're the Emperor of Heaven," I shot back. "Either help me save her life or get out of my way."

Elder Hill's eyebrows rose slightly. "Such passion. Such defiance. This is exactly why we've been watching you, Liam Knight." He stepped closer, his gaze moving to Isabelle. "The girl is important to us as well. Her bloodline is... unique."

"Her bloodline is her own," I snarled. "She's not a resource to be harvested."

"On that point, we agree," Elder Hill said, surprising me. "The Guild's methods are barbaric and wasteful. We have more refined techniques to utilize her abilities without such crude extraction."

My grip on Isabelle tightened. "You're not touching her."

"You misunderstand our intentions," Kenneth interjected smoothly. "The Umbral Covenant can save her. Right now, she's dying from blood loss and the interrupted extraction ritual. Without our help, she won't survive the night."

I hated that he was probably right. Isabelle's condition was deteriorating rapidly. I could feel her life force flickering, growing fainter by the minute.

"What do you want?" I asked, the words bitter in my mouth.

Elder Hill smiled, a grandfatherly expression that didn't reach his eyes. "Join us. Bring the girl. The Umbral Covenant has resources beyond your imagination—healers who can restore her, training that can elevate your abilities far beyond what the Guild could ever offer."

"And in return?"

"You serve our cause," Kenneth said. "With your talent and her bloodline, you'd be invaluable assets."

Assets. There it was—the truth beneath the benevolent facade. To them, we weren't people; we were tools to be used.

"I've had enough of being someone's puppet," I said. "Find another asset."

Elder Hill's smile faded. "I don't think you understand your situation, young man. You stand in the heart of Guild territory, holding a stolen prize of immeasurable value. There are currently seventy-three Military Marquises searching for you, not to mention at least three Military Lords. You cannot escape without our help."

"Watch me."

I took a step forward. Elder Hill raised his hand, and I felt an immense pressure descend upon me—his aura, heavy and suffocating. My knees nearly buckled under its weight.

"Impressive," he remarked when I remained standing. "But futile. You've been touched by the Power of Martial Saint, haven't you? I can sense it in your energy signature. A remarkable gift, but not enough to challenge me."

He was right. Despite the power I'd displayed in the Mystic Realm, I wasn't ready to face a Half-step Martial Sage. But I couldn't surrender Isabelle, not after everything we'd been through.

"Last chance," Kenneth called out. "Join us willingly, or Elder Hill will subdue you, and you'll join us anyway. Either way, the girl comes with us."

I glanced down at Isabelle's face. So pale, so fragile. I'd promised to protect her, to never let anyone hurt her again. Some protector I was.

"Liam," Min-Li whispered from behind me. "There's no shame in retreating now. We can find another way."

Another way. There had to be another way. I reached deep inside myself, searching for any remaining power, any hidden reserve I could tap into. The Saint's power I'd channeled earlier had receded, leaving me drained.

"Time's up," Elder Hill declared. He gestured, and two of the robed figures moved forward to flank me. "Take the girl."

Something snapped inside me. A cold fury unlike anything I'd felt before rose from the depths of my being. It wasn't the berserk rage I'd experienced in the extraction chamber—this was colder, more focused.

"No."

I poured what remained of my energy into a defensive barrier around myself and Isabelle. The approaching Covenant members hesitated, sensing the change in my aura.

"You're making this unnecessarily difficult," Elder Hill sighed. He made a simple gesture with two fingers.

The air around me shimmered, and golden chains materialized from nowhere, wrapping around my body. I recognized them immediately—Divine Rank artifacts, capable of binding even a Military Lord. They constricted, forcing me to my knees while somehow leaving my grip on Isabelle intact.

"These chains are unbreakable," Elder Hill explained calmly. "Forged from the essence of a fallen star and tempered in the blood of ancient dragons. They have bound demons and gods alike throughout history."

The chains burned against my skin, suppressing my energy and restricting my movement. Pain lanced through every nerve as they tightened further.

"Impressive craftsmanship," I managed through gritted teeth.

Elder Hill nodded appreciatively. "Indeed. Now, be reasonable. Release the girl to us, and I'll ease your bindings. Continue to resist, and they'll eventually crush every bone in your body."

Kenneth stepped forward, reaching for Isabelle. "It's over, Liam. You fought well, but this was always going to be the outcome."

His fingers brushed against Isabelle's arm, and something inside me shattered. Not my resolve—my limitations.

The Power of Martial Saint that had receded surged back, stronger than before. It wasn't just flowing through me now; it was becoming part of me, merging with my very essence. The golden chains glowed brighter as they strained against this new power.

"Get your hands off her," I growled, my voice resonating with power that wasn't entirely my own.

Kenneth recoiled, his eyes widening in shock. "Elder Hill! He's breaking through the suppression!"

"Impossible," Elder Hill muttered, making another gesture to strengthen the chains. "No one below Martial Sage level can resist the Star Dragon Chains."

But I was doing exactly that. With each heartbeat, I could feel the chains' grip weakening as my power grew. Cracks appeared in the golden links, spreading like spiderwebs across their surface.

"What are you?" Elder Hill demanded, genuine fear creeping into his voice.

I didn't answer. All my focus was on the chains, on the power surging through my meridians. With a roar that came from the depths of my soul, I pushed outward with everything I had.

The chains shattered.

Golden fragments exploded outward, forcing everyone to shield their faces. I rose to my feet, still holding Isabelle protectively against my chest. The air around me crackled with visible energy, blue-white lightning dancing across my skin.

"Impossible," Elder Hill whispered again, staring at the shattered remains of his unbreakable chains. "The Star Dragon Chains have never failed."

I took a step forward. The ground beneath my feet cracked from the pressure of my aura. "Whoever dares to stand in my way today, I'll kill them!"

My voice boomed across the courtyard, echoing off the Guild's stone walls. The Covenant members backed away, their earlier confidence evaporating in the face of my unleashed power.

Kenneth had retreated behind Elder Hill, his face pale with shock. "This isn't over, Liam Knight," he called out, but his voice lacked conviction.

Elder Hill raised his hands in a placating gesture. "Perhaps we've been too hasty. Let's discuss this like reasonable—"

"There's nothing to discuss," I cut him off. "You tried to chain me. You tried to take her. Now you'll get out of my way, or I'll show you exactly what the Power of Martial Saint can do in the hands of someone with nothing left to lose."

For a long moment, Elder Hill studied me, calculation evident in his ancient eyes. Then, slowly, he lowered his hands and stepped aside.

"This isn't surrender," he said quietly. "This is... postponement. We'll meet again, Liam Knight."

"When we do," I replied, "bring more than chains."

I walked forward, my eyes locked on the path ahead. One by one, the Covenant members moved aside, creating a corridor for me to pass. None dared to meet my gaze.

Min-Li hurried to keep pace with me as we left the courtyard, her eyes wide with disbelief. "How did you do that? Those chains... they're legendary."

"I don't know," I admitted. And it was true. I didn't understand what was happening to me, how I'd shattered artifacts that had supposedly bound gods. All I knew was that Isabelle needed help, and nothing—not chains, not covenants, not the entire Martial Guild—would stop me from getting her to safety.

As we reached the eastern gate, I cast one last look over my shoulder. The Covenant members remained in the courtyard, Elder Hill watching me with an expression I couldn't quite read—fear mixed with something that might have been anticipation.

"This isn't over," Min-Li whispered, echoing Kenneth's words. "They'll come after us."

"Let them come," I replied, stepping through the gate with Isabelle held firmly in my arms. "Next time, I won't stop at breaking their chains."

The wind picked up as we left Guild territory, carrying with it the scent of rain. A storm was coming. I pulled Isabelle closer, shielding her from the first drops, and quickened my pace.

Whatever power had awakened in me today, whatever enemies we'd made—none of it mattered except the woman in my arms. I would save her. I would protect her. And anyone who tried to stand in my way would learn exactly how far I was willing to go.

The chains that had held me—physical or otherwise—were broken. And I had no intention of ever being bound again.