CHAPTER 624 THE FINAL BATTLE

"So, when did you two... fall for each other?" Marin asked in confusion, as she bit her pink lips. She had

never expected Isis and Rocky to marry so soon. It hurt that she was kept in the dark, but the fact that

she and her cousin fell in love with the same man made it even more painful.

"We..." Not knowing how to react to Marin's flustered face, Isis turned to Rocky hoping for an answer.

"Never mind. Don't tell me. Congratulations! I wish you... a happy life... together," Marin awkwardly

congratulated before shaking her head. She began to sob as she turned away and left.

"Marin..." Isis called out to her. She knew something was off. This material belongs to .

"Go. She needs you, Isis," Rocky told her.

Isis immediately chased after Marin.

"Now, we must prepare for the upcoming battle against the Timber Deity Empire." Rocky narrowed his

eyes. No more regrets. No more wasted time. More focus and attention on the battle plan. Once they

were married, Lance hoped to appoint Rocky as the new leader of the Crimson Dragon Army against

the Timber Deity Empire. Rocky was fully aware of Alyssa's mighty power along with her powerful

Timber Deity Empire soldiers. She wouldn't be easy to defeat. Although he had managed to lead a few

strategies against her, he had yet to confront her face-to-face. Alyssa had placed the Crimson Dragon

Army in extreme danger multiple times in the past. This further proved her extraordinary intellect and

might on the battlefield. Thus, Rocky and the Crimson Dragon Army needed to prepare thoroughly if

they wanted any chance of defeating her.

After Isis caught up with Marin, she found her sobbing like a hurt child. Immediately, Marin threw

herself into her cousin's arms and sobbed harder.

"Marin, what's wrong?" Isis asked, worried and confused. She had not seen her cousin cry like that in

so long. Marin's normal reaction to hearing her cousin was getting married would be pure joy. So it was

strange for Isis to see her cousin overcome with tears and gloom—almost as if she was heartbroken.

"Isis, do you truly like Rocky? Or is there another reason why you agreed to marry him?" Marin asked,

tears streaming down her face like tiny rivers.

"I..." Isis was at a loss for words. She sensed that Marin was trying to desperately hide something.

Taking the risk, she asked, "Marin, do you like Rocky?"

Marin remained silent and bit her lips.

Isis was stunned. She never expected Marin to like Rocky. There were never any clues or past

discoveries that pointed to the possibility.

"Isis, I'll be fine. Don't worry about me." Marin took a deep breath to try to regain her composure.

"Silly girl. Why didn't you tell me sooner? If you had, I might've..." Isis failed to finish her sentence. Now

she knew that pushing through with the marriage would hurt Marin.

"Honestly, I'm still unsure of my feelings for him. But when I heard that you two are getting married,

something inside of me just..." Marin sighed. She hated failing to restrain her emotions.

"It seems you really like him. What are the odds, huh?" Isis shook her head in disbelief at their current

situation.

"Isis, don't feel bad for me. I'll be happy as long as he treats you right," Marin reassured her cousin,

trying her best to be optimistic.

"Our marriage isn't exactly...genuine. It's not based on love but on..." Brief silence passed between

them before Isis revealed the truth to her cousin. However, she left out one detail: she and Rocky

agreed to a fake marriage.

"Isis, don't tell me you agreed to marry Rocky just to help the Crimson Dragon Group. What about your

freedom? Your happiness?" Marin couldn't understand why her cousin would agree to such a deal.

"I know you're finding it hard to believe. But sometimes, we must do things in our lives that we don't like

to get what we want. What I want is for Rocky to stay and lead the Crimson Dragon Group to victory,"

Isis explained with narrowed eyes.

"Isis, you can't just sacrifice your happiness..." Marin protested.

"I've made my decision. I need Rocky's help as much as he needs my help. On another note, I am still

shocked at your deep feelings for him," Isis spoke, expressing her surprise.

"Don't you like him even a little bit?" Marin asked curiously.

For a brief moment, confusion swept over Isis' face before she changed the topic. "Once the war is

over," she said, "I'll end my marriage to Rocky. Then you and him can..."

"No!" Marin exclaimed. "Once he marries you, he will be with you for the rest of his life. Otherwise, I

could never forgive myself for being the reason you two break up," Marin said firmly. She knew that she

and Rocky would never work out, no matter how true her feelings for him were. The bond between her

and her cousin was stronger and it was a bond that she wasn't willing to destroy.

Isis gave her cousin a bitter smile while shaking her head. She knew that her marriage to Rocky would

never last. Sooner or later, someone else would take her place. She didn't wish to add to Rocky's

burdens. Even though he was highly responsible and would never hurt her, she didn't want a husband

who was only forced to be with her. It was a life she didn't want for either of them.

After Lance announced the wedding, the matter caught on in the whole Evian City. Rocky used to be

an unfamiliar name to the city's citizens. Now, his name was known by all thanks to him saving the

Evian City and because of that, he gained lots of support. Naturally, this marriage was the one that

people would be happy with.

When news of the marriage broke out, Alyssa was already returning with her troops to the camp

located along the Timber Deity Empire's border from the Deity Unicorn Valley. She was already

planning her next attack on the Crimson Dragon Army.

"Are you sure about this, Alyssa?" Woods confirmed with her regarding their battle strategy in the

commander's tent.

"We could've achieved our goal by now if we successfully took over the Evian City. Our carelessness

caused us to lose more than twenty thousand soldiers. And in a short period of time, we can't gather

more soldiers. Don't worry. I have a plan. Consider this our final battle against the Crimson Dragon

Army. More specifically, this will be the final battle... forever," Alyssa uttered with narrowed eyes and a

face full of determination.