Re-Overlord: I Can Acquire Anything!-Chapter 249: Breaking the News

Igaris sat up fully now, gently moving Celestara to sit on his lap. His gaze swept across all of them. The calm was gone from his eyes, replaced by the weight of sovereignty.

"In Oynstar," he began, "I faced a Law Master who claimed transcendence. He fell. Afterward, I was brought before the Emperor. He was dying, bound by a curse even gods cannot undo. He saw me as the heir to his throne. His visions through the Fate Law told him his end was certain, but my arrival was inevitable. Before he died, he named me as his successor."

The air grew heavy. Even the starlit meadow seemed to dim as silence stretched.

"You mean…" Shirley whispered. "You are now…"

"The Emperor of Oynstar," Igaris said simply.

The words landed like thunder.

Celestara blinked up at him, confused. "Papa… aren't you an Overlord? What's an Emperor?"

Her innocence broke the tension for a moment. Igaris touched her cheek, saying softly. "Overlord or Emperor... both means I am the one who must protect my all subjects. We'll just have new land where countless people see me as their protector, same as I am here."

Her small mouth formed an "o" as she tilted her head. "So You'll be… the Papa of that higher universe?"

"Hahaha..." His wives couldn't help but laugh softly through their tears.

Diva ruffled Celestara's hair. "That's one way to put it."

But not everyone was smiling.

Evernight rose to her feet, her aura pressing faintly. "So the moment we reunite, you are already shackled to another throne. Another war. Another burden."

Seraphina's golden eyes narrowed with concern. "It isn't just a burden. You know what this means, Igaris. Empires are built on politics, betrayal, and endless wars. Will you drown yourself in them again?"

Shirley clutched her hands tightly. "I just wanted us to be together again… as a family. Now the whole empire will compete for your time."

Their voices carried not accusation, but fear. Fear of losing him again.

Celestara, sensing the unease, hugged her father's chest. "No! Papa won't leave! He promised he'll always come back!"

Her voice, small yet resolute, cut through their doubts.

Igaris drew in a deep breath. "I did not choose this throne to abandon you. I accepted it because rejecting it would mean chaos for countless lives. But hear me now. No throne, no army, no law will ever come before you, my family. If the empire demands otherwise, I will burn it to ash."

The Infinite Law Tree pulsed as if to seal his words with divine resonance.

Celestara looked up at him, her silver eyes shining with determination beyond her years. "Then I'll help you, Papa! I'll grow strong and protect Mama and everyone, so you don't have to carry everything alone."

Shirley gasped softly, covering her mouth. Seraphina's eyes softened, while Lilya's smile widened with pride. Diva laughed through her tears. "Just like him. Already making declarations that shake the stars."

Igaris kissed her forehead gently. "One day, Celestara. But for now, your duty is to grow. To laugh, to live, to be the light of this family."

She pouted slightly but nodded with determination. "Okay. But one day, I'll stand beside you, Papa. I promise."

Evernight, still tense, finally sighed. "We cannot deny it then. If fate itself chose you, then so be it. But if you forget yourself again in the abyss of power, I will be the first to drag you back."

Seraphina leaned closer.

"You carry us all. Do not make the mistake of carrying us apart."

Shirley's tears finally spilled, but she smiled. "We will stand with you, no matter how vast this empire is."

Diva smirked, brushing her hair back. "Then let us show this Oynstar that their Emperor is not only unstoppable but also bound by a family stronger than any army."

Lilya placed her hand over Igaris's, her voice serene. "And in that, you will never walk alone."

Igaris looked around at them, his wives and his daughter, and for the first time, he realized that the throne was not his alone. The empire did not just gain him—it gained them all.

They rose together, his wives forming a circle around him, Celestara held firmly in his arms. The Infinite Law Tree stretched higher, its roots spreading into the laws of this universe and beyond.

Above, stars flared as though bowing to a sovereign crowned not by tradition but by destiny and love.

Igaris's voice echoed, carrying across both realms:

"Let the Oynstar Empire prepare. Their Emperor does not stand alone. He carries a family, a legacy, and a promise that no curse, no celestial, no god can ever break."

The cosmos trembled in acknowledgment.

The dawn had broken, not only on his empire but on his family's new chapter.

Meanwhile...

The Palace of Oynstar was cloaked in mourning. The crystalline throne still dimmed with sorrow, its veins of starlight extinguished after the Emperor's passing. Priests sang hymns of farewell across the core worlds, and for a brief moment, the vast empire seemed to hold its breath.

But silence never lasts long in a galaxy that stinks of ambition.

Like vultures circling carrion, the four neighboring intergalactic empires moved. For centuries, they had eyed Oynstar, restrained only by the iron grip of its Emperor. Now that grip was gone.

Within days, the palace received envoys. Not humble courtiers, but princes and princesses, heirs of thrones themselves. Each one arrived in gilded warships, their banners blazing above the skies of the capital. They came not to mourn but to devour.

The Grand Audience Hall filled with tension. Nobles, ministers, and generals gathered beneath its vaulted ceiling of starlight glass. At the center stood Princess Rosella Victoria, granddaughter of the late Emperor, clad in royal silver and violet robes. Her beauty was undeniable, her bearing noble, yet her heart carried a storm of conflict.

Though her grandfather's last decree had named an outsider as heir, the envoys knew nothing of it. They believed Rosella to be the rightful successor, the weakened princess standing alone at the edge of ruin.

The first to step forward was Prince Altharion of the Crimson Dominion, his crimson cloak flowing behind him like spilled blood. His voice dripped arrogance.

"Oynstar stands hollow. Your Emperor is dead, and with him, your strength. Bow your head to my Dominion, Princess, and I may allow you to keep your lands as vassals."

Before Rosella could reply, Princess Ysera of the Emerald Continuum spoke, her beauty sharp as a blade.

"Or better yet, unite our bloodlines. Marry me to your throne, and together we shall 'guide' Oynstar into the future. Refuse, and my fleets will turn your border worlds to ash."

Then came Prince Kaedrus of the Obsidian Federation,

"Enough games. Submit, or face annihilation. Your armies are fractured. Your laws weak. Without your Emperor, Oynstar is nothing."

His voice like grinding stone.

Finally, Princess Aelira of the Azure Sovereignty stepped forward, her laughter echoing mockery.

"Why waste time with threats? She already knows she has no choice. Princess Rosella, kneel before us, or we will drag your empire into the dust. Choose wisely."

The nobles of Oynstar clenched their fists, their faces flushed with humiliation. Generals gritted their teeth, aching to draw their blades, but they dared not move. The enemies had chosen their timing well. The empire mourned, its armies scattered, its faith shaken.

All eyes turned to Rosella.

The princess's violet eyes gleamed with fire. Though her heart quivered, she would not show weakness before these jackals.

"How amusing," she said, her voice calm yet laced with venom. "Four so-called empires, each proclaiming their might, yet all of you scurry here together like rats at the scent of a corpse. You speak of Oynstar's weakness, but what I see are scavengers too frightened to strike alone."

Gasps echoed through the hall. Nobles looked at her in awe. The envoys' faces darkened instantly.

Prince Altharion's lip curled. "Careful, girl. Words will not save you."

Rosella's smile turned cold. "And yet they silence you for now. Did you think Oynstar would crumble so easily? Did you truly believe I would cower at your feet? If so, then you have mistaken me for a puppet. I am Rosella Victoria of Oynstar, daughter of the imperial line, and I bow to no outsider."

Her words rang like steel striking steel. For a moment, even the envoys faltered.

But then Kaedrus snarled. "Arrogant child. Without your grandfather, you are nothing but a fragile flame waiting to be snuffed out."

Rosella lifted her chin proudly. "Fragile? Then allow me to show you how wrong you are. Oynstar does not bow to carrion."

The nobles erupted in hushed voices. The generals slammed their fists to their chests in salute. Rosella had struck them like a spark to dry tinder.

And then suddenly—

The air trembled.

The vast chamber dimmed as though the universe itself bent inward. A shadow fell over the audience, not of darkness but of law itself. One by one, the glowing runes etched into the marble walls flared, then cracked. The foundations of the hall groaned as if struggling to withstand the weight of what approached.

Then he appeared.

Igaris Vance.

The Emperor of Oynstar.