Chapter 233: Return To Orca
The cosmos bent beneath his steps.
Where lesser gods required wings, portals, or faith to travel between worlds, Igaris simply walked. One stride split nebulae, the next folded entire galaxies into nothing but stepping stones. To him, space was no more than parchment—thin, pliable, and fragile. He twisted it, tore it, rewrote it, his figure moving faster than the comprehension of stars themselves.
But even with all that infinite might, there was an ache in his chest.
For all the wives he had gathered, all the victories won, he had not found him. The one soul who had once stood among his strongest pillars in their past life, a warrior whose fire had matched his own.
His Friend: Gilgamesh.
Gilgamesh’s counterpart had remained hidden, lost to the threads of fate despite his Architect’s Eyes scouring reality’s depths.
He clenched his hand once, a ripple of frustration echoing through the void. But then his expression softened.
"My friend, no matter where you are... I will find you," he murmured, his voice carrying across the stars. "If it takes eternity itself, I will not leave you behind."
He let the thought fade, burying the grief in resolve. Because right now, the present awaited him.
And the present... was brighter than any sun.
Behind him trailed the overwhelming presence of 23 wives, each wrapped in their unique radiance. Some were quiet, still shaken by the awakening of their memories. Some were already laughing and arguing as if the centuries apart had been nothing but a dream. Some pressed closer to him, their gazes fixed upon him with complete trust, as though the fragments of memory they had recovered were enough to restore unbreakable loyalty.
Not all remembered. Not all had awakened to their past selves. Yet not one doubted him. Not one questioned his hand when he said they were family.
That was enough.
"Everything else can wait," he whispered. "Because now, I have all of you."
---
The branches of the Eternal Tree dwindled behind him as he folded reality once more. The winds of divine space tore past, carrying whispers of fading stars. Each step rang like thunder across dimensions. Every motion blurred into eternity, and yet his heart beat faster not from battle, but from anticipation.
Because at the end of this journey, he would return to Orca.
He would welcome his child.
Evernight, the midnight-haired queen who bore the serenity of endless nights, had been carrying their child. Even as the battles raged, even as gods and demons fell before him, she had nurtured that fragile life within her. The thought of it—the thought of a new beginning, not just for himself but for his bloodline—sent a warmth through him that no divine flame could match.
"Igaris," Seraphina said beside him, her hand slipping into his as they strode through folded space. Her voice, always calm, now carried a small tremor of tenderness. "Are you nervous?"
He chuckled softly, shaking his head, though his golden eyes betrayed the truth. "I have faced gods, demons, and the Abyss itself without fear. But now... my hands tremble."
She smiled knowingly. "That is because this is no battle. This is life."
The other wives exchanged glances, smiles, and quiet laughter. Aelith, the Moon Priestess, brushed her silver hair back and whispered, "Our Overlord becomes a father. Even the stars must pause to witness this."
Lilya, the dragon empress, placed her hand on her belly instinctively, as if imagining her own future. "Then the line of Igaris will not end. Our child will be born into a universe where even gods must bow."
Their words strengthened him, yet also softened him.
For the first time, the thought of ruling, of conquering, of vengeance against gods and outer beings... it all seemed distant. Right now, the only truth that mattered was the cry of a child soon to be born.
---
The last barrier of space bent before his stride. The vast ORCA where Evernight waited loomed ahead, a sanctuary hidden deep beyond the reaches of mortal knowledge. The realm’s moonlit skies reflected her essence—gentle darkness, eternal calm, unshakable depth.
As he stepped down, folding the final veil of reality, his wives followed behind him like a river of beauty and divinity. But even they fell silent, for they could feel the pulsing life waiting within the palace ahead.
Igaris inhaled deeply, his aura settling. His eyes burned with golden light.
"Wait for me, Evernight," he whispered, his voice carrying with reverence. "Wait for me, my child. I am coming home."
And with a final step, he entered the sanctuary where destiny awaited.
---
The palace of Overlord was bathed in silver radiance, its towers gleaming as though the stars themselves bent down to watch. Within, Evernight herself waited. Her long hair fell like rivers of shadow, her skin glowed faintly, and her hand rested over the gentle curve of her stomach. Life stirred there, small and fragile yet carrying the echo of eternity.
When Igaris stepped through the veil of folded space, her composure finally broke. She rushed to him, her lips trembling, eyes wet with tears.
"Igaris..." The single word carried all the nights of longing, the endless hours of fear.
He moved to her in silence, his presence radiant yet softened, no longer the conqueror of realms but a husband returning home. His arms caught her as she pressed against him, her cheek buried against his chest.
"I was so afraid you would not return before our child came into the world," she whispered. Her tears spilled freely now.
His hand rested over hers upon her stomach, feeling the faint pulse of the small life within. His voice dropped low, warm enough to pierce her fears. "No god, no demon, no fate will keep me away. I will always return to you and to the child we created together."
Evernight sobbed softly, her shoulders trembling, yet her heart eased at last. "Welcome home, my husband."
---
Shirley stepped forward next. She no longer carried only the image of the young girl who once followed in his shadow. Her eyes now carried both devotion and a woman’s love, one that had deepened across lifetimes. She reached him without hesitation and pressed herself against him, arms wrapping tightly around his waist.
"Igaris," she said softly, her voice breaking. "Every time you leave, I fear it will be the last. But you are here again. You always come back to us."
He lowered his head to her, resting his forehead against hers. His hand slid up her back gently. "Shirley, you are my wife, not just my companion. My bond with you will never be broken. I will always come back because you are my home."
Her tears spilled down her cheeks, but her lips curved into a trembling smile. "Then I will keep waiting for you, no matter how far you go."
Diva followed, her silver hair glowing faintly with starlight as she walked forward. She was known for her brightness, her laughter, her teasing charm. Yet at that moment her expression carried none of that. She looked at him with eyes full of tenderness and longing, as a wife who had nearly lost the man she loved.
Without a word, she joined him, pressing herself against his other side, her arms circling him tightly. Her voice was muffled against his chest. "Do not vanish on me again, Igaris. The thought of losing you shattered me. You belong with us, with me. I cannot bear to face eternity without you."
He stroked her hair slowly, tilting his face so she could hear the weight of his words. "Diva, I will not vanish. You are my wife, my light. No force in this world or the next can take me from you."
She held him tighter, her lips curving in relief. "Then stay like this for a while. Just for me."
And so he stood, Evernight clutching his hand to her womb, Shirley pressed against him with tears of joy, and Diva holding him as though afraid to let go. Around them the other wives watched in silence, their smiles soft and full of emotion.
The cosmos could rage outside. Gods could plot, demons could roar, realms could collapse. None of that mattered in this hall.
Here, Igaris was not a Supreme God, not the terror of gods and demons. He was a husband, a father-to-be, the man whose love bound together twenty-three extraordinary women across lifetimes.
His lips curved into a faint smile as he whispered into the hush, words spoken for them alone.
"I am home."
---
Time passed. The 26 women were reunited once again. They shared their stories, laughed, creating a warm and healthy atmosphere.
But soon, the fated time had arrived.
The chamber of Evernight was bathed in dim light, the silver glow of the Eternal Moon shining through the arched windows.
Outside, the sky was dark.
Evernight lay reclined against silken cushions, her face pale yet serene, sweat dampening her long raven hair as her breaths came faster. Her hand clutched Igaris’s tightly, and her eyes shone with a mixture of fear, pain, and anticipation.
"Igaris... it is time," she whispered, her lips trembling. "Our child... he’s coming."