Re-Overlord: I Can Acquire Anything!-Chapter 97: A Parasite?

Dawn arrived, welcoming a new day.

Golden rays spilled across the horizon, illuminating the lush green landscape. The nearby freshwater lake shimmered like a field of diamonds, its surface catching and scattering the light in a mesmerizing dance.

Roxanne and her family had escaped successfully the night before. Now, they had taken shelter in a small, abandoned house by the lake’s edge.

Inside, silence reigned. Everyone lay sound asleep, exhausted from the chaos of the previous night.

But as the sunlight bounced off the calm water and streamed gently through the cracks in the wooden walls, it touched their faces—nudging them back to consciousness.

Roxanne stirred first. Her eyes opened slowly, still heavy with fatigue. Then Vireon followed, blinking away sleep as he sat up. Isadora remained curled up peacefully, still deep in slumber.

But one presence was missing.

Vireon looked around, then stood. "Roxanne," he said softly, his voice laced with concern. "Where is Igor? He’s not here."

Roxanne stepped out of the small house, stretching slightly as the cool morning air brushed her face. She paused behind her husband, watching his back.

A quiet sigh escaped her lips.

Roxanne understood what must have happened.

Igaris had likely left on his own, fearing what Vireon might do once he discovered the truth—that the soul within that body was no longer their son’s.

She took a deep breath, steadying herself.

"Vireon," she said softly, "I need to tell you something."

He turned quickly at the tone in her voice, his expression shifting as he caught the look of unease in her eyes.

"What is it, my wife? Why do you look so... sad?" he asked, placing a gentle hand on her shoulder.

Roxanne met his gaze and stilled her heart. The truth weighed heavily on her tongue.

"Husband... your son is no more. Igor... he’s dead."

Vireon stood frozen, as if struck by lightning.

The reunion, the fleeting joy of seeing his son again, it now felt like a cruel illusion. His breath caught in his throat, and disbelief twisted his features.

"What... what are you saying?" he asked, his voice shaking.

He couldn’t accept the cruel truth.

However, as Roxanne slowly explained about the boy Igaris, the light in his eyes dimmed. She told him about the soul that now resided in Igor’s body. About the sacrifice. The mystery. The truth that even she had struggled to accept at first.

Vireon’s knees nearly buckled.

"No..." he muttered, backing away. "No. That’s not possible. That boy—he looked like me, sounded like me..."

Bang!

His fist slammed against the nearest tree, bark splintering from the force.

"Why didn’t you tell me sooner, Roxanne?!" he roared, fury erupting from within. "My son can’t be dead. He must still be in there. Somewhere inside that body. That parasite must have tricked you! Lied to you!"

His aura flared violently, the ground beneath him cracking with spiritual energy. His voice trembled with rage and desperation.

"I could fix it! Using my magic, I could bring him back! I could save him!"

Roxanne didn’t flinch. She simply stood still, her eyes reflecting both sorrow and strength.

She had known this moment would come.

Not everyone could accept the truth like she had.

Not a father who had suffered through silence and chains for so many years—only to be met with loss again.

With clenched fists, Vireon raised his eyes to the sky, his voice low but seething with fury.

"One day... I will find you. You parasite."

---

Far away, soaring through the sky, Igaris rode atop Serynthia—the fiery-winged Wyvern—cutting through clouds on a direct course toward the warzone.

He was heading into danger, but his heart was drawn to one place.

To her.

To Evernight.

He glanced back over his shoulder, toward the distant lake where Roxanne, Isadora, and Vireon remained hidden. The wind tugged at his coat, cold and restless.

"I’m sorry," he murmured, voice nearly swallowed by the rushing wind. "I don’t have the right to stay with you. I’m not the one who was meant to belong there... I’m not that blessed."

His face twisted in pain, torn by the weight of his choices. Leaving behind the new family he had grown to care for, even if he never truly belonged among them, was no easy thing.

In the last quiet moments of his departure, he had secretly hoped for one final farewell... a wave, a word, anything.

But that wish never came true.

He turned forward again, the misty wind brushing across his cheek like a fading touch.

"I need to find Evernight. No matter what it takes... I can’t leave without her."

His voice cracked at the edges, desperation bleeding into his chest, tightening his grip around Serynthia’s spine.

Her image flashed in his mind—those violet eyes, that quiet strength, the last time they stood side by side.

His heart ached.

He wasn’t sure if he was running toward her... or away from everything else.

---

Far above the world of Ashvale, beyond the grasp of gravity and time, lay a realm of stars and darkness. In the boundless void, four colossal machines hovered silently, each the size of a sun. Their bodies, forged from an metal older than history itself, pulsed with ancient energy. The vibrations of their very presence sent ripples through space, distorting light and sound across dimensions.

Each machine stood at a corner of an invisible square, positioned with perfect symmetry. In their massive metallic arms, they held celestial orbs that shimmered with pure cosmic essence. ƒreewebηoveℓ.com

These radiant orbs formed a gate to another realm.

But— currently, thick chains of celestial iron bound them, each link etched with runes of silence and control. The shackles appeared ancient, their surfaces scarred with cracks and dusted with the rust of forgotten eras.

Faint pulses of energy flickered from the orbs, like heartbeats muffled under centuries of restraint. The machines remained unmoving, their intent unreadable, yet their presence suggested endurance.

However, the machines were no longer in their prime. Time had weathered even these titanic beings. Their movements were slower now, their energy no longer infinite. The seal they upheld over the unknown realm had begun to falter, unable to resist the pressure from within.

Through the widening cracks of the celestial gate, figures began to emerge.

They were pale as moonlight, with wings like those of swans, pristine and terrible. Their forms shimmered with divine grace, but there was no mercy in their eyes. Each carried long, barbed weapons that glowed with radiant heat, like harpoons forged from starlight and judgment.

With wings spread wide, they glided forward into the void, breaking free from their ancient prison.

One among them, cloaked in brilliance, raised his weapon high. His sharp and commanding voice rang out across the stars:

"In the name of the Allfather. Attack!"

But, in this chaos, another figure made entrace.