Damn, I Have to Marry the Strongest Antagonist at the Start?

Owen and his family of three returned once more to the miniature world, their faces radiant with joy and contentment.

Happiness, deep and genuine, had found its way back into their lives.

Each day, Leslie diligently handled the countless affairs of this plane.

As its Sovereign, the very existence of this world depended on her will.

There were decisions only she could make, matters only she could resolve.

She remained regal, as noble and imposing as an empress—no longer merely the Empress of the Azure Kingdom, but of the entire plane.

Though the responsibilities were immense and the tasks seemingly endless, Leslie had long since adapted to this life. She handled everything with perfect order and efficiency.

Under her rule, this world had undergone a transformation so dramatic it could only be described as earth-shaking.

Humans, dragons, spellbeasts, elves, and countless other races now lived together in harmony, learning from each other, complementing each other's strengths.

The entire realm pulsed with life and promise, a blossoming haven brimming with peace and prosperity.

Those who had once been entangled in Owen's past—Raina, Rachel, and others—now lived quietly within the miniature world, assisting Leslie in managing its countless affairs.

All of it, of course, was done with Leslie's tacit approval.

As for Owen, he had wholeheartedly embraced the role of a stay-at-home father and full-time chef.

He devoted his days to cooking for the many races, inventing creative new recipes to please everyone's tastes.

And, at the urging of little Leslie, he had begun preparing to welcome another child with Leslie.

Aside from Seraphina, little Leslie had no other companions her age.

Sometimes, the solitude was a bit too much for her.

And so, Owen had already thought of a name for their second child—Alina.

He had a strong hunch—no, a premonition—that their second child would be a girl, just like their first.

Yet, the peace and tranquility of their lives did not last long.

One morning, as the inhabitants of the realm rose with the sun, they looked up—and were stunned to see a colossal shadow darkening the skies, stretching endlessly across the heavens!

Under the cover of that mysterious darkness, the once-brilliant sunlight turned dim and murky.

Though it was early morning, the skies resembled the oppressive gloom of dusk.

"What is that shadow? It stretches as far as the eye can see! Nothing like this has ever happened before!"

"Stay calm! Don't panic! With Emperor Owen and Her Majesty Leslie watching over us, there's no problem they can't handle. This sky will clear up soon enough!"

The panicked masses quieted immediately upon hearing those words.

Even after Leslie had ascended to the position of Sovereign, the people still addressed her by the title they had always known: Her Majesty, the Empress. And Owen, too, had been crowned Emperor in their hearts.

The unmatched strength of the couple had earned them the unwavering respect of all races, of all beings.

…

At that very moment, the two in question—Owen and Leslie—had already ascended into the skies above.

The closer they got to the source of the shadow, the slower their pace became.

A suffocating pressure radiated from the darkness above, like an ever-tightening spring coiling around them.

It pressed into their bones, sinking deeper and deeper.

It was the first time since attaining the level of Sovereign that they had felt such a terrifying force pressing down on them.

"I sense an unfathomable vastness within that shadow," Leslie murmured, turning to Owen. "Compared to it, we are nothing but dust."

Her eyes shimmered with a mix of wonder, confusion, and a strange spark of fervor.

Owen didn't respond. Instead, he continued to study the boundless shadow with narrowed eyes.

From the very beginning, he had felt a strange sense of familiarity from it.

The closer he came, the more intense that feeling grew.

Suddenly, the Tree of World within the miniature world began to tremble.

That tremble was filled with reverence—and contradiction.

A reverence so profound it seemed unnatural.

Something that could make the Tree of World tremble in fear?

Though the Tree had taken root in the miniature world and Owen possessed power on par with a Sovereign, the Tree had never once reacted with such emotion.

But now…

As Owen and Leslie pushed forward with increasingly grave expressions, something finally shifted.

In the next instant, it was as though they had broken through an invisible veil. The curtain of darkness before them dissolved, revealing an enormous green canopy stretched out before their eyes.

As they stared at the emerald expanse, their faces registered identical expressions of awe and disbelief.

For the surface of that canopy was covered in ridges like mountain ranges—veins of a single, impossibly large leaf—pulsing with boundless vitality.

That all-consuming darkness… had been nothing more than a single leaf?

Owen and Leslie exchanged a look, then immediately channeled their [Order] power into their eyes, peering deeper into the verdant depths.

Following the flow of the leaf, they saw thick, star-river-like branches reaching into the void, converging toward an unimaginable trunk.

If they were like specks of dust before the leaf, then before the branches—and the tree itself—they were less than nothing.

"Tree of World…" Owen whispered. "It's the oldest Tree of World!"

As he spoke, he felt the Tree of World within his own body trembling with intensity.

Legends told of an ancient Tree of World that supported countless star systems. It was said that one fallen leaf could contain three thousand worlds.

He had always thought it was just myth.

But now… it was standing right before him.

Why had such a primordial Tree of World appeared now?

Owen was flooded with questions, but Leslie's gaze had already turned wary.

Although she didn't sense any hostility from the incomprehensible being before them, she could clearly feel a nearly imperceptible will—vast, primordial—locking onto them both.

"How sharp your senses are. No wonder you've become Sovereigns of a realm,"

An ancient, ageless wave surged through their minds—not a voice, but a raw, original will. It transcended language. All life would understand its meaning.

"I wonder… will you one day rise to such heights?"

Before either could speak, their bodies were seized by a force beyond their control, pulled straight toward the Tree of World.

From a distance, they looked like two streaks of light arcing across the cosmos, hurled by the will of the universe into a strange new world nestled atop a single, green leaf.

As they fell into that world with earth-shaking force, Owen felt his soul being torn from his body. His memories blurred.

Time lost all meaning.

Then—he opened his eyes.

He was in an unfamiliar world, surrounded on all sides by towering mountains like prison walls. The slopes were covered in lush greenery, plants he couldn't name.

Everything in this realm was alien.

"My elements… my [Order]… they're all gone!"

The emptiness within his body was jarring. Like an ordinary man once more, Owen stood stunned.

Panicked, he scanned the area. Leslie was nowhere in sight.

Worse yet, a flood of unfamiliar memories surged into his mind.

As he absorbed them, his vision swam.

A deep sense of dread clawed its way into his chest.

Though he didn't know how, the truth was undeniable.

That cosmic will had reincarnated both him and Leslie into this new world.