Galaxy's First Ruler

"When all emotions leave the thoughts, Wrath lingers behind longer than the most."

*

The image of the Black and White World Tree vanished as if it was an apparition. Not even the Dukes, Kings and Queen, felt its presence, it's coming, and it's going. But the ripples it had left behind in space were real. Real enough to spread out of the solar system and disintegrate what may come in their path.

Even the sun of this system couldn't remain unaffected by it. Countless massive solar arcs burst out of the sun as soon as the ripples passed through it. But the most damage didn't show itself on the surface. Its core got destabilized, and if continued so, it could result in a collapse.

On the planet, people and Dreamers alike came out of the clutches of their hidden emotions and realized what they were up to. It was like what just happened wasn't them, but a hallucination. It was like a vision and illusion that had brought them immense satisfaction. But now the price they had paid for it seemed too exorbitant for it to be true.

Over the Manor, hovering under the clear moonlight, the three high Ranked Dreamers also came out of their stupor. But among them, Harold was the last. His raised fists were just above Maya's head, and though there was a struggle in his heart, it didn't prevent him from bringing them down on her face.

TWIN RED GIANT BINARY FISTS!!!

BOOOOM!!!

Maya's nose caved in as the two scorching tiny suns exploded on her face and sent her flying towards the earth. Harold, dumbfounded at what he had done, didn't know what to do other than lunge in Maya's direction. With his heart almost crushed by his actions, there was only a single mutter at his lips, making him go mad by the seconds.

"My daughter… my daughter… she isn't… she is… my daughter!"

Behind Harold, Boudicca's tears didn't show any sign of stopping either. The trace of love that had seeped out of her made her remember a face she had got accustomed to burying in her heart. Scenes after scenes flashed by her memory like a reel of pictures. Eydis, drinking the potion in her arms, Eydis, jumping off the mountain. And Eydis, standing, surrounded by the four spikes, and giving her a look.

The love in her eyes first turned to sadness. A sadness, so intense, that it could even make the poets doubt if what they had written about was even love. The sadness then turned to guilt and self-disgust. A pang of guilt heavy enough for her blue hairs to shed a layer as if shedding skin, and turn gold. This gold wasn't the golden hue as that of Harold's eyes.

This gold was majestic, august, and hallowed.

This gold… symbolized the authority passed down by an Emperor.

When this self-loathing peaked her emotions and came out as the golden glow of her hair, what left was rage. Pure rage and an ambition to decimate everything that had a hand in Eydis' disappearance.

And when this rage reached her eyes, the blues also turned gold. An eruption was about to happen, and at this exact moment, Boudicca found herself looking at Maya, who was grabbing Harold by his neck.

"You…"

This sound was like the growls of thousands of beasts, and screeches of countless birds. A strange Law had somehow come upon her lips by itself. Maya's eyes went wide, and she snapped her head up, throwing Harold's motionless body away. And as she felt the inevitable arrival of the catastrophe, the language of snakes escaped her mouth.

Hisssss! Hussss!!

"YOU…"

Tink-Krr!

Boudicca let go of the blue lotus and outstretched her arms before slamming the palms of her hand onto each other. Her hairs lifted in the air, and a rupture noise came out of her as if a seal had broken somewhere. With her golden eyes staring murder at Maya, Boudicca erupted with all pent-up wrath in one go.

"YOU are the reason she isn't here… YOU are the reason for her disappearance… YOU are the reason for all this… YOU… shouldn't exist…

… SUMMON ANCESTRAL DIVINE SPIRIT: GOLDEN LUAN!!!"

SCREACHHHHHHHH!!!

*

Many and many light-years away, there was an ordinary planet.

Its inhabitants were ordinary. Its markets and towns were ordinary. And its rivers and mountains were ordinary too.

Everything about this planet was ordinary to its molten core.

And among these ordinary things, was an ordinary blacksmith's shop.

Tang! Tang! Thwang!

The strikes of the hammer were the most ordinary thing people of the village had been hearing for countless generations. And they also knew that only one family had been making simple tools for the livelihood of many villagers.

Inside the shop, a ripped and tanned man raised his hammer and again brought it down.

Tang!!!

His hairs were short, almost only half a finger length. His black eyes lacked any charm, and his square jaw lacked any sign of gentleness. The only thing that could be called a little out of place was his sword-like brows.

Thwang!!!

Another hammer strike and sweat poured out of his forehead onto the scolding metal over the anvil. As the sweat drops evaporated with a sizzling sound, a woman approached him. She had the clothes of an apprentice, but even then, her beauty and towering breasts couldn't be hidden under the rugged clothing.

"What is it?"

The man, not looking up, asked and raised the hammer for another strike.

"It was him. He said there was something weird and fishy going on, on Rodrigo's side. We may have lost the shipment."

The hammer stopped midair, and the man raised his head to give the woman a look. All villagers stopped at their places as if they weren't alive but statues. Those who were eating let the food choke their throats. And those who were fucking dared not pull it out.

In an ordinary village, the stopping of hammers strikes was the most unordinary.

Gulp!

The woman gulped a mouthful of saliva, and for the first time, a drop of sweat could be seen on her milky skin. Though the gaze of this ordinary man was also ordinary, none could ever call this man ordinary, even in their dreams.

For he was the one who ruled this Kingdom, King Hagen Bergman–The Impenetrable Shield.

Twang!!!

This sudden strike brought the village back to life. But for most of them, everything was already lost. This sudden strike also made the woman flinch, and the ordinary voice of King Hagen reached her ears.

"Must WE do everything by ourself…"

The King was about to strike the hammer again as he spoke, but suddenly he snapped his head and looked in a direction. This sudden snap was enough for the woman's knees to give out, and she almost fell.

"Your Majesty… what…"

She was about to ask, but then she too sensed something and looked in the same direction.

"This… What's she doing here?"

The woman narrowed her eyes and spoke out. King Hagen took his eyes away from the direction and gave the woman a look.

"So the rumors are true. Could 'She' have also survived?"

"Your majesty… even though... Sigh! Even though 'She' was the most powerful Assassin in the Galactic Cluster, there is no way one could survive after…"

The silence around King Hagen was heavier than the ordinary hammer in his hand. As he heard the woman's reasoning, he took a deep breath and nodded.

"People think WE have gone soft. Is that the reason for them to come to my Kingdom and bring Chaos in it?"

King Hagen put the hammer down and picked up a broken piece of metal. It was like a broken part of a sword, dull and edgeless. But it was enough for the woman's eyes to become wide.

Terror...

Destruction...

Massacre...

Feelings exploded in her heart, and she exclaimed out.

"Your Majesty! No, we are on excellent terms with the Kingdom of Life Authority. We can't afford to make Queen Eluned mad. Not when we are so close to our goal of making you the Supreme Commander."

King Hagen lifted the dull, broken metal in front of his eyes and harrumphed as if justifying his actions.

"Eluned, that kid who couldn't keep her snot to herself?! Humph! Has she forgotten who WE are? Has she forgotten what WE represent? It's time for US to make them remember why this Kingdom's name is SWORDLESS?"

King Hagen held the ordinary metal piece between his two fingers and threw it out.

"… Go."