Galaxy's First Ruler

HQ, American Dreamers Association

SLURPPPP!!!

The place around the building was so silent that many got to hear the last slurps of the drink coming down from the rooftop.

It took a few minutes for Dreamers to stand up again after what had made them kneel on the ground. Some even seem to be reluctant and just wanted to stay kneeled and count out the evil time. But a few had done fairly to shake off the aftereffects. Annie had already stood up with a straight posture, but her eyes betrayed her outward appearance. The shade of disbelief with extreme fear mixed within was getting reflected by them.

Tomiko and a handful, who hadn't attacked or made an attempt for it, didn't get subjected to that pressure. But seeing their seniors kneeling and shaking like a group of newbies made them aware of the mercy that the Masked Menace had shown them. But most of the veterans felt humiliated and embarrassed by the sheer difference in strength. Those who had stood up looked at Annie, seeming to ask for the next steps.

"FIRE!!!"

Aldrich heard the shout from afar and saw the waves of security agents who had aimed at him. The Chief in charge must have been trying to make an opening for Annie and other Dreamers. It was a sound strategy given that there was a Dreamer on their side who was an inch away from being a Baron. But they had underestimated the power that had Intimidated the group of International Dreamers.

Aldrich bombarded their minds with his Divine Sense without the use of any Skills. The normal humans couldn't handle a fraction of that, and their eyes rolled back almost instantly. By the time the Chief Agent's words died down, all agents were already lying flat on the ground unconscious.

'Tch! Tch! Too much anger and impatience,' thought Aldrich, eyeing the fallen weapons.

Aldrich was about to put away the trash when a sweet smell of wet earth and fresh grass surrounded him like a morning fog. Aldrich took a deep breath and couldn't help but think of a forest. He closed his eyes and savored the flavor of the scent. As he opened his eyes and looked down, he found Annie looking at him like seeing a monster for the first time.

'Ah, she used a Skill, huh!' Aldrich amused himself with her expression.

None other than a Baron or high-level Rare Boss could have survived the Forest's Embrace Skill. The Skill had only one purpose and was almost impossible to counter. Deep sleep was the only result of this Skill. But the shaking head of the Masked Menace proved that he hadn't fallen a victim to this.

Aldrich couldn't tell them or make them understand that the word Sleep had changed its desired meaning for him. If he had said that he was awake, then it would be true. But if he had said that he was asleep, then it wouldn't be false either.

An eternal Dream intertwined with absolute and immutable Reality.

Two slim vines came breaking out the roof tiles and attacked Aldrich's back like thrown spears. Being a Healer, Annie seemed to be limited in her damage potency. The vines left a green blur as they pierced Aldrich and came out of his chest.

"Yeyyy… !!!"

The Dreamers, who still had some strength left in them, shouted in unison. The ambush planned by the experienced Dr. Annie turned out to be a tremendous success. But their words got hooked in their throats as a gust of wind swept away the vanishing image of the devil's incarnation.

Aldrich reappeared, now standing at the tip of one of the vine, and looked downwards.

The vines receded to the holes from which they had come from and Aldrich saw Annie's helpless expression turning to be a determined one. The Doctor seemed to take out her trump card without thinking of the damage that would happen to the infrastructure nearby.

'Or maybe, what she considers a damage isn't a damage anymore,' thought Aldrich, landing back on the roof.

The entire ground and the building shook like being in an earthquake. Thousands of vines, flowers, and trees had come into existence from every corner and cracks in the building. Aldrich saw the crazed look in Annie's eyes and prepared himself to knock her out. But he halted, seeing a bright spark just a hundred meters away in the air.

"Annie... Stop!"

A heavy and mighty voice resounded throughout the Headquarters. Aldrich sighed as he saw the young Baron stepping out from within the spark. Aldrich noticed the casually dressed Edmund had a pair of boots. And they were releasing blasts of the hot air, which made him stay afloat.

Olivia saw the man and her eyes became watery. Even if the man that had come belonged to a different nation, the Dreamers felt like only he was qualified to be called a savior. The face of the ADA, the man who single-handedly brought down a Boss after a Dungeon-Break.

Baron Edmund Russell, the Fire Master.

Aldrich and Edmund looked into each other's eyes and went through the same emotions. Aldrich knew that a person who had achieved such strength in just one year couldn't be a fool. He had been waiting for the top Dreamer to come. Only then he could accomplish the goal to make the little troubles go away.

"You have created a mess," spat out Edmund, narrowing his eyes at Aldrich.

"I just wanted to apply for a Guild. As per the rules, I am qualified to do so."

Aldrich saw the Baron raising his eyebrows, hearing the honest answer. Edmund, hovering in midair, looked down towards Olivia. But she had her head down in shame already. The only thing that was planted towards Edmund's and Aldrich's direction was the camera. Aldrich and Edmund both knew that the entire world was listening to their conversation.

And the world, as usual, demanded a Drama more than Justice.

"You dare think that ADA or any organization would let you create a Guild of your own. Humph!"

Edmund harrumphed and a visible wave of heat came out of him, scorching the little vines and flowers. Aldrich didn't oppose the heatwave and slid backward from the impact with light burn marks on his arm.

An unrestrained wave of cheer echoed from the Dreamers under them and a slight smile came upon both Edmund's and Aldrich's faces. But they had soon hidden it away, to not get it noticed by the camera. Aldrich saw Edmund's face becoming grave and knew the inevitable moment had come.

The world had enough space for both of them to carry on with their normal life and goals of their own. But the human heart was fickle and small. It needed to be nudged with self-proclaimed righteousness and morals to become forgiving.

And Aldrich knew for Edmund to nudge the world's heart, the Baron's next attack would be deadly. Deadly enough for any Dreamer within the Rare Rank.

"Your actions have done nothing but set fire of unrest in people's hearts so far."

The Dreamers on the ground and the people watching on the TV and Internet nodded.

"Let me teach you a lesson and exact justice in their place… "

Aldrich saw the Baron opening up his arms and millions of streams of turbulent fire seemed to originate within his body.

"… LET THE FIRE COURSE THROUGH MY VEINS."