Galaxy's First Ruler

Devouring a spirit.

An Ancestral Divine Spirit.

This was indeed Aldrich's aim, his plan's final destination. But the beginning of this plan didn't just pop up in his head out of the blue. The first thought that had originated regarding it was when Sha had transferred to him her memories just after his resurrection.

In those memories, there was a massive image of a rose. It had rained down thorns on the corrupted Shadow Homunculus, making her finally succumb under them. That image belonged to the spirit which Aldrich would later come to know as Everlasting Venomous Rose.

In those memories, he could feel Sha's powerful urge to devour that rose. He didn't know what changes the Shadow Homunculus had gone through, nor the identity of the spirit that had appeared in the Dungeon. There seemed to be only one way he could know more about it, and that was to go to the planet VR-252. Meeting the Ancient Scholar was just one of the many reasons.

Sure enough, when Aldrich's eyes reflected the image of the Everlasting Tower, its uncanny similarity to the spirit's image stood out to him. If it weren't for it, Aldrich would have never agreed to climb the tower in that first place. There were things he could only do when not under the watch of others.

The next thing was even more crucial and was like pressing a switch to set off his plan. Though this plan lacked a definite outline then, Aldrich's goal had become clear. That "thing" was Sha's constant nagging to let her eat the Ancient Oracle.

This urge was the same as Sha's corrupted form had let out in the memories for the spirit. Though Aldrich termed the things he said next to Rosalia as guesses, he had already confirmed her true identity as the Planet's spirit by then.

This was a cruel fact about Aldrich almost none knew about.

The reason for his guesses to be so accurate was that his guesses hovered at the borderline of truth and calculations. And if there was any gap at this borderline, it also got covered after him becoming a Generalist. And only another Generalist stood a chance of foiling his guesses.

Then came the prophecy, which made his heart palpitate. He didn't recognize the Golden Luan, as he had yet to read about it, but he had recognized the enormous snake. By then he had confirmed that Sha could eat spirits, and if these Ancestral Spirits were the same as the spirit in his Dungeon, then it meant only one thing.

An opportunity.

Since then, he waited. He waited for the time to come when the circumstances would make him know about the coming of this opportunity. It didn't come the entire week he spent at the Manor. It didn't come to him at El Cid's Dungeon. And it didn't come with these high-ranked Dreamers' arrival for the ceremony.

This opportunity came to him when there was a girl in his arms.

The moment he made the connection between Boudicca and Maya, he knew the time had come for his sleeping plan to arise.

Aldrich never lacked time to make preparations, because there was no true beginning to his plans. They were all in his mind, like in hibernation, waiting for him to wake them. Aldrich never needed to worry about the proceedings of his plans, either. All variables that could affect the plan's outcome had already been accounted for.

Aldrich never worried about lacking in knowledge.

Aldrich… was a Polymath.

But there was something that worried and troubled him.

It was to reach a point and state where he won't get to learn something new.

*

Hisss!!!

Aldrich eyed the gigantic spirit that had almost covered a fourth of the planet. Vritra let out a hissing noise, and the gases on the ground churned along with it.

Screecchhhh!!!

Above, the Golden Luan was like a sun, almost covering half the planet with its wingspan.

Aldrich never thought he could make Sha devour the entirety of these spirits. He never believed Sha had even a tiny chance to do so, either. For him to take a slice out of these spirits, he needed help. And though he couldn't ask for this help, he could indirectly force others to help him. That's when the timely absence of Mana Field had come in.

As the Golden Luan extended his claws towards the Vritra, Aldrich felt a disturbance in Mana all around him. Above the manor, both Boudicca and Maya had almost gone unconscious and Harold was dashing here and there like a mad dog after losing his master. If any of these three were in a state to perceive this Mana disturbance, they would have immediately known what it was about.

BOOM!!! BOOM!!! BOOM!!!

Many booming sounds originated around the planet, and Aldrich knew his helpers had come. A devilish grin came over his face, and he looked at Sha.

"Sha, are you ready?"

Sha let out a childish smile and gave Aldrich a thumbs up.

"Umu.."

"Good! You know what you have to do. Then… disperse."

As Aldrich gave out a command, Sha plunged into his shadow. He held the Pillar of Footprints in a tight grip and reached the top of the manor. He couldn't see them, but he knew the Dukes were around the planet. They were also waiting for this fight to reach a point where they could get a piece of treasure for themselves.

But…

Aldrich knew what they would soon get wasn't a treasure, but a shock. He would make them remember their place as side characters in this movie.

As Aldrich reached the highest point of the Manor, the greenish toxic wind hit his face and lifted the ends of his greatcoat. The rain had ceased, but there was marshy wetness in the air. He looked at the incredible scene of a golden sky about to meet the brown-green toxic earth.

The scene from the prophecy flashed in his mind. He remembered it was the Vritra who seemed to overpower the Golden Luan, and not otherwise. But from the scene and facts in front of him, it was the Golden Luan who was the mightier among these two. For him to make the prophecy come true, there was only one option.

He had to make the Golden Luan weaker. Almost weaker than the Vritra, and then let the prophecy bring him fruits for his karma.

Sigh!

Aldrich closed his eyes, his grip tightening on the Pillar of Footprints, and let out a sigh.

"Boudicca… Sorry."

His mind went to the memories of Sha during El Cid's dungeon. A drop of water materialized in the darkness of his mind. This was the same drop of water that had even constrained the hair of a True Phoenix. This was the same drop of water that was named throughout the Galaxy as a Blessing. And Aldrich knew the origins of this drop of water were among the Beings called The Great Old One.

In this darkness, the drop of water came at him, annihilating everything in its path. When it seemed there was no surviving this disaster, another piece of memory entered his mind. It was the Devil throwing the Pillar of Footprints at the drop of water. Sha's memories were also the Devil's memories, and they were also Aldrich's memories.

Aldrich, standing at the top, raised the staff like it was a spear. The purple rings on his shoulder gave out a blinding flash, and its color almost matched the golden above him.

Aldrich snapped his eyes open, and there was a golden ring around his white eyes. A deafening shout came out of his mouth, and he threw the staff in his hands towards the sky.

"Ancient Relic Secret Technique…

…. TATHAGATA WORLD ENDING FOOTPRINT!!!"