Galaxy's First Ruler

Chapter 48: The White-Haired Assassin

It is the nature of men to oppose the constraints applied by the so-called councils and governmental bodies.

A fact that has been proven throughout the history of humanity. And only a fool would think that if there are other intelligent races in the Universe, then there would be much difference in that thinking. No being is born with power over others. The only thing life brings with itself is freedom. And conflict arises when the validity of this freedom gets questioned by the men in power.

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2nd Quadrant, Milky Way Galaxy

The Hallowed Phantoms was a name abhorred by the Royals of every Kingdom throughout the Galaxy. Underhanded deals, assassinations, and thievery were among the many crimes for which the UGF wanted to capture them. And the name again made its appearance recently. But for even a bigger and unforgiving crime.

An assassination attempt on King Antiochus TheotimusThe Last Saint.

It would baffle the people who don't believe in a God upon realizing how people were getting goaded to do foolish and pointless things. And all in the name of religion. One could have got an idea about this by looking at the state of the Kingdom of Eternal Servant. The devastating news had turned the entire Kingdom upside down.

The Palace had released a Royal document. It stated that The Hallowed Phantom had attempted the assassination of the King, the man of the God himself. But people were even more disgusted by getting to know that the assassin had caught the King off guard during his Majesty's time of prayer. Yes, in the holiest place within their Kingdom; The Hall of Prayers.

It wasn't a surprise to think how one had faced the strength of a King and then left with one's life intact. As almost all the people knew, that the damned leader of the criminal organization was a King himself. It was no wonder that even after the assassin failed miserably, the Last Saint got wounded. The unrest in the hearts of believers was becoming out of control.

And as the old saying passed down by the ancestors goes; If one can avoid offending someone, it should be both the ruler and the common people. The former would just punish the offender, but the latter's actions would probably destroy several generations. One could have only imagined the wrath of the mass of believers against a common goal.

Within hours, some self-appointed saviors had arisen for purging the filth. As soon as a person got blamed for being a member or in contact with a member of The Hallowed Phantom, death was the best thing they could have wished for. Within the walls, what must have happened to the man's children and his wife was a question best left to the imagination.

But the most hated among all the things was the face that got released in scrolls, Mana devices, and through word of mouth. A man with white hair and white eyes had become the focal point of Galaxy wide search. From the abandoned alleys, casinos, and temples to the farthest planet in the Galaxy, people were searching for a White-Haired Assassin.

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4th Quadrant, Milky Way Galaxy

On the moon of an obscured planet, there was no visible sign of life to the naked eye. Even if a King were to scan the entire planet with his Divine Sense, the planet would hardly reveal its secret. And who would have come here, in this abandoned place? This was the region in the Galaxy that was called the Forgotten Realm. Forgotten not by people, but by Mana.

Deep within the moon, there were hollow gorges and rivers. One could see thousands of artificial holes within the rocky walls. Dim yellow light was brimming out of the holes, telling of the sign of life within them. Even deeper, there was a palace. In reality, it was just a bigger hole. But compared to others, it might as well be called so. This was the HQ of the organization cursed by many; The Hallowed Phantom.

In one of the carved-out halls, there was a table and rows of chairs on its side. From the first look, the material seemed like volcanic glass. But the occasional reddish glow within it would have denied this observation. At one end of the table, one could see an old man with a long gray beard and a bald head. Aside from his eyes, there wasn't anything noticeable about him. His eyes, if they were eyes of a man, seemed to be of the same material as the table and chairs. The red flashes within them looked even more bizarre as the old man blinked.

There were ten people seated on the table with five each on his left and right. And all, including the silent old man, were looking at the scroll in their hands. The same scroll that had become the target of hate in the entire galaxy. One could see a normal face with white hair and white eyes on it. The old man looked at the face deeply, stroking his long gray beard. He turned to his right, towards the place of honor.

"Who is this?" asked the Old man, increasing the intensity of the reddish glow of the table and chairs.

All had their faces hidden by some means, except the Old man. But even on their blurry faces, one could have made out the mixed feelings of fear, respect, and trust. The person in the place of honor put down the scroll on the table and sighed.

"My Lord, I do not know. It seems to me that the pious fool is telling a ghost story to target us. It isn't even a good one."

The old man listened attentively to his wise subject. But years of experience could even surpass the best of brilliant minds. The old man shook his head and turned his head to look in a direction. This turn of the head was sudden and out of place. One would have expected for the rest of the seated personnel to look in the same direction too. But their heads were even faster to droop down simultaneously.

The old man closed his eyes and stretched his head outwards. He almost looked like someone was whispering words in his ear. But except for the shuddering shoulders of the members, one couldn't possibly see any other movement. The old man brought his head back and the dark hall regained its silence.

"No, something happened to Antiochus. And he is wounded, severely," said the Old man, shaking his head with amusement.

This amusement would have been apparent if it were to be accompanied by a slight smile. But none had ever seen the Old King smiling at any occasion. The family of the person at Old man's right had been serving the Royal family for generations. But even they had never seen or expected a smile of appreciation from him.

For this old man was the one who had heard the deepest and the scariest whispers in the Galaxy.

King Nagendra - The Slither of Chaos

The old man looked at every member and tapped his finger on the table. The red glow couldn't help but follow the rhythm.

"The world has become chaotic. Chaotic enough to turn the false to the truth. If the Hallowed Phantom has failed one assassination, they wouldn't expect another one so soon, right?"