Cataclysm: Undead Dragons and Zero Empire

A massive luminous body replaced the stars in shining in the vast expanse of space.

The only star system that cared about the demise of this star was another star system very close by, whose civilization had just crossed the threshold of the interstellar age and was sending out curious calls to the vast and desolate universe.

This civilization is in its golden age of exploration, and studying the mysteries of the universe is no longer the domain of a few scientists, but a trend that has permeated the very fabric of the civilization.

Street vendors play footage of space from spacecraft, and general education courses about the universe are compulsory in schools, carrying significant marks. Popular games often feature the universe as a theme, including those about outer space colonization.

When the astronomical telescope detected an anomaly in a nearby star, the entire civilization was in an uproar. For the first time, they had discovered a cosmic phenomenon at such close range. However, amidst the heated discussions among the public, some people still had concerns.

"The stars are dimming! This is not the rate of natural decay," researchers issued a statement overnight. This anomaly is not a good sign, but the already fervent public opinion only cheered for the news. Marches appeared in the streets with signs saying "We are not alone," and some groups even began to promote newly compiled doctrines to cater to the popular trend.

However, this fervor did not last long. When the astronomical telescope captured a clear image for the second time, all the cheers froze, like a rushing river turning to ice.

That was not some alien civilization as people speculated, but a living sun in motion, moving at an incomprehensible speed, about to enter their star system, leaving a long, dazzling trail behind it.

"Double suns overhead...we will all be burned to ashes!" Such remarks began to spread widely. Some even released a crude simulation image, believing that the interaction between their star and the gravitational field of this new sun would trigger global tsunamis and volcanic eruptions, and that continental plates would be torn apart by gravity.

This prophecy was like adding fuel to the fire, instantly igniting public opinion. A large-scale panic buying spree broke out in the city, some people began to flee inexplicably, and some extremists even set fires and looted in the streets, proclaiming doomsday theories.

However, in Lin Ziming's eyes, this so-called sun is a living, celestial-scale organism with obvious, conscious life characteristics.

This organism's shell is enveloped in pure plasma, its core is hotter than a star, and countless energy tentacles stretch out in space like solar prominences. With each pulsation, it releases a deadly gamma-ray burst into the universe. These greedy tentacles seem to be wiping the residue from their mouths, the remains of a previous dead star.

Just as civilization was plunged into despair and chaos, a newly adorned silver-white dragon shadow quietly appeared behind the creature. Lin Zimo stared at the moving behemoth, its three pairs of illusory fiery eyes scrutinizing this strange life form.

He could clearly sense the intense energy surging within the other's body. It was a pure, primal instinct to devour, completely different from the aggressiveness of the Zerg tyrant. It was more primitive and more violent, truly like a self-aware star that lived by destroying its own kind.

The creature seemed to sense the uninvited guest as well. The energy bands on its body surged violently, and one of its tentacles suddenly turned and shot a beam of energy toward Lin Ziming, containing enough energy to wipe out an entire surface civilization.

Lin Ziming flapped his wings to dodge, his black and red psionic energy enveloping the living metal, forming a semi-transparent shield. He did not rush to counterattack, but instead circled around the creature and observed it.

This creature's entire body is filled with flowing energy. With each contraction and expansion, it releases a large amount of radiation to the outside world. Meanwhile, the power of death is stirring within its body. Lin Zimo can sense that extinguishing this "sun" and turning it into firewood can fuel the flames of death within it.

He began to accelerate, breaking free from the gravitational field and rushing straight toward the core of the creature. Along the way, high-energy particle streams and radiation constantly attacked him, but they were all blocked by the psionic shield around him.

The creature seemed enraged by the provocation, raising countless tentacles simultaneously and unleashing a dense barrage of light spears. However, Lin Ziming did not slow down at all. Black and red spiritual energy shone on the skeleton, like a planet resolutely crashing into the sun, forcefully tearing open the outer energy barrier.

Inside the light sphere, the temperature had risen high enough to cause nuclear fusion, but all the radiation cooled rapidly upon encountering Lin Ziming, and the particle movement came to a near standstill, just as a flame entering the vacuum of space was instantly extinguished by the extreme cold.

Lin Ziming could no longer exhale a dazzling, sapphire-colored breath, but by compressing spiritual energy and condensing it at his lips, he could still simulate the high spirits of his past. A torrent of energy shot out, piercing through his core and then being torn apart by the dragon claws.

Time seemed to stand still inside the sphere of light. The flowing, shimmering bands of light instantly froze, and the rhythm of the intensely erupting energy came to an abrupt halt. It was as if the light had lost its power to propagate, and only the black and red color spread silently, dyeing this "sun" a new appearance.

Lin Ziming flapped his wings and burst out of the sphere of light, then repeatedly passed through the disintegrating creature's interior, shattering it even more thoroughly. The splattered fragments were enveloped in black and red, like sparks beginning to burn fiercely, and the "sun" vanished into a sky full of starlight.

He devoured pure energy; this grand death became a ritual, the first hunt for the undead dragon upon its return to the universe.

This interstellar battle was too much for the desperate civilization to observe and record; they only saw the outcome: the body of the so-called "doomsday sun" was torn apart, purifying everything as if divine punishment had descended, and the colossal creature that was about to bring about annihilation was ultimately reduced to dust.

The once chaotic city gradually quieted down. "It must be God! It was God's power that saved us." This thought spread like wildfire, and people knelt down and worshipped the sky. The once popular trend of interstellar exploration, along with all sorts of beliefs, became even more fervent.

However, in a place unnoticed by this civilization, a monitoring station floating in space remains silent, replaying the battle between Lin Ziming and the "Sun".

The observers here are primarily tasked with studying the indigenous peoples of interstellar space. They have accompanied the civilization in this star system from the agricultural era to the threshold of the interstellar era, reaping considerable rewards. Furthermore, they intend to proactively initiate contact and communication in the future, guiding this civilization into interstellar society.

The civilization to which the observer belongs has been monitoring that celestial being for far too many years. In interstellar space, it is commonly referred to as the "Star Eater." They have been constantly simulating its trajectory, but no matter how much the civilization has developed, they have never found any way to confront it, as if facing a catastrophe conceived by the universe itself.

"It's gone...the energy signal has been completely annihilated," the observers, their heads resembling crystal pillars, relayed information to each other. "An unknown high-energy reaction has been detected, but the characteristics do not match the existing database...unable to analyze."

The observer retrieved images of Lin Ziming and compared them with all known interstellar life forms, but could only glean a clue: "This life form seems somewhat similar to the legendary 'Heavenly Dragon,' which I found in research materials when I was studying in the suzerain state, but the two are still very different... Report it immediately and mark it as the highest priority."

"Should we conduct a threat assessment on this newly emerged entity?" another observer routinely asked. They had prepared countless contingency plans for the Star Eater, but they had never imagined this situation: an unknown entity so directly and violently tearing apart the behemoth that roamed the universe hunting prey, leaving their helpless target utterly powerless in its presence.

"It's impossible to assess. We can't even understand the nature of the energy it uses, let alone judge the threat. We just need to do our job."

The monitoring station fell silent again, but the observers continued to play the footage of the keel soaring through the air, unable to shake off the memory.

They always had this intuition that interstellar society would inevitably face new turmoil as a result.