Cataclysm: Undead Dragons and Zero Empire

The pirates' cheers and anticipation did not last long.

Within the gap pierced by the black ray, silver and black-red collided. Instead of a violent energy burst, a crushing devouring began. Under the black-red erosion, the living metal gradually lost its original color and shape, becoming dull and fragile.

All the living metal covering Lin Zimo's surface, minerals extracted from a planet, are melting away, turning into a blackish-red part, merging into that deep color.

This erosion spread from the inside out, from the pores to the whole body, without encountering any resistance. It was as if that silvery-white color itself existed to bind the black and red. Now that this barrier has been broken, the black and red color can see the light of day again.

It has no luster or fluctuation, yet it carries a pure sense of oppression originating from death itself, as if it were not a color, but a personification of the concept of death, a symbol of the end of everything.

Time passed quickly, and Lin Ziming's magnificent silver-white body completely faded away, replaced by a pure black-red color, revealing the pitch-black dragon bones wrapped beneath.

On the dragon bone, a dark red hue flowed silently, shimmering with a faint, suffocating glow, like smoldering charcoal being blown in with oxygen to fuel its combustion, about to burst into flames.

The silver-white dragon shadow that had been clearly recorded was now gradually becoming more and more terrifying, and the pirate king, who witnessed all these changes, had a solemn look in his eyes as he stared intently at the undead dragon in the holographic projection.

The pirate crew slowly fell into a deathly silence. The cheers and anticipation on their faces were gradually swallowed by fear, turning into disbelief, and then disbelief into deep despair.

They couldn't understand how an ancient weapon, considered absolutely invincible, could fail, and this collapse of confidence spread among the pirates like dominoes falling.

It's like finally defeating a seemingly invincible enemy after exhausting all your strength and running out of ammunition and supplies, thinking you've won, only to find, in the instant you turn around, that the enemy who should have been dead hasn't fallen, but instead has stood up again and started saying new lines.

A trusted aide trembled as he tried to ask for instructions, but when he met the Pirate King's calm and unwavering gaze, he swallowed back the words he was about to say at the communicator.

The pirate king stared silently at the holographic projection, as if the impending destruction of his main fleet had nothing to do with him.

Countless near-death experiences have taught him to face setbacks and difficulties with unwavering determination. He believes that all losses along the way are nothing more than a passing breeze.

On Lin Ziming's body, a tiny, dark red flame quietly lit up, as if a gust of solar wind could extinguish it. But in an instant, that flame swelled up like a wildfire, instantly engulfing the entire dragon bone.

A phantom, blackish-red flame, without intense heat, rose from the skeleton. Wherever the flame danced, space and time seemed to distort and tremble slightly, as if they were about to be swallowed by the flame and wither away at any moment.

This is the flame of "Death of Zero," a death flame bound by a living metal layer. In the burning flame, nothing remains unchanged; it is destined to end all that is not ended.

Now, it has finally been liberated, and can finally burn freely in this sea of ​​stars, continuing the fire that was not extinguished before the ancient times.

The moment that black and red flame of death ignited, all life in the entire star field of the City of a Thousand Stars that witnessed this scene was plunged into an instinctive fear of death from the depths of their souls.

Whether they were sailors in the pirate fleet, employees of the Foundation, or residents of the City of a Thousand Stars, none of them could control themselves or escape this fear, because this fear originated from life itself, and as living beings, they were bound to tremble at it.

The starlight dimmed, and the star field where the City of a Thousand Stars was located fell into a deathly silence, with only the fire of death spreading, like the whispers of death echoing slowly in the starry sky.

The flames of death spread outwards from Lin Ziming, their black and red hues resembling paint splashed onto an oil painting, shaping the starry sky in their own image.

Those pirate warships that were still wandering in the starry sky were devoured by the flames the moment they came into contact with the fire of death. Their sturdy energy shields and alloy hulls were bathed in the flames and turned into nothingness as if ice and snow had met the scorching sun.

Deep within the ship's cabins, the undead, pulled back from the brink of death by technology and only able to be controlled by simple commands, were numbly repeating tasks such as loading ammunition.

These lives, which failed to find happiness in life, should have returned to silence after death, but they are forcibly trapped in the gap between life and death, reduced to mindless tools.

As the dark red flames approached, the zombies' stiff movements abruptly ceased. Their skin burned in the flames, and they finally faced their own dissolution as if freed from the shackles of technological control, returning to their rightful end and to eternal peace.

Before the pirates could even utter a scream, their bodies, souls, and consciousness were completely incinerated by the flames of death, leaving not a trace, not a moment's remorse, as if they had never existed in this sea of ​​stars.

The Foundation's fleet, which was still engaged in fierce battle with the pirate warships, was not spared either. Wherever the flames of death swept through, everything was burned and turned into nothingness in the black and red.

The Pirate King was far beyond this star system, yet he could still witness the carnage of the battlefield. His main fleet, built with countless resources and effort, and the pirate warships he had used as pawns, were like ants in a nest facing destruction as molten aluminum poured in—inevitable.

He slightly raised his eyes, his gaze falling on the signal panel, where the dense fleet signals were rapidly going out. Each time one went out, it meant that a warship had been completely destroyed and a group of men had perished.

Until the last bit of signal from the Thousand Star City star system in the communicator completely disappeared, and it seemed that only darkness remained around the Pirate King, he slowly raised his hand, turned off the holographic projection, and his eyes were as still as a lake.

Even after the audience left, the flames of death continued to burn on the battlefield, and the blast point was terrifyingly close to the City of a Thousand Stars.

This incredibly prosperous commercial planet, this technologically advanced city that carries countless lives, was never targeted by Lin Ziming. Yet, they were right next door, about to face their own catastrophe.

The flames of death did not actively spread to the City of a Thousand Stars, but countless lives within the city witnessed the "Death of Zero," and they themselves were kindling that could be ignited, waiting to burn.

No need for the flames to spread here, life itself ignited, and black and red flames burst forth from the bodies of countless creatures, engulfing every corner of the planet.

The magnificent three-dimensional buildings collapsed like building blocks in the flames. The lives that lived here were all different: the lowly merchants and vagrants, the aliens who were not accepted, the tourists who came here, the workers who signed indentured labor contracts in the factories, or the wealthy merchants and mercenary leaders who looked down on the world from the top of Star City.

At this moment, flames ignited from within their bodies, and their souls detached from their bodies. Most of them were burned, but only a few were accepted by Lin Ziming. These innocent souls turned into specks of starlight and rose into the sky amidst the flames, converging towards the dragon bones and joining the tranquil sea of ​​souls. There was no pain or struggle, only the peace of finally being freed in this city, rushing towards ultimate tranquility.

The once dazzling City of a Thousand Stars, the once bustling and prosperous interstellar city, has been pushed into the abyss of death. Now, only a desolate void remains, echoing with the sorrow of this undeserved disaster.

The City of a Thousand Stars star field has been completely reduced to a desolate ruin, a void utterly consumed by the flames of death.

Prosperity and clamor, war and conspiracy, hope and despair, have all been completely consumed by the fire of death, leaving only the black and red fire of death, slowly burning in this void, as if telling of the eternity of death, telling of the destiny of returning to zero.

This is also the first time that "Death of Zero" has appeared on the stage of the Star Sea as a terrifying natural disaster, demonstrating its power to end everything.