148. Golden Dragon of the Starry Sky
Countless explosions lit up the flagship, and the hundred-kilometer-long escort ships had no time to respond. The side under the boarding attack quickly gave the order: send out their strongest fighters to engage in direct combat.
A brilliant golden flame erupted in the vacuum of space, and though sound shouldn't travel in the void, a terrifying roar echoed as if the Higgs field itself felt the pressure from this apex predator of the food chain.
A golden dragon, adorned with magnificent sail-like wings and breathing searing starfire, became the focal point of the battlefield. When it spread its wings, it illuminated the entire combat zone with resplendent gold.
[Aura of Majesty]
The dragon's sail-like wings trembled slightly, and its massive, molten-gold eyes swept the battlefield. A wave of righteous power spread outward, causing ships to veer off course as if they had encountered a terrifying presence.
Unlike the typical image of spell-casting, justice-wielding dragons, this majestic interstellar gold dragon was physically powerful, its muscles appearing as if forged from stardust.
It raised its claw and formed a series of symbols, dragon runes and sacred scriptures lighting up around it. A high-pitched, pure hymn echoed throughout the star system.
Then, the golden dragon slowly clenched its fist, gathering immense power that cracked the fabric of space itself, creating jagged fractures in the cosmos.
[Hundredfold • Fist of Purging Evil]
The dragon's punch was fast, but due to its massive size, it seemed slow to Li Aozi, exuding a heavy, oppressive force. His heart pounded, and his primal instincts urged him to flee.
Foom——
How was there sound in the vacuum of space?
The dragon's punch sent out a tremendous force, instantly obliterating the entire assault fleet. Even two cruisers using a planet as cover were caught in the shockwave.
The magnificent hymn echoed like a celestial chant, praising the valor of the warrior and the fear of their enemies.
Under the power of the song, a massive planet shattered under the overwhelming force.
The unstoppable force surged forward, the will to destroy undeniable.
The shockwave spread fragments of planets through the cosmos, smashing several unprepared ships into scrap metal. The red-hot debris triggered reactor meltdowns, creating explosions that lit up the black void like fireworks.
Dragons were considered the apex of the food chain. Almost every planet harbored some form of dragon species, from small lizards, birds, and kobolds to grand phoenixes, astral dragons, and void dragons.
Among dragons, gold dragons stood at the pinnacle of nobility, second only to the legendary Radiant Dragons, the emperors of their kind. Lesser dragons were measured in 'strips' or 'tails,' while flying dragons were counted in 'units.' However, all true dragons were referred to as 'heads.'
One head of a golden dragon.
Whether it was a pureblood dragon or one with diluted blood, they were all categorized as dragonkind.
Dragons carrying the blood of a golden dragon were destined to be legendary creatures of renown. But what truly made them famous was their humility and kindness.
Unlike other dragons, gold dragons were learned and cultured, respected laws, and upheld contracts. They were talented and romantic, masters of fine arts. To maintain their hobbies, every gold dragon was a bona fide billionaire.
Li Aozi, realizing he was dealing with a gold dragon with a unique combat style, immediately recognized the figure:
"A [Monk] of the [Destruction] Path with golden dragon blood—this can only be Atche Duke Monsir. No mistake, this is the Battle of the Eye of the Galaxy!"
Li Aozi's emotions were mixed.
The Crystal Spire civilization was the most rule-abiding magical society in the Star Abyss.
The Night Butterfly Federation was the most rebellious technological civilization.
Both were situated just outside the jurisdiction of any narrative-level civilization.
This was one of the few wars in the Star Abyss that lacked intervention from narrative-level civilizations. A final battle sparked by a conflict between two small civilizations, without seeking arbitration or mobilizing for a broader war, even deploying top-tier entities of the Kappa-class (Ξ, the fourteenth Greek letter, with power levels around 280 and above).
For all these factors to align at once was incredibly rare. In the Star Abyss, such wars only occurred once in several million years.
—And here Li Aozi was, caught in it.
Perhaps if he had arrived twenty years later, or even ten, he wouldn't have encountered it.
Li Aozi began to slow his speed, debating whether to use the effect of [Aura of Goodwill] to bluff his way through.
The description in the network system for many skills was vague, requiring players to figure out the actual effects through trial and error. Some skills seemed grand but were useless, while others had bland descriptions but packed a punch.
[Aura of Goodwill] had a particularly vague description: When making any [Charisma] check, regardless of success or failure, the target would not attack.
The question was: What if there was no check to make? Would the skill still activate?
Li Aozi believed his [Charisma] was high enough. Even among these interstellar civilizations, few transcendent beings could match him.
He stretched his neck and slowly decelerated, preparing to make contact.
Now, it was all up to fate.
But the Night Butterfly Federation didn't seem to consider Li Aozi a friendly entity—or rather, they didn't take him seriously at all.
While the Crystal Spire's golden dragon monk wreaked havoc on the battlefield, Li Aozi suddenly flew into the combat zone in silence.
Imagine: in a battle of this scale, after the enemy's assassination attempt failed, a single individual flying at sub-light speed suddenly appeared on the battlefield. What would the Night Butterfly Federation's commanders think?
"Sir, the intelligence system has detected an unknown target at the edge of the combat zone, flying at sub-light speed, significantly smaller than a personal ship."
"Shoot it down," the Night Butterfly commander ordered without hesitation. "We've already notified the surrounding civilizations of this war. Any lone figure entering the combat zone now has to be an enemy."
"But what if they're a VIP from a high-level civilization?"
"I don't care who they are. If they enter a combat zone without identification signals, they're a spy or an assassin."
"Understood."
The system quickly re-identified the slowing Li Aozi as an unknown target, presumed to be an assassination squad. Two neutron torpedoes fired immediately, trailing eerie blue light as they homed in on him.
"No check—retreat!"
Without hesitation, Li Aozi accelerated at full speed, fleeing for his life.
—At least now he knew: [Aura of Goodwill] only worked when there was a proper skill check.
Escape was futile; without a set course, running blindly would only lead to a quicker death. His only option was to charge forward, straight through the battlefield.
This meant flying directly through the heart of the battle, right between the golden dragon monk of the Crystal Spire and the Night Butterfly Federation's relentless bombardment.