Chapter 19: Kill! The Resentment of the Cosmic Emperor

"Bang!"

Eleking’s massive foot landed with devastating force, driving Cilan deeper into the earth by several meters—he was nearly stomped into another dimension. Eleking wasn't finished; barely steadying itself, it prepared to stomp again.

But Cilan had recovered. Furious and terrified, he immediately unleashed his signature trick: cloning.

"Whoosh!"

Eleking’s foot met only empty air. It felt as if it had struck nothingness, nearly causing the monster to lose its balance. Behind Eleking, four Cilans suddenly appeared.

"Ding—ding-a-ling-ding—ding—ding-a-ling—ding—ding-a-ling-ding—"

A strange melody began to play. Though the tune sounded deceptively soothing, it left Eleking feeling dizzy and increasingly irritable.

"Gegi!"

Eleking swept its tail, shattering one of the bubble-like clones. The other three Cilans immediately lunged forward, raining fierce blows upon Eleking’s chest, back, and head.

"Bang!"

Eleking staggered. The damage was minimal, but the frustration only fueled its rage. It thrashed its tail wildly and spat out crescent-shaped energy blades, shredding the phantom clones one by one.

Yet, none were the real Cilan. Instead, the clones multiplied—eight, sixteen, thirty-two! These Cilans formed a circle, circling Eleking slowly while emitting that eerie, rhythmic chiming. They were in no rush to attack.

He was baiting Eleking, trying to exhaust the monster’s strength and focus on mere illusions. That music was his method of driving his enemies into a frenzy.

"As expected of an alien," Lin Yu thought to himself, watching the scene. "While their raw power is generally inferior to kaiju, their intellect is far superior to those brainless beasts whose IQ is barely on par with a husky."

Cilan’s physical strength was mediocre. If he had fought Eleking head-on, he would have performed even worse than Bemular, likely being slaughtered like a dog within ten seconds. But by relying on his special abilities and cunning, he could effectively counter Eleking. Even Tiga had once been toyed with by Cilan’s clones.

"This alien can actually clone itself? This is going to be trouble," Aihara Ryu muttered, his head throbbing as he watched dozens of Cilans surround Eleking.

"The GUTS Wing 1 and the Cross are arriving soon, but we shouldn't get our hopes up," Reina said, her face grim as she maintained contact with GUTS headquarters. "Hori says they can't identify which one is the real Cilan."

"If we can't defeat Cilan, what will happen to the children?" Konomi asked, her anxiety palpable.

"Captain Lin Yu, you know a lot about Cilan. Do you know his weakness?" Daigo watched the carnage, feeling a profound sense of helplessness. He felt as though there was nothing he could do.

Looking toward Lin Yu, who was also watching the battle intensely, Daigo hurriedly asked. Right—Lin Yu was so knowledgeable about these monsters and aliens; perhaps he knew how to exploit Cilan! How could they have forgotten him?

Facing their expectant gazes, Lin Yu simply gestured toward Eleking, who was beginning to calm down.

"As far as cloning goes, Cilan has perfected it. Without a way to pinpoint the original, we can only rely on wide-range attacks. However, there is a way: Cilan’s clones cast no shadows, and they don't appear in reflections."

"He’s clever; he knows his own weakness, which is why he always appears at night to maximize his protection."

"But it looks like Eleking has figured out a countermeasure, so we can just watch for now."

As soon as Lin Yu finished speaking, he focused on commanding Eleking. He realized he could communicate with his monster without even needing to speak. If he were in the Pokémon world, he would surely be a psychic.

"Eleking, try to eliminate as many clones as possible. Remember our training this morning!"

Eleking paused, then swept its tail again. This time, it wasn't relying on the brute force or speed of a killing blow, but rather a probing maneuver. As the tail swept across, several clones behind it vanished.

Simultaneously, Eleking rapidly spat out crescent energy blades—the high-speed technique they had practiced in the Chihara Forest. Three per second!

Soon, a large number of clones were wiped out. Under the dual assault, only a few Cilans remained. Cilan, unwilling to wait for death, tried to exert his power to create more clones. But among the remaining few, one stood out—caught in the light of the crescent blades, it cast a faint, distorted shadow. Eleking locked onto it!

"Gegi!"

Several crescent blades flew out, striking the real Cilan. Sparks showered the air as the alien let out a wail!

Without giving him a chance to react, Eleking’s tail surged with terrifying high-voltage electricity, striking the top of Cilan’s head with the force of a thunderbolt.

"Bang!"

Cilan’s skull was crushed into his chest. His blood was vaporized by the current before it could even flow. He was dead beyond any hope of resurrection.

Rainbow-colored light drifted out, scattering across the world. The rainbow of the night returned the stolen dreams. On the ground, the children near Konomi were the first to recover. They looked around, bewildered.

"Big sister, where are we?"

"Wow, there's a monster!"

"I want my mommy..."

"Thank goodness, you're all recovered!" Konomi’s joy was written all over her face. Daigo and the others breathed a sigh of relief. Finally, this accursed alien had been dealt with.

"Hey, you guys! You took your sweet time getting here!" Aihara Ryu complained into his radio, watching the Cross arrive in the sky.

A black hole appeared, drawing in Eleking, who was still looking frustrated and wanting to vent its anger on the corpse.

"Eleking, thank you!" Konomi ran forward, waving sincerely at the monster.

"Aiao?" Eleking tilted its head before being swallowed by the black hole.

Lin Yu sensed a flicker of satisfaction from Eleking. "This silly creature really loves being praised," he chuckled.

[Host has killed the Interdimensional Alien — Cilan!]
[Aliens cannot be captured/raised!]
[First kill of an alien confirmed. Obtained hidden reward: Grudge of a Powerful Alien!]

The system prompt startled Lin Yu. He already knew aliens couldn't be raised, so that was no surprise. But what was this "Grudge of a Powerful Alien"? So there was a reward for the first alien kill? Did the Zarab alien not drop anything because he had only focused on suppressing it, while the bullets finished it off? What a waste! Next time, he would have to ensure he or his monster delivered the final blow.

[Grudge of a Powerful Alien: The lingering resentment left behind by a deceased Emperor-class alien. Provide a suitable vessel, and perhaps he shall return.]

Wait. Lin Yu felt a chill. Emperor-class? The Dark Great Emperor Alien Empera? The Phantom Universe Emperor Juda or the Phantom Universe Great King Mold? Surely not Belial, right? It couldn't possibly be low-tier villains like the Universe Emperor Bad or the Great Emperor Natan, could it?

"Am I crazy? Why would I want to resurrect something like that?" Lin Yu glanced at his inventory. The item appeared as a mass of darkness laced with blood-red veins; looking at it made him feel as if his own inner malice was being drawn out. He chose to keep it in storage. He was afraid to use it!