I'm the Only Totem in Another World - Chapter 122

Chapter 122: Battle for the Saint （8）

“Ka, Karon-nim! I’m still alive!”

Jay, who was trembling at the sight of Rake’s swordsmanship, shouted loudly.

“The woman with the totem, along with the Goddess Religion followers and zombies, attacked the headquarters!”

“They’re right in front of me!”

“Help me!”

The Reptilians were opening their mouths as if this was their chance. They were practically like baby birds calling for their mother.

[I shall borrow your eyes for a moment.]

“…What? Ugh!”

A red aura emanating from the black skull enveloped Jay’s head.

[It’s been a while, Malak.]

Jay’s gaze turns towards Totem No. 3.

━ Karon.

He was already a threat, but now he’s become someone to be even more wary of.

Whether his victory meant he beat and chased them away, or killed them and added them to his army of corpses, it meant he won against a manifested Loa.

A true divine being.

[Indeed. Have you regained much of your strength with the help of that demigod?]

Jay’s gaze lingered on Rake, who was attacking the barrier, before returning.

[You killed a high-ranking demon.]

Is this the same Karon who couldn’t control his anger when he saw me? He’s too calm.

Is he in a good mood after winning against a Loa?

━ He was nothing special, probably because he became your minion.

[Is that so? It’s my fault for not treating him properly.]

Ah, this is ominous. It sounds like he’s saying he’ll treat me properly now.

What kind of crazy stunt is he trying to pull?

[I have a feeling that I must stop you here and now, no matter the sacrifice. My intuition has never been wrong.]

━ Rake. Break the barrier quickly.

“Yes.”

With a sense of foreboding, I urged Rake to destroy the barrier. Even Asha, who was protecting the Pope, joined in.

Bang! Bang!

We have to kill the Reptilians quickly and destroy that black skull. I have that feeling.

[It’s time to put an end to our long, bitter relationship. Don’t you think so, Malak?]

As soon as Karon finished speaking, a red aura flowed from the black skull, penetrating the bodies of the Reptilians, including Jay.

“Ugh, ugh!”

“Uwaaagh!”

The Reptilians writhe in agony. The red aura extracts white smoke from their bodies and enters the skull.

…Is he absorbing their souls or something?

“Th, this is betrayal…! Betrayal!”

Jay, who was holding out until the end, screamed, but Karon simply spoke calmly.

[You were going to die anyway. Be grateful that you can at least take them with you.]

“Y, you son of a bi━!”

Jay, with his white smoke extracted, collapses with his eyes rolled back. Once all the Reptilians’ smoke entered, the black skull began to wriggle.

This is crazy. Flesh is growing on the skull?

Clang!

Rake, who had broken the barrier a step too late, rushed in and swung the Meteor Sword.

Slice!

The flesh split in two, but the growth didn’t stop. It quickly clumped together and grew larger, making a sound like a boiling kettle.

“Uuugh…”

“Spear of Light!”

Asha and the Pope couldn’t inflict much damage either.

Then, the bodies of the dead Reptilians swelled up and exploded. It wasn’t an ordinary explosion, but a magical one.

Karon must have done something.

“Ugh!”

With a booming explosion, the two people and one zombie are blown away.

━ Damn it!

I don’t know what that flesh will turn into once it finishes growing. It might be Karon’s main body.

Ah, should I have saved the Totem of Chaos?

No. Then Rake might have been in danger. That was the best option at the time.

Then what should I do…!

Grooooowl━!

With a bizarre sound I’d never heard before, the flesh took on a complete form.

A centaur, with the upper body of a woman and the lower body of a horse, appeared. It was a demon that emitted even thicker demonic energy than the Shadow Demon.

━ It’s a high-ranking demon. Be careful.

Ha. The Stingray Demon and Atomic Rex weren’t the end. A hidden boss has appeared.

Although its size was only that of a lower-ranked demon, the aura it exuded was different. It was definitely a high-ranking demon that had become a zombie.

Did he use something similar to my Transmission Totem to summon the one from his base?

[It’s a demon that was called the Hunting God. It excels in one-on-one combat. It could even kill a demigod.]

Thanks for the explanation, you kind bastard.

Rake was the first to attack.

As if to shake off the aftereffects of the explosion, she shook her head a few times and swung the Meteor Sword.

It was a swift and sharp attack, but the centaur easily dodged it with a light leap. Its reflexes were incredible.

Whoosh!

The centaur, gathering magic power to create a bow and arrow, began to fire. Arrows as long as spears are shot towards Rake.

Bang!

The demon’s attack pierced through the Pope’s barrier in one shot. A small cut appeared on Rake’s cheek as she narrowly dodged.

I’ve watched Rake fight dozens of times, but this is the first time I’ve seen her bleed. That’s how threatening the attack was.

If she gets hit wrong, she could die. I healed her wound with the Healing Totem.

Besides that, the situation isn’t good. Rake has used ‘Potential Explosion’ several times today. Her stamina must be low.

It’s obvious we’ll lose if it becomes a long fight. We have to kill it quickly.

I canceled all the orders I gave to Asha except for ‘Kill the enemy’. It was to bring out all of Asha’s abilities.

━ Pope. I can’t protect you right now. Support us from a safe place.

I said a safe place, but I actually don’t know where is safe.

Even the Pope’s barrier was pierced in one shot. Where could possibly be safe? I’m sorry, but I didn’t have the time to worry about him.

“I understand. I will try my best.”

The Pope, unaware of my worries, spoke calmly.

Rake, who had become more cautious, Asha, who was focused on the battle, and the Pope, who was hindering the enemy with various debuffs, fought with all their might, but the opponent was too strong.

Karon, who had already completed his late-game rise, was supporting the centaur with strange spells and buffs.

“Haaah!”

Rake’s Meteor Sword slashed the centaur’s body several times, but it was futile.

[Excellent weapon and body. I must have both.]

Every time Karon, speaking through the centaur’s mouth, chanted a strange spell, the demon’s wounds were healed. If it weren’t for that damn necromancer, I would have already taken the centaur’s head.

The difference between Karon, who was strong from the beginning, and me, who hasn’t finished my late-game rise, is this big? I’ve been working pretty hard… I understand.

Karon can control the enemies he kills, but I convert them into points, so the growth rate is bound to be different. Karon probably knows that and is pouring everything he has into this, thinking it’s a decisive opportunity.

[Young demigod, give up. You can’t defeat me. Drop your sword and I’ll grant you a quick death.]

“You traitor, all talk…! ”

Rake was breathing heavily, probably exhausted.

This is bad. This is bad.

[Good. It was worth using so much power. Malak, I will make up for this loss with your followers.]

Ignoring the demon’s taunt, I focused on the information contained in its words.

It seems Karon also consumed a lot of resources to forcibly summon the high-ranking demon. If we kill the centaur, he’ll suffer a great loss.

But… I don’t know how to kill it.

The centaur, dodging attacks with agile movements, turned Asha, who was acting as a tank, into a pincushion with its rapid fire.

“Aaaah…!”

Asha, pierced by dozens of arrows, collapsed with a painful groan. She didn’t seem to have the energy to regenerate.

“Ugh.”

The Pope’s complexion also worsened. Is it because he used too much of the Goddess’s power?

My mind goes blank. What should I do? I don’t have enough points to buy Manifestation.

Why isn’t a new blessing appearing even after I killed the high-ranking demon? I got the points. Is this because Manifestation is the end?

Even if I invest in other blessings, I don’t think it will be enough to turn this situation around.

The Tribal Federation is too far away. It’ll all be over before reinforcements arrive.

I can’t get help from Jin Malak. If he could help, he would have already done so.

What should I do?

Think. There must be a way. Think.

“Ha… I… ”

The Pope mutters to himself from behind. I couldn’t hear him clearly because I was agitated, but…

“I wanted to live… Hahaha…”

For some reason, those words were clear as day.

…Yes, he wants to live. That’s why he reached out to a god of heresy.

“Huff… Huff…!”

I looked at Rake. At her, fighting with her eyes wide open.

She still believes in me, right?

━ …

Let’s calmly think again. There might be a way.

Karon clearly said he summoned the high-ranking demon at a great cost. The duration might be short.

Or there could be an imperfection in its body from the summoning process. It wasn’t a simple summoning like teleportation, it seemed more like its body was being reassembled.

Don’t lose hope. Let’s find a weakness.

Rake and I can do this.

“Malak-nim, do you remember? The reason why I became Pope without proper procedure.”

The reason why he became Pope without proper procedure? I turned my gaze towards him, confused by the sudden question.

The Pope was smiling softly.

“It seems there was a reason why I came this far.”