I'm the Only Totem in Another World - Chapter 71

Chapter 71: Tunnel Demon （2）

It wasn’t long before the Winged Beetle Cultists appeared in the sky.

“Shoot them down!”

Arrows are shot towards them.

Some dodged, some got hit, and some fell because their wings were wet due to my blessing.

The Worm-humans, who dodged all the arrows and reached the front line, dropped stones.

“Light’s Protection skill, activated!”

Noah’s skill enveloped the frontline.

I’m not sure if they can withstand the stones falling from above, even with that.

The warriors will dodge well on their own. They’ll be able to survive as long as they don’t get hit directly by the stones.

We managed to take down a few, but there are still many of them.

How do we shoot them down?

I can’t tell Rake to do a double jump.

Should I recall Tteunteuni, whom I sent for reconnaissance?

━ …!

A good idea flashed through my mind.

━ Rake, get on the catapult.

The embodiment of romance seen only in cartoons.

The human cannonball.

Rake’s durability should be enough to withstand it.

“Ah, so I become the arrow?”

Rake smiled slightly, finding it amusing. What a bold woman.

Strictly speaking, it’s more of a stone than an arrow.

━ That’s right.

Rake, after giving orders to the soldier in charge of the catapult, sat in the spot where the stone should be placed.

It was more like a posture ready to be launched than sitting.

“Fire.”

Rake, who had tightly wrapped Totem No. 3 in a cloth, gestured.

A moment later, with a whooshing sound, Rake’s body soared into the air.

An incredible propulsion force exceeding my expectations.

I barely managed to suppress a scream and focused on the situation.

Rake, who was flying through the air, grabbed a Worm-human.

And then, she swung her curved sword and cut off its head.

Is this how she’s going to catch one and then fall? It was then.

Whizz!

Jumping off the back of the headless Worm-human, Rake snatched a nearby Worm-human.

Ah.

My mind went blank for a moment due to the shock of the aerial jump.

Kill and ride, kill and ride. So that’s how it works.

Rake’s superhuman physical abilities made this absurd scenario possible.

I watched as Rake jumped and massacred the Beetle Cultists.

It’s fun because of the sense of speed. It feels like watching a blockbuster movie with VR glasses on.

It’s quite enjoyable watching Rake’s agile movements and her toned body moving flexibly… Saying this makes me sound like a creepy old man.

I can’t just be playing around like this.

━ Leave the heads.

“Yes.”

Immediately, a clean corpse was created.

I controlled the body of the beetle that died with its heart pierced by Rake’s curved sword.

This feeling of flapping insect wings… It’s somehow unfamiliar yet familiar.

━ Tell me where to go.

“Am I going to ride Malak-nim?”

That’s true, but it sounds a bit strange.

I soared through the sky with Rake, wiping out the enemies.

“Hahaha!”

Rake, who became a beetle rider, burst into laughter.

She looks like a cheerful girl who came to the park to play.

Is she that happy?

“This is the last one.”

Rake slit the throat of the fleeing beetle.

━ Good work.

We slowly descended to the ground.

The corpse of the Beetle Cultist that seemed fine… There are too many.

I turned them all into zombies.

I’ve gained quite a bit of experience, so I can control about 10 of them. Flying units are useful, so let’s utilize them as much as possible.

While Rake and I were engaged in aerial combat, there were also Worm-human infantry who marched towards us, but Kanto and the elite warriors took care of them all.

━ The target is straight ahead.

The Imperial Arena is getting closer.

Soon, our Tribal Federation stood in front of a building reminiscent of a Colosseum.

“Damn, there are a lot of them.”

Harry clicked his tongue. I agree.

A disgustingly large number of Worm-humans were waiting for us, ready for a siege.

Instead of wooden stakes, tentacle monsters resembling flowers stood on the ground, making it look like a garden of death.

And on top of the arena… What is that? A living ballista? Anyway, a monster that looked like a bug was stuck to the wall, ready to spit out a long stream of saliva from its mouth.

The beetles we fought earlier were buzzing around in the sky as a bonus.

I wasn’t scared. It’s not like we came unprepared.

━ Prepare the totem.

There’s a totem we made specifically for this day, this moment.

A 2-meter tall dragon statue, hidden inside a cart, was revealed.

It’s a wooden totem that Muri, Paya, and the civilized blacksmiths worked together to create.

It’s called Totem （Temporary） No. 4.

They said it might break after the battle because it’s a makeshift totem without much shamanistic power mixed in, but what does it matter?

It was made for today, so it doesn’t matter as long as it holds up for this battle.

“Deploy the catapults!”

The assembled catapults we used during the Symphony attack were also revealed.

Good. This should be manageable. Let’s have a war.

I moved to Totem No. 4 and activated the Healing Totem.

This is a blessing that works with an activation/deactivation button, so as long as it’s activated, it works fine even if I transfer my consciousness.

Last time during the Bluethan battle, I deactivated it to reduce mental exhaustion, and Rake almost got into big trouble because of the Moth Demon’s powder attack（?）.

Back then, I thought it was rational. Rake was holding up well, and the Tribal Federation was under attack, so I thought I had to focus my power on one side. Not anymore.

I’ve always kept it activated since that incident.

“Let’s go! Let’s break down their castle! Let’s show them the true strength of the Tribal Federation!”

“Waaaaaaaah!”

Kanto, the commander on horseback, charged, and the cavalry followed. The cart carrying Totem No. 4 also followed their trail.

Now, we’ll fight fiercely to reach the walls, and they’ll fight just as hard to stop us.

Actually, I don’t like this kind of conventional siege warfare.

We can’t fight conventionally when we have asymmetrical power.

Thump! Thump!

That’s why I’m going to use some unconventional tactics.

Thump! Thump! Thump!

The Rock Golem, controlled by Harry, charged towards the Imperial Arena, carrying a wooden pillar.

If you just stick a heavy piece of wood into it, the arena will be immobilized, regardless of its grandeur.

It’s an arena, not a castle. Naturally, its durability will be lower than that of a castle wall.

Creak! Screech!

The Worm-humans, realizing the situation, struggled to grab the Golem’s feet, but they were struck down by Rake, who was advancing alongside the Golem.

Yeah~ You can’t stop it~! If you’re unhappy, bring your own Lower Demons.

Kyaaa━!

They actually brought them.

A few demons resembling moles sprung up from the ground and attacked, only to be cut to pieces by Rake’s curved sword.

Yeah, you can’t even stop the Lower ones~!

Just bring the Tunnel Demon. Let’s finish this quickly.

Meanwhile, the main force of the Tribal Federation, including Kanto, was steadily pushing through the enemy lines.

“Their weapons can’t pierce our armor! Push forward!”

Noah’s skill, Light’s Blessing, was proving to be very effective.

As expected, the best buff is a defense buff.

Screech━!

I could also see Tteunteuni, releasing fireballs after deactivating stealth mode.

The attacks weren’t focused on Tteunteuni, perhaps because everyone was fighting chaotically.

It could also be because the zombie beetles were causing confusion in the air.

Finally, Rake and the Rock Golem arrived in front of the arena.

Bang!

The wooden pillar swung by the Golem slammed into the arena wall.

The wall shook slightly, and cracks appeared.

It’s slow, but the Golem has brute strength. It’s like being rammed by an excavator.

Crash!

The wall shook violently with the next blow. The impact was so strong that the Worm-humans on top of the arena fell down in droves.

One more hit, and it might completely collapse.

However, the Golem could no longer move.

Tentacles that had sprung up from somewhere, along with Worm-humans, were holding the Golem’s body tightly.

But that wasn’t all.

Grooooaaaaar━!

With a roar loud enough to echo across the battlefield, a giant insect head emerged from behind the arena wall.

I got a feeling the moment I saw it. This is the Tunnel Demon.

For its head to be visible from here, it must be incredibly large. Maybe 30 to 40 meters?

It’s a colossal monster.

Its body was covered in green mucus, reminiscent of a larva that had just emerged from its pupa.

Was it about to pupate? Did we interrupt it and force it to come out?

It definitely seems to be in the stage before transitioning from Intermediate to High-ranking.

We’re lucky.

It’s fortunate we found it now. If we had been a little later, we might have had to fight a High-ranking Demon.

Grooooow━!

As if disoriented, it kept shaking its head from side to side.

It didn’t seem like it would join the battle immediately.

Now is not the time to focus on the Tunnel Demon.

First, let’s infiltrate the arena and secure the Hidden Piece.

━ Rake!

“Yes!”

Rake charged at the wall and performed a body slam. At the spot the Golem had hit twice.

With a ‘thud’ sound, Rake punched a hole through the wall and infiltrated inside.

Rumble!

The wall collapsed with a sound like thunder and lightning.

A large crack appeared in the outer wall of the arena.

You’ll have to pay dearly for messing with the Tribal Federation, right?

“I’ll keep moving.”

Rake, who had infiltrated inside, moved her feet quickly.

Places littered with various weapons, armor, and even underwear flashed by.

Dust had accumulated due to the passage of time, but the shapes were still recognizable.

Is this the gladiators’ room?

“Enemies are approaching this way. Shall we engage?”

Rake stopped. I could also hear their footsteps.

━ Go ahead.

I looked around. Unlike the gladiators’ room I saw earlier, glass bottles shaped like flasks and beakers were scattered on the floor, broken.

Why are there laboratory equipment in the arena? Is this the arena’s science lab?

Suddenly, a piece of paper on the ground caught my eye.

It was slightly torn, but the letters were large enough to be easily read.

[…Thus, the plan to create enhanced soldiers using gladiator test subjects has failed.

Jay, Chief Researcher of the Evolutionist School.]

Ah, what’s with the unsettling talk about enhanced soldiers?