I'm the Only Totem in Another World - Chapter 78

Chapter 78: Warp Gate （3）

I was contemplating whether to invest the magic stones I currently had in the Warp Gate.

Denzo, Kanto’s adjutant, cautiously entered the altar and delivered some news.

“A demon has settled in Tibera. It doesn’t seem like an ordinary one.”

Tibera. The region that the Dark Cloud Demon devastated to capture Abraham.

This is bad news in two ways.

First, Tibera is located right next to Symphony, where our Tribal Federation headquarters is located.

Second, we were planning to subjugate the next region after crossing Tibera, but that’s blocked now.

━ What kind of demon is it?

“According to the scouts, it has no shape… like a shadow. They said it seeps into the ground and crawls around.”

I don’t know what kind of demon that is.

Gorilla, leopard, moth, spider, caterpillar, etc.

The demons I’ve killed so far have all been in animal form.

But a shadow? Moving by seeping into the ground?

…The Dark Cloud Demon wasn’t an animal either, it was in the form of a dark cloud.

━ It could be a high-ranking demon.

We have to assume the worst-case scenario.

“A high-ranking demon…”

Everyone ponders my words with serious expressions.

━ I need to check it out.

I’m just as frustrated.

How long has it been since we caught the Tunnel Demon, and now this guy pops up?

▄ ▄ ▄ ▄ ▄ ▄

I took the Worm-human and Modified Gladiator corpses we collected from the Imperial Arena in Polaris to Tibera.

These are the corpses that had their insides removed, were salted, and then placed in jars to stop them from decomposing.

It might be more accurate to call them mummies.

I took a few for research and zombie purposes, and they’re being used here.

I wanted to know what kind of demon the Shadow Demon was, but I didn’t want to know at the cost of sacrificing the warriors of the Tribal Federation.

It’s best to use expendable resources like zombies for this kind of task.

━ Stop.

“Understood.”

Rake, who was pulling the cart alone, approached the jars on the cart with Totem No. 3.

We used Rake, the most mobile member of our Tribal Federation, as a delivery person, no, a means of transportation.

Even Tteunteuni, the monster spirit that has become incredibly strong, can’t carry more than three adults.

I checked the guys huddled inside the jars and woke them up as zombies.

“Uoooh…”

One beetle, one grasshopper, and one gladiator.

I deliberately brought one of each: a flying unit, a mobile unit, and a sturdy unit.

━ Stay here and watch.

Rake has good eyesight, so she might be able to see the demon from here.

I entered Tibera with the three zombies.

A desolate land soaked in demonic energy greeted me. It’s full of withered trees and grass.

It’s so vast, when will we find it?

If it was a huge demon like the Tunnel Demon, it would be easier to find.

I suddenly wonder.

Is the rank of a demon determined by its size?

The Lower, Mid-ranking, and the Tunnel Demon, which was about to become a High-ranking, were all different sizes.

Lower was 2~3 meters, Mid-ranking was 4~7 meters, and the Tunnel Demon was a whopping 30 meters.

From what I’ve seen so far, the bigger the size, the higher the rank and the stronger it was.

Of course, this is just a temporary rank I’ve assumed.

In the world of Earth animals, size is king, isn’t it?

No matter how strong a tiger or lion is, it can’t defeat an elephant.

Just one heavy kick from an elephant would break all their limbs.

Humans can overcome that size advantage with the cheating weapon called a gun, but generally, the bigger the size, the stronger it is.

But what if demons also have tools similar to guns?

What if there are demons with cheating abilities that can overturn the advantage of size?

It’s just a thought that came to mind.

If I underestimate them just because they’re small, I could lose a lot, so let’s keep it in mind for now.

I don’t think demons were able to destroy the world simply because they were big.

There must have been something else. A powerful means like a nuclear weapon.

━ …!

After walking for about 10 minutes, the demonic energy suddenly became much denser.

It’s so dense that it’s blurry around me like fog.

I moved cautiously without letting my guard down.

It became as dark as night, so I sent the beetle up into the sky.

Even a dried-up beetle zombie like a mummy can fly if it keeps flapping its wings.

Is it emitting demonic energy and taking over Tibera?

I’ve never seen anything emit such dense demonic energy in all directions.

I’ve only seen one guy capable of taking over a whole region.

The Dark Cloud Demon.

I used the beetle zombie to penetrate deeper into the darkness of the demonic energy.

Even sunlight is not visible.

Oh, what the.

[Control is impossible.]

The signals from the other two zombies were cut off. Both of them in an instant.

Did the demon start attacking?

It was then, as I tried to fly a little higher.

A black spike that shot up from the ground pierced the body of the beetle zombie.

Swoosh━!

I tried to escape, but it was impossible because of the other spikes that flew in as a follow-up attack.

It became like a bug pinned to a styrofoam board with needles.

Laughter can be heard from somewhere.

A deep, very vile and evil laughter.

Four eyes glowing green and irregularly protruding sharp teeth.

Crunch━!

That was the last sight the beetle zombie saw.

━ The Shadow Demon is…

After transferring my consciousness to Totem No. 3, I informed Rake.

“It was a high-ranking demon.”

Rake looks at Tibera with worried eyes.

━ Can you see it?

We have no choice but to rely on Rake’s superhuman vision.

“No. I can’t see well because of the demonic energy. The demonic energy… is spreading little by little. Very slowly, but it’s definitely spreading.”

This is the worst.

After swallowing up all of Tibera with demonic energy, it will come to our Symphony.

Even if we have Noah, our Japanese Paladin, learn the Magic Suppression skill, she won’t be able to block such dense demonic energy.

The situation has changed.

Now is not the time to save magic stones to control a few Metal Golems.

It’s better to open the Warp Gate.

▄ ▄ ▄ ▄ ▄ ▄

I informed the leadership of this information, and it was decided to open the Warp Gate.

“The Warp Gate is open!”

Harry, who had been holed up in the sewers for days, fiddling with the Warp Gate and magic stones, delivered the good news.

Finally.

“The Warp Gate has a mass limit. Only five people can pass through.”

Five.

Rake, Paya, Harry, Luna, and Noah.

If it’s five, I can take them like this.

Kanto can’t leave his position as commander, and Muri and Rachel are out of the equation.

The newly joined chieftains and priestesses aren’t that strong.

Paya can now summon Tteunteuni, so it’s good to take her.

━ Let’s do it with these five.

“A-Are you saying I’m going too?”

There she goes again, being a scaredy-cat.

Noah reached Level 3 in the last battle and learned the ‘Celestial Shield’ skill.

Now she can summon a shield that can block any attack for 10 seconds.

I have to take her.

Ignoring Noah’s whining, I called the party members who would go beyond the Warp Gate to the sewers.

“Now, enter the magic circle.”

The 5-person party, including Totem No. 3, stood inside the Warp Gate’s magic circle.

Harry mutters a spell.

The bodies of the five people are enveloped in light.

My vision goes dark for a moment, and then the scenery changes.

We were transported to the middle of a brick passage.

Fortunately, it’s not a den full of demons.

It was a passage higher than the underground research lab.

“Tteunteuni can move here too. Should I summon him?”

It’s a good idea to summon him in advance since we don’t know when a battle might start.

━ Go ahead.

“Tteunteuni!”

Squeak!

Our party walked down the passage with the summoned Tteunteuni.

After walking for about 10 minutes, we came to a huge door with a magic circle engraved on it.

I was briefly contemplating whether to have Harry open it or just break it down.

With a creaking sound, the door opened automatically.

━ Let’s go.

A dark auditorium greeted us, but as we took a step forward, the lights came on one by one and brightened the place.

[Those who came from Symphony, welcome to my secret vault!]

Oh, you scared me.

A hologram of a 10-year-old girl suddenly appeared above us.

She looks like a mischievous girl.

[My name is Beatrice, the Seven-Colored Mage.]

The girl smiles confidently. Does she think everyone will know her just by hearing her name and title?

“…It seems to be the residual consciousness of Archmage Beatrice. A figure from 200 years ago.”

Harry, who was looking at the girl who introduced herself as Beatrice, spoke up.

Residual consciousness. It’s probably something like leaving behind a part of her consciousness or soul through some magical means.

But why is she in the form of a kid? Is it her childhood appearance?

What a peculiar Archmage.

[Why do you look so glum? You have been given the opportunity to inherit my knowledge and become the best mages in the current empire. You should be more joyful.]

The hologram, seeing our sullen expressions, tilts her head.

Hmm, empire.

“The empire has perished.”

Harry, exchanging glances with the party members, conveys the truth.

[…What?]

Beatrice’s jaw drops.