I'm the Only Totem in Another World - Chapter 88

Chapter 88: Morning Tent Erection Knight （3）

Riding on the momentum, I easily finished off the remaining two villages.

Only one left, the city with the mid-ranking demon.

Hella and Solra said there were four lower-ranking demons residing in the city.

Even if Siu mainly focused on support skills, she should be able to handle at least one lower-ranking demon easily.

I just need to give Hella and the other warriors the ‘Strengthening Tattoo’ blessing to give them the ability to fight lower-ranking demons.

Then we can easily handle four of them.

━ Set up the catapults.

As we walked, the city walls were right in front of us.

━ I’ll take the lead this time as well.

I drove Solid&Heavy forward with the warhammer in hand.

I looted this warhammer from the last village. It was originally meant to be used with both hands, but in the Totem Golem’s hand, it just becomes a one-handed blunt weapon.

“Firing!”

The catapults set up by the barbarian warriors launched stones.

The launched stones crashed against the walls with a dull thud.

Good. Maybe because the walls aren’t well-maintained, they’re getting damaged easily.

If we keep hitting them a little longer, one part might collapse.

“We’re under attack…!”

“Fire the arrows…!”

The cultists moved, speaking in their characteristically awkward manner.

We’ve drawn their aggro with the catapults, now it’s my turn.

I charged towards the gate with Solid&Heavy.

“Follow Malak-nim!”

The mounted warriors, including Hella and Siu, followed behind me.

They were all strengthened with the ‘Strengthening Tattoo’ blessing.

Ignoring the arrows shot by the enemies, we reached the gate.

Thud! Thud! Thud!

I mercilessly pounded the gate with the warhammer. The gate shook violently with each strike.

“Wh, what…!”

“It’s a Golem…! A Golem is attacking the gate…!”

“How did the barbarians get a Golem and catapults…!”

“When will our master arrive…!”

The whispers of the cultists inside the gate could be heard even from here.

They seemed quite flustered, perhaps due to the unusual combination of barbarians and a Golem.

Crash!

I delivered the decisive blow. The doorknob side of the gate shattered.

I reached inside the gate to open it.

“Stop him…!”

Spears and swords stabbed at my hand, but they were meaningless attacks against me, who felt no pain.

I flung the gate wide open and smashed their heads with the warhammer.

Hmm. This feels a bit strange.

I didn’t want to sound weak, but…this is the first time I’ve directly killed a person.

I tried to ignore the creeping sense of discomfort and attacked the approaching cultists.

I didn’t forget to spread clouds with Malak’s Domain blessing to inflict area-wide debuffs.

I spotted what appeared to be the lord’s mansion.

Five demons, including the mid-ranking one, were coming out the main gate.

“They’re all coming at once?”

Siu watched them approach with a dumbfounded expression.

Even as she spoke, she swung her sword, cutting down the cultists, looking quite skilled.

Is this the same guy who was trapped in a village looking for erectile dysfunction medication? He’s grown up well.

━ These guys are aggressive.

Even I’ve never seen demons like this. They’re not sending just their underlings, nor are they waiting inside the mansion, prepared for defense. They’re all coming out.

Roar━!

The largest demon roared. It was a monstrous hippopotamus, at least 5 meters tall.

Dozens of tentacle-like tongues flickered in and out of its gaping maw, each tipped with sharp barbs.

Hideous bastard.

━ I’ll take care of the mid-ranking one.

I didn’t even need to charge. The demon, its green eyes glowing, charged at me.

What should I do? Just ram it head-on with Solid&Heavy?

The size difference is so great that we might get pushed back. Solid&Heavy could get wrecked.

Screw it. I need to get close to hit or grab it or do anything. Running away won’t accomplish anything.

I can’t keep Solid&Heavy forever anyway.

In the end, zombies are consumables. There’s no reason to save them.

It’s a shame to give up on being a Golem Rider, but…there’s no need to fight a losing battle.

I charged towards the approaching hippo demon, kicking up dust.

Clang!

The hippo demon’s head collided with the goat demon’s horns.

Naturally, it was Solid&Heavy’s horns that shattered. Green blood oozed out.

At least I got my chance. My goal from the beginning was to latch onto this guy.

I swung the warhammer down on the hippo demon’s head.

━ ?!

It didn’t even flinch as it pushed Solid&Heavy back.

What the hell. Why is it so hard? Does it have a stone head?

As Solid&Heavy fell, I tumbled to the ground with it.

This is…a mid-ranking demon?

I had underestimated the creatures that only Rake or level 6-7 Paladins could handle.

The hippo demon opened its massive maw, which took up more than half its face, and swallowed Solid&Heavy’s head whole.

My mount’s head was ripped off. Solid&Heavy…it was fun while it lasted.

Even in death, you taught me the valuable lesson that mid-ranking demons are still dangerous.

I pounded the hippo demon’s body with the warhammer as it savored my Solid&Heavy’s head, but it was no use.

It just shook its body as if annoyed.

Hah, does it have a blunt attack nullification skill or something?

It’s not entirely unreasonable.

Hippos are known for having thick skin, even among animals. It’s only natural that a demonized hippo would have transcendent defense.

This won’t do. I have my trump card, the Totem of Chaos, but even if I use it to temporarily disable the demon, it’ll be meaningless if I can’t pierce its hide.

“Malak-nim! I’ll assist you!”

Siu, covered in green blood, approached me.

“Holy Flame!”

White flames erupted from the tip of Siu’s sword, searing the hippo demon.

The hippo demon, its face directly hit by the flames, stumbled back.

Is it working because the skill is imbued with holy power? As expected of a Paladin, the natural enemy of demons.

There’s a reason why demons try to kill Paladins on sight.

The hippo demon shook its head to shake off the flames.

If blunt attacks don’t work, I just need to strangle it to death. I tried to approach it.

The problem was that the hippo demon was more perceptive than I thought.

Swoosh━!

The tentacle tongues shot out from the hippo demon’s maw, grabbing the Totem Golem’s left arm.

Sharp barbs dug in, threatening to crush my arm.

Crck…

Damn it, it lifted me up. Just with its tongues!

Thud! Thud!

The Totem Golem was slammed against the ground. I could feel it breaking apart.

The slime covering Totem No. 2 and the Golem Controller was shaking, making it hard to see.

Ah, I miss Rake. If Rake were here, she would’ve beheaded this thing with the Meteor Sword.

“Holy Flame!”

The slamming stopped, accompanied by Siu’s voice.

The demon tried to retract its tentacle tongues, but I held on tight.

This is its only ranged attack. I can’t let Siu get hit by these tongues.

The hippo demon growled and pulled me with its tongues.

Good. Just pull me. Let me get closer.

I pretended to be dragged while stealthily moving forward…oh no, it noticed something and tried to push me away.

Too smart for its own good.

“Waaaaah!”

Hella, appearing like the wind, sliced the demon’s legs with her twin axes and passed by.

It wasn’t a major blow, but it was enough to distract the demon for a moment.

Just a little more…! Got it! I used the Totem of Chaos on the demon that had entered my range.

Gurk!

The hippo demon rolled its eyes and collapsed.

━ Unleash all your skills on it!

“Holy Flame! Holy Flame! Holy Flame!”

It’s ridiculously funny to hear her shouting the skill name in such a tense situation.

Siu’s only offensive skill heated the hippo demon’s body intensely.

Five minutes that felt like an hour passed, and the hippo demon, burning and screaming, turned to ash.

Zombie Control didn’t work on it.

━ Good work.

I expressed my sincere gratitude to Siu. I wouldn’t have won without her.

“Don’t mention it. I’ll go help the other warriors.”

Siu smiled brightly and left with Hella.

I wanted to move with them, but my legs wouldn’t cooperate.

The joints keep creaking. I need to go back to the Tribal Federation for repairs after this is over.

I was watching the situation, which was slowly being resolved as I supported the warriors with various blessings.

I felt a slight chill and looked up at the sky…

━ Oh no!

The eastern sky was stained black.

I’ve only seen this phenomenon once before. When the Dark Cloud Demon appeared.

What the…why are there dark clouds all of a sudden? The hippo demon couldn’t send out a coordinate transmission.

Was another demon watching us?

“Wh, what the…!? Da, dark clouds? Why dark clouds!?”

Siu, who was looking in the same direction as me, turned pale.

No. No way. That’s impossible. I checked so thoroughly.

Ever since the surprise attack by the Tunnel Demon, I’ve always made sure to scout and secure vision before fighting.

I checked everything, the sky and the ground, before engaging in battle.

…Could it be that someone else summoned it, not us? What if there were others who attacked a mid-ranking demon around the same time as us?

Let’s warn them first.

Even as I thought this, the black energy continued to engulf the sky. I could see something writhing within it.

━ Everyone, take cover!

It’s too late to run. We need to hide.

As always, disaster struck without warning.