Ch.188Chapter 188. I’m the Only Totem in Another World (7)

# Chapter 188. I’m the Only Totem in Another World (7)

[UltraSansMadWithMoonlightMassacreMode: Live Thread for the Subjugation of Necromancer Lord Charon]

– Comments –

[MeleeSpy: Why aren’t there any traps at all?]

ㄴ [MeleeSpy: Is this thick-headed bastard Charon too stupid to have read Sun Tzu’s Art of War?]

ㄴ [NotACatfish: Would he have read it? And what does Sun Tzu have to do with traps anyway?]

ㄴ [Han72: He was so moved by the final episode of EunuchBro that he put them away~]

ㄴ [McKenley: So that bastard Charon was an EunuchBro fan too lol]

[AzureGalaxy: Why isn’t the giant god coming??? Been waiting for hours???]

ㄴ [ReadingReader: Such perfect timing, commenting right as he arrives~]

[FallenPowerKnight: They’re only targeting the totems. Seems like Charon ordered them to destroy only the totems]

ㄴ [FallenPowerKnight: He’s using even high-ranking demons as pawns. He seems to think he just needs to destroy the totems somehow. The paladins in the rear need to protect the totems]

ㄴ [TrustedMonkeyUncle: Leave the totems to the holy knights~]

ㄴ [Crackle: You’d be the first to run away. Who are you to talk?]

ㄴ [YourIsNotStandardLanguage: You know what I’m going to say, right?]

[Ecam: Malak has manifested, railgun sniper support no longer possible!]

[Nephir: Breaking news! Malak and Charon disappeared through a dimensional gate!]

ㄴ [Avesta: Are we screwed?]

ㄴ [WhyYouLikeThat?: The totem buff is still active, so maybe it’s not that bad?]

[PetitNoir: The Great Chief wants to understand the battle situation!]

ㄴ [PetitNoir: If any totem near you is in danger or has been destroyed, please reply with the number written on the bottom of the totem! I’ll send reinforcements!]

ㄴ [BorderVoid: Totem #13 destroyed! A lion-like demon smashed it and left!]

ㄴ [PetitNoir: Confirmed!]

ㄴ [LeoRune: Emergency! SUPER EMERGENCY! Totem #9 in extreme danger!]

ㄴ [PetitNoir: Confirmed!]

ㄴ [DinosaurPunch: Totem #11 destroyed! The demons smashed it and left immediately, so we’re safe!]

ㄴ [PetitNoir: Confirmed!]

ㄴ [NotACatfish: Are you next to the Great Chief right now?]

ㄴ [PetitNoir: Yes!]

ㄴ [NotACatfish: Tell him the imperial palace has enough high-level paladins, so send reinforcements only to the rear]

ㄴ [NotACatfish: Also tell him that skilled paladins have gathered and are heading to the imperial palace]

ㄴ [PetitNoir: Yes!]

ㄴ [MalchukgoriButcher: Totem #7! In danger!]

[ShieldFanatic: Paya summoned spirits! Don’t attack the ladybug-like creatures!]

ㄴ [Pumpkin465: But they’re charging at the demons like crazy?]

ㄴ [MasterOfGarfield: They really don’t look like allies]

[PeepingSeal: Breaking news! Malak has returned!]

[Cow: Now we can breathe a little easier]

***

I was breaking through the evil god’s barrier while keeping an eye on the battle between Lakye and Charon.

I said I trusted Lakye, but I was still worried.

Charon was no ordinary bastard. I was always the one who messed with him, but somehow he always managed to come back and cause trouble.

“Come to me…!”

As soon as Charon faced Lakye, he wrapped himself in an ominous form that rippled behind his back. Those were the bizarre forms I had seen in Beatrice’s secret storage.

Charon, completely enveloped in these ominous forms, transformed into a red monster. I thought it looked familiar—it was the same monster that had attacked Udan’s totem.

Uwooooah-!

With the monster-transformed Charon’s howl, the battle between the two demigods began.

Perhaps because they were both using their divine powers generously, every attack and block was accompanied by a bang! like exploding gunpowder.

It was like watching a battle scene between a protagonist and villain in a superhero movie.

It looked like an evenly matched fight, but Lakye was slowly overwhelming Charon.

Lakye had excellent physical abilities, or more precisely, combat sense. Even before obtaining divine power, she had pushed back powerful enemies with her innate talent.

In contrast, Charon severely lacked such instincts. Not only did he fail to use his divine power efficiently, but his movements were full of unnecessary flourishes.

It wasn’t that his physical specs were low. The performance of the monster enhancement suit(?) Charon was wearing was excellent. It was just that his mental capabilities couldn’t keep up with his physical ones.

Crack!

“Kuhuk!”

See? Just now, Lakye dodged Charon’s attack and countered with a kick. He wasn’t handling his tremendous physical specs and divine power perfectly.

Most critically, Charon couldn’t completely take his eyes off me. He kept glancing in my direction.

Did he think the evil god couldn’t defeat me alone and needed help? He should focus on his own fight.

Anyway, there seemed to be no need to worry. I should just do my job.

I backed up slightly, then used every ounce of strength for a headbutt. This was Malak’s sincere headbutt, filled with divine power.

Crack!

Good. The evil god’s barrier broke! I opened my mouth to bite its neck.

The evil god quickly moved its wings to cover its neck. I bit down on the wing and twisted my head to tear it off.

Crunch!

One wing was torn off, scattering red blood.

This evil god’s physical abilities were far inferior to mine. Just as I was about to extend my muzzle again to bite its neck, it happened.

Keeeyaaaaaaaa!

The evil god’s mouth, which had been firmly closed until now, opened. A scream identical to what I’d heard when the evil god’s idol was activated echoed.

It wasn’t just a scream. It came with a powerful shockwave.

– Kuk…!

It must have used a lot of divine power, because my brain felt like it was splitting. The divine power enveloping my body fluctuated.

So it was hiding a trump card.

If I hadn’t been holding onto my sanity firmly, my manifestation might have been dispelled. That’s how powerful the mental attack was.

– Krooooo!

I immediately used “Totem of Confusion.” I have mental attack methods too.

Blood gushed from the evil god’s facial features. Though staggering, it didn’t close its mouth or stop the ultrasonic attack.

The moment of choice had come. Should I pour everything into killing the evil god for certain, or should I remain wary of Charon, who was visibly running out of strength?

I’d already used my trump card, the Totem of Confusion, and spent quite a bit of divine power.

If I couldn’t kill the evil god here, this would inevitably drag on. My manifestation time might run out.

…I’ve decided.

Let’s kill the evil god first. The current Charon seemed incapable of launching the “final strike” I had been concerned about.

No matter how powerful a spell is, it can’t be used without the spiritual power—mana—to implement it. Charon had already consumed much of his divine power in the bloody battle with Lakye.

I poured all my powers and divine energy into the evil god.

Rumble! Boom!

Lightning tore through the evil god’s body, and my divinely charged legs and teeth mangled its body. Though the evil god protected itself with divine power, there were limits.

While it might have more divine power than the cloud demon or seven-headed dragon demon, it was still just a god who had lost its idol.

Urrrgh…!

I grabbed the evil god’s shoulder, which had exhausted all its divine power, and bit its neck. With a gruesome sound, the evil god’s head was torn off.

Simultaneously.

Slash!

Charon’s head flew off, cut by the meteor sword. Seeing the evil god die, Charon had been distracted for a moment and allowed a fatal blow.

– …!

But I couldn’t relax.

Because until the moment his head was severed, Charon’s eyes were fixed on me, and his hand was pointing at me.

“Malak! I’ll give you soul annihilation!”

As if he had been waiting for this moment, he was glaring with wide eyes.

Various thoughts flashed through my mind.

Why hadn’t Charon set any traps? Why had he revealed the dimensional gate in the imperial palace to lure the paladins? Why had he been glancing at me while fighting someone as strong as Lakye?

The answer was simple. Charon never intended to win this war.

From the beginning, he was prepared to die together, waiting for an opportunity. To deliver an unpredictable strike.

Tssrrrk!

A complex spell formula I’d never seen before instantly overlapped and transformed into a devastating power shot from his fingertips.

The material used for the spell wasn’t spiritual power or divine power, but his soul. Just as the Pope had offered his soul to the goddess to transfer power to Lakye, Charon had also converted his soul into the power to kill me.

Ah, this fucking spell genius bastard. He must have adapted it after seeing the Pope’s sacrifice. He probably practiced this exclusively instead of combat training.

I can’t dodge it or block it. I might have been able to block it if I had wrapped enough divine power around my body, but I had used a lot to kill the evil god.

I was blindsided.

…Well, it wasn’t entirely unexpected. I had prepared for this when I saw Udan.

In that brief moment, I made eye contact with Lakye. She seemed to have realized what was happening and turned pale.

Don’t worry, Lakye. The real Malak will be safe.

The attack called soul annihilation isn’t a spell that destroys souls. If it were, Udan wouldn’t have remained there in a translucent state.

It was closer to banishment than annihilation. It turns the target into a ghost, making them unable to interact with anything.

And soul annihilation targets only one soul. It can only banish one soul.

Charon didn’t know, but I have two souls inside me. Isn’t Sans’s soul contained within the real Malak’s soul? I just need to sacrifice one soul.

Of course, I decided to be the one sacrificed.

[I’m entrusting the earth to you. Don’t forget to always strive to be a good god. Thanks for the fun times.]

Good thing I left a will.

Charon, who offered his soul, will also disappear, so now the world will be truly free of threats. The world probably needs a real god more than a fake one like me. A new agent can always be found.

I couldn’t save everyone like in pacifist mode, but this was the best happy ending I could think of.

…Let’s think positively. How great is it to sacrifice myself heroically?

If one of us has to be neutralized, it should be me. What’s the point if Malak sacrifices himself and I survive? I’d just be another useless possessor.

It’s like becoming as good as dead, but strictly speaking, it’s not dying either.

I’ll just remain on earth or in the spirit realm in an invisible state. I can still watch. Udan had collapsed with hollow eyes, perhaps tired of even that, but I, who lived long without limbs, could endure better than him.

Eventually, Lakye, Paya, or the real Malak would somehow find a way to fix me. Paya is a spell genius like Charon, so there’s hope.

It’s a groundless hope… but it can’t hurt.

The energy Charon shot was already right in front of me. Maybe because it’s the end, memories flashed by quickly like a montage.

I closed my eyes, waiting for the real Malak’s soul to leave.

For some reason, I think of Lakye and Hanna. I wanted to hold hands with Lakye and meet Hanna as a human to human.

A fleeting regret.

[Puppet]

At that moment, a voice echoed in my head.

[From now on, you are Malak]