Limitless by John Gold (best e reader for android txt) 📕

active and keeping an eye out while I sleep. My consciousness split into two parts. At this point, I can clearly recognize how part of me has divided off to guard my rest with the chimeric shield. It’s actually a little unsettling to realize how evil I am without LJ. I’m cruel in battle, I can be villainous, and there’s even some arrogance in there. That’s what Azami was able to see, and it’s gotten to the point where it’s starting to scare me, too. After that hits me, I stop leaving the astral without a completely charged shield. Nobody in the world can do a billion damage, and I recharge it whenever I can to make sure it doesn’t break. But I can’t not use it. It’s the only thing saving me from the blades of the cherubs.

I’m now facing siege warfare. The heavenly city of Nor floats in the sky a couple kilometers up. Nobody has even thought about using a protective dome. There’s no such thing as flying magic—only levitation. And my advanced perception tells me that there are several lookout fortresses in the stone foundation of the island that will raise the alarm if I get close. That forces me to put off using a gravitational well, though it’s right then that the angels send an envoy. Only three of the twelve cherubs in the city have survived. One of them is standing right in front of me.

Angel, Batanit, Level 9177, second grade

 

The angel makes a point of throwing up his magic shield as he lands right in front of me. My magic vision tells me that his magic space eddy is linked to the island by a silver line. So, he’s replenished from the city source. In other words, he’s immortal.

“Greetings, Sagie.”

“Oh, hey, the angels have manners! Although, no, that’s not the right way to respond. Greetings, Batanit, the first intelligent angel I’ve come across!”

He smiles, and I don’t like it. That’s the way people act when they feel like they have an advantage, and it’s the same way Carenius acted when I found the charred remains of my tree.

“Do you think being immortal and as strong as you are means that you can kill as many of us as you want? That you’ll get away with it?”

“Was I the one who started this? Did I hunt you first? Did I tell you that you couldn’t be on Taratos?”

“Silence! You know nothing of honor! You stab in the back, in the darkness, and you even kill sleeping children.”

“The first cherub I met called me a wood parasite. The first archangel I met burned my tree down, smiling at me as he did so. The first angel I met tried to cut off my head. And now, I see that you’re leeching off your city’s source. I don’t care what you have to say in response to that. This whole conversation is pointless. Do you have anything else? Or should we start the fight?”

“You may be strong enough to match us in battle, but your girlfriend is nothing but a worm.”

“What, did she sleep with an angel without noticing? She probably just thought your wings were a blanket.”

“Oh, you’re all jokes, human. But right now, your Femida is being chopped up into pieces and healed. Soon, you’ll see the first amputated appendages raining down.”

The angels were apparently able to find Femida, my only friend, and take her prisoner. But why hasn’t she written or called?

“When did you all switch from helping your neighbor to kidnapping and torturing them? What happened to celestial nobility?”

I get my first message from Femida, which means she was just taken today. Damn it, she has Isaac with her! He can’t come to Tanatos—he won’t be able to regenerate. They’ll kill him! Idiot! The guy will lose his character.

“You started this war, so it’s up to you to finish it. Surrender and suffer the just punishment for your actions.” The first pieces of female limbs start falling from the sky, a few hitting the angel’s shield. “If you do, this won’t happen again.”

When, the angel leaves, I reply to Femida’s barrage of messages in the chat.

Hey, old girl, how you doing?

Sans the cursing, her reply comes quickly.

You owe me a million for getting me kidnapped. I’m really mad at you. Log out and expect company.

∞ ∞ ∞

That evening, Femida flies over to the resort and gives me my first slap. I’ve only ever gotten full-fledged punches.

“You idiot! Didn’t I tell you there would be problems? Didn’t I tell you that everyone’s reputation would go south? Do you have any idea how panicked Isaac is? He can’t restore himself! What the hell? He was indestructible!”

“Nothing on Tanatos is indestructible.”

Another slap.

“Why is this the first I’m hearing of it? Do you have any idea what you’ve gotten us involved in? I’m getting ten curses a day, I’m getting cut into pieces, but they aren’t killing me. They set up a magic negator that blocks the chat so they can have their fun. Bastards! You know what kind of debuffs you get when your legs are cut off with a divine blade? Would you like me to tell you about the month-long injuries I’m going to be dealing with? Did you know that Isaac said nothing today for almost an hour? Do you realize how hard this is on him? He doesn’t feel pain in the game, but he’s terrified he’ll lose his character.”

“He’s equally afraid that he’ll lose you. I’m sure he’s looking for a solution right now, so tell him all he needs to do is wait one more day. This will all be over by tomorrow.”

Femida flies off after making me promise that I’ll take care of the problem within twenty-four hours. She thinks I’m going to surrender and get them to let her go, but that’s not what’s going to happen.

∞ ∞ ∞

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The seven-kilometer island is floating above me. I don’t see a single crystal supporting it, meaning that magic is what’s holding it up