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

the keepers of the world. I wasn’t a wanderer arriving alone on Tanatos. His fear of losing his social status, his unmet ambitions, his short-sightedness…the reason we fought was because we didn’t understand each other, didn’t try to see each other’s thoughts and goals. The war didn’t end because they surrendered; it ended because the angels elected a new council of cherubs.”

Femida is the smartest woman I’ve ever met, and it’s only after what she says next that I start to recognize the fact.

“You were a necessary evil.”

She leaves without saying another word. And I don’t tell her that I never caught the angels trying to manipulate me with emotions. That means they were doing it, but keeping it hidden from me. I wasn’t an evil; I was selected and turned into one as part of a game being played on a completely different level.

∞ ∞ ∞

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War, war, war. That’s basically the description of my first year spent on Tanatos. As soon as I weakened the angels, a demon invasion began, and I was asked to make up for what I’d done by helping. The invaders are more of a threat because of their quality rather than their quantity. There are only about fifty superior demons, though they’re at the head of an entire army. And this may be a coincidence, but I meet them as I’m walking from south to north along the border of the angel lands, heading toward the center of the continent. That’s where our first clash takes place. A month later, the demons are weak enough for the angels to take over and force a truce. Then, I have to deal with giants backed by an army of homunculi. I fight them for a month, and they’re followed by draconids who are aggressive although ineffective against me.

Basically, my arrival on Tanatos threw a wrench in the existing balance of power, bringing all the built-up animosity to the surface—the vanity of the cherubs, the greed for foreign lands felt by the descendants of the Inferno, the giants’ hypertrophic understanding of revenge, and the unique mind of the dragons. The latter don’t attack me, though they clearly see me as an enemy. They’re the first and most interesting representatives of the peoples of Tanatos.

Midal the dragon doesn’t even get up when we meet for the first time. He just looks me over, lies back down, and closes his eyes.

“Ah, there’s the one who ruined the balance of power. Don’t expect the same from me.”

“So, you aren’t going to attack me? I can travel through your lands and get to the center of Tanatos?”

“Strange… I feel unfounded rage toward you. But only toward you, not to all humans. Yes, Margul was a great leader, though you beat him in battle. He fell. And I was one of the ones who accompanied him on his final journey.” Midal falls silent, and I can sense the thoughts following each other through his head. But surprisingly enough, his mind isn’t succumbing to the emotions inspired in him. He can push back against that thing in the astral?

The dragon collects himself before continuing.

“Our entire race things that rage and hatred are unfounded. We will let you through and continue to observe, especially since you are the first since Akashi who can answer our growing questions.”

I’ve come across two mentions of that name in books from the previous era. He was called a hero both for his feats of war and his outstanding leadership qualities, though I couldn’t find out anything else about him.

“Who is Akashi? And why am I the first since him?”

The dragon falls silent again. He’s listlessly fighting the rage, though more just declining to engage in it and going back to his regular way of thinking.

“In the last era, when the demons invaded our world, Akashi and his group appeared: dwarves, elves, orcs, goblins, trolls, and even giants. Wanderers from around the world followed him here to Tanatos as the one true leader. You’re following that same path, only your methods are very different. The angels, the demons, and the other ancient races reached a ceasefire based on a balance of power, but you shook it to its foundation. Then, however, instead of letting them just boil away in the cauldron of war, you stepped in and restored a fragile balance. In that, you’re similar to Akashi.”

“I took responsibility for my actions.”

“In that case, I was mistaken. Akashi entered the war in order to form an alliance with the angels and the giants, and they all headed to the center of Tanatos when the war was over. His allies suffered heavy casualties; his group of wanderers was lost. But what do you want, Bloody Sagie?”

“I just want to head in to the center of Tanatos. I’ve already progressed as far as I can, so there’s no sense getting involved in another war. How strong was Akashi? Why am I the first since him?”

Midal looks me over. Then, he activates some kind of ability that contrasts his aura with mine before giving his verdict.

“You’re simply strong, devious, and cruel. You don’t have the nobility that Akashi had. He understood the heart of battle, its weaknesses, its tactics, and how to build a strategy that counters strong opponents. He never missed when he threw a spear. When it came to close combat, he could beat anyone. The alliance with the Northern Negara Mountain giants was formed after he won a bet, stepping into a ring completely naked and still beating their leader. He demonstrated to the angels his superiority in negotiations and fighting overwhelming forces. The three-on-three battle was won when he artfully managed his group to combine their unique battle abilities. In the end, he earned himself a clean win, an alliance, the right to be reborn as an angel, and victory in the war with the demons. You hate the gods, people, and anyone who positions themselves as your enemy. He didn’t like them, but he was willing to use them