City of Fallen Souls: A LitRPG Adventure (UnderVerse Book 3) Jez Cajiao (best color ebook reader txt) 📖

tip of the blade licked across my opponent’s left shoulder, slicing deep into his unprotected flesh and erupting in a spray of blood.

He screamed in outrage, shoving the head of his hammer into my shield. It flared again, pushing him back, but pulsed warningly, the mana draining at an incredible rate. I pulled the head of the naginata back towards my right side, bringing the butt forward with my left, and swept it down, hooking his right leg and yanking it forward as I smashed the flat of the blade into his face, sending him falling backwards.

I spun the weapon, like a rower wielding a double-headed oar, and brought the bladed end around again smashing the haft against the handle of his hastily raised hammer. Taking advantage of his unbalanced state, I lunged, stabbing the blade into his upper chest. The sharp metal edge cut through muscles and scored across the breastbone, before plunging into an open section, the tip embedded in the wood of the floor beneath him, the blade severing his spine.

His arms fell to the sides, suddenly bereft of control, and he stared up at me in horror as I planted one foot on his lower chest. I yanked my naginata backward, pulling the blade free to point it at the Promethean that was backing away while carrying the furiously growling Anubai.

“You see that?” I shouted after them. “I’m gonna fucking have you, my son!” I spat casually down on the dying Promethean and kicked off, sprinting after them as the Legion and the rest of my people roared in triumph. The shieldwall disbanded as they ran after me, roaring for blood.

The Anubai cast another spell, noticeably weaker, but once again, when it hit my shield, it charged it, instead of causing damage.

“FOOLS!” called a voice from above, its whispering dark cadence echoing down the halls. “MAGIC FEEDS IT… SLAUGHTER IT WITH STEEL…”

“Yeah!” I called out as I closed on the pair that were retreating. “You fucking try that, pal. See how well it works out for you!” I swung my naginata, drunk off adrenaline and fresh kills, to block the incoming slash from the Promethean’s enormous longsword.

I realized, as I flew back into an interior wall, demolishing it and making my shield pop like a bubble as the rubble fell on me, that sheer aggression, and an adrenaline response like an espresso made with Redbull, was no match for actual physics. Not only was the Promethean stronger than me by far, but he was also swinging enough steel to make a small car.

“Owww.” I groaned, pulling myself up out of the pile of timber and collapsed masonry. I was glad my shield had lasted long enough to blunt the force of that impact, at least. I found the Anubai staring at me and cackling as he lifted both hands to power up another spell, clearly having seen my shield die. An arrow followed swiftly by a Firebolt, then two more arrows, slammed into him, staggering him and sending him crashing to the floor, stunned and whimpering.

“Forgot about yer shield, didn’t ya, cocksucker!” I called out, grinning as Augustus crashed into the Promethean. Where I’d been outclassed on strength and weight, he wasn’t; at least, not by as much. Added to that, the years of heavy fighting and training the Legion drummed into its troops, and the fact that the UnderVerse equivalents of staff sergeants were always the one group no sane individual ever wanted to fight in any army, and it was over in seconds. It certainly ended before the Promethean expected, considering the surprised look on his face as Augustus gutted him, then decapitated his dying body as he fell backwards.

The Anubai was frantically pulling a health potion from his bag when Bane appeared, slit his throat, and pulled both the health potion and the potion pouch free. The Mer walked over to me quite casually as the Mage bled out, thrashing and gurgling.

I nodded to him in thanks, checking inside and immediately passed a mana potion to Arrin, downing an ‘Average’ strength one myself. My mana regeneration jumped by more than double, and I breathed out a sigh of relief as I looked over our forces, numerous grinning faces looking back at me.

“Impressive new class, Jax!” Augustus called to me, flicking his sword almost negligently and spattering the dead Promethean with his own blood.

“Thanks, mate!” I replied, grinning.

“I know a few Legionnaires who’d be interested in it, if you’re willing?” he asked, an eyebrow raised, and I nodded.

“Now that we know it works, hell yes,” I said, turning to regard the two staircases at either end of the floor. “But it’ll have to wait until we reach the Tower. Right now, we’ve a few more people to fuck up first.”

“As you command,” Augustus said, nodding in respect. He turned to the Legion, looking his forces over.

“How bad?” I asked, and he sighed.

“Two dead, one injured enough that he’ll need a few days to recover from the healing. Two more that’ll be okay, but I’ll keep them at the back, for now. Nine, counting myself, I’m happy to lead into battle.”

“And two staircases,” I said. “The Imp said the left staircase wasn’t trapped, but which one’s the left?” I wondered aloud.

“Fuck knows. Might not even be this floor,” Rinko said, shrugging.

“Fair point.” I sighed. “Augustus, you take the Legion up that stairwell, and take Nerin…” I said nodding at one end. “Tang, you scout for traps for Augustus. Yen, you’re with me and my squad; you and Bane scout for us. We’re taking that stairwell.” I gestured to the other end of the hallway.

With a round of salutes and a few shouts of ‘good luck,’ we separated into two groups, with my squad supplemented by Grizz and Nigret, despite my original orders that they remain close to Nerin, who’d followed the Legion. I saw the hand of Augustus in it, so didn’t argue, as that made our two groups roughly equal in numbers, if not