The Phoenix shot another fireball at Furano, who took cover behind one of the pillars. Furano was surprised; she immediately dodged to the right; the fireball hit and destroyed the pillar. Alton and Furano took cover behind the concrete railing and watched the Phoenix vigilantly. The Phoenix ran forward using both legs and wings, then jumped and flew towards Furano and Alton, hiding behind the pillars on the second floor. The Phoenix perched on the railing, surprising Alton and Furano; they ran away to the right and left of this open hallway and watched this Phoenix vigilantly. The Phoenix landed on the floor and watched them vigilantly. Alton concentrated.

“Wind blast.”

A small tornado formed at the tip of Alton’s dagger; its shape then turned to resemble an arrow. Alton swung his dagger toward the Phoenix, and this arrow shot toward the Phoenix. The Phoenix turned towards Alton and dodged; the arrow hit the floor then exploded and destroyed the floor. Alton was surprised.

“It can now dodge attacks.”

The Phoenix flew towards Alton and pounced on him, but Alton dodged sideways toward between the bookshelves, and this Phoenix only destroyed the floor. The Phoenix faced Alton and ran after him using both legs and wings. Alton swung his dagger towards the bookshelves next to the Phoenix.

These bookshelves fell on the Phoenix and stopped it. These bookshelves hit several others, which then also fell before they finally stopped falling. Alton ran towards the row of windows. The Phoenix Automaton stuck for a while; it then struggled vigorously and destroyed the bookshelf that fell on it; the Phoenix immediately ran and flew after Alton. Furano ran after the Phoenix, as she said.

“Blizzard blast.”

A dendrite ice crystal the size twice of an adult’s man’s palm formed at the handgun’s muzzle and ice spreading on the handgun barrel.

Alton continued to run, but the Phoenix’s fast flying speed caught him up. There was only a slightly more distance for the Phoenix to grab Alton’s back with the sharp metal talons on both legs. Furano chased the Phoenix from behind and then fired her handgun at it; ice resembled an arrow shot from Furano’s handgun and hit the Phoenix’s back. Ice quickly spread all over its body and stopped it from being able to move and falling hard to the floor. Furano stopped running and watched the Phoenix vigilantly.

The very thick ice spread on the Phoenix’s body, to the point where it looked like a large rock made of ice was trapping it. However, a wisp of flame formed from its open beak and started to melt the ice around its body, and it was soon able to move slightly. Furano was surprised as she thought.

“That phoenix’s fire element was so powerful.”

Furano’s expression turned serious.

“Cannon Blast.”

The embossed pattern on Furano’s handgun glowed and gradually became brighter; she held her handgun with both hands and aimed it at the Phoenix. After most of the ice trapping the Phoenix melted, it struggled violently and instantly destroyed the remaining ice.

The glowing pattern on Furano’s handgun had reached its brightest point; Furano fired her handgun, causing a blast of wind that centered on her handgun and made Furano push backward and almost fall. The blackish orange fire, resembling an arrow, shot quickly towards the Phoenix and hit it hard, then exploded violently and created a large flame blast mixed with wind blast, collapsing the books and destroying the shelves on the right and left of the Phoenix. The Phoenix threw back several meters and landed hard on the floor, unmoving.

Furano cautiously walked while carrying her handgun in her right hand and approached the Phoenix automaton, as did Alton. Alton watched this automaton in surprise.

“Have we defeated it?”

Furano’s expression turned doubtful.

“I don’t know, but it’s not moving.”

Alton checked this automaton and found that its body had no significant damage despite being attacked with various magic spells.

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“We’d better get out of here immediately.”

Furano nodded. They walked towards the open hallway in the middle of the library building. After they walking a few meters away, the phoenix automaton behind them began to move slightly.

Furano and Alton arrived at the open hallway in the center of the building, and their attention was focused on the part of the window in the ceiling that the Phoenix had penetrated. Not long after, the Phoenix automaton walked with a slight limp, using its two metal wings and legs with talons that left many scratch marks on the floor along its way; approaching from behind Alton and Furano, they immediately turned back. Furano was surprised.

“That automaton can still move....”

Alton was surprised.

“How can it survive after taking all those attacks?”

Furano appeared to realize something.

“Perhaps because the power of the phoenix affected the automaton.”

The automaton opened its beak, and a wisp of flame began to form in its beak.

This automaton pounced forward and flew towards them, surprising Alton and Furano, who immediately dodged left and right. The automaton landed on the floor and destroyed it. The Phoenix faced Furano, then breathed a powerful burst of fire from its beak. Furano was surprised; she immediately pulled the left side of her cloak with her left hand and used it as a shield before her. The flame burst hit Furano’s cloak but didn’t affect her at all. Soon after, a black panel with white writing appeared beside Furano.

[The Cloak of Grim Reaper item effect activated]

[Item Effect: Escape Death

Level: n/a

Effect Type: Passive

Damage Type: None

Mana Usage: None

Cooldown: None

Effect: Reduces damage points of any type from attacks or skills to zero and negates their effects (Warning: Only attacks or skills that hit the cloak are affected)

Side effects: None]

After sometime, this black panel vanished. This Phoenix automaton continued to breathes fire towards Furano, who carefully and precisely moved her cloak forward to block it. This powerful flame burst did not affect Furano’s cloak at all. Alton observed that automaton vigilantly; his expression turned serious as he thought.

“I should try attacking with other magic spells.”

Alton removed the hilt of his soul dagger from its sheath, and it turned out that this dagger was bladeless. Alton concentrated.

“Soul Forge, Ice Dagger.”

Soon after, a dagger’s single-edge blade made of white ice formed on this soul dagger’s hilt, the width three times an adult man’s finger’s width, as long as an adult man’s forearm with a sturdy blue carving on the dull edge part, two sharp carvings on the sharp edge part, and the half of the blade length is a sharp curved carving that reaches the tip of the dagger. Alton ran towards the Phoenix, then stabbed his dagger on its back until it penetrated the pocket watch, merged to its chest, and stopped it from breathes a burst of fire. Furano was slightly surprised as she lowered her cloak and watched the Phoenix vigilantly.

Ice spread quickly from the part of the Phoenix’s body where Alton’s dagger was stuck, throughout the Phoenix’s body. The Phoenix tried to move away, and Alton followed it carefully while still sticking his soul dagger into the Phoenix’s back. The Phoenix only moved a few steps; its movements stopped because it froze completely. Alton pulled his soul dagger from the Phoenix. Furano walked over to the Phoenix and watched it momentarily while checking it curiously; Alton then also checked it. “Ding!” a sound similar to a smartphone notification was heard, followed by the appearance of two black panels with white writing before Furano. One of the black panels shows the writing:

[Phoenix Automaton’s information updated*]

[Weakness: Soul Dagger]

[Close]

Furano read this panel curiously as she thought.

“It seems that the system automatically learn new information?”

Furano touched [Close] writing, and the black panel vanished; she then reads the second black panel:

[Phoenix Automaton defeated (assist)]

[XP Gained: 15]

[Close]

Furano read this panel momentarily, then touched the [Close] writing; the black panel then vanished. Furano checked this automaton momentarily and was surprised.

“This automaton is not only frozen from the outside but also from the inside.”

Alton smiled and nodded; he then stood up and showed his Soul dagger with a blade made of white ice.

“It’s all because of this dagger.”

Furano watched that dagger curiously.

“What a powerful ice element magic; even my blizzard spell can’t defeat this phoenix.”

Alton smiled and nodded.

“One of the advantages of the soul dagger is that it embodies our soul, containing our magical power as its user. This dagger will not be affected by how high the enemy’s defense is and can penetrate it. Because the Soul Dagger’s blade is not a physical object and is completely made of magic.”

Furano nodded, then turned towards the frozen Phoenix automaton.

“Somehow, this phoenix’s body is so sturdy that it’s difficult for us to defeat it.”

Alton nodded.

“Even my Ice dagger needs time to freeze this automaton; it would be troublesome if there were many of it.”

Furano nodded. Alton raised his soul dagger to face level and concentrated.

“Deactivating soul dagger.”

This soul dagger blade shattered into snowflakes that flew upwards gradually and quickly until it finally disappeared completely. Alton put his soul dagger sheath back together with the hilt; Furano watched him curiously. Alton turned to Furano; he then smiled gently.

“Thank you for helping me.”

Furano was surprised; she then smiled and nodded.