Most of the ice on this automaton’s body melted; it then struggled violently and destroyed the remaining ice all over its body. Furano immediately evaded to between the bookshelves. The phoenix chased her but then lost Furano’s location. Furano observed the automaton while taking cover behind one of the bookshelves as she thought.

“If I observed it again more carefully, the pocket watch that merged to its chest is the part of the phoenix that stands out the most….”

Furano observed back at the phoenix and appeared to realize something as she thought.

“What if I shoot from very close range?”

Furano concentrated.

“Blizzard Blast.”

Dendrite ice crystal, the size six times of an adult man’s palm, formed at Furano’s handgun muzzle, and the freezing ice then spread on the barrel. Furano observed from where she was hiding, then left her place and headed elsewhere. The Phoenix walks alertly using its wings and legs. Furano took cover behind one of the bookshelves towards the back of the Phoenix and observed it momentarily. Furano came out of hiding, then aimed her handgun at the pocket watch merged on the Phoenix’s chest, and fired her handgun. Ice shaped like an arrow shot from Furano’s handgun hit the Phoenix in the pocket watch on its chest, freezing ice spread quickly to the automaton’s entire body. The Phoenix immediately used its fire element to melt the ice on its body. Furano concentrated.

“Cannon Blast.”

The pattern on Furano’s handgun glowed; she ran towards the Phoenix. The ice on the Phoenix’s body keeps melting, and it is starting to be able to move. Furano used her cloak for cover. The Phoenix struggled violently and destroyed the remaining ice on its body. At almost the same time, Furano ran towards the Phoneix while taking cover behind her cloak, then put her handgun muzzle on the pocket watch merged to the Phoenix’s chest and fired it. A huge explosion occurred, followed by a huge flame blast mixed with a huge wind blast. A black panel with white writing appears near 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]

The Phoenix automaton was thrown several meters back, landed and destroyed the floor, while Furano was not affected at all because she took cover behind her cloak.

Furano lowered her cloak and watched curiously the now motionless Phoenix. Furano walked closer to the Phoenix and found that the pocket watch part merged with its chest was cracked. The red-light patterns in the gaps in the joints all over the Phoenix’s body dimmed until finally out, revealing the machines inside its body. Not long after, a black panel with white writing appeared next to Furano:

[Phoenix Automaton defeated]

[XP Gained: 20]

[Close]

Furano’s expression turned curious.

“It’s quite difficult and draining just to defeat one of this Phoenix automatons....”

Furano then walked away towards the center of the library.

On the other parts of the second floor, Alton hid behind one of the tall bookshelves as he observed the phoenix automaton walking on the floor using its two wings and legs with sharp metal talons, leave many scratch marks. Alton’s expression turned serious as he thought.

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“Ordinary magic won’t be enough to defeat this automaton....”

Alton removed his dagger hilt from its sheath; he carried the dagger’s hilt in his right hand and its sheath in his left hand. Alton concentrated.

“Soul Forge, Ice Dagger.”

A single-edged dagger’s blade made of white and blue ice was formed on the dagger’s hilt. Alton observed the Phoenix again from behind the bookshelf.

Not long after, the Phoenix appeared to realize something; it turned towards where Alton was hiding, surprising him as he thought.

“I already thought it could detect my presence.”

The Phoenix opened its beak, and a fire wisp formed in its beak, which soon shot a fireball at Alton, who was hiding. Alton was surprised; he immediately dodged to the side, and the fireball hit and destroyed the bookshelf. The Phoenix immediately dashed toward the destroyed bookshelf but did not find him. On the other hand, Alton was hiding behind one of the other bookshelves as he observed the phoenix automaton as he thought.

“From my observations, this phoenix automaton has a time gap to detect my presence every time I disappear from its line of sight?”

The Phoenix vigilantly walked while keeping an eye on the surroundings. Not long after, the Phoenix appeared to realize something, then turned towards where Alton was hiding, surprising him slightly. Alton smiled as he thought.

“It turns out that's true... I just need to take advantage of this time gap to attack it.”

The Phoenix opened its beak, then shot a fireball towards the bookshelf where Alton was hiding. Alton ran to evade it, and the fireball hit and destroyed the bookshelf. Alton ran and circled the Phoenix from behind a row of bookshelves and got behind it. Alton alertly and carefully approached the Phoenix from behind.

The phoenix automaton looked confused and continued to walk warily, using both wings and legs. This Phoenix appeared to have realized something; it then quickly turned back. However, the Phoenix was already within Alton's attack range; he then stabbed his Ice Dagger into the Phoenix automaton's chest. Ice quickly spread from its chest to its entire body. This Phoenix tries to attack Alton using its left-wing slashes, surprising Alton.

However, the movement of the Phoenix's wing slowed and stopped because it was completely frozen, even though the Phoenix's wings were only less than one hand span away from Alton's neck. The Phoenix opened its beak, and a wisp of flame began to form. But it was too late; the Phoenix's body finally froze completely and stopped its movements. The fire wisp in its beak dispersed and disappeared. Alton was slightly surprised; he pulled his Ice Soul Dagger from the Phoenix's chest. Alton watched this Phoenix in astonishment.

"Luckily, my Soul Dagger was effective against this phoenix automaton."

Alton walked to the rows of windows on the second floor, hid behind one of the bookshelves, and saw the outside; dozens of defense personnel surrounded the library building. Alton’s expression turned serious as he thought.

“It seems they surrounded this place, but for some reason, they didn’t attack together at the same time....”

Alton raised his Ice Dagger to face level and concentrated.

“Deactivating soul Dagger.”

The soul dagger blade shattered into snowflakes that flew upwards gradually and quickly until finally disappearing completely. Alton put his soul dagger back together with its sheath and then walked away with accelerated steps, heading towards the open hallway in the center of the building.

Sometime later, Furano arrived at the open hallway in the center of the library; she then looked around and discovered at a distance that Alton had also just arrived here while looking at the open section in the center. Furano walked closer to Alton curiously.

“How are you doing, Alton?”

Alton came to his senses and turned to Furano; he then smiled.

“I managed to defeat the Phoenix automaton; how about you?”

Furano smiled.

“I managed to defeat it too.”

Alton nodded. Furano remembered something.

“Let’s continue.”

Alton nodded and watched Furano curiously. Alton smiled gently.

“I like you being nice to me.”

Furano was surprised; she then smiled.

Furano and Alton walked towards the railing and found that in the open section of the second and third floor, Daganzo’s automaton was fighting two enemy automatons, evading each other attacks, and shooting fireballs at each other; fireballs hit and destroyed various corners of the library building, surprised Daganzo, Furano, and Alton. Not long after, Daganzo came down the stairs from the third floor and ran into them.

“You guys have defeated the automatons?”

Furano and Alton nodded. Daganzo looked towards the flying automatons; not long after, a fireball shot quickly and destroyed one of the shelves behind them, surprising them. Daganzo’s expression turned astonished.

“I don’t know why the phoenixes continue to carry out their master’s orders, even though we have knocked them out.”

Daganzo’s expression turned serious.

While flying in the altitude between the second and third floor, Daganzo’s Phoenix shot its fireball at two phoenixes who also shot their fireballs; one of them collided with Daganzo’s phoenix fireball and exploded, creating a huge fire blast. Another fireball hit Daganzo’s Phoenix, sending it flying several meters back and falling to the first floor, destroying one of the long tables and floor. Daganzo’s Phoenix immediately got up with a slight stagger; the fire began to burn around the Phoenix. The other two phoenixes landed and destroyed the floor, prepared to continue their attack warily. Daganzo turned to Alton and Furano.

“I will call my Phoenix, when the other Phoenix’s focus is diverted, we attack them together.”

Furano and Alton nodded. Alton removed his dagger’s hilt from its sheath and raised it to face level.

“Soul Forge, Ice Dagger.”

A dagger single edge blade made of white and blue ice formed on the dagger hilt. Daganzo was surprised slightly when he saw Alton’s soul dagger as he thought.

“So that’s why their daggers are bladeless?”

Daganzo swung his sword towards the first floor.

“Come, Phoenix automaton.”

Daganzo Phoenix, previously focused on fighting the two enemy Phoenixes, turned its attention to Daganzo and immediately flew to the second floor.