System vs Rebirth

*Cry!*

The bird was in pain as the sword strike hit him again. Although it left a smaller wound due to some of the sword energy depleted from Noel's lack of control, it was still quite big.

Noel immediately used his Phoenix Wings to chase after him.

'I can use some utility abilities like Split Step or Phoenix Wings at the same time as an attack ability. But I still don't have enough control to use two extremely powerful abilities since they require greater control and a bigger amount of Spiritual Energy.'

Noel clicked his tongue. He truly lacked a lot of things despite getting stronger constantly. No, he felt that he could see more problems when he became stronger.

This frustrated him a lot but also made him feel grateful since it taught him how to get stronger.

'Well, I should focus on the battle first.' Noel muttered inwardly before the bird was angry again.

The fire bird demon rose into the sky and spread its wings as if it was trying to absorb the heat from the sun.

Noel narrowed his eyes, feeling the fluctuation of Spiritual Energy getting stronger.

"This is…" Noel gasped, seeing the flame on his wings flare up.

When the bird flapped its wings, it sent out a gale again. But this time, the gale contained some red aura as if it was the blazing fire that was carried by the wind.

Noel hurriedly used his Ice Vortex to disperse the attack.

As soon as the cold and heat collided, the heat flared up and caused an explosion, dispersing the Ice Vortex instead.

"What?" Noel couldn't believe what he saw. It was one of his most powerful abilities, yet, it was taken down easily.

This was the second concern he had the whole time. The fire bird's flame was extremely unstable. Sometimes, they were strong. Sometimes, they were weaker than he expected.

He wondered where the instability came from. And it seemed he had found the answer.

When the fire bird spread its wings as if it was basking in the sunlight, he realized that the fire bird's flame had become more intense.

"No way." Noel gasped. "Does the bird's heat come from not the fire in his body or the natural fire around him but from the sun itself?"

Noel couldn't help but shudder. If this was truly the case, he realized that fighting against the demon at this time was a foolish move.

The fight started one hour before midday. If he couldn't defeat the fire bird within one hour, the sun would continue to rise and reach its peak.

"This is not looking good…" Noel muttered with a serious expression. On the one hand, he could still take advantage of the weaker abilities. On the other hand, that weakness might disappear when the sun reaches its peak.

When that happens, the demon would be in its strongest form. Although he could gain some advantages with his current abilities, their positions would be exchanged the moment the sun was at its peak.

'I have to kill the demon as soon as possible.' Noel gritted his teeth and flew straight toward the fire bird.

He used his Ice Aura to cool the temperature around him, trying to withstand the heat from the gale.

As expected, the fire had become stronger. The fire even neutralized a portion of his Ice Aura and almost penetrated the ice Aura. If it managed to reach his skin, he would surely be burned.

Noel ignored the current damage since it hadn't reached him yet. He pushed through in order to get closer to the bird.

The bird had realized that Noel had figured out his true ability. He wasn't supposed to be called a Fire Bird. He should be called the Sun Bird.

The more the sun let out its heat, the stronger he would become. Seeing Noel getting desperate all of a sudden was enough to answer his doubt.

That was why the bird immediately flew back, trying to gain some distance. He planned to buy some time until he became even stronger.

Noel clicked his tongue. He immediately used the Undying Phoenix to stop him.

The bird knew it had no chance of winning against the black-colored phoenix, so it moved to the side, avoiding it.

Noel took this chance to close the gap between them and struck the bird from above.

"Die!" Noel shouted while waving his sword.

The bird's eyes flashed as if it had been waiting for this chance. The moment Noel was above him, the bird spread its wings again.

"!!!" Noel suddenly noticed the sudden increase in the temperature. He immediately realized that the bird was connected to the sun through the sunlight.

So, it could raise the heat between them by using Spiritual Energy.

Noel tried to use his Temperature Control to slow down the increase in temperature while flying to the side.

He managed to avoid it, but the bird also used that time to change direction. The chase had just begun.

Noel kept flying after the bird while the latter maintained the distance by using a lot of Spiritual Energy. The bird knew that his power was currently inferior to Noel's. So, he had to wait for a while until his fire became strong enough.

Meanwhile, Noel also acknowledged the fact that the gap in their strength was shrinking at a rapid rate. He realized his prediction was wrong.

If he didn't defeat the bird within thirty minutes, he might lose.

Noel gritted his teeth, glaring at the bird.

He tried to formulate a plan that could pin the bird down and defeat it within the time limit.

And to do it, he had to use his new abilities and the Spirit Link.

'Circular Sword Strike, Ice Aura, Ice Mirror, Ice Vortex, and Ice Lotus… How should I use them… No, wait.' Noel suddenly remembered something.

[Shop]

Available Points: 120 HP

1 Skill Point (2 HP)

Water Bottle (1 HP)

Water Gallon (2 HP)

Water Tank (3 HP)

Random Rune Scroll (30 HP)

Random Upgrade Scroll (30 HP)

His eyes were locked on the Random Rune Scroll in the shop. Something he needed to cover the gap in his plan.