System vs Rebirth

*Boom!*

*Boom!*

*Boom!*

Every time Qiel released her arrow, she caused a massive explosion that created a crater in the area. Fortunately, Qiel and Dimitri fought a bit further away, or others would definitely get hit by one of these arrows.

"What's wrong, Dimitri? You are not strong enough to fight against me." Qiel smirked. This was also another reason why they didn't get hit.

Dimitri had been repelling the arrow that would come in their direction while trying to kill Qiel.

As a result, Dimitri's body was covered in bruises due to the extraordinary impact that the arrow produced. It was much more difficult to fight against an opponent while trying to protect others after all.

However, Dimitri was still one of the top fighters among the spirit grandmasters. He managed to inflict some injuries on Qiel with the deepest wound on her right side.

It was bleeding so profusely that Qiel had to use one of her wings to press the wound to stop it.

As a result, Qiel couldn't go to the sky anymore.

However, the situation had become much more difficult.

Dimitri's expression turned grim, thinking, 'I feel like my power is depleting fast. If this continues, the True Spirit Body will only last for another nine minutes. The master…'

Dimitri was sensing the people on the other side. It seemed that there wasn't much progress.

Noel managed to fight against two Devil Saints. Although they were weaker than the previous Devil Saint, these two were still considered one. It would be hard for Noel to fight them.

If Dimitri could look at Noel's state, he would definitely feel worried because Noel believed that the only way to kill these two was to sacrifice his body a little bit. That could make them lower their guards and finish them before Dimitri's True Spirit Body ran out.

On the other hand, Anna was in a similar position. Because of the elemental advantage Laufey possessed, Anna was unable to unleash her power. In fact, if not for the original Anna helping her boost her power output, she wouldn't be able to fight Laufey on equal terms.

Last but not least, Howard and the other soldiers. Howard had done a good job fighting the tiger, especially in that condition. However, he doubted that Howard could actually do anything on the battlefield, especially regarding these four Devil Saints.

That was why Dimitri was in a dilemma. On the one hand, he had to take down Qiel before his True Spirit Body wore off. On the other hand, there was another mission that Noel told him about before the war broke out.

When Dimitri clenched his sword, Noel's voice couldn't help but ring once again in his ears. 'Dimitri. No matter how hard the situation, I hope that you don't risk your life. In the near future, we will be fighting against a much more powerful opponent and witnessing an even larger-scale invasion. I still need your help… and I'm sorry that I can't let you retire just yet.'

Back then, Dimitri only replied, 'Don't worry, Master. I will serve you until the day my hands are unable to wield a sword anymore.'

Dimitri took a deep breath, dissolving his resolve. The only way to defeat Qiel was to sacrifice an arm or a foot, but at that time, he wouldn't be able to help Noel in the near future.

Hence, he decided to change his strategy. Even if he couldn't defeat Qiel, he would severely injure her. That way, she would be too weak to continue fighting even in her current form.

"…" Qiel noticed the change in Dimitri's expression as she hurriedly pulled her bow.

Dimitri waved his left hand, raising the shadows that the trees produced.

Qiel jumped to the side, using one of her wings to smack the rising shadow. That was just a distraction as Dimitri had raised his blade, ready to unleash all his strength in this one strike.

"Shadow Curtain!"

"Darkness Arrow."

Both of them released their attacks at the same time. The black curtain rose into the sky, cutting everything in its path. However, it was made by a black-colored arrow that suddenly burst out and flew like a meteor, distorting the black curtain.

The arrow's movement gradually decreased before eventually, it was cut.

"!!!" Qiel hurriedly flapped her wings, causing her to fly to another side to avoid the black curtain.

Because her right wing was covering the wound, that sudden movement caused the bleeding to continue.

"Kh." Qiel clicked her tongue. If she lost more and more blood, she would be severely weakened. In addition, it would be troublesome if her upper body, or at least her right arm was paralyzed during the battle since she couldn't draw her bow anymore.

And this was precisely what Dimitri wanted.

Dimitri suddenly disappeared from her vision.

Qiel spun her body and kicked something behind her.

*Cough!*

Dimitri spat a mouthful of blood because that kick actually hit his stomach. There wasn't even protection. However, this was a necessary sacrifice.

After all, it allowed Dimitri to use all his energy for that speed as well as give him the opportunity to wield his sword.

Right before Dimitri was blown away by that kick, Dimitri had stabbed Qiel's leg.

"He is aiming for my foot?" Qiel looked at the sword that pierced through a little above her ankle. This would definitely make it hard for her to run or stabilize her position. Still, with Dimitri behind her, it meant she could aim at Noel and the others.

Dimitri didn't allow this as he formed a net from the shadows, bouncing him back toward Qiel.

Dimitri was ready to slash Qiel, who had exposed her back to him, but Qiel actually expected Dimitri this way. She suddenly turned around and used her bow to parry Dimitri's sword.

Meanwhile, Qiel did the same as Dimitri by using her other hand to stab the arrow she had formed earlier.

Dimitri couldn't block it with this momentum. The only thing he could do was raise his arm slightly, causing the arrow to miss his muscle and bone.

While it was going to bleed, he would still be able to fight this way.

Dimitri landed between Qiel and the others again.

'Seven minutes.' Dimitri muttered in his mind, counting the remaining time he had left.

He charged again, forcing Qiel to wave her bow to match Dimitri in close quarter combat.

'What's wrong with him? He is exposing his sides. Is he seriously going to make me fall for those so that he can injure me? No, is that his real intention?'

Qiel formed a giant arrow on top of their heads, causing Dimitri to slash upward while striking her bow on the way.

Qiel took advantage of this predictable strike to loop around Dimitri.

'Six minutes.' Dimitri followed Qiel's movement, who actually aimed her bow at Noel. He hurriedly jumped toward her, trying to strike the arrow or the bow. At the same time, he manipulated the shadow with his other hand to form a screen to block Qiel's vision.

At that time, Qiel simply let go of her bow and arrow, causing Dimitri to strike them over nothing.

As a result, Qiel could cover both of her hands with spiritual energy and try to reach Dimitri's heart.

Dimitri's clothes had a Hardening Rune, so it managed to stop Qiel's nails from penetrating.

Even then, it still felt like a spear hitting him.

Dimitri hurriedly used the shadow to pull him away, regaining some distance from Qiel.

"Hu…" He took a deep breath. His action became more tattered as he was close to his limit.

On the other hand, Qiel was laughing. "You can't do anything, Dimitri. Unlike the once famous assassin who has nothing but the target, you have grown weak. If only you didn't have people to protect, you could probably defeat me. Those people you serve… are just your weaknesses."

"Really?" Dimitri smirked as he suddenly took out two pills from his pocket and devoured them without hesitation. "I may have gained a weakness as you say, but I have gained much more strength than that weakness."

These magical pills were provided by Khalid. In the instant he took it, his wounds started closing in at a speed visible to the naked eye. Even Qiel couldn't contain her shock because she had never heard anything about this. Who provided Dimitri with that pill? Even the previous Ardagan Family didn't have someone who could make it.

And those pills were similar to the ones from the Zaecuria Kingdom. Was it Duke Briton who brought those pills from their royal alchemist?

Qiel didn't know that a former royal alchemist had become one of the pillars of the Ardagan family.

Dimitri couldn't help but smile, remembering the time Khalid gave this pill to them.

"This blue pill is a recovery pill. It boosts your metabolism so much that your wounds will be closed in no time. But it will definitely make you weak after some time. The red pill is a berserk pill. It's basically stimulating your spirit heart and spirit mind to the limit, allowing you to release all the latent abilities you have for five minutes. But after those five minutes, you will be in a weakened state for at least two weeks, so I only recommend taking this red pill during the emergency."

Noel asked a question at that time. "What if we take both of them at the same time?"

"You will get both of their effects, but the side effects might be prolonged to three weeks or even a month depending on your constitution. But I dare to say that during those five minutes, you are like a god-like figure where your wounds will heal and your fighting prowess is at its peak."

Dimitri smiled as his spiritual energy burst out of his body. He lowered his sword while saying, "My True Spirit Body will last only five more minutes. I am going to use these five minutes to kill you earnestly."