< Although Billy told him not to rely on him, Icarus charged at the manipulator time and time again to make sure that Lucyna and Meryl wouldn't be touched by him. Since he was a weird type of reincarnated who uses weird magic but fights up close, it was hard to come up with clear strategies against him. Still, it was clear that endurance was the main thing that he was good at. Despite being hit by countless punches and arrows, despite the fact that Lucyna was decreasing his endurance as much as possible… the manipulator only had a few scratches on him. He sure was something else, or he worked on that for a while...
"This is odd… it must be because of his second power, but we don't know what that is yet…" Billy thought.
Billy observed the manipulator for a while to figure out his trick. Still, he didn't find anything odd or out of the usual. His actions weren't weird in any way either… aside from the fact that he waited a bit too long between his attacks. He also let Icarus and Lucyna attack him way too often. It was almost like he was doing something else or waiting.
"I thought that Emotional Control and Fear Manipulation would be in the same category, but maybe I was wrong… he either is feeding on the feelings of those three, or he has learned another skill on his own," Billy thought.
After thinking for a while, considering the time the necromancer spent in the dungeon, it wouldn't be weird if he had obtained some tier 10 skills. At least one was absolutely clear for him to obtain. Fear Manipulation and Health Control probably were the best options for that kind of situation. Still, considering the manipulator's own natural skills, he would benefit more from having Fear Manipulation. It would be synergy well with his own set…
Billy wanted to tell the others that somehow the asshole was using their fear and tension to power himself up, but that probably wouldn't solve the situation. Besides, it would be a lot more convenient for him if they continue to tire him out… what wouldn't be convenient was if they die instantly and the Manipulator gets their powers. Using all that against him would make things a lot troublesome. So, Billy was in a bind…
"There is also the possibility that… he is also using Emotional Control to drain their feelings, but since their actions aren't changing, that is hard to confirm," Billy thought while he watched the manipulator smirking. "Still, it is the only thing that explains why he is so powerful in spite of not being enraged."
Billy decided to wait and see for a while if those morons would be able to figure that out… they were morons, but they weren't stupid, after all. When he got bored, Billy decided to cook and eat a tyrant's heart, and around he finished it, he saw Icarus suddenly disappearing from the area, which made everyone frown. However, soon he returned faster than ever, and then he punched the manipulator's face with all his might.
"Instead of going for numbers, he decided to a land sing punch enhanced by his speed…" Billy thought.
The attack worked and made the manipulator fly and his back against one of the walls of the dungeon. Still, in the end, he landed on his feet only with a slight wound on his face that began to close almost instantly.
"Shit…" Icarus muttered.
"I guess it is time to speed things up. You guys are kind of boring," the manipulator said.
"Don't let him bullshit us. He is clearly using some sort of skill to fool us," Meryl said.
It looked like Meryl was finally catching to the enemy's game. To the point that the manipulator glared at her in anger. At that very moment, his aura changed, and his body turned a bit red, and then he charged at a lot faster toward Meryl… he finally used his own Rage to fuel his attack, but Icarus reacted fast enough to block his charge.
Some powerful shockwaves echoed across the area instantly when Icarus punched the enemy. Still, the best he could do was stop the manipulator's movements. In the end, he tries to punch Icarus. Still, Icarus easily dodged the attack… what he didn't expect was that the manipulator would create a shockwave as well that would affect Meryl behind him.
Meryl began to tremble, and her body also began to get red… her anger was manipulated to some high levels. Icarus clicked his tongue and tried to return before the enemy could do anything. Still, once he approached, he slowed down, and he also began to act weird.
"Ah, area of effect mental attack…" Billy said.
Lucyna stepped backward in order to avoid his range. Most likely, the Manipulator was in the center, and since the spell was so powerful, it must have a limited range.
"Did you know? Anger can be directed to many things, even to the people that we love, so turning anger into hatred against someone's friend is easy as pie," the Manipulator said and then looked at Billy and Lucyna.
While the Manipulator was choosing his next target, Icarus and Meryl were having a hard time controlling themselves. They could resist for a while, but a continuous wave of such attacks eventually was going to make them lose their minds.
Lucyna didn't know what to do. Her powers were being countered completely, and since she assumed a support instance, it also means that she didn't achieve anything. Her long-range skills weren't working, and at close range, she would enter the range of the attack… that would be the checkmate.
She considered asking Billy for his help, but neither of them had the right to do so after agreeing with Meryl. Moreover, he wasn't the type to go back on his word.
"I guess the silent lady will be the one to go down first," the Manipulator said.>
