What's wrong with me?
Am I possessed?
No, I don't feel any coldness, this isn't like possession.
Lex suddenly remembered 'string puppet' and the ability of this magical item. His current situation was like his Spiritual Body Threads being initially controlled.
In other words, the Siril opposite him might not be the real person, but rather a transformation from the Faceless Man's ability.
He is a Marionettist!
According to the ability of 'string puppet', after initial control, it would only take three to five minutes for the Marionettist to turn me into a Marionette!
During this process, controlling the Spiritual Body Threads cannot be interrupted. Therefore, as long as his ability is interrupted, Lex felt his thinking becoming increasingly difficult.
At this moment, the muscles on Siril's face began to squirm, quickly transforming into a man with brown hair, blue eyes, and gaunt cheeks.
He looked at Lex and laughed, then his expression suddenly changed, and he flipped backward, rolling off the sofa he had been sitting on.
A crimson flame suddenly shot up, instantly igniting the sofa, but it did not harm the Marionettist.
However, due to his movement and Distracted, his control over Lex inevitably weakened.
Seizing this fleeting opportunity, Lex raised his hand and made a grabbing motion towards him, as if trying to catch something.
Suddenly, the Marionettist found that his ability to control Spiritual Body Threads had disappeared.
Steal Skill!
He was stunned for a moment, as if he understood something, and exclaimed, "You are a Prometheus?"
At the same time, he saw Lex raise his hand. The Marionettist instinctively moved away from his original spot and threw out several playing cards, making them attack Lex like flying knives.
He decided to retreat.
The Marionettist's most crucial ability was stolen, which meant half of his combat power was crippled. He had no confidence in dealing with this man who called himself 'Duke'.
He darted towards the door.
Bang!
The air exploded. Lex had already taken out 'blood praise' and shot at his opponent, but all his shots were dodged by the opponent's excellent pre-judgment and acrobatic skills.
When the Marionettist dodged another attack, he suddenly felt a warmth beneath his feet. A snake formed by flames had somehow swum over, wrapped around his leg, and then violently exploded.
But in the explosion, the Marionettist's figure shattered like a mirror, rapidly evaporating in the firelight and disappearing.
At the same time, he quickly outlined his figure at a window, reappearing.
This was a double performance of 'Illusion' and 'Substitute Paper Man'!
Next, he only needed to slip out the window to escape. As long as he left the house and reached the nearby town, the Faceless Man's ability would be enough for him to easily shake off his pursuers.
But at this moment, his legs went soft, like a newborn infant, forgetting how to walk on two legs.
Theft ability!
The Marionettist suddenly snapped his fingers, while simultaneously mimicking the sound of gunshots with his mouth.
Lex immediately ducked. The sofa in front of him shattered violently, as if hit by bullets.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
The Marionettist continuously mimicked the sound of gunshots, and 'air bullets' formed a suppression, forcing Lex to hide behind obstacles, not daring to show himself.
Suddenly, the Marionettist's vision blurred. He found himself in the middle of the living room, in front of the sofa that had been shattered by his 'air bullets'.
And Lex appeared by the window; their positions had swapped!
In the guardhouse in front of the manor gate, a big man emerged, looked towards the manor, and then turned back, saying, "I heard gunshots."
"Don't mind it."
The Bearded Man who had gone to report earlier said, holding a bottle of strong liquor, "Mr. Slyde instructed not to 'disturb' him."
"Drink!"
So the big man went back into the house, closed the door, and happily picked up a bottle of strong liquor to pour down his throat.
Inside the manor villa, the Marionettist Slyde calmly snapped a few fingers, and while continuing to suppress with 'air bullets', he used his ability to manipulate fire, causing a box of matches placed outside the house to suddenly ignite, flaring crimson.
As a former Magician, Slyde never performed without preparation.
His figure suddenly vanished from the living room. He leaped out of the flames outside the house and landed on the ground.
Not far ahead was a river leading to the town, which was not frozen. Slyde intended to jump into the river; he could create an invisible air straw, allowing him to breathe underwater.
He could use this to get away from here.
Slyde snapped his fingers, causing a matchbox by the river to also ignite. Just then, his body stiffened, his head felt numb, and his thoughts began to become sluggish, as if cement had been poured into them.
He was all too familiar with this feeling.
This was the result of his Spiritual Body Threads being controlled.
Lex did not use 'Flame Jump', nor did he use 'Steal Distance'. He jumped out of a window and calmly walked towards Slyde.
He had stolen Slyde's ability to control Spiritual Body Threads earlier and had not used it until now, at the most crucial moment.
Walking in front of Slyde, he squatted down and looked at the Marionettist who was resisting his ability. Lex raised his hand, pointing the 'Midnight Dream' ring towards Slyde.
"Sleep."
He uttered a single word in Hermes.
Slyde's head suddenly lolled to the side, his whole body relaxed, already falling into a deep slumber.
Lex then let out a breath.
Recalling the experience just now, he secretly thought, 'That was close.'
Fortunately, he hadn't let down his guard, and upon arriving at an unfamiliar place, he instinctively observed his surroundings. After entering the manor, he discovered many anomalies.
For example, there was a doghouse, but no dogs were kept.
For example, the plants in the flowerbeds were clearly trimmed daily, and the water in the pond should also be maintained daily. These all required manpower, yet 'Siril' said that the servants had been dismissed two weeks ago. This point aroused Lex's suspicion.
Furthermore, 'Siril' did not verify his identity, seemingly knowing in advance that Osweld's 'friend' would visit. This also caught Lex's attention.
It was precisely because of this that Lex was able to detect it in time and counterattack in time when his Spiritual Body Threads were controlled by Slyde.
Otherwise, he would have already become Slyde's Marionette.
He carried Slyde back into the villa, found a storage room, and casually threw the Marionettist onto the floor.
Lex squatted down, placed his hand on Slyde's chest, and used the 'Midnight Dream's' psychical ability. He wanted to find out what had happened in this villa and where the real Siril had gone.
This was why he hadn't immediately killed Slyde. He wasn't a true Seer and wasn't confident in obtaining complete information from a dying, scattering spirit.
After a mental storm, Lex 'saw' the Marionettist. Slyde's expression looked very numb, but from time to time, the muscles on his face would twitch, as if he was struggling and resisting.
Lex dared not delay. If the opponent found a way to wake up in the dream, his psychical power would fail and end.
He quickly asked, "Who are you?"