Picky took a step back and said, "Attack me."

  (I should figure out the trick behind Anbus's ability,) Enterno thought. (But first, I have to do some experiments.)

  Instead of attacking her, Enterno stood still, doing nothing. As expected, he was struck by another invisible force.

  (He's trying to understand Anbus's ability,) Picky thought. (I'll hide the bitter pill in a sweet coating.)

  "Punch me," Picky demanded.

  "I wonder, why do you change the phrase when your request is still essentially the same?" Enterno asked with a mischievous smile.

  (He's smart. At this rate, he'll figure out my strategy after a few more uses of Anbus's ability,) Picky thought.

  (She changes the phrase every time, and all her requests involve putting herself at a disadvantage,) Enterno thought. (It would be easier if she requested 'hit yourself,' because either way, I'd get hit. But there are restrictions preventing her from doing that. She's putting herself in the worst possible position. If I comply, I'll be healed anyway, and she'll just get hurt. I wonder if that's related to Tiresias's ability.)

  (Conjuring Cerberus consumes a lot of aura. I can't elongate the fight any longer,) Picky thought. She drew a hidden dagger from beneath her shoulder and began to maneuver it.

  (That's quite a disappointing move. It seems she can't entertain me for long. Conjuring a monster with three abilities must be draining her aura,) he thought.

  Picky threw her dagger at him, attempting to distract him from her next move. She ran in a circle around him, while Cerberus remained stationary, its gaze fixed intensely on Enterno.

  (This girl is playing with uncertainty. I'm sure she'll get behind me and keep her monster in front. That way, my uncertainty about whether her monster can attack or not will hinder my movements,) he thought. (She's trying to create an opening in my defense by leveraging all her abilities.)

  He easily dodged her dagger and turned to keep an eye on both of them. He was surprised by her speed; she was fast enough to match the dagger's speed.

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  A few people in the crowd whispered, "He's in a bad position."

  Jacob agreed, saying, "Indeed."

  "Don't be so sure," Pondra said. "After all, she's consumed much of her aura and energy, while he hasn't even made any considerable movements."

  "What are your predictions then?" Jacob asked.

  "No one can tell exactly what the outcome of such a battle will be," she responded.

  Enterno, finding it the right moment to act, extended his arms and enhanced the aura around his entire body. The aura shocked everyone; it was one of the most intense aura they had ever witnessed.

  His aura continued to intensify until the crowd saw him as a shining entity. Then, it exploded and a blast of air blew the crowds back. They struggled to stand steadily.

  After a few seconds, his aura returned to normal. But a clear change in him was evident.

  "To be fair, I'll explain what this is," he said, pointing to his chest. "This is a boosting ability. My body is now covered with a charged aura from the past few days." He looked at her, as her eyes widened. "Yes, as you guessed. I can keep charging my aura for a limited time, obviously, and use it all at once whenever I want."

  (That's pretty annoying,) she thought.

  Jacob was confused. He asked, "But he's still under the effects of her abilities, right?"

  "That's right, but in this case, he's reduced her chances of survival by boosting his own defense and attack," Pondra said. "So, imagine your punch uses 40% of your power. For him, a 40% punch would equal 40% x 7 of your punch, assuming he charged himself for 7 days, which is 280%. If you try to defend yourself with 40% of your own power, he is still 240% more powerful than you, and that one punch could shatter your hand."

  "Isn't that just unfair?" Jacob said.

  "Alongside the requirement of charging himself for days to use this ability, I'm sure there's a payoff after using it," Pondra said. "But who knows what kind of payoff he's getting."

  "So, do all abilities work like that?" Jacob asked.

  "Not all of them, only abilities that can't be executed with normal approaches," Pondra answered. "Don't rush things; you'll understand it all in time."

  (Now, even if I comply with her requests, she'll lose from one punch. But I won't be reckless. So, let me review her possible strategy...) Enterno thought.

  Enterno thought her strategy consisted of two possibilities:

  Strategy A - Activate Anbus's ability -> Request -> I comply -> Weakening herself (by the damage I inflict on her) -> Tiresias's ability is activated to flip the table (mechanism unknown) -> Activate Hoichi's ability to strengthen herself -> Win.

  Strategy B - Deactivate Anbus's ability -> Fake Request -> Activate Hoichi to strengthen herself -> Win.

  Suddenly, she started running towards him, and Cerberus ran too. This shocked Enterno, as she involved Cerberus in the attack.

  He watched them both approach, unable to understand her attack.

  (This movement contradicts my assumptions about her strategy. But if I attack her, I'll be in a bad position due to Tiresias's ability. But what if that's what she wants me to think? What if I attack her monster? That's not good. Based on Tiresias's ability, I'd be attacking the judge, and the penalty would be even greater. I bet this is the mistake she wants me to make,) Enterno thought.

  (Now, what are you going to do?) Picky thought, a cunning smile on her face.