What is pulling the strings?

Mind boost!

'How did it know this trick? Are they connected by a hive mind or did he watch my battle with his creepy neck?' 

'Void shift or explosion… or let tyrant armor take the damage. Can it handle the damage? Of course, it can.' Immediately he activated mind boost, Blake's thoughts went rampant and although it seemed like he was having a long monologue, not even a second had gone by.

'The armor should take the damage, it rarely does anything… Or I could just combine two plans.' Blake finally made a decision and immediately released a wave of both fire and mana explosion from his body.

BOOM!

The double explosion had managed to push back the knight rank insect a few meters away, freeing him from such precarious position, but the tenacious armored praying mantis recovered quicker than he had expected and lunged back at him.