The temperature had returned to the coldest morning of the year. The air was heavy, difficult to breathe. With the abundant cold, hair was parched by the intense cold that had broken it on tree branches, but combing it from a mother's hands would serve as a healing tool for those broken branches.
"Amélia, how is the Eunuch, I mean, Daisy?" Shizuko bit her lip to get the blood flowing in the cold.
"They're both fine, but look at this." Amelia pulled at the collar of Daisy's shirt, revealing the fungus growing. "What the Eunuch is planning."
"It's me, Tiresias. Eunuch left some fungus in his body to speed up his regeneration. The fungus is affecting his body's pH. Eunuch used his fungus to manipulate his metabolism, changing shape and briefly achieving the form that managed to deliver the Void blow. Then he hid the fungus and returned to his normal form. The giant must have learned by now that he must be content with his brother's skill."
"So you're acting like a good older brother. I'm happy, but when she wakes up, she'll see why she put her sister in danger!"
They put their minds at rest and focused on the falling snow and the horse making its way across the white carpet.
"Let us begin! My dear children, Cacodaemones, do your worst!" The Echidna let her aura flow through the battlefield, ensuring that her Cacodaemones were unaffected by the intense cold.
With each intense flap of their wings, the creatures took on more shape, their wingspans diminished, their beaks took on the shape of masks, and energy pulsed and flowed from their bodies through drawn pathways, like blood. And little by little, their feathers burned like Icarus's, and they took the form of Asterius, the Cretan minotaur.
Seeing the advance, the knight placed his hand on his mount's head. The veil that covered her became a mesh dress, a Barda, which still held on each side an octagon with a wheat in the middle.
With uncontrolled momentum, the creatures advanced, their horns guiding them toward the knight. As they increased their speed and approached their target, the horns turned red.
— Wow Podargo, I thought it would be a clean-handed weapon, if not, never interrupt your enemy while he is making a mistake.
The knight got off his mount, touched his mount, it began to glow and fall apart, and his belt shone, going towards the knight's boots, which were printed with the design of wheat.
The same as he advanced toward his opponents, leaving a trail on the ground, turning it to ice. His feet glided as if in a dance, while a good portion of the Minotaurs simply remained immobilized. While the knight knocked out some strays from the herd, others opened their mouths and spat fire toward the knight, while he used shields to shield the immobilized Minotaurs.
The weather changed; it was no longer winter; it could be compared to hell. When the fire reached the snow, it burned relentlessly. The Minotaurs, struck by the flames, rose with their larger horns and fed on those who breathed fire. Their forms changed again, seemingly copying the knight, as they wore heavy armor and boots that instantly turned the snow to vapor.
— What's going on out there, Marengo is playing dancer, and the Minotaurs are using flamethrowers?
— As Mary said, they have the fire from Pandora's box. Remember in the myth what Hephaestus's fire did to humans?
— humans evolved rapidly, almost catching up with the gods, which is why Zeus created the box, to be their downfall. So, like, Echidna is Prometheus and the Minotaurs are humans.
— That's it. Just like the gods, let's put an end to this nonsense quickly, it's not even bumba meu boi season. Finish them off!
The knight found himself somewhat cornered, his strategy of simply skating across the battlefield ineffective. Because of this, he calmed down and headed toward the army in front of him. He put his hand back on his belt; it glowed, his boot returned to normal, the patterns rising, his elbows were covered in ice, as was his long braid, his visor turned a light blue, and his fingers thawed into hooves. He charged toward the enemy.
The momentum was driven by his legs, the force by his arms, the fluidity by the movement of his hips, it seemed to freeze everything around him. Minotaur advances alone, the ice becomes his prison and shatters like glass. Two advance, the ice becomes their prison and shatters like glass. Two advance and another spits a ball of fire, one split in half and the second shattered, the last falling to the ground with force.
— What just happened? I didn't understand anything.
— I understood a little more, but not enough. That Dual Memory form uses the same ability the Queen has to turn her subjects into weapons, the Marengo turns his mares into weapons. And each has a skill, this one immobilizes enemies, as bizarre as it may seem, I think it has something to do with the drink.
—I'm getting the feeling. Actually, what's falling isn't even snow, but something that poisons the Echidnas. That's why she made Tiresias bite herself! The echidnas were created to hunt echidnas. The mare ate the Giant Wolf's body to learn how an echidna's body works in its fire-bearing state. And when Dual Memory merged with the mare, it gained this information.
—That's a bit curious. These are Mary's abilities: creating ice, controlling the weather, transforming beings into things, absorbing poisons, and creating toxins. I wonder what Marengo's abilities are.
The Echidna raised its hands and smiled. The Minotaurs' bodies began to turn into tiny sparks that quickly flew overhead, reaching toward the Echidna's body. It opened its mouth and swallowed the flames. Its body began to tremble, its chest ripped open, and the egg inside exploded. Its mask melted, giving light to the creature's purple eyes. All its feathers fell to the ground, its body combusted. From the bending of its bones, it morphed, and its pair of wings fell to the ground, turning to ash. With a squeeze of its hand, a wave of energy was released, causing the weather to return to normal.
— Echidnas are really cunning, I think they inherited Ladão's knowledge. But that doesn't mean I'll lose to you!
"Shut up, human! I'm enjoying this moment. I've finally managed to take possession of the soul of the Giant I fused with! Now I just need to feed on its flesh to become a Móros!"