The creature was like the forest, wielding an entire ecosystem. Its body was a mixture of grass, branches, and leaves, which rotted in their order and turned green. From the red, yellow, and brown earth, its weapon was made: a club that, when struck by the ground, created stakes, and when struck by the plants, became like a cactus, its spines like pores, easily thrown against the wind.
— If I had to call you something better than your lame name, it would be Hydra. Since the mixture of your body parts changes and regenerates.
—Exactly, I am Limos, my Daemon evolution can be called Hydra. The giant I consumed was the king of the swamps.
After Hydra's presentation, his club hit the ground, creating a hole, which was filled by Hydra's weapon, with a swing, a huge trail appeared on the ground, a path that his objective was Callisto.
He turned his body, placed his base and his left arm forward, turned his wrist to the ground, making the axe stop the attack that came from below, he raised his right to the sky, the axe flew towards Hydra.
He hit the ground again. The green part of his body molded, the thorns there taking the shape of a whip attached to the branch, forming a mass that covered his body from the attack. The rumble was heard again, a lighter one, like sand, from the hole created by the hydra, which appeared in front of Callisto.
Crossed left and right, the two axes formed into a larger one. The diagonal cut from top to bottom stopped the Hydra's advance. Upon touching the creature, it tried to cut it in half, but the club struck, showering the Hydra with stones.
Callisto leaped to a stop in a tree, where the wind blew through her ears, revealing the struggle between Aeacus and Cassandra.
The insect, with its enhanced swordsmanship, deflected the blows of the halberd in front of it, aided by the circular parts on its joints. It held its sword in its left hand, while its right arm rotated, allowing it to become a shield, extremely precise, with its long fingers.
— A lancer can't get past a knight? What a shame.
— I'm not good at this. We're there day after day killing cockroaches with flip-flops.
His halberd was constantly redirected, making it impossible to counterattack. He rethought his steps and retraced them, this time backward. He positioned his hand in the center, spinning his blows.
His movement was guided by his hips and legs, which served as a strong base for more agile hand movements. He increasingly gained control of his body, creating a trail of fire along his body, allowing his halberd to glide across his entire body, making attacks and defenses incompressible.
Aeacus, even with his insect-like vision, could not track the blows. Because of this, his long cape became two wings, forcing him to retreat.
— Human, how crazy you are, I like that!
— Thank you. I think the insecticide I'm using is affecting me.
Aeacus's sword returned to its sheath, his antennae returning to his head. The layers twisted, taking on only one layer, making his legs look like crickets. His antennae were covered by his wings, giving rise to horns. He leaped like a mole, advancing on Cassandra, catching the halberd between his horns.
Cassandra's hands were filled with a bow, she used the flexible fire rope to tie and wrap the horns, while with her free hand, she created a fireball, its flames meeting the creature's neck without any protection.
The wings took over her back again, retracting her neck, creating a small space between her legs and the ground, enough to direct a kick at Cassandra's stomach, throwing her away.
To absorb the impact, his abdomen was covered by the fire that was in his body, the bow from before took the form of a halberd again, serving as support to get up.
"It cost me dearly, but I found your Echidna." The bow appeared in Cassandra's hands again.
The fire consumed the environment, the wind carried the smoke through the forest, to the clash between Callisto and Hydra.
His axe cut down in droves, defending and attacking non-stop, changing techniques every now and then to see if his theory was correct.
Hydra used his club to hit back hard and create shields against the blows, making the environment around his feet increasingly a mix.
Hearing the crash and copying it into her mind, she discovered what it reminded her of—a very distinctive sound that could only come from a serpent's tail. Thus, she discovered that a bit of Echidna still resided in the Hydra's club; for it to take its form again, Callisto needed her bow.
Hydra, upon seeing the bow created in Callisto's hands, realized that every movement he made served as a clue to discovering where his power came from. Hydra was overcome by its own power, unable to finish before devouring its opponent's flesh.
— Very good human, and by the way, an excellent hunter.
— Thank you. I'm glad my prey will fight with all its might to survive!
The air that whistled so much, fell silent, concentrating in Calisto's hands, taking the form of a long arrow, from which came the most diverse sounds, at the tip he concentrated the information he received, the bang, the sound of the rattle.
Hydra could no longer control himself, his club took the form of a snake, and his body began to mix with it, giving rise to a creature with seven heads, teeth made of stone, lips made of grass and a body made of clay.
A flick of its tail shook the entire earth, sending out enormous spikes that met the energy arrow. The arrow took on the roar of a lion and leaped over the spikes, took on the buzz of an eagle and soared into the sky, and with a thunder, struck the hydra dead on, exploding it, leaving the Echidna intact.
With the lack of wind, the forest was hit by a heat wave.
"It was a good fight, unfortunately I lost. I do you the honor of learning more about me; I am Aeacus, the king of the ants."
"Don't give up. You're the cockroach here, I'm the one who should be running away. Of course, I'm Cassandra Pythia, the next heroine of Greek tales."
His long cape covered his arm, creating a shoulder pad; his long fingers grew longer, and the layers of the rest of his body concentrated on his long fingers, turning them into claws. His entire body weight rested there, demonstrated by his crooked neck, where a snake could be seen wrapped around it like a scarf.
The blood that ran down Cassandra's body was catalyzed by the flames, giving rise to a crimson arrow, carrying all the feelings of that battle, which in an instant took off Aeacus's head.