— Can we move forward?
—No creature appeared. It's been more than 5 minutes since Dionysus and Mamoru defeated that monster.
— We should go.
— No! Wait, look over there!
After Dionysus and Mamoru's combined attack, the black-haired youth's snake-like eyes found nothing. Cassandra would not be fooled. She sensed something was about to happen to the creature's body.
Motionless, it became a stone, before its slimy skin hardened. The head, thrown far away, with some arms taking the form of serpents, biting the creature's corpse. The stone hatched there like an egg.
— Is that what I think it is?
— Yes, he is an old man.
The elderly man, like a butterfly from its cocoon, began to emerge from his body, revealing himself. He wore a green suit with matching pants, his hands covered in black gloves, his hair pulled back, revealing a receding hairline, his beard thin, and his mustache thick.
The man took a towel from his pocket and blew his nose, threw it on the floor, with difficulty putting his hand on his back he touched the corpse, which responded the head that remained took the form of a snake, while the body of another, they moderated their tails and began to eat each other, from the fusion of the two an apple appeared which was the man's mouth.
"Let me introduce myself." He put on his glasses and pulled a piece of paper from his pocket. "My name is August, the Dreaming Ouroboros. I'm Dr. Igor's first experiment using Echidnas and Giants. I was created for this very day."
"What do you mean?" Cassandra pointed her bow at August.
The man raised his hands, showing they were empty, as he took a step back, clearly maintaining a smile on his face. He turned around in an instant, pulling a safe from a cabinet.
"Young man with black hair and yellow eyes," he yawned. "What would your sister's birthday be again?" The blue-eyed girl can answer that too.
"If I'm not mistaken..." he approached Calisto. "What's Hana's birthday again?"
— What? It must be... 01\02\2004.
"Thank you, beautiful young lady." He punched the number into the safe. "Here it is, look!"
August placed the open safe on the counter, revealing what was inside: an amphora with drawings of snakes entwined around a scepter. These were clearly Tiresias and Hermaphrodite.
—he lowered his flame bow. —so you're the guardian of Hana's resurrection. You must be the one named Charon, right?
He took a bite of the apple. "I am the guardian of Hermaphrodite, but I am not Charon. I'm sorry to say. I was given the mission to protect it until my master's daughter is revived by drinking nectar from her maternal half-brother, the young mamoru."
— A crash was heard, and Tirso hit the ground. — So you mean Igor was the one who started the Echidna and Gigante fusion experiments, just so his daughter could be revived? — Eunuch became enraged. — I had to fight my brothers for this?
"Yes, but thanks to this, a new generation will be born, a mixed one, composed of beings of various origins. This way, the world will no longer be trapped in the eternal cycle of war. With my death, this will symbolize the end of this cycle." He ate his entire hand, lying on the ground with the amphora in his hands. "If you defeat me, Hana will be able to revive. What are you waiting for? Come!"
August's body, next to the amphora, was covered in a thick layer. Nearby vases with lids shaped like heads—a jackal, a baboon, a man, and a falcon—began to glow, and creatures burst forth from them.
With a human body and a bird's head, a creature appeared, holding two daggers in its hands.
With a human body and a baboon's head, a creature appeared holding a long sword in its hand.
With a human body and a jackal's head, a creature appeared, wielding two axes in its hands.
With a human body and a man's head, a creature appeared, holding an apple in its hand.
What these creatures had in common was that from their feet to their necks, there was a spiral snake design.
— Each one gets one. I'll take Caesar from the Planet of the Apes. — Dionysus said.
— I'll go with Commander Cruger of SPD — Margarida said.
— I'll take the Pet Shop. — Cassandra stated.
"Helene and I hooked up with the guy. That came out kind of gay," Mamoru said.
Calisto will use her bow and quick attacks to control the battlefield and how far the opponents went, because of this she stayed away from the battle, as her greatest expertise came from a long-range weapon.
Cassandra switched from bow to fire halberd, positioning herself diagonally, resting the halberd on her body and leaving her other hand free. Her opponent held his daggers, their dark alloy-covered hilts, lowered while delivering a flurry of kicks, spinning his daggers, and in the middle of them the alloys connected, a good grip on a halberd wielder who struck with lightning speed.
The Thyrsus, in Margarita's pose, changed shape; the pine cone became the lower wrist rest, while the vines rose, becoming a whip that, when snapped in the air, released projectiles made of roots and vines. The cachal in front of him held an axe in front of him, next to one foot, and the other further back with his foot. He moved his body in a spiral, lowering and raising himself, switching stances to deflect the whip's projectiles.
Dionysus's longsword was held far from his body, taking advantage of its flight to make optimal use of its size and abilities. The sword fungi produced alcohol to make his attacks flaming. His opponent used his long tail to wield the small, heavy sword, attacking at any moment and from any angle. He could also easily unbalance Dionysus due to the sword's size, forcing him into positions with openings.
Heleno used the tip of his sword to try to hit his opponent's joints, articulations, or other troublesome spots. Mamoru focused on his opponent's face and torso, attacking with his claws and using his elbows to try to slice them. No matter how many limbs he tore off, the ones that detached from his body became apples, which he ingested, completely changing his morphology. He replaced the knee joint with the hip joint, making him more resistant to blows but with limited mobility.
"It's been a while since we've seen August. I'm glad the day has come for him to fulfill his mission. Even though he's an Echidna alongside a giant, he's a really cool guy."
"I agree. I just received more information from Elizabeth and Luis, and I'll share it with you in due time. Even so, it will be too much of a shock for the young people who are the future of the Aix, Echidnas, Giants, and Humans."