Headed by a Snake

Tycondrius rolled his eyes, "Because of the mana overload. We discussed this. Now please attack her seriously or we risk the young mistress violently exploding."

Her eyes suddenly gaining clarity, Athena twisted her head towards Tycon, "Wait-- violently what?"

...Oops. He let it slip.

Tycon unsheathed his two Decani swords, "My apologies. I had withheld that information."

He somewhat regretted not having explained that. He was worried the young lady would have been hesitant to process such a high concentration of mana, had she been aware it was plausible she would violently explode.

"SIR TYCONNNN!!! IM GONNA EXPLODE??!?!" Athena shrieked. She directed her palms towards him, glowing icy blue with concentrated frost mana.

Oh, that didn't look good.

"Not... necessarily?" Tycon offered.

"⌈IIIIIIICE BEEEEEAMU!!!!⌋"

Emanating from the young lady's palms was a veritable stream of frost energy. Everything it touched frosted over immediately, forming jagged crystals of ice. Tycon immediately began sprinting counterclockwise, staying a few steps ahead of the concentrated beam.

« System, activate ⌈Tumble⌋, please. »

⟬ Activating. ⟭

⌈Tumble⌋ was always a reliable skill. With Tycon being Gold-Rank, he could also cast it more than once. Mana flowed through his circuits, filling him with energy and making his body feel light. Tycon ran up and across the side of the dungeon walls, acrobatically flipping to dodge-- making sure to land on dry stone.

Besides the beam, Athena simultaneously cast other, lesser spells. The technical skill she displayed in double and triple-casting was impressive-- genius-level magery. With a higher-level of mana coursing through her circuits, she was casting almost purely by instinct, but strongly affected by her strongest emotions: rage and fear.

It made her predictable.

He smirked, snapping his fingers.

⟬ ⌈Commander's Strike⌋ activated. ⟭

Again Tanamar leaped up, swinging his holy lance. This time, however, the footman's attack was empowered by Tycon's skill.

With an instantaneous mental command from Athena, a frost shield formed around her, protecting her from damage. Still, the force of Tanamar's strike launched the levitating woman across the room, smashing her into the stones.

The dust and debris blocked the lantern light, but the whitish-blue glow of Athena's mana-overloaded form lit up the basement's entirety.

Her form hidden by the clouds, Athena's words echoed coolly along the frozen walls, "⌈Icicle Fall.⌋"

Dozens of icicles formed on the high ceiling, each nearly the size of an adult human. They plummeted down, crashing near Tanamar with deadly force and mana-assisted speed.

"D-dodge it, Tanamar!" Athena yelled worriedly.

...Tycon was slightly disappointed that he didn't get the same encouragement. He sprinted towards Athena-- through the cover of darkness and in her blindspot.

Shadowfang Strike? Legionbreaker? No... That would be too lethal. Tycon elected to use brute force.

He skidded along the ice-slicked stones, lowering his body...

Athena noticed. She turned her head and reached her arm to the ceiling. A massive blade made of crystal clear ice formed above her head, ready to swing downward.

As impressive as the high-mana attack was, it was dreadfully slow.

Keeping his legs grounded as he slid, Tycon swung his sword utilizing his full body's rotation. Athena's frost shield went up at once, but the young lady was again launched backward with a satisfying crack of the solid ice.

Blood dripped down Tycon's face from a cut on his cheek. He glanced down at his Decanus sword... It was made of solid Tyrion steel-- more resistant to mana effects than steel of other makes. Still, the blade had shattered upon impact, frost layering over the surface of the metal.

...He was glad the shrapnel didn't find his eyes.

Athena bounced off of a wall, but Tanamar managed to catch the falling girl before she took additional damage.

"Tycon!!" Cradling her in his arms, he scowled murderously, "What the hells was that?? Are you trying to kill her?"

Tycon pursed his lips... "No?"

He'd been yelled at too many times in the past several minutes. Really, he thought the two of them trusted him a slight bit more.

Athena struggled out of Tanamar's arms, "I'm fine. Let me fight him."

"But..."

"I gotta get Sir Tycon back for his stupid sand-attack."

...So she was still upset about that.

Stars and stones.

Tycon sighed and pulled his cloak around him tighter. He was wearing three layers of clothing in preparation for freezing temperatures, but lamented not having brought... a blanket or two. He breathed hot into his gloved hands and rubbed at his numb face.

He also slightly regretted not having brought Zenon. He trusted the Librarian, but he did not want to burden the Centurion with the secret of utilizing a tool the Church would deem heretical.

"It's too dangerous," Tanamar insisted. "I'm sworn to protect you, Athena. Let me fight for you."

"I... I know..." Athena sighed, averting her gaze, "But you've always been fighting for me. Just... I need to do this. I need to prove to you that I can help!"

"You're always doing your best. You never ask for help!" Tanamar nearly shouted back at her.

"That's because I always know I can count on you!!" Athena looked back, tears dripping down her eyes as frosty sparkles.

"I just... I can't bear seeing you get hurt," Tanamar grimaced. It looked like it physically pained him to say that aloud.

"T-tanamar..." Athena sighed. Suddenly, her eyes shot open, "Wh... WHERE ARE YOU GOING, SIR TYCON??!"

Tycon glanced over his shoulder, "That's a rather silly question, young lady. I'm taking the stairs, back up."

"BUT WHYYYY?!" Athena stamped her foot, like a child throwing a tantrum.

Tycon turned, sitting upon the stone steps... "I suppose... it's mostly because it's cold down here."

Also, the two were sharing a private moment. He felt like he was intruding.

"That-- that's... I can't help it!" Athena pouted, "I have frost-type superpowers!"

⟬ Athena Vanzano, Bronze-Rank Frostblade. ⟭

"Yes. You're very strong," Tycon smiled politely. "I'm proud of you."

"Oh," The young lady bared her teeth in an embarrassed half-smile. "Thank you!"

Tanamar stepped forward, irritation still on his face, "What about the mana overload?"

"It seems like Miss Athena has everything under control," Tycon calmly gestured. "Using the process of induction, I believe it has something to do with her large expenditure of mana in shielding against my last attack... which neither of you have thanked me for."

Also, the subsequent conversation between her and Tanamar further stabilized her emotions. From there, it seems Athena's Yin Body quickly adapted. However, Tycon was too cold and irritated to explain that.

Athena pursed her lips, the figurative fire in her eyes dying out, "Th-thank you, Sir Tycon."