"You know, once the birds finish eating... they might call some more friends."

Mathias, this time, was dragged by Lisanna. He was too tired to express his fear on his face, but at the very least Lisanna did not want to deal with the animals used as gory projectiles. She had to force the images out of her mind to prevent herself from vomiting. The only saving grace was that they erupted so quickly that she could only see blurred fragments of the images burned into her mind.

"... R-really...?!"

She did not see the fire trail before, being busy with seeing the roving ice and serpentine creatures with tridents; however, the sight of oxen men, standing at two meters tall, and seemingly strong enough to break stone with their bare hands was a bit much for her. Particularly when, while the harpies were naked, she did not expect the oxen creatures to be the same.

Rather, they had a small loin-cloth that left nothing to the imagination as they trudged through the lava, holding their over-sized battle-axes loosely with a single hand.

At least there were clear paths beside the lava, formed of obsidian that was a little warm to her feet.

Mathias had not yet stepped foot on the blackened glass; rather, he said, "you deal with this, I'll deal with the water one, okay...?!"

His new boots would not hold up well in this. Nor his head as he was already sweating without even being exposed the true heat, despite a circlet of ice keeping his blood-and-mud drenched bangs back.

At least most of it came from other creatures.

Most.

"... H-how do you expect me to deal with them alone?!"

"Creatively! Without me!"

"No!" Lisanna screamed as one thought it interesting to hurl the battleaxe towards the pair.

Both scattered left and right as it was easily punctured the reinforced marble floor, standing there tauntingly as the obsidian-skinned oxen creature stomped forward through the lava. The others goaded him forward, pounding onto the obsidian with the heads of their axes, to carry a rhythmic tune of shattering glass punctuated by the heavy steps of the first.

There was a low growl as the creature stopped in front of them both.

Even Lisanna retreated to the safety of the marble.

The ox just reached out and grabbed the axe when it saw the two were not making a move.

Until an excited chirp was married with a flurry was blows on their back. They were knocked forward three steps from the onslaught on their backs, and ice creaked under the pressure.

Since Mathias, taking the brunt of it being further back, was pushed close to the ox, the ox just reached out with an open palm to wrap its arms around his neck.

He howled as his hands instinctively let go of the staff and reached for the obsidian plates cutting into his neck. It took only a second before his scream, like a candle in the wind, was torn from him.

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A blue flame burst forward, and the scream of scattered blood falling accompanied Mathias to his feet.

Lisanna hurriedly pried off the obsidian hand, still tightly pressed against his throat, and saw the raw, pink skin on his neck and palms. He just collapsed, unable to prop himself up as he heaved silent, pained breaths.

She grew furious at the creature who just lost its arm and stared at it as it howled in pain.

It levelled the axe forward with a single hand, but Lisanna darted to the side, slashed low at its Achilles tendon, and saw it slump forward. She spared no time in driving the sabre through its neck as the obsidian rock flaked off with the force.

And then there were nineteen roars chaotically bursting out as the sounding of shattering glass stopped.

Mathias shifted an icy circlet to his neck, relied on the frozen exterior of the staff to mend his hands as he forced himself up. The ox were stampeding forward.

"...!" He released only a low growl, unable to speak as his throat constricted at its attempt to be used.

He took an obsidian path that circled around the outside of the arena, but Lisanna stood firmly in the center.

They split their forces evenly between the two, with the extra oxen demon standing guard in the center of a lava pool with a ruby orb at its deepest point.

It alone was waist-deep in the magma but seemed to have no issue moving in the dense material.

The vents spaced out erratically on either side of the obsidian paths spat out ash as the haze danced in their vision.

He saw one ox drive the battle-axe towards his head, but Mathias dove forward, rolling with the staff in both hands, and came onto his feet a few meters away.

Right into the face of another that had the axe high overhead.

He punched the broken staff into its throat, staggering it, and slipped past - unable to do any real damage.

Lisanna saw the first charge towards her. The callous treatment of the harpies angered her too, but it was so beyond her expectations that she did not know how to react. These were more simple in comparison, but their treatment of their opponents was repulsive, she thought.

It overpowered her fear of them even as the axe dangled towards her face. She stepped back and to the side, dodging the blow, and stabbed the flank of the first before darting towards the next. She saw snaking paths so the moment her azure blade cut through the leg of another, she bolted to that side, heading towards a sharp edge.

One of the ones stampeding towards her jumped off the path and tore through the lava, sending it scattering her way. She gritted her teeth, feeling the heat being repelled somewhat, but the force of the dense rock aggravating the bruises on her worn-out legs.

She pressed on, steps shaking from the sheer vibrations their hooves released to the ground.

And she jumped to another on a diverging path and ducked low as the ox hacked at her neck.

Another bulled through her, sending her sprawled out on the path, but she righted herself and rolled out of the way, arm riding across the fiery lava, and staggered from another's reach. Hooves nearly missed her neck and chest before driving beyond her. She picked herself up and picked up speed again - and paled.

Mathias wore the same expression as they looked at each.

"...!" He pointed his cracked staff to the orb in the center.

"... Really?!"

He nodded and jumped onto a snaking path as she turned hard to the center.

The one who just missed her roared as he followed her path - they all did. However, the thundering hooves attracted their attention as he jumped to a path just parallel to them.

The oxen crashed into one-another, splattering lava and obsidian as the two groups sought after their targets, blind to everything else.

Some kept pace, stepping on their fallen comrades, but Mathias was already back at where he started.

Lisanna bit her lip, hesitating for a moment before hacking straight into the outstretched axe of the ox standing guard.

Her feet stepped on the molten rock, sinking slowly, but she pushed off against the dense lava, retracting her sword and cutting horizontally. Its throat gargled as it seized up.

She reached down and grabbed the ruby orb and managed to get onto solid ground as another plowed through the one missing an esophagus.

She saw the staff point towards the other entrance and she had no choice by to sprint there as the ground began to close in Mathias.

They met up just in time and turned back the moment their feet the marble floor. They saw the oxen demons pulling their battle-axes back furiously.

"...!"

"Run!"

They sprinted right into a passing serpentine man who was batted away with a broken staff with such force that he did not even have time to scream at the invaders. The only reason for it was the adrenaline, but it wouldn't have mattered. It was cleaved by four different weapons when the two turned the corner.

And fell.