Together, the mischievous duo poked their heads above the surface like two grinning prairie dogs. The earth beneath them was magically raised high enough that they didn't need to climb all the way back up.

"I WILL KILL YOU, HUMAN! YOU AND YOUR BLOODLINE ARE FOREVER IN MY HUNTING LIST!"

Hanaken, somehow uttering mighty roars between rasped breaths, had her body covered in bruises and dirt, her hands desperately covering her...

Gentō cackled in the background. "HA! NOW, YOU'RE THE PERVERT!!!"

...Yeah, her clothes were burnt to cinders. Surprisingly, or not, the one most embarrassed by this was the Oni herself. Stella supposed, in a village populated by fur and feather-covered beings, a lack of clothing wasn't that much of a taboo. She did see Lien's mom topless on the day she mercilessly beat her up.

"STELLA, COVER YOUR EYES!!! YOU'RE TOO YOUNG!!!"

Right. The greatest prude to ever exist was on the stands, too. She couldn't be too mad at Asra, though.

"STOP. SCREAMING, YOU BUMBLING CLOWN!!!" Captain Tash shouted, her tone gruff with indignation. Yikes.

"Psst," Lien whispered in her ear. "Is it time?"

Stella took a few more seconds to gaze at the flustered Oni, whose yellow eyes already found and locked on hers with homicidal intent.

"Yep. Showtime."

The two girls jumped out of the hole, performed a double spin in the air, then landed perfectly on their feet!

"Let me guess? Do you want a timeout?" Stella's smirk relished in her opponent's loss of control. "Not very fun when you're the one getting embarrassed, is it?"

Hanaken growled, her eyes twitching, her bright sclera flashing. "The Wolf's back. Did she have anything to do with that stunt of yours?"

Stella shrugged. "Who knows? Honestly, Hanaken, I'm getting tired of the mid-battle chatter." Her fists blazed golden before she smashed them together, creating a potent reaction that sent vigorous aftershocks across her muscles. "How about you figure it out by yourself?!"

Lien flared her whiteish aura, her claws extending as she assumed her battle stance, tilting slightly to the left. "Ready?"

The Human assumed her stance beside her, mirroring her position, their shoulders nearly brushing. "Always!"

The dynamic duo charged one last time at the Oni, who saw no choice but to give up her modesty and allow her... uh, mammary glands to jiggle free for everyone's (scratch that, only Asra's) horror.

"OH, THE INDECENCY!!!"

"SHADOWS TAKE YOU, KNIGHT!!!" The captain was showing incredible restraint, not strangling him by now.

Funny tangent aside, Stella muted her grin, replacing it with a warrior's scowl as Lien and she stepped into a more intimate distance from the Oni!

"You're DONE!" Hanaken growled, raising her fist to smash them into paste. However, they quickly sidestepped the blow, then ran to one side each, assaulting her ribs with a barrage of strikes!

"Her skin is tough!" Lien cried, slashing mercilessly at the pile of red muscle with seemingly little success.

Hanaken uttered a guttural, pained roar. "I'm... Far from... Finished!!!"

The ground started shaking. Uh oh.

"Lien, regroup!!!"

Stella and the young canine sprinted far away from the brute, who surrounded herself in a towering, slowly rotating cage of rocky spikes!

Once they regrouped while still running, Lien gave up on continuing on her fours. "She's definitely angry enough!"

"Good!" Stella grinned, dashing with her arms on her back. "Where's the nearest landmine?!"

Lien suddenly screeched to a halt, prompting her to do the same. "Right here." She pointed downward, where her Saniya clung to a large cluster underground, a makeshift bomb. The soles of her bare feet could feel a subtle thrum, a different, ticklish sensation from Hanaken's furious frenzy.

Stella's Saniya would ignite its fuse, just like the incident in the Spiders' tunnel.

So, the girls had a place to set up the trap. The issue now lay with their prey, who constantly slammed her fists on the floor, creating stronger shockwaves each time.

"DISRESPECTING A LADY'S DECENCY!!!" the crimson beast roared. "I SHALL PUNISH YOUR SINFUL SOULS BY CLEANSING THEM WITH A SCALDING BATH!!!"

Geysers of lava erupted around their caster and dangerously close to the packmate duo, overtaking the arena's floor at a terrifying pace. A swarm of screams filled the atmosphere, coming from the audience who were forced to abandon the front rows to escape the splashing molten material!

"Can the landmines stand this lava?!" Stella loudly asked, unable to hide her desperation.

"I don't think so!" Lien admitted.

"DAMN IT!!!" The young Human's mind raced with possibilities. They needed to defend at least one landmine so they could hope to knock down that monster. However, how would they move outside the blast's radius with this magma spreading fast?

Hanaken was already on the move, charging at them headfirst like a flaming bull. They didn't have the time to move to another landmine.

...Was the best decision... throwing up the towel?

"STELLA!"

Lien's cry knocked her back to her senses.

"It's my turn to be the bait! Erect a huge barrier around us to stop the lava from reaching here! I'll knock Hanaken off her feet to make the opening!"

Stella's heart clenched. "And then what?! How can we-"

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Hanaken's cry sent a storm of fear crashing down on her very being as their time for planning was terminated!

"Trust me!" Lien insisted before lunging straight at the brute's face.

Stella growled in defeat as Hanaken fought off against the ferocious pup, who slashed and chomped on her meaty, wrinkled cheeks. Lien really was dedicated to granting them this victory, huh?

...

"Alright." Stella steeled her nerves while summoning the last drops of her Saniya reserves. "Hang on tight, you crazy pup!"

The Human spread her arms, her golden energy surrounding the entire span of the landmine, capturing the three warriors for what was the final phase of their showdown. Unfortunately, if she wanted to maintain enough Saniya to set off the improvised bomb, she couldn't interfere in her girlfriend's struggle, much to her racing heart's distress.

The first few seconds did not start well. Hanaken's massive hand captured Lien's muzzle before the furry huntress could complete her pounce, then threw her to the shield's wall, eliciting a faint crack in its foundation in such a short time!

"No!"

The Oni grumbled, turning at Stella. "I think that's enough for today." She extended her hand, and then the air before it ignited and coalesced into a shimmering fireball. "Last chance to give up!"

Stella kept silent, picking up a rock near her foot, then concentrating her golden Saniya into it, ready to finish this one way or the other.

"Your funeral." The fireball was launched-

"No, you won't!"

The Wolf, however, rapidly jumped between Stella and the projectile, reducing the latter to pretty embers with her Super Breath!

"This victory is ours, Ms. Hanaken!"

The savage lady rubbed her scratched cheek and nose, huffing. "By Tizohi's antlers, kid! Can't you feel this?!" She gestured at their surroundings, where a boiling ocean streamed around the barrier. "This was supposed to be a fun bout, but we took things too far. Still, I ain't giving up to snot-nosed amateurs like you, so do us a favor and-"

A chill coursed down Stella's spine once Lien's growl pierced through Hanaken's spiel, pushing the confident brute to take a step back!

"And disappoint Stella again?!" she howled as a powerful burst of Saniya enveloped her. "Cut the crap and stop whining! You want us to stop?! Make us or I'll clobber you 'til you pass out!!!"

Amidst the adrenaline and nerves, Stella's heart skipped a beat. She even cussed...

Lien ruthlessly reignited her attack at the visibly distressed Oni, whose eyes widened and glowed with genuine concern as the young canine weaved and counterattacked whatever she threw at her like a white wisp of destruction!

It was so... inspiring. Stella's resolve to win and faith in her partner blazed anew, reflected in the rising aura around the tiny stone in her palm, which she squeezed with a feather grip.

"Come on, Lien!" she cheered. "She's just a bitch! You're THE bitch!"

"Heck yeah, I am!" the pup howled, evading two massive punches before countering by spitting a quick air bullet on the giantess's nose.

Hanaken snarled, clutching the damaged spot. "Stay put, you fucking sack of fleas!!!" She stomped the ground, summoning a wave of dust and rubble that threatened to engulf the young pup!

However, Lien's smirk did not waver, winding up her limbs to jump over the massive spell! In midair, she jerked her paws behind her, propelling herself at the Oni with air magic!

The brute smirked, preparing another punch, covered in red energy, straight at the Wolf. "Now you're MI-!"

Lien's paws extended forward, catching the upcoming fist, then using it as support to climb to the Oni's arm in a fraction of a second! Just as quickly, the huntress curled herself into a ball, rolling and building momentum until she slammed square into Hanaken's cheek!

Still, the giantess was a powerhouse of brute strength. While the pup kept the pressure of her Furball technique going, Hanaken's neck barely tilted to the side as she fiercely fought against it.

"Pathetic!" she roared, swinging her head with enough force to send Lien rolling in the opposite direction, colliding against Stella's barrier once more! The growing, deepening cracks became a grim counter for their last-ditch effort.

...Well, it would be more concerning if Lien had ever stopped her velocity. Instead, the Furball technique spun faster as it was covered in a thicker shell of energy, too late to respond before it soared back to the Oni's arm!

Hanaken's distressed wails reverberated through the dome as the rolling pup ricocheted over and over again between her and its magic confines! The potency and speed of the furred devil increased with each painful interaction; too much for Stella's eyes to follow, to the point she opted to close her eyes.

...

......

It stopped. B-But who was the-

"Come on, Stella!" Lien called out. "Climb on my back!"

The girl quickly complied, opening her eyes to see her beloved packmate standing right next to her. When she clung to the canine's back, she witnessed what was left of Hanaken: a groaning mess, lying on her belly, albeit stubbornly pushing herself back up with those tree trunks for arms.

"We don't have much time!" Lien insisted.

"R-Right!" Stella extended her hand to the sky, her energy communicating with the dome, allowing it to fizzle out to nothingness from the top, quickly spreading to the base, where the Oni's magma patiently waited to claim them. "Take us out of here, Lien!"

"Yes, ma'am!" Lien uttered a loud howl before springing them high into the air to the fullest extent her Saniya-energized limbs allowed!

No, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, NO! Was Lien's plan to escape just jumping high enough?! Either that, or she would dash midair in multiple directions to keep their altitude. If the latter hypothesis were the case, then how in the nine hells was Stella supposed to AIM-

...

...Wait, they should've already fallen by now.

Stella dared to look down, witnessing not the slightest change in their proximity to the floor while her furry mount kept static in the air. Since when could Lien fly so w-

"THROW THE ROCK ALREADY!"

Shit! Why was Stella so scatter-brained right now?! The magma was about to engulf the landmine!

The Human raised her arm at the right angle, her vision and usually pristine aim hazed by peer pressure, especially when the crimson beast finally stood up again.

"Is THIS your plan?!" Hanaken teased, bumping her fists on her bare chest. "I can't be burned by lava, idiots!"

...Then, the Oni's words of belittlement reawakened Stella's drive to see this through at the last second. The golden-laced rock sparkled brighter than it ever would again.

"HERE'S SOMETHING WITH A LITTLE MORE KICK!" The girl flung the pebble, plummeting fast in a golden flash like The Silver Knight's blaster shots, flying just above the brute's horns before it connected to the floor and-

BOOM! The Human Saniya infused in the rock reacted to Lien's like a single spark on gasoline, creating a magnificent explosion, worthy of being called a piece of art!

...Stella could start practicing with explosive clay. Just a request, once I learn how to communicate with those characters.

I'll compile them in a list. That'll be fun.

The crowd's combined gasp almost matched the explosion's noise, lingering until smoke and dust obscured the entire battlefield. The magma was entirely displaced, far away from the bombarded site, smearing... the blueish walls erected between the audience and the arena, forming an enormous dome. Stella was pretty sure it wasn't there before.

Boy, they overdid it big time, didn't they?

...

......

.........

A massive crater was what the clouds first revealed. Once they cleared up almost completely, they exposed the fate of the mighty Hanaken...

...Lying on her belly once more, only the angle now put more emphasis on her shining red butt, oddly serving as a beacon in the darkened crater.

Stella could not hold her laughter, even as the old coot's booming voice announced the end of the fight and their victory, even while the audience roared in ecstasy from the explosive finale.

"THEY DID IT, CAPTAIN!!!" Asra's shout, as always, was perfectly heard amongst the vibrant, booming crowd. "OUR GIRLS DID IT! UP TOP!"

Tash's groan was even more audible.

Yet, Stella couldn't bring herself to care for it. Her laugh was fueled by the mingling of a wave of addicting relief, the intoxicating dose of triumph, and the cherry on top that was Hanaken's humorous state at the end.

Soon enough, Lien joined it, her childish giggle only adding fuel to the flame.

"W-What are we laughing at? Did my mom do something funny? Was it Mr. Gentō?"

Stella's heart warmed at the adorable obliviousness of her partner, her maniacal giggle finally ceasing.

"I'm gonna pet you so hard you'll see stars..." she whispered in her ear, drunk in the moment.

Nothing better to sober her up than the cruel claiming of gravity seconds after the Wolf equivalent of pillow-talking was uttered. Stella made the poor pup so excited that she looped back into a catatonic state, much to their shared pain once they met the fallen Oni at the crater.

"What's wrong with me?!" Stella punched her own forehead before the entire world turned black. From entering the crater, I mean.

Her consciousness, however, was lost once the Oni's red butt collided against her face. Right between the cheeks, to boot.

A victory is a victory.

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