Chapter 362: Stonehide Lawachurl

"Tifa, flank and distract. Jeanne, frontal defense, prepare for impact. Lefiya, prepare to chant," Robin's cool, composed voice echoed across the battlefield. Like the most precise metronome, she coordinated everyone's actions.

Under her command, Tifa moved like a black bolt of lightning, flitting erratically to the Lawachurl's left. Her fists and feet struck precisely at the seams of its rock armor, emitting dull thuds.

Jeanne d'Arc stood firmly at the front, gripping her holy flag. The golden iris banner radiated a soft glow, forming an impenetrable defense.

Behind Jeanne, Lefiya held her staff. A magic circle appeared beneath her feet as she began to chant her spell.

On an elevated ridge just outside the battle circle, Aiden, Ais, Bete, and the Amazon sisters—Tiona and Tione—watched the fight quietly, holding the line.

"Tch, taking their sweet time. If it were me, I would've ripped that thing's head off by now," Bete clicked his tongue as usual, his words full of impatience.

"Don't be like that! Lefiya and the others are working really hard," Tiona said, waving her massive double-bladed weapon, eager to jump in.

Aiden ignored the noise beside him, his eyes locked on the battlefield.

The Focalors Familia joining forces with the Loki Familia was definitely a novelty in Orario. The origin of this collaboration was somewhat comical.

Yes, it was "compensation," not an "interrogation." Because not long ago on the 18th Floor, Aiden had accidentally stumbled upon the royal High Elf and the female members of her Familia while they were bathing. Even though he got an eyeful, it left a massive piece of blackmail that could have made him a public enemy to the entire elf race.

However, things hadn't developed as he expected. Riveria hadn't come to demand answers. Instead, she had simply sent a proposal through Lefiya—an experimental joint expedition between the Focalors Familia and the Loki Familia.

Though called an expedition, it was more of an exchange and a chance for the younger members of both sides to build teamwork. Thus, the three executives of the Loki Familia hadn't come. The group was led by young elites like Ais, along with core second-string members like Raul Nord. The depth of the expedition was also capped around the relatively safe 30th Floor.

Aiden still remembered Riveria's perfectly calm gaze, acting as if the accident had never happened. Yet, that very calmness made her underlying intentions clear.

Of course, collaborating with the Loki Familia—one of the strongest Familias in Orario—had always been part of Aiden's future plans. Even without the incident of seeing Riveria and the others naked, he probably would have sought an alliance at the right time. It was just that the catalyst for this cooperation came about a little... intimately.

In the center of the battlefield, every punch from the mountain-like Stonehide Lawachurl was accompanied by a muffled boom and a tremor in the earth.

"Now!" Robin's calm voice pierced through the din.

Before her words faded, a streak of crimson light plummetted vertically from the sky. Having already transformed into the silver-white Strategic Assault Mech SAM, Firefly activated the cyan light wings on her back, spewing violent jets of flame. Gripping her twin emerald swords wreathed in blazing fire, she slashed down at the Stonehide Lawachurl's skull like a falling meteor.

Facing this strike from the heavens, the Lawachurl sluggishly raised its left arm, which was covered in jagged rocks.

Clang! An ear-piercing metallic screech erupted amidst a shower of sparks. Firefly's full-powered blow only left a shallow white scratch on the thick stone armor. The massive recoil numbed her arms, but she didn't linger. The moment her strike failed to penetrate, the light wings on her back flared with a stronger thrust, immediately propelling her back into the sky.

Almost the instant she vacated her spot, the Lawachurl's heavy right fist whistled through the air, slamming heavily into the empty space. The sheer force of the punch whipped up a visible ripple in the air and let out a dull sonic boom.

High above, Firefly felt a chill in her heart. Although the SAM armor's defense was extremely high, she was only a Level 1 adventurer. Taking a punch like that would instantly incapacitate her, if not kill her outright.

"Freeze it!"

Taking advantage of the Lawachurl's brief stiffness from its missed attack, Alicia's magic was already fully formed. She pointed her staff forward, and a massive wave of freezing air surged from the ground. It rapidly climbed the Lawachurl's thick legs, freezing it firmly in place and covering it in a thick layer of frost.

"Pierce, absolute striking arrow!"

Lefiya followed closely behind, completing her precise chant. An arrow forged of pure magical energy snapped from the bowstring, tearing through the sky to perfectly strike the Stonehide Lawachurl square in the chest.

Boom! A massive explosion detonated, sending countless rock fragments and ice crystals flying in all directions.

Roar!!! Completely enraged by the strike, the Stonehide Lawachurl tilted its head back and unleashed a deafening roar. The lava-like cracks across its body flared, and a blinding golden-yellow Geo aura instantly coated it like liquid. With a flex of its bulging muscles, the solid ice binding its legs shattered into pieces.

"Hah!"

Tifa seized the opening. Her agile silhouette closed in like a hunting leopard, driving a straight punch packed with all her strength directly into the Lawachurl's golden-clad abdomen.

A dull shockwave rippled outward in a ring from her fist, but the layer of golden Geo light merely rippled. It didn't budge an inch, not even showing a single crack. She hadn't broken its defense.

The Stonehide Lawachurl lowered its head, its ghostly yellow eyes locking onto the nearby Tifa. Its massive fist brought a tearing gale with it as it smashed downward.

Tifa, as if having anticipated it, twisted her waist. With a level of flexibility impossible for an ordinary person, she narrowly slipped past the crushing gale of the blow.

Simultaneously, another petite figure slid past the Lawachurl's crotch. The short sword in Anakitty's hand drew a sharp arc, slashing viciously at the inner thigh of the giant beast.

However, the result was another disappointing clang. She also failed to pierce its defense.

Seeing her strike fail, Anakitty tried to retreat, but the Lawachurl had already changed targets. Its other giant fist swept across the ground toward her.

"Aki!"

In the nick of time, Raul Nord threw himself in front of Anakitty. He slammed his massive tower shield heavily into the ground, pouring his entire body weight into it.

Thud! Sounding like a battering ram striking a city gate, the impact forced a muffled grunt from Raul as his feet plowed two deep trenches several meters long in the dirt, barely managing to disperse the unrivaled kinetic energy. A clear, sunken imprint of a fist was left deeply dented into his refined steel greatshield.

Empowered by the golden light, the Stonehide Lawachurl had transformed into an immovable war machine.

Boom! Boom! Boom! Its pillar-like arms began to pound the ground at a terrifying speed, slamming down punch after punch. Every strike was accompanied by ear-piercing wind, shattering the solid rock beneath them.

The continuous bombardment kicked up a storm of dust and gravel, throwing the entire battlefield into chaos. Tifa and Daphne wove through the frantic flurry of fists. Pushing their agility to the absolute limit, they desperately dodged left and right to avoid the fatal attacks. They knew full well that with their current defenses, a direct hit from those terrifying fists would instantly remove them from the fight.

───

For Advance Chapters:

> Patreon.com/NegativeTranslations