Chapter 364: Subjugation Successful

"...Is it over?" Raul asked nervously, leaning on his dented greatshield and gasping for air.

Everyone stopped moving. Their eyes were locked onto the motionless behemoth, the air seemingly freezing in place.

However, just as they thought the battle was won and prepared to breathe a sigh of relief, a roar filled with agony and madness—a sound no living creature should be able to produce—erupted from the dust.

The Stonehide Lawachurl, which should have been dead, used its thick arms to push against the ground, forcefully propping its mangled body back up. The ghostly yellow light in its eyes had been replaced by a crazed, bloodshot red. The dimmed golden aura around its body flared up again like a dying flash, flickering erratically and radiating an unstable, apocalyptic energy.

It had completely abandoned defense and reason, entering a final, desperate death throe.

Boom! Boom! Boom! Moving even faster than before, the frenzied beast began a mad drumming against the ground with its fists, each strike triggering a deafening explosion. It no longer aimed; it simply focused on purely, indiscriminately destroying everything around it. Countless shards of rock were launched into the air, shooting out in all directions like deadly shrapnel.

"Everyone scatter! Don't get caught in its death throes," Robin's calm voice rang out once more. "Its defense has crumbled. Aim for the wound on its neck!"

Tifa and Daphne moved with agility, dodging through the dense rain of rocks. They knew that while the Lawachurl was at the end of its rope, its erratic, unstructured attacks were deadlier than ever.

Jeanne planted her holy flag firmly into the ground. The golden radiance formed a resilient barrier, blocking the majority of the flying debris from reaching Lefiya and Alicia in the rear.

Without hesitation, Alicia triggered her ice magic once again. Frost spread rapidly across the ground, attempting to slow the beast's movements, only to be shattered the instant it made contact with that frenzied golden light.

"Now! The final blow!"

Guided by Robin's command, everyone seized the fleeting window Alicia had just created.

Firefly spun in mid-air, the light wings on her back blasting a fierce jet of flame. She transformed into a cyan comet, her twin swords aiming straight for the mangled stump of the Stonehide Lawachurl's neck.

Anakitty and Daphne charged from the left and right flanks. Their silhouettes blurred across the ground, the blades in their hands blooming with their most dazzling light.

From the front, Tifa took a deep breath. Her star-clad legs exploded with unparalleled power. She shot forward like an arrow released from a bowstring, aiming for the exact same fatal wound.

Roar! As if sensing the threat of death, the Stonehide Lawachurl let out a final bellow. It abandoned all offense, crossing its arms over its chest in a desperate bid to protect its vitals.

But it was too late.

Firefly's twin swords arrived first, piercing flawlessly into the break in its neck. Searing flames flooded the wound, burning its internal organs. Immediately after, Daphne and Anakitty's blades thrust in from the sides, shredding its muscles and tendons. Finally came Tifa's killing blow.

"Hah!"

With a sharp cry, Tifa's heel slammed viciously against the Lawachurl's crossed arms. Using the massive recoil, she flipped in mid-air, bringing her other leg down like a battleaxe, directly onto the back of its neck.

Thud! A muffled crash followed. Under the combined assault, the Stonehide Lawachurl's giant head was cleanly severed from its body, sent flying high into the air.

The massive headless corpse stood rigid, the flickering golden light finally dying out. A second later, it crashed to the ground like a landslide. Its body quickly dissolved into black ash, leaving behind only a massive, energy-rich Magic Stone and two minotaur horns.

As the Stonehide Lawachurl faded into dust, the clamorous battlefield finally fell into a moment of peace.

Raul slumped to the floor, wiping the cold sweat pouring down his forehead. "That thing..." he rasped, still shaken. "It had to be a Level 5 monster, right? I've never seen anything that tough. Its defense was completely absurd, and its attack power wasn't anything to scoff at, either. If a normal party ran into that, they'd get wiped out for sure."

Nearby, Anakitty looked in distress at the rolled edge of her short sword. Still mourning her weapon, she glanced at the enormous Magic Stone and the two horns on the ground.

"A monster of that level spawning on the 30th floor is way too unforgiving for other adventurers," she said seriously. "We need to head back and report this to the Guild immediately. Otherwise, who knows how many Second-Class adventurers might end up getting themselves killed by it. Besides, we've been in the Dungeon for days now. It's time to head back."

"I agree." Alicia walked over, also feeling a lingering dread. "We're running low on supplies, anyway." She turned to Robin to ask for her opinion. "What do you think, Miss Robin?"

"Yes, it is time to return." Robin nodded gently, her cool gaze sweeping over the exhausted group. "This was originally meant to be a trial expedition for our two Familias to coordinate. Achieving a result like this is more than enough. If we go any deeper, our supplies really won't be able to sustain us."

The provisions they brought weren't exactly abundant; they couldn't support an advance into deeper floors. Furthermore, this was merely a preliminary attempt at cooperation. There was no need to rush things.

Up on the high ground, the conclusion of the battle finally allowed the rearguard to relax.

"Wow, they did great! That was a Level 5 monster. There's no way Raul and the guys could have handled that on their own," Tiona exclaimed sincerely, clasping her hands behind her head.

"Tch. Trash is trash. They took way too long," Bete scoffed, stubbornly masking his relief.

A trace of subtle regret flashed through Ais's golden eyes. That Stonehide Lawachurl was strong—strong enough that even she had felt a spark of battle lust.

Tione crossed her arms, inadvertently drawing a jealous glare from her sister, Tiona, over her impressive bust. Her eyes were deep and thoughtful. She had carefully observed the entire battle, analyzing everyone's performance—a task given to her by Captain Finn.

Tione realized that while Lefiya's Level 5-tier bombardment magic had been absolutely vital for breaking its defense, the true linchpin of their success was the Focalors Familia's commander, Robin. She possessed an uncanny ability to anticipate the Lawachurl's every movement and intention beforehand, maximizing the entire team's coordination.

Of course, Alicia's crowd-control ice magic, Tifa's brutal strikes capable of inflicting heavy damage after activating her enchantment, and the stalling and guarding done by Raul's group were equally essential. It was this tacit synergy that allowed them to subjugate a powerful Level 5 monster well above their weight class.

Given the Stonehide Lawachurl's strength, it could rival a Level 5 Enhanced Species. Even Tione couldn't confidently claim she'd be able to subjugate it single-handedly. Out of everyone present, probably only Ais and the unfathomable Aiden possessed the confidence to solo it.

Her primary focus during this battle had been on the Focalors Familia. And what she discovered left her astounded. This rising Familia was truly astonishing.

Whether it was their terrifyingly calm commander Robin; Hyacine, who continuously provided efficient healing from the backline; Firefly, who—despite being Level 1—could activate her magic, take flight, and join the fray; Tifa, who ultimately delivered the crippling blows; or Jeanne d'Arc, who maintained a solid defensive barrier to protect the rearguard... every single one of their performances had been nothing short of flawless.

Compared to them, the performances of their own Familia members—Raul and Aki—as well as Daphne and Cassandra, who had transferred from the Apollo Familia to the Focalors Familia, could only be described as "commendable."

A Familia brimming with such exceptional members... It wouldn't be long before they grew into Orario's third reigning king. When that day came, Orario would no longer be defined by the Two Kings, but by an era of Three Great Factions.

At this thought, Tione let out a quiet sigh of relief. Luckily, unlike the capricious Goddess of Beauty and her Freya Familia, the Focalors Familia wasn't hostile toward the Loki Familia. On the contrary, they were close allies. Their growth was a good thing.

After all, the threat of the One-Eyed Black Dragon hung over every adventurer in Orario like the Sword of Damocles. The stronger the adventurers became, the better. That way, the Loki Familia wouldn't have to shoulder such immense pressure alone.

Once the group decided to head back, the return trip went extremely smoothly. Call it good luck, but on their way back to the surface, they even stumbled upon a blue-purple portal that had spawned out of thin air—a Domain Instance.

Almost without hesitation, everyone pooled enough Magic Stones to unlock the Domain. After a subjugation that wasn't overly difficult, they reaped a massive reward far exceeding their expectations: several Artifacts capable of directly boosting combat power, as well as Adventurer's Experience that could increase basic stats.

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