Chapter 29
A straight-on charge.
A windup with its right claw.
It's fast. And probably heavy.
Just getting inside its guard would leave me crushed by its weight.
I deflect the attack outward.
Then slash upward with the return stroke.
It connected. But...
The feel of its hard hide traveled up my longsword.
"Grr!"
"Damn, it really is tough...!"
I managed to land a blow, but I couldn't tell if it had done anything. It hadn't quite been deflected, but all I'd managed was to damage the surface of its hide.
This is going to be tough unless I cut it down with a sword possessing exceptional sharpness and heft, land a full-power blow from a good stance and distance, or strike what looks like a vital spot.
"This is a lot to handle...!"
At the very least, it'd take a minute for Surena to administer first aid to Porta and retreat to safety.
Having to put on a one-man show against Zeno Grayble in the meantime was more than a little too much for an old man like me.
"GRAAAAH!!"
Having failed to finish off its prey with not one but two strikes, Zeno Grayble let out a roar thick with unmistakable irritation and anger, then took a wide stance.
I had no idea how many hits it would take to bring that thing down.
Meanwhile, one hit from it would be game over for me.
This was one hell of a tightrope act.
"Hah!"
I leapt back to evade the claw sweeping in from the side, and as I retreated, tried slashing at its foreleg.
But as expected, it had little effect. If anything, its limbs were even tougher than its torso. That ruled out the option of disabling it by cutting its legs.
"Now, the obvious weak point would be its face, but...!"
I put some distance between us and watched for an opening.
Though that only meant a few meters at most. Zeno Grayble could close that gap in an instant.
Its face. Ideally, I needed to land a direct slash on the inside of its mouth or its eyes.
From the feel of my few slashes, hitting anywhere else would be difficult. Cutting its wings might be an option, but it was so huge that my reach wouldn't be enough.
"Porta! Hang in there!"
Following the voice, I shifted my gaze for just an instant and saw Surena reaching Porta.
She pulled a potion from her pocket and poured it liberally over Porta's body.
...That was rough. Even if Surena could return to the front line, there was no way she could escape while carrying Porta and the two rookies.
Which meant our only way to survive was to kill Zeno Grayble here, or at the very least render it unable to move.
Damn it, how did it come to this? If I could, I'd wail and run all the way back to the capital.
But I couldn't.
Three rookie adventurers' lives were at stake behind me.
Abandoning them and fleeing on my own would be a swordsman's disgrace.
I'm an ordinary old man, but I'm not so despicable that I'd abandon my pride as a swordsman just to save my own skin.
I couldn't face my former students afterward, either!
"...Guess I've got no choice!"
I steeled myself and charged at Zeno Grayble.
"Grrrraaah!"
"Hmph!"
I knocked aside the left foreleg it sent out to intercept me with my sword as I dodged.
There was no way I could win by meeting it head-on with strength. The difference in physical power between a large monster and a human was simply too great.
So I had to use my sword to redirect its force as I evaded, then strike back while dodging. Even an ordinary block would send me straight into danger.
"If only one clean hit would win this!"
After dodging Zeno Grayble's attack, I landed one slash from the side.
I couldn't build up power for a blow while moving my feet. I couldn't expect to do much damage, but for now, it was enough if it saw me as no more than an annoying gnat buzzing around.
I'd take it down once Surena joined me.
The top priority was keeping Zeno Grayble focused on me and holding out until she finished treating Porta.
"Grrrroooaaar!"
Zeno Grayble didn't look hurt, either. As a swordsman, it was pretty discouraging that I couldn't even expect a little bleeding from a few cuts.
"Grr!"
"...Hah!"
A charge came. I dodged.
A claw came. I dodged that, too.
It came, I dodged; it came, I dodged; I slashed, it had no effect; it came again, I dodged.
Hmm. Even as a Specially Designated Subjugation Target, was it still basically just a griffin? Its attacks were a charge, its claws, and its beak. Its speed and power were absurd, but it wasn't doing anything outlandish.
Maybe I could somehow hold out until Surena joined me.
But my hands were tingling from repeatedly deflecting and parrying its attacks. My upper arms were getting tired, and even my back was aching. Getting old sure sucks.
Whatever the case, it wasn't an opponent I could afford to let my guard down against.
It couldn't have been designated a Specially Designated Subjugation Target just for being big, fast, and having a different fur color. I had to assume it had something up its sleeve.
One hit would still finish me, so I had to stay focused.
But damn, this thing was tough. I couldn't see myself beating it in a fair fight.
"Grrraaaaargh!!"
"...Huh?"
It let out a roar with all its irritation on full display, clearly seeing me as no more than a gnat.
Just as my ears were starting to get used to it, something caught my eye.
Zeno Grayble's tail, whipping around restlessly, entered the edge of my vision.
...If I tried hard enough, could I cut that?
The faint hope of taking on this colossal monster began to rear its head.
"Grrrah!"
"Whoa!"
No, no. I couldn't afford to sink into that train of thought.
Zeno Grayble shifted its stance and charged at me again.
"Hah!"
It was coming straight at me, face first, so I thought maybe I could cut it—but no, that didn't seem likely.
Even if I swung my sword in time with its charge, it was moving too fast to line up the tip of my blade. Not that I couldn't do it, but if I did, we'd inevitably hit each other at the same time. In other words, I'd get sent flying.
To land a solid blow, I'd have to find a way to stop it, even for an instant.
Still, I might as well make it pay a little toll on the way past.
"Yaaah!"
I dodged its body slam and swung my longsword once.
I slipped behind Zeno Grayble, then spun around, using the centrifugal force to swing my sword sharply upward.
It was just an estimate, but I thought I had the distance and timing about right.
Take this, you bastard!
"Gyaah!?"
"...That connected!"
I definitely felt my sword cut into Zeno Grayble's extraordinarily long tail.
Unfortunately, I hadn't managed to sever it, but I'd left a fairly deep wound. Blood dripped steadily from the cut.
"GRAAAAAAAH!!"
Zeno Grayble let out a roar louder than any it had made before.
Ah, yeah. Now it's pissed.
Wild animals and monsters often go even more berserk when you wound them carelessly. If you think you can win, take them down at once; if you can't, run for your life. Fail to judge the situation, and it's not unusual to take a nasty counterattack.
"GRAH!!"
"Whoa!"
Right after its enraged roar,
a searing-hot projectile shot from Zeno Grayble's gaping maw.
――I knew it! I knew it had something!
It was called a Specially Designated Subjugation Target, so I figured it wouldn't be strange for it to have a hidden weapon or two. And I'd hit the mark.
Because I'd kept the thought that it might have something in reserve at the back of my mind, I was able to dodge the sudden ranged attack. And having fought Lucy before had taught me how to think through attacks like this.
Well, experience really is important. Though I don't want to thank Lucy too much.
"Grr...!?"
It must not have expected me to dodge, because Zeno Grayble froze for an instant.
It was right in front of me, its mouth still wide open.
And it had stopped moving.
If I was going to close in, now was the time.
"All right!"
Sometimes thinking can get in the way, especially when speed is essential.
I gave up on dodging and charged straight at it.
I held my longsword straight out and thrust it into the mouth of hell.
"Die, you bastard!"
"GRAAAAAAARGH!!"
I felt it pierce something soft.
But I wasn't done yet.
I hadn't finished it off.
With all the strength I had left, I would unleash a fierce flurry of attacks—
"...Huh?"
My arms wouldn't move at all, despite what I wanted.
I-I can't pull it out!
Shit, shit! What do I do?!
"――You've caused quite a mess, you bastard."
In that instant.
A whispering voice, yet one that rang out clear and true.
The "Dragon Twin Swords," with a scorching gaze and killing intent colder than absolute zero.
"Gyaaaaaargh!!"
Surena Lisandera plunged her two fangs into Zeno Grayble's eyes from directly above.