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“Grarr!”
“Kyah!”

The Tyrannoghavial’s fangs miss her by the breadth of a hair.

“Mir, are you okay?”
“Y-yeah, thanks.”

Mir stood back up, and I wound back my nerve threads.

“Try to refrain from chaining attacks like that. If you stay there for too long, you might not get out alive.”
“Got it.”

The two of us are attacking it, but it’s not enough to corner it. Normally one would use an advantage in numbers to attack from two opposite sides, but we can’t do that now since I use a gun.

If a bullet pierces through the target, or is deflected, there’s a high likelihood it could hit my ally. I’m familiar with my gun’s power too, and friendly fire would be no joke. On top of that, if we try cornering a large monster like the Tyrannoghavial, we won’t be able to see each other’s movements, making it impossible to help each other like I just did.

Our best option is to continue chipping away at its stamina until it gets too tired. We continue paying attention to it and each other, making sure we don’t become stationary targets. Changing our position also makes it easier to dodge counter attacks.

I lose track of time, but the Tyrannoghavial is getting weaker, assaulted by our continuous attacks. Its head is held lower than before, and it no longer tries to counter attack.

Even if we can’t kill it, at least we’ll be able to escape at this rate. But as soon as I think that, I notice I was too optimistic. It rushes towards Mir, jaws open wide. I instinctively pushed her away. And my hand vanishes inside the mouth. How can I be such an idiot!

It might be terrestrial, but it’s still a crocodile! I had forgotten the other features of crocodiles, as important as their large jaws and strong scales are their strong and fast movements! That it lowered its head meant it was preparing to lunge like that!

And once a crocodile bites something, it proceeds to tear it apart, in a large rotating movement known as death roll.

Tumble!

The Tyrannoghavial throws its body to the side, starting to turn over many times.
Before it snaps my arm, I separate it myself.

“Kuh-”

I brace my legs and stand my ground, trying not to get pulled together with my nerves, but my fingers can’t bear the stress and let go of Black Hawk. Eventually the death roll ends, and the Tyrannoghavial gets on its feet again.

Its eyes were filled with confusion. Surprisingly enough, mine were too. My nerve threads had gotten wrapped around its snout, restraining the jaws’ movements.

“Grrr…”

The Tyrannoghavial tries to open its mouth as much as it can, but my resilient nerve threads refuse to break.

“Mir, attack!”
“O-okay!”

Her sword hits the monster, but it isn’t enough to break the scales. The Tyrannoghavial’s eyes turn to Mir. This is bad. Even if it can’t open its mouth, it still has enough strength and weight to crush a human.

I have to attract its attention somehow. But all I can use to attack is my hand charged with magic. Though I can’t see that working. The bullets had little effect, so an attack with less power would be useless.

I have to focus at least a bullet’s worth of mana. I channel mana onto my left hand, trying to mold it there. Not into a fist, but a sharper shape. Not to hit, but to pierce. I have to attack a softer and less protected area. The eyes.

“Grgrrgghhhhh!”

I stab its eye with the blue crystalline blade I formed, and it lifts its head while growling loudly, getting away from my hand and the blade. I can imagine it’s even more painful because it can’t cry properly, but I have no mercy.

“Try thrusting, Mir! Focus your strength into smaller points!”
“Okay!”

Mir holds her sword lower near her hip, and stabs it into the exposed throat, the blade going through and poking out from the other side. The Tyrannoghavial’s eyes turned to Mir and it lifted its front leg.

All that movement made my right hand feel something inside its mouth. Caught it! It hadn’t swallowed Black Hawk yet. This sounds a bit corny, but I had to say it.

“It might be hard outside, but what about the inside?”

I hold the grip and start firing wildly. Multiple bullets come out from the top of its head all the way to its back. The Tyrannoghavial leans its body forward, but stands its ground.

Then it lifts its leg again, even though I’m sure I pierced through its innards. It can still move?! What should I do?! Even with an eye crushed, throat pierced, and innards filled with holes, it still remained alive.

I had to do more than just make holes in it.

“There’s no other way.” I don’t like the idea, but I had no other option. “Mir, get away!”

I infuse Black Hawk with all the mana I could muster, aim it up, and fire an incendiary round.

Thump!

There was a muted sound from the enclosed explosion. The biggest incendiary round I could muster, aimed straight at its brain in the area where the bone is the thinnest. That should do the trick.

Flames and blood spurt out from all the holes riddling the Tyrannoghavial’s head. Its body tips over once more, and this time it doesn’t support itself again.

“Did we do it?”

Fully aware I might have just jinxed it, I look closer at the Tyrannoghavial.

“Good job, you two.”

Ophelia appears behind us with words of praise.

“Mistress, are you saying this Tyrannoghavial is actually dead now?”
“Yes, you two did well.”
“Hahh…that was so scary.”

Hearing Ophelia, Mir falls on her back exhausted. I also finally got to relax my shoulders.