Chapter 40: One-on-One

A flame illuminating the dark night.

I face off against the "monster."

The pig continued to threaten with its irritating, grating cries.

Probably wary of the flaming sword.

But—

'VooooooOOOOOooooooOOOoooooO!'

Ah, come on! Get out of the way!

I might have made a mistake using "Enchant" too early.

I was more preoccupied with dealing as they gathered than with the pig-like "monster."

While slicing down each approaching "zombie" one after another, my focus remained fixed on the pig-like "monster."

Now.

How to finish it off.

The creature was cautious, but I was just as careful.

What I had to watch out for was the pair of massive fangs growing from its mouth.

From the way Mizutani was blown away like a toy doll, its power was nothing short of extraordinary. Its movements were surprisingly agile, defying its massive appearance.

If I'm going to do it, then—finish it in one strike.

The head was likely its most vulnerable point.

The brain, nestled deep within the space between the eyebrows.

With a blade enchanted by magic, I could easily cleave through its brain.

'Bugy! Bugy!'

Eventually, unable to bear the tingling any longer, the pig let out a high-pitched squeal.

"——! "

In an instant, its massive body launched toward me at the speed of a bullet.

"Y-You're fast!"

What surprised me was that it didn’t even seem to have a running start.

Apparently, it had just forcefully kicked off the ground with those short little legs.

...Are you seriously ignoring the laws of physics, you thing?

I barely dodged the attack and remembered the school building behind me, freezing in shock.

Gooouunnn...

The school's first floor collapsed spectacularly, kicking up a massive cloud of dust.

"Shit!"

I grit my teeth.

Fortunately, only part of the wall was destroyed, but I can't let it go any further—this school can't be destroyed any more.

"This...!"

An instinctive rage at having my territory invaded.

Without thinking, I drove my blade deep into the pig-like monster's rear, still pressed against the wall.

"Get away!"

"——Bwah? Buggie!"

As expected, the monster's skin was incredibly tough.

But it was no match for my enchanted blade.

I hacked off a large chunk of the pig monster's rear flesh.

"Yeeeeeaaaargh!"

Letting out a cry strangely human-like, the pig twisted its entire body in agony.

Instinctively stepping back, it suddenly bounced forward like a rabbit—(an utterly bizarre sight; a creature of three-meter stature leaping with the nimbleness of a small animal!). The pig turned back toward me.

Glancing around, I suddenly realized the situation was rapidly spiraling into something far worse.

"Zombies."

Hundreds of "zombies" were slowly pouring into the school grounds through the hole left by the pig's "monster."

"——This is bad..."

Facing off against the pig's "monster" and hundreds of "zombies" was truly daunting.

At that moment—

A military truck roared past me at full speed.

The driver was... Norihata Norio.

"Leave the 'zombies' to us, Senpai—go after that pig bastard!"

"Come on, you damn bastards! Here I come!"

"Alright! Let's do our best—just don't die!"

"……………Get out of our home!"

I didn't even need to look to know who was speaking.

Kousuke-kun.

Hayataro-kun.

Asuka-san.

Ritsuko-san.

A little later,

"Over here! Hurry!"

Along with several gunshots, Mada Gōzō-san.

And also, Sensei Sasaki and Sensei Suzuki.

………….

For just a moment, I steadied my breath.

"——《Fireball》"

A fiery orb materialized in the palm of my hand.

I threw it straight at the pig's face,

『Buuuugiiii! Buggiiii!』

Slowly, I raised my sword into position.

"……Yes, that's right. Let's enjoy this—just us, by ourselves."