Well... I finally broke down and had to have a look on Gamefaqs.com for tip on how to finish off the end boss of Vagrant Story. When you spend a good half hour or so pounding on the guy, he goes down not once but twice and comes back for more and hits you with a special attack that kills you with ONE HIT... well, I'm glad to have trundled my way through 99% of the game without any hints, but I need some help here :)