This Hero is Sleeping!



All the water in the city of Soleda floated in the sky, all of it following every beck and call of Elric.

His auburn hair fluttered in the wind while his silver eyes pierced straight into the eyes of the vampire.

"Eriblah blah…"

"Y-y-yes…?" Erika stuttered, finding it hard to even speak.

"Make sure you play your role well."

This level.

Was it not already at the level at the people that taught her?

Elric was well into the stage of an advanced mage, but his mana control took him yet higher.

"Let's go now, for round two."

The strings in the music began! The vampire shot off the ground and took to the skies, getting away from this monster its first instinct.

Elric smiled as the water all around swirled under his feet and floated up, dragging him into the skies. Five minutes were all he had, and even though he didn't feel the mildest bit exhausted, Elric couldn't 'surpass' his limits, but rather access them to the fullest.

In these five minutes, using whatever cheap tricks he could, he had to win.

The mass of water puddled under his feet and slowly started to lift him up. The ones below hard and stuck in place while the rest of the water jetted him around, Elric started flying up in the sky. That alone took half the tricks in his arsenal, but that was enough.

"KRAAA!" The vampire screamed and ran her hand through her entire arm, sending bats made of blood dancing toward Elric and his mass of water.

The boy snapped his fingers. Orbs formed in the air and crashed into the blood back.

One minute passed.

Blood, instead of falling, seeped into the water and control of the attack shifted over to the vampires hand, but Elric had already felt this trick once.

Instead of fearing the attack,  he sent a dozen more orbs after the vampire, and then a dozen more.

The vampire and Elric rushed through the skies like dancers in a ball room. The water that had been taken over fell apart and spilled to the ground, the vampire unable to maintain her control against Elric's inane onslaught.

With the rise of his hands.

"Come and Rage, Water Phoenix!"

It was just one large square of water. Shaping it was too difficult with the volume. The box of water tore through the skies and crashed toward the vampire. Like before, the vampire dodged the large mass by going under it.

A snap rang.

And from below emerged a bird made of water. It's wings flapped as it dived straight into the vampire, sending it reeling back.

"KRAA!"

Two minutes passed.

Elric didn't miss the chance. His eyes tracking the vampire at every moment. Just to play it safe, he lowered the mass of water and drowning the streets in it, the mass amount of water ready to wash away any stains of blood that would remain on the ground.

"Woah!"

Erika was swept away too, but managed to hold her footing by climbing the statue.

Elric closed his eyes, his mind feeling for any change in the range of his spells. There, he found her, the vampire slowly trying to stand back up.

The vampire stabbed her stomach.

Elric pulled away all the water from the spot, leaving only the land below her dry.

"KERAAA!"

The vampire screamed, and from the right, Elric's perception tinged.

Out came dashing a man with a moustache, his teeth bloodied and his body rotting.

It was the first person the vampire had bit into.

Without batting an eye, Elric's water circled around the being—

— And crushed it into mush.

Three minutes passed.

Erika couldn't watch, her mouth covered by her hands.

Thankfully, that split second bought by her pawn was enough for the vampire.

She sent a last sprout of blood at Elric as hundreds of spears formed into the sky. And the vampire's hand started to fade into mist.

"ERIKA!"

Elric used all the water on his hand and blocked the onslaught.

"[Ground Magic: Sandcloud]!"

Erika's spell made her eyes glow, and right around the vampire, a cloud of dust formed.

The vampire's body was unable to travel on its own, and it slowly broke back into its human form.

Four minutes passed.

Elric ignored everything and dashed ahead. The water below his feet propelling him forward.

Ten seconds.

He tore through the attack that the vampire had sent reeling at him, dozens of scratched spilling all over his body, but his momentum didn't slow.

Twenty seconds.

He lunged off the water and straight toward the vampire on the ground.

"THERE YOU ARE!"

"KRAAA!"

The vampire crawled back.

Thirty seconds.

Elric reached out, the water all around him surging behind.

His hand touched the vampire's chest with one hand.

Forty seconds.

And then, with the water in tow, sawed deep into her body.

"KRAAA!"

Fifty seconds.

Blood spilled like a broke geyser as Elric grabbed the vampire's heart.

And another saw of water behind him surged toward its head.

The water chopped off the top of the vampire's brain.

"DIE!"

And Elric's hand crushed its heart.

Five minutes passed.

The water behind fell, soaking the streets wet.

Elric's eyes moistened, and he dropped above the vampire.

"Kra… k…"

And then, the vampire fell.

The music slowly moved to a stop, Erika's eyes trembling.

Slowly, very slowly, she climbed down the fountain and walked over to Elric.

"E-Elric…"

It was dead.

Was it dead?

Readying a spell, Erika stepped closer.

She rushed when she was near and grabbed Elric right away. His hand had crushed the heart and the vampire's brain was sliced through too. It was an attack that neglected no weak spot.

She pulled Elric behind and slapped his cheeks.

"Elric! Elric Wald! Wake up!"

"Kuh…"

A voice responded. Erika, in joy, looked toward Elric. But his mouth hadn't moved an inch.

A chill ran up her spine as she slowly turned to the side.

There.

The vampire stood.