This Hero is Sleeping!



"Is this it…?"

Jamie's hopeless words spilled as the zombies all around them started flocking closer than ever. The numbers had increased and so had their strengths, not only was it nigh impossible to strike ahead, it had become almost impossible to just hold on.

With the undead not being tired or weakened in the least, the people fighting were soon reaching their limits.

Was this it? All of it over?

It was when such thoughts threatened to take over their minds.

[Fire Arrow]

Arrows of flames started pouring down on the backlines of the zombies.

And then, in the next moment, a heavy mist spilled all over the place.

"Was that…"

"Claude? Did he come here?"

Words of confusion filled Jamie and Quinton while Puzo and the reliable Suk encouraged the others to take the chance and plunge deeper.

The situation that seemed hopeless a few minutes ago started turning back on its heel as the onslaught of the zombies constantly slowed down.

And then, it happened.

All the water in the city started to rise into the sky.

Quinton didn't have any words, only a soft chuckle escaped his lips, so did one from the people fighting.

Monsters had appeared, not the zombies, no, but the wizard fighting in the distance.

"I can't believe… a pretty and sheltered looking person like Elric…"

"He's beyond all thought in the first place…"

The mist slowly started decreasing.

The attacks of the zombies mellowed.

The sound of the music reached far and wide, and the combatants burned with vigor.

All the water flying in the distance suddenly fell to the ground and the streets were filled with a tidal wave. Eventually, the sounds of battle in the distance died down, and so did the sound of the music behind them.

"FUCK!"

Claude's voice unmistakably reached their ears, and the mist started fading away.

"DON'T STOP NOW! ONE FINAL PUSH!"

"THEY'RE ALMOST DEFEATED!"

Lies, their words were mere lies as hundreds and hundreds of more zombies still lingered beyond the barricades, and all of them knew it as well.

With the mist gone, so did their calm.

But.

The zombies never approached.

They could only blink as the zombies suddenly fell limp to the ground.

"W-what…?"

"Did…?"

Beyond the sea of corpses that the zombies had now become, stood a lone man.

His face was as pale as a ghost and froth had formed at the edge of his lips. If they were seeing rightly, this person alone stood between the group of zombies…

Fear and uncertainty overtook the people, but one person, nay, two people recognized it well.

Suk, and Miss Parker. They knew that face as well as they knew their own, how would they not, when this person had already saved them once?

"I-It's him! He had saved us before!"

"He's the zombie master! He took away 50 zombies in front of my eyes!"

"W-what?? Zombie master? 50!?"

"Help, then did he make them fall?"

"Whats fifty, do you not see this! There's hundreds!!"

A few of them stepped out of the barricades, carefully. The man on the other end not moving the slightest bit.

At that point, Puzo suddenly dashed ahead. He was not kept around by the people who had raised the heroes for no reason. Puzo knew exactly what the people needed right now to ensure they don't take their rage for this tragedy on anyone else, it was a symbol that could unite them.

Instead of letting people wallow in darkness, he had to blind them with radiant hope.

And Puzo was ready to do just that.

He jumped over the hordes of dead zombies without batting an eye and dashed up to the man. He held his hands, and remembered.

"Fish cake guy…?"

"Fish cake…?"

"What is your name?" Puzo asked in a whisper.

"Me? I am Leres. Please… help me—"

"LERES HAS SAVED US!!!"

"Leres…?"

"He did help us?"

"Is… is it over?"

"NO MORE ZOMBIES! WE HAVE WON!!"

"Ah…"

"WOAAAAAH!!"

Cheers rang out from all over the battlefield as all the people started screaming in joy. The ones around threw away their weapons and hugged each other while others cheered and cried. Tears and relief filled the space around and the tension strangling the citizens was gone.

"Is it done… Did Elric… win?"

"I don't see any other explanation…"

Quinton and Jamie weren't calm, though. Rightfully so.

"LERES! LERES! LERES! LERES!"

"EH!?"

And of course, neither was Leres.

Well, it was just one of the starting pages of the legendary legend of the legendary legend Leres.

Just one of the started pages.

***

Claude dashed through the city.

"Fuck, fuck, be alright."

Tension filled his body as he ran as fast as he could. Was turning back to defeat the zombies a bad idea? No, they had already planned this out, he was just going as insurance. There was nothing Claude could do against the vampire…

Not when he was so… weak.

The ground was soon covered with water. In a single hop, he jumped up on the edges of the canals and started running. In no time at all, the boy was back at the front of the fountain of Maris.

On the ground were Erika, a fainted Elric on her laps.

And beyond them.

With a gaping hole in her chest and the top of her head missing, was the vampire. Upright.

"I…" the vampire's lips moved. "Than-k…"

"IT'S ALIVE!"

Claude screamed out loud. Without any hesitation or care whatsoever, he pulled his hands back and sent the sword reeling straight at the mouth of the speaking vampire. The blade chopped through yet another half of her face and pushed her down.

"C-Claude!?"

"[FIRE ARROW] [FIRE ARROW][FIRE ARROW][FIRE ARROW][FIRE ARROW]!!"

Claude used all of his remaining strength and spammed the final attack at the vampire. The arrows making holes in her bodies until a charred smell filled the air.

"Krr… th-than—"

"[FIRE ARROW]!!!!"

The sun rose back out not long after.

Now, a fainted Elric, a heaving Claude, and a bewildered Erika sat alone in the center of the street, in front of them a large pile of charred meat.

"Dead… finally, phew…"