From the triangular ears and tail, I’m guessing it’s another Lucor zombie that just jumped down from the trees. It’s only a guess because this Lucor is well over six feet when all the others seemed shorter than five feet. This one is around the same height as Lex, if not taller.
“H-Hey, Lex? Didn’t you say this tribe is distinct for its petite size?”
“…It appears my memory has failed me.”
Meanwhile, the large Lucor zombie is continuing to hiss at us. Their hisses might be kind of cute if they got rid of the bw- and just moaned -eow. That’d be a little more catlike. Then again, not even the cutest cat in the world would be counted as cute if it was rotting and smelled of death.
“BWEEOOOOOOOOW!”
It lets out the loudest roar yet and pounces. Lex steps forward and deflects it with his shield. But the tall zombie immediately catches its balance. It even uses the momentum to hop into the trees and circle us from above by leaping from branch to branch.
“U-Ugh…it’s not only big but faster and more agile than the others…!” I groan.
“Please do not leave my side, Lady Mizuha!”
The other soldiers can’t get too close with it in the trees. We don’t know when or where the Lucor zombie might pounce. Then, the deadlock is broken with the sound of a branch snapping.
The tall zombie drops down on Lex’s shield from the tree directly above us. The force is ten times what it was before. Lex catches its claws with his shield, but the impact throws him back.
“Lex!”
“I’m fine! Please run away!”
He doesn’t have to tell me twice. I break into a run—but the Lucor zombie is already on me. Its right hand arcs through the air toward me. I reflexively duck, and somehow manage to avoid its claws. A sharp whistle and a cool breeze whoosh over my head.
Dodging that was sheer dumb luck. I need to get out of here now. But I doubt I can outrun a creature that is clearly several times faster than me.
Listening to my instincts, I thrust out my right hand. It conveniently smacks the Lucor square in the face. A nice, crisp slap echoes through the woods just as purifying light illuminates the area. Delighted cheers erupt from the Grantz soldiers.
“There it is! Priestess Mizuha’s Full-Face Smack!”
“Will you please quit naming my slaps like they are special moves?!” The trouble is that when they say it, there’s no malicious intent. They truly mean it as a compliment. And that’s why I’m forever stuck being unable to really make them stop.
Thus, the immediate area’s zombie purification ended with the realization that I was surrounded by people with very odd perspectives.
The last zombie I purified is a woman, which I kind of guessed from her more pronounced chest. I can’t tell how old she is, but she seems close in age to me.
“I was just a zombie…how…?” She seems to have fallen into the confusion that often follows dezombification. She curls up on the ground and begins checking over her body.
Her waist-length hair is tied back in a ponytail. Lucors seem to share some traits with cats—her large yellow eyes have pupils that narrow into slits. But, overall, she gives off a gentle impression rather than a scary one.
Perhaps her moving ears and tail help with that. Her fur looks much softer and fluffier than the mangy appearance she had as a zombie. I have the urge to pet her. Typically when someone is tall and slender, most people immediately think of them as beautiful or cool, but I have the complete opposite reaction.
“Cute…!”
“…P-Pardon?”
She blinks at me. It’s only natural to be bewildered when a stranger calls you cute while you have absolutely no idea what is going on. But I just couldn’t help myself! Especially after my first Lucor turned out to be a bearded old man, and the rest weren’t any better. I hope she will forgive my urgency.
“Lady Mizuha! More Lucor zombies have come from deeper in the woods! Hurry!” Lex calls after me.
I look in the same direction as him and see another horde of Lucor zombies traversing the trees. There’s less than the last batch, but still more than ten. And there’s no telling if there aren’t more behind them. Taking them on sooner rather than later is a necessity.
“Sorry! I’m coming now!” I shout back to Lex, then offer a final word to the female Lucor rather than just run off. “I’m sorry, I’m in a hurry. Um, what’s your name…?”
“Nady Ol Theos La Quim Rom Lucor.”
Yeah, that was longer than expected.
“Nady O-Oltheo—what?”
“Nady is fine.”
“Okay, see you later then, Nady,” I say and sprint off toward Lex.
“U-Um! Thank you very much for saving me!” she shouts after me.
“You’re welcome!”
It’s not like I’m purifying zombies for the gratitude. But, it’s always nice to be thanked. It helps me endure the offensive stench wafting from my right hand. I keep my hand as far as possible from my face and get a good count on our incoming Lucor zombie horde.
“M’kay, time to round up and purify another batch of zombies!”