The Goddess Of War

Chapter 294 - Anna, Lucy and Yola

Two months later, the day that all of humanity had not anticipated on Earth had finally arrived.

If according to what Anna had predicted, Beelzebub should return to Earth with an army of demons this week.

Believing Anna's prediction, the Hunter Association and the Governments of every city around the world worked together to evacuate the citizens and they had done so long before the week of the arrival of the demon army.

At Gina's suggestion, all the citizens were evacuated to locations that, Anna remembered in sight, there would be no war and all the citizens were asked to stay there until the war was over.

The residents who were displaced initially gave full spirit to the Hunters who would fight. However, the closer the day that the demon army was predicted to come, the more than half of the world's inhabitants who were in the neutral zone began to worry.

They began to imagine what if the Hunters who would fight it to the point of losing. Of course the demon army will definitely search and hunt down all the citizens who have been hiding.

Through the WABC channel, which regularly covers refugee camps, the world's citizens began to wonder about the Hunter's readiness and their belief in winning the battle.

Questions like 'Are the Earth Hunter troops going to win?' always asked by the entire world.

Anna, as the Hunter they had most hoped for, never answered the question at all because she knew, the only option they had was to win or the white vortex of Ann's goddess annihilate.

•••

The fourth day of the week foretold the coming of the demon army.

In a very large city, the city that became the residence of the strongest Hunters of the world, City C.

"It's strange too, when you see City C quiet like this," said Lucy who just sat on a long bench in a city park, after he took a walk with Yola to see the atmosphere of City C after almost 1 month abandoned all residents.

Yola stared around the fountain, which was now a bit dirty because there was no janitor to clean it.

"When it used to be very difficult to find an empty bench in this park," Yola recalled the times they also had a walk in this park when they were students at Hunter Academy.

Lucy nodded slowly. He began to remember that day, where they were just students who wanted to be as strong as Anna. The times when they did not imagine that days like now would exist.

Yola spoke again, in a soft voice, "Sometimes I think it might be better if I became a refugee instead of a Hunter. Although it has power, but I have to fight against those terrible demons."

Yola smiled bitterly.

"I think we better be Hunters, especially being frontline Hunters like Anna, Miyu, Gina, Kevin and Bimo."

Yola furrowed both of her brows, looking at Lucy with a bitter smile as well, "Why do you think so?"

Lucy looked at Yola for a moment. He let out a long sigh before replying, "Because we will know which way the war is going. If we win, we'll know first. If we lose, we'll die instantly without having to hide in fear to avoid that demon army,"

"We don't need to be anxious in hiding like them. Even if we're both worried, but our worries won't be as much as they are."

Yola nodded slowly, after she thought those words.

"You're right too."

"Yes, right?"

After that short talk, the two were silent for quite a while in the empty spacious garden. They dissolve in each other's minds until they don't speak anything else until someone finally comes over.

"You're daydreaming?" anna asked, giving them a canned drink.

"Anna?"

"Are you guys moping around?" ask Anna. He laughed after saying it.

"That's how...," said Yola. Her smile looked a little brighter when she saw Anna coming to see her and Lucy.

"Where did you get this drink?" lucy asked puzzledly, staring at the canned drink. He knew there was no operating drink vending machines. All shopping has been closed for almost a month.

Anna turned her head and pointed at a shopping mall that was outside the park location.

"I borrowed it from there."

Lucy and Yola turned towards the building before finally laughing.

"That's called stealing" said Lucy, who then laughed again with Yola.

Anna also laughed for a while, before defending herself.

"I've left a note and told you that I took 3 cans of this drink."

•••

Anna gazes around the park before finally sitting between Lucy and Yola.

"Why do you think something's gonna happen?" Anna asked back.

"In the past month, you've usually only spent time in your artificial world. Because you suddenly came out, so I thought something was going to happen."

Anna laughs.

"I just feel like you're not excited. That's why I came."

"Tsk... Your ability to read other people's thoughts and feelings is terrifying!" curse Lucy.

Although his mouth was cursing, he was actually very pleased with Anna's presence. For some reason, his previous spirit began to fade, awakened again only with Anna with them.

"But because of that, I also know that you two are now happy that I'm here."

Lucy immediately nudged Anna's arm.

"You're nothing at all..."

"If you may know, don't you know for sure the date they opened the gate?" ask Yola a few moments later.

"I can't be sure. There's a time difference when Beelzebub opens the gates in every repetition of life,"

"At the fifth repetition of life, Beelzebub opened its gates a few months ago. While in the sixth repetition of life, Beelzebub only opened the gate in the year 2110."

"uh? What makes it so?"

"We don't know for sure. But the goddess Lyn saw an exact same feature. All signs are the same."

"Handmark?"

"Yes." Yeah."

"What's that?"

"Beelzebub always opens the gate 6 months after Miyu kills Astareth. You remember Li Wen Xia, right? He's Astareth."

"Miyu's? Why is he a sign?"

"This is also uncertain. But, maybe because of the fate line written by one of the god's board of trustees who's been betrayed."

"..."

"I think Miyu was always the last Hunter to die before the arrival of the goddess Ann."

"What?"

"He was the last Hunter who could still survive before the strongest warlords of the demon race came. Even in the sixth life, Miyu was still fighting at the age of 78."

Lucy and Yola were silent. The two finally recalled how Miyuki fought alone against the demons before Anna came. He looks like a hero.

Although Anna tells them that, Anna does not tell them anything else that actually makes her shocked when she first finds out.

Anna sees, in those six lives, Miyuki, Gina, Kevin, Bimo, Rin, Ren, Lucy and Yola have always been partners. Somehow the way they met, they would always be comrades in arms.

The same thing happens to the seventh life which is this last life of repetition. Anna is still alive and Ren is dead.

"Anna...., can't you catch up to Beelzebub just before he opens the gate? At that time he must have returned to Earth first then he opened the gate, right?" ask Yola.

"Unfortunately it wasn't Beelzebub who came first. He had already invited an army of demons while on the demon nation planet. So, the other demons that will come first.lu..."

Anna suddenly stopped talking. He remained silent for a few seconds before finally standing up.

"They've come. Tell the others. I'll go first."

Lucy and Yola are silent for a moment after Anna suddenly disappears from their sight.

After the two looked at each other for a few seconds, then they contacted Gina and the others.

•••