Chapter 72: Eve of War
The little girl's words made Serena completely break down, and in the darkness, tears fell ceaselessly.
Although what these children had gone through truly had nothing to do with her, the thought that she herself had once wholeheartedly yearned to become a demon who would destroy their happiness filled Serena with overwhelming shame.
Wiping away her tears in the darkness, Serena walked out of the room, but just then, a voice called out to her.
"Serena, could you please put these candies into Lianna's candy bag in her locker?" the director of the Orphanage, a very kind-looking middle-aged woman, said with a smile.
"Okay." Serena nodded somewhat flusteredly, lowering her head, not daring to meet Aunt Yuko's eyes. Taking the candies, she turned towards the children's lockers.
After finding Lianna's locker, Serena put the candies Aunt Yuko gave her into the little girl's candy bag, which she usually cherished so much.
"Come sit down, Serena." Behind Serena, at the table where the children usually ate, Aunt Yuko patted the seat beside her, gesturing for her to sit down.
"Serena, it's truly wonderful that you can come and help. Otherwise, I would be too busy to handle so many children by myself," Aunt Yuko said with emotion.
"Not at all, I'm the one who's caused you trouble, Aunt Yuko." Serena lowered her head, her face flushed. Having been accustomed to a pampered life in the Academy since she was a child, she couldn't do anything well. Today, not only had she not helped at all, but she had also caused quite a bit of trouble.
"That's not important, you'll get used to it," Aunt Yuko said with a smile, waving her hand. Then, changing the subject, she asked, "Serena, you're not from Heartland City, are you?"
Aunt Yuko's words made Serena a little flustered, but after hesitating for a moment, Serena decided to tell the truth: "That's right, I'm not from Heartland City; I'm from the Fusion Dimension. I'm sorry."
"I see," Aunt Yuko said, a knowing expression appearing on her face. "No wonder Allen has been carefully watching you all day today." After saying this, Aunt Yuko fell silent, simply looking at Serena with loving eyes.
"You... don't you hate me?" Serena felt a little uneasy under that gaze and couldn't help but ask.
Aunt Yuko couldn't help but laugh when she heard this: "Why would I hate you? You haven't done anything, have you?"
"But I'm allied with those who hurt the children…" Serena's voice grew softer and softer, and her eyes welled up again.
"Serena, you can't choose where you were born. Although you came from there, you are not one of them. Your eyes don't deceive," Aunt Yuko said. She helped Serena wipe away her tears, then pulled her into her embrace, gently patting her back.
Aunt Yuko's actions stunned Serena. Having undergone cruel training in the Academy since she was a child, she had never experienced the feeling of being held in someone's arms.
"Serena, I may not know much about matters concerning Duelists, but I am quite confident when it comes to judging people. I can tell that Serena is different from those demon-like Fusion Dimension duelists, so there's no need for you to torment yourself for the mistakes of others, understand?"
Serena blankly raised her head, looked at Aunt Yuko's benevolent smile, and for a moment didn't know what to say.
"Alright, you should get some rest soon. In the future, I'll have to rely on Serena-chan to help me take care of the children," Aunt Yuko said with a smile, after wiping away Serena's tears and stroking her head.
…
In the darkness outside the dining hall door, Yūga Hōzumi patted Allen on the shoulder.
"Let's go. Let her stay here from now on," Yūga Hōzumi whispered.
"Is that... really okay?" Allen hesitated.
"Do you not trust me, or do you not trust Aunt Yuko?" After Yūga Hōzumi finished speaking, he gently led Allen away.
…
A few days passed, and nothing major happened in the camp. However, the news brought back by Kaito and Sugihara Yo, who went out scouting from time to time, was not good.
"Are there more and more bases on the periphery?" Standing before the map, Yūga Hōzumi said, his expression grim, after marking the bases on the map.
"That's right. Over the past two days, Kaito and I originally wanted to take down one or two, but their reinforcements were also much faster, so we had to desist," Sugihara Yo said.
"Forget it. Halt your reconnaissance for now and focus on preparing for the final decisive battle. It seems it will happen within the next two days," Yūga Hōzumi said.
"The problem now is how the four of us can guard five intersections. Can we find a way to get Shun back?" Kaito asked.
"Shun is probably already in the Synchro Dimension now. It's too late to go looking for him," Yūga Hōzumi said.
"How about I take the last intersection? Although I may not be able to win, I will try to hold them back and wait for your support," Garros said with a resolute expression.
"Big Brother Garros, how about you let us handle it?" Shinjō Katsu said from the side. "Our army still needs your command."
"Stop it. This last intersection is destined to be the breakthrough point for the enemy's full-scale assault. It doesn't matter if I die; you are still young. Don't bet your future on a battlefield where death is certain," Garros stated unequivocally.
"But…" Shinjō Katsu wanted to say something, but Yūga Hōzumi cut him off with a wave of his hand.
"Stop arguing, all of you. I'll figure out a way for the fifth intersection."
"We currently have 4963 effective combatants; let's round that up to 5000. For defense, 500 people per intersection would suffice, with 1000 people per intersection working in two shifts. The remaining personnel will serve as reinforcement troops and defend against invaders sneaking in through smaller paths, in addition to the five main intersections," Yūga Hōzumi issued his orders methodically.
"Kaito, you go to the intersection on the due north side; Sugihara Yo, you go to the northeast side; Yuto, you go to the intersection on the due south side; and I will handle the intersections on the due east and southeast directions." Yūga Hōzumi arranged after a moment's thought.
"You plan to guard two intersections by yourself?" Kaito frowned.
"I'm not that arrogant, but someone will help us guard the last intersection," Yūga Hōzumi said.
Just then, Reynold ran into the meeting room, panting.
"Leader, the enemy's challenge letter has arrived." Reynold was so out of breath he could barely speak. He handed the challenge letter to Kaito, who was closest to him, then immediately propped himself up on his knees, panting heavily.
"A challenge letter?" Sugihara Yo said disdainfully. "Have these guys learned this trick now?"
"No, rather than a challenge letter for us, it's more like that guy Aster Phoenix issued it to Yūga Hōzumi." After reading the contents of the challenge letter once, Kaito handed it to Yūga Hōzumi.
Yūga Hōzumi took it and glanced at it. The content of this so-called challenge letter was very simple: "At sunrise tomorrow, we will have a battle to the death. I will personally lead the troops to attack the intersection on the due east side. I hope to see you there and settle the score for our last encounter."
…
The next chapter will be very late. You can read it tomorrow morning; there are many things going on in the company at the end of the year.
(end of chapter)