You wouldn't want them to be bullied, would you?

Page 248

Kiana grumbled to Maria, "Besides the full moon celebration, every year during the Lunar New Year, Dad takes us to put up couplets, have New Year's Eve dinner, stay up late, and pay New Year's visits... In short, there are so many things to do during the Lunar New Year!"

"Hehe... Kiana, don't you like it?"

"Oh? No, it's always lively and fun during Chinese New Year—especially when we visit relatives and friends. Not only can we ask for red envelopes, but we can also get free food and drinks!"

At this point, Kiana seemed to have opened a floodgate of conversation, and began to chatter on about the interesting things that happened during the Chinese New Year.

Maria smiled as she looked at Kiana, while discreetly clutching her chest as if taking a deep breath.

However, the skin hidden beneath the clothes shimmered with an eerie red glow, like flowing red liquid or strange red patterns.

……

Academy City, baby supply store.

Angelia and Bianca arrived late, but found no trace of Maria and Kiana.

"As expected... Anna's situation was not accidental."

Angelia's expression became much more serious.

After hesitating for a moment, she looked at Bianca beside her and whispered, "Bianca, go find Cecilia first. My strength is not as good as Maria's. If a battle breaks out, it will be difficult for me to protect you."

“Aunt Angelia, I’m not weak. I’m equivalent to an A-rank Valkyrie, which is enough for me to protect myself.”

"No, Maria and Kiana are already missing. I can't let you take any more risks."

Angelia shook her head, her attitude very firm.

Bianca bit her lip, worried about Kiana's safety, but couldn't think of any words to persuade Angelia.

The next second, Aurora, Agatha, and Annie stepped through the air and landed next to Angelia and Bianca.

"Aunt Angelia, how is the situation now?"

"I don't know. First Anna disappeared without a trace, and now Maria and Kiana have also lost contact."

"What—what on earth is going on?!"

"The last message Maria sent me was that she and Kiana went into the baby supplies store to investigate..."

Angelia pointed to the empty baby supplies store and continued in a low voice, "It was only a few minutes before Maria and Kiana disappeared."

Chapter 348 Apricot's Time Stop

The baby supplies store was completely empty, with no staff in sight.

Aurora frowned, glanced at Bianca's worried face, and then at the empty baby supplies store.

After a few seconds of contemplation, she instructed Angelia and Bianca: "Aunt Angelia, you and Bianca wait outside for Cecilia's mother. Agatha, Anne, and I will go into the baby store to check on things."

"Aurora, this is too dangerous."

“Aunt Angelia, don’t worry. Agatha and I are Herrschers. Even if we are no match for an unknown enemy, we can still escape with Aunt Maria and Kiana.”

Aurora's brows radiated confidence.

In terms of movement speed, few Herrschers can compare to the "Herrscher of Wind," while Agatha is known for her destructive power as the "Herrscher of Flame." Unless a new Herrscher descends, few enemies can defeat Aurora and Agatha.

Upon hearing this, Angelia sighed and rubbed her forehead in exasperation.

“Aurora, confidence is a good thing, but overconfidence can turn into arrogance—you must be careful, and come back as soon as you find Maria and Kiana.”

"Aren't you going to consider solving this problem while you're at it?"

"I think it's better to take a long-term view, after all, even Anna couldn't escape after breaking the seal on the Herrscher's core."

"...We'll be careful."

Aurora compared her own strength with Anna's and ultimately decided to be more cautious, returning immediately after finding Maria and Kiana.

She then pushed open the door and walked into the baby products store.

Agatha followed closely behind, while Annie smiled and waved to Angelia and Bianca before quickly entering the baby supplies store.

Under the tense gaze of Angelia and Bianca, Aurora, Agatha, and An could only be seen behind the door; the three of them could not be seen from the window of the baby store.

"...Just as I expected."

This situation made Angelia realize the true purpose of the baby supplies store.

—To deceive others.

If you're buying baby products normally, this baby product store is just an ordinary shop. But if your purpose isn't to buy baby products...

Anyone who enters a baby product store will eventually find themselves in another space.

……

Dominate the theater.

After Aurora, Agatha, and Annie entered the baby store, they were unaware that their surroundings had changed. They were fully alert to their surroundings, ready to be attacked in case of a sudden attack.

“Sister Aurora, Sister Agatha, we…”

Xing looked outside and whispered in a low voice, "We've already been infected."

"When exactly did it happen...?"

After Xing's reminder, Aurora suddenly realized the changes in the outside world.

Then, upon further reflection, she realized the true purpose of the baby supplies store.

"So it was used to cover up the truth..."

“Agata, Annie, let’s go—find Aunt Maria and Kiana as soon as possible, and then escape this space.”

The Domination Theater was so eerie that Aurora dared not make any rash moves and only wanted to get Maria and Kiana away from there as soon as possible.

The three of them didn't even realize when the space around them had changed until they found themselves in another space, only then belatedly realizing that this was not the real world.

Crunch!

As Aurora, Agatha, and Annie left the baby store, strange noises echoed through the empty and dilapidated street, instantly putting the three girls on their guard.

Strangely enough, despite the fact that two battles broke out here, neither the baby supply store nor the shattered streets have changed much, just like when Anna first arrived at the Dominion Theater.

"Doll."

Xing suddenly spoke up to remind Aurora and Agatha.

As the sound faded, before Aurora and Agatha could even make a move, the nearby dolls had already been dismembered, leaving only broken bodies lying on the ground.

Seeing this bizarre scene, Aurora was stunned for a moment, then asked helplessly, "Xing, did you use your power again?"

"Ah."

Xing nodded slightly, then explained, "Anna is the Herrscher of Ice, yet she still fell to these puppets, which means they have methods to target Herrschers. To prevent any unexpected situations, it's safer for me to take action."

"That makes sense..."

Aurora nodded thoughtfully, then looked at the huge shadow in the distance.

Agatha and Annie followed Aurora's gaze and also saw that enormous shadow.

"Sister Aurora, shall we head that way?"

"Well, given Aunt Maria's personality, she will definitely choose to explore that building. Moreover, Aunt Maria is quite strong, and those puppets are unlikely to pose a threat to her."

"I'll go ahead and scout ahead."

Anki possesses the ability to see through the "evil" in everyone, as well as the ability to stop time.

After becoming a magical girl, both of her abilities were greatly enhanced, allowing her to pause for a few seconds even when facing a Herrscher.

Unfortunately, during the paused state, only Anzu herself can move and attack.

The next second, Xing suddenly disappeared from her spot and stood gracefully in front of Aurora and Agatha.

"..."

Aurora and Agata both remained silent.

Xing had clearly scouted the area ahead and dealt with the nearby ambushes.

As for why Aurora and Agatha knew about this...

Xing's position has not only changed, but she is also carrying a doll's head.

"Xing, what are you doing?"

"These dolls are a bit peculiar, so I took the opportunity to remove the head of one of them and plan to study it a little."

"...This kind of thing isn't fun."

"Sister Aurora, I'm not joking."

As she spoke, a short blade resembling a clock hand suddenly appeared in Xing's other hand.

This is "timely planning," equivalent to Xing's "magic wand."

Immediately, to the astonishment of Aurora and Agata, Xing expressionlessly dissected the doll's head.

The doll's internal structure is very simple, just like an ordinary doll. However, in the area representing the brain, there is a crystal particle the size of a soybean.

At this very moment, the soybean-sized crystal particles are dissipating at a speed visible to the naked eye.

Upon direct exposure to the air, the crystal particle dissipated at an alarming rate, vanishing completely in just one second.

"This is... the Herrscher core?"

Agatha frowned, looking at Aurora beside her with a puzzled expression.

Aurora made a soft nasal sound, as if agreeing with Agatha's words, and then asked in return, "Agatha, don't you sense a familiar presence?"

"A familiar aura? Could it be... Anna's Herrscher core?!"

"I don't know, but that missing crystal particle is very likely related to Anna's Herrscher core."

Now, Aurora only hopes that Anna hasn't died, but has simply lost her Herrscher core.

It's my birthday today, let's have a little day together.

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