harleyscars Page 247
Page 247
While Maria was talking to the shop assistant, Kiana frowned and looked around, but spotted something in a corner of the shop that didn't belong to baby products.
—A strange doll.
No matter how you look at it, a life-sized doll could never be a product sold in a baby store.
Kiana was about to call out to Maria when she suddenly noticed that the doll's fingers seemed to tremble slightly.
Even though Kiana possesses the "Saintess Power" bestowed upon her by Qiu Bi, she is still essentially a girl who has not yet reached adulthood, and harbors a deep-seated fear of things like ghosts and monsters.
Honkai beast?
The structure of ordinary Honkai Beasts has long been thoroughly studied, turning the unknown into the known, so naturally Kiana is not afraid.
Crunch!
The strange noises from the puppet's joints making a twisting motion sent chills down Kiana's spine, and she instinctively took a step back.
"Maria, Aunt Maria, help me, help me, help me!"
Seeing the doll standing up in a distorted posture, Kiana fled to Maria's side in fear, nervously and anxiously clutching Maria's clothes.
Maria immediately shielded Kiana behind her, warily looking in the direction where Kiana had been standing.
The doll stood up in a distorted posture and then walked with even more distorted movements, eventually stopping in front of Maria and Kiana.
"As expected... this baby supplies store is anything but simple!"
Maria's gaze was dark as she stared intently at the doll, preparing to deal with it.
however……
Suddenly, the shop assistant's voice rang out, faintly mixed with the sorrowful voice of a young girl.
Welcome to...The Theatre of Domination!
"Waaa—Kiana, watch out!"
Maria was horrified and immediately pulled Kiana into her arms. While dodging the doll's attacks, she smashed the glass window of the baby store with her own body and escaped outside.
Kiana nestled in Maria's arms, nervously watching the baby store.
At this moment, the interior of the baby supplies store was filled with solid ice covered in frost.
If Maria and Kiana hadn't escaped the baby store in time, they might have been frozen inside.
"This is……"
Maria belatedly noticed her surroundings.
I don't know when, but the outside of the baby product store has changed drastically. It is no longer the familiar street, but has become a strange space.
The land resembled a haphazardly pieced-together pattern, with distant landmasses either rising or sinking, creating a scene of apocalyptic devastation.
"Oh dear... I didn't expect you to dodge me." A dozen or so puppets appeared silently near Maria and Kiana. "We weren't planning to make a move on you so soon, but you've delivered yourselves right to our doorstep..."
The puppets emitted strange laughter that echoed across the shattered earth.
Maria released Kiana and looked around warily.
From the brief words spoken by the dolls, she deduced the general situation.
Anna was shopping at this baby store not long ago when she was dragged into this space by these dolls and had her Herrscher core stolen in a strange way.
As for the previous attack, it was naturally the Herrscher power used by the puppet.
However, the Herrscher powers wielded by the puppet are far inferior to those used by Anna herself, making it essentially a "fake".
"Aunt Maria, what should we do?"
Kiana looked a little nervous and unconsciously lifted Maria's clothes.
"Don't worry... Kiana, your aunt will protect you."
Maria gently comforted Kiana, then coldly demanded, "What exactly is your purpose?!"
"Purpose? Hehehe... What do you think the Herrscher wants to do?"
"You are Herrschers?!"
Maria's expression shifted between light and dark.
I initially thought the dolls had only taken away Anna's Herrscher powers, but now it seems the situation is not so simple.
Even if the dolls aren't new Herrschers, they at least stole Anna's Herrscher core.
Maria's heart sank to the bottom.
Putting aside the fact that he didn't bring his God-Slaying Armor "Radiant Knight: Luna Kindred," he didn't even have a suitable weapon in hand, making it difficult to withstand the attacks of the puppets.
If the dolls' attacks were just ordinary frost, it wouldn't be so bad, but the dolls had already taken away Anna's Herrscher powers, making Maria hesitant to easily defend against their attacks.
Kiana realized Maria's predicament and couldn't help but ask in a low voice, "Aunt Maria, do you know how to use a spear?"
"Before I possessed the Black Abyss White Flower, the weapon I used was always a spear."
Since Academy City is the stronghold of magical girls, Maria assumed that a battle was unlikely to break out there, especially since there were several Herrschers stationed there.
Therefore, Maria left "Radiant Knight: Luna Kindred" and Black Abyss White Flower in the Honkai Energy System Laboratory at Schicksal Airport for adjustments, so that "Radiant Knight: Luna Kindred" and Black Abyss White Flower would be more suitable for Maria now.
Otherwise, Maria would never be in such a passive position now.
“Aunt Maria, I can construct a spear using the ‘Saintess Power,’ but the spear I construct will have no weight. I wonder if you can handle it…”
"It doesn't matter, as long as it's tough enough and sharp enough, that's enough for me to use."
Chapter 347 Temporarily Freed from the Puppet
Kiana took a deep breath, and then golden light began to flash in her palm.
Before she could even construct her spear, the puppets, as if sensing some kind of threat, launched a simultaneous attack on Maria and Kiana.
"careful!"
Maria casually tucked Kiana into her arms, then stomped her right foot hard on the ground, using the momentum to jump onto the nearby broken building.
In contrast, the spot where the two had just stood was now shrouded in countless icy frosts.
The dolls were like a persistent leech, following Maria and Kiana to the top of the broken building the moment they fled.
"You can't escape!"
The puppets seemed to possess only the powers of the Herrscher of Ice, leading Maria to believe that the puppets had stolen Anna's Herrscher core, thus making themselves Herrschers.
Maria held Kiana close, constantly dodging and shifting to avoid the dolls' attacks.
Because she wasn't wearing "Radiant Knight: Moonlit Blade," Maria had limited aerial mobility and couldn't make quick turns, which meant she frequently faced attacks she couldn't avoid.
To protect Kiana, Maria must also use her own body to shield her from these attacks as much as possible to prevent Kiana from getting hurt.
Kiana knew this was not the time to be sentimental, so she immediately clasped her hands together, and as she separated them, a golden spear materialized from nothing.
"Aunt Maria, I've got it sorted out!"
"Ok!"
Maria gripped the golden spear that Kiana had conjured, a sinister smile creeping across her lips.
hum!
The golden spear trembled slightly, emitting a faint hum.
The Honkai energy within Maria poured into the golden spear without reservation, causing it to radiate a dazzling golden light.
Amidst the dazzling and brilliant golden light, Maria casually swung her spear, and a golden thread appeared, drifting lightly in all directions.
This seemingly fragile golden thread could easily destroy the puppets' attacks.
“How… is it possible!?”
The dolls raised incredulous questions.
Before Maria could reply, the golden thread swept across the dolls' bodies, splitting them in two.
Maria landed lightly with Kiana in her arms, and looked at the helpless dolls, letting out a heartfelt sigh of relief.
"Kiana, we're safe for now..."
"Okay! Aunt Maria, you take a rest first, I'll take care of the finishing touches!"
Kiana flashed a bright smile, then raised her right hand and clenched her fist tightly.
The next second, an invisible pressure suddenly erupted from Kiana.
This invisible pressure was very peculiar. Although it did not affect the surrounding ground, the bodies of the puppets were crushed as if by a heavy object, and shattered in an instant.
"Kiana, what's wrong with you...?"
“Aunt Maria, this is one application of the ‘Saintess Power.’ As long as those dolls contain Honkai energy, I can affect them.”
The "Saintess Power" can suppress Honkai energy and even forcibly strip away the Herrscher core, so creating a heavy pressure specifically targeting Honkai energy is naturally not a difficult task.
In addition, Kiana's creation of the golden spear from nothing is also one of the ways to use "Saintess Power," but this is a method that Kiana learned from Angeline.
—The power of the "Saintess" is actually a part of the power of the "Herrscher of the End".
Angeline's spear resembled a peculiar symbol and was a deep purplish-black, while Kiana's spear was conventional and looked similar to an ordinary spear, yet it was in no way inferior to Angeline's spear.
"...So the spear you constructed also possesses the characteristics of 'Saintess Power,' capable of suppressing Honkai energy?"
"That's right! Aunt Maria, if it weren't for the 'Saintess's Power' suppressing Honkai energy, how could those puppets have died so easily?"
Kiana replied with a smile, showing no sign of nervousness or unease whatsoever.
After all, no matter what happens, Maria will protect her.
Maria smiled without saying a word, reached out and pressed Kiana's head down, her gaze already passing over Kiana, looking towards the blurry, enormous black shadow in the distance.
It was a massive, unknown structure located at the very center of this space.
"Kiana, let's go—we need to deal with these strange dolls as soon as possible. We still have to attend Vivian and Tracy's full moon celebration tonight."
"Hmm! Aunt Maria, have you ever attended a full moon celebration before?"
"Of course, that was your and Bianca's full moon celebration - I remember that's a traditional custom in China."
"My dad is from China. Although he doesn't pay much attention to other aspects, he surprisingly values these traditional customs."