At this moment, Ariel was in her room, leisurely savoring the taste of black tea.
Suddenly, a figure appeared out of thin air not far from her.
Recognizing the familiar figure, Ariel's hand froze mid-movement, her delicate face showing a trace of surprise.
"Chris?"
Indeed, the one who had arrived from Earth was none other than Chris.
Before coming here, she had deliberately acquired a Magiclad Device in order to transform.
"How did you regain your power?" Ariel asked curiously.
Although she lived in Villiers, she still had some knowledge of Earth's situation.
Up until now, she had never received any information about Chris siphoning another's magic, nor had any Magiclad Girl come into contact with her. It should have been impossible for her to regain her power.
"It's been a long time, Ariel. You've lived comfortably for the past hundred years, unlike me—forced to endure the agony of losing both my individuality and my power every single day!"
Chris didn't answer her question, instead speaking on her own.
Though her expression was calm, the hatred in her eyes was impossible to conceal.
Over a century ago, Chris and Ariel had a good relationship. After all, they were also teacher and student.
But when the rebellion failed, Chris was branded the ringleader. The truth, however, was that the real masterminds had been Ariel and the vampire ninja leader, the so-called Demon Baron.
If Ariel had been cursed by the queen as well, Chris might have accepted it. But after the failed rebellion, Ariel was left untouched, and that imbalance festered into burning resentment.
So compared to the queen who cast the curse, Chris hated Ariel even more. That was why she couldn't wait to exact revenge.
"A hundred years! Do you know what I went through all this time?!"
Chris shouted at Ariel, her voice trembling with fury. After that, she no longer wished to talk. Instead, she drew the Magiclad Device she had just seized.
"Humanity's death calls to me, yet I welcome it with joy, with hatred, with love, with inevitability!"
Accompanied by the awkward chant of a Magiclad Girl's transformation spell, light burst from Chris' body. Her power multiplied in an instant.
However, even after transforming, her outfit didn't change. She was still dressed in the same white Gothic loli dress.
Across from her, Ariel also spoke the same incantation, unwilling to be careless after seeing Chris transform.
In a flash of light, the white lab coat covering her body disappeared, replaced by an equally adorable Gothic loli outfit.
In her hands appeared two Japanese sword–shaped Magiclad Devices. Her expression turned solemn as she faced Chris, who now wielded a long blade of her own.
She hadn't wanted to fight Chris, but since the other had come seeking trouble, she had no choice but to respond with full strength.
The very next second, the two clashed.
...
Meanwhile, not far from them, Eriri and her four companions stood silently watching.
They had followed Chris all the way here, but Eriri had cloaked their presence, making them undetectable.
Thus, even though they witnessed Chris snatching a Magiclad Device from an innocent student and then confronting Ariel, Chris never realized they were there.
The battle between Chris and Ariel was fierce, every strike carrying immense power that instantly tore through the confines of the building.
Since they were fighting inside Martlez Academy, the disturbance quickly drew the attention of countless students and teachers.
In no time at all, a crowd of adorable little lolis had gathered to watch.
Of course, there were also some like Kyoko—girls with well-developed figures but still bearing childlike faces.
But Chris and Ariel's power was far beyond what these students could withstand. Even a stray shockwave could easily claim their lives.
The students didn't dare approach. They could only watch Chris and Ariel's battle from afar with horrified expressions.
As for Eriri and her companions, they watched with calm indifference.
To Eriri, this little skirmish was no different from children quarreling. And Kyoko now possessed enough power to instantly defeat both Chris and Ariel.
Even for Seraphim and Sarasvati, whose horizons had broadened immensely, such a scene wasn't worth surprise.
...
At the same time Chris and Ariel transformed, deep within the royal palace at the center of the world, Villiers' current queen—Lilia Lilith—sensed it immediately.
As the queen of this loli world, Lilia was, of course, also a legitimate loli.
Petite in stature, with short golden hair and a silver crown snugly perched on her head, her delicate face was no less charming than Chris'. She wore a light green frilly dress, white over-the-knee socks, and hugged a lion plushie to her chest.
This was her appearance in her first-stage transformation as a Magiclad Girl, which she maintained in daily life.
As the very first Magiclad Girl of this world, Lilia possessed a power equal to Eu's—magic capable of influencing the causality of the world itself. She alone also held the unique ability to transform through three stages.
The lion plushie was her Magiclad Device, Fūrin Ka-Meow, and it was the strongest device in this world.
Sensing Chris' magic, Lilia turned toward the source of the disturbance.
"Chris actually broke the curse? I'm sorry… but I can't let you live."
She whispered timidly to herself, her frail demeanor making her seem all the more endearing.
Without hesitation, she hugged the lion plush and left the palace. In the very next instant, she appeared within the range of Chris and Ariel's battle.
By coincidence, she manifested only a few meters ahead of Eriri and her group.
Lilia's sudden appearance naturally caught both Chris and Ariel's attention.
Chris' expression darkened. She had hoped to finish Ariel before Lilia arrived, but she hadn't managed it in time.
If Lilia intervened now, she was doomed.
And indeed, that was exactly what Lilia intended. She immediately prepared to strike Chris down.
Her timid personality made her extremely fearful, unwilling to tolerate anything that might threaten her. To eliminate potential danger, she would resort to any means necessary.
Though Chris was her defeated foe, Lilia preferred to err on the side of caution. If there was an easier way to crush her, she would never choose otherwise.
To deal with Chris, her first-stage transformation wasn't enough. Without hesitation, she invoked her second-stage form.
"Humanity's death calls to me, for I welcome it with joy, with hatred, with love, and with fate!"
With a chant slightly altered from other Magiclad Girls', Lilia transformed.
Light flared. Over her cute frilly dress appeared white-gold armor and gauntlets, while a pair of massive white wings unfurled from her back.
She looked every bit an angel.
But just as she was about to beat her wings and fly toward Chris, she suddenly felt someone seize the scruff of her neck—the very seat of her destiny.
In an instant, the vast magic within her stopped flowing. Her body froze stiff like a kitten held by the nape, unable to move.
The abrupt change left Lilia dumbfounded, and then a wave of primal fear surged over her.
"Eek!!! I-I'm sorry, I'm sorry…!"
She stammered apologies again and again, terrified the unknown being gripping her would harm her.
The next moment, her second-stage transformation was forcibly undone. Her armor and wings vanished.
Then she realized she had been scooped into someone's arms, which made her panic even more.
As she trembled in fright, a playful voice spoke from behind her.
"Oooh! Wild loli, captured successfully!"
...
The one who had seized Lilia was, of course, Eriri. When she spoke to Lilia, she also lifted the concealment that had hidden her presence, allowing Lilia to finally hear her voice.
"Wh-who are you? What are you going to do to me?"
Lilia's timid voice trembled as she asked, too scared to even turn her head.
She still didn't know what Eriri looked like—she could only catch the faint, intoxicating fragrance surrounding her.
When Eriri hugged her from behind, she released her grip on Lilia's neck, giving her freedom to move. Even so, Lilia didn't resist in the slightest. She simply stayed obediently in Eriri's arms, like an oversized doll.
She was well aware of her own situation. From the way Eriri had effortlessly grabbed her and forcibly undone her second-stage transformation, it was clear Eriri was far beyond her ability to resist.
So, to avoid suffering, she submitted.
"It's nothing much. I just think you're cute, so I've decided to keep you. From now on, you won't be a wild loli—you'll be a domesticated loli. Hehehe~"
Eriri grinned mischievously. But on her face, the expression was oddly adorable rather than irritating.
Unfortunately, no one could appreciate it, since Eu and Kyoko stood quietly behind her, along with Seraphim and Sarasvati.
Watching Eriri handle Lilia this way, Sarasvati suddenly felt that when Eriri had made her into a servant, she had actually been treated quite kindly.
"No, please, I'm not cute at all! I'm sorry, just let me go…"
Lilia shook her head pitifully, her big brown eyes filling with tears that seemed ready to fall at any moment.
Eriri shook her head without hesitation.
"No way. You're mine now, and I won't let you go so easily."
"I'm the queen of this world! If you let me go, I can provide you with even more cute people."
"Hmph. Who do you take me for?"
"I-I'm sorry, I spoke too loudly…"
At Eriri's cold snort, Lilia panicked, instantly switching into apology mode.
But soon, she felt a gentle hand caress her left cheek, which soothed her fear just a little.
Then Eriri's soft voice came again.
"Don't worry. I won't abandon you for anyone else."
Hearing such words, Lilia could only feel exasperated. How could she not realize she was being teased, with no chance of being released? But even knowing, what could she do? She was helpless.
Finally, she couldn't hold back anymore and burst into tears.
"Ehhh, you're already over a hundred years old. Crying like this? How embarrassing if others saw."
But instead of calming down, Lilia sobbed even louder.
It was a sight to move the hardest heart.
Even Seraphim and Sarasvati looked away, embarrassed.
Kyoko, however, watched with great interest. If not for the risk of disturbing Eriri's fun, she might have joined in teasing the loli herself.
Naturally, what was happening with Eriri and Lilia was also seen by Chris and Ariel in the middle of their battle.
At first, when Chris noticed Eriri suddenly appearing in Villiers, she had felt relieved.
As long as Eriri was willing to help, there was no way she would die here today.
Especially when Eriri immediately captured Lilia, and at the exact moment Lilia was preparing to strike her. That maneuver made Chris silently cheer inside, even easing the resentment she'd held toward Eriri for forcibly making her quit drinking.
But now, seeing Lilia crying so disgracefully, Chris suddenly lost interest. Even her will to continue fighting Ariel waned.
Ariel, sharp as ever, immediately noticed the change in Chris' demeanor, which delighted her.
Though their battle had been evenly matched so far, it was only temporary. If it dragged on, she would surely lose.
If things could be resolved peacefully, that would be the best outcome for her.
As for Lilia's crying—what did it matter to her?
Even now, though she still remained obediently in Villiers, Ariel's resentment toward Lilia had never faded.
—
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