176: Chapter 174

Just as the giant jelly aggregate and the composite Zang Zang Bao giant were about to "devour" Choi Yena and her sausage cart—a critical moment where the audience below gasped, the sisters on stage were anxious, and Choi Yena herself was frozen in fear—

Over on the production team's side, a huge and eye-catching sign was suddenly raised, like a lifeline!

[Kwon Eunbi xi! Choi Yena xi! It's now—!]

[Activate the ultimate combined move: Lion Charge Duck Punch!!!]

[Target: Soft Baby King!!! (Pointing at the giant jelly aggregate)]

This instruction came so timely and so specifically that it instantly pointed the way for the two bewildered girls!

Kwon Eunbi and Choi Yena's eyes lit up almost simultaneously!

Kwon Eunbi (leo) instantly understood her role. She took a deep breath, shouldered the huge Lion King air hammer, rushed to the edge of the stage at top speed, and shouted toward Choi Yena: "Yena! Get ready!"

Choi Yena (pisces) also immediately snapped out of her fright and hurriedly picked up the megaphone that had fallen onto the sausage cart. Although her hands were shaking, her eyes lit up. A combined ultimate move! She knew what to do! This was the climax of the script!

"Eunbi Unnie! I'm ready!" Choi Yena shouted with all her might. At the same time, she subconsciously reached for her waist—where the symbol of her "pisces Tidal Power," those two little plastic fish charms, was hanging.

The audience below held their breath, watching this "desperate counterattack" scene with anticipation.

Kwon Eunbi rushed to the position on the stage closest to Choi Yena, assumed a standard preparatory stance like a baseball pitcher, gripped the end of the Lion King air hammer's handle with both hands, and locked her sharp gaze onto that giant jelly aggregate that was constantly squirming closer—the "Soft Baby King"!

She recited that embarrassing but currently imposing incantation (simplified version): "Lionheart Sovereign, Roaring Power—!"

Meanwhile, Choi Yena also held high the plastic fish charms in her hand (though they were useless, the sense of ritual had to be there) and shouted toward Kwon Eunbi with her unique, slightly cute and aggressive tone: "pisces Tide, lend you a hand—! Combine!"

The moment the last two words were shouted, Kwon Eunbi used all her strength to perform an extremely exaggerated arm-swinging motion, like throwing a javelin, with the Lion King air hammer in her direction toward the "Soft Baby King"!

"Lion Charge Duck Punch!!!"

Following her imposing shout, the huge, soft air hammer didn't actually fly out, but the lion robot "Lionheart Sovereign MK-I," which had been on standby at the side of the stage, started up again!

Its right arm raised, and the launch port took aim!

"Whoosh—Swish—!!"

A "roast duck projectile" that was thicker and more gorgeously painted (temporarily covered in sequins) than before—this time it was two "double-yolk roast duck" models connected together (the sponsor's new product?)—cut through the air with louder spring sound effects and LED light effects, precisely hitting the center of the "Soft Baby King"!

"Splat—!!! Crash—!!!"

The hit "Soft Baby King" emitted a huge, sticky sound effect. Its entire jelly body seemed to be scattered by the massive impact, suddenly collapsing inward, and then "exploding" (in reality, the internal support structure contracted, and the external jelly-like fabric collapsed)! Countless colorful, harmless, light foam blocks and sequins resembling jelly crumbs sprayed everywhere like fireworks!

The visual effect was extremely "shocking" and... full of cheapness.

But with the passionate background music and the shouts of Kwon Eunbi and Choi Yena, this scene actually had a bit of a "finishing move defeating the enemy" hot-blooded feeling!

"Oh oh oh oh!!!"

"We did it!"

"Lion Charge Duck Punch! We won!"

The audience below erupted into enthusiastic cheers and applause!

The "Soft Baby King" was "defeated" and temporarily lost its "threat," collapsing into a pile of colorful crumbs (a staff member was struggling to get out from inside).

However, the crisis was not over!

"There's another one!" An Yujin pointed at the composite giant still advancing, made up of Zang Zang Bao dolls—the "Zang Zang Bao King"!

Everyone's hearts, which had just relaxed, tightened again. Kwon Eunbi's "Lion Charge Duck Punch" had just been used, and the robot seemed to have entered "cooldown" (actually, it needed to be reloaded), so it couldn't fire for the time being.

"What do we do?! Do the Lion Charge Duck Punch again!" Choi Yena shouted anxiously.

Kwon Eunbi tried to strike the pose again, but the production team quickly raised a new sign:

[Warning! "Lion Charge Duck Punch" energy insufficient! Needs time to recharge! (Actually, the duck models are all fired, need to reload)]

"What?! Energy insufficient?!" Kwon Eunbi was filled with "shock and anger" (her acting was slightly exaggerated).

Just during this brief "skill cooldown period," the "Zang Zang Bao King" had already closed in on the sausage cart! Its arms, pieced together from multiple dolls and covered in "stains," clumsily but firmly reached toward Choi Yena!

"Oh no!" everyone exclaimed.

Even worse, just then, from the other two directions of the stage, the Hello Kitty doll and the Golden Retriever doll, which had previously been "watching the battle" or "defeated," suddenly "came back to life"! They seemed to have received new orders, no longer attacking the other girls, but instead quickly flanking toward the rear of the sausage cart where Choi Yena was located!

"Damn Star Demons Claws! There are reinforcements?!" Jang Wonyoung exclaimed.

The audience below also became nervous: "Hey! Yena is in danger!"

The Hello Kitty and Golden Retriever dolls were surprisingly "agile" (relatively speaking), quickly circling to the side and rear of the sausage cart, forming a triangular encirclement with the "Zang Zang Bao King" in front!

Choi Yena was completely trapped in the "encirclement"! There were "enemies" in front, behind, left, and right!

The other girls on stage wanted to rush over, but the distance and the obstruction of the "enemies" (the dolls were symbolically waving their arms) made it impossible for them to get close for the moment.

"Yena!" Kwon Eunbi wanted to rush over but was blocked by the swaying arms (doll costume) of the "Zang Zang Bao King."

"Unnie!" Jang Wonyoung and the others were also extremely anxious.

In that split second, the Hello Kitty doll and the Golden Retriever doll suddenly lunged at Choi Yena from the left and right!

"Ah—!!!" Choi Yena let out a "terrified" scream, subconsciously waving the sausage tongs and plastic fish charms in her hand to "resist."

However, the dolls' strength (actually the strength of the staff inside) was clearly greater. The two dolls "joined forces" (actually coordinated), and left and right "grabbed" (actually gently held) Choi Yena's arms!

"Yena has been captured!!" An Yujin shouted.

Under the gaze of everyone's "shock and anger" (striving to act), the Hello Kitty and Golden Retriever dolls "held hostage" Choi Yena, who was constantly "struggling" (kicking her feet, twisting her body, and shouting "Let me go! Help!"—though if you looked closely, apart from the effort to express "terror," there seemed to be a hint of... excitement and anticipation flashing deep in her eyes?), and quickly retreated toward the back of the stage, toward a foam board prop that had just been set up by the staff—the "Star Demons Claws Portal," painted with twisted swirls and starry patterns!

"No! Let Yena go!"

"Bastards!"

"Quick, stop them!"

The girls on stage were "filled with righteous indignation" and tried to chase them, but were symbolically blocked by the "Zang Zang Bao King" and other scattered "resurrected" dolls (like the Gray Wolf).

Jiang Zhiyu, monitoring from backstage, timely declared to the whole venue through the sound system in a tone filled with "grief" and "sense of crisis":

"It's terrible—!!!"

"The Star Demons Claws' conspiracy has succeeded!"

"'Pisces Sausage Saintess' Choi Yena, along with her sausage cart that holds hope, has been captured by the evil claws and taken to the unknown Star Demon realm!!"

"Without Yena, without the sausage cart, the Star Saints' foundation in the mortal world has been shaken! The road back to the Star Palace has become even more distant!!"

His voice echoed through the streets of Myeong-dong, combined with the figure of Choi Yena "being captured" as she finally disappeared behind the "portal" foam board (in reality, she was being taken off-stage by staff to the backstage rest area), and the expressions of the girls on stage—some anxious, some angry, some bewildered (not yet fully immersed in the act)—successfully pushed the "sense of crisis" of this absurd drama to its peak.

The audience's emotions below were also stirred up. Although they knew it was for the show, they still felt a hint of tension and anticipation for the "captured" Choi Yena and the "desperate" IZ*ONE—what would happen next? How would they rescue her?

Kwon Eunbi on stage looked toward the "portal," gripping the air hammer in her hand tightly (though it was useless), and revealed a complex expression mixed with "self-reproach," "anger," and "determination" (working hard on her acting).

The other members also gathered around, looking at the foam board painted with comical swirls, glancing at each other.

Jiang Zhiyu's voice sounded again, this time with a hint of guidance and suspense:

"Girls... now, what should we do?"

"Should we just give up and let the Star Demon's conspiracy succeed? Or..."

He paused, letting the suspense ferment.