Chapter 370: A Holy Grail War with No Lower Limit

Gunfire rang out nonstop, and spent shotgun shells littered the floor.

Half an hour later, Flora’s gun barrel was glowing red-hot. She had used up half of her ammunition, but she had finally dealt with all the Pseudo-men.

She took a moment to catch her breath and regain her strength, then stepped over the mangled limbs of the dolls and headed deeper inside.

There were no guards left inside the Fluorescent Factory; the workers stationed here had already evacuated.

A piercing alarm blared the moment they stepped into the factory, but no security guards showed up.

They were about to head to the workshop floor to put a few rounds into the machinery when they heard a heavy, shuffling sound.

Turning around, they saw two hulking mechanical puppets appear behind them.

These puppets were constructed entirely of steel. Thick steel plates offered them exceptional protection, but also made their movements incredibly sluggish.

In addition to these lumbering Close Guard-type puppets, two spider-like puppets appeared on the ceiling.

Each spider-puppet was about the size of a washbasin. Their eight mechanical legs were covered in metallic bristles, allowing them to scuttle rapidly across the ceiling.

The most unsettling part was that each of them had an exquisitely crafted face.

The faces wore gentle smiles, but the combination of a supposedly beautiful visage and a monstrous body was simply hair-raising.

Flora’s face went pale with fright. The Maid, however, eyed the creatures with a troubled expression. She said to Flora, who was behind her, “Miss, these things won’t be easy to handle. So… I’d like to request permission to use *that*.”

“You haven’t even started fighting yet!”

“Assessing the situation is a fundamental skill for a Maid.”

“I have a strong suspicion you just want to use *that*!”

“Please don’t insult my professionalism as a Maid, Miss. When I say I want something, I mean it! Now, hurry up and indulge me!”

Looking at the dead-serious Maid, Flora lowered her head in reluctant acceptance. “Fine, come here,” she said unwillingly.

“Much obliged.”

“And don’t stick your tongue out!”

“I’ll try.”

The Maid pulled Flora closer. She gave a graceful curtsy, lifting the hem of her dress slightly, and said, “Pardon my forwardness.”

Then, she took Flora’s hand and placed a light kiss on its back.

The Maid’s Professional Skill, [Loyalty], activated, and her power surged, the increase visible to the naked eye.

The activation requirements for this Skill are rather demanding.

First, the Maid must choose one person to be her master, regardless of gender.

Second, there must be a degree of mutual affection between them. The stronger the affection, the greater the effect.

Third, the Maid must perform an action that expresses her Loyalty to her master.

Fourth, after this expression of Loyalty, the master becomes exceptionally weak. If the master takes any damage during this time, the Skill’s effect will vanish, and all of their Attributes will be halved.

Once the first three conditions are met, the Skill activates, granting the Maid a massive power boost for its duration.

Letting go of the hand, the Maid wiped her mouth with a handkerchief. “Is that a hint of white wine today? Thank you for the treat.”

“What in the world goes through your head all day?” Flora asked, her face red as she wiped the back of her hand.

“If I told you what I want, would you give it to me?”

“What are you even saying! What is it you want!”

As they spoke, one of the Close Guard puppets had reached the Maid, its fist descending without hesitation.

A punch powerful enough to shatter a wall was caught effortlessly in mid-air by the Maid.

With one hand, she held the puppet’s fist at bay. With the other, she carefully removed her Glasses and slipped them into a pocket beneath her skirt. The Maid glared daggers at the Close Guard puppet and said coldly, “It is impolite to interrupt others when they are speaking.”

She swung with one hand. A simple, straight punch landed with the force of a cannonball. The Close Guard puppet was sent flying, skipping across the floor several times like a flat stone on water.

Before the first puppet could even get back up, the second was sent flying to join it. They crashed into each other, inflicting a second round of damage.

From the ceiling, a spider-puppet dropped silently, lunging for Flora.

Without so much as turning her head, the Maid produced several silver dinner knives and flung them at the spider-puppet.

The knives severed the puppet’s steel claws one by one, and the final blade pierced straight through its head, pinning it to the wall.

The last spider-puppet tried to flee, but the Maid was already upon it. She thrust the mop in her hands straight through the spider’s steel abdomen, pinning it to the floor.

After dealing with the four special puppets, the Maid scooped Flora up from the floor. “Sorry to keep you waiting, Young Miss,” she said with a nod. “Wasn’t I dashing just now? Have you considered giving me a raise?”

“…Let’s get back to work!”

“But I get off in half an hour…”

“I’ll pay you for overtime.”

“Understood! Let’s go!”

By the time they rushed into the main factory building, they found it completely deserted.

The coffee on a desk was still warm, proof that their targets hadn’t been gone for long.

Catching sight of a shoeprint on the windowsill, the Maid rushed to the window. She saw Nemo outside, surrounded by bizarre, alien-like puppets.

Several puppets flanked him, including the very one that had blocked her strike just moments before.

The puppets stared at the Maid in the window, their faces twisted into irritating, mocking grins, as if taunting her and Flora for their ignorance.

Nemo, their leader, raised a remote in his hand and pressed the button without a moment’s hesitation.

A massive explosion roared to life. Bombs planted throughout the Fluorescent Factory detonated, engulfing the entire facility in a sea of flames and completely overwhelming the Maid and Flora.

‘Two kills. Secured.’

However, those two were not the Knight Order’s primary target. The real goal was the ambush that would follow.

Reporters, bribed by the Knight Order, began releasing breaking news bulletins. The story—that the Maid, Flora, and their party had entered the Fluorescent Factory shortly before an explosion—caused a massive sensation.

Through a series of articles manipulated with subtle, biased wording, a few photos were published in the papers. The overall effect made it look as though the Maid and Flora had caused the explosion themselves.

Next, a well-prepared Magician appeared on television. She began to speak out, condemning Merlin Company for suppressing her and for colluding with Law Enforcers to persecute her.

The Magician was a true performer at heart. During the television interview, she claimed that her product, the Magic Sticker, was perfectly safe, but that the other side had repeatedly and unfairly targeted it in an act of malicious competition.

On the screen, the Magician spoke with righteous indignation. “We have done nothing to Merlin Company, yet they continuously suppress our product. They even went so far as to send people to blow up the Fluorescent Factory, a close partner of ours. I hereby call on everyone to boycott Merlin Company’s products. Thank you.”

Watching the impassioned Magician, Duan Fei and Jinghong, who were watching TV together, remarked in unison, “Now that’s a talent.”

The no-holds-barred war was heating up.