Once the affection level is maxed out, the rivalry begins!

In Bai Ze's view, Rhea was losing ground in the battle.

Relying on the chainsaw that seemed capable of spatial teleportation, she could temporarily maintain her mobility, but the enemy was too incompatible with her.

Those members of the Mechanic Order... or Mechanic Priests for short, would not die even if she chopped them into pieces with a chainsaw.

The [Living Factory] will immediately send wounded soldiers to the assembly line for re-creation, so they can return to the battlefield in no time.

Even if one wanted to launch a surprise attack to kill the leader, the latter, being on guard, would not easily give the opportunity, and always kept three mechanical priests by his side for protection.

"What a boring result, attracting a small fish instead of a witch."

While his men provided cover as they hurled fireballs, the cult leader taunted, "Let's get rid of you first, then wait for her to take the bait."

"Don't even think about it!"

Rhea gritted her teeth and plunged the spinning chainsaw into the chest of the mechanical priest in front of her, blood and oil flowing out.

But it did not fall; instead, it closed its ribs, which were stronger than metal, and firmly jammed the enemy's weapon.

Although the chainsaw, powerful enough to cut through space, activated its properties instantly and shattered the bones, it still created a momentary delay.

Then, another mechanical priest raised his right hand, which had mutated into a power hammer, and shot out azure flames from the nozzle at his elbow, propelling the hammer to crash down!

—Oh no, we might suffer a major blow.

The thought crossed the girl's mind, and she instinctively raised the chainsaw to try to defend herself.

But the anticipated impact has been slow to arrive.

The mechanical priest who launched the surprise attack was suddenly lifted into the air—upon closer inspection, it could be seen that it was not of its own volition, but rather that it was forcibly pulled up by something.

Several silver threads, like snakes, coiled around the back of its neck, pulling it into the air like a noose to hang it.

The immense force even snapped the swollen spine, causing it to instantly stop struggling and quietly limp down.

Ropes made of silvery-white silk threads hung from the ceiling, suspending a cyborg monster that swayed gently—a scene that temporarily silenced the battlefield.

"What did you do...? Are you hiding something or some other ability?"

The leader of the cult gathered flames around himself and cautiously probed.

The fact that the bound mechanical priests could no longer be put back into the blast furnace undoubtedly resulted in a real reduction in their numbers.

I'm not going to tell you.

Rhea calmly raised the chainsaw and charged at the next mechanical priest.

She naturally didn't know what had happened, but since it was a change that was beneficial to her side, leaving behind hints that might be related to her would undoubtedly disrupt the enemy's mind.

Sure enough, as she severed the head of yet another enemy, the silver snake-like ropes drooped down again, hoisting the still-struggling mechanical priest, decapitated, as if hunting its prey.

Just as it was about to be hit, several threads wrapped around the enemy's arm and cut it off, then strangled its throat and threw it into the ceiling, binding it tightly like a butterfly caught in a spider web.

She even gradually felt that she had developed a certain tacit understanding with the silvery-white rope that appeared out of nowhere, and occasionally they could perform techniques that were like good teamwork.

It was as if a giant creature was perched above the factory ceiling, with more and more silver threads constantly falling and rising until they raged like a thick curtain of rain.

Severing limbs, tearing throats, breaking spines... With the cooperation of both, the number of successfully converted members of the cult continued to decrease, and the number of "corpses" that looked like they had been hanged increased, like a forest hanging in mid-air.

"This phenomenon has nothing to do with you."

With fewer and fewer friendly tanks remaining, the leader of the cult's voice was filled with intense anxiety.

He could tell that the other party was completely unaware of this inexplicable attack.

Throwing fireballs at the wire mesh that covered the ceiling had no effect; the bone-melting flames vanished as if absorbed, while the silver wires, made of some unknown material, remained unharmed.

He repeated futile attempts while anxiously searching for possible clues.

Ultimately, his gaze settled on the hostages he had kidnapped.

—How could that be? All the intelligence indicates that he is just an ordinary person who happens to live near the witch.

—But why didn't he panic when he witnessed the scene before him?

Only people from the Bureau of the Spirit Disaster and their own members were present, and the former was just bluffing; she was not the one manipulating the threads.

If you eliminate all possibilities, what remains is the truth.

The leader of the order took a deep breath and unleashed all his remaining power.

The crimson ring of fire rose and spread, and the residual heat alone caused the few remaining mechanical priests nearby to catch fire.

He transformed into a fiery figure and charged towards Bai Ze.

The other party may be very dangerous, and the Order is unaware of this, at most focusing its attention on the witch of Fuyuna City.

—For the sake of the cult, I must eliminate this scourge here!

With a devout sense of mission, the leader stepped into the molten footprints and shot out like a missile about to explode!

Then he saw the other person sitting in the chair raise his bound hands.

Like pulling something lurking in the ground.

In an instant, his ankle and calf, which were engulfed in flames, separated. The result of his center of gravity being disrupted during high-speed movement was that he crashed face down onto the ground, leaving a scorching red-hot crater.

Finally, the head stopped right in front of Bai Ze.

His consciousness, which had been blank, returned, and the leader turned his head to see the thing that had severed his legs.

A silver-white thread spanning the factory workshop.

In the distance, the few remaining mechanical priests were being slaughtered by Rhea, and once she was free to act, defeat was inevitable.

"It was you...you did it all!"

He roared like a trapped beast filled with despair, "Wasn't this kidnapping a setup on purpose?"

This is really not the case.

"You've always been a lackey of the Disaster Management Agency... No, if that were the case, they wouldn't have sent extra people to provide rescue..."

The leader of the cult, for some unknown reason, suddenly had an expression of sudden realization.

"So that's how it is. You even fooled the witch. You're the real... mastermind..."

Bai Ze: "...?"

For some reason, ever since he and his junior decided to establish the Eternal Serpent, they seem to always be mistaken for similar characters.

Although that was their original intention, it was still very upsetting to be misunderstood.

The leader of the cult, who had no idea what kind of person he was, roared and leaped up like a trapped beast!

"I will slay you, you evil being, right here!"

His figure froze in mid-air.

The blades of judgment, falling like raindrops, pierced through every corner of the leader's body.

Then, like fishing up a big fish, it hooked the riddled human body and flung it into the air.

The net of silk threads slowly descended, cutting it into countless pieces.

Gazing at the rain of blood falling before him, Bai Ze tightened the loosened ropes around his body and resumed his original sitting posture.

"You're wrong. I'm clearly an innocent victim who was kidnapped by you."