Local Residents Prepare For War

"What now?"

"Hmmm, what do you mean?"

Still comfortably nestled in his embrace, Nero curiously looked up.

"We're naked."

"I don't see the problem."

"..."

Oh.

Right.

He forgot that, canonically, and even now... Nero wouldn't bat an eye if she were seen strolling around naked in the middle of the streets. Besides-

"We've already bared it all to each other~"

Teasingly tracing circles on his muscular chest with her hand, she giggled cheekily, her eyes squinting in a flirtatious but playful manner.

With a deadpan expression, he casually placed both hands on her waist, effortlessly holding her in mid-air while silently gazing at her.

"Did you get taller?"

Under Jin's scrutinizing gaze, she proudly puffed her chest.

"Umu!"

"Still a midget though."

"Fuck off!"

Playfully swatting his arms away, Nero plopped back onto the ground. She slightly tilted her head up, albeit much less than before.

'Indeed... much taller.'

Even before this abrupt enhancement, when he first summoned her and amplified the shit out of her with his system, she already materialized at a height of 174cm, or approximately 5 foot 8 and a half inches in "freedom units."

And now... from her original canon height of 150cm (4 feet 11 inches), she stood at 183cm (6 feet).

Like... okay? The fuck?

And, onto the more important parts... her other ass-ets-

"That's big."

Silently ogling her breasts without an ounce of shame, he nodded his head.

"Right back at you~"

Feeling a sudden warmth on his third leg, he casually removed her hand away from it.

"No."

"Tsk, fine."

Nero pouted before she turned around and looked at her torn dress.

"A pity indeed, oh well~ I'll just knit it back together!"

*THUD*

As he watched her trod towards her dress without a care in the world, Jin silently looked back at his... were those even pants, bro?

"...Nero, make some clothes for me as well."

"Any preferences?"

"Don't worry about it. Just whip up something you think will, uh- look decent on me, I guess."

"Not a problem. ♡ ٩(^ᗜ^ )و ´-"

Turning around and giving him a smile and thumbs up, she bent her body down, and bent further down... and for some odd reason, continued doing so-

"Goddamnit, just pick it up."

"Hehe~"

Giving him a sidelong glance, she flashed him an affectionate and teasing smile before picking up her torn dress.

Then, strolling back to him, she stood on her tiptoes and gave him a quick peck on the lips.

"I'm off now, alright? I'll be near the telescope."

"Sure thing."

"Don't miss me too bad~"

BOOM!

Suddenly vanishing like a phantom amidst the calm breeze, Jin blankly stared into space.

{Host?}

'Nah, it's nothing.'

Shaking his head, he calmly gazed into the distant landscape.

...

...

...

"Sir Wulfric!"

"Jin?"

"All of a sudden... the title 'Advisor' actually seems to suit you." 

'You sayin' that the title wasn't befitting of me before?!'

Looking at the three war machines observing him with a gaze of wonder, as if they'd just seen a unicorn for the first time, Jin couldn't help but feel the urge to give them an attitude adjustment.

"It's a compliment, by the way."

With her cold, monotone voice, Valkyra innocently shrugged her shoulders, the metal shoulder plates shrieking together as if in agreement with her statement.

Meanwhile-

Reinhard: ( ◡̀_◡́)و 

Lothric: (•‾⌣‾•)

"..."

Eyes and mouth twitching at their reactions, he peered his gaze away from them and glanced at the massive line of soldiers in front of the massive workshop.

Glancing at the nearby buildings, he noticed heatwaves emanating from them. This was likely due to the intense heat produced while melting the necessary materials into molten liquid, which would then be transported through an underground tube system to the main building, aka the Advanced Technological Workshop.

Wait... ain't this process similar to how Logan first got injected with adamantium?

Isn't this just the Weapon X Program but with a few extra steps?

So...-

"Will the soldiers be put into some sort of... encasement or something?"

Having heard his inquiry, Lothric took it upon himself to answer his question.

"Yes. They'll be going through a three-step enhancement process."

"Is that so..."

Thinking of something, he sheepishly asked.

"Say...hypothetically-"

"Not possible."

"I didn't even-"

"I know. Nonetheless, this process is specifically designed for mechanized beings, not humans. Furthermore... do you truly require this enhancement?"

Awkwardly looking away, Jin scratched his chin.

"Well... I think it's cool..."

"Commander!"

Interrupting their conversation, a soldier descended and landed a few feet away, bowing with his hand on his chest.

"Is it ready?"

Glancing to the side, he saw Reinhard awaiting an answer, a golden glint in his eyes.

"Yes, Commander Reinhard. We can proceed... though, I'm afraid-"

The soldier suddenly tilted his head up, his red eyes locking onto the massive rainbow bridge arching across the entire sky.

The bridge shimmered with vibrant colors, each hue blending seamlessly into the next, and it stretched to a distant, crimson-like planet, its surface glowing with an eerie, otherworldly light.

"-we won't be able to enhance every single one of our troops since it's a process that will take approximately a week, and with the war..."

Understanding his dilemma, Reinhard reassured him with a straightforward answer.

"It will occur in a few days, which isn't enough time for all three brigades. However, we've anticipated this and concluded that our brigade will undergo the enhancement. We will be at the forefront of the fighting."

"...understood."

Sensing a sudden feeling of unease from the soldier, the golden war machine patted his shoulder.

"This time. It will be different."

As golden arcs of light flashed across his body, Reinhard made a vow.

Not just to himself.

But to all those who had fallen.

It wasn't merely about vengeance now.

It was about redemption.

Pure. Unyielding. Redemption.

For them.

For this World.

...

Click... Clunk... Hiss... Hiss...

Click... Clank... Buzz... Buzz...

Hiss... Whizz... Whizz...

Sounds of machinery and the hum of plasma-like energy filled the air.

With members from other brigades ensuring smooth operations, they observed silently, keeping a vigilant watch.

Click... Clunk... Hiss... Hiss...

The enhancement process for Reinhard's brigade began in a massive, cutting-edge industrial chamber, located underground in the Advanced Technological Workshop.

The three thousand soldiers, encased in transparent coffins filled with water, felt the sting of numerous small, sharp needles piercing their bodies. They were lined up before towering vats of molten metal, the glow from the liquid casting an eerie, flickering light throughout the chamber.

"Processing units... confirmed. Wavelength frequencies... stable. Condition for 'Plasma Cleansing'... within parameters. Replacement of the exoskeleton... available for further augmentation."

Glancing up from the status report given by the holographic screen, a soldier from Valkyra's brigade gave the 'ok' sign to proceed with the procedure.

"Reports have shown no abnormalities, we continue."

Simultaneously, across the expansive chamber, other soldiers responsible for initiating the process made their inputs on holographic screens before pressing the confirm button.

"Initiating force shutdown. Commencing in 10-

-9

-8

-7

-6

...

...

-1."

As the motionless AI voice rang out, a sudden silence descended before the encased soldiers had their glowing red eyes go pitch black.

Whirrr... Clank... Buzz... Buzz...

All of a sudden, countless robotic arms descended from the ceiling, each equipped with precision instruments designed to interface with the soldiers' metallic bodies. 

A loud hiss filled the air as the see-through vats released their contents. Streams of liquid hot metal flowed through a complex network of transparent tubes, glowing with an intense heat that radiated outwards. The tubes snaked their way to each soldier, ending in multiple nozzles that aligned with the needles embedded in their bodies.

Hiss... Whizz... Whizz...

One by one, the nozzles activated, and the molten metal began to seep into the soldiers' frames. The process was carefully controlled, with the metal flowing at a rate that ensured it would fill the intended cavities and channels without causing structural damage.

...

WARNING! FOREIGN SUBSTANCE DETECTED! ACTIVATING ANTI-NANO DEFENSE SYSTEM!

WARNING! FOREIGN SUBSTANCE DETECTED! ACTIVATING ANTI-NANO DEFENSE SYSTEM!

WARNING! FOREIGN SUBSTANCE DETECTED! ACTIVATING ANTI-NANO DEFENSE SYSTEM!

...

Having detected the external interference, the soldiers' internal systems automatically adjusted their temperatures to prevent overheating.

As such, as the molten metal coursed through their bodies, it began to cool and harden at a microscopic level, imperceptibly forming new layers of armor and reinforcing critical joints and components. 

Hum... Clack... Beep... Beep...

Throughout the entire process, the robotic arms continued to move with precision, monitoring the flow and ensuring that every part of the soldiers received the necessary enhancements.

Whether it was the replacement and cleansing of their Plasma Reactor, exoskeleton, vital fluid... etc, every single thing was thoroughly analyzed, with diagnostic screens displaying real-time data, showing the successful integration of the new material.

...

A few days later.

Atop one of the twin mountains that pierced through the clouds, Jin gazed intently ahead, his focus fixed on one thing in particular... the system prompt.

[War looms over the horizon. Your enemy, identified as Lord Nexius, has begun sending his troops over the World Connecting Bridge.

We wish you good luck, Lord Wulfric Caesar Augustus Ger-]

"Got it, got it."

He muttered, swiping the prompt away and returning his focus to the night sky.

"Are you concerned?"

Valkyra stood beside him, arms crossed, as her red eyes gleamed ominously.

"Yes."

Giving her a sidelong glance, Jin continued staring into the distance, occasionally catching a glimpse of numerous black dots flying toward the skies.

"It is a normal reaction. War will always cause distress among the populace, this will be no different."

A sudden cool breeze swept over them, causing the new clothes Nero had knitted for him to flutter in the wind.

Peering her eyes away, she looked down at Jin's grey eyes which also stared up at her.

"All the intel has been given to you, yes?"

"Yeah... because nothing says 'unity' like black and white-skinned demons."

 She responded with a nod.

"They are strong, according to our Empress."

"Well..."

As a shit-eating grin formed on his face, Jin extended his arm, his hand forming into a fist.

"Just punch the fuck out of 'em!"

"..."

Slowly turning her head away, Valkyra was at a loss for words, but still-

-as man and machine awkwardly fist bumped...

FWOOSH!

FWOOSH!

FWOOSH!

Piercing sounds soon filled the air.

As to why?

[The three thousand Legion soldiers have completed their upgrades! 

Due to certain conditions being met, the soldiers have deviated and evolved into a different path!]

Under the moon's luminous glow, their black and golden armor gleamed with a magnificent metallic luster.

Soon, countless pairs of golden eyes snapped open, fixating upon the crimson planet before them.

Golden arcs of energy rippled across their forms, masking the immense turbulence and rage within.

...

...

...