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I discovered it was possible to use Shiro's fur as a Holy and Angelic-type material for the forge, and for demonic-type materials, I had plenty of those from my fight in the Demon Castle, I still have a bunch of Uroboros crystalized essence, some scales, and even teeth; they're gigantic.

I still am thinking what to do with them, though; Hilda definitely cannot work on them yet; she still has to progress a lot more before she can begin using Constellation body parts—no wait a second, didn't she use the whiskers from the yellow dragon constellation on the shield?

Hmmm… Maybe I should try asking her once I'm finally back, but for now, I used these materials to fuel the forge, and the first one to enter was Fang Shuan. The process of Demonic Stigma and Celestial Mark engraving was quicker than I imagined, but I had to work on it personally too.

So I grabbed a hammer and started mixing the burning demonic and holy essences into his metallic body; now he resembled more like a Gundam or a Transformer version of himself rather than the gold statue, which was awesome, although I don't know if Fang Shuan liked it or not.

CLANK! CLANK! CLANK!

Each hit of my magic hammer infused Fang Shuan's metals with these essences, as the Forge's Spirits, Samariel, constantly inscribed their demonic and celestial runes into the surface of his body.

He placed one in the back and another at the chest. I guess these were the best places to place them. Arms, legs, or even the head could be lost, but his torso, the largest amount of mass within his body, should hold on even after he's getting thrashed around.

And eventually…

FLUOOOSH!

The flames of the forge washed over him, completely infusing the Demonic Stigma and the Celestial Mark into his body, as Fang Shuan gasped, realizing a new demonic and holy power was dwelling within him.

"I-I can't believe this! It worked?" he wondered.

"It sure did! Nice! Congrats!" I clapped happily. "We did it! Can you feel what powers you got? I didn't get any notification…"

"I am not too sure…" Fang Shuan said. "I'll have to figure this out while I'm fighting, I'm afraid… But it seems strong."

"Oh, alright then," I nodded. "Thank you, Samariel."

"Without my master's aid and the materials provided, it wouldn't have been possible; I was merely doing as I was made to," he nodded. "It seems to work perfectly, however. As long as the target is metallic and not perceived as "biological" in some sort of case, it works. I suppose these two robot girls are next?"

"Yeah," I nodded. "They have softer skin, though, so I wonder if they won't burn?" I asked.

"There's nothing to worry about," he said. "Through my flames, it is also possible to target the inner metal body while not burning or damaging the circuits and soft skin. It is part of my own ability, as I am first a spirit before flames themselves. Its temperature, power, and what they do are completely within my control."

"Amazing!" I nodded. "So it'll work, come on girls! Who's first?"

Zero One and Zero Two were a bit nervous, looking at one another for who would go first. Unlike Fang Shuan, they can feel pain, so bathing in flames wasn't the thing they were looking forward to.

"I promise it will not hurt you," said Samariel. "To begin with, the pain biological, fleshy beings perceive is due to nerves; you don't have nerves but circuits; circuits will only be improved and enhanced instead."

"Oh… well, I guess I'll go first!" said Zero One. "I should do this as the very least, as the big sister between the two."

"A-Ah, sister…" Zero Two seemed a bit shocked but nodded, nonetheless. "Okay… I'll go after you then."

The narrative has been illicitly obtained; should you discover it on Amazon, report the violation.

She trusted her sister, as Zero One stepped into the flames while closing her eyes and furrowing her eyebrows; she really expected the worst.

However…

FLUOOOSH!

The flames felt gentle to her, the same way they felt when I touched them with my bare hands; it was a comforting warmth.

"Oh?"

She noticed it didn't hurt, her eyes slowly relaxing.

"It doesn't hurt!"

"See? I told ya! Now let's begin."

With Samariel, we did the same process as with Fang Shuan.

However, because she was much smaller, petite, and delicate, we had to be more careful.

We decided to place the Demonic Stigma on her back and the Celestial Mark in her stomach.

She's a girl after all; she has developed a sense of embarrassment and everything, so stripping naked for us was a big no-no.

Hence, the back and stomach were safe and not embarrassing for her.

I had to be gentle with my hammer, so the process ended up being a bit slower.

CLANK!

CLANK!

CLANK!

The flames washed her body constantly, encompassing her; the runes were rapidly formed, engraved, and merged into her inner metallic body.

"Compared to the man, your inner metallic body is incredibly more complex," said Samariel. "It's impressive how you were even made to begin with! You're a work of art of the finest quality; the level of detail is simply superhuman."

"A-Ah, is that so?" Zero One blushed a bit. "My Mother created me and designed me. I suppose I owe her that… She did say I was much different than other machines."

"You indeed are! Alright, we're done for now," nodded Samariel.

FLAAASH!

"Oooh?!"

Zero One gasped in disbelief, her Aura now gaining Demonic and Celestial energy; the two marks emerged in her body and then turned invisible.

"And it is done!" I said. "What do you think? Can you figure out what it is?"

"Kind of…" she nodded. "Hmm, I'll have to test their strength once the battle begins, though."

"Alright," I nodded. "Now, the last one! Zero Two, come here."

Zero Two seemed nervous but nodded, making her way into the flames.

"Don't be nervous; it'll be ok."

I patted her head; her black hair was silky and soft; it reminded me of Baihe.

"I-I'm not nervous! Why would I be nervous? I'm fine! I swear I'm fine…"

She was really trying to act tough.

Well, that's just how she is anyways…

"Let's begin."

The process was the same, with Samariel making small comments about how well her internal design was done.

It might've sounded weird if he was a regular old man, but he was a spirit of the forge with what seemed to be a lot of knowledge about forging and crafting.

So I guess finding the androids as "wonderful creations" was normal, as he also perceives them as works of art from the point of view of a blacksmith.

"I-Is it done already? That was quick…"

Zero Two glanced at her hands, overflowing with new energies she had never thought possible for her to harness.

"Despite both of them not being magical weapons or equipment, it was completely possible to infuse these Demonic Stigmas and Celestial Marks," said Samariel. "This implies they're probably already in the possession of supernatural properties. Perhaps their own metallic composition, mined from this Murim World, could be the case. And their Core, that Electromagnetic Energy was very strong, and it contained unique properties."

"I see…" I nodded. "Alright then, I think that's enough for now, Samariel, thank you."

"It's a pleasure, master. If you need more help, just feel free to ask," Samariel nodded, as he quickly went back to the forge.

FLUOSH!

He went to sleep right away, although he didn't look like that; he was most likely very tired after doing this three times in a row.

He has done his part, so rest well. Once I'm back, it'll be to tell you how we won.

I saw all three of them practicing their new powers, still trying to comprehend the inner workings of what they could do.

"Demonic Stigmas usually are about sacrificing something," I said. "And through that, you gain a greater power. Meanwhile, Celestial Marks are usually about protecting something else than yourself or gaining power from what has been sacrificed, taking damage, and such. This is why they usually synergize really well together."

"I see…" Fang Shuan nodded. "I'm getting the gist of it… Hmm, it could prove to be very useful. I'll have to work into adding it to my usual fighting style."

"So that's how it works…" nodded Zero One. "And sacrificing something, huh? I hadn't considered that… Hmm, maybe it could work."

"Ahh, this is confusing even after you explained it!" Zero Two complained. "Eurgh… Well, let's hope it can synergize with my fighting style, because I'm not dropping my swordsmanship nor my Nanobot Swarm anytime soon."

"Nah, don't worry," I nodded. "I'm sure you all will be able to find one way or another to fit these powers into how you battle. Consider them a little gift from my part, a last boost for all of you, my friends."

"Anna…" Zero One smiled. "Thank you!"

"A-Ah, I guess… I guess I should thank you then," Zero Two muttered, looking embarrassed.

"I am grateful, young master," said Fang Shuan. "I shall use this power to further ensure your safety and help you achieve your goals."

As I nodded and heard their thanks, I suddenly saw a holographic window popping out of nowhere.

Ding!

[Skill Copy Conditions have been met for Characters: [Zero One] and [Zero Two]!]

[Do you wish to check the list of available Skills you can copy?]

Oh right, I had almost forgotten about this!

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