Vile Evil Hides Under The Veil

'Something's up.'

Eren thought to himself as he fixated his gaze on Eliza.

But before he could take any action, Eliza activated the Soul Seed Insertion Array Formation using her Soul Sense manifestation that appeared at the center of the formation beside Layla.

"Layla dear, when I tell you to do something, you do it without raising questions, alright?" Eliza's Soul Sense manifestations threatened Layla with a gracious smile on her face.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

Thumps reverberated in the surroundings. Another isolation barrier manifested at the precise moment when Eren approached the entrance to the Soul Seed Insertion Array Formation. This barrier, created by Eliza's pure Spiritual Force, mimicked the Birdcage Barrier in certain aspects. Although not an exact replica, it proficiently fulfilled its primary role of repelling "unexpected guests."

Soul Spell!

Eliza had invoked a Soul Spell to impede Eren from intervening in her actions. Her Soul Sense Manifestation extended a hand and forcibly reactivated the western Array Eye, rousing Reen from her slumber.

"Ale..."

Voodoo magic!

Before Eren could even utter a word to summon Alephee's assistance in countering the Soul Spell, a sudden weakness afflicted her limbs, causing Alephee to plummet to the ground with a heavy thud, her face buried in the earth.

Intricate runic symbols materialized all over Alephee's body, bearing their origins in Labh Salem. They acted like chains that kept her from moving. They also made her unable to use her mana core.

At this moment, Eliza held a diminutive doll resembling Alephee. She had chosen to deploy the trump card she had prepared in advance.

'Eren… I can't move,' Alephee's voice was heard in Eren's mind. She was the only one who could help him with the Soul Spells and now she had been incapacitated by Eliza's moves.

Eren looked at Eliza before initiating a flurry of elemental spells to land on the Soul Spell cast by a Grandmaster.

Boom. Boom. Boom.

Eren, wordless but determined, attempted to forcefully infiltrate the Soul Seed Insertion Array Formation. Yet, his efforts proved futile.

"Fufufu. It's useless. There's a reason I waited till I at least became a Grandmaster Ranker to do this. The powers I have right now are enough to deal with someone like you. It's a bit sad for me that my clan's research ultimately ended up benefiting you. So I have to ask for some compensation from you, don't you think?"

Eliza, having achieved remarkable success in the Lazarus Project, had opted to proceed with another of her objects.

"Master, please reconsider this," Layla implored, her countenance awash with concern and fear. "That man... he's surely taken these factors into account. He may not be as strong as you, but he can be more vicious."

Eliza chuckled before addressing Layla. "Do you think I'm unaware of that?" She turned to Layla, her tone marked with an unusual gravity.

"I have raised this snake so I know how venomous it can be. So there's need to be afraid. If this damn snake doesn't understand what's good for itself, I'll burn it down.

But this is crucial for my future. I don't want to remain confined to Anfang as a Sage Ranker. I aim to transcend the Sage Rank and reach even greater heights. To achieve that, I must break free from my Bloodline Shackles right now."

With her declaration, Eliza activated the entire modified Soul Seed Insertion Array unassisted, excluding Layla and Leela from the process.

A guttural cry emanated from Reen as her humanoid form commenced a bizarre dissolution when the western Array Eye was activated in an unprecedented manner. 

Her flesh transformed into a slime-like substance, subsequently stripped away and absorbed by the runic veins.

These runic veins extended to the northern Array Eye, where Eliza's real body was situated.

"You finally showed your true colors, didn't you?"

Eren, ceasing his futile attempts to breach the barrier, calmly addressed Eliza.

She turned her gaze in his direction before delivering an assurance.

"Don't fret, little kitten. If everything goes well, you'll have Reen back, alive. Just allow me to complete what I've initiated, and I'll ensure you survive the enemies lurking outside the barrier."

***

For the last nine years, Eliza and Layla had conducted numerous experiments involving Reen and the unique bloodline that Eren had acquired.

By now, even the most intellectually challenged Ranker could discern that Eren's bloodline possessed extraordinary characteristics, setting it apart from the typical half-blood bloodlines.

The Elder Ichor itself had compatibility with all the existing elemental mana. This compatibility was so potent that it could allow a Ranker to wield all the elemental powers with equal proficiency, provided they had the needed Elemental Attainments.

Eliza, too, came to understand that simply taking or stealing this bloodline from Eren or Reen wasn't an option. It seemed to possess a will of its own, actively stopping the emergence of another like Eren.

The bloodline of Elder Ichor exhibited a tendency to alter itself and mutate into something different entirely if anyone attempted to appropriate it. It steadfastly refused to remain with a fixed genesis.

Upon grasping these peculiarities of Elder Ichor, Eliza had contemplated relinquishing her dragon-type bloodline in favor of acquiring Eren's unique bloodline. After all, Elder Ichor held more promise than her draconic bloodline.

If she could obtain it, she knew she would be able to wield it to its fullest potential.

However, the results of tests on Reen reinforced the notion that Elder Ichor was unattainable through mere desire.

Over the course of nine years, as they delved deeper into their research, Eliza found herself increasingly captivated by this enigmatic bloodline Eren possessed.

Since acquiring the Elder Ichor bloodline proved unfeasible, she decided to pivot her focus toward the next best option: utilizing Reen's constitution as a foundation for inducing bloodline evolution.

Breaking the bloodline shackles meant the inheritors of the bloodline would not have their origins tracked to the first primogenitor. Eliza knew that the bloodline shackles could be broken if the bloodline evolved into something else from its original genesis.

With Elder Ichor's properties extracted from Reen, it was completely possible for Eliza to trigger bloodline evolution and become even more of a fearsome Sage than what she previously was before the Lazarus Project. She would be able to take her draconic bloodline even further by triggering its evolution.

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AN: Soul Spell was first mentioned in chapter 638.