"Well.. cough cough cough… He… Here goes nothing."
The Witch of the Enderflames took a deep breath before uncorking the vial provided by Layla.
The distilled essence of Simbelmyne's flowers was sipped slowly.
With a soul as experienced as hers and a highly profound Soul Sense, she didn't require the Astral Projection potion to release her soul from her body. She could do so voluntarily. The extract from Simbelmyne's flowers served to calm her soul and rectify any spiritual deformities it might harbor.
Another spectral blur manifested within the modified Soul Seed Insertion Array Formation, assuming a seed-like appearance. "Leela, now," Layla signaled her alert sister, who stood inside the southern Array Eye.
Without delay, Leela got to work. She had linked her Soul Sense with Shallot's Mirror, utilizing her connection with the artifact to draw Sage Eliza's Soul Seed into the mirror.
Tendrils formed from pure spiritual energy emerged from the blackened mirror, resembling wild vines suddenly infused with rapid growth. These tendrils, appearing akin to the material of the mirror itself, converged around Eliza's Soul Seed and drew it close.
The mirror's surface appeared as though a still lake had been disrupted by a small sinking rock, rippling to accommodate Eliza's Soul Seed.
Previously, Shallot's Mirror exhibited no reflection, as if it had failed in its role as a mirror. However, it now mirrored Eliza Samael in her prime state with her eyes closed, as though she were standing before it. Eren inferred that this reflection represented how Eliza perceived herself; her soul manifested this image in response to her self-concept.
"Haash! Master Eliza's soul has been successfully secured within Shallot's Mirror without any issues. Baby steps, Layla. Baby steps."
Layla muttered to herself, inspecting her own progress as she managed the functions of the Soul Seed Insertion Array Formation. The formation provided an ideal, isolated environment for her to complete this task; otherwise, relying solely on Shallot's Mirror would have been insufficient to safeguard Eliza's soul.
"Now, onto the most critical part of the Lazarus Project," Layla whispered to herself, her fists clenched in determination. She extended both hands before turning to Reen, who was enclosed within the eastern Array Eye. "Reen, it's your turn," the Little Witch signaled to Reen before engaging the eastern Array Eye's functions.
Reen glanced at Eren, who stood outside the Soul Seed Insertion Array formation and nodded in acknowledgment. She then abandoned her human guise and transformed into her original form, that of a demonic, slime-like beast. Her distinctive features dissolved into a mass of semi-transparent, jelly-like blob.
'Echidna's Placenta!'
Eren suddenly heard these strange words echo in his mind when Reen reverted to her former state. However, he disregarded the voice and focused on Layla's ongoing actions.
Over the last decade, the Little Witch and Sage Eliza had conducted numerous experiments on Reen's constitution. They realized that they couldn't simply utilize her as a Biological Primer to shape Lady Zee's vessel into an ideal form for Eliza's resurrection. Not without proper balance needed to make the Project a success.
This crucial stage of the Lazarus Project demanded Layla to strike a delicate balance. If she used the Primer too sparingly, it would introduce irregularities, rendering the fusion of two vessels for Eliza's new body unsuccessful. Conversely, excessive use of the Primer would allow it to dominate the genetic information of the two vessels, rendering the new vessel unsuitable for Eliza.
This complexity was precisely why they needed a decade of experimentation with Reen. Such a balance couldn't be achieved spontaneously but required data from numerous trials.
Layla activated the northern and western Array Eyes concurrently while leaving the eastern Array Eye operational and ready. With a wave of her hands, the magical runes and symbols encircling the lifeless bodies of Lady Zee and Eliza began to shine more intensely than ever before.
The two bodies were enveloped by an unusual kind of Mana, undergoing a molecular deconstruction. Over time, these two vessels lost their physical forms, transitioning into a liquid state comprising flesh and bones. These liquified forms assumed a spherical shape, akin to excessively large watermelons.
At the center of these spheres were two mana cores. One of these mana cores was that of a C-Rank at its limit to break into the next Rank. The other mana core, belonging to Sage Eliza, was an S-Rank mana core which was only at the vapor state of the Sage Rank.
After Layla successfully formed the new vessel, the two mana cores would distingrate and form a new mana core that would belong to the Novice Rank. This process would be the final step and relatively less bothersome for Layla. As long as the Little Witch ensured that no anomaly occurs while creating a compatible vessel, the fusion of two mana cores would take place naturally.
Layla appeared visibly strained at this point. Maintaining the Array Formation's operation, managing the three Array Eyes concurrently, placed immense pressure on her homunculus body and soul.
'Layla darling, if you can dream it, you can do it.'
Layla encouraged herself before refocusing on her task with renewed determination. She gestured with her left hand, extracting a portion of the Flesh Sphere from the western Array. Then, she repeated the process with the eastern Array Eye situated to her right.
These two portions were introduced into the northern Array Eye, where Eliza's mortal vessel had been transformed into yet another Flesh Sphere. Layla cautiously initiated the fusion process, blending three types of blobs together.
Eliza's flesh was solely used for extracting genetic and soul-related information. Lady Zee's mortal vessel had been rendered as a blank canvas for imprinting with data from Eliza's mortal vessel.
Reen's flesh was meant to serve as an ink, facilitating the imprinting of this information onto the newly formed mortal vessel resulting from the fusion. Upon completion of this process, a wholly distinct vessel would emerge, perfectly attuned to Eliza's soul.
This represented the initial framework of the Lazarus Project, a collaborative endeavor between Eren and Eliza's sides.
