Vile Evil Hides Under The Veil

Within the newly formed Soul Seed Insertion Array Formation, a layout distinct from the one used to resurrect Eliza took shape.

It resembled the design favored by Grandmaster Baelin in his weaponsmithy.

Unlike the four Cardinal Array Eyes used by Layla in the Lazarus Project, this formation contained three. These three eyes formed an equilateral triangle, evenly spaced apart.

Grandmaster Baelin preferred this layout for its precision in Artifact crafting while conserving Spiritual Force. One of the Array Eyes was his Control Array, while the remaining two were managed by his apprentices, Ravid and Leo Longblade, who shared his burden.

This layout pattern of the Soul Seed Insertion Array Formation was Grandmaster Baelin's spin on the original design. This was why it could be recognized by Baelin at first glance. This pattern had increased Baelin's success rate of creating spiritual artifacts, making him one of the most accomplished weaponsmiths across all of Anfang.

Eren, familiar with this variant, opted for a similar structure. He had decided to bet on all the experiences he had gained during the last decade as Leo Longblade. His spin on the Lazarus Project.

In his adaptation, Eren included two control units instead of one. He manned one controlling Array Eye while the other was handled by Alephee. The sole Array Eye meant for crafting an artifact was occupied by Reen's lifeless form.

As such, this design could be called a completely opposite variant of Grandmaster Baelin's variant. If he was here at the present to see his apprentice doing something like this, the dwarf weaponsmith would have scolded Eren for stealing his knowledge as well as appreciated him for creating something better off of it.

***

Eren's version of the Soul Seed Insertion Array Formation was ridiculously simple and mind-blowingly genius at the same time. It had all the complexities of the traditional designs while making the creation process simpler.

Eren had used all the expertise he had gained from digesting Array Experts, his own experiences, and Sansara Sage's legacy. He had combined all of those gains before using his Array Master Class to create this masterpiece.

Although the process of array creation was a methodical approach to using magic, it could be as artistic as it was systematic. It all depended on how the Array Creators employed the experiences they had gained by studying this branch of magic.

Sansara Sage had excelled in this branch of magic purely because his approach to the array creation was more artistic than it was systematic. As his legacy holder, Eren's way of handling this branch of magic was bound to be influenced by Sansara Sage as well.

This was also why there was a custom among powerful entities to leave their legacies behind in their home world. A lot of them wanted to see how creative their legacy holders could get with the pieces of the puzzle they had provided to them. Even Sansara Sage would have been inspired by Eren's way of employing his own insights.

If Layla had access to this layout, she wouldn't have suffered from such terrible Spiritual Force fatigue. Of course, Eren didn't have any intention to share this layout with the Little Witch in the first place.

Eren had never thought he could save Reen from Eliza's clutches alive. He could guess that she was bound to become interested in the bloodline he had acquired from Reen. Even if she didn't kill her or him, there was little hope for Eliza to release Reen just because the Lazarus Project ended. Reen's existence was just that precious and he knew it better than Eliza.

This was why he had been running his parallel plan alongside the Lazarus Project. This was also the reason why he had been looking for ways to counter Enderflames.

Eren's first answer to this dilemma was Fiend Creation. He had been working on this plan for as long as he was working on the Lazarus Project. Judging by his recent experiments, he had obtained great results.

Eren knew that the fiend creation was more direct and had relatively less chance of failure. The only problem in the fiend creation lay in the fact that it triggered a Calamity.

However, as their creator, Eren understood the limitations of fiends better than anybody. As fiends, their bodies were only adept at handling infernal energies. They couldn't handle the world's mana with the same proficiency as the regular entities.

Plus, the fiends' demonic inclinations were bound to affect their behavior. For example, Hilda was already showing signs of becoming a completely different person than what she was before she was alive in her own body.

Eren didn't want Reen to have the same type of limitations or repercussions by turning her into a fiend. He wanted her to remain the same while allowing her innate potential to reach greater heights than before.

Eren found the way he was looking for when he assumed the identity of Leo Longblade. The more he started creating and handling the spiritual artifacts, the more sure he was of his new idea. An idea that had been taking root inside his head for a good part of the last decade.

The Hex Artifacts were ever-evolving. They grew with the users and had no limit on their growth potential. Plus, they didn't affect the spiritual beings bound to them, dubbed as artifact spirits, in a negative way. This was what Eren had been looking for the most.

The butcher decided to abandon the fiend creation plan he had for Reen after learning about the Hex artifact creation. He dabbled in their manufacturing process and experimented with them extensively to know his ins and outs around them. He used them thoroughly on the battlefield and tested their limits.

The problem with making Hex Artifacts was that they didn't always turn out right. Even if Eren became really good at making them, he couldn't make them perfect every time. Sometimes they just crumbled away, ruining all his efforts.

He could do his best when he was all alone and focused, but even then, he could only get close to a 50% success rate.

That's why Eren worked so hard to improve the Soul Seed Insertion Array Formation that Grandmaster Baelin made. He wanted to boost his chances of success and make fewer mistakes.

Eren had planned everything carefully, but when it came to making the Hex Artifacts, the final result wasn't something he could completely control.

***

"Eren, are you… good to go?" Alephee inquired, noting Eren's uneasy demeanor behind his composed facade. She didn't want to pressure him, but time was of the essence.

Taking a deep breath, Eren responded, "Yes. Let's begin."

At that moment, the focus and determination he sought came back to him.

The coldness and callousness of an uninvolved passerby gripped his Individuality once again, as he initiated the process to create a never-seen-before Hex artifact.