Two array layouts were present in the sacred hall.
These array layouts had a radius of more than 50 meters each. They were considerably larger than normal arrays. Plus, the runic inscriptions in them seemed more complicated than the rest.
Even an array expert like Durbag who had in-depth knowledge about the arrays from his clarity was amazed to see these two arrays in operation. He just stood at a distance and observed the runic inscriptions in the arrays, trying to get a clue about how they operated.
Both of these arrays were occupied by one ent.i.ty each. The first array was occupied by Kaal while Kirin was in the second array. They were both sitting inside the respective array eyes, their bodies in sync with the array operations.
Kirin seemed to be struggling through something. Her expression looked stressed. The inscriptions around her started glowing brighter all of a sudden.
The intrinsic circles inside the array started rotating while releasing a bright white light. The process continued for a while before eventually dying down for Kirin.
She opened her eyes all of a sudden and her eyes s.h.i.+ned with emerald brilliance. She stood up and her horns started growing. Her stature also increased a bit. The biggest difference was in her mana signature, which was fiercer than before.
Kirin"s build and facial features remained almost the same. But one could feel that she was ready to battle.
Durbag didn"t understand what Kirin was doing by tapping into her Echi state. This transformation wasn"t supposed to be used casually like this.
But before he could ask his queries, Durbag heard the sound of footsteps approaching. He turned around to see that their king and his homunculus companion had come to check up on the progress.
"My king!"
Durbag got on his knees seeing Eren. The latter nodded at him. Then he turned his gaze towards his Oni woman before speaking up.
"Can you do it?"
Eren asked Kirin while smiling at her. He knew she had just finished her process.
Kirin didn"t reply in words. She closed her eyes and focused on the array tattoo that had appeared on the back of her left hand. She chanted the mantra that Alephee had given her.
In the next moment, Kirin began reverting to normal. Her stature decreased and her mana signature started changing to normalcy once again. Her horns started shrinking too.
But the transformation didn"t stop there. Kirin"s mana signature kept on changing. Her horns started shrinking beyond what she normally boasted of.
Durbag watched with utter surprise as Kirin"s horns vanished. Her mana signature also changed drastically. She looked and felt like an elf with beautiful features.
Durbag didn"t know what to say anymore. He couldn"t believe that Kirin had turned into an elf.
"My king, what is this I see? What is this transformation?"
Durbag couldn"t help asking the question. But Eren didn"t pay attention to him. He just disappeared from his position and appeared right next to Kirin before taking her in his embrace.
"My darling, you look just as stunning as you did before."
Kirin giggled when she heard Eren compliment her. And the words he chose to compliment her also indicated that he had no problem with her Oni form. That relieved her and enabled her to truly enjoy his compliment.
Kirin hugged back and rubbed her face against Eren"s chest. She was proud of her Oni lineage and liked her horns. But they had made it difficult for her to rub her face against Eren"s chest the way she was doing at this point.
She liked the fact that she could get close to Eren without her horns getting in the way. Eren rubbed her partially exposed back with both his hands and kissed her on her lips before praising her some more.
Alephee sighed when she saw Eren flirting with his lady. The guy liked to work hard and pursue his women harder. He had completely ignored Kaal"s progress and avoided answering Durbag. All his attention was devoted to Kirin.
Alphee felt a bit sorry that Durbag was getting ignored. The Orc chieftain of the Durbag tribe was waiting patiently for Eren"s answer in his kneeling position.
It seemed he really wanted to know about the array she had cast for Kaal and Kirin. Being the array-savant that he was, he couldn"t hide the curiosity he felt towards the array that had displayed such unusual effects.
"This is an array that taps into the effects of atavism. Let"s say that all the children of Echidna could tap into this transformation that takes place in a completely different direction than the state of Echi.
My array gives the children of Echidna access to this transformation by expediting the process of Atavism. If and when they become proficient in it, they won"t require the array"s help to s.h.i.+ft between their forms."
Durbag"s eyes shone when he heard the explanation from his king"s homunculus. An array that works on the blood itself! Even with Durbag"s vast knowledge of arrays, he wasn"t sure he had heard about an array that could work on something like a blood and blood genesis. This was a completely different form of study Durbag found to be feasible."
Durbag thought for a while before thinking of a different approach.
"Madam Alephee, I see that this transformation requires the children of Echidna to tap into their state of Echi first. What if we stopped the array function after the process had only partially done its job?""
At this point, Eren and Kirin were in their own bubble. It looked like Eren was trying to woo a stunning elf that had already fallen for him. The Oni princess giggled and seemed busy talking with her husband while looking like an elf princess.
Alephee looked at Durbag impressively when she understood his intentions. The guy had thought of using the array as a way to enable less-talented children of Echidna to tap into the state of Echi.
She explained the workings of the array as well as a way to stop the functions of the array midway. Durbag didn"t understand the concepts of atavism. And when asked, Alephee only replied vaguely. So he understood her intentions and focused on learning the array"s functions completely.
It took Kaal three hours more to complete the process and exit out of the array. He too was able to get rid of all his features as an Ogre, turning into a human male.
Kirin and Kaal both were set to leave the Oni dungeon with Eren.