@DT @THY
Equating astral projection to offensive soul hax is false equivalence. Astral projection is not a enemy ability and is just a projection of their soul outwards whilst the Pope's spell is a enemy attack. Saying it's a minor resistance is utter downplay, one as it is fortified by the RC followers, years of history and Vatican and it is an offensive soul manipulation meant to effect the body via soul extraction. Why would you compare a lost soul or projection to a soul removal and sealing attack?
Using other verses as a basis for soul characteristics doesn't matter as they all treat the soul differently. For example it would be like saying every human in Supernatural is immune to soul manipulation because their soul can be destroyed, taken, and manipulated and they will still be alive. In index a soul merely means something else.
Furthermore, since you bring up volume 2, said volume uses lifeforce and soul interchangeably. For example 1,
"In essence, their original fuel, lifespan and lifeforce, could not simply be compared to a human's. Or rather, more accurately, their lifeforce was infinite so of course, the amount of magic they could use was on a completely different level."
"With no wounds, no bleeding and no illness, she simply died. Like a consumed battery, she was expended. If souls existed, hers was extracted from her flesh, leaving behind an empty shell."
2, A string of something connecting a body to a soul doesn't mean anything, you would just be using qualifiers from other verses. And saying that this is the reason a Pope level spell can easily be countered has no root or basis from any of the text.
3, Leivinia Birdway even says the soul is like crude oil to be refined into usable magic.
"Even in the magic side, there are a flood of different theories as to the definition of the soul, so this part is rather difficult to explain… If you think of the energy flowing through the human body as crude oil, then it is necessary to refine it into gasoline before using magic"
As THY said in their previous post, the vague soul mechanic excuse doesn't fly. Unless you think people in index can survive or use magic without lifeforce/soul your argument makes no sense. So above FRA