Read 30+ advance chaps at my patreon
patreon.com/LordDraco
******
Ash smiled slightly.
That was true.
Most forbidden magical constructs required both a body and a mind.
The body was difficult to obtain.
The mind was even harder.
Fortunately, Raphael solved that problem completely.
"Still, can you actually destroy his mind while keeping the body intact?" Ash asked.
"Yes."
Raphael answered without hesitation.
"Using the Eyes of Wisdom and the blueprints of Blackstar's construct body that exist within the lost city, I estimate a very high probability of success."
"We can destroy the original consciousness while preserving the structure."
Ash nodded thoughtfully.
That would save them years of work.
"Good."
"Then after that, we can begin searching for other lost cities."
"There should be plenty of ruins left behind by ancient civilizations."
Raphael immediately agreed.
"Correct."
"Ancient cities contain knowledge that modern mages have long forgotten."
"Many disciplines were lost during the centuries of decline following the Mage Wars."
"Recovering those technologies and spells would greatly accelerate our development."
Ash smiled.
That was exactly what he wanted.
Unlike Lith, who mostly followed the path laid out before him, Ash intended to build something entirely his own.
He would learn every magical discipline.
Every crafting method.
Every branch of magic.
Every piece of forgotten knowledge he could find.
And with Raphael helping him organize and analyze everything, his growth speed would be terrifying.
Meanwhile, not far away, Saber was still experimenting with his new aura ability.
The evolved Kroxy swung his claws again.
Five cyan slashes shot through the air and cut a large tree in half.
The tree collapsed with a loud crash.
Saber blinked.
Then his face lit up.
"I DID IT AGAIN!"
Aqua covered her face.
"By the Great Mother, he's hopeless."
Ash laughed.
Some things never changed.
No matter how much Saber evolved, he was still Saber.
The dragon-like Kroxy immediately began firing aura slashes in every direction.
Trees started falling throughout the forest.
Aqua rushed forward and smacked him across the head with her tail.
"STOP DESTROYING THE FOREST!"
"Ouch!"
Ash simply watched the two of them while smiling.
"Okay, stop. I think I've understood your ability to some extent, so let me explain it to you," Ash said, causing both Aqua and Saber to look at him.
Saber immediately stopped swinging his claws and turned toward Ash.
"You figured it out already?" he asked.
Aqua also looked curious.
"Then explain it."
Ash nodded.
"From what I can tell, your new bloodline ability is a type of aura."
Saber tilted his head.
"Aura?"
"Yes," Ash replied.
"It's a special energy created by combining your life force and mana."
"Unlike normal elemental magic, it doesn't rely on Water, Earth, Fire, or Air."
"It's an extension of yourself."
Ash pointed at Saber's glowing claws.
"That's why the cyan slashes you create feel different from ordinary magic."
"They're not spells."
"They're manifestations of your aura."
Saber looked at his claws thoughtfully.
"So I can only use it to cut things?"
Ash shook his head.
"No."
"That's just the easiest way for you to use it right now."
"Think of it as a weapon that can take different forms."
"You can shape it according to your imagination and fighting style."
Aqua blinked.
"So it can become more than claw attacks?"
"Exactly," Ash said.
"It could potentially be used to strengthen your body, enhance your strikes, form weapons, or create entirely new techniques."
Saber's eyes widened.
"That sounds awesome."
"It is," Ash admitted.
"But you'll need a lot of practice."
"You're basically the first person I've ever seen with an ability like this."
Saber immediately puffed out his chest.
"So I'm special."
Aqua rolled her eyes.
"No, you're an idiot who happened to become special."
"Hey!"
Ash laughed as the two immediately started arguing again.
At least now Saber had a better understanding of the power he had awakened.
And more importantly, Ash had another interesting path of evolution to observe and study.
Ash watched the two argue for a few more minutes before finally raising his hand.
"Alright, enough."
Aqua and Saber immediately stopped.
Well, mostly.
They still glared at each other.
Ash ignored them.
"More importantly, now that both of you have evolved, I want to see what changes happened to your mana cores."
Saber scratched his head.
"How am I supposed to know that?"
"You don't need to do anything," Ash said.
"Just sit down and relax."
The large Kroxy obeyed.
Aqua did the same.
Ash activated the Eyes of Wisdom.
For a brief moment, his eyes flashed with rainbow colors.
Streams of mana became visible to him.
He could see the mana flowing through both magical beasts.
A few seconds later, Raphael began analyzing everything.
After nearly a minute, the results appeared.
"Okay, I'm done," Ash said.
Aqua and Saber looked at each other before turning back to him.
"And?" Saber asked.
Ash shrugged.
"Nothing major. It's similar to my own evolution."
"Except that your body mass has increased significantly, which means your physical strength should have increased as well."
Both of them nodded.
They had already noticed that they were much stronger than before.
"Anyway, Aqua, have you unlocked any bloodline ability?" Ash asked.
Aqua nodded.
"Yes. I call it Mermaid's Blessing."
Saber looked at her.
"I thought it was Mermaid's Tears."
"Yeah, but that name sucked and didn't really match its purpose, so I changed it," Aqua replied.
As she spoke, she activated her bloodline ability.
Mana gathered around her body.
A moment later, a small green droplet of water appeared above her palm.
The droplet glowed softly with healing energy.
"It can help me heal anyone," Aqua explained.
Ash immediately activated the Eyes of Wisdom again and carefully examined the ability.
A few moments later, he nodded.
"Hmm. It's actually really good."
Aqua smiled proudly.
"It should be."
Ash continued studying the mana pattern before speaking.
"It's similar to Saber's Aura in some ways."
"Both are bloodline abilities created after your evolution."
"The difference is that Saber's ability is focused on combat, while yours is focused on support and healing."
He pointed at the glowing droplet.
"This ability allows you to channel your mana and life force into a healing medium."
"It can strengthen allies, heal injuries, and possibly even remove certain negative conditions as it develops."