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They greatly enhanced her healing, recovery, and supportive capabilities, but offered little in terms of direct combat power.
As a result, Aqua was always interested whenever Ash or Saber developed a new fighting technique.
Ash looked at the excited mermaid and nodded.
"In theory, yes."
The answer immediately caught everyone's attention.
"Really?" Aqua asked eagerly.
"Maybe. Dragon Aura itself is based on Saber's bloodline ability, so I don't know how effective it will be for the rest of you. But the Aura Circle system should work for everyone."
The moment those words left his mouth, all six Emperor Beasts became interested.
Even Saber was listening carefully now.
After all, he might be able to learn the Aura Circle technique as well.
For Saber, using Dragon Aura was not easy.
He had to mix his life force with the mana from his core to create aura. If he created too much at once, he risked damaging his life force.
However, if he could learn Ash's Aura Circle technique, he would be able to store excess aura safely and use it far more efficiently during battle.
Since there were still six months before Ash needed to leave for the academy, he and his hidden partner, Raphael, the Lord of Wisdom, devoted themselves to developing and perfecting the Aura Circle system alongside the Emperor Beasts.
It proved to be the right decision.
The more people worked on it, the faster it evolved.
In particular, Ryan helped discover something entirely new.
Aura could be infused with elemental attributes.
During one of their sparring sessions, Ryan instinctively mixed his Light affinity into his aura while channeling it through his Aura Circle.
The result was immediate.
The aura coating his claws turned golden.
Not only did it become sharper and more destructive, but its overall lethality increased significantly.
The discovery opened a completely new field of research.
Soon, everyone began experimenting.
Aqua infused aura with healing energy.
Ruru combined it with Darkness.
Shyna attempted to merge it with illusion magic.
Noireal experimented with stealth and concealment.
Even Saber started modifying Dragon Aura in different ways.
The discoveries began piling up one after another.
The entire field advanced at an incredible pace.
Using the countless concepts he remembered from fantasy novels in his previous life, Ash organized all their findings into a proper system.
Aura Weapons.
Aura Reinforcement.
Elemental Aura.
Aura Constructs.
Aura Storage.
Aura Manipulation.
And many more.
Together, they formed the foundation of a brand-new discipline.
A discipline that had never existed in this world before.
After much thought, Ash gave it a name.
Aura Mastery.
And over the next six months, Aura Mastery became one of the greatest achievements Ash and his companions had ever created.
Of course, in terms of raw power, it was only comparable to Tier 3 magic.
Even so, it was still extremely useful and came with several clear advantages, especially for close-range fighters.
The most obvious limitation was the need for a strong body.
The number of jewels on the crown-shaped Aura Circle near the heart determined how much aura a person could store. A weaker body could support fewer jewels, which meant less stored aura and lower overall power.
Another weakness was the charging speed.
Creating and storing aura was a slow process. Unlike awakened magic, where a few breaths were enough to restore mana to the Mana Core, aura had to be generated gradually and accumulated over time.
Because of this, users had to prepare in advance before a battle.
Despite these weaknesses, the benefits were undeniable.
By mixing aura into physical attacks, the power of strikes could increase by two to three times.
This was especially effective for magical beasts that fought with claws, fangs, and raw physical strength.
Saber, Ryan, and Ruru showed the greatest improvements, as their natural fighting styles were already focused on close combat.
As for Ash, he discovered that coating a steel sword with aura dramatically increased the weapon's sharpness, durability, and lethality.
Using a sword forged by the village blacksmith, he practiced for months and gradually improved his control over Aura Mastery through constant sparring and experimentation.
With Raphael's help, he eventually created a simple sword style based on Aura Mastery.
It consisted of only three techniques, but each one was designed to maximize the efficiency of aura usage while remaining practical in real combat.
"Only three days left now."
Ash sat cross-legged near the lake with his eyes closed as he refined aura and stored it inside his Crown Aura Circle.
Over the past six months, the Aura Circle had evolved considerably.
It now possessed eight jewels that acted as aura reservoirs.
When completely filled, each jewel contained enough energy to rival the power of several Tier 3 spells combined.
However, releasing that much aura in a short amount of time came with consequences.
Ash had learned that lesson the hard way.
The first time he attempted it, the veins in his right arm had burst under the pressure, turning the entire limb into a bloody mess.
If not for Aqua's powerful healing ability, Mermaid's Blessing, combined with his own healing magic, he might have been crippled for weeks before seeking help from a high-level healer.
Fortunately, his strengthened body and Aqua's healing allowed the arm to regenerate completely within a few hours.
"It's like tempering my body to get used to higher-pressure aura," Ash muttered.
Raphael nodded.
"Just like the Aura Masters from the stories in your memories. They refined their bodies to their utmost limits before they could safely wield large amounts of aura."
Ash nodded in agreement.
He stood up and picked up the long steel sword resting across his lap.
Holding it vertically before his face, he took a deep breath.
Aura flowed from the Crown Aura Circle around his heart and traveled through his body before gathering in his hand.
A thin layer of aura slowly enveloped the entire sword.
The technique looked simple.
In reality, mastering it had taken Ash four full months.
"First Style: Half Moon."
Ash swung his sword in a smooth crescent-shaped arc.