Ash immediately crossed his arms.
A barrier of compressed wind appeared.
The water sphere exploded on impact.
A powerful shockwave spread through the clearing.
The nearby trees shook violently.
Saber watched from a safe distance.
"These two are insane."
Neither fighter paid attention to him.
Up until now, both Ash and Aqua had only been using simple Tier One and Tier Two spells.
More importantly, every spell had used only a single element.
Water.
Or Air.
Nothing more.
Those spells were useful for testing reactions, control, and basic combat skills.
But neither of them intended to stop there.
Aqua smiled.
Then the mana around her changed.
Ash immediately became serious.
She was finally moving on to true Tier Three magic.
Water and Air mana began gathering around her at the same time.
The two elements started mixing together.
A moment later, the temperature around the lake dropped noticeably.
Ash recognized the spell instantly.
"Ice Magic."
Aqua grinned.
Hundreds of ice spikes formed around her.
Unlike normal water projectiles, these were faster, sharper, and significantly more durable.
With a wave of her hand, the spikes shot toward Ash.
The air screamed as they crossed the battlefield.
Ash immediately responded.
He combined Water and Air mana himself.
A swirling vortex appeared in front of him.
The spinning winds redirected many of the ice spikes while water mana softened the impact of the others.
Even then, several spikes managed to break through.
Ash dodged sideways.
One spike grazed his shoulder.
Another pierced the ground where he had been standing a moment earlier.
Boom!
Aqua wasn't finished.
More water rose from the lake.
The water mixed with Air mana and transformed into a freezing mist.
Within seconds, the entire clearing was covered by a thick cloud of frost.
Ash's visibility dropped dramatically.
The temperature continued falling.
Ice began forming on nearby trees.
"This is cheating," Ash muttered.
Aqua's laughter echoed through the mist.
"We're standing next to a lake. That's your problem."
Ash shook his head.
Then he gathered his own mana.
Air and Water mana merged together.
A powerful current formed around him.
The surrounding mist was blown away.
At the same time, dozens of razor-sharp ice blades appeared in the air.
Aqua's eyes widened slightly.
"You copied it?"
"I learned it."
The ice blades rushed forward.
Aqua quickly raised several walls of ice.
The blades shattered against them.
The battle immediately escalated.
Ice spears.
Frozen winds.
Blizzards.
Water dragons.
Cyclones.
Spell after spell collided across the clearing.
The lake churned violently under the influence of their mana.
Even Saber had retreated farther away.
The Kroxy wanted absolutely nothing to do with being caught between two mages throwing Tier Three composite spells at each other.
The fight continued for nearly an hour.
Both Ash and Aqua constantly adapted, learned, and improved.
This was the true strength of Tier Three magic.
Unlike lower tiers, it allowed mages to combine elements and create entirely new effects.
And for Ash, who wanted to master every element eventually, there was no better training than fighting someone like Aqua.
Every spell she cast gave him new ideas.
Every technique expanded his understanding of magic.
And Raphael was recording all of it.
The battle continued for several more minutes.
Both Ash and Aqua had stopped holding back.
At this point, they were no longer simply exchanging spells.
They were actively trying to outthink each other.
Aqua controlled the battlefield.
Ash adapted to it.
Whenever Aqua created a new spell combination, Ash would analyze it and find a way to counter it.
Whenever Ash created a new variation, Aqua would respond with one of her own.
The fight had turned into a contest of skill rather than power.
Eventually, both combatants began showing signs of fatigue.
Their mana reserves were still healthy, but their concentration was starting to slip.
Maintaining Tier Three composite spells for such a long period wasn't easy.
Especially for unawakened mages.
Aqua launched another barrage of ice spears.
Ash responded with a rotating wind shield.
The spears shattered.
At the same time, Ash sent a compressed blade of ice toward her.
Aqua dodged.
The blade sliced through several trees behind her.
For a brief moment, both sides paused.
They stared at each other from opposite sides of the clearing.
Breathing heavily.
Then Aqua suddenly laughed.
Ash blinked.
"What?"
She pointed at him.
"I still can't believe you're the same brat who once beat Saber and me half to death, only to heal us afterward and ask if we wanted to train with you."
Aqua shook her head as she lay on the shore.
"At first, we thought there was something wrong with you."
Saber immediately nodded.
"There definitely is."
Ash picked up a small stone and threw it at him.
Saber didn't even bother dodging.
The stone bounced harmlessly off his scales.
Aqua continued.
"But then we started getting stronger too."
She looked toward the lake.
"Every fight made us better."
"Every spell exchange taught us something."
"And the fact that you could heal us afterward made things even easier."
She laughed softly.
"Most magical beasts would kill for a training partner like that."
Ash shrugged.
"I needed training too."
That was the truth.
Without Saber, Aqua, and the other beast leaders, his growth over the last few years would have been much slower.
The magical beasts gained a healer and training partner too just like Ash have gained them.
Aqua nodded before looking at Ash.
"By the way, we're doing the regular magic training like you taught us, and I think we're starting to get the hang of it," she said.
Saber walked over and nodded in agreement.
"Yeah. I don't really like magic training," he admitted. "But if it's true that it can help me evolve like you said, then why not?"
Ash nodded.
He hadn't taught them the breathing technique yet, but he had discovered a mana geyser located right in the middle of the lake.
The mana density around it was much higher than anywhere else in the area.
After finding it, he had suggested that Aqua, Saber, and the others practice their magic near the geyser whenever possible.