A magic circle appeared before Edward, releasing a devastating blow that destroyed dozens of Star Systems. Luckily, he chose one with no life, or this would be a civilization catastrophe for the habitants of this Star Cluster.
Edward continued to cast powerful spells while Morgana recorded the data. Finally, after more than six hours, he finished with a satisfied grin on his face.
"With the Supersolid Aether Core, the Empire's Arcanists' strength will increase between 3 to 5 times."
The Tier system is basic. It is based on how much destructive or defensive power a person has. So, for Edward's Universe, the requirement for Tier 8 is to have the power to destroy a Star System composed of at least 9 Planets the size of Earth and one Star the size of the Sun.
Or survive the explosion or destruction of a Star System of that level.
However, despite how basic the system was, there were some nuances that dictated the strength of each individual. For example, the Arcane System created by Edward made it easier and faster for people to reach higher Tiers but also was more potent on average.
And the main reason for that was that Arcanists have higher destructive capabilities using the same amount of energy.
For example, let's say that the amount of mana needed to destroy a planet was 1 unit. The Empire's Arcanists can use 1 unit of mana to destroy 2 to 5 stars.
The main reason is their Crystal or Solid Mana and their purified purple mana. In general, the mana they used is of higher essence or quality; their mana is not even mana anymore and can be called Aether–which is a higher form of energy close to if not on par with Void Energy.
And now, the Supersolid State of the Aether Core made them even more powerful. Using 1 unit of mana, Arcanists will be able to destroy 5 to 10 planets.
"This discovery will significantly help us in our battle against the Gods," commented Edward.
The Divine Mercenary System is one of the ways the Gods dealt with Magic Civilizations. They lured powerful Casters to serve them with the promise of increasing their mana, purifying their mana, increasing their Soul Limit, and granting knowledge.
However, the Empire won't have much trouble since most of these temptations are useless. The Empire's Arcanists will be the most powerful class of Casters, envied and sawed after by many.
And Edward has already planned to use this fact to lure Magic Civilizations who do not want to be servants to the Gods.
"The more important thing is the development of our Energy Technology," commented Morgana. The Aether Core is the core of the Empire's technology tree. And every tiny progress equates to great change in the entire Empire.
After coming to this world, Edward acquired the Mana Sage Mode, drastically increasing his understanding and energy use. Subsequently, he got his hands on the Fate Universe's Magic Circuit, which also further enhanced his Energy Control.
Finally, he studied Titan's Magic Weapon, which also involved brilliant use of Energy. Adding this new Supersolid Aether Core, the Empire's Energy Technology will take a big leap.
"Yes. You need to calculate the remaining 2 Mana Circles so we can update the Floating City's Aether Core," added Edward. "Upon success, we might be able to push the city to the limit of Tier 10."
"I will add this feature for the 3.0 Version."
Edward nodded before returning to the Ninja World and continuing his training. He entered the second layer of his Soul Dimension and placed a few sealing spells in all four directions.
Then, he gathered the mana from the enchantments before condensing them into a crystal shape and purifying them into purple. The process was fast, smooth, and without any hindrance.
Once the core formed, he condensed the 8 Mana Circles before fusing them with the Aether Core. He watched how the state of the core changed from a normal solid to a supersolid, containing the properties of both solid and liquid.
Once the process finished, Edward gathered more mana to expand the size of the core. This core in the second layer served as the second Mana Pool for Edward, so the final size was countless times larger than the one in the first layer.
After all, the first layer's Aether Core and the one in his magic core combine together to form his Tier 8 strength.
So, after the second layer's core reached the pinnacle of Tier 8 Mana, he stopped before checking his body.
"Success," he muttered after not feeling any symptoms. The idea of sealing the Soul Dimension's second layer and creating another Aether Core was not new. Edward had previously experimented on this subject as a way to have an extra mana pool.
However, his previous efforts failed. Even after sealing the place, there were consequences for creating a third Aether Core. He would often have headaches, he had difficulty concentrating or controlling his soul strength.
To solve this problem, Edward tried to create an Aether Lake in the second layer; he tried using Liquid Mana instead of Crystal Mana. Unfortunately, the amount of liquefied mana required to become Tier 8 was outrageous, so he wanted a better solution.
Because of these facts, Edward became excited after discovering the Mana Circles. The Micro Nature made him believe they would place no burden on the Soul Dimension and thus could be used to acquire additional Mana Pools.
But now, he found a solution that is the best of two worlds. The Supersolid Aether Core had the properties of Liquid Mana and placed less burden on the Soul Dimension. Meanwhile, it did not require as much mana to reach the Tier 8 quantity.
(AN: If this chapter tells different information from the called Mana Circle was because someone in my Discord pointed out a plot hole, so I'm trying to correct or explain it.)
After creating his second Mana Pool, Edward checked his body.
"As long as I remove the seal, I can access a second Mana Pool."
A Caster's worst nightmare is the lack of mana. So, having ways to regenerate mana or have extra mana pools is a common tactic of most Casters Path–except for Sorcerers.
"However, I should consider the possibility of someone removing the seals," muttered Edward with a frown. If that were to happen, it would be like fusing with another Tier 8 Clone of himself.
And the result of such a thing for him, who has reached the limit of Tier 8, would be an explosion because his body and soul cannot bear or control such a large quantity of mana.
"Let's quadruple reinforce the seal. Then, add another Sealing Artifact as a fail-safe. Finally, Morgana will be in charge of controlling the second Mana Pool in case something happens to the seal."
After making preparations, Edward nodded in satisfaction. Then, he proceeded to create two more Supersolid Aether Cores in the third and fourth layers of the Soul Dimension.
"Even I feel the pressure on my dimension," commented Edward before drinking a few potions to reinforce the dimension. Then, he proceeded to the last step.
He removed his robe and placed his hand on his belly button. Then, a seal tattoo similar to Naruto's appeared. He closed his eyes to see another space inside his body.
Edward focused and created another Aether Core and placed it inside the seal.
"This world's Eight Trigram Sealing Jutsus has many uses," muttered Edward.