Board Thread:General Discussion/@comment-32.208.226.199-20160526161241/@comment-7622429-20160907004004

This one is easy as well. Semblance is connected to Aura, right? Well, Aura, like Ki or Energy Shielding, is a power source that can be channeled in specific ways. For some examples, in the Halo franchise, we see that Armor Abilities like Hardlight Shield takes energy from the shields to create a very durable physical wall of light to protect the user, whilst in Dragon Ball, Ki can be used in a variety of ways, be it blasts, beams, or even completely powering up ala the Kaio-ken.

Thus, Semblance can be seen as a specific expression of one's inner energy, Aura being the power source, though in this case it's based on the personality and possibly genetics of the individual.

And as for Adam? Well, it's possibly a combination of Semblance and pure Aura channeling. We can see that when he brings up his sword edge, it can absorb energy and convert it into damage potential, thus likely being his Semblance. Combine that with simple channeling of his Aura into the blade to increase its power, and you get a whopping combo. Factor in that Aura is an extension of a user's physical traits, meaning that the body isn't immune to the totality of physics-based damage that Aura protects against, and you get scenarios like Adam slicing off Yang's arm with ease.