Lioran circulated his Qi, compressing the energy into the back of his hand. A moment later, a gray, cold blade formed from it.
Without hesitation, he walked toward the orcs' corpses and began extracting the crystals embedded within their hearts using that same blade. The crystals were similar to those of goblins—green in color—but larger, especially the one taken from the two-headed orc.
Meanwhile, Anahita was within Lioran's inner world.
Everything there was shrouded in thick, heavy black smoke. There was no ground, no sky—only an endless, suffocating void.
The only things visible in that darkness were Anahita herself—illuminated by the soft golden light radiating from her body—and six small, colorful spheres floating in the air around her waist.
Beside them, a thin book hovered quietly—closed, slowly circling around her.
"Hmm…"
Anahita studied the spheres carefully.
Each one represented one of Lioran's skills.
And that thin book…
Was none other than the Dancing Sword Technique.
She wanted to see if there was any skill that could be combined with another to create something new.
'The Copy Skill can't merge with any other skill…
Shapeshifting neither… Spider Web, Iron Body, and Rapid Regeneration—the one Lioran obtained from the two-headed orc—don't seem compatible with these skills either…'
Her gaze fell on the pulsating red sphere.
"So that only leaves… Madness."
Then her eyes settled on the thin book.
She noticed drops of blood on the cover, dried and dark.
Anahita opened the book.
Inside, sword movements were depicted in patterns that resembled a dance—illustrations of a body that, amid slashes and spins, seemed to dance more than fight.
The figure performing those movements wore clothes soaked in blood;
the motions were beautiful, yet insane.
Anahita stared at it for a moment.
Then her gaze shifted to the red sphere pulsing beside her—its light restless, wild, alive.
A bitter smile appeared on her lips.
'I think it's time…'
She picked up the pulsating red sphere—the one that contained Madness. Slowly, she brought it toward the thin book and pressed the two together.
Suddenly, a massive crimson light erupted through the dark space.
For a brief moment, the surrounding darkness recoiled, as if the light were tearing through it.
After a few seconds, the glow faded.
The book that had been lifeless only moments ago now began to glow slowly—
a heavy, restless crimson light.
Drops of blood slid from the edges of the book and fell onto the dark ground.
Anahita stared coldly at the cover. A new name had appeared upon it.
"Aura and the Sword Technique of the Mad Demon."
Anahita repeated the name under her breath, her voice cold. Then she reached out and opened the book.
The words inside were written in blood.
After reading the first few lines, a faint smile appeared on her lips.
"This technique will help you a lot, Lioran."
She slowly turned the pages. The illustrations showed sword movements—more violent, more ruthless, and far more insane than before.
She flipped through the pages faster until she reached the final image.
It depicted a figure with a crimson aura erupting from his body—
an aura from which drops of blood dripped to the ground.
Anahita read the line written beside the image and let out a bitter laugh.
"An aura that can make even demons and gods tremble.Looks like you hit the jackpot, Lioran"
After staring at the drawing for several minutes and reading the words beside it, Anahita finally spoke.
"Try it now, Lioran…"
At that very moment, the five colorful spheres rose into the dark sky one by one, together with the book whose edges still dripped with blood. They slowly faded away, as if dissolving into the darkness itself.
Anahita emerged from Lioran's body.
Lioran was still bent over, cutting open the chest of one of the orcs whose body had been burned by flames, pulling out the mana core from within.
With a curious tone, Anahita asked,
"I made an excellent skill for you.Haven't you checked yet?"
Lioran glanced at her briefly.
"No… but I will now."
He straightened up.
Closing his eyes, he took a deep breath. His breathing was calm, yet heavy.
He cut off his awareness from the outside world and drew it inward.
Once again, that space of absolute darkness appeared.
Suddenly, the five colorful spheres descended from the dark sky along with the book. They formed a circle around Lioran's waist and began to rotate slowly.
Lioran's gaze moved across the spheres, then stopped on the unfamiliar book.
A crimson aura seeped out from it—alive, restless.
Drops of blood separated from it and fell into the darkness without making a sound.
"What kind of skill is this…? Why is blood dripping from the book?"
With a thought from him, the book moved forward and stopped before him.
Lioran read the name on its cover.
"Aura and the Sword Technique of the Mad Demon."
Then, by Lioran's will, the book slowly opened.
The pages turned one by one without anyone touching them.
It was only natural that everything moved according to Lioran's will—because this endless darkness was his inner world, and here he could make anything happen with nothing more than a thought.
Lioran read the contents with cold eyes, studying the illustrations.
Everything—from the first word to the last line—was written in blood.
The explanations, the notes in the margins, even the delicate lines of the drawings.
"This technique is extraordinary…"
His eyes moved quickly over the words.
Every sentence felt heavy; every explanation carried the scent of violence and madness.
"A technique that increases strength and speed by twenty percent… Who would've thought something like this would fall into my hands…"
The pages continued until he reached the final illustration.
It showed a figure with a violent crimson aura erupting from his body—
an aura that boiled like an open wound, from which drops of blood dripped down.
Lioran stared at the image for a long time.
Then his gaze shifted to the explanation beside it.
His eyes narrowed slightly, and he muttered to himself,
"An aura with which the Mad Demon destroyed an entire army alone… Is something like that even possible? I should try it right now…"
After a few more moments of staring, the book closed silently.
Lioran's awareness slowly drifted away from the book and the spheres, returning to his body.
He opened his eyes.
Anahita, clearly impatient, asked eagerly,
"So? Did you check it? How was it?"
Lioran said nothing.
Not a single word.
His gaze remained cold—so cold that it seemed as if no emotion remained within it.
In that silence, without any unnecessary movement, he activated the Mad Demon's Aura.
In an instant, a blazing crimson aura burst from Lioran's body.
Not like light…
Not like mist…
But like a living fire—angry and hungry.
The air around Lioran grew heavy.
Every living creature within a hundred meters felt the danger before they could even understand what was happening.
Fear—raw and instinctive—seized them.
Animals, monsters, even creatures hiding in the shadows fled with cries, howls, and shrieks, or leapt into the air—
as if Death itself had begun walking through the forest.
Lioran calmly raised his hand in front of his face.
The crimson aura wrapped around it like a living flame.
It pulsed.
It moved.
And from within it, drops of blood slowly fell to the ground.
Drip…
Drip…
The sound of blood hitting the soil was clearer than any scream.
Lioran—someone who was rarely truly surprised by anything—only lowered his brow slightly when he saw the bloody aura.
His eyes grew even colder than before, and his voice was just as emotionless.
"Who exactly was that Mad Demon…? How many people would someone have to kill… to obtain an aura like this?"
Hearing his words, Anahita set aside her playful tone.
Her gaze darkened slightly, as if an unpleasant memory from somewhere far away had resurfaced in her mind.
Then she spoke softly, her voice no longer teasing.
"A lot…"
She paused for a moment.
"More than a lot…"
Lioran deactivated his aura.
The heavy pressure lifted from the air, and the forest breathed again.
He bent down and picked up one of the orcs' swords lying beside the corpses. Dark stains of blood still clung to the blade. He spun the sword in his hand and said in a calm but serious voice,
"He's the first person I'd actually like to meet someday…"
Then, without warning, he activated the Mad Demon's Sword Technique.
His body began to move.
Not like an ordinary swordsman…
Not even like a warrior.
His movements were chaotic, fast, and insane—
like someone who had abandoned reason and was dancing with a sword.
His feet slid across the ground, spinning, leaping.
The sword in his hand carved irregular yet deadly lines through the air.
One movement…
Two movements…
Up to twenty-three.
Anahita watched him with wide eyes.
When he reached the twenty-fourth movement, Lioran suddenly leapt high into the air. His body twisted midair as he brought the sword down with all his strength.
At that moment, a crimson aura flared around the blade—
wrapping around it like living fire that tore through the air.
The strike fell.
The ground before him split open with a thunderous sound.
A deep crack stretched nearly One hundred meters forward, and the shockwave slammed into a tree standing in its path.
The tree offered no resistance.
It split cleanly in half, the two heavy pieces crashing to the ground with a loud thud.
Lioran slowly straightened.
With the same cold gaze, he stared at the fractured earth and the severed tree before him and said,
"Just as I thought… for now, I can't use this technique."