What was the Transparent World and the Selfless State?
They were no ordinary abilities.
In the world of Demon Slayer, both of these abilities could only be reached after giving everything in battle and enduring unbearable pain. Akaza had spent centuries chasing the Selfless State, yet even until his death, he never achieved it.
Among the nine Hashira of the Demon Slayer Corps, when the final decisive battle came, not all of them awakened both abilities, and many never even touched them—both were so difficult that even Riezel only managed to awaken them after countless hardships while evolving Sun Breathing.
In the world of Demon Slayer, the protagonist, Kamado Tanjirou, never awakened either ability at all, because Riezel's arrival had already changed his fate.
As a result, among the demon-slaying ultimate abilities, the Selfless State was the hardest to awaken and the rarest to possess, while the Transparent World was the second hardest.
Apart from Tsugikuni Yoriichi, that natural-born anomaly who had awakened both from birth, everyone else who obtained them had done so only after enduring endless tribulations.
And yet, Lizbeth had already awakened both.
How long had she even been studying Love Breathing?
Barely a month, at most.
In less than a month, she had already awakened the Transparent World and the Selfless State without even awakening the Demon Slayer Mark?
What kind of talent was this?
Riezel was left speechless, staring at the little princess, until his gaze made her grow more and more uneasy.
"W-What happened, Master?" Lizbeth asked hesitantly, her voice carrying a faint quiver, as if on the verge of tears.
"It's nothing. You did well..." Riezel sighed, gently stroking Lizbeth's head. "Remember that feeling you had just now. If you use it well, it'll greatly help your strength, understand?"
Lizbeth nodded repeatedly, showing that she understood.
Only then did the two calm their hearts, and at the spot where the burned-to-ash magic dolls had once stood, they found a box containing part of the Nibelung Pillar's structure.
Riezel opened the box and checked its contents.
Inside lay traces of golden powder—at first glance, it looked ordinary, but upon closer inspection, one could see a faint shimmering glow rippling across it, the light forming mysterious runes that were astonishing to behold.
'What do they want with this thing?' Riezel stared at the golden powder, pondering silently. 'What exactly is their goal?'
Unfortunately, the answer to this question could not be solved for now.
Riezel and Lizbeth searched the stone hall, soon discovering traces that someone had left behind.
'Sigmund Bayard?'
It seemed the City Lord of Sinielle had already fled and was no longer here.
Behind the cube statue, in front of a hidden passage, Riezel found footprints that appeared to belong to Sigmund, their pacing back and forth proving that after escaping the magma chamber and reaching this stone hall, he had discovered the passage yet hesitated to enter.
In the end, perhaps too wary, he chose to flee rather than venture into this hidden tomb.
'Hmph, so he really is terrified of stirring trouble in this ancient ruin, huh...'
Riezel's impression of Sigmund dropped slightly as he realized that Sigmund was so domineering in daily life, yet when faced with real danger, he turned timid.
Was this not the very definition of bullying the weak while fearing the strong?
And that man was supposedly a veteran Sword Saint?
No wonder he was reduced to squatting in Sinielle, posturing only within his tiny domain.
As Riezel pondered this, he took Lizbeth to the hidden passage and stared at it for a long while.
"Should we go in, Master?" Lizbeth asked timidly.
"And you? Do you wanna go in?" Riezel countered.
According to his earlier guess, the passage might lead to the tomb of the last queen of the Hero Clan, so that person could very well have been Lizbeth's ancestor—hardly an ordinary figure in her eyes.
Given this, whether or not they should disturb her rest depended on Lizbeth's will.
Lizbeth, however, hesitated.
Rationally, she knew she should not disturb her ancestor's slumber, but emotionally, she longed to know whether this tomb held truths connected to her own lineage.
What was Reinnail?
Where was the so-called Hero Clan now?
Where was the Hidden Land?
Perhaps the answers to these questions lay ahead.
Of course, Lizbeth did not have to choose the tomb if she didn't want to.
In the far left corner of the stone hall, there was another passage that led to the hole fitting Moslow, which had been their initial goal, so she could also choose not to enter the tomb but head directly for the hole.
Yet even then, Lizbeth still wavered, mainly because this ancient ruin sealed within it a servant of the King of Calamity—an ancient dragon that had lived for at least eleven thousand years.
If that hole was the seal's very node, and Moslow the key to unbinding it, what then?
If so, inserting Moslow would be tantamount to freeing the dragon.
If that happened, and the dragon broke free, then not only Sinielle but also nearby Jinas and Reiburg would face calamity.
Such destruction, the kind-hearted princess would never wish to see, nor would Riezel.
Riezel had no notions of bemoaning the universe or pitying mankind, yet to bring such a disaster upon two countries and countless innocent people—that was something even he could not do.
For this reason, Riezel dared not risk letting Lizbeth insert Moslow for now—at least, not until he knew exactly what would happen.
"Let's go in and take a look."
Seeing Lizbeth so lost, Riezel decided to give her a push.
"No matter what, we came here with a purpose. Since that purpose hasn't been fulfilled, all in all, we need to look inside before leaving."
Hearing this, Lizbeth turned to him, hesitated, then nodded softly.
"I'll do as Master says..."
Lizbeth's whispered words made Riezel smile faintly.
"Alright, let's go." Riezel extended his hand toward her.
"Yes." Lizbeth instantly reached out, taking his hand in hers.
Together, they felt each other's presence as they slowly stepped into the hidden passage and vanished within it.
===
Unlike the corridor to the magma chamber where the dragon lay, this corridor behind the cube statue was neither long nor stifling, and they reached its end quickly.
Riezel found no traps here, only murals along the walls, but these murals did not depict the ancient magic civilization's battles against the monsters ravaging the continent, and instead told of the origins of two clans.
It began with a golden-sword wielder saving someone from monsters and keeping that person close, traveling together.
As time passed, the golden-sword wielder defeated more monsters and saved many people, inspiring the companion to also pick up a weapon and fight.
Whether they were friends or master and servant, they always remained together.
At times, they talked beneath the moonlight.
At times, they trained.
At times, one protected the other.
At times, there was harsh scolding.
In short, their life together was filled with countless moments.
In this way, more and more followers gathered around the golden-sword wielder, and around the first companion as well, until both seemed to have founded great clans.
Yet that original companion never left the golden-sword wielder's side, serving until death, passing the duty to the next generation.
In the end, the two clans became eternally entwined, walking together through the ages.
In the final mural, followers placed the queen who bore the golden sword into a coffin and offered prayers.
"Is this the bond between the Reinnail Clan and the Theresis Clan...?"
Riezel had a faint idea.
"…"
Lizbeth, on the other hand, gazed at the murals, overwhelmed by countless feelings, not knowing what to say.
At last, they reached the end of the corridor and entered the tomb, which, surprisingly, was not grand or luxurious, but plain, almost humble.
Resembling more an altar than a tomb, it had a high platform with four stairways from north, south, east, and west, and a stone stele stood before it.
"Tomb of Queen Euryale Reinnail..."
Reading the inscription, Riezel knew his guess had been right—this was indeed a tomb, the resting place of the last queen of the Hero Clan, which was none other than the Reinnail Clan.
"Euryale Reinnail…"
Riezel finally knew the queen's true name.
She was the final glory of the ancient magic civilization.
She had been humanity's last leader.
She was the witness to the ancient magic civilization's fall, and likely the one who had sealed away the calamity that destroyed it.
She was the most exalted figure in history—greater than any king or emperor.
An extraordinary being, a hero, a sovereign.
And now, her tomb stood before Riezel and Lizbeth.
Riezel raised his head and looked at the altar—over there, a stone coffin lay silently.
"..."
Exchanging glances, Riezel and Lizbeth climbed the stairs.
At the top was only the stone coffin, but what surprised them was that it had no lid—it lay open, filled with flowers and treasures of gold and silver.
Riezel sensed the items were no ordinary jewels.
Necklaces, rings, crystals, jewels, jade—all radiated subtle magical energy.
Among them were two staves, one long and one short, brimming with such immense magical energy that it was obvious they were no common items.
He could say with certainty—
'All these staves, necklaces, and rings are all mystical artifacts.'
Yes.
All of them were mystical artifacts—not ordinary ones, but treasures from the ancient magic civilization, unseen for millennia.
Any one of them was priceless.
Any one of them contained great power.
As the grave goods of the last queen, their value was definitely beyond measure.
Even the jewels and crystals alone were worth a fortune.
Had Sigmund seen these, he would have regretted not daring to enter.
Even Riezel and Lizbeth, beholding so much treasure, felt dizzy.
Yet at this moment, something else seized their attention—something far more shocking than the artifacts.
It was a person.
Someone lay quietly in the coffin among the flowers and treasures, hands folded over the chest, as if in prayer, as if in slumber.
"S-She..." Lizbeth stuttered, struck speechless.
Even Riezel stood frozen in shock.
It was only natural, since the person lying there—her face, her garments—looked utterly untouched by time, without decay or damage. Especially her smooth skin, and how her face still held color—she looked as if she were merely sleeping, not dead.
In an instant, a chilling thought struck both their hearts at once.
'Is she still alive?'
As this thought crossed their minds, a shiver crawled up the spines of Riezel and Lizbeth.
===
[A bonus chapter for every 500 Power Stones.]
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