As Bernadette entered the tomb of the Black Emperor, she faintly felt as though she had seen a shadow—yet once she broke free from the information flood, reassembled her body with a rich and pure reservoir of knowledge, she perceived nothing at all. It seemed as though the entire experience had been a mere illusion. The "Mysterious Queen" did not immediately proceed deeper into the tomb; instead, she paused, carefully observing her surroundings. Without needing to employ any of her "divinatory" abilities, everything before her was clearly and vividly revealed: the interior of the tomb was empty, save for the deep black walls and the central dais. Upon the dais stood a throne, designed for the giants, its entire structure appearing metallic, with intricate and twisted patterns engraved across its surface, and a crown-shaped extension rising from the backrest. At that moment, however, the massive and heavy throne was empty—its emperor seemingly still on the way. Bernadette had just intended to take a tentative step toward the high dais when she suddenly found herself completely motionless, as if bound by invisible chains to her spot. Naturally, pairs of ethereal and sacred white wings unfolded behind her, as though passively resisting something. The very next moment, one feather after another began to drift from the wings of the angels, growing into deformed, slender, furry limbs, while the gaps between the layered feathers gradually opened, as if transforming into countless eyes. The distorted feathers then emitted crisp, clear laughter, echoing throughout the mausoleum. They had come to life, becoming miniature "fey." This reminded Bernadette of some fairy tales her father once told her, in which tiny sprites no larger than a thumb frequently appeared. In that instant, Bernadette felt a tickle begin in her right eye. The lashes of that eye grew rapidly, lengthening into slender arms that reached out to her face, striving to pull the eyeball free. "I see! I see!" The blood vessels in Bernadette's right eye became prominent, and the voice emerged with a childlike, lively tone, as though it had gained its own spirit and consciousness. This too was a form of "rebirth." Almost simultaneously, Bernadette's left ear suddenly sagged, covering the ear canal. "I don't want to hear! I don't want to hear!" The ear shouted in a slightly sharp voice. If Bernadette hadn't been attuned to a spiritual perception, she would have thought a little girl had appeared beside her, clamping her ears and stomping her feet in protest. With no room for buffer or transition, the "Wise One's crest" on her forehead center gently detached from her body and floated into the air. The surface of this vertical eye, composed of countless diamond-like facets, flashed with an indeterminate number of cold glimmers, as though it had grown a multitude of miniature eyes. And within each eye, Bernadette's figure was reflected. The "Wise One's Crest" also acquired a certain vitality. As this "Grade 0" seal was about to awaken and exert an influence upon its target, a pale, slender, ethereal hand reached out and grasped it firmly. The living qualities of the "Wise One's Crest" swiftly dissipated, as though it had reached the end of its life. This clearly feminine hand, imbued with a cold, pale essence, emerged from behind Bernadette, where a figure of only the upper half had appeared at some point. This figure grew from Bernadette's back, becoming increasingly transparent and ethereal. Wearing garments identical to Bernadette's and adorned with the same feathered triangular hat, her eyes blue as the reflection of the sea, she was nothing short of Bernadette herself—her spiritual essence emerging from within her body. Yet, the half-bodied spectral form of Bernadette wore a pale mask shimmering with a metallic luster. Holes in the mask allowed only vision through her eyes; elsewhere, it was seamless, giving Bernadette’s spectral presence an exceptionally cold, noble appearance, though lacking the vitality of a living being. This was her third and final "Level 0" sealing artifact, crafted by Emperor Roscel after his return from the southern continent, known as "The Pale Death." Its negative effect gradually claims the wearer, slowly killing them until they become a corpse and serve as its slave. At this moment, Bernadette is harnessing precisely this effect to suppress the abnormal activation within her body. As the half-bodied spectral form emerged, her right eye grew still, and one by one, her eyelashes—thickening and lengthening into arms—fell off. Likewise, her ears ceased to emit sound, slowly opening and returning to their normal state. If there were no such suppression, Bernadette's features, arms, and legs would successively detach themselves from her and embrace "freedom." After initially stabilizing her bodily condition, Bernadette took tentative steps forward, yet remained unable to perform any movement, only able to guide her semi-materialized upper body. She then asked her backside spirit to retrieve a ritual silver dagger from her clothing pocket and, bending down, drew a circle across the midsection of her right boot. With a crisp tearing sound, the leather boot swiftly shortened by half. Next, Bernadette used her semi-materialized upper body to tear the pants at her left knee, cut off a corner of her jacket and shirt, and removed several feathers from one side of her triangular hat. These efforts appeared entirely ordinary, no more extraordinary than a rebellious girl attempting to create an aesthetic distinct from conventional norms. Yet, as Bernadette completed these series of movements and stepped forward with careful deliberation, her body truly came to life, no longer feeling bound in place. The invisible pressure vanished, and the tomb of the "Black Emperor" seemed to accept this ordinary Bernadette. Who could have imagined that handling such an anomaly required nothing more than what ordinary people could achieve? Moreover, Bernadette suspected that the more one relied on extraordinary abilities to resist, the deeper the impact would be. For she had just felt as though facing an invisible deity—only by pleasing the deity's aesthetic could she hope for forgiveness; otherwise, she would have to rely solely on the authority of a Sequence 0 to circumvent the situation. Fortunately, Bernadette had not only once been a learned "mystic," but also possessed a deep understanding of the "Black Emperor" path, knowing broadly what kinds of authorities it encompassed, and recognizing that it represented the shadow of order—its very essence being a distortion of the normal order. Thus, Bernadette began by subtly disrupting the established order through her attire, and as a result, she gained the recognition and acceptance of that intangible spirit. "Indeed, in mystical events, knowledge and insight sometimes prove more valuable than mere ability. In the situation just now, any resistance would have been seen as a challenge to the internal order of the tomb, triggering unpredictable, absolutely terrifying transformations. Once the root cause was identified, however, the negative impacts could simply be resolved." Klein nodded gently, absorbing valuable lessons from the "Mystic Queen." Though he had already surpassed her in rank—equal to an Angel King within the Source Citadel—and had weathered numerous significant events, his rapid growth had left him still lacking in certain nuanced details. Now, through such observations, he was able to refine and strengthen those areas. After taking a step, Bernadette began to follow her spiritual intuition, moving toward the central platform and then toward the vast, empty chair upon it. One step, two steps, three steps—suddenly, a gentle breeze brushed past her at the back of her neck. The wind was eerie and cold, causing Bernadette's body to tingle. In that instant, she felt as though a shadow had appeared behind her. Without a sound, her dark brown hair parted at the back of her head, revealing a pair of eyes growing directly from her scalp. Transparent and expressionless, devoid of lashes—eyes of the "Eye of Revelation!" These eyes subtly shifted, observing the clearly distorted veil of shadows within the tomb's interior. Yet, they failed to detect the shadow, nor did they find the source of the cold breeze. As Bernadette tried to close these "inspecting eyes," reducing the likelihood of unforeseen events, a sudden, cold, eerie breeze swept abruptly through her mind. Her thoughts grew increasingly active and uncontrollable, drifting in unpredictable directions. This seemed to be an unstoppable trend—a rapid, chaotic one. Without hesitation, seizing the few seconds still allowing her to think, Bernadette asked her half-bodied spirit to remove the pale mask from her back. Then, she placed that mask of "pale death" directly onto her own face, while the half-bodied spirit withdrew and merged back into her. From that moment on, Bernadette's thoughts would gradually follow the dying of her body, yet her mind remained increasingly active and disordered. These two contradictory states counterbalanced each other, forming a fragile, delicate equilibrium that helped Bernadette regain her capacity for thought. To Bernadette, while the extraordinary impact of "pale death" itself was remarkable, its negative effects were more useful at this very moment. Maintaining that balance, Bernadette took a few more steps forward. Throughout this process, she always felt as though a black shadow lingered around her, yet she could never quite make it out. After pondering for several seconds, Bernadette's blue eyes once again deepened, losing their focus. She was attempting to foresee the consequences of one of her choices. Soon, a corresponding scene emerged before her: with the "Wise One's crown" re-adorned, she once again transformed into a pure, complex flow of information, navigating around obstacles to reach the central platform. Yet, as they neared, the information flood suddenly collapsed, losing its order and reorganizing into several distinct Bernadette—some in a dress like a cake, others tall and graceful, one deeply melancholy and puzzled, another with a distorted, suffering expression, and one who had become a steady, resolute queen. The prophesied scene vanished in an instant, and Bernadette’s eyes instantly regained focus. Then she saw the silhouette. It stood right before her, no more than a fist’s width away! The face composed entirely of pure shadow completely filled her field of vision.