"Thank you again for your assistance, Miss Catherine. Schicksal will reward you accordingly," Rita said, greeting Catherine, who had returned.
"You're too kind. It's my honor!" The Museum Curator wore a look of flattered surprise.
After a brief exchange of pleasantries, they quickly took their seats. In the drawing room, Snow was already there, idly flipping through documents as she waited for their arrival.
"Let's not delay any further. We should begin now," Catherine said, placing her laptop and research materials on the table and immediately getting down to business.
"Miss Catherine, what are your thoughts on the whereabouts of the Sword in the Stone?" Rita asked, filling teacups with red tea and placing them near Catherine and Snow.
"Ah, thank you... My thoughts? Across England, there are countless sites associated with the legends of King Arthur," Catherine said, taking a sip of tea before continuing her explanation.
"There's Tintagel Castle, King Arthur's birthplace; Mount Snowdon, where Arthur first rose to fame by slaying a giant; and Glastonbury, now considered the most likely location of Avalon..."
"All these places owe their fame to the legends of King Arthur," Catherine said, pulling several photos and accompanying documents from a folder and spreading them out on the table.
"Miss Catherine, do you have any suggestions for these locations? Searching them one by one would be far too time-consuming," Snow said, looking troubled as she studied the photos.
"Hmm... if you're looking for King Arthur's Holy Sword, I believe this place has the highest probability," Catherine said, pointing to the photo of Glastonbury on the table. She explained to her companions, "Glastonbury Tor, near Glastonbury, is traditionally considered the entrance to the Fairy Kingdom of Avalon."
"The Holy Sword Merlin gave Arthur was also forged by fairies, so this place, like Glastonbury itself, is considered one of the closest places to Avalon."
"We should make it our first stop."
Catherine set down her book and looked at the two of them. "What do you think?"
"Let's do as the Curator suggests... We'll set out immediately," Snow said, a smile playing at the corner of her lips.
-
Perched atop the grassy slopes of Glastonbury Tor, the trio surveyed the surrounding landscape. Sunlight bathed the verdant expanse, and dew droplets still clinging to the vegetation sparkled like scattered gems.
In the distance, St Michael's Tower stood resilient against a millennium of wind and rain, its weathered stone etched with patterns of erosion that gleamed sharply in the sunlight.
"The scenery is quite pleasant... Asleikr Ybogi, begin scanning the geological structure beneath us," the golden-haired girl commanded.
At her command, a white, floating mecha deactivated its optical camouflage, humming softly as it commenced its scan of Glastonbury Tor.
"Lady Omega, what is that?!" Catherine, who had never seen a Schicksal Mecha before, cast a panicked glance at the golden-haired girl giving the orders.
"It's merely a Schicksal Mecha, Miss Catherine. There's no need to be alarmed."
"Ah... very well..." The woman wiped a bead of cold sweat from her brow.
Beep-beep—
The mecha's alert sounded, indicating it had located a hidden underground chamber.
"...Miss Catherine, your hunch was correct. There's a secret passage beneath the Tor leading to a larger subterranean space," Snow reported, glancing at the data displayed on her visor and nodding to the Curator.
"It is my honor to assist you both."
"Then... Rita, let's dig it open."
The underground entrance wasn't very deep. After less than half an hour of digging, they uncovered a stone slab inscribed with text.
[ Hic jacet Arthurus Rex quondam Rexque futurus ]
"...King Arthur, the once and future king, rests here," Rita murmured, reading the inscription.
She heaved the stone slab aside, revealing the underground entrance it had concealed.
"Madam Catherine, please wait here. We'll go down to inspect the area first—there might be dangers below." Rita turned to the Museum Curator, who had followed them all the way.
"Oh, no, Miss Rita! This is a monumental discovery!" the Curator exclaimed. "If the legends are true, the inscription on that slab is the epitaph, Bedivere, one of King Arthur's Knights of the Round Table, carved for the king himself!"
"This could very well be King Arthur's final resting place! As a historian, I must insist on accompanying you!" Catherine pleaded, her eyes gleaming with urgency.
"Very well, but please be careful, Curator," Snow said with a feigned sigh, agreeing to the woman's request.
-
"According to the readings from our instruments, this passage descends nearly six thousand feet... Truly extraordinary for an ancient ruin..."
"Though, if this is the burial site of a divine key, it's only to be expected..."
...After a long trek...
"Hmm... Looks like we've reached the end. It's quite magnificent, actually."
The underground chamber was vast and empty. Luminescent moss clung to the stone pillars and walls, casting a blue glow throughout the cave.
"Look over there!" Catherine hurried toward a particularly bright spot, where a longsword was embedded in a rock.
"Miss Catherine, please be careful..." The white-haired girl followed closely behind.
"Could this be King Arthur's legendary Holy Sword...?" Catherine slipped on her gloves and reached out to touch the Sword in the Stone.
"Miss Catherine, wait!" Rita called out anxiously, her face etched with worry as she saw the girl about to touch the blade.
With a heavy thud, a mechanical gate slammed shut, sealing the three figures off from each other.
Rita instantly shed her worried expression.
A man clad in black approached them from the staircase they had descended earlier.
"Hmph, in the end, I still had to step in... Jackal, your 'cat' really is nothing more than a pet after all..."
The man, known as Gray Serpent, gazed at the Valkyrie before him and injected himself with a mysterious serum.
His human form began to disintegrate—the Emperor-class Honkai Beast Assaka materialized before Rita.
"...Very well. Eliminating a Schicksal S-rank Valkyrie and a Schicksal Cardinal is still a decent haul."
Under the Valkyrie's incredulous gaze, the man fully transformed into the Emperor-class Honkai Beast—a Honkai Beast that could still speak.
"...Just as Snow said, you people really aren't to be trusted."
A completely different voice emanated from beneath Rita's appearance.
"Fourth-generation Battlesuit, initiating transfer—Bright Knight: Excelsis!"
The Valkyrie Battlesuit enveloped the girl's original attire, stripping away the Valkyrie's usual disguise.
Durandal, Schicksal's S-rank Valkyrie, charged forward with her spear, Hler's Serenity, piercing the Honkai Beast before it could finish its sentence.
"What—!" Assaka's words were cut short as the spearhead impaled him, pinning him violently against the wall.