The British Museum.
"Sorry to keep you waiting, miss." Catherine greeted Rita, who was waiting at the entrance.
"I am the current director of the British Museum, Catherine. Might I ask if you are a Valkyrie from Schicksal?"
"Hello, you can just call me Rita. I believe you're already aware of the purpose of my visit."
After briefly checking the credentials Rita presented, Catherine bowed and gestured for Rita to follow her.
"Of course, Miss Rita, please come with me."
"The British Museum houses historical and cultural treasures from all over the world. The artifact you have requested to investigate this time is part of Britain's own history, but its value is no less than that of the other exhibits."
Catherine led Rita into an exhibition hall. In the center of the hall was a huge stone slab, on top of which lay an ancient Celtic scroll.
"This is a Celtic scroll preserved from around the sixth century AD. It records an ancient piece of history..."
"A young boy named Arthur, with the help of the great wizard Merlin, pulled the sword from the stone and became the king of Britain.
After his ascension to the throne, King Arthur founded the mighty Knights of the Round Table, and they swore an oath to defend Britain together.
Under the leadership of the king and his knights, Britain drove away countless invaders and ushered in an era of unity and strength.
And the deeds of King Arthur have been sung to this day, becoming a household story for the people of England."
Catherine paused for a moment after speaking, then turned to look at Rita.
"So, Miss Rita, is there some special information hidden in this mural?"
"That's a secret," Rita said, shaking her head with a smile, not elaborating further.
"I do apologize. It was merely academic curiosity," Catherine quickly waved her hands and apologized, indicating she meant no harm.
"Then I won't disturb your investigation. If you need anything, please feel free to contact me."
"Alright, thank you, Director."
Catherine gave a slight bow and then turned to leave. Rita remained, observing the secrets of the mural.
The clue to the Divine Key should be on the mural, but the only objects that could be related to a Divine Key are the "Sword in the Stone" and the "Round Table."
As Rita was pondering, a cat's meow interrupted her thoughts.
——————————————
On the bustling streets of Britain, Durandal strolled leisurely, holding the travel guide notebook Rita had given her.
On one hand, she was visiting various scenic spots. On the other, Durandal was using herself as bait, trying to see if she could lure out the mastermind who had targeted Ryn.
But now, Durandal felt she had found the "mastermind." Suppressing her footsteps and movements, Durandal quietly approached the creature.
On the streets of Britain, besides humans, there was another kind of noble creature.
They are a proud and aloof tribe, silently observing the changes in human society amidst the noisy mortal world. But if anyone dares to touch their bodies lightly, they will surely suffer the wrathful judgment of these creatures.
"Meow~!"
A stray cat suddenly turned and swiped its paw, scratching Durandal's hand as she tried to sneak a pet, then quickly fled.
Durandal clutched her hand in disappointment and sighed.
"Sigh, even after suppressing my Honkai energy as much as possible, am I still disliked by cats?"
——————————————
At the entrance of the British Museum.
Stan, a cat with a light gray body, dark-colored limbs, tail, and ear tips, a maple-leaf-like pattern on his face, reddish-purple eyes, and purple markings on his forehead and the tip of his tail, was strolling casually, preparing to enter the British Museum.
"What a cute little kitty... Hey there, little kitty, you can't come in here!"
The bald security guard squatted down happily beside Stan, wanting to pet the little cat.
"Meow." (Hmph, with such a weak physique and a complete lack of a sense of crisis, do you even call yourself a warrior?!)
Stan leaped up and punched the bald guard in the face. The guard was sent flying, shattered a stone pillar of the British Museum, and passed out.
"Meow." (Weakling. Go back to your mother's womb and start over.)
Stan was once an ordinary little cat, but he was forced to endure the baptism of war, desperately surviving it.
Then he met his master, and they formed a deep bond of kinship and friendship...
But they were murdered right in front of Stan.
Stan had a turbulent life, experiencing war, kinship, friendship, and the pain of life and death. This suffering made Stan understand that only power is the truth in this world.
One day, he met Jackal. To obtain sufficient power, he did not hesitate to step into a forbidden domain.
For this, he put in more effort than any ordinary cat, eliminating countless peers in fierce life-and-death competitions.
Finally, after undergoing cruel experiments, he possessed a power that surpassed everything else. He became the ultimate life form on this planet.
But his past experiences made Stan angry at weak people like the bald guard who had no sense of crisis, so he taught the guard a harsh lesson.
——————————————
"A cat...? Why is there a cat here?" Rita watched the quietly appearing Stan with vigilance.
Stan just looked at Rita, and then the limiter on his neck activated. As the liquid from the limiter was injected, the normal-sized cat Stan transformed into a giant Honkai Beast in a cloud of thick fog.
Rita quickly dodged, but was still scratched on the arm by Stan's surprise attack.
"How can an ordinary cat turn into a Honkai Beast? Is it that device on its neck?"
"Meow." (To think you could dodge my attack.)
"Meow." (Your body is also filled with the power of Honkai. It seems we are of the same kind... I hear that Valkyries all have their own armor. Little girl, let me see your full power!)
"Although I don't know why I can understand a cat, since you've requested it, I'll let you see it!"
"Fourth-generation Valkyrie battlesuit—Argent Knight: Artemis, beginning transmission."
After quantum positioning, the Argent Knight: Artemis battlesuit was transmitted directly from Schicksal HQ via quantum entanglement. In less than half a second, Rita had completed equipping the Argent Knight: Artemis.
"You're the ones who attacked Ryn, aren't you? Let me defeat you first, and then I'll investigate properly!"
"Meow!" (Interesting!)
Stan raised his tail high. After transforming, his tail had also become an extremely powerful weapon.
Boom—
A massive beam of Honkai energy shot out from his tail, its attack radius covering the entire small room, forcing Rita to raise Skadi of Thrymheim to block the Honkai energy beam head-on.
Beep beep beep. Stan's limiter sounded an alarm, and Stan reverted to his small cat form.
"Meow." (Human tools are as fragile as ever. It seems this is all for today. My name is Stan. Human girl, we will meet again.)
Shortly after Stan left, Rita slashed open the broken wall and emerged from the rubble.
"I didn't expect it to be so powerful. I was careless. It seems the mastermind's strength is not to be underestimated..."