Several days later, near Glastonbury Tor in Glastonbury.
[Susannah] pulled out a detector that looked like a mop from her toolbox and began sweeping it across the grass.
“Miss Susannah, do you need any help?”
“No need! I can handle something this simple… Ouch!”
As soon as [Susannah] finished speaking, she tripped over her own feet, performing a comical flat-ground fall.
“Miss Susannah, are you alright?”
“I’m fine, but… maybe I could use your help after all.”
Working together, the two of them quickly got a response from the detector.
“Lady Rita, I found it!”
Rita moved closer to look. Beneath Glastonbury Tor, there was a long, narrow secret passage.
“It might be dangerous underground, Miss Catherine. Perhaps you should wait up here.”
Catherine shook her head firmly.
“Miss Rita, this is a thrilling discovery! As a historian, I must insist on accompanying you!”
Susannah hurriedly patted her chest, assuring Rita:
“Lady Rita, I will definitely protect Miss Catherine’s safety!”
The three of them entered the secret passage. After walking several dozen steps, the space suddenly opened up. Before them stretched an endless stone staircase, vanishing into the unknown distance. The stairs were very wide, allowing the three to walk side-by-side with no trouble at all.
“This place… is truly unfathomably deep.”
Rita held a searchlight, cautiously observing their surroundings.
“According to the instrument readings, this passage is over 6,000 feet in total length. Quite a massive project. It’s hard to imagine how people in ancient times accomplished it.”
“If this is the burial site of a Divine Key, then it was likely built with technology from the Previous Era. Here, anything is possible.”
After an unknowable amount of time, the three finally reached the end of the passage. Beyond an open area lay a peculiar pile of stones, and in the middle of that pile was thrust a simple, ancient-looking sword.
“Could this be… the legendary holy sword?”
“Miss Catherine, wait!”
However, Catherine seemed not to hear Rita’s warning. She pulled the sword from the stone. In the next moment, a stone door fell from above, splitting the area into two sections—one with Catherine, the other with Rita and [Susannah].
[Susannah] pounded on the stone wall, shouting desperately:
“Miss Catherine! What’s happening over there?”
“Susannah, don’t panic. First, search around for any mechanisms.”
Just as the two began exploring, a small hole opened in the solid wall, and Stan jumped out.
“Valkyries of Schicksal! The battle we left unfinished last time—let’s settle it here and now!”
Though Rita couldn’t understand cat language, seeing Stan’s enlarged and heightened form left no room for hesitation. She switched to her battlesuit, Argent Knight: Artemis.
“Susannah, I’ll handle this. You hurry back the way we came. Lady Durandal is nearby.”
[Susannah] hesitated.
“None of you are getting away!”
Stan leapt into the air, pouncing towards both of them. Rita crossed her scythe, single-handedly blocking its path.
“Go now!”
“Lady Rita, I will definitely find Lady Durandal!”
[Susannah] seemed to realize that staying would only be a burden. She immediately rushed out along the stone steps.
“Awaken, Master of the Icehouse!”
Rita took a step back, planting her scythe into the ground. The temperature in the entire space plummeted, a thin layer of frost spreading across the floor. Subsequently, all of Rita’s attacks transformed into blades of frost, catching Stan off guard and temporarily forcing it back. That precious half-minute cost Stan any chance of catching up to Susannah.
Meanwhile, [Susannah] hurried up the stone steps. Not far along, dozens of bionic robots armed with various weapons charged down, opening fire on her without a word.
[Susannah] showed no fear, charging straight at them. After a fierce battle, she successfully destroyed all the robots.
Enoxia stood behind these bionics, watching as they served themselves up to [Susannah]. Since these bionics, like Anti-Entropy’s mechs, were mass-produced, neither World Serpent nor she particularly cared about the loss.
Just as [Susannah] finished off the last bionic and prepared to catch her breath, Enoxia raised her gun and fired a shot straight at [her] head.
[Susannah] was hit by Enoxia’s cold shot, her body falling backward and rolling down hundreds of steps before finally stopping.
Enoxia walked nonchalantly to [her] side, crouching down to check [her] condition. At that moment, the seemingly unconscious [Susannah] suddenly shot up as if jolted from the brink of death, gripping Enoxia’s arm with one hand while her other palm opened, releasing a yellow feather that drifted onto Enoxia’s shoulder.
Enoxia froze in place, while [Susannah]‘s body dissolved into a puddle of liquid. After reforming, Otto Apocalypse, the Grand Bishop of Schicksal, stood before her.
The story goes back a few days.
Upon learning that Rita had discovered Honkai alloy at the British Museum, Otto immediately informed Amber, instructing her to select a Valkyrie who appeared foolish and airheaded.
Soon, Amber presented the Valkyries who met Otto’s requirements, ranked by their degree of foolishness. Kiana Kaslana and Susannah held an absolute lead, securing the top two spots.
“Susannah… her family is in gemstone mining, so she has daily experience with exploration… fits the plan’s criteria. She’s the one. Transfer her to headquarters.”
When Susannah arrived at Schicksal Headquarters, brimming with excitement, Amber handed her a broom:
“Clean the Grand Bishop’s private library. For ten days.”
A thoroughly confused Susannah began her work, while Otto observed Susannah’s appearance, voice, behavioral habits, and other information through various means. Using this data, he created a liquid Honkai alloy puppet identical to Susannah, then transferred his consciousness into this artificial body.
Whether due to Schicksal’s advanced technology or Otto’s superb acting skills, Otto disguised as Susannah even managed to deceive Durandal and Rita.
Returning to the underground of Glastonbury Tor, Otto immediately recognized that the seemingly quiet and adorable young girl before him was no ordinary person. He deliberately gave her the opportunity to ambush him. After taking her bullet and falling, he caught her off guard, using a simulated version of the Fenghuang Down to control her and begin searching her memories.
“So the legendary Merlin who aided King Arthur was actually a MANTIS from the Previous Era? This girl knows quite a lot…”
In her memories, Otto felt as if he were walking down a path filled with unknowns. Every door he opened revealed knowledge he couldn’t even obtain through Void Archives.
Faced with immense temptation, Otto increased the output of the simulated Fenghuang Down, allowing his consciousness to delve deeper into her memories.
“Miss, could you tell me where the Second Divine Key is, exactly?”
“Excuse me… are you asking me?”
The color of Enoxia’s eyes shifted from azure blue back to their original red, and the corner of her mouth lifted slightly.
Fenghuang Down could indeed trap someone in an illusion. But if someone wanted to use Fenghuang Down to view another’s memories, they needed to use it to build a bridge between their own consciousness and the target’s.
Since it was a bridge, it naturally worked both ways. Otto could cross over, and Enoxia could naturally cross back. If Otto knew that he had actively opened a path to the depths of his own consciousness before a Herrscher of Corruption, he might consider it the most foolish thing he’d done in his 500 years.
As someone who could split her own consciousness like Vill-V, Enoxia wouldn’t dare claim how effective the real Fenghuang Down would be on her. But a simulated version created by Void Archives… Enoxia could handle that easily. What Otto saw was exactly what Enoxia wanted him to see.
What Otto now saw was a sea of blood and a mountain of corpses. A sense of fear spread through his heart. He felt like a rabbit chased by a lion, a gazelle hunted by a cheetah; an insect being devoured, a swan being plucked.
If it were Rita or Durandal standing before her, Enoxia might have considered how much force to use—enough to satisfy World Serpent without truly harming them. But since it was Otto before her, there was no need for any such restraint.
Compared to a normal human body, Otto’s body, constructed of Honkai alloy, was naturally very tough and durable. Otherwise, with his habit of working for days and nights without rest, he might have died of overwork long before transferring his consciousness to a new body.
However, before a Divine Key, the difference between Honkai alloy and other common metals wasn’t all that significant.
Although Otto wasn’t a good man, when it came to sheer willpower, few could surpass him.
So, Enoxia, despite having a guaranteed win, didn’t get overconfident or try any fancy tricks. Instead, she cautiously brought out the Judgement of Shamash and pierced through his Honkai alloy body.
In the end, Otto’s body crumbled before his will did. The liquid Honkai alloy body, faced with Herrscher-level Honkai energy, evaporated like water meeting extreme heat, leaving nothing behind.
Moreover, due to the combined effects of the Judgement of Shamash and Enoxia’s corruption, Otto would forget at least ninety percent of the memories from using this Honkai alloy body. The remaining ten percent would be a chaotic mix of truth and falsehood. He himself wouldn’t even know what he had done in London while disguised as Susannah.
After confirming Otto’s temporary demise, Enoxia finally dialed Jackal’s communication line:
“I knew it. The more smug and confident you are before a plan begins, the more likely it is to fail. That Schicksal B-Rank Valkyrie was Otto disguised using a liquid Honkai alloy body. If it weren’t for me, he’d probably be disguised as Catherine right now, leading you around by the nose.”
“But…”
“I know. Raven is nearby with the Seven Thunders of Retribution. So you can keep talking tough, saying that even at this point, you could have Raven blast Otto’s body to bits.”
“Tch. Wasting a bullet from the Seven Thunders of Retribution, letting Schicksal know the Third Divine Key is also in World Serpent’s hands, and on top of that, deducing the location of the Second Divine Key from your own words. As for your other arrangements… Durandal will clean them all up. And Otto only lost one Honkai alloy body. Are you still planning to pat yourself on the back and claim a great victory?”
“But…”
“I know what you’re going to say next. Even if Schicksal finds ‘Thousand-Crossing Chariot’, Kevin’s armed doll is guarding it, with one percent of Kevin’s power.”
“You’ve probably seen the footage of Durandal’s battle in Dubai. Let me ask you this: aside from Kevin, who in World Serpent has the power to punch a Honkai Emperor to pieces? Ignorance isn’t a sin, arrogance is!”
“If you plan to hand ‘Thousand-Crossing Chariot’ over to Schicksal, then I’ll leave right now. Just lend me the Seven Thunders of Retribution for a couple of days in the future. Otherwise…”
“What can you do?”
Hearing the clearly softened tone from the communicator, Enoxia sighed. Sure enough, when dealing with a ruthless, unscrupulous woman like Jackal, the best method was to show her you could be even more ruthless.
“Given what World Serpent can offer and my personal inclination, I can ensure Schicksal doesn’t get ‘Thousand-Crossing Chariot’, while also making sure those two S-Rank Valkyries aren’t truly in mortal danger. After all, World Serpent has no prior grudge with Schicksal, and there doesn’t seem to be a need for a life-or-death conflict in the future.”
“However, in my plan, Stan…”
Jackal snorted coldly:
“That cat? It’s just an excellent test subject. Its value is far less than a Divine Key.”
“That makes things easier. The reward I want is simple: someday, when Kevin emerges from the Sea of Quanta, he’ll do something for me. I’ll discuss the details with him then.”
“You!”
“Otherwise? There are things I want to do but can’t. If World Serpent has the ability to solve them for me, that’s fine too. For example…”
After a long silence, Jackal hung up the communication. Enoxia understood that, given her personality, this meant agreement.
At the same time, Rita and Stan were locked in a fierce back-and-forth battle.
Rita’s cold air successfully slowed all of Stan’s movements. Although Rita wasn’t particularly adept at frontal combat, she moved flexibly within the limited space. Most of Stan’s attacks, whether close-range or long-range, failed to even hit her.
But that was all Rita could do for now. Her defense was sufficient, but her offense was lacking.
Compared to other Valkyries, Rita excelled more in reconnaissance and assassination. But after fighting Stan for so long, she still hadn’t found an opportunity for a decisive or even a crippling blow.
She clearly knew the situation wasn’t optimistic. If she continued this war of attrition with Stan, she would eventually fall into a disadvantage.
Sweat beaded on her forehead only to be dried instantly by the cold wind. Since becoming a Valkyrie, Rita had never encountered such a troublesome enemy.
Just then, footsteps echoed from not far away. Durandal joined the battlefield at an unhurried pace.
“Another one. While she’s not paying attention, I’ll strike first!”
Stan took advantage of Rita’s distraction, leaping fiercely towards Durandal.
“Hmm?”
Durandal sensed something rapidly approaching and casually raised her right hand, giving a slight wave.
Stan was instantly knocked back to its original form, its body embedded in the wall. It used all its strength just to fall back to the ground.
