Honkai: Oh No, I’ve Become the Herrscher of Corruption?! - Chapter 117

“Eno, why go through all this trouble? I could just open a portal back to the intrinsic world directly in the imaginary space—”

“Huh? This… this is… the path back to the intrinsic world is blocked? How is that possible? Even if [Enoxia] could envelop the entire world bubble, how could she affect the imaginary space? Unless it’s because of me…”

Watching Sirin scratch her head in frustration, Enoxia hugged her from behind.

“Sirin, don’t panic. Your reasoning isn’t wrong. Let’s think differently—what if [Enoxia] didn’t block the path from the imaginary space to the intrinsic world, but instead interfered with your Herrscher authority, making you unable to find the way back?”

“Of course, an Erosion Herrscher alone wouldn’t have that kind of power. But behind [Enoxia], there’s [Sa’s] influence.”

Sirin rubbed her head. “So, this [Sa] is…”

“She was originally a human named Vita—though not from Earth, but from Venus. When Venus’s civilization was destroyed by the Cocoon, she became the last surviving Venusian… though now, it’s hard to say whether she can still be considered human…”

“…In any case, [Sa] now is essentially the Cocoon of Finality of the Sea of Quanta—just on a much smaller scale. Even at her strongest, she’s less than a tenth of the actual Cocoon’s power. But even so, compared to ordinary Herrschers like us, she’s still far stronger. Fighting her head-on would be impossible.”

Sirin’s face immediately darkened with worry.

“Then… how are we supposed to get back?”

Enoxia gently patted Sirin’s head.

“Sirin, don’t worry. Judging by our strength, [Sa] may be powerful, but we won’t be fighting her directly—because she has one defining trait: cowardice.”

“[Sa] has been lurking in the Sea of Quanta for at least a million years, never daring to approach the intrinsic world. She knows full well that no matter how much energy she absorbs in the sea, the moment she faces the Cocoon, she’d be obliterated instantly.”

“But… we’re in the sea right now…”

“True, but there’s someone in the Sea of Quanta who can pose a threat to [Sa]. Sirin, do you remember why we entered the Sea of Quanta in the first place?”

Sirin’s eyes widened in realization.

“You mean… Kevin?”

If Kevin—without the Judgement of Shamash—were to face [Sa] in the Sea of Quanta, who would come out on top? Enoxia couldn’t say for sure.

[Sa’s] so-called “achievements” amounted to poking her head out on Phobos, only to get instantly sniped by the godly Kiana from across a solar system. Not exactly an impressive track record.

But Enoxia was certain of one thing: if these two were to clash in the Sea of Quanta, the result would be a stalemate. [Sa’s] roots spread throughout the entire Sea of Quanta, and no matter how high Kevin’s attack power was, he couldn’t obliterate the entire sea in one strike.

As for [Sa]… judging from her fight with Fenghua Down’s Herrscher form, she fled after just a few exchanges. Since Kevin’s Herrscher form was far stronger than Fenghua Down’s, [Sa] would likely choose to run rather than fight.

In short, with Kevin here, all they needed to do was defeat [Enoxia ], [Sa’s] proxy.

“Since she’s a more powerful Erosion Herrscher than me, Bella shouldn’t join the fight. Staying in the imaginary space is safer. As for how to win… Hm? What’s wrong, Sirin? Do you have something to say?”

Sirin swallowed hard before speaking slowly.

“Just to confirm—your plan is that we need to defeat an Erosion Herrscher stronger than you. Did I get that right?”

“Mhm, that’s correct.”

Sirin looked up, locking eyes with Enoxia. In all the time they’d known each other, Enoxia had never seen her look so serious.

“If… we merged into one, wouldn’t our chances of winning be higher?”

Enoxia gave her a puzzled look, pinching Sirin’s cheek and then her own to make sure she wasn’t hallucinating. Today, Sirin’s intelligence was off the charts—so much so that even Enoxia couldn’t fully grasp her reasoning.

Unaware of Enoxia’s thoughts, Sirin continued.

“As an Erosion Herrscher, you can control others—even other Herrschers. And I know I’ve never been able to fully master the Void Herrscher’s authority… So, if you possessed my body and I willingly gave you control, could you use both Herrschers’ powers at once?”

“In theory, yes. But… if you really do this, I could subtly alter your cognition without you even realizing it. You wouldn’t be able to stop me from planting… certain ideas in your mind.”

Sirin smiled.

“If you wanted to do that, you wouldn’t have waited until now. You could’ve just threatened me with reviving Mom to make me obey.”

“And if you lower all your defenses, I could easily devour your consciousness and take over your body. Not just you—if I wanted, Bella would truly become my personal Honkai Beast.”

Sirin shook her head. “You wouldn’t do that.”

Seeing that Sirin had genuinely thought this through and wasn’t just acting on impulse, Enoxia didn’t hesitate any longer. Dissolving into a dark mist, she seeped into Sirin’s body. Sirin felt the strange changes within her, closed her eyes, and relinquished all resistance, letting the power of erosion flow freely through her.

Bella knew Sirin couldn’t be ambushed in the imaginary space, but she still instinctively paced around her protectively.

After what felt like an eternity, Enoxia gradually adapted to the new body. [Sirin] opened her eyes—but her mushroom-like pupils had been replaced by Enoxia’s amber-red irises. Bella hesitated before speaking.

“My… Queen…?”

The voice that came from Sirin’s lips was unmistakably Enoxia’s.

“Sirin is asleep right now. I’m the one controlling this body… If it’s uncomfortable for you, I can switch to her voice. For me, it’s just an audio file.”

“N-no, it’s fine. This way, at least I know it’s you in control. Just… please take care of Her Majesty.”

Enoxia patted Bella’s head with Sirin’s hand.

“Don’t worry. We’ll all return safely.”

With that, Enoxia activated her Erosion authority, adjusting her voice and eye color to match Sirin’s. She opened a portal and stepped out of the imaginary space.

Back in Atlantis, [Enoxia] had clearly been waiting for them.

“Did you think throwing them into the imaginary space would keep them safe? Once I’ve eroded you, I’ll find them anyway.”

[Sirin] planted her hands on her hips.

“Hmph! Enoxia told me all about you. That [Sa] backing you is nothing compared to the Cocoon. Dealing with a Herrscher like you? I don’t even need help☆”

“So defeating two of my clones has made you cocky again, has it? Typical bubblefish. I’ve mastered every variable in Atlantis. Let’s see how you plan to defeat me!”

[Enoxia] shook her head slightly and raised a hand. A massive black mist surged from her body, soon materializing into over a hundred copies of [Enoxia].

Enoxia feigned shock, but inwardly, she was delighted. She snapped her fingers.

“Sirin, watch closely. This is how the Void Herrscher’s power should be used.”