Honkai: Oh No, I’ve Become the Herrscher of Corruption?! - Chapter 118
With Enoxia’s snap, countless portals tore open, unleashing a flood of Honkai beasts from the imaginary space. They rampaged through Atlantis, destroying everything indiscriminately.
[Enoxia] smirked dismissively as hundreds of her clones surged forward, swiftly eroding every last beast.
“Sirin, you didn’t actually think flooding the place with Honkai beasts would push my Honkai energy to its limit, did you?”
She raised a hand, and the beasts birthed from the Void Herrscher’s power immediately turned on Enoxia, obeying [Enoxia]’s command.
Enoxia snapped her fingers again, banishing the beasts back to the imaginary space, her expression twisting in frustration.
“I’ve already merged with this world bubble. Unless you can toss all of Atlantis into the imaginary space at once, this is pointless.”
“But clearly, under [Her] gaze, you can’t manage even that. [She] won’t come here personally, but against a Herrscher who can’t even wield her own authority? A proxy like me is more than enough.”
[Enoxia]’s clones lunged—only to grasp at empty air. Enoxia had teleported over a hundred kilometers away… yet the same lakeside scenery stretched before her. The moment the warp ended, tendrils of black mist seeped from spatial rifts, closing the distance instantly. Without exaggeration, [Enoxia] and her clones moved through this space faster than the Void Herrscher herself.
Soon, the once-beautiful vista drowned under an oppressive shroud of mist, forcing Enoxia to retreat back into the imaginary space.
The moment she reappeared, Bella rushed to her side. Enoxia offered a faint smile, shifting her eye color back to amber and her voice to its natural tone—a silent reassurance that Sirin’s body remained under her control.
“Enoxia, what’s the situation?”
“First, we’ve confirmed one thing: while we can’t return to the intrinsic world, [Sa] can’t monitor our conversations here in the imaginary space.”
“But what about mind-reading? Did she detect you?”
Bella’s urgency was palpable. If their enemy could anticipate their every thought, they’d be at a hopeless disadvantage.
Enoxia’s eyes gleamed. “That’s the most crucial intel I’ve gathered. She can read minds—but not completely.”
Bella blinked, utterly lost.
“I have Vera—Vill-V—to thank for this. You know how she splits her consciousness into multiple personas, right?”
“For example, if the Vill-V before me is the Conductor, reading her memories and thoughts would be trivial.”
“But if the Conductor is the surface persona, and I try to probe the real Vill-V’s mind? That’s far harder. If Vill-V weren’t just a memory construct, I’d need to saturate every corner of her being with my erosion—and given her skills, she’d probably eliminate me before I got halfway.”
“Bella, you know how people can multitask, thinking two things at once? I borrowed Vill-V’s method, splitting my mind into surface and deep layers—then altered the surface layer’s self-awareness to believe it’s Sirin.”
“With Sirin’s true consciousness dormant, any mind-reading only accesses my ‘Sirin’ persona’s thoughts. The deeper layer stays hidden.”
“Since my surface layer genuinely thinks it’s Sirin, it naturally mimics her speech patterns. That’s why neither [Sa] nor [Enoxia] realized I’m still in control.”
Bella scratched her head. “So… you faked a whole ‘Sirin’ persona, and they can only read that fake’s memories, not the real you hiding underneath. Right?”
“…That’s not wrong, per se. Right now, from their perspective, [Sirin] is cornered, forced to cower in the imaginary space to catch her breath.”
“But since she’s also an Erosion Herrscher, she might suspect I’ve possessed Sirin. My next move is to make her dismiss that possibility. And for that, Bella—I need your help.”
“M-me? But… if I leave the imaginary space, won’t I get eroded instantly?”
Enoxia nodded grimly. “I won’t lie—it’s a risk. But they’re scared too. Scared that if I die here, I’ll resurrect in the intrinsic world and return with reinforcements. As long as you and Sirin stall in the imaginary space—whether until I come back with help or until Atlantis collapses—they lose.”
“And with the Void Herrscher’s near-limitless Honkai energy, you two could stay here for years. It is the safest plan.”
“But I refuse. Who knows how long it’d take to re-enter the Sea of Quanta? Or what might happen in the intrinsic world meanwhile? We don’t even know how much time Atlantis truly has left.”
“Her Majesty said it wouldn’t last a thousand days—”
Enoxia shook her head. “That answer might be a lie. Not necessarily from someone deceiving her—but what if [Sa] extended this world bubble’s lifespan to increase her chances of devouring me?”
“More importantly, slinking back to the intrinsic world in defeat would betray both my strength and Sirin’s trust. She entrusted everything to me. I will defeat this enemy and bring you both home safely!”
Bella, stirred by her resolve, clenched her fists. “What do you need me to do?”
Enoxia’s smile turned bitter. “Bella… for this plan to work, I do have to erode you. To deceive the enemy, we must first deceive ourselves. You must truly believe—in your heart—that I am Sirin.”
Bella’s gaze wavered, then steadied.
“If Her Majesty is willing to place everything in your hands… then so am I. Enoxia, if this will ensure our victory—erode me. Rewrite my cognition. Do whatever it takes.”
She shut her eyes, taking deep, shaky breaths. Even resolved, the thought of potentially betraying Sirin terrified her to the core.
Enoxia’s hand trembled slightly before resting on Bella’s shoulder. As she altered the dragon’s memories and perception, her eyes and voice shifted once more—perfectly mirroring Sirin’s.
With no resistance and only minor adjustments needed, the process was over swiftly.
When Bella opened her eyes again, she dropped to one knee before [Sirin], her loyalty unwavering.