Honkai: Oh No, I’ve Become the Herrscher of Corruption?! - Chapter 119
[Enoxia] kept a watchful eye on every corner of Atlantis. Just as she had anticipated, the prolonged absence of Sirin only deepened the anxiety gnawing at her heart.
It was only natural that Enoxia had left a resurrection point in the Honkai World. If she had truly chosen to suicide and respawn there, leaving Sirin and Bella to hide in the Imaginary Space—waiting for reinforcements or for Atlantis to collapse on its own—that would undoubtedly be the worst-case scenario.
Yet [Enoxia] remained supremely confident that such a situation wouldn’t arise. The reason was simple: Sirin’s combat instincts were poor. She was impulsive, impatient, and prone to rushing headlong into battle. If, during the Second Honkai War, Sirin had remained calm and methodical after obtaining six Herrscher Cores, the current civilization would have been doomed.
Soon, lightning flashed in the distance, and [Enoxia]’s lips curled into a smirk.
“Just as I thought. Sirin couldn’t hold back—she’s charging out with Bella, isn’t she? Well, now that she’s here, she’s not going back!”
In the distance, [Sirin] and Bella had just emerged from the Imaginary Space when an overwhelming tide of black mist surged toward them, swiftly encircling the pair. Though Bella’s breath attacks could momentarily push back the encroaching darkness, the mist spread far faster than she could repel it.
Before long, the black fog coiled around them like countless threads, binding them tightly. Then, like discarded trash, Bella was flung aside.
“My Queen!”
Bella let out a heart-wrenching roar as she watched the distance between herself and Sirin grow, but the chasm between a pseudo-Herrscher and a true Herrscher was insurmountable. No matter how desperately she struggled, she couldn’t break free.
[Enoxia] knew all too well that the stronger the will, the harder it was to corrupt. So she ignored Bella’s furious cries and focused entirely on Sirin. Once Sirin fell, Bella would be at her mercy.
According to Enoxia’s memories, she and Sirin had been close. If she could successfully corrupt Sirin, she could also use her as leverage against Enoxia.
Thus, after ensuring Bella wouldn’t interfere, [Enoxia] poured every last ounce of her Honkai energy into corrupting Sirin.
As the corrupting power flowed into Sirin’s body, [Enoxia] sensed something amiss—but she dismissed it as the Void Herrscher’s natural resistance to erosion.
However… the moment she fully enveloped the Void Core, she realized there was another Herrscher within Sirin. She tried to withdraw, but it was too late. Out of nowhere, Flying Fish Maru (a.k.a. Yae Sakura’s weapon) shot forth and plunged straight into her body.
“Jizo Mitama, Zeroeth Power Release—True Self Reconstruction!”
In an instant, [Enoxia] felt her data draining at an alarming rate, along with vast amounts of Honkai energy. As the black mist crumbled, Bella broke free and immediately flew to Sirin’s side.
Enoxia gently touched Bella, restoring her cognition, then extended her right hand toward [Enoxia].
“Aaaahhh—!”
A scream tore through the air as the Jizo Mitama shot out of [Enoxia]’s body and returned to Enoxia’s grasp.
“So… the memories I saw earlier were…”
[Enoxia] gazed at the gleaming blade and smiled in resignation.
Enoxia nodded. “Before entering the Sea of Quanta, I considered the possibility that [Sa] might spy on my mind, so I altered my own cognition. Even I didn’t know I possessed the Jizo Mitama—so no matter how deeply you or Sa probed, you’d never detect it.”
“When I modified my cognition, I left myself one note: ‘If I encounter a mind-reading enemy and find a way to counter it, restore my original cognition.’ That’s why it wasn’t until I returned to the Imaginary Space that I remembered this trump card.”
“With Sa’s help, your stats were indeed superior to mine. And fused with Atlantis as you were, you were a formidable opponent. But with the Jizo Mitama’s authority and Sirin’s full Honkai energy, your defeat was inevitable.”
As she analyzed the battle, Enoxia watched [Enoxia] with mild amusement. A gaping hole had been torn through her chest, and now, flames the same color as her hair consumed her entire body.
“Enoxia… may I ask you one last question?”
Enoxia gestured for her to go ahead.
“Why… when I held absolute advantage, did you believe Sirin could save herself instead of falling to me? And why… was Sirin willing to entrust everything to you…?”
Enoxia smiled.
“I have Sirin to thank for that. She opened her heart to me in the Elysian Realm. But what truly convinced me was when she told me that, aside from Bella, I was the most important person to her.”
“A person experiences three stages of growth.”
“The first is realizing oneself.”
“The second is realizing that the world does not revolve around oneself.”
“The third is realizing that the world does not revolve around oneself… and yet, in the most perilous moment, willingly entrusting everything to the person you trust most, believing they will lead you to safety.”
“…Thank you.”
[Enoxia] closed her eyes, allowing the blue flames to reduce her body to ashes.
“Um… Enoxia… could you… give the Queen back…?”
Bella’s voice was hesitant as she watched Enoxia controlling Sirin’s body and speaking in her voice—it was unsettling, to say the least.
“Ah, right, right! I’ll return her right away.”
Enoxia withdrew from Sirin’s body. Since Sirin’s consciousness remained dormant, she immediately plummeted like a bird with broken wings. Bella lunged forward and caught her in her arms.
The blue glow faded, yet [Enoxia] did not vanish. Instead, she stood before them once more, completely unharmed. Bella’s brow furrowed, but Enoxia waved a hand to reassure her.
“Well, it seems Sirin fulfilled your wish in a way, didn’t she? A cheerful, bold… hmm, no—should I call you the complete [Enoxia] now?”
[Enoxia] smiled at them. “You can call me… the [Enoxia] of the Sea. It seems Sirin hasn’t quite grasped the situation yet. The [Enoxia] who would stop at nothing to save Atlantis has indeed been destroyed. From your perspective, I’m the fusion of her five remaining fragments.”
“The remnants of [Enoxia] have been inherited by me. You could say I’m her successor.”