Honkai: Oh No, I’ve Become the Herrscher of Corruption?! - Chapter 153

Schicksal Headquarters

Several members of the Schicksal Council watched as two Herrscher-level Honkai beasts battled fiercely in Nagazora City, their emotions decidedly mixed.

Just half an hour earlier, interference from the Herrscher of Thunder had severed communications between headquarters, the Far East Branch, and the front lines. As anxiety mounted, the connection was suddenly restored.

The good news: The Hyperion, despite sustaining damage, had not crashed in the face of the Herrscher and could be repaired. Moreover, the Herrscher of Thunder’s rampage through Nagazora had been stopped in time.

The bad news: According to the Valkyries aboard the Hyperion, these outcomes weren’t thanks to Schicksal, but to the Herrscher of the Void. To make matters worse, the Herrscher of Corruption had also arrived in Nagazora.

Then, just five minutes ago, every electronic screen across all of Schicksal was hijacked, displaying a single, glaring red eye. The Herrscher of Corruption didn’t launch an attack, but instead delivered a wave of mockery, taunting Schicksal for its incompetence. She sneered at their mantra of eliminating the Herrschers, only to be saved by a Herrscher in the end. She pointed out that if every Herrscher neatly fit the labels Schicksal slapped on them, the world would already be doomed.

Faced with her scorn, the higher-ups of Schicksal could only clench their fists in silent frustration. They had no retort, because her words held an undeniable truth.

This was especially true for Otto. He knew all too well that in an apocalyptic scenario, a single, immensely powerful individual outweighed any number of weaker combatants combined. Take Schicksal itself: aside from Fu Hua, everyone else together wouldn’t stand a chance against her at her peak. If she hadn’t stepped in two years ago, sending any number of A or B-rank Valkyries against the Herrscher of Flame would have been a futile sacrifice.

It was in his nature to eliminate anyone with the capability or potential to interfere with his plans by any means necessary. To resurrect Kallen, he would stop at nothing.

But… ‘stopping at nothing’ did not guarantee success. Information obtained from the Void Archives revealed a chilling fact: as long as a single functional electronic device existed in the world, the Herrscher of Corruption could create a backup and potentially become unkillable.

The idea of destroying every electronic device globally was not just impractical for Otto; it was counterproductive to the point of absurdity. All the research dedicated to reviving Kellen relied heavily on such technology.

Furthermore, the Herrscher of Corruption theoretically possessed the power to override free will and directly alter human perception. This meant anyone around him could secretly be turned against him. Yet, he couldn’t possibly eliminate every single person in his orbit based on that paranoid possibility.

Despite Otto’s immense capacity for multitasking—researching the Honkai, handling political affairs, training Valkyries, managing the economy, pursuing Kallen’s resurrection, combating the Honkai, outmaneuvering Anti-Entropy, and even sending out clones to occasionally ‘enlighten’ others—he knew he still needed people to carry out his will. Schicksal couldn’t function without him, but he was equally useless as a lone commander.

For Otto, an enemy who could effortlessly adhere to basic morals and limits, while he himself, having discarded all such constraints and exhausted 500 years of wisdom, still couldn’t find a reliable way to destroy her… such an enemy was undoubtedly the most terrifying he had faced in five centuries.

“Since they have intervened, it’s best we don’t interfere further,” he stated. “Notify Theresa. Let her use her own judgment.”

Nagazora City District

Bella and the other Herrscher-level Honkai beast began a new round of their energy clash, both pouring their full power into this attack, determined to decide the outcome.

Just as Nagazora seemed on the verge of being consumed by light, the other Honkai beast abruptly broke off the beam struggle. With the Hyperion’s departure, it turned and flew after the retreating battleship.

Its speed far exceeded the Hyperion’s. As the colossal beast closed in, panic erupted on the ship’s deck.

“Ah, forget it. Can’t just do a half-hearted job now, can we?” Enoxia sighed. “Sirin, I’ll leave this to you.”

With that, Enoxia leaped away, heading towards the ruins of Senba Academy. Sirin raised her hand, opening a portal directly in the path of the pursuing Honkai beast. The creature, focused solely on the Hyperion, plunged straight through the gateway and instantly found itself teleported right beside Sirin.

The beast roared at her, its fury palpable. Sirin, however, understood completely.

“If Schicksal had taken me, Bella would be just this angry and heartbroken too… I need to explain things properly to it.”

Sirin teleported onto the creature’s head, placing her right hand gently on its skull.

“I know you’re worried about her. But don’t be. She still holds value for Schicksal; they will heal her. I know you’re desperate to see her, but you saw it yourself… for Raiden Mei, Kiana—the girl she was holding—is more important to her than you are…”

“ROAR—!”

Its enraged roar blasted Sirin away. She could sense it now—more than anger, its emotion… was closer to bitter frustration.

“Hmm… If I got too close with someone else… Bella might not say anything outwardly, but deep down she’d probably… well… feel jealous?”

Just then, Bella arrived and resumed her fierce battle with the creature.

“Let me think, how can I calm it down now? Ah… and here I’m usually the one who needs comforting…”

When Sirin learned the Herrscher of Thunder, like herself, had a companion Herrscher-level Honkai beast, she had volunteered enthusiastically, confidently promising Enoxia she could persuade it to join their side.

Enoxia was indifferent. With Sirin being a dual-core Herrscher, making an ally of the beast was the ideal outcome, but even in the worst case, Sirin could simply banish it permanently to the Imaginary Space. She knew Sirin was excited to finally prove her usefulness, and the most important thing was not to dampen her spirits.

The reality, however, proved that Sirin’s confidence was premature. When it actually came to persuading the beast with her silver tongue, she suddenly remembered she was still a problem child who often needed comforting herself. After fumbling through a couple of lines based on how Cecilia had comforted her, she ran out of words.

Left with no choice, Sirin decided to seek help last minute and directly called Cecilia.

“Hey, Mom? Uh-huh… Okay… Alright, got it.”

Hanging up, Sirin immediately pulled both the Honkai beast and Bella into the Imaginary Space. As the beast looked around in confusion, several Void Lances shot forth, pinning it firmly to the ground.

“Hmm, Mom’s right. To solve this problem, I’d better use the method I’m best at.”

Sirin teleported next to the restrained beast, looking down at it.

“Here are your choices. First, keep resisting. Then you can stay here in the Imaginary Space forever, and never see her again.

“Second, cooperate with us properly. When the time is right, you will get to see her.”

The results proved that, compared to gentle comfort, the rather simple-minded Herrscher-level Honkai beast clearly responded better to threats and incentives. The moment Sirin finished speaking, it let out a reluctant whine and lowered its proud head.