Honkai: Oh No, I’ve Become the Herrscher of Corruption?! - Chapter 163

Back at St. Freya, Theresa received an urgent communication.

“What? Kiana went alone to chase the Judgement-class Honkai Beast? No, I need to hurry—”

“Theresa, don’t be so hasty.”

A familiar voice made Theresa freeze.

“Grandfather, why have you come personally…?”

Otto avoided the question.

“Theresa, you have more important matters to attend to. Anti-Entropy’s attack may not be over yet, and there are certain things we must absolutely prevent them from obtaining.”

“Grandfather, but Enoxia has already—”

“Theresa, you should understand that the Herrscher of Corruption has never belonged to Schicksal nor to Anti-Entropy. If she isn’t interested in something, even if she knows about it, she has no reason to tell us.”

“But the Judgement-class Honkai Beast—”

“Don’t worry, Theresa. The child wearing that Valkyrie armor you gave her will be fine.”

“And… as for whether that Judgement-class Honkai Beast is friend or foe, Theresa, I believe you know the answer better than I do.”

Hearing Otto’s meaningful tone, a chill ran down Theresa’s spine. After the communication ended, she hesitated for a moment but ultimately decided to carry out his orders.

Meanwhile, on an unknown small island deep in the Pacific Ocean.

Raiden Mei’s eyes still glowed with a purple light as she gently stroked the head of the Judgement-class Honkai Beast. The beast lowered itself, its expression one of pure contentment.

She had never imagined that one day she would be associated with the word “gentle.”

[Amidst the chaos, my consciousness was born.]

[The place of my birth was a classroom at Senba Academy, and the first thing I saw was a room full of corpses.]

[I didn’t understand why I was born in this body named “Raiden Mei,” sharing her memories, seeing this terrifying and pitiful world through her eyes, and feeling her joys and pains.]

[Soon after my birth, I realized that a terrifying power lay hidden within this body—a power that Raiden Mei could use but was afraid to.]

[Yet, whenever I took control, that dreadful power would spill out uncontrollably.]

[Everything I touched would disintegrate into atoms, and anyone who came near me would be infected and turned into a zombie.]

[So… I couldn’t speak to anyone, and because of my existence, neither could “Raiden Mei.”]

[I began to doubt myself, for my actions were a far cry from the cold yet gentle Raiden Mei others saw. I knew that if any survivors remained, the image of “Raiden Mei” in their eyes would be completely overturned because of me.]

[Fear and unease clouded my heart. And then, Kiana appeared.]

[As the only person who could communicate with me normally, a certain longing within me reached its peak.]

[Though I accessed the knowledge in “Raiden Mei’s” mind, I still couldn’t confirm whether I was her second personality or an outsider who had taken over her body. But to speak with Kiana, I greedily used the identity of “Raiden Mei,” monopolizing her body, using her name, and claiming experiences that should have been hers as my own.]

[Kiana clearly noticed that “Raiden Mei” was acting strangely. She fought me many times, and though she was no match for me, she always got back up immediately after being defeated, her fighting spirit undiminished, shouting all the while that she would save me.]

[I had many chances to kill her, but I never did. Perhaps it was because she was the only one who could talk to me, or perhaps… I really didn’t know why.]

[No matter how sincere her words were, I knew my existence was a disaster for “Raiden Mei” and for everyone else in the world.]

[So, during our final battle, I jumped from the rooftop of Senba Academy.]

[If I died, the Raiden Mei everyone knew would soon return, and she would never have to worry about her body being taken over by another consciousness again.]

[But the moment I jumped, she reached out her hand.]

[She smiled and told me she wanted to save me, not destroy me.]

[I grew afraid—afraid that one day I would hurt her. So, I returned the body to Raiden Mei.]

[From that day on, I chose to hide in a corner of Raiden Mei’s heart, silently watching over her. Just doing this filled my heart with warmth.]

“You should know by now that you can’t hurt her, right?”

As Raiden Mei reminisced and muttered to herself, a somewhat familiar voice suddenly spoke. A portal had appeared behind her without notice, and Sirin, Bella, and Enoxia stepped out.

The once docile Judgement-class Honkai Beast immediately rose to its feet, spreading its wings to shield Raiden Mei.

Seeing this, the three of them weren’t angered but rather seemed pleased.

“Tsk, hiding in this remote corner—even with the combined efforts of the Herrscher of the Void and the Herrscher of Corruption, it took us quite a while to find you.”

Raiden Mei’s expression turned cold.

“Why are you here?”

Enoxia spread her hands.

“For Kiana, of course. She’s rushing here at full speed. Back in Nagazora, everyone who survived—Himeko, Theresa, us, and the others—saw this big guy beside you. Only Kiana, who was unconscious, missed it.”

“Of course, if you explain it to her properly and she can verify it with others, she might not confront it. But you know how Kiana is. Since this Judgement-class Honkai Beast is your familiar, she’ll definitely consider it a friend too.”

“So, tell me, are you planning to ride this big guy back to St. Freya Academy with her?”