Honkai: Oh No, I’ve Become the Herrscher of Corruption?! - Chapter 31

The perspective shifted back to the snowy plains of Siberia. As everyone realized that Sirin’s attack still hadn’t pushed the IceFall Herrscher to its limit, Cecilia, gripping the Black Abyss White Flower, prepared to unleash its First Active Output again. However, between finding the right position and rescuing her teammates who were drawing the enemy’s fire, she repeatedly failed to get close enough.

Bella seized the moment after Sirin’s assault ended to land another strike, causing the already swollen IceFall Herrscher’s body to expand even further.

“Siegfried, what are you—?!” Theresa gasped as she saw Siegfried combining the cores of the two Judgement of Shamash pistols.

“Giving it a taste of something big!” Siegfried, now wielding the greatsword form of Judgement of Shamash, glared fiercely and raised the blazing weapon overhead.

At this point, it was clear that the IceFall Herrscher was on the verge of reaching its limit. Activating the Zero Active Output of Judgement of Shamash—the strongest and most destructive power among all Divine Keys—was undoubtedly the best choice.

But the cost was equally undeniable. Countless ancestors of the Kaslana family had already paid that price with their lives.

“To protect those I love… Judgement of Shamash, Zero Active Output— Huh?!” Just as he was about to unleash “Heaven’s Fury: Sundering Flame,” a deafening BOOM echoed. The IceFall Herrscher collapsed, its Herrscher activity ceasing as it shut down once more. The endless snowfall stopped, and gravity returned to normal.

“What just happened?” Siegfried kept a firm grip on Judgement of Shamash, not daring to lower his guard. After exchanging a glance with his wife, the two cautiously approached the fallen Herrscher.

“Heh, it really stopped.” Siegfried gave its body a light kick, but it remained motionless, like a corpse.

“It seems the Overseer and Miss Erosion assisted us from within its body.” Einstein and Tesla let out a sigh of relief as they observed the defeated Herrscher.

Just moments ago, a faint gravitational anomaly had been detected inside the IceFall Herrscher—proof that their longtime companion, Joachim Nokianvirtanen, was still alive.

“So, what now? Cut this thing open and pull them out?” Siegfried raised Judgement of Shamash, already preparing to act.

“Please wait, Mr. Kaslana,” Einstein interjected. “Based on the previous attacks by the Herrscher and the way it pulled everyone into its dream, combined with existing data, we suspect that this Erosion Herrscher can freely switch between a data-based and physical form. She can parasitize any electronic device or living organism. If she hasn’t emerged yet, it’s likely because she chooses not to. Perhaps… she’s currently extracting the IceFall Herrscher’s memories to uncover the source of its unique abilities.”

“As for the Overseer… we already know he’s alive. Therefore, we should carefully consider how to handle the IceFall Herrscher’s remains. This body contains several times the energy of an ordinary Herrscher. If it detonates, the devastation would surpass even the most powerful nuclear weapon on Earth.”

“Fine. If even you, his fellow Anti-Entropy members, say so, then I’ll trust Welt. Should we call headquarters to bring in cranes and haul this thing away? Though… one crane probably won’t be enough… Wait, the Overseer and the Anti-Entropy higher-ups have old grudges. Even though Welt helped us this time, if we hand him over to the Overseer while he’s still inside, who knows what might happen…”

As Siegfried pondered, the IceFall Herrscher suddenly stirred again. A wisp of black mist shot out, piercing the foreheads of Siegfried and Cecilia, freezing them in place.

Sensing danger, Theresa immediately bound Cecilia with Oath of Judah’s chains and yanked her to safety. Meanwhile, Cheng Lixue dashed to Siegfried’s side, pulling him away from the Herrscher.

Unlike before, the two didn’t fall into another dream—their minds merely blanked for a moment before returning to normal once they were away from the Herrscher’s body.

Just as everyone let their guard down, the situation took another abrupt turn. Before Shigure Kira could even raise her sniper rifle, a violent surge of energy erupted from the IceFall Herrscher. A thick fog of ice engulfed the area for dozens of miles, reducing visibility to less than a meter within seconds.

Amid the blizzard, a long slit opened on the Herrscher’s head, and something slipped out, silently fleeing into the distance.

The storm dissipated as quickly as it had come. This time, the attack had been all bark and no bite—aside from blinding everyone and disabling equipment in the extreme cold, it had done no real damage.

When the team looked back at the Herrscher’s body, they saw a several-meter-long gash on its head. Given its serpentine appearance, it was clear that it had shed its form like a snake, escaping unseen.

“The Herrscher’s fleeing north! After it, now!” Tesla panicked. If even the combined might of the world’s strongest fighters had struggled this much against it, what hope did anyone else have?

“Wait—this energy reading… No! Joachim, stop!”

Just as Sirin locked onto the Herrscher’s position and the group prepared to pursue, a massive pseudo-black hole suddenly formed. The Herrscher’s discarded body was instantly swallowed, leaving only the cores of the Stars and Reason Herrschers floating in the air.

The black hole’s pull was indiscriminate—even members of Schicksal and Bella were dragged toward it. Shigure Kira and Niggurath nearly crossed the event horizon before—

Good news: The pseudo-black hole performed exactly as described, displaying terrifying destructive power.

Bad news: It only hit allies—the enemy had already escaped.

Thankfully, Welt Yang—now restored to his physical form—deactivated the black hole at the last possible moment, saving Shigure Kira and Niggurath from being torn apart.

“Overseer, don’t blame yourself. This was the result of poor communication between inside and outside. And your actions weren’t entirely negative—the Herrscher’s remains were a ticking time bomb. Eliminating them removed a major threat.”

Though Welt knew Einstein was trying to comfort him, her words eased his guilt somewhat. After all, stopping the Herrscher took priority over self-reproach.

“The IceFall—no, now that it’s lost the Stars Herrscher’s core, it’s just the Ice Herrscher. In just this short time, it’s already dozens of kilometers away. Damn it, how is it this fast when it finally decides to move?!”

“Dr. Tesla, don’t panic. Miss Sirin has already engaged it. No matter how fast it is, it can’t escape the Herrscher of the Void. Let’s wait for her good news.”

Even though this was now a four-core Herrscher against a single-core one—and despite Sirin’s depleted energy reserves—victory should have been assured. Yet Bella, unable to shake her worry, took off at full speed the moment Sirin teleported away.