Honkai: Oh No, I’ve Become the Herrscher of Corruption?! - Chapter 39

February 10, 15:45

As the Herrscher of Ice breathed her last, the icy mist over Lake Baikal vanished completely within a minute. Yet, the sky remained shrouded—dark blue clouds rapidly spreading in all directions.

Just then, Einstein arrived aboard the Moonlight Throne mech. As she had expected, the battle was already over by the time she got there. Gazing at the swirling clouds, her expression darkened.

“The energy released by this Herrscher at the moment of death far exceeds that of an ordinary one. At this rate, once the rain falls, the entire Lake Baikal basin—along with the Irtysh, Amur, Ussuri, Yellow, and Ural Rivers—will be affected to varying degrees. Worst-case scenario? The Honkai radiation levels in the rainwater will be catastrophically high. The soil along these waterways will become barren, and the people who depend on them… At best, they’ll contract Honkai sickness. At worst, they’ll die outright.”

Einstein’s words proved prophetic. No sooner had she spoken than a light drizzle began over Lake Baikal, where the clouds were thickest. Cheng Lixue caught a few drops on her palm and immediately knew Einstein wasn’t exaggerating. For those like them, with high resistance to Honkai energy, it was harmless. But for ordinary people? Even mere contact could be disastrous, let alone consumption.

“Lord Welt, I believe we could use the Moonlight Throne to try—” Before Einstein could finish, Cecilia cut her off.

“Doctor, there’s no need for that. I have a way to resolve this. However… I’ll need everyone to keep their distance. Please, Mr. Welt, Doctor—ensure that Siegfried and Lixue are taken to safety.”

“Take care, Lady Cecilia.” Welt didn’t know what method she had, but after fighting alongside her these past few days, he trusted her—both her strength and her sense of responsibility. On a matter this grave, she had no reason to lie.

Cheng Lixue noticed a flicker of sorrow in Cecilia’s eyes and found it strange. But as she was in no state to help, she picked up her severed left arm and prepared to leave with the Anti-Entropy group.

“Wait… Where’s Kira?” She scanned the area, but the vast expanse of Lake Baikal held only their group, the mostly intact corpse of Niggurath, and her weapon, Crimson Whisper.

“Lord Welt, and those from Schicksal… At the moment the Herrscher fired that beam into the sky, Miss Shigure Kira exhibited a bizarre reaction. According to calculations… she is no longer in the local world.” Tesla sounded utterly baffled.

Not in the local world? Then she must be in imaginary or quantum space. They’d have to investigate once this was over.

Seeing Cheng Lixue’s troubled expression, Welt conjured robots to carry Siegfried, Niggurath body, and Crimson Whisper. Lixue bowed slightly and followed the Anti-Entropy team out.

A few minutes later, certain they were far enough away, Cecilia took a deep breath and gazed at the oppressive clouds.

“After this, Theresa will have to look after Kiana and Siegfried for me. Entrusting my child’s upbringing to someone else… What an unfit mother I am.”

“Sirin… I’m sorry. I lied to you. What Schicksal did to you—that is its sin. I have no right to ask for your forgiveness. But please believe me, not everyone in Schicksal is evil. At the very least, the Valkyries who fight for this world’s beauty, unaware of those experiments… They are not your enemies.”

“I hope you find someone who will love you like a mother truly would. Ich liebe dich.”

Without further hesitation, Cecilia raised Abyss Flower, drew it across her wrist, and let her blood slowly envelop the weapon.

“Saint Blood Release.”

She thrust Abyss Flower skyward, sending her blood streaking into the clouds. As the S-rank Honkai-resistant blood merged with the storm, the clouds dispersed, and warm sunlight bathed Lake Baikal once more.

Somewhere in Siberia

After the rain, an entire town lay collapsed, their skin hardening like stone.

“Natasha… run!”

On the grass, a blond boy mustered his last ounce of strength to shout at his little sister.

Tears streamed down little Natasha’s face as she watched her brother writhe in agony.

Then, from the sky, countless Cecilia flowers—infused with Saint Blood—fluttered down. One landed on his shoulder.

Instantly, his symptoms receded like a tide. The Honkai energy within him vanished. He stared at his hands in disbelief.

…

Though the sky had cleared, Cecilia’s expression remained grave. High above, multiple Honkai fission bombs were hurtling toward her—targeting her position. She knew very few could orchestrate this.

If it were the Herrscher of Corruption, it wouldn’t go to such lengths. It could’ve simply stood by during her fight with the Herrscher of Ice.

That left only one person with the means and motive: Otto Apocalypse himself.

“If the Overseer wanted me dead, he could’ve just waited for my blood to run dry. Why launch fission bombs? At this quantity… Is his target actually—?!”

Just as the warheads closed within 100 meters, a figure with violet hair and golden eyes appeared before her.

Without a word, Sirin hurled Cecilia and Abyss Flower through a portal.

“Get her to safety—no matter what!”

Freshly recovered and pouring all her energy into protecting Cecilia, Sirin couldn’t fully redirect the bombs into imaginary space in time.

Of course, she’d had another choice: abandon Cecilia and teleport all the warheads away. But after past failures, she knew her Honkai energy was finite. She couldn’t risk a second wave of missiles. Sending Cecilia away was the only guarantee.

BOOM.

The detonation shattered Lake Baikal’s ice. Sirin plunged into the freezing depths.

“It’s so cold… Am I… leaving this world?”

Loneliness and despair swallowed her. She felt herself sinking into an endless abyss—even glimpsing, in her delirium, the silhouette of her mother.

“My Queen, no!”
“In my home… there will always be a room for you.”

It was as if two hands gripped her, pulling her back from the void.

In the icy water, warmth returned. Sirin opened her eyes.

“No… Mother is waiting for me. I can’t give up here!”
“Besides… if I fall now… Bella would be heartbroken.”

With renewed resolve, Sirin fought her way upward.

…

February 10, 16:15

Half-dead, Sirin crawled onto the ice. Too weakened to notice the blond, green-eyed man now beside her—or the feather drifting onto her head.

“Heh. As expected of a Herrscher with four Cores. Surviving dozens of Honkai fission bombs at point-blank range… Truly, you’re worthy of study.”

In the distance, thunder clashed violently.

“Oh? Her retinue has arrived. Since Anti-Entropy is so eager to help, I’ll leave the Judgment-class Honkai Beast to them. How convenient—they left, and then her Queen was attacked right where they’d been. A perfectly plausible story, wouldn’t you say? Kukuku…”

“Amber, retrieve the Herrscher of Ice’s corpse immediately.”

Ending the transmission, Otto led Sirin—now trapped in the illusion of Feather of Xuanyuan—away from the battlefield.