Honkai: Oh No, I’ve Become the Herrscher of Corruption?! - Chapter 41

February 10th, 21:00

In a room that looked more like an abandoned warehouse somewhere in Novosibirsk, Ainoxia arrived at the location marked by the coordinates provided by Anti-Entropy.

Following coordinates provided by Anti-Entropy, Enoxia arrived at the location.

Bella – Glaring (Top)
Welt – Sighing (Middle)
Einstein – Shaking Head (Bottom)

Looking at the trio who could practically form a set of Stigmata, Enoxia scratched her head before turning to Welt for details.

Due to the chaos caused by the Honkai fission missiles, Welt and Einstein had headed back to Lake Baikal to assess the situation—only to run into Bella, who was flying at full speed. Without a word, she attacked them. Fortunately, as a mere pseudo-Herrscher, she was eventually subdued by Welt (an actual Herrscher) with the help of the Moonlight Throne mech.

In short, after realizing she couldn’t win, Bella reluctantly agreed to stand down—though it was clear she was still seething inside.

“Ahem. Bella, Sirin is alive and currently in a secret lab in Siberia. If you attack Schicksal’s branches or headquarters now, you’d be playing right into Otto’s hands. Not only would you fail to save her, but you’d get yourself captured too.”

Bella’s expression softened slightly at Enoxia’s words.

“Still in Siberia… Of course. It’s only been five hours—conducting research nearby is the most efficient and least risky approach. So, what’s your plan?”

“The fewer people, the better. Just the two of us will go. After this, we probably won’t see each other for a while. Thanks for stopping Bella in time.”

“It was nothing. We hope to collaborate again in the future. Anti-Entropy’s doors are always open to you.” Seeing that Enoxia had her own plans, Welt didn’t press further. He and Einstein soon left.

30 Minutes Later -An underground laboratory in Siberia.

“Lord Overseer, the Void Herrscher’s DNA has been extracted. The cores of the Wind, Thunder, and Death Herrschers have been successfully removed. Should we proceed with extracting the Void Herrscher’s core as well?” A woman in a lab coat bowed respectfully as she reported to Otto.

This lab had originally been built to support the experiments at Babylon Tower. If emergencies arose, unfinished research could be relocated here—a contingency Otto hadn’t expected to be so useful now.

“Proceed—hm?” Before Otto could finish, every device in the lab shut down. Then, a pair of hands reached out from the monitor in front of him.

“L-Lord Overseer… th-this…!” The researcher paled, stumbling back in terror.

“Heh. Found this place already? As expected of the Herrscher of Corruption.”

What Enoxia didn’t mention was that she’d held back for ten minutes—worried that abruptly stopping mid-extraction might harm Sirin.

Ignoring the terrified researcher, Otto remained smiling even as Enoxia emerged from the screen.

“Let her go. Or face the consequences.” Her voice was icy.

“Consequences? Heh. If you truly intended to act, you would’ve done so already. Like the first Herrscher, you fight for humanity. Even if I did harm her, your self-imposed morals wouldn’t let you retaliate against society. Am I wrong?”

Enoxia clenched her fists at Otto’s mocking tone. But the man’s unshakable confidence—even when facing a Herrscher—confirmed this was indeed the real Otto.

Seeing her silence, Otto continued:

“I know you care deeply for this girl, Sirin. But I, too, have my reasons. Certain… necessities require her cooperation in my experiments. There’s no need for hostility between us. Even if you lose Sirin, you still have me. I could be a valuable ally. Like her.”

Enoxia knew he was baiting her. Yet, looking at his smug face, she ached to feel his Soulium-reinforced body crumple under her fists.

Otto was a villain. Enoxia, at least compared to him, considered herself a decent person. But in battles between good and evil, the good often found themselves staring down the barrel of a gun.

Deep inside, a surge of bloodlust swelled. Whether it was the Herrscher’s influence or not, she couldn’t afford to act recklessly.

“I mean no offense, but desperate times call for desperate measures. Forgive me.” She closed her eyes, steeling herself. When they reopened, Otto sensed the shift.

“To analyze me so accurately in such a short time… You’re right. Even if you harmed Sirin, I wouldn’t use my powers against humanity. But you’re not entirely correct. I’m not like Welt. I won’t punish society—but I will punish you.”

Otto’s smirk didn’t waver. If anything, he seemed intrigued. Enoxia knew killing him was near-impossible—he had countless Soulium bodies, and death didn’t frighten him. But making him suffer something worse than death? That, she could do.

“I’ll erase Kallen Kaslana from your memory. Every trace of her—no matter how hard you try, no matter who reminds you, you’ll never recall her. Then, I’ll scour the world, obliterating every remnant of her existence until, in everyone’s minds, she never existed. The woman hanged 500 years ago? Just a nameless nobody. Few remember her now—editing their memories one by one wouldn’t even be that hard.”

Otto’s composure shattered. Sweat beaded on his forehead, droplets hitting the floor like thunder.

“Ahaha… I suppose we can negotiate. Releasing her isn’t impossible.”

Truthfully, Enoxia doubted she could pull it off. Corrupting a mind required overcoming the target’s willpower—and Otto’s resolve rivaled even Bella’s. One obsessed with Kallen, the other with Sirin.

But she knew Otto wouldn’t risk it. The mere possibility of losing Kallen—even just having his memories of her distorted—was a fate worse than death. To deal with Otto, you had to hit where it hurt.

“You can keep the three Herrscher cores already extracted. I won’t interfere with your research on the Herrscher of IceFall either. Just return Sirin—and the Judgement of Shamash—unharmed.”

After a brief hesitation, Otto nodded.

Enoxia tapped the monitor, restoring power. The strange apparatus holding Sirin opened, and without another word, Enoxia carried her away.

She could have taken the remaining cores. But after reviewing the lab records, she saw no need. Sirin deserved peace in whatever time she had left.

The Herrscher of the End… Let Kiana Kaslana handle that.

As she left, words flashed on the display:

“Leave the Judgement of Shamash at the designated location within ten days, and I guarantee no trouble for Schicksal for six years.”
“You understand me—but I understand you too. What you truly desire is already near-impossible. But if I wanted to ensure its failure? That would be easy.”

Seconds later, the text vanished. Otto wiped his brow.

Outside, Bella—who had been waiting—quickly took Sirin and flew off into the night.