Honkai: Oh No, I’ve Become the Herrscher of Corruption?! - Chapter 57

Perhaps due to compatibility issues, after over a month in the Elysian Realm, Cecilia still hadn’t met many of the Flame-Chasers. Apart from Elysia, Hua, and Sakura whom she’d met initially, she’d only conversed with Su under the bodhi tree and immersed herself in a magic performance.

Today’s boss battle was again against Elysia. Though clearly still outmatched, Cecilia showed noticeable improvement. With Elysia going easy on her, she’d finally forced the Herrscher to use her skills. Now, Cecilia found herself trapped within a massive crystal.

“Running out of power already?~”

As her stamina depleted, Cecilia lost the ability to fight. Even after Elysia dissolved the crystal, she could barely stand upright, leaning heavily on the Black Abyss White Flower.

Enoxia, observing from the sidelines, functioned essentially as a walking debug tool. With a single “restore” command, Cecilia’s energy was replenished. The two exchanged a silent nod.

“Oh? Cecilia, are you… leaving already?” Elysia asked.

“Yes. Sirin’s birthday is coming soon. As her mother, I need to start preparing.”

“When is her birthday?”

“November 11th.”

Elysia’s eyes widened in surprise. “My, what a coincidence! We share the same birthday. It seems fate connects us. I do hope she can visit someday—from how you’ve described her, I suspect many Flame-Chasers would be eager to meet her.”

(Whether this was miHoYo’s hidden Easter egg or not, Sirin and Elysia indeed shared the same birthday.)

“Enoxia, you should visit more often too. Your unique abilities could enable… many interesting possibilities.”

Seeing Elysia’s mischievous grin, Enoxia immediately understood—poor Klein was about to lose her mind. During her wanderings through the Realm, Enoxia had already detected multiple anomalies using her Authority of Corruption, but dared not interfere. After all, the Elysian Realm had operated for 50,000 years—what if these “bugs” were essential to its function?

November 11, 2000

After days of preparation, balloons at the doorway and floral arrangements in the corners transformed Sirin’s home into a warmer space.

The kitchen currently resembled a blazing inferno. Bella moved with practiced precision—the advantages of a Herrscher-class Honkai Beast became apparent as she effortlessly lifted boiling pot lids unaffected by steam, or carried scalding-hot plates barehanded.

In this spacious villa, Cecilia and Alexandra existed as memory constructs, Bella was a Herrscher-class beast, while Enoxia and Sirin were Herrschers—all capable of going without food indefinitely. Were it not for Sirin’s sweet tooth, only Ivan would’ve needed meals prepared. Yet today’s spread featured over a dozen lavish dishes.

“Ivan and Alexandra are native Siberians, Cecilia and Sirin are European, Bella’s origins are unclear… I’m the only one with southeastern Chinese dietary habits, yet they specially provided chopsticks. How thoughtful.”

A sizzling “zzt—!” drew Enoxia’s attention, though she couldn’t discern what Bella had added to the wok.

Lured by the aromas, Ivan came skipping from her room. Despite her intellect surpassing peers, her childlike exuberance remained unchanged.

“Big Sis Enoxia! All this delicious food—is it for Sirin’s birthday?”

Enoxia crouched to pat her head. “That’s right.”

“But… last month for my birthday, we didn’t have this much food! Only Mama Alexandra and Bella celebrated with me…” Ivan pouted.

“How many birthdays have you had, Ivan?”

The girl tapped her chin. “Last year and the year before, Mama always cooked feasts. Before that… I don’t remember, but she never forgot.”

“So you agree birthdays are important?”

Ivan nodded vigorously.

“But did you know? Sirin hasn’t celebrated hers in at least five years. Until last February, she was… forced to stay in a room, unable to leave, doing terrible things regularly. Would you want that life?”

Ivan shook her head wildly. “Never!”

“Now understand why Sirin gets extra treats?”

“I get it! I hope Sirin has the happiest birthday, like mine!”

“Such a good girl. This will make her even happier.” Enoxia ruffled her hair again.

…

Bella’s culinary marathon approached its finale.

“The final dish—Her Majesty’s favorite cola chicken wings! I must excel!”

After reheating the wok, she fried ginger slices in oil until fragrant, then added prepped wings to golden perfection.

“Time for real skill.”

With a practiced flick of her wrist, every wing flipped simultaneously—a technique that left Enoxia marveling, “I could never master that.”

After caramelizing both sides, Bella poured in a bowl of cola. As bubbles formed, she skimmed impurities, then seasoned with sugar, salt, and soy sauce.

Fifteen minutes of simmering later, she reduced the glaze to a glossy coat while gently rocking the wok—the wings were ready when sauce clung thickly.

Their placement at the table marked the final touch.

At the center sat the birthday cake. Enoxia inserted “1” and “4” candles, lighting them as Ivan darkened the room.

Sirin emerged at Enoxia’s cue. Projectors activated, rendering Cecilia and Alexandra’s holograms beside the table—while they couldn’t eat, their presence was felt.

As everyone settled, the celebration began. Smiles all around, voices united:

“Happy birthday to you—”
“Happy birthday to you—”
“Happy birthday dear Sirin/Your Majesty—”
“Happy birthday to you!”

Tears glistened as Sirin made a wish and blew out the candles.

Enoxia snapped her fingers—lights blazed on. Bella offered tissues as Sirin wiped her eyes, overwhelmed.

Celebrating with family—her deepest wish since her mother’s death. After eight years, it was finally real.

“Right… today’s happy. I should smile.”

The realization lifted her spirits. Laughter resumed as she cut the cake, launching the festive dinner.

Though the dessert was cool, warmth flooded her heart. Undoubtedly, this was her happiest birthday in fourteen years.