Honkai: Oh No, I’ve Become the Herrscher of Corruption?! - Chapter 72

Already severely weakened, Higokumaru lost all ability to resist after being confined this way—not even a shred of its authority remained functional. Complete control over the entire data space now rested firmly in Enoxia’s hands.

“You—!” The fox spirit, unable to channel even a trace of Honkai energy, glared at the cage trapping it before belatedly realizing the truth.

“Foolish. Truly foolish,” Enoxia sighed. “You knew the Herrscher of Corruption could fully reformat its own data, yet you didn’t think twice about the restraint program you used.”

Before entering Yae Village, Enoxia had altered her own understanding of the restraint protocol and added a command: “Restore original cognition once Higokumaru is either destroyed or confined.” Thus, the method the fox spirit extracted from her memories was inherently flawed.

“So you planned this!”

Higokumaru rattled the bars of its cage in fury, but it was futile. In its childlike form, its anger came off as almost… endearing.

“Of course. As a Herrscher of Corruption, I can access others’ memories—and so can you. Before stepping into Yae Village, I knew the restraint program given by Vill-V was an open gambit. And you, already at a disadvantage, couldn’t resist its lure.”

The confinement wasn’t permanent. Deeming their conversation over, Enoxia plunged once more into the fox spirit’s core.

If Higokumaru could access Enoxia’s memories, the reverse was equally true.

Both had existed for 50,000 years, yet compared to Fu Hua’s recollections, the fox’s memories were startlingly barren. Navigating them felt like sailing a lone boat across an endless ocean, where only the rarest island broke the monotony.

For the past 500 years, Higokumaru had been trapped in never-ending cycle of the “Sakura Samsara.”. And for the 49,500 years before that? Locked in a box, oblivious to the world. Its most vivid memories spanned only two periods: its birth and sealing, and its brief encounter with Kallen and Yae Sakura five centuries ago.

From the moment she absorbed its memories, Enoxia raced backward—toward the starting point of those 50,000 years. When she reviewed the fox’s recollections chronologically, the reasons for its earlier outbursts and its obsession with separating “humans” from “Herrschers” finally became clear.

“Higokumaru … no wonder you were so desperate to make me confront my identity. In every sense that matters, we are the same.”

In the original Gratitude Arc, Yae Sakura, Kallen, and Yae Rin found happiness within the Stigma space. Jizo Mitama was tossed into Schicksal’s armory, harmless unless disturbed. By all accounts, a happy ending.

Yet after scrutinizing the fox’s memories, Enoxia believed she could craft something better.

“Almost there… Sakura, it’s all up to you now.”

What is corruption?

“To gradually erode and corrupt.” That was the dictionary definition, and it matched the previous era’s Herrscher of Corruption. But it wasn’t the full picture.

The Herrscher of Corruption was described as a self-aware super-virus capable of infecting both organic life and electronics. But why? The Herrscher of Flames manipulated molecular motion to generate fire; the Herrscher of Wind created ideal fluids to summon storms. Yet biological viruses and digital malware were fundamentally unrelated—so how could corruption bridge both?

This had been Enoxia’s central question since learning her nature.

She wasn’t seeking a rigid scientific answer—this was a world where Honkai energy routinely defied physics. What she wanted was an explanation she could grasp.

Even before arriving at Yae Village, she’d formed a hypothesis. Her battle with Higokumaru confirmed it.

The Herrscher of Reason’s power lay in understanding an object’s essence and reconstructing it at will.

The Herrscher of Corruption’s authority, however, was observation—recording an object’s essence and altering it freely. Whether rewriting human minds or hacking machines, both were mere expressions of this core ability.

Philosophically speaking, corruption was the power to preserve, replicate, and modify the “soul” of any entity through sheer will. This was how she’d recreated perfect memory constructs of Cecilia and Alexandra.

Such changes could be temporary or permanent.

Projecting one’s consciousness into another’s body to override their will? Temporary. The victim’s thoughts, actions, and perceptions would obey the Herrscher until control lapsed.

This method required minimal Honkai energy and could be deployed instantly. But against exceptional willpower? It shattered. Five centuries ago, Yae Sakura—even while corrupted—had regained clarity at the critical moment, stabbing herself to enable Kallen’s sealing.

Had Kallen failed, Higokumaru would’ve spread unchecked through the physical world.

The year was 1476. The old Schicksal order still stood. Fu Hua had just survived her disciples’ betrayal. Otto was powerless against a Herrscher. Even without modern technology, the fox could’ve escaped Japan by possessing living hosts—likely dooming the entire modern era.

In contrast, the previous Herrscher’s self-reformatting was a permanent alteration. Enoxia understood: this power could, in theory, completely rewrite one being into another. She herself was living proof.

This might also explain why Enoxia could wield the Abyss Flower. At its core, corruption was a duality—decay and rebirth.

Without a body, a soul would scatter. Without a soul, a body became an empty shell. In this light, the Herrschers of Corruption and Death were two sides of the same coin, their authorities inversely mirrored.

Now, Enoxia would apply her insights to divide and reshape Higokumaru’s soul.

But even against a defenseless Herrscher of Corruption, such reformatting wouldn’t be effortless.

Unless… its consciousness wanted to change.