Honkai: Oh No, I’ve Become the Herrscher of Corruption?! - Chapter 73

Previous Civilization.

Inside an ordinary house, Rin glanced at the setting sun outside the window.

“Big Sis is going to come home late again today…”

With a faint sense of melancholy, she opened the refrigerator, scrutinized its contents, then shut it with visible dissatisfaction.

“Forget it. I’ll keep it simple for dinner.”

She closed the fridge, took out a pot of rice from the warmer, scooped a bowl for herself, and returned the rest.

Dinner was modest—rice, a drink, and a plate of leafy greens sprinkled with salt. Rin remembered that this was something called “Spring Evergreen” (春不老), a gift from her sister’s colleague who had returned from Shenzhou.

As she ate, Rin scrolled through her phone, stretching the simple meal into an hour-long affair. By the time she finished cleaning up, the moon hung high in the sky.

“Sis… still isn’t back. Work again, huh? Well, busy is good, I guess.”

Rin had asked Sakura countless times about her job, but the truth—working as an assassin for “Poisonous Sting”—wasn’t something she could share with family. Every time Rin pressed her, Sakura would dodge the question with vague answers and playful distractions.

With a sigh, Rin trudged toward her room. Just then—

“Creak.”

The door opened. A pair of long fox ears peeked in from outside.

“Sis!”

Sakura’s return sent Rin’s earlier gloom vanishing in an instant. She dashed forward and threw her arms around her sister.

Seeing her little sister’s bright, lively face melted away Sakura’s exhaustion. No matter how hard her day had been, as long as Rin was safe and happy, it was all worth it.

As the two chatted, a sudden red light flashed through the window. Sakura’s instincts from Poisonous Sting kicked in—it was the scanning beam of a specialized weapon.

In a split-second decision, she tackled Rin to the floor.

“Whoosh!”

A bullet shattered a vase where Rin’s head had been moments earlier. Had Sakura not acted, the shot would have pierced Rin’s forehead—a death sentence for an ordinary girl.

The failed attack seemed to enrage the assailant. Adjusting his angle, he fired again.

A blade flashed. The bullet split in half mid-air. A freezing slash tore through the window, and seconds later, a corpse dropped a kilometer away.

But the danger wasn’t over. The hostile presence outside confirmed this was only the first wave.

“Rin, hide somewhere safe. Don’t look. Trust me—this’ll be over soon.” Sakura gently patted Rin’s head before standing. Her eyes shifted, pupils chilling into an icy, merciless void.

Rin knew her sister was truly furious. Now wasn’t the time to be stubborn. She obediently ducked into a secure spot and shut her eyes.

Just as she did—

“BOOM!”

The front door exploded into splinters. Fully armed soldiers stormed in. Strangely, they ignored Sakura entirely, unloading a barrage of bullets into Rin’s room.

Luckily, Rin had already moved. The shots tore through the door, embedding into the walls. Sakura didn’t give them a second chance. A single slash severed four throats, leaving corpses at the entrance.

“Their target was Rin from the start… but why?”

The whir of helicopter blades reached her ears. She sensed it—a rocket launcher, aimed directly at Rin’s hiding place.

“Abominations like MANTIS shouldn’t exist in Fire MOTH! Let the world see your monstrous true nature!”

A deranged scream echoed from the helicopter, laced with unmistakable envy.

Though “Frozen Hell”  was meant to slash outward at Honkai, not inward at humans, protecting Rin left no room for hesitation. Pinpointing the helicopter’s position through the wall, Sakura swung her blade.

Distance meant nothing. The freezing edge halted every moving part—rotors, engines, even the shooters’ fingers. The helicopter plummeted, its occupants helpless as it crashed.

An explosion rocked the night. Only then did Sakura exhale. After confirming no further threats, she called Rin out.

“Sis, are you okay?” Though Rin had kept her eyes closed, the gunfire and blasts had been terrifyingly close. Even knowing her sister’s strength, fear had gripped her heart.

“I’m fine. But… we’ll have to move again.”

Warmth returned to Sakura’s eyes as she surveyed the wrecked home. She dialed Mei.

“…As long as you and Rin are safe. The perpetrators are already captured… Who else could it be? I’ll send a car—shelter won’t be an issue.”

Soon, a sleek black sedan arrived. Recognizing it as one of Mei’s allies, Sakura and Rin boarded without hesitation.

For Rin, moving wasn’t new. The new house was fully furnished, and she adjusted quickly.

“I have to report what happened earlier, so…”

Rin smiled understandingly. “Go ahead, Sis. I’ll behave for the aunties and uncles here.”

That smile made Sakura’s chest tighten. “If not for the Honkai… Rin could’ve had a carefree childhood like any other child.”

Days later, Fire MOTH Headquarters.

“Sakura, the interrogation results are in. It aligns with your suspicions.” Mei handed her a file. Skimming it, Sakura’s brow furrowed.

The attack had been orchestrated by anti-Mei, anti-MANTIS factions within Fire MOTH. Targeting Sakura directly was impossible—even Kevin couldn’t stop her if she chose to leave. But while they couldn’t touch Sakura, Rin was another matter.

Their plan was clear: Kill Rin before Sakura’s eyes, triggering her collapse.

The public wouldn’t care about motives. They’d only see a MANTIS going berserk. The opposition could then weaponize the outcry to oust Mei from power.

“They’re still scheming for control at a time like this? Where are they now?” Rage simmered in Sakura’s voice.

“Well… only one has a whole body left.”

Sakura’s eyes widened.

“Yesterday, after we finished interrogating them, Kalpas paid a visit… When he left, aside from one whose spine he crushed—leaving a ‘complete’ corpse—the rest…”

Mei trailed off. Sakura understood. The others had met the same fate as the Herrscher of Ice.

“This matter is closed. Just answer a few procedural questions, and you’re free to go.”

As Mei predicted, Sakura was dismissed after a brief Q&A. She rushed home immediately.

“Don’t worry, Rin. For the next few days, I won’t go anywhere—”

Rin blinked. “Unless a new Herrscher appears?”

Sakura paused, then chuckled. With Fire MOTH personnel nearby, terms like “Honkai” and “Herrscher” were hardly secrets.

“Sis, the aunties and uncles said Herrschers are evil. And your job is to stop them and protect everyone, right?”

After a brief hesitation, Sakura nodded. Rin would learn about the Honkai eventually.

Rin beamed. “When I grow up, I want to be like you—defeating Herrschers and saving people!”