Honkai: Oh No, I’ve Become the Herrscher of Corruption?! - Chapter 79

June 2002, Europe.

It was a quiet, picturesque place where people lived in harmony with nature.

The Valkyrie sanatorium was located here, housing many who had suffered severe injuries during the Second Honkai Eruption. These warriors were now spending their remaining years in peace.

This was also the site of Misteln’s current mission. World Serpent suspected that beneath this tranquil surface lay a secret laboratory belonging to Schicksal—where Otto Apocalypse might be conducting research on the Herrscher of Ice.

“Without using any special means, it’s not easy to reach the target location undetected.”

According to World Serpent’s arrangements, Misteln’s existence was not yet to be revealed to Schicksal or Anti-Entropy. At most, they could know of a World Serpent operative codenamed “Hare,” but not that this operative was, in fact, the first-ever “Type” to descend upon the world.

That said, the ordinary staff and injured B-rank Valkyries in the sanatorium were no match for Misteln in a direct confrontation. If she really wanted to get in, she could easily cut through them all. Even if she chose not to kill and merely knocked them unconscious, with World Serpent’s methods, it wouldn’t be impossible—just time-consuming.

But Cecilia had her concerns. Even if Misteln could render everyone unconscious, Schicksal would still record the incident as “an attack near the European sanatorium.” In other words, Otto would find out.

And if there was a secret Herrscher experiment being conducted here, the Valkyries and staff would likely face dire consequences. After all, Herrschers were Otto’s core secret. Cecilia feared he might silence them under the pretext that they “might have seen something they shouldn’t have.”

Of course, Cecilia was now just a memory fragment—unable to move without help from Sirin or Enoxia. Even if she objected, she had no power to stop the operation. That was likely why World Serpent had allowed Misteln to share the mission details with her. After studying Misteln’s face for a moment, Cecilia finally proposed a solution.

“If Raven were in charge of this mission, these people would probably all be dead. Cecilia… truly is a beautiful and kind soul.”

Upon reaching the designated location, Misteln found a briefcase—prepared by Cecilia—containing tools that would supposedly allow her to move freely without endangering the innocent.

When she opened it, however, there was no high-tech gadgetry inside—just:

• A mirror

• A yellow-collared undergarment

• A pair of black tight shorts

• Black thigh-high stockings with golden patterns

• Black shoes

• Two black-and-gold feathers as hair ornaments

• Gloves with golden accents

• And a box of… turquoise-colored contact lenses.

“So this is her plan…”

After ensuring no one was around, Misteln changed into the outfit piece by piece. Half an hour later, she finally finished and examined herself in the mirror. Then, she activated her communicator.

“Cecilia… are you sure this will work? The differences between us… aren’t just superficial.”

“Don’t worry. You won’t need to speak. Neither Theresa nor Siegfried are here, and the others aren’t familiar enough with me to notice. Just move under the cover of darkness—it’ll be fine.”

Still doubtful, Misteln set off.

…

As the sun set, B-rank Valkyrie Salka Lapis finished her rehabilitation training and slowly made her way home.

Unlike most Valkyries, Lapis was not skilled in direct combat. Her strength lay in her eyes—she could hit targets hundreds of meters away with a rifle, without a scope, more accurately than a machine.

During the Second Honkai Eruption, her squad had the misfortune of encountering the fleeing Herrscher of Ice near Lake Baikal. She was the sole survivor.

The extreme cold had permanently damaged her body. After over a year in the sanatorium, she could now barely run a kilometer in five minutes without collapsing from exhaustion.

She knew returning to the battlefield was impossible. But at least she still had her sharpshooting skills—perhaps she could work in a support role as a D-rank Valkyrie after rehab.

By the time she reached her doorstep, night had fallen. A strange yet familiar figure appeared in her vision. Years of combat instincts kicked in, and she immediately followed.

The figure was also approaching, and under the moonlight, Lapis soon got a clear look.

The attire, the face—as a former European branch Valkyrie, she recognized it instantly.

“Lady Cecilia?! But… how?!”

After facing a Herrscher herself, Lapis’ admiration for Cecilia had only grown. While she had been nearly killed in an instant, Cecilia had fought a Herrscher head-on for an extended period. Such strength!

But Cecilia’s death was common knowledge in Schicksal. So who—or what—was this?

For the first time in over a decade, Lapis doubted her own eyes.

Meanwhile, Misteln—disguised as Cecilia—stuck to deserted paths, finding nothing so far.

“Maybe Raven was overthinking this…”

Then she noticed the Valkyrie staring at her. Her heart skipped a beat.

Just then, Lapis’ neighbor, Dimitri, wheeled himself over out of curiosity—and froze with the same expression.

The two exchanged glances, pinched each other’s cheeks to confirm they weren’t dreaming, then turned back to the figure.

“Are they questioning if they’re hallucinating? …Don’t overthink it. Don’t speak. Just pretend you didn’t see anything.”

Following Cecilia’s instructions, Misteln paused, glanced at them, then continued walking.

Cecilia never imagined that, even in “death,” she’d be teaching someone how to impersonate her ghost.

Sure enough, as soon as Misteln left, the two Valkyries blurted out in unison:

“A ghost?!”

Lapis immediately tried to rationalize it. “But under the moonlight, she was…”

Dimitri cut her off. “Lady Cecilia was the kindest, most righteous person alive. Why would mere moonlight make her translucent?”

Having never seen a “ghost” before, they could only rely on legends and stories.

“But… why would Lady Cecilia come here?”

Dimitri pondered. “Lapis, your eyes are sharp. Which way did she go?”

Lapis squinted. “Southeast. There’s an abandoned house there.”

Dimitri smacked his fist into his palm. “That makes sense! I heard that house was once Lady Cecilia’s home. Maybe she wanted to visit it one last time.”

Somehow, they convinced themselves. Lapis pushed Dimitri’s wheelchair back inside.

Dimitri wasn’t wrong—the abandoned house to the southeast had been Cecilia’s childhood home. She had lived there briefly around the age of eight.

Perhaps because of her connection, the house—though unused for over a decade—remained well-preserved.

Later, Misteln arrived at the door after finding no leads. The unlocked door creaked open at her touch.

Despite years of neglect, the interior was spotless—recently cleaned.

Cecilia had asked her to retrieve something from the safe if she passed by. As her “memento,” Schicksal wouldn’t have tampered with it.

Misteln figured that since she was borrowing Cecilia’s identity, fulfilling this small request was the least she could do.

The house itself was old-fashioned, but the safe looked cutting-edge. As a Type, Misteln knew that brute force wasn’t the answer—it required facial recognition.

She pressed a button. An infrared scan passed over her, and the safe clicked open. The disguise had fooled the system.

Inside was nothing valuable—just a yellowed notebook. Misteln took it, closed the safe, and left.

Throughout the night, she passed by several other Valkyries. Without fail, their eyes widened in shock—some even shed tears.

Despite knowing Cecilia was dead, none suspected an imposter.

Misteln knew she resembled Cecilia, but she hadn’t expected the disguise to work this well.

“Do they truly believe the dead can linger as spirits?”

To others, Misteln’s actions tonight might become a laughingstock. But for her, impersonating Cecilia’s ghost had been… enlightening.

A great person, if lost to a great cause, becomes even greater in memory.

Kallen had been dead for 500 years. While Valkyries respected her legacy, none—save Otto—viewed her as a spiritual pillar. She was too distant, her era too different.

(To use Shenzhou as an example: asking modern youth to idolize a Ming Dynasty figure as their life’s inspiration was simply unrealistic.)

But Cecilia was different. She was someone they knew. Her character wasn’t from history books—it was firsthand. Her deeds weren’t recorded texts—they were lived experiences.

In many languages, people avoid directly mentioning [death]—the permanent end of consciousness, the erasure of [existence] itself.

This terror is universal to all sentient beings. But when people blind themselves to it, self-deception flourishes. They want to believe their loved ones never truly die—that they persist in some form. Logically, we know all flesh is mortal. Emotionally, we refuse to accept it.

Thus, after Cecilia’s death, most Valkyries genuinely hoped that someone like her could live on—if not in body, then in spirit.

This emotional reasoning was something Misteln, as a Type, had never understood—until now.

As it turned out, World Serpent’s intel was wrong. After searching all night, Misteln confirmed this was just a rehabilitation center. No Herrscher labs in sight.

…

The next day, on her way to the sanatorium, Lapis was stunned to hear other Valkyries claim they, too, had seen Cecilia entering her old home.

Days later, Theresa personally flew in from the Far East. Under her orders, Schicksal technicians opened the safe with specialized tools.

“Has someone else been here?” Seeing the empty safe, Theresa’s expression darkened.

This was where she had first met Cecilia in 1984. Back then, Theresa was twelve, freshly told her body would never grow again.

Perhaps to distract her, Otto had sent her here—where she met eight-year-old Cecilia.

“Lady Cecilia’s home has always been maintained. But Lady Theresa, this safe requires facial recognition to open. Our team couldn’t bypass it without leaving traces. Lady Theresa?”

Lost in memories, Theresa felt as if she had returned to that time—meeting Cecilia, bonding with her. Back then, she hadn’t known how deeply Cecilia would influence her life.

“Ahem. My apologies. What do the other Valkyries say?”

“Lady Theresa, sixteen Valkyries—including Lapis, who has the sharpest eyes—swear they clearly saw Cecilia and insist they weren’t mistaken. Another thirty-five reported seeing a blurry figure matching her description. Cross-referencing their accounts reveals no contradictions, and surveillance footage did capture a vague silhouette.”

Theresa reviewed the tape. Despite the poor resolution, the figure’s height, face, and attire unmistakably matched Cecilia.

“Could there really have been… a ghost?”