Honkai: Oh No, I’ve Become the Herrscher of Corruption?! - Chapter 81

In August 2002, Sirin and Bella returned to the Elysian Realm. Coincidentally, they found Griseo in the main hall.

“Sirin, Bella—over here, quick!”

Seeing Elysia’s urgent expression, the two approached Griseo in confusion.

“Perfect timing! I’ve been with Griseo for a while now—you two can help balance things out.”

“Balance…?” Sirin didn’t understand.

Just then, Griseo noticed them.

“Ah… Sister Sirin and Sister Bella… Hi, did you miss me?”

The two exchanged startled glances before turning back to Elysia.

“See? This is what I need help balancing,” Elysia said, spreading her hands in a helpless gesture.

As Sirin hesitated over how to respond to Griseo’s unusual demeanor, the little girl spoke first:

“Sister Sirin’s colors… are brighter than before.”

“Little Griseo means you’ve become more lively and cheerful, Sirin. Let me see~”

Before Sirin could react, Elysia had already cupped her face, giving her cheeks an affectionate squeeze.

“Hmm~ ♪ …Yep, definitely cuter than before! Not that you weren’t already adorable, of course~”

Bella, knowing Elysia meant no harm, still dodged her playful advances by swiftly hiding behind Sirin.

Griseo, watching Bella, suddenly remembered something and pulled out a letter.

“Sister Bella, please accept this invitation with gratitude.”

Sirin took the envelope and opened it:

“Elysian Realm Culinary King Championship—Dare to Compete?”

They both turned to Elysia with questioning looks.

“Oh, don’t look at me like that! This was Vill-V’s idea. To make this cooking contest a success, she even enlisted Enoxia’s help. Since you’re here to have fun anyway, why not give it a try?”

Sirin turned and patted Bella’s shoulder. “Then I’ll leave it to you. With your skills, winning will be effortless.”

Bella nodded confidently. “I won’t disappoint you, my Queen.”

“Go ahead and explore the Realm—I’ll be waiting for you at the finish line~” Elysia winked and left with Griseo.

Touching the anchor point in the hall, the two stepped back into the depths of the Elysian Realm.

This time, they found themselves before a massive bodhi tree, beneath which sat a man with his eyes closed. His serene demeanor reminded Sirin of the reclusive masters from TV shows and anime.

“Greetings, visitors. I am Su, the seventh of the Flame-Chasers, bearing the epithet [Bodhi].”

Sirin was surprised. She had assumed his closed eyes meant he hadn’t noticed them. Staring at him for a moment, she suddenly had an epiphany.

“Not using your eyes… so you rely on hearing? Oh, I get it—since you can’t see who’s here, you just call everyone ‘visitor’ to avoid awkwardness…”

Her muttered words reached Su’s ears, but he only smiled faintly, offering no correction.

“Do you have any questions, visitors? Guiding you is the purpose of our existence here.”

Sirin studied him. “I’ve seen this on TV… Weren’t you meditating earlier? Should we not disturb you? And… I don’t really have anything to ask.”

“There’s no need for concern. I am but a shadow, and this world is merely a remnant of bygone days. The past has already faded, and the departed shall not return. If nothing truly exists here, how can there be disturbance?”

Sirin paused. “So… you’re all aware that you’re memory replicas?”

Su nodded slightly. “To varying degrees, though acceptance and willingness to discuss it differ. The ‘me’ before you is but a fragment of [Su]. The mysteries of the human mind cannot be confined to mere [memory].”

Sirin scratched her head. “One fish… strategy…? What’s that about? Eden also mentioned something like ‘no fish in smooth waters’… Did people in the Previous Era really love fish that much?”

Though Sirin’s misunderstanding was comical, Su’s tone and context made her grasp his underlying point—that memory replicas differed significantly from their originals.

“But… aren’t memory replicas extensions of the original, in a way? According to Enoxia’s explanation, from a broader perspective, you and the real Su could be considered the same soul.”

At this, Su’s eyelids trembled slightly. “I’m curious about this perspective on the soul. Would you mind elaborating?”

Sirin blinked, recalling what Enoxia, Cecilia, and Alexandra had once discussed. Back then, they had struggled with self-doubt, unsure whether memory replicas could truly be considered “themselves.” Sirin remembered Enoxia’s words clearly:

“Whether you’re the same person fundamentally depends on whether a vessel carries the same soul. A soul consists of three parts: memories, personality, and cognition—or, more simply, the way one thinks.”

“Motion is absolute; stillness is relative. This applies to the soul as well. As long as a person lives, their thoughts, experiences, and memories will inevitably change. If the soul changes, does that mean the ‘you’ of a second, a minute, or a day ago is no longer ‘you’? Of course not.”

“If we treat the abstract soul as something tangible, as long as it undergoes physical—not chemical—change, it remains in a state of relative stillness. And as long as that stillness persists, you are still yourself.”

“So, Cecilia, Alexandra—none of you are shadows or substitutes. You are them. Live as you wish, without doubt or inferiority over ‘who you are’…”

Sirin relayed this as mechanically as a student reciting a textbook, nearly boring herself to sleep. But when she noticed Su’s half-opened eyes, she froze.

“Wait… you’re not actually blind?!”