Honkai: Oh No, I’ve Become the Herrscher of Corruption?! - Chapter 97

The shy and timid Enoxia spoke to K423 in an almost pleading tone, but the latter showed no sign of sympathy, glaring at her instead:

“I won’t agree to your plan. My life was given by you, and you can take it back anytime you want. But…”

K423 lowered her head. “I’ve never once felt happy about saving the world.”

The shy Enoxia replied in a very small voice, “B-but… you’re the only one who can save Atlantis now. There are less than a thousand days left before this bubble world completely dissolves in the Sea of Quanta. Of course… I know you have no obligation to do this, but… but…”

[Coward, why waste words on her? If she won’t cooperate, we’ll beat her into submission!]

[No, no, we can’t! If we hurt such a cute girl, I’d be heartbroken.]

[Ugh, if she doesn’t want to, why force her? Let’s not make things unpleasant. If the world’s doomed, then let it be doomed.]

Behind the timid Enoxia, three more wisps of black mist appeared, shifting their forms until soon, four Enoxias stood before Sirin.

“Oh my, who would’ve thought we’d meet Sirin here? Just as adorable as I remember—a cute little pufferfish! Timid me, I saw you chatting so happily with Sirin just now. Made friends already? Good job~!”

Sirin’s mouth fell open, her face a picture of shock. That way of speaking… she knew it all too well.

“U-um… she and the me from the main world… already went to the Elysian Realm…”

That Enoxia clapped her hands cheerfully. “Oh, that’s wonderful! Let me introduce myself—unlike this shy and timid Enoxia, I’m the bold and cheerful one. This one who looks like she’s about to explode is the impatient and impulsive Enoxia, and the one lying around over there is the lazy, defeatist Enoxia. We’re all fragments of this bubble world’s [Enoxia]… Huh? Wait, where’s the yandere, jealous Enoxia?”

“Who knows? That one’s nothing but trouble anyway.”

“B-but… if we leave her be, won’t she hurt someone…?”

“Ahhh~ then they’re just unlucky. The whole world’s got less than a thousand days left anyway—might as well get it over with early. Instead of worrying about others, why not take a nice, comfy nap?”

“Alright, alright, no need to scare her. But timid me, let’s focus on the matter at hand first.”

The bold Enoxia strode up to K423 without hesitation, ignoring the look on her face, and pulled her into a tight hug, nuzzling her cheek against hers. K423 shoved her away, but the bold Enoxia didn’t seem the least bit offended. Instead, she leaned in again, sniffing her carefully.

“Mmm… after all these months, your scent hasn’t changed. You’re still you—cold as ice on the outside, but burning like fire inside.”

She shot K423 a flirtatious glance, but the latter turned her head away, a faint look of disgust on her face.

“Can’t you see she’s upset? Stop pushing her!”

Just as the bold Enoxia was about to close in for a third time, Sirin stepped between them.

“Oh, sorry for neglecting you, Sirin~ Though, judging by your glare, you might’ve… misunderstood my actions just now. You’re thinking, ‘If this were Elysia, even though she’s bold and affectionate, she’d still be gentle and considerate—she’d never push someone who clearly wants nothing to do with her,’ right? No need to look at me like that—your thoughts are written all over your face~!”

“But let me make one thing clear: I’m the bold and cheerful Enoxia, not Elysia. I just talk this way because it fits the definition of [sunny and outgoing].”

“Fits… the definition of sunny and outgoing? What does that mean?” Sirin, who had been fuming just moments ago, was now utterly confused.

“Sirin, since you’re familiar with the ‘me’ from the main world, you must know that the Herrscher of Corruption can back herself up in electronic devices. Every backup creates a new copy.”

Sirin nodded. She knew this was one of the reasons why organizations like Schicksal, Anti-Entropy, and World Serpent hesitated to provoke Enoxia. Facing a Herrscher who didn’t actively destroy human civilization—and couldn’t be permanently killed—wasn’t something they’d risk lightly.

“But Enoxia’s copies aren’t like yours. They don’t have subjective consciousness—they’re just highly reliable super-AIs.”

The moment she said this, all four fragments turned their heads in unison.

“Well… that’s surprising. The Herrscher of Corruption in the main world… can’t even chat with herself? Hah, seems like our authorities differ. Guess I’ll have to explain further.”

“Unlike those copies, we’ve had our own consciousness from the moment we were born—even the capacity to rebel against the original. Though, of course, it’s just a thought. The original has the authority to overwrite our cognition at any time.”

“A normal person, through their experiences, will inevitably develop all kinds of emotions to varying degrees. Our purpose is to serve as containers for the original’s emotions.”

“And these emotions eventually become ingrained in our instincts, shaping how we act. Like just now—even though I rationally knew my behavior would disgust K423, I still did it without thinking.”

“It’s like how people know certain actions are reckless, even foreseeing the consequences, but they do them anyway.”

“But… when you explained it to me just now, you sounded perfectly logical?”

“Why don’t you get it? We’re ruled by emotion, not devoid of reason. We actively do what fits our nature, and as long as it doesn’t break the rules, we can do it—understand?!” The impatient Enoxia had lost all patience by now, her cheeks puffing up in anger.

“So… when someone’s angry, their cheeks really do puff up like that… and it’s kind of… cute? No wonder whenever I got mad, Enoxia never got upset—she’d just pinch my cheeks instead. Hmph! Next time she makes that face, I’m totally getting her back!”

“Do you get it or not?!”

“Got it, got it.” Now that she knew the other’s impatience was an inherent trait, Sirin could accept it.

“Since Sirin understands, we can move on to the next step. We need your help with something.”

Instinctively, Sirin shielded K423 behind her. “If you’re still trying to take her back, I’ll use the Authority of Void to get her out of here right now.”

“Relax, relax~ Like lazy me said, ‘You can’t force sweetness.’ We want you to help us with something else.”

“We want you… to kill the real me.”