The following events proceeded smoothly and effortlessly. Players across the world sang in unison and advanced with unstoppable momentum, clearing the corrosive damage like a hot knife through butter. With the combined strength of players globally, the power of Corruption hardly seemed worth mentioning. The opposing force never put up any strong resistance, as if by strategy, allowing its own strength to be nearly completely corroded.
[— Erosion Value: 41%]
Elysia appeared on screen.
"This is a beautiful story, and that's why it leaves behind such unforgettable moments. Every time the spring breeze stirs, the cherry blossoms bloom, or the night shines beautifully, I always remember the times I spent with them—memories from fifty thousand years ago that I now want to share with even more people. To give more people strength."
"I'm truly happy."
"So, everyone, let's do our best together and turn Honkai Impact 3 into the world we dream of~ ♪"
Elysia took a deep breath, having just walked out from the "final banquet" created from the mind of the enemy. The banquet had been constructed with system data, full of small intricate details—even moments that she herself didn't remember clearly. Maybe it was fabricated, but if it involved people she once knew, then maybe those were the things they truly would have done.
Mobius, staring blankly in the lab, wordlessly holding an invitation letter. The hot-tempered Kalpas sat in silence as her rage grew within. Hua, practicing as usual, but her pupils dimmed for a moment when she learned the truth. Kosma, and even Griseo's scarf...
Even the Herrscher of Corruption arranged dialogues and interactions for them. If this stage had a proper title, it might be called "Elysia's Afterlife."
The shattering of beauty brought wounds that were hard to heal. That sorrow, however, brought forth even more clear and focused determination. As bullets rained down wildly in chaos, they answered Elysia's call—not to follow the company, not even to follow the developers—but to follow Elysia.
This is the rule of the Church of Love: what the goddess says is always right.
---
[Whoa! Fighting a Herrscher isn't that hard after all. Mom, I'm really fighting a Herrscher!]
[To protect the best Ellie in the world]
[The story is beautiful, so don't let it stop in sorrow. They should keep moving forward.]
---
Day 3
[— Erosion Value: 32%]
Daily missions were restored. Along with that, stamina refills, dorm features, and home interfaces also returned. There was even an unopened email in players' inboxes—sent from the Herrscher of Corruption.
Luo Mo had a strange look on his face, his eyelids twitching constantly—due to the content of that message:
---
[Dear Player, Hello and Warm Greetings]
Did you enjoy this great battle against the Herrscher of Corruption? If you had fun, why not leave a review? I'll make improvements next time.
What? Don't tell me... you thought there wouldn't be a next time? ♬~
Well, that's a big mistake! Beat me first before you say that.
Love you lots,
Corruption 💕
---
"...What the heck is the enemy doing?"
Luo Mo didn't understand, but he had to admit—the opponent seemed strangely... human.
---
Day 4
[— Erosion Value: 19%]
The game's features had been almost completely restored. In fact, it now resembled the original interface entirely. Stages that had once been cleared were now functioning normally again.
Seeing that the Corruption progress bar was nearly depleted, Kiana, Elysia, and Luo Mo resolved to launch one final push. Victory was within reach, but they couldn't let their guard down.
---
Day 5
[— Erosion Value: 5%]
By now, the game had almost fully reverted to its original form. The visuals outside the command ship displayed the equipment interior beautifully. Under the warm glow of the setting sun, golden light shone in patches. Stars dotted the darkening sky, tracing arcs across space. A breeze blew, carrying white-gray clouds across the ship's windows and hull.
The players had never felt this kind of simple scene to be so beautiful. Maybe only after losing something can people truly understand its value.
On the fully restored deck, they quietly basked in that beauty.
----
In Theresa's mansion.
Finally, the Erosion Gauge stopped trembling at 1%.
"Only a very small portion remains," Bronya reported with a frown. "But that last critical segment doesn't seem to be removable through in-game means. No matter how we attack that part—it doesn't respond."
Her tone was calmer now, and the tension in her eyes had relaxed somewhat. Whatever chaos had happened before, at least they had passed through the most critical phase safely.
"Then... maybe we have no choice but to meet the opponent face to face," Ai said, mimicking human behavior. She casually held a cup of tea, experimentally sipping it. The lingering taste between her lips and teeth was different from what she expected.
For some unknown reason, she was able to manifest physically in reality. Over the past few days, she had been learning and experiencing human life through introductions from the others.
"Meet the opponent face to face?" Luo Mo asked, confused. "How? Where is she?"
"This game has two components," Ai explained. "We've never been able to completely stop the erosion because she can infiltrate anytime and anywhere. She has direct contact with the game data… So, Boss, you should know where she is, right?"
Ai blinked playfully and smiled while picking through some fruit, finally choosing a small red berry and popping it into her mouth. The sweet and sour taste made her eyes squint with delight.
---
At the miHoYo company.
Recently, things had been calm, and the pressure levels were at an all-time low. Though a few teams were still preparing documents for future projects, compared to before, the team was clearly on an extended break.
They had enjoyed nearly a full week of relaxed downtime—a rare luxury compared to the past.
So when Luo Mo and his group suddenly arrived at the company, they found some employees snacking leisurely at their desks—a scene you almost never saw.
"Boss? What brings you to the office today?" Su Lu greeted him with a smile. "Ah, is it because of the success of the anti-erosion mission? Our company's reputation improved quite a bit from this event."
The boss had long promised a break, and with the Herrscher of Corruption's "assistance," the approval process for the leave had gone through swiftly—approved the very next day.
Luo Mo figured that since the opponent couldn't be helpful while the erosion remained active, it was better to let her go back to playing games. And as for being an idol… well, sorry—under his influence, she had already become one of the players' most feared "demonic bosses." Sending her down a mainstream "idol" route wasn't his intention.
While the Herrscher of Domination was useful, even she paled in comparison to the massive number of human players. In the grand scheme of things, she was like an ant trying to shake a tree—useless.
So, overall, letting her rest was the most beneficial solution.
Su Lu, ironically, was among the few who no longer hoped the Herrscher of Corruption would disappear quickly. Interestingly, Bronie—yes, that quirky Hacker girl—actually preferred the Corruption Herrscher as a game designer. Her chaotic style perfectly matched Bronie's taste.
Unfortunately, the world's safety couldn't be entrusted to someone with such erratic methods.
"Our reputation, huh…" Luo Mo muttered. "Well, after the public announcement, with Kiana and the others appearing, our reputation will be solid. But we're not seeing many new players join the game anymore."
Why? Because after this epic event, there probably wasn't anyone left who hadn't "fallen into the pit" of Honkai Impact 3. Those who had just joined might still be getting used to the story and characters, but the golden age of bringing in new fans had likely passed.
"Hey, mouse boy. Enough talking," Mobius interrupted calmly. "Even though I know none of you are in a rush, I've got an experiment to run. Let's go already. The Honkai 3 server storage is that way—let's resolve this last issue, mm~"
Her tone was relaxed, but her eyes wandered over Su Lu and the others like a snake's cold gaze. A subtle feeling of danger crept up their spines. It was like something thick and sticky hiding beneath the surface, making them instinctively want to stay away from the green-haired girl.
Thanks to the in-game data, it was easy to guess who she was—even for those meeting her for the first time.
Mobius exuded the perfect mix of madness and scientific detachment, matching her image in the story. Though she wasn't emotionally cold in the plot, her fierce and subtly tender demeanor could only belong to someone like her.
As for the staff themselves… well, they had no choice but to accept that the legends of the Previous Era might just be true.
"Stay away from Mobius — treasure your life."
As the undisputed number one expert in infiltration and evasion among the Golden Court researchers, Mobius spent more than half of the 365 days in a year holed up in her lab or room. It was truly her first time seeing these people in person. Even when she had to visit the company for voice work, she always rushed in and out without mingling.
So this was also her first time seeing with her own eyes...
"Tsk, you sure do have a lot of Herrschers around you," she muttered, casting Luo Mo a strange look, her curiosity piqued even more. Still, she chose to respect everyone's preferences. After all, who's to say there isn't someone out there who likes collecting Herrschers?
Unfortunately, she had already researched Herrschers.
Seeing that she wasn't particularly interested, Luo Mo let out a sigh of relief. He couldn't just let this eccentric scientist start experimenting on his staff—that would be illegal!
Elysia and Rin followed behind Mobius, naturally greeting Su Lu. They had interacted quite a bit in the past. Now, with only one last stubborn node to eliminate, there wasn't much time for small talk—they all moved forward together.
Kiana and the others were also present, and surprisingly, even Theresa had joined the group.
Su Lu hesitated for a moment, but ultimately instructed the rest of the staff not to follow. She herself went along to observe the situation... After all, judging from the boss's expression, this probably wasn't just another Herrscher incident inside the company, right?
Why did she say that?
Because it had already happened before—and she was the best example of it.
If the Corruption Herrscher had first manifested on their server, it would make sense that the game was the first to be attacked. But the fact that they, being right here, had sensed nothing meant that this Herrscher's stealth abilities were potentially terrifying.
---
After passing through a secret door inside the company, there was a special elevator that went straight underground.
As the servers hosting the game data had grown increasingly massive, and considering that Luo Mo was far more than just a mere game developer, he had invested heavily in high-end hardware. Plus, with the Herrschers' unique abilities, there was no way he'd let such talents go to waste.
The elevator slowly descended with a ding, and everyone grew more alert.
Although most of the corruption had been cleansed, no one could be sure what lingering power might remain. At times like this, caution was best.
...
Inside the unmanned server room, pale blue data glowed from black server towers, casting a flickering light like fireflies in the darkness. In the center of the room, a figure slowly formed—her violet-blue hair flowed behind her, and her face was exactly like Elysia's.
Crossing one leg over the other, she sat leisurely on a conjured seat, her blue eyes fixed on the one man present — Luo Mo.
"Oh my, you've finally arrived ♬~ Took you long enough."
"Herrscher of Corruption, what new tricks are you playing at?" Luo Mo asked, surprised at how calmly she was facing their group—despite clearly being at a disadvantage.
Unlike the all-powerful presence she'd had in the game data, in the real world, her powers were certainly reduced.
In the Previous Era, the Herrscher of Corruption had relied on hacking into human networks with viruses, turning humanity's own ultimate weapons against them. In the physical world, her combat ability was minimal at best.
Even in Honkai Impact 3's main timeline, she had yielded to Mei's peaceful route. She had been surprisingly tolerant there. But when it came to other heroes, that wasn't necessarily the case…
It wasn't hard to imagine that she had no good moves left in the real world.
Unless...
Luo Mo's eyes swept across Elysia and Mobius.
These two were memory constructs — something Luo Mo never forgot. Their bodies, formed from Stigmata and specialized equipment, could potentially have hidden flaws. But he didn't have the resources to test that theory.
Of the Flame-Chasers he brought, he had only picked two who specialized in countering corruption. Elysia had tagged along voluntarily, saying she'd help keep an eye on Mobius—a reason Luo Mo found quite convincing.
"Exactly, exactly! Give it up already and surrender. All your game domains have already been effortlessly reclaimed by us!" Kiana declared, her eyes sharp as she scanned the surroundings, channeling her strength.
Compared to the laid-back Kiana of daily life, this one had clearly undergone countless silent trainings—she was now much more reliable.
She stayed on guard in case the Herrscher of Corruption tried to attack using in-game data. Based on simulations they'd run before, the most likely attack would involve summoning data-based enemies to fight them—or trying to corrupt Elysia and the others.
Mobius had reassured them that such scenarios were unlikely, but she had also warned of unpredictable new variables.
In any case, having multiple allies on hand was better than risking a one-on-one battle. But more than anything, what the group feared most was the Herrscher escaping.
"Pfft–Hahaha!"
But at that moment, the Corrupted girl before them laughed.
Her laughter was loud, yet it carried the same melodious tone as Elysia's. Her pair of illusory elf-like ears trembled slightly, and her long lashes fluttered with her laughter. Even her lavish outfit seemed to sway with a kind of mischievous elegance.
Mobius frowned, staring intently at her while retrieving a box from her sleeve and placing it in her palm. She felt that the opponent had no intention of escaping.
She hadn't brought Rin along precisely because she had convinced the girl—it was too dangerous. A memory-form Stigmata with low compatibility was far too likely to become a puppet of the enemy. Regardless of raw combat power, this felt more like a natural counter.
"So," the Herrscher of Corruption said, her eyes gleaming, "Did you all enjoy the game? I saw many reviews online—some good, some bad—but I'd rather hear what you think of it ♬~"
She brought up a topic she ordinarily would never mention.
"The... game?" Kiana blinked, clearly caught off guard. "Is now really the time for that?"
"Doesn't matter either way! Prepare yourself! Don't think you can stall for time!"
She didn't understand the enemy's intent, but she wasn't going to give her time to keep talking either. She directly activated her Stigmata's power, wrapping it around her twin guns and charging forward, weaving the Kaslana clan's martial arts into her assault.
Through countless training sessions with Mei and the others, she'd found the Stigmata's power was even more useful than the Herrscher of Flamescion's core. And in this place—at the heart of the game server—using a core was even less effective.
"Didn't think you'd all be in such a rush... oh well, we'll continue our chat later ♬~"
The Herrscher of Corruption sensed the strange power radiating from Kiana's weapons. It didn't match the usual force types from the game. That dark violet energy felt oddly familiar... and dangerous.
She instantly dispersed her illusory body, riding a massive stream of data outward in an attempt to escape.
"Ah—!"
Rin remembered Dr. Mobius's instructions. The green virus she'd preemptively spread throughout the company now condensed, retracting into the current room and forming a sealed domain.
The two corrosive forces clashed and didn't mix. The Herrscher of Corruption had never encountered this type of data before—similar in origin, yet not quite the same. It would take her a few minutes to break through the barrier, but time wasn't on her side.
Mei and Seele stepped forward, unleashing attacks on the data shield. Meanwhile, Fu Hua stood protectively in front of Mobius and Rin—especially Rin.
The data stream veered suddenly, shrugging off Mei and Seele's attacks and darting straight toward Elysia.
Seele's attack carved away a bit of the flowing mass, leaving a few scraps of shimmering data on the ground, but they quickly disintegrated and vanished.
Just as Fu Hua readied herself and Luo Mo braced with growing concern for Elysia—
A volley of pink arrows shot forward, intercepting the path of the data stream.
But it shifted course again—now heading directly toward Luo Mo.
Shimmering fragments of data began falling from above his head, and his body went rigid, lost in a daze.
It wasn't just the situation that stunned him—it was what he felt. A flood of mixed emotions washed over him: sorrow, joy, confusion. They hit his heart like a crashing wave, leaving him completely still.
"Boss!"
"Luo Mo...!"
Concerned voices reached his ears.
He smiled bitterly. He'd tried to block the attack, but that outer layer from the Herrscher of Corruption was unusually durable—only some of it had broken off.
And once it touched him, he finally realized what it was: emotions—the feelings of the players.
The Herrscher of Corruption had designed numerous stages, and while no players had ever played through them seriously, they had poured emotions into the game.
Back then, Luo Mo hadn't questioned it. After all, he hadn't written that part of the script.
But now, it was clear: the Herrscher of Corruption had turned him into a vessel for her data.
She had truly corrupted his heart.
(T/C: Oh No... bad idea *pray to her misfortune*🙏)
---
But there was still one thing he didn't understand:
How could she be so sure she could interface with the system?
Or rather—why was she so confident she could corrupt even him?
[Emotion Value Acquired: 1613]
[+349]
[+6197]
[+49]
[...]
A stream of numbers echoed in his mind. Alongside them, a voice whispered:
"I never intended to corrupt you. So why can't we... just live together ♬"
"I don't want to die. No one does. So, let me become a part of you... and you become... the Herrscher of Corruption."
The girl giggled. Only her voice remained.
The most dangerous place... was also the safest one.
Looking around, she realized that only one person was truly untouchable.
Even the World Serpent's plans wouldn't reach him.
And as it happened, he possessed the most fertile soil for her corruption.
So really... why should she refuse? ♬
The Herrscher of Sentience tried to resist the system. That was impossible.
But Corruption? It didn't oppose the system head-on.
She'd simply turn her enemy into a part of herself—just as she would become part of them.
There were risks, of course. Her prior plan to corrupt Honkai Impact 3rd had failed.
But now, with the emotions of all the players in her grasp, she could guess what the system truly needed. And if it started to accept her...
She could embed herself within it.
She was confident.
"I've come... to corrupt your heart. Now, let me in, ♬"
"..."
"..."
Within his consciousness, Luo Mo's eyes snapped open.
On the system's dashboard, a new metric appeared beneath the usual Crystal count:
---
[Crystals: 41236]
[Emotion Value: 100]
---
Those crystals... were clearly unnatural. The enemy had just handed him a gift—a permanent one, embedded inside the system itself.
He couldn't deny it: she was a genius.
This truly was the one place where she was untouchable.
"Mmm... How does that girl always say it? 'Good morning, you look handsome today. Don't ignore me, okay~?' ♬"
Crap.
He could hear an Elysia forming in his head.
He opened his eyes.
His heart flooded with mixed emotions.
Looking at the people concerned for him, he let out a deep sigh.
"...I think I might really be... a Herrscher now."
(T/C: Say Hello to Boss Herrscher🥳. Can she Transform him into Luo Mo-Chan~?)