Using one of Elysia's old lines, he spoke with deep sorrow.
Luo Mo never imagined that one day he himself would become a Herrscher. A strange blame lingered in his heart. It was as if someone had said to him:
"From today onward, you are no longer a pure human."
Even though he still didn't fully understand what had happened between the System and the Corruption, he truly felt that he could now control part of that corroding power. The surrounding streams of vibrant, unimpeded data flowed like a beautiful river—one that he felt he could reach out and touch.
It was a surreal sensation. Yet, the sudden awareness in his mind and the voice that spoke with Elysia's familiar tone were certainly not illusions.
The corrosion had indeed become part of the system—or perhaps more accurately, successfully eroded the system itself. And it had done so along with the flood of emotions from the players.
Now, deep within the underground data center, everything had fallen into a dead silence, as if the chaos from earlier had yet to settle.
Several people were gathered around Luo Mo. Senti had one hand near his nose and mouth, apparently checking if he was still breathing, while the other hand rested on the back of his head—ready to spring into action if needed.
"Hah! You scared the hell out of me! I thought you weren't going to make it!"
Senti scolded him, quickly pulling her hands back—but the worry still lingered on her face. She hadn't even heard clearly what Luo Mo had just said. She only felt that it was nothing short of a miracle her best friend was still alive.
A little farther away stood Kiana and Elysia.
"...Huh?!"
The two girls' delicate faces simultaneously showed shocked expressions.
The Herrscher of Corruption had attacked earlier—but was her goal to turn Luo Mo into another Herrscher? That was... rather incredible.
"Although," Elysia added, "it seems like Bronya has completely lost her ability to be surprised by any of this."
Bronya looked up, her little face calm and composed.
Indeed, she was used to it.
Their boss being a Herrscher was practically routine by now. After countless days and nights, she had already quietly accepted this as a fact.
Now all she could say was—a dream come true.
Nothing to be surprised about. Just one more Herrscher in the crew.
"Hehe~ But still, boss—how did you end up as a Herrscher too?! Ahahaha—no, seriously, are you gonna be okay?"
Su Lu said with a worried look. But even as she spoke, she couldn't help but laugh.
Even if she ended up using writing as her only weapon, at least she wouldn't be alone.
So really, the problem wasn't her—it was the whole company from top to bottom. The way she saw it, in light of Luo Mo also becoming a Herrscher, her claim sounded way more convincing now.
Corruption and being hated by a thousand people... didn't seem so different in the end.
"But it doesn't look like you're really worried about me..."
Luo Mo gave her a silent, heavy stare, trying to express his frustration just through his eyes.
As his gaze grew darker and more intense, Su Lu's laughter finally faded into awkward little hiccups. She lowered her head, hiding her grin.
Luo Mo sighed inwardly. Becoming a Herrscher was never part of his plan.
Sure, he had always hoped to unite the Herrschers to fight for humanity, and to pursue the shared dream of those from the "Ai Muni" organization...
But he never intended to become one himself.
It wasn't that he hated or discriminated against them.
It's just that—it was never part of his plan.
The script, the future, even his own abilities—none of it made him seem like the right fit.
And yet, against all odds, here he was—a Herrscher.
(T/C; I Keep forgetting that Welt Otto, Owl were also Male Herrschers)
The way it happened was strange too. The system had a vulnerability, which the Corruption exploited. And as a result, he had been dragged in and forced to become a Herrscher.
Now that their purpose for coming underground was complete, the group packed up and prepared to return to their starting point. Time to go back to the surface and bring the good news to the others—though this "good news" was definitely not what they had originally aimed for.
But still... the Herrscher of Corruption had vanished, hadn't she?
But just then, Kiana suddenly came running over clumsily, rushed to his side, patted his shoulder, and tilted her head slightly with a curious look.
"Boss, boss! Let me ask you something… if Shigure Kira-senpai were to return to this world, what would you have her do?"
Her eyes held a hint of probing curiosity—like she was suspicious, not quite believing him. It was obvious she had her own agenda, and the glimmer in her eyes betrayed a spark of mischievous intelligence.
"I'd probably have her go head-to-head with Eden in a singing contest or something…"
Luo Mo answered without thinking, seemingly puzzled as to why she'd ask such a question.
Could it be that Cecilia had said something to her?
He glanced at Kiana, slightly doubtful.
"No, no—it's not that! I just suddenly got scared you might actually be the Herrscher of Corruption pretending to be the boss, talking like him…"
Kiana scratched her head awkwardly, clearly realizing her timing was a bit off.
"..."
Even though her reaction was clumsy, at least she tried to verify his identity. It's just… her verification method was kind of strange.
Standing behind her, Mei gently patted Kiana's head and smiled warmly.
In response, Kiana said:
"Because Mom said—ahem—if Luo Mo were really himself, then when Kira shows up, he'd totally ask her to sing a few songs."
"Also, this wasn't a totally random question. Just now, Mom told me that with help from that mysterious lady in the kimono, Kira-senpai managed to locate this place. She's really coming!"
Kiana crossed her arms and beamed with excitement.
She had always been extremely curious about this elusive woman—someone she'd only heard through recordings, never seen in person. A legendary singer, praised by both her mom and the boss himself. Yet for some reason, no albums of hers could be found anywhere.
Logically speaking, if her voice had left such a deep impression on both Cecilia and Luo Mo, there should at least be a couple of singles out there, right?
Strange. Very strange.
Which only made Kiana more intrigued by this mysterious woman.
"I'm gonna go tell everyone that we succeeded!"
"No—"
Luo Mo raised a hand to stop her, his expression firm and solemn.
"Something like this… it should be announced more formally. I'll explain it myself."
---
At Theresa's mansion…
Because Luo Mo had already sent a signal from below earlier, the others weren't in a hurry to report the news to Theresa just yet.
At this moment, in front of the mansion's grand gates, Theresa's voice rang out so loudly it made ears ring. It was hard to believe that such a small body could produce such a booming sound.
"Principal! This calls for a celebration! The academy has officially gained another Herrscher!"
"Aaaaaaah—why is there ANOTHER Herrscher?!"
Theresa exclaimed. Luo Mo had just delivered the news to her, though clearly this wasn't the first time she'd heard something like it.
Her first reaction was to freeze, and then she began scanning the crowd with suspicious eyes, searching for the one responsible for giving her yet another headache.
Kiana, Mei, Bronya, and Su Lu were already Herrschers…
That left only Rin and Elysia—at least that's how it seemed.
So the only ones who weren't Herrschers were Mobius and Fu Hua.
Following instinct, Theresa glanced toward Mobius, since Fu Hua's vibe just didn't scream "Herrscher of Corruption " to her.
Still, to be sure, she asked:
"So… just who became a Herrscher this time?!"
She flailed her arms a bit, nearly in frustration. In the end, her voice even cracked into a pitiful whimper like a helpless little animal.
Maybe it was all the recent stress taking its toll, but her usually doll-like face looked extra real and emotional this time.
Just then, Luo Mo clearly pointed at himself, placing a hand on Theresa's shoulder with a helpless smile.
"That's right. This time… it's me."
"....."
Poor Principal Theresa…
She never expected it to be him.
This time, the one who stabbed her in the back was someone she had spent day in and day out with…
Sure, the previous ones were acquaintances too, but this one hit different.
"Huh?! YOU became a Herrscher too?!"
Before Theresa could recover from her emotional outburst, someone behind her frowned.
Kongming rushed forward, grabbed Luo Mo's hand, and asked with clear concern: Her usually cold and indifferent expression had shifted—her face now full of worry and sorrow, as she asked from the bottom of her heart:
"Why... you?"
The fact that this scene hadn't existed in the game made her feel deeply uneasy in hindsight—afraid that something might have gone wrong on his side.
For Theresa, learning this news left her expression frozen, as if experiencing the dread of finally realizing a long-standing fear had come true.
"Ah... So Luo Mo also became a Herrscher, huh. How great. He really went and threw himself directly into danger as a role model, didn't he?"
Luo Mo said frankly, "You might not believe this, but when the Herrscher of Corruption appeared, she came straight toward me. I didn't even have time to react. Who would've thought she could erode a physical being in the real world? I completely forgot that I had... other things inside my body…"
Though he spoke calmly, it still felt like that previous scene had been a dream. Somehow, without understanding how, he had become the host of the Herrscher of Corruption.
And there was just no way to explain it reasonably.
Theresa shook her head, her face filled with disbelief, a deep headache settling in. Only after a long silence did she begin to accept the reality.
Originally, she had thought that the emergence of a "Herrscher of Domination " was already an unexpected anomaly. Even Elysia herself had clearly stated that her power—should it ever be restored—would still have little effect against the Herrscher of Corruption.
And yet... even so, fate couldn't be avoided.
As expected, she shouldn't have held on to any delusions.
"Might as well just rename this Valkyrie Academy to Herrscher Academy," she muttered. "At least the other academies wouldn't dare to call themselves that."
"Sigh…"
No matter how much sorrow, unease, or confusion filled her heart, all she could do was sigh.
What else could she possibly do? Of course—she had no choice but to accept it.
Still... becoming a Herrscher wasn't without its merits.
At the very least, he and she were now the same kind of person.
That hidden thought brought her a bit of comfort and helped ease the anxiety in her heart.
All of them had been thinking about how to force Herrschers into the academy one by one…
But now the headmaster herself had to worry about even more serious things!