HI3: I Don't Want to Be a Valkyrie

"Be cautious, Higokumaru, there's something strange ahead."

After walking through the third level of the underground dungeon for approximately ten minutes, they suddenly encountered numerous peculiar monsters.

A group of low-level monsters, akin to goblins and ratfolk, were attending to these strange creatures as if they were their servants.

These unique monsters resembled spherical beings, six feet wide, with long, fanged maws across their front. Their bodies moved under the control of a central eye, complemented by ten additional tendrils, each terminating in a small eye, extending from the top of the sphere.

Before Yae Sakura and Higokumaru, these creatures sprouted profusely like weeds, seemingly countless. At a glance, aside from the low-level monsters attending to them, all the rest were this special type of monster.

"It seems to be...eye demons..."

Yae Sakura sat sideways on Higokumaru's back, gazing at the monsters ahead.

Apart from the low-level creatures, there were at least thousands of demon-like beasts resembling eye demons.

The sheer number of these eye demons was instantly giving Yae Sakura a massive headache...

Recalling the information she'd gathered, eye demons were likely the most lethal among common magical beasts, as well as the most grotesquely deformed in appearance.

Their eyes possessed an incredibly strong power of enchantment; ordinary adventurers or creatures would be instantly mesmerized upon making eye contact with them.

Then they would become enslaved under the eye demons' control.

For example, those low-level monsters up ahead were probably targets enslaved by the eye demons.

If it was just one or even a few, it might be manageable, but here they were swarming...

It was utterly terrifying.

In addition to their powerful enchantment ability, their eyes also emitted a strange radiation that carried a high probability of certain death.

Much like the 'Direct Death Demon Eye,' this radiation had the potential to trigger the fatal threshold in any living creature, leading to certain doom upon contact.

Of course, the probability isn't very high, and it's ineffective against powerful beings like Demon Lords and dragons. Otherwise, they would have conquered the world long ago.

Why would they need to fight for the Demon Lord then?

"So... Big Sister, are you worried about being controlled by them or getting hit by their radiation?" Higokumaru pondered Yae Sakura's concern thoughtfully.

"Hmm, even though I'm an SSS-rank Valkyrie, I'm not sure if the Instant Death effect applies to me. I dare not risk it without guarantees."

The demons' seductive charms were manageable; Yae Sakura wasn't afraid of them. All she had to do was close her eyes.

Even without using her eyes, Yae Sakura could instantly annihilate them.

But with thousands of demons, closing her eyes meant facing thousands of radiation sources.

In this cramped space, blindfolded, there was no way Yae Sakura could evade them all. If she failed to dodge, bad luck might trigger the Instant Death effect.

And that would spell her doom!

"If that's your worry, Big Sister, leave it to me! I'll resolve it quickly for you," Higokumaru assured her after a moment's thought.

"Can you manage?"

Yae Sakura asked with concern, but then again... if it was Higokumaru, she probably didn't need to worry. After all, Higokumaru was a Herrscher, and it was impossible for some demons to take her down in a blink of an eye.

"Leave it to me! When it comes to control... their charms can't possibly compare to my corrosive abilities."

"...Corrosion."

Alright then! As the Herrscher of Corruption, Higokumaru could instantly control anything, whether it be human, creature, or machine.

Yae Sakura jumped off of Higokumaru's back, checking the timer. Almost 17 minutes had passed already.

There was no time to hesitate.

As it felt Yae Sakura leave its body, Higokumaru suddenly transformed into a cloud of black mist and drifted towards the approaching horde of eye demons.

What followed was an intense scene.

To everyone's surprise, the eye demons began attacking each other, engaging in a frenzy of self-destruction.

Within less than two minutes, all the eye demons and low-level otherworldly beasts up ahead were virtually annihilated.

The black mist then solidified once more into Higokumaru...

Yae Sakura gazed at Higokumaru from a distance, suddenly struck silent...

This ability and these actions... seem to be those of the true Twelfth Herrscher, the Herrscher of Corruption.

A chill ran through Yae Sakura as a wave of fear washed over her.

Could Higokumaru once again be controlled by the Herrscher's consciousness?

The black fog she had encountered earlier was a sign of Higokumaru's viral transformation. "Higokumaru" was a name Yae Sakura had given her, but nobody knew her true name; even Higokumaru herself couldn't recall it.

And Yae Sakura had no desire to delve into the past.

Unlike the other Herrschers, the true form of the Herrscher of Corruption wasn't a physical body, but rather an ultimate virus with self-awareness.

Her very essence was the virus itself.

The body of the fox spirit Higokumaru... was merely a vessel possessed by the virus.

In mere hundreds of years, the Herrscher of Corruption had seamlessly integrated with the fox spirit.

Now witnessing Higokumaru's viral transformation, Yae Sakura felt she might once again gradually attain her true Herrscher-level power.

But with that came the very real possibility of once again being... controlled by the Herrscher's consciousness.

In truth... Higokumaru wasn't the only danger. All Valkyries were hazardous, or rather, potential candidates for becoming Herrschers.

-

"Big Sister, everything has been perfectly resolved. We can continue our journey now." Higokumaru, who had just defeated the demon, rejoined Yae Sakura with a gleeful expression.

However, after speaking, Higokumaru noticed a hint of wariness in Yae Sakura's gaze, curious as to what had transpired.

"Big Sister, is something wrong?" Higokumaru asked, genuinely concerned.

"No... I was wondering why you could become viralized?" Yae Sakura initially hesitated to voice her question, but upon further thought, considering Higokumaru's importance to her, she decided to seek clarification.

"Becoming viralized... It's because I possess the Herrscher Core within my body, granted by the Jizo Mitama!" Higokumaru replied truthfully.

"Herrscher Core... Once we've dealt with the Demon Lord, hand over the Jizo Mitama for me to safeguard!" Yae Sakura felt that keeping the Divine Key within Higokumaru's body was no longer secure.

"That... If it's you, Big Sister, alright..." Higokumaru hesitated briefly, somewhat reluctant to part with it. However, given Yae Sakura's trust and the bond between them, Higokumaru ultimately agreed.

"Good, let's continue our journey!"

Seeing Higokumaru's agreement, Yae Sakura couldn't help but breathe a slight sigh of relief. It seemed Higokumaru would be safe for now.

As long as the Divine Key remained in her possession, nothing should happen to Higokumaru.

Though Higokumaru had lost much of her power without the Jizo Mitama, she was still far stronger than when controlled by the Herrscher's consciousness.

Worst comes to worst, I could always give her the divine key again if needed.