Honkai Star Rail: Corruption System

Kafka's serious tone was unmistakable, yet a gentle softness lingered in her eyes.

"So, I need to use my Word of Command to steadily weaken the Mara-struck's influence and temporarily seal it away. To maintain the Word of Command, I require absolute focus. I need you to protect me, Daziel. Protect me while I suppress Blade, can you do that?"

A shadow of gravity flickered across Daziel's eyes, his response concise – a nod.

His gaze remained locked on Kafka's face, as if searching for unspoken truths in her expression.

"I know when the danger will come, and what form it will take. So, don't worry. Help me, and we will overcome this. You won't suffer any negative consequences, either."

Kafka's voice was soothing, carrying the weight of a soft promise.

"Just now… there are some stray monsters lurking nearby. It would be troublesome if we left them unattended. Could you take care of them, please?"

"Okay…"

Daziel's voice was a mere breath, barely audible, as if pulled by an unseen current. A subtle tremor ran through his fingers, yet his grip on the weapon at his waist tightened as he turned and walked towards the door.

Outside, Daziel swung the baseball bat with mechanical precision. Each strike landed with brutal force, repelling the grotesque Mara-struck soldiers. His movements were like a programmed sequence, devoid of any emotion, his eyes hollow and vacant, like those of a living corpse.

After countless swings…

Ding!

A sharp, electronic chime pierced Daziel's mind – the Reverse-Side System's voice.

[Reminder to Host: You seriously need to invest in Effect Resistance substats. You're completely oblivious to the other party's Word of Command, and your body's being puppeted. For a protagonist, that's… pathetic.]

The system's voice dripped with cold mockery, a digital slap of icy water across his face. The biting tone jolted Daziel's consciousness awake.

He shook his head, the vacant hollowness in his eyes receding, replaced by a glimmer of clarity.

"Word of Command? Kafka… controlled me?"

Daziel murmured, the realization of his recent bizarre behavior dawning on him. That detached, manipulated feeling left a chilling residue of fear.

[Obvious, isn't it? You should be thanking this system for granting you a complimentary debuff cleanse. Next time, consider it a premium service.]

The system's icy tone was laced with blatant schadenfreude.

This system is truly insufferable.

"Easy for you to say. Relics in this world don't exactly hand out substats like candy. Where am I supposed to magically conjure up Effect Resistance to stack?" Daziel retorted, casting a disdainful look at the semi-transparent subtitles hovering before him.

[Don't fret. If you require such… props, I can arrange it. Just complete a few more tasks…]

"Stop dangling rewards in front of me! Don't think I'm some mindless stallion driven only by base desires…" Daziel inhaled deeply, forcefully suppressing the unease churning within him.

He scanned his surroundings. The Mara-struck soldiers had been driven back, but a lingering, unsettling aura permeated the air.

Kafka… why did she control me? This wasn't in the original plot…

Logically, Kafka was once an ally, a comrade with established bonds. So why this sudden attack?

Daziel wrestled with the question, yet no answer surfaced. Frowning, he turned to the system, "System, do you know why?"

[Host, are you mistaking me for some kind of interactive chatbot? How would I decipher the motives of others? I am, and will remain, your system, not Kafka's.] The system's response dripped with thinly veiled annoyance. [However… isn't this a golden opportunity?]

"Opportunity for what?" Daziel's expression tightened, his voice laced with suspicion.

[Why, an opportunity to boost your favorability, naturally!]

[Consider this: she resorted to using Word of Command to control you. What does that scream? Intense interest! Getting to first base will be child's play!]

[Since she's already made the first move, she's clearly a woman who plays by her own rules – a 'bad woman,' shall we say. Punish this 'bad woman,' Daziel. Show her the true extent of your power!]

"Punish?" Daziel recoiled instinctively. The idea repelled him. He didn't want to harm Kafka, even after being controlled.

As a transmigrator, fragments of the original plot clung to his mind. He instinctively leaned towards trusting Kafka. Despite the lack of blood ties, she was, in name, his adoptive 'Mom.' The thought of 'punishing' her in that way…

Wouldn't that be peak filial piety, on par with Scott sending his own father to prison? Daziel felt a deep unease. The system was clearly leading him down a twisted path.

[Kafka's Word of Command is still lingering over your head, and you're still defending her in your mind? Yet you distrust me, the system that has guided you countless times? What are you even thinking?]

[You're drowning in those fan-made fantasies. She's not your actual mother! Channel your inner harem protagonist. Do what must be done, understand?]

Without allowing room for argument, the system directly projected a task panel into his mind.

[New Target Added: Kafka]

[Corruption Value: 0%]

[New Task: Increase Kafka's Corruption Value to 50%]

[Task Reward: Evolve the Flame Lance into a Fire Poker]

[Fire Poker: Capable of inflicting both mental and physical torment upon enemies. When employed on women, it can continuously escalate Corruption Value, establishing you as a true 'Hero of the Rod.']

[Be bold, Host, and seize the moment! Cast aside those tame 12+ plots!]

[Revive the glory of the Reverse-Side world! It is your unavoidable destiny!]

Daziel stared at the task list, his brow furrowing deeper with each line. "Even if the timeline has shifted, and Kafka might be… misguided… you're hardly a beacon of virtue yourself!"

After a moment of conflicted silence, Daziel grit his teeth, steeling himself to admit, "Fine… maybe there's a grain of truth in what you're saying."

He remained unsure of Kafka's motives for controlling him, but the fact remained: her Word of Command had directly threatened his autonomy. Ignoring it could be perilous.

"Self-preservation is necessary," Daziel sighed, a sense of resignation settling over him.

Yet, a thread of caution wove through his resolve. The system's pronouncements reeked of malicious intent. Even if he chose to respond to Kafka's actions, he needed to tread carefully, to maintain his clarity and resist being completely swayed by the system's warped agenda.

Daziel raised the baseball bat, his gaze hardening. He wouldn't be so easily manipulated again. Turning, he pushed open the door. His eyes met Kafka's weary figure.

Leaning back against the chair, even her meticulously applied makeup couldn't conceal a hint of pallor. Seeing Daziel enter, a wry, weak smile touched the corner of her mouth. Her voice was fragile. "It seems… Word of Command truly has no hold on you after all. Elio's prediction… was correct."

"Don't play innocent. I risked my neck coming to Xianzhou in the dead of night to help you, and this is how you repay me? Is that justifiable?" Daziel countered coldly, raising the baseball bat and pointing it towards Kafka.

Under the lamplight, the shadow of the bat stretched across Kafka's face—resembling a grotesque, oversized organ.

Daziel's gaze swept across the room, settling on Blade, who sat cross-legged on the floor. Blade's eyes were tightly shut, his forehead glistening with fine beads of sweat.

If Blade was under Kafka's control and they both attacked me… I'd stand no chance.

Kafka, sensing his unease, clarified, "Blade is incapacitated. I've severed his connection to reality. He's oblivious to everything around him now. And… I'm considerably weakened myself."

"If you have questions, if there's anything you want to ask, anything you want to do… then just do it, Daziel."

_____

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