Bizarre Honkai, a Wife-Chasing Crematorium

The "Wish" was complete—

Three days later, Li Mo awoke on the surface of the sea. His blurred vision sharpened, and he stared blankly at the bright moon in the high heavens. Flecks of starlight and faint embers of light scattered across the endless sea, shimmering like a silken ribbon adorned with stars.

Li Mo slowly opened his eyes, and the first thing he saw was a thick, dark blue expanse.

All around was silence, save for the gentle lapping of waves against his body and the Akazome Sakura in his hand, a low and lengthy sound. The moonlit sea seemed exceptionally desolate, without a single sign of life. Besides the waves and the moonlight, there was nothing.

Mei was gone.

This was within Li Mo's expectations. The consequences of "Wishing" to change the outcome of his transformation would inevitably cause the Bizarre personality to disappear.

Li Mo reassessed his physical state.

The Corruption in his body had reached a critical point. It could overload at any moment, causing him to turn into a Ghost on the spot. All the Bizarre within him had reawakened.

The vivid Bizarre Stigma on his back was in a constant state of bleeding. His eyeballs moved uncontrollably, turning toward any living person exposed to light anywhere on Earth, only stopping when he shielded his perception.

The rule of the Abyss Flower had caused a drastic shift in his consciousness; the thought of indirectly saving people could no longer aid his actions. He could no longer save people as he had with Chiyo and the others. Any action with the purpose of saving someone was now instinctively rejected.

And...

Li Mo suddenly lifted his left hand out of the sea. Under the moonlight, the skin was no longer delicate. Purple specks of light were embedded within it, and faded, light-red bloodstains lingered between his fingers.

"..."

"..."

Li Mo's eyes were glazed over. He returned to the shore, utterly alone, and walked toward the Bizarre Cave with Akazome Sakura in hand.

From now on, he had no companions in this world. Just now, he had "killed" the last surviving one. The fact that he was still alive and Mei had disappeared meant the "Wish" had succeeded.

After he died, he would become an Imposter. Using the Imposter's Bizarre ability to freely travel through spacetimes he had once existed in, he would turn all of this around.

However, there was one condition: after he became an Imposter, would he be able to maintain his sense of self and change the past according to his current intentions? If not, then all his efforts would be wasted, and every sacrifice would be meaningless.

But that was beyond his control now. Whether or not he could become an Imposter with free will after death was, in itself, an unpredictable matter.

The essence of an Imposter was to imitate. As time passed, the degree of imitation would become higher and higher. In the end, they would completely believe they were another person, without even realizing they were an Imposter.

Therefore, the moment of death and rebirth as an Imposter was when his free will would be at its strongest. If he couldn't maintain a clear sense of self even then, it was as good as his personality disappearing.

What's more, even if he could briefly maintain his self-awareness, becoming an Bizarre was irreversible. It wouldn't be like before, when Elysia could cleanse the Corruption from him as he neared the brink and restore his consciousness. This was a primordial rule of the Bizarre.

Once formed, one could not "die." This was true for even the weakest Ghosts. Not even a Ghost with extremely high integrity, like Bizarre Kiana, could kill a Head Ghost with extremely low integrity.

No matter how complete a rule was, it could not completely annihilate another rule, regardless of their integrity levels. It could only either make it dormant or devour it to complete itself.

Once he became an Imposter, regardless of whether his consciousness was clear or not, even if he reversed the tragedy and stopped the spread of the Bizarre in the Main world in time, he could never become human again.

At that time, he would face his own 「Finality」.

However, if he truly reversed the disastrous outcome, he wouldn't have to worry too much about becoming a new terror. The resurrected Dr. MEI would surely handle him in the most appropriate way, so he wouldn't have to worry about the problem of spreading Corruption.

There were two things to consider now:

First, assuming he could maintain his self-awareness after becoming an Imposter, which point in time should he return to?

Before entering the Bizarre Cave? He could abandon dealing with this particular spread of corruption and choose to stay in the Main world to prevent the tragedy from happening.

"No... perhaps I can go back even earlier..."

"Risking everything, I can change many things."

Li Mo was remarkably calm, not letting hatred or grief cloud his judgment. Or perhaps, he simply couldn't feel the emotional fluctuations in his head at all. He was like a machine, tirelessly searching for the most suitable solution.

An Imposter could travel to any point in time where they had existed. He had left footprints at various points in time across many worlds. Therefore, while maintaining his self-awareness, he might even have the chance to change Kiana's Bizarre state.

The Bizarre could not be eliminated, but if he returned to the past and didn't repeat his previous path, Kiana would never become a Bizarre. Bizarre Kiana would fall into eternal dormancy and no longer be a threat.

"Beichen said that Kiana was the first Bizarre, but she wasn't the source of the Corruption, and neither was I."

"Can I 「Usurp」 Bizarre Kiana's spacetime abilities while she's dormant, and use them to seal the spreading Bizarre in various worlds?"

"That seems a bit redundant. Even without doing that, I'm confident I can perform those rituals again. But it would consume too much energy. Using Bizarre Kiana's abilities would save a lot of time."

"I could use the extra time to change the fates of those who were originally destined to become Bizarre, causing the Bizarre to lose the source of their past changes and fall into dormancy. Then I could steal their powers again, and by repeating this cycle, it wouldn't be long before I could end this disaster for good."

"..."

"..."

As Li Mo sank deep in thought, his clouded eyes suddenly lowered, his gaze focusing on his right hand.

Was this plan feasible?

If it was, why had Dr. MEI never thought of it? After returning from the funeral, he had clearly told her that Bizarre Kiana's abilities could be usurped. If one wanted to eradicate the Bizarre, the best starting point was Bizarre Kiana's unsolvable spacetime abilities.

Then, they wouldn't have to worry about the Bizarre spreading to other worlds and could just focus on finding the most suitable Bizarre and Bizarre items to counter Bizarre Kiana.

When the time was right, he could seize her abilities. That was the best way to end the Bizarre. So why had Dr. MEI never considered it?

Did she overlook it?

Impossible.

Was there something wrong with this plan? Was he overlooking something, which was why he thought it was feasible?

"The truth she's hiding... what is it?"

"Could it be..."

Li Mo raised his head. His Ghost's vision caught the Ghosts wandering the dead cities around the world. This spread of the Bizarre had been too sudden, too bizarre. Behind every illogical reality, there was a hidden secret.

Perhaps, once he figured out why the Bizarre had suddenly spread in the Main world, he would understand what Dr. MEI had been hiding.

"You must remember that we will always be on your side. No matter what happens, please believe in MEI. She has always been trying to turn this imperfect story into the one you wish for."

Li Mo repeated Bizarre Mei's last words. Then, his Ghost's vision swept back and forth, looking at the devastated city ruins and the silent, gloomy seas of corpses and blood.

This was never the world he had wished for.

"The second thing to consider is what I need to do in the time I have left."

His transformation was now a certainty. Before death arrived, he had a short period of free time. During this time... anything he did was meaningless, because once he became an Imposter and returned to the past, everything in the future would change.

In fact, doing nothing now was the best course of action. That way, he could minimize the spread of Corruption and prevent more tragedies from occurring. After all, like all Ghosts, he was now a walking source of Corruption. Wherever he went, he would involuntarily spread it, even if the amount was small.

The stars turned, and the moon shifted.

The bright moon, once high in the sky, fell again.

Under the twilight's afterglow, Li Mo stood alone on the deserted coast, his silhouette stretched long and thin, like a silent paper cutout. The sea breeze tousled his hair and made the corners of his clothes whip in the wind.

His unfocused pupils witnessed—

The waves gently lapped against the reef, making a low, long sound, like a young girl's sigh, or like an answer to his lonely heart. The tide rose and fell, and points of ethereal blue light hid beneath the water's surface, creating ripples.

In a daze, Li Mo's gaze suddenly fixed, and he enunciated each word clearly:

"Otto Apocalypse."

For some reason, amidst the myriad of thoughts, this name suddenly appeared in his mind. And this person was inextricably linked to his self in the Imposter world. Back then, when he triggered the Imposter rule and fell into it, he had been playing the role of Otto Apocalypse.

A coincidence?

A coincidence?

A coincidence?

"No, that's not right. I've already confirmed it. The Otto in Bizarre Kiana's world knew about the existence of the Bizarre. Even though he acted completely normal, perfectly matching the Otto in my memory, just as devoted to Kallen, with the same mannerisms and way of speaking..."

"But, that might just be the mark of a long-term Imposter."

"Only people or events that haven't been exposed to the Bizarre will develop along their original trajectories. Once they are exposed, not only time, but also their thoughts, actions, and words will change to some extent."

"This has been proven in countless Bizarre worlds."

"All who are touched by the Bizarre, people and events alike, are twisted within the long river of time, their fates inevitably warped for the worse."

"And Otto, despite having been tainted by the Bizarre, was still no different from the Otto Apocalypse in my memory. Being overly normal is, in itself, abnormal."

With a thought, Li Mo arrived at the entrance of the Bizarre Cave, continuing to wait for seven in the morning, the optimal time to pass through.

The Otto in Bizarre Kiana's world must know something he didn't. The origin of the Bizarre Stigma; going to the rental apartment after his original body died; and that unnaturally normal behavior.

"Otto Apocalypse, I'll remember you."

Li Mo recalled the situation at St. Freya High School in Bizarre Kiana's world and walked into the Bizarre Cave without hesitation, moving in a straight line. The ground inside was rugged and uneven, but that didn't stop him from maintaining an absolutely straight path. He had walked it so many times, he felt he knew it by heart.

Dampness and a foul chill washed over him. The clicking and clacking of dislocated bones echoed from all sides. Li Mo ignored the bones protruding from the walls and walked straight ahead. Time lost all meaning inside. From the first step into the Bizarre Cave, one could only move forward.

It was pitch black, so dark you couldn't see your hand in front of your face. However, he no longer needed light to see. In his Ghost's vision, anything hidden in crevices or behind obstacles was perfectly clear. There were no blind spots. The only blind spots were people or things that were also covered by a Bizarre rule.

In a daze, Li Mo sensed something unusual.

It was light.

The exit was just ahead. After passing through, he would be on the mountain outside St. Freya High School. Another ten-minute walk would bring him to the academy's outer wall.

"It's not what's unusual... I'm the one who's unusual."

Light wasn't unusual for a human, just blinding.

Reaching the exit, Li Mo looked around. Everything was just as it had been when he first came, unchanged. The only difference was that many young Schicksal Valkyries were stationed outside St. Freya.

For every few young Valkyries, there was a more mature-looking one, who seemed to have been recalled from retirement by Otto to stand guard. They were risking their lives, constantly monitoring the situation at the academy.

"Traces of a Bizarre ability... it's Kiana's time ability. No, it was left behind by Shigure Kira after she usurped Kiana's Bizarre ability."

Li Mo remembered how after he died in the haunted mansion, his soul had come here. He had worked with Shigure Kira, allowing her to briefly wield Bizarre Kiana's power.

St. Freya High School must have been time-locked then. But as time passed, the locked spacetime began to return to normal. It was only a matter of time before it returned to the normal timeline.

Li Mo turned, no longer looking at St. Freya, and fixed his gaze on the floating island in the distant sky.

Schicksal HQ was there.

"I hope you can give me a satisfactory answer—before I die, and before you die."

Li Mo leaped into the air. The rocks beneath his feet shattered, and the immense force made the mountain tremble for a few seconds. He couldn't fly, but he had a way of moving that was faster than flying. Whether in the sky or on the ground, he could reach anywhere with ease.

---||---

At Schicksal HQ, in a vast research lab, Otto sat in his chair, looking troubled. His white-gloved right hand was clenched into a fist, which he slammed on the table every few minutes.

"Tsk... a plan I've been setting up for so long has failed. How much more time will it take to achieve my goal, to stand before the essence of the universe—the Imaginary Tree?"

[So you have days like this too. I thought everything was part of your plan.]

The Void Archives appeared of its own accord, speaking to Otto in a cold, mocking tone. For it, there were few things more amusing than watching its current master—Otto Apocalypse—suffer a setback.

"It's not a complete failure. Although the Herrscher of the Void is no longer of use to me, I have also obtained two people who might be able to turn back time—Shigure Kira and her sweetheart."