Prologue: The Shattered Illusion**
The air in the Mirror Realm grew thick with the scent of ozone and blood. Qin Hong stared at the bisected body of Xue Wen—**Ah Wen**—only to watch in horror as the two halves trembled, then **sprouted new limbs**.
*"Still don't get it?"* The twin Ah Wens sneered in perfect unison, their voices yered like a chorus of ghosts. *"I never cimed to be the original."*
Qin Hong's grip on **Void-Splitter Bde** faltered. His **Eternal Horizon**, that boundless cosmos of swirling gaxies, now felt like a gilded cage—one straining under the weight of infinite replicas. Sweat dripped from his brow as the truth crystallized:
*There was no "real" Ah Wen here to defeat.*
---
### **Part 1: The Exponential Onsught**
Ah Wen raised a hand, and below them, the sea of clones turned on one another—**a self-cannibalizing army**. Bdes fshed, limbs flew, and with each bisected body, two more emerged.
*"Geometric progression,"* Ah Wen mused, watching Qin Hong's pupils dite. *"Given time, I could fill your pretty starscape with nothing but... me."*
Qin Hong coughed blood, the metallic tang flooding his mouth. His domain trembled; violet cracks spiderwebbed through the fabricated cosmos. Five minutes—maybe less—before his will buckled.
**Choices:** - **Hold the domain** and be crushed by the clone tide. - **Release it** and face endless bdes.
Neither led to victory.
So he chose **the third path**.
---
### **Part 2: The Gambit of Last Light**
With a roar, Qin Hong sshed **Void-Splitter** across his left palm. Blood arced through the air, igniting into **amethyst fmes**. The bde dissolved, its essence coalescing into a pulsating orb above his heart.
Ah Wen's smirk faded. *"Burning your own lifeforce? How... theatrical."*
But then—
**CRACK.**
Ah Wen's body **convulsed**, his eyes rolling back. Like a marionette with severed strings, he toppled from the mirror ledge.
The realm shuddered. Mirrors shattered. Clones melted into viscous puddles.
Qin Hong didn't wait to understand. A spatial rift swallowed him whole.
---
### **Part 3: The Hospital Revetion**
**Central Hospital, 23:47**
The F300S "Shadow" screeched to a halt. Qin Hong vaulted out—and collided with **Haruko**.
*"You!"* She seized his arm, wrist-comm bring for backup. *"Months of paperwork because of your stunt at the crossroads—"*
*"Not now!"* He scooped her up, sprinting upstairs.
Haruko's protests died in her throat. The heat of his body, the desperation in his stride—it short-circuited her fury. *("Why is my face burning?!")*
At Room 407, they froze.
Through the gss, Ah Wen sat motionless, clutching his mother's lifeless hand. The monitors ftlined. The air smelled of antiseptic and wilted lilies.
*"Your teacher?"* Haruko whispered, recalling Qin Hong's cryptic cim.
*"In a way."* Qin Hong stepped inside.
---
### **Part 4: The Bargain**
Ah Wen didn't turn. *"Take the heart. I'm done fighting."*
Qin Hong drew the sheet over Mrs. Xue's face. *"I'll cover the funeral. Live for yourself now."*
Silence.
Then—Haruko blocked the door. *"You're both coming to the station."*
Qin Hong leaned close, his breath tickling her ear: *"The decoder thefts? I'll give you the mastermind. But let him grieve today."*
He pressed his obsidian earring—**engraved with Akartay's insignia**—into her palm.
Haruko stiffened.
---
### **Part 5: The Secret of the Replica Heart**
**Akartay Vault, 02:16**
The **Doppelg?nger's Heart** pulsed in its gss case as Bāyún, the feline custodian, purred:
*"Fine specimen~ But why ask about the 'Replica Heart'?"*
Qin Hong's jaw tightened. *"Saaya's Bck Tome barely mentions it."*
Bāyún's tail bristled. *"Because its owner still breathes."*
*"Who—?"*
Golden eyes gleamed in the dark.
*"The Skywalker himself... Guann."*
