Chapter 612: Recognition

The sky of the Mirror World was gray as if someone had brushed it with lead over and over, with no stars and no moon, only a layer of unbreakable lead‑gray pressing overhead, like an upside‑down pot.

The reversed signs hung crookedly among the building ruins, and the Nihong tubes flickered occasionally, dyeing the street an unnatural blue‑purple, then went pop and out, only to reignite after a few seconds, repeating like a pair of eyes that could never close blinking.

A Xing stepped back three paces.

A Xing walked a few steps toward the direction away from the figure nailed to the wall.

Her boots struck the rubble, producing a fine clatter that rang especially clear in the now‑quiet ruins.

The brim sat low, covering half her face, revealing only a sharply defined jaw and a few strands of gray hair scattered across her forehead.

She halted.

A deep‑red Flame Gun coalesced in her palm.

The Flames seeped out finger by finger, like blood oozing from a wound, winding and piling on the gun's body, the hue deepening from scarlet to dark red, then to an almost black deep red, while the tip glowed a blinding white, as if all light and heat were compressed into that single point.

She gripped the gun, stood there, her golden eyes fixed on the now‑motionless figure.

The Robin glanced at her and stepped aside.

She said nothing, nor asked A Xing what to do, but quietly stood at a distance, back to a crooked streetlamp, leaving the clearing for the gray‑haired girl.

A Xing raised her hand, the Flame Gun turning a small half‑circle in her palm, the tip aimed that way.

Then she hurled it outward.

The moment the gun left her palm, the deep‑red flames burst violently, drawing a straight streak across the night sky, moving so fast no afterimage remained, only a dark‑red beam extending from her fingertip to the distant crumbling wall.

Boom——!!!

The sound arrived first.

The roar ricocheted through the ruins, shaking loose fragments of stone from the remaining walls, causing the Nihong tubes to extinguish and relight in unison, and making the Robin reflexively close its eyes.

The Flames spread from the impact point in all directions, melting the surrounding rubble into a fluid, which slowly streamed along the pit's edge, hissing, and upon cooling formed a glossy black shell.

The dust was thrust outward by the shockwave, forming a slowly rotating vortex above the pit's mouth, blowing the reversed signs into a chaotic tumble.

The pit's bottom was empty.

The wall vanished, the figure nailed to it disappeared, and even the shattered tubes and scattered ash were fused by the heat into glass‑like crystals, laying a thin layer on the pit's floor, reflecting the gray‑hazy sky above.

A Xing stood there, staring at the pit for a long time.

Her hand hung at her side, the fingertips still retaining the flame's heat, fading bit by bit.

The Top Hat's brim was lifted upward by the gust, revealing the golden eyes, empty inside, hollow, as if the recent shot had burned them clean.

Then someone called her name.

Xing——!!!

The voice came from the opposite end of the ruins, carrying surprise and the relief of surviving a disaster.

A Xing lifted her head, watching the few figures moving toward her from afar—at the front was San Yue Qi, whose pink hair stood out under the dim sky, running while waving, a rope of unknown origin hanging from her shoulder, one end dragging on the ground, kicking up a small puff of dust as she ran.

Lin followed behind her, her clothes covered in ash, hair disheveled, her running gait a little awkward, a brown Tail protruding from beneath her skirt, swaying behind her; one hand pressed the hem to keep it from blowing up, the other hand steadied the Tail, her expression caught between embarrassment and resignation.

Bai Hang walked at the rear, her azure eyes scanning every corner of the ruins, the Tail gently swaying behind her.

Jing Yuan kept a moderate pace a little farther away, their white hair fluttering lightly in the wind, their golden eyes sweeping over the still‑smoking giant pit, then over the gray‑haired girl at its edge, finally landing on the Robin perched by the distant streetlamp, narrowing slightly.

A Xing's gaze swept over each of the people in turn.

Bai Hang, recognized.

Fen Mao fool, recognized.

And the black‑haired girl, unknown, but the Tail swaying behind her skirt caught A Xing's extra glances.

She gave a slight nod, as a greeting.

San Yue Qi was the first to run up to her, bending over, propping her knees and gasping heavily, then suddenly straightening and grabbing A Xing's shoulder.

Xing! How did you end up here too!

Her fingers clenched the fabric on A Xing's shoulder, knuckles whitening, her powder‑blue eyes shining, "Is Uncle Yang alright? What about Sister Jizi? Dan Heng? Pam? Did you all come looking for me? Or were you also dragged in? Did you see Sakura? And—"

A Xing looked at her, silent for a moment.

Dead.

San Yue Qi's smile froze on her face, her finger sliding down A Xing's shoulder, hanging at her side, the joints of the finger gripping the rope whitening, her voice suddenly softening: "Uncle Yang dead? Sister Jizi also …"

Bai Hang, by now at the side, twitched her mouth at the words and quickly interjected, "Um… Xing probably meant that purple‑haired woman."

She nodded toward the still‑smoking giant pit, its bottom still exhaling blue‑gray smoke, the edge stones turned into glossy black glass‑like crystals, reflecting the gray sky above, "Right?"

A Xing nodded.

San Yue Qi, following Bai Hang's gaze to the pit and then back to A Xing, shifted her expression from terror to confusion, then to a subtle irritation, and slapped A Xing's arm, "Can you stop speaking in half‑sentences! You scared me to death!"

The force was light, but the sound rang crisp in the quiet ruins.

A Xing neither dodged nor reacted, simply standing there, letting San Yue Qi finish the slap before withdrawing her hand.

Lin also came over, one hand holding her skirt, the other clutching the still‑flailing Tail.

Her school uniform sleeves were torn in several places, exposing arms scratched by debris, the wounds scabbed and emitting a dull red glow in the dim light.

She stood beside San Yue Qi, glanced at A Xing, then at the pit, a hint of surprise on her face, and asked, "Miss Xing, have you ever met Ilya? And Fujimura?"

A Xing turned her head, gave her a glance, then lifted her chin and pointed toward the Robin's direction.

Ask her.