Sly gritted his teeth. "We need to take her down. Now."
He moved, vanishing in a blur as he shot straight for the Queen. Shadows flared behind him— Shadow Strike. A technique he cobbled together by tapping directly into Stage 3 Fog power.
It worked on normal Fades. Fast. Lethal. Clean.
But when he struck the hive Queen, he missed.
She was faster.
One of her massive clawed limbs swung in an instant, catching him mid-dash. The impact sent him flying, his body smashing through a collapsed building.
"Sly!" Iris shouted, her voice raw with panic.
Bob's expression darkened. His fists clenched. Enough was enough.
He surged forward, his massive form barreling toward the Hive Queen. She turned to him, mandibles clicking, eyes locking onto his charge.
"Come on then," Bob growled. "Let's finish this."
The Hive Queen advanced, her presence casting a heavy pressure over the battlefield. Her massive armored form now nearly impenetrable, her bioluminescent sacs pulsing as she unleashed a deep, resonating shriek.
Bob barely had time to react before she moved, faster than before, more aggressive. One of her massive bladed limbs swiped forward. Bob ducked just in time, the air splitting beside him with a loud whoosh.
"Okay, that was close," he muttered.
The second limb came crashing in, slamming against his side. Bob grunted as he flew back, skidding across the cracked ground. His Goliath form absorbed some of the hit, but pain surged through his body.
He coughed and winced, pushing himself up. "Alright… the suit's not helping." He glanced down at the torn fabric. "Guess she's not scared of beekeepers."
Gabe, circling from above, unleashed another barrage of fog-forged arrows, each one slamming into the Queen's thick armor. The impact echoed across the battlefield, but the shots barely left a mark.
"Bob, we need a plan!" Gabe shouted.
Bob groaned, brushing dust off himself. "Yeah, working on it."
Bob was still catching his breath when the Hive Queen lunged again. Another bladed limb came slicing toward him, fast, brutal, a follow-up meant to finish the job.
He wasn't ready.
But someone else was.
One of Dante's elite guards saw it and moved without hesitation, throwing himself between Bob and the attack. The Queen's second limb struck clean through the soldier's chest with a sickening crack, impaling him instantly.
Blood splattered across the ground as the guard's body was flung aside, motionless and badly wounded.
Bob clenched his fists, the scene burning into his memory. They were losing. He was losing.
His eyes swept across the battlefield, then locked onto Iris and Sly.
Iris was kneeling beside him, blades out, keeping the swarm at bay. At first, Bob thought Sly was fine, just winded, maybe taking a rest.
But he wasn't.
Sly was barely conscious, his body torn up from the Queen's earlier counter. Even with his near Stage 2 Fog power, the healing was slow. Too slow. Boss-level damage didn't heal like normal wounds.
He wasn't getting back up anytime soon.
"You're not dying on me, you hear?" Iris muttered, slashing down a drone that got too close.
Bob exhaled sharply and stood to his full height. His body ached, muscles screaming, every movement a challenge, but he wasn't done. He couldn't be.
"Come on," he growled to himself. "You've taken worse."
He charged forward, slamming his full strength into the Hive Queen's armored plating. Just as his fist collided, Fog surged around it, forming a thick gauntlet in an instant. The impact landed with thunderous force, sending shockwaves through the ground, but the Queen barely staggered.
Her armor was too thick.
Bob gritted his teeth and swung again, aiming for her joints, her body, anywhere. Each hit sent painful vibrations up his arms. His knuckles split. Blood mixed with fog. And still, she came.
"Why won't you just break!?"
The Queen struck back, her bladed limbs tearing into his torso. He stumbled, breath caught, pain flashing red across his vision. Her jagged mandibles dripped with ichor as she pressed forward, relentless, overwhelming.
Bob dropped to one knee, wheezing, but his eyes stayed locked on her.
"I'm not done," he muttered. "Not yet!"
Bob grabbed one of the Queen's limbs, muscle hardening around his arms. He gritted his teeth and pulled with everything he had. He roared and tried to tear it free, muscles straining, power pouring into the grip.
But the Queen reacted instantly.
Her massive body jerked violently, throwing him off. Bob was sent flying again, crashing hard into the dirt. The strike tore through muscle with brutal force, and blood sprayed as he stumbled back, gasping. Pain lit up his ribs, sharp and immediate, and the Queen charged again.
A sudden volley of fog arrows slammed into her side. She staggered, wings flaring.
Above, Gabe let out a shout between rapid-fire shots. "Bob! Move! She's not stopping!"
Bob groaned and rolled to his knees, wiping the blood from his mouth. "I know!" he snapped, struggling to his feet.
His vision swam. His legs shook. He glanced around, hoping… desperately… for something, anything.
The battlefield was a mess. Bodies everywhere. Some human. Some not. Screams rang out, scattered with gunfire and the constant, hellish buzz of wings.
And no matter how many they took down, the swarm kept coming.
Bob turned and spotted Sly again, still down, barely conscious. Iris was still there, desperately protecting him, her blades flashing as she cut down any Fade that got too close. Blood stained the dirt beneath them, and though she kept swinging, her movements were slowing. She looked like she was at her limit, but she didn't back down.
His gaze swept across the battlefield. The orphans fought beside Dante's elite guards, slower now, bruised and bleeding, but they didn't stop. They refused to fall back.
They had every reason to give up.
But they didn't.
They believed in this fight.
They believed in him.
The Pink Fog thickened around Bob, swirling tighter, reacting to something inside him. The pressure built fast, wild, heavy, like the fog itself was responding to his will.
A fire lit in his chest... rage, guilt, desperation, all boiling at once. His hands shook. His vision narrowed.
No more!
The fire surged through him like an eruption, rising from his gut and spreading to every limb.
His body locked up, power surging through every limb. His muscles swelled. Veins bulged. Something deeper broke loose.
Then—
He changed.
His body expanded once more... His eyes burned a deep crimson, curved horns jutted from his forehead, and the steam-like fog around him churned violently. Every movement radiated raw, brutal strength, unfiltered and unstoppable.
The Devil Goliath had returned.
Iris, still guarding Sly, turned at the surge of power. Her breath hitched. She had long suspected that emotions could trigger more from the Glint than anyone understood… but seeing it unfold again, right in front of her, was something else entirely.
A mix of shock and satisfaction crossed her face.
"Unbelievable… He's really pushing it beyond normal limits."
The battlefield trembled as Bob took a step forward, steam-like fog rising from his skin, his every breath radiating sheer force. The Hive Queen sensed the shift. Her wings flared, her mandibles clicked, and for the first time, she hesitated.
Bob cracked his knuckles. "Alright, bug. Let's end this."
She attacked first. Faster, more erratic, her limbs stabbing and slicing with relentless force. Bob dodged some, absorbed others, each strike tearing into him, pain lancing through his body as fresh wounds opened.
But something was different now.
The Devil Goliath form didn't just boost his strength, it pushed his Fog power further, tapping into something beyond normal Stage 3. The fog around him pulsed with each movement, reinforcing his body, driving him forward.
Blood ran down his arms, but he didn't stop.
With a roar, he grabbed one of her massive limbs… and tore it clean from her body.
The Queen shrieked in agony.
Bob didn't stop. "That got your attention," he growled, slamming a punch into her head, cracking the armored plating across her face. "Here's another."
A second blow followed. Then a third. "And one more for good measure."
Each hit drove her back, her massive form staggering from the force.
But she wasn't finished.
Her wings flared suddenly, violently. A shockwave blasted out from her, and Bob's footing slipped.
"Aw, come on—" he grunted, stumbling.
That moment was all she needed.
She lunged.
Bob barely got his arms up before she slammed him into the ground. The impact rattled through his spine as her mandibles snapped just inches from his throat. Her stinger, long and gleaming, curled over her shoulder, ready to strike.
Pinned beneath her, Bob grit his teeth.
Then, from above, a new barrage struck the Queen's side, fog-forged arrows slamming into her with precision. Gabe had swooped in again, forcing her to flinch back just enough to break her momentum.
It gave Bob a moment to breathe. A second to move.
But the effort cost Gabe everything.
As the final arrow flew, a wave of exhaustion crashed into him. His wings twitched mid-air, then gave out completely. He lost altitude fast, crashing down hard onto one knee. Gasping for air, he tried to stand, but his body wouldn't respond, completely drained.
He couldn't fly anymore.
Around him, the swarm was already shifting. Drones and worker-type bee Fades began to close in, their movements slow but purposeful. They were getting closer.
"Damn…" he muttered. His strength was gone.
He wasn't Stage 3. Not truly. But he'd pushed like one, and now his body couldn't keep up.
His wings flickered, dimming as he struggled to stay conscious.
"Not… now…"
Nearby, an orphan fighter noticed and rushed toward him. "Gabe! Hold on!"
Bob took the chance. He grabbed the Queen's faceplate, the cracked armor barely holding together. With all the strength he had left, he pulled.
The Queen thrashed, but Bob wouldn't let go. The exoskeleton groaned, splintered, then shattered.
She reeled back, her now-exposed head twitching violently, her movements frantic, panicked.
Bob exhaled, bloodied, exhausted, barely able to stand.
But he had one last move.
With a deep breath, he leapt into the air, towering over the Queen's weakened form.
Then, with both hands raised high, he clapped them together over her exposed head.
The sound echoed through the battlefield like a thunderclap.
For a brief moment, the entire battlefield seemed to freeze. Then, the Hive Queen's body jerked violently before crashing to the ground, completely still.
Silence.