"Okay, that was close," Thomas muttered.
The next strike came fast. A bladed limb slammed into his side, sending him flying across the cracked ground. His Oni form absorbed some of the blow, but pain shot through his ribs as he hit the dirt hard.
He coughed and pushed himself up, grimacing. "Alright… the suit's not helping." He looked down at the shredded fabric. "Guess she's not scared of beekeepers."
Above, Bryan unleashed another volley of fog-forged arrows, each one slamming into the Queen Bee's armor. The hits echoed through the battlefield but barely scratched her shell.
"Thomas, we need a plan!" Bryan shouted.
Thomas groaned, brushing the dust off his arm. "Yeah, working on it."
He was still catching his breath when the Queen Bee lunged again. Another limb came down, fast and heavy, aimed straight for him.
He was still on the ground, unable to dodge, when someone suddenly moved in front of him. One of Dante's elite guards rushed forward, raising his weapon to block the strike. The Queen's bladed limb came down hard, piercing through the guard's chest with a sickening crunch.
Blood splattered across the ground as the man's body was thrown aside, motionless, lifeless.
Thomas clenched his fists, the sight searing into his mind. They were losing. He was losing.
His eyes scanned the battlefield until they stopped on Iris and Nevin.
Iris knelt beside him, blades drawn, cutting down the drones that tried to close in. For a moment, Thomas thought Nevin was just catching his breath, maybe stunned but fine.
He wasn't.
Nevin lay barely conscious, his body torn and bleeding from the Queen's earlier strike. Even with his near Stage 1 Fog power, the healing was slow, too slow. Boss-level damage didn't heal the same way.
He wasn't getting back up anytime soon.
"You're not dying on me, you hear?" Iris muttered, slicing through another drone that lunged too close.
Thomas exhaled sharply and forced himself to stand. Every muscle burned, his body screaming in protest, but he pushed through it.
"Come on," he growled under his breath. "You've taken worse."
He charged straight at the Queen Bee, slamming his full strength into her armored body. As his fist connected, fog gathered around it, forming a thick gauntlet in an instant. The blow landed with a heavy crack, shaking the ground, but the Queen barely moved.
Her armor held.
Thomas gritted his teeth and swung again, aiming for weak points, joints, anything that would break. Each strike sent painful shocks up his arms, splitting the skin across his knuckles. Blood mixed with fog as he kept hitting, refusing to stop.
"Why won't you just break?!"
The Queen lashed out, her bladed limbs cutting into his torso. Thomas staggered, breath hitching as pain tore through him. Her mandibles clicked, dripping venom, as she pressed her assault.
He dropped to one knee, gasping, vision blurring, but his eyes never left her.
"I'm not done," he muttered. "Not yet."
Thomas grabbed one of the Queen's limbs, his muscles tightening as fog energy surged through his arms. He gritted his teeth and pulled with everything he had, roaring as he tried to rip it free.
The Queen reacted fast.
Her massive body jerked violently, throwing him off. Thomas hit the ground hard, sliding across the dirt. Pain exploded through his side as blood sprayed from the fresh wound. His ribs screamed with every breath, and before he could recover, the Queen lunged again.
A sudden volley of fog arrows struck her flank, forcing her back. The impact rattled her wings, and she let out an ear-splitting screech.
From above, Bryan's voice cut through the noise. "Thomas! Move! She's not stopping!"
Thomas groaned and rolled to his knees, wiping blood from his mouth. "I know!" he snapped, forcing himself upright despite the pain.
His vision blurred. His legs trembled. He looked around, searching for something, anything, to hold onto.
The battlefield had become a nightmare. The ground was torn apart, covered in craters, cracked earth, and fragments of chitin. Bodies lay scattered across the field, some fading into mist, others still twitching where they fell. The air was thick with the sound of screeches, roars, and the constant, maddening buzz of wings.
The swarm showed no sign of stopping.
Thomas's eyes found Nevin again, still down, barely moving. Iris stood over him in her Glint form, her fiery blades flashing as she cut down any drone or worker bee that tried to get close. Blood and fog coated the ground around them. Her movements were slowing, her stance trembling, but she didn't back away.
His gaze swept across the chaos. The Orphans fought side by side with Dante's elite guards, each one in their Glint form. Their claws, wings, and glowing weapons tore through the endless waves of drones, workers, and even royal guards. They were battered, bleeding, their fog energy flickering from exhaustion, but still they stood.
They had every reason to fall back.
But they didn't.
Their families were inside the safe zone. If they retreated now, the city would fall, and with it, everyone they cared about.
So they fought harder, even as their bodies weakened and their fog energy flickered. None of them knew if they would survive this battle. But if they were going down, they would make sure the swarm went with them.
The Pink Fog thickened around Thomas, swirling tighter, reacting to the storm inside him. The air grew heavy as if the fog itself was answering his rage.
A fire lit in his chest, burning through the pain and exhaustion. Rage, guilt, desperation, all of it crashing together until his vision narrowed.
No more.
The fire erupted. Power flooded his veins, rushing through him so fast it felt like his body might tear apart.
He roared, the sound echoing through the mist. His muscles bulged, his skin darkened, and the fog surged toward him, wrapping around his body like armor.
Then he changed.
Thomas's Oni form expanded, towering over the battlefield. His eyes glowed crimson, his horns lengthened, and the fog around him spun violently, radiating waves of raw energy. Every movement shook the ground, every breath carried power that rippled through the air.
This was Stage 3. But it wasn't supposed to happen yet. He wasn't ready, not completely. Something deep inside had snapped, pushing him past his limits, forcing his transformation too soon.
It wasn't perfect. He could feel the instability, the energy burning too fast. It wouldn't last long.
Still, he stood tall.
Iris turned at the surge of power, her eyes widening. Shock and awe flashed across her face before her expression softened into a faint, proud smile.
"Unbelievable… He's really pushing it beyond normal limits."
The battlefield shook as Thomas stepped forward, steam-like fog rising from his skin. Every breath carried power. The Queen Bee sensed it. Her wings spread wide, mandibles clicking, and for the first time, she hesitated.
Thomas cracked his knuckles. "Alright, bug. Let's end this."
She struck first, faster and wilder than before. Her limbs stabbed and sliced, each hit shaking the ground. Thomas dodged some, absorbed others, pain tearing through him as fresh wounds opened. But this time, the fog wasn't just obeying him, it was fighting with him. The energy pulsed with his heartbeat, strengthening his body, pushing him beyond his limit.
Blood ran down his arms, but he didn't stop.
With a roar, he caught one of her limbs and ripped it free.
The Queen shrieked, staggering back.
"That got your attention," Thomas growled, slamming his fist into her head, cracking her armored faceplate. "Here's another."
He hit again. Then again. Each blow drove her back, her massive body shaking from the impact.
But she wasn't done.
Her wings flared violently, unleashing a shockwave that sent Thomas stumbling.
"Aw, come on!" he grunted.
She lunged before he could recover, slamming him into the dirt. Her mandibles snapped inches from his neck, and her stinger curled over her shoulder, ready to strike.
Pinned beneath her, Thomas grit his teeth.
Then, a storm of fog arrows struck the Queen's side. Bryan dove in from above, each shot hitting with perfect aim, forcing her to recoil just long enough for Thomas to move.
It gave him a second to breathe. But it cost Bryan everything.
As his last volley flew, his wings faltered. The fog energy drained from his body, and he crashed hard to the ground. He landed on one knee, gasping, too weak to stand.
The swarm began to close in, their movements slow and deliberate.
"Damn…" Bryan muttered, barely conscious. He wasn't even fully Stage 2, but he had fought like one, creating fog weapons. Now his body couldn't keep up.
Thomas saw him fall. There was no more time.
He grabbed the Queen's cracked faceplate and pulled with everything he had. The exoskeleton split, shattered, and her head jerked violently as she screeched.
Thomas drew in one last breath, leapt high, and brought both fists down.
The impact hit like thunder. The ground trembled, the noise echoing through the fog.
Then everything went still.
The Queen Bee's body twitched once before collapsing completely.
Silence.