A piercing screech tore through the air as the Queen Bee reacted to the sudden burst of power from Thomas's transformation.
Gale bolted from the subway tunnels toward the surface, his breathing rough as he pushed through the mist. He had followed Thomas from the start, keeping his distance to avoid being seen. But when Thomas transformed and the screams began, he knew he couldn't stay hidden.
He sprinted up the subway steps and burst into the open, surrounded by the thick haze of the Pink Fog. Vell was waiting near the entrance with the Orphans, along with several of Dante's elite guards standing ready.
"It's bad!" Gale gasped. "There's a Boss down there, a big one. The pilgrims are either being killed or turning into Fades. And Thomas… he went Glint and started fighting them!"
Vell's eyes widened, but she didn't hesitate. "We're going in. Now."
The elite guards overheard him. One stepped forward immediately. "Lord Dante followed the pilgrimage inside. If it's that bad, he's in danger."
Another guard gave a sharp nod. "We need to extract him."
Vell gripped her weapon tighter. "Then we go together. We get as many people out as we can, and if we have to fight our way through, we do it."
One of the guards straightened, voice firm. "We can't wait any longer. Move in. Extract Lord Dante and pull everyone you can!"
Without another word, the Orphans and elite guards charged forward. Most of them were already in their Glint forms as they rushed down the subway entrance, disappearing into the fog below.
Deep inside the underground metro, chaos had taken over.
Earlier, Iris, Bryan, and Nevin didn't hesitate. The instant they heard the loud blast echo through the tunnels and felt the shockwave from Thomas's transformation, they moved. Breaking cover, they rushed straight toward him.
Before they advanced, Bryan gave a quick order. "Gale, go back! Warn the others on the surface!"
Gale nodded once and ran in the opposite direction while the rest pushed forward.
"The Fades are attacking people!" Iris shouted, weaving through the chaos toward Thomas's position.
"So that whole 'Fog Walkers don't get attacked' thing was a lie?" Nevin called out beside her.
"It was true at first," Bryan said, gliding above them, his wings cutting through the fog. "That was the bait, to lure more people in."
He looked ahead, face grim. "The first two pilgrimages were just setup runs. This one's the real thing."
Nevin frowned. "The real what?"
"The harvesting," Bryan said, watching as more victims were either dragged into the dark or twisted mid-transformation into new Fades.
Not far behind, Dante followed quietly. He heard every word but didn't move to help. He simply watched the chaos unfold as the survivors screamed and scattered in terror.
Panic spread through the underground chamber.
Those who had joined the pilgrimage only recently, still capable of thinking for themselves, finally saw the truth and began to flee. Fear took over as the Fades closed in from every direction.
But others didn't move. The ones with hollow eyes stood motionless, fully under the Hive's control. Even as the Fades pulled them into the darkness one by one, they didn't scream or fight back. They simply accepted their fate.
Thomas cut through the swarm, his massive form crushing anything that came too close. He used his strength to push a path open, grabbing any survivors he could reach and forcing them toward the exit.
"MOVE!" he roared, slamming a creature aside.
Elise's brother stumbled nearby, still human but blank-eyed, lost in the trance.
Thomas caught his arm and yanked him forward. "Not today, kid."
A deep vibration filled the air. The Queen Bee's wings began to beat faster, the sound rising into a low, piercing hum that shook the chamber. The surrounding Fades reacted instantly, their own wings vibrating in rhythm as they surged toward the survivors.
And then, the Queen herself began to advance.
That was when Thomas saw them.
Iris, Nevin, and Bryan were the first to reach him, cutting down Fades as they pushed forward. Bryan flew overhead, his wings scattering the mist while Iris's blade tore through the swarm. Nevin flashed between enemies, striking fast and disappearing before they could react.
Farther back near the subway entrance, Thomas spotted Vell and Gale charging in with the Orphans, cutting a path through the chaos.
Behind them came Dante's elite guards, weapons drawn, followed by Graves Security and Blood Creed fighters storming in from another tunnel. Gunfire and steel clashed as they fought to clear a path through the endless wave of Fades.
"We're getting them out!" Vell shouted over the noise.
Thomas smirked. "Took you long enough."
Dante appeared a short distance away in his Blood Revenant form, locked in combat with one of the insect-like creatures. His eyes met Thomas's, irritation flashing across his face. "You're lucky we didn't leave you here."
Thomas slammed a half-turned Fade into a wall and grinned. "Well, look who decided to show up. Got tired of hiding?"
The scene was pure chaos, but the goal remained clear. They had to get the survivors out. Some were already beyond saving, but for the rest, there was still hope.
They fought hard, pulling and rescuing whoever they could, but the swarm didn't stop. The ground shook beneath them as the Queen Bee's roar rolled through the tunnels, followed by the heavy thud of her advancing steps. Each movement drew her closer, the sound of cracking concrete echoing around them. Thomas felt it in his chest, a deep vibration that told him she was closing in fast, and something far worse was about to happen.
Then the floor split open behind them.
A deafening crash shook the tunnels as the subway entrance gave way. Concrete and metal tore apart, pieces flying across the corridor like shrapnel.
The Queen Bee forced her way through the wreckage, her enormous body tearing through walls and crushed train carriages that blocked her path. Support beams snapped under her weight as she pushed forward, each movement shaking the tunnel. Her limbs stabbed into the walls for balance, mandibles clacking in rage while the glowing sacs on her back flared with violent light.
Behind her, more Fades swarmed out from the shattered tunnels, flooding the area as she advanced.
Thomas didn't wait. "RUN!"
The survivors sprinted toward the entrance, stumbling over broken pavement and falling debris. The Glint warriors formed a barrier around them, holding the line as the Fades closed in.
Vell and Gale moved with the Orphans, guiding the survivors toward the exit as fast as they could. Dante's elite guards and several Blood Creed fighters covered the flanks, cutting down anything that got through to keep the path clear.
Behind them, Thomas, Iris, Bryan, Nevin, and Dante stayed back, holding the rear.
Iris, Bryan, and Nevin struck with precision, blades and wings slicing through the fog. Thomas stood firm, breaking through anything in his path, while Dante ripped through the Fades with sheer force.
The tunnel roared with the sound of cracking shells, clashing steel, and the Queen Bee's furious cries shaking everything around them.
But she didn't stop. She was closing in.
Her enormous body lunged forward, razor limbs tearing through the tunnel floor as she pushed herself faster. Every shriek from her mouth drove the swarm to attack harder, the ground trembling under her charge.
The subway exit was finally in sight.
Thomas clenched his fists. "This isn't gonna be easy."
He was the last one out, shoving one final survivor up the broken steps before turning back toward the fog.
Then the shaking grew stronger. The sound of twisted steel and breaking concrete filled the air.
A guttural screech erupted behind them, so loud it split the ground open and sent cracks racing up the tunnel walls.
The Queen Bee didn't stop at the exit. She crashed straight into it, destroying everything in her path. The tunnel collapsed around her as she forced her massive body upward, tearing through walls, trains, and concrete.
With a thunderous explosion, the entire entrance gave way.
Debris blasted outward, a wave of dust filling the air as stone and steel rained down across the street. From the wreckage, she rose.
The Queen Bee pulled herself out of the ground, her monstrous body breaking through to the surface near the entrance. Her glowing sacs pulsed with rage, mandibles twitching, and her blade-like limbs stabbed into the cracked pavement with each step.
Behind her, Fades poured from the gaping hole she had created, spilling into the open like an unleashed swarm from a shattered hive.
Thomas turned, eyes widening as the ground behind him split open again. A deafening roar tore through the fog.
"RUN!"
The word ripped out of him like instinct.
The survivors didn't hesitate. They sprinted toward the distant lights of the safe zone, their footsteps pounding against the broken pavement.
There was no time to breathe, no time to look back. The world behind them was breaking apart, and the only choice left was to run.