The Hive Queen emerged from the depths of the subway station, her towering form shifting through the mist like a specter of death. Bob had seen plenty of horrifying creatures in the Pink Fog, but this was something else entirely.
She was massive—easily twice his height, her elongated body reinforced with layers of thick, chitinous plating. The bioluminescent sacs along her spine pulsed in rhythm with her movements, casting an eerie glow over her grotesque figure. Multiple limbs twitched at her sides, the larger ones lined with serrated claws, while the smaller, more delicate ones weaved and curled, as if conducting the air itself.
Her face was the worst part, a twisted fusion of humanoid and insect, her mandibles clicking with an unsettling rhythm as thick, resin-like saliva dripped from her maw. Multiple black, multi-faceted eyes shifted in different directions, scanning the gathered pilgrims, observing them with a cruel intelligence.
Then, she shrieked.
The walls trembled at the sound, the resonance sending vibrations through Bob's chest. It wasn't just a scream… it was a command. The moment it rang out, the insect-like Fades that had been watching from the shadows suddenly moved.
The first victim barely had time to react.
A pilgrim at the front let out a short, startled gasp before something yanked him into the darkness. No one even turned. The march continued.
Then another disappeared.
A woman this time. A clawed limb lashed out from above, hooking into her shoulder and lifting her clean off the ground. A single, wet snap echoed through the chamber, and her limp body vanished into the tunnel ceiling.
Bob had no time to react. The attacks were fast, surgical. The woman had been at the front of the line, far ahead. All he could do was watch her vanish into the dark.
He scanned the walls, then the ceiling. Shadows danced across the tunnel edges, movement without form. Nothing came for him. Not yet.
The Fog Walkers didn't panic. No screaming. No running. Just blind, unwavering devotion.
And as her minions dragged pilgrims into the shadows one by one, Glint transformations began… but only for some. Triggered by long exposure to the Pink Fog… or something worse.
Someone collapsed just a few feet from Bob.
The man hit the ground hard, convulsing, his veins darkening. Muscles bulged, skin hardened, and bone shifted beneath the surface. It was his Glint transformation, but it didn't stop there.
Within seconds, the change twisted beyond its limit. His Glint form distorted, veins blackening further, skin cracking under surging pressure. His eyes glazed over, the glow turning hollow.
He was turning into a Fade. Fast.
Bob lunged without thinking, grabbing the man before the full shift could take hold. The pilgrim's body jerked in his grip, arms elongating, skin cracking as waxy chitin pushed through.
"Fight it!" Bob shouted, gritting his teeth.
But the man didn't resist. He turned his head slowly, smiling with hollow eyes.
"I was chosen," he rasped.
Then the last trace of humanity vanished from his face. His body twisted violently as he slipped free from Bob's grip, limbs bending at unnatural angles. In seconds, he was gone, swallowed by the mist, now a full Fade.
He struck from the dark.
Bob barely dodged as the creature's claws ripped through the resin-coated ground, carving deep into the floor. He let go immediately, stepping back.
And then he looked around.
More were convulsing. Glint forms twisting too far. One by one, they crossed the threshold, losing themselves and becoming Fades. The transformation was spreading. Fast.
That was enough for him.
He turned, already moving. As he did, his body surged with power, the Goliath Glint he had been suppressing since the start of the pilgrimage finally roaring to life. His muscles expanded, his skin hardened, and his towering frame returned in full as he shed his human disguise.
A deafening screech split the air as the Hive Queen reacted to the disruption.
-----
Gale ran, his breath heavy as he pushed through the mist. He had followed Bob's crew, staying just far enough behind to remain unseen. But when Bob transformed, when the screams started, he knew he had to act.
He turned and sprinted up the subway entrance, bursting out from the underground and into the haze of the Pink Fog. Vell was there with the Orphans, along with several of Dante's elite guards, all waiting near the entrance.
"It's bad!" he gasped. "There's a Boss down there… huge one. The pilgrims are being slaughtered or turning into Fades. And Bob… he went Glint and started fighting them!"
Vell's eyes widened, but she didn't hesitate. "We're going in. Now."
Dante's elite guards overheard. One of them stepped forward. "Lord Dante followed the pilgrimage. If the situation has collapsed, he could be in danger."
Another guard nodded sharply. "We need to extract him."
Vell turned toward them, gripping her weapon. "Then we work together. We go in, get as many out as we can, and if we have to fight our way out, so be it."
One of the elite guards straightened. "We can't wait any longer. Move in! Extract Lord Dante and get everyone we can!"
With that, the orphans and elite guards surged forward, their Glint forms igniting as they stormed into the fog.
-----
Deep inside the underground metro, chaos had fully erupted.
Iris, Gabe, and Sly didn't hesitate. The moment Bob transformed, they were already in motion, breaking cover and rushing in after him.
"The Fades are attacking people!" Iris shouted, weaving through the chaos toward Bob's position.
"So that whole 'Fog Walkers don't get attacked' thing was a lie?" Sly called out as he ran beside her.
"It was true… at first," Gabe replied, flying just above them. "That was the bait… to lure more people in."
"The first two pilgrims were a setup," he added grimly. "This is the real event."
Sly narrowed his eyes. "Event?"
"The harvesting," Gabe said, as more victims were dragged into the shadows or twisted mid-transformation into Fades.
Behind them, Dante followed silently. He had heard every word but made no move to fight or protect the panicked survivors scrambling to escape the onslaught.
Panic erupted in the depths of the underground chamber.
Those who had only recently joined the pilgrimage, still thinking for themselves, finally saw the truth and began to run. Fear overtook them as the Fades descended.
But others remained still. The ones with dull, lifeless eyes, completely under the Hive's control, didn't react at all. Even as they were dragged into the shadows one by one, they didn't scream. Didn't fight. Just accepted it.
Bob tore through the growing swarm of insect-like Fades, using his size and strength to carve a path. He grabbed any surviving pilgrim he could reach, shoving them toward the exit.
"MOVE!" he bellowed, knocking one of the creatures aside.
Elise's brother was among those still human but with lifeless eye. He stumbled forward, dazed but alive.
Bob grabbed him by the arm and pulled him along. "Not today, kid."
The Hive Queen let out another ear-splitting screech. The walls trembled as more creatures poured from the tunnels, swarming the area. And then, the Queen herself began to move.
A sharp, unnatural buzz rippled through the swarm as the insect-like Fades responded in unison, their wings vibrating with anticipation.
That was when Bob saw them.
Iris, Sly, and Gabe were the first to reach him, cutting down Fades as they closed in. Gabe swooped overhead, his wings stirring the mist, while Iris's blade carved through the swarm. Sly blinked between enemies, striking fast and vanishing just as quickly.
Farther back, near the subway entrance, Bob spotted Vell and Gale leading the Orphans into the chaos.
Dante's elite guards followed close behind, weapons drawn. And from another tunnel, Graves Security forces and Blood Creed fighters surged in, opening fire and hacking through the encroaching Fades.
"We're getting them out!" Vell shouted.
Bob smirked. "Took you long enough."
Dante emerged next, his Blood Revenant form activated as he ripped through one of the insect-like creatures. His eyes locked onto Bob, irritation flashing behind them. "You're lucky we didn't leave you here."
Bob grinned, slamming a half-transformed Fade into the nearest wall. "Well, look who showed up. Did you get tired of hiding?"
The fight was chaos, but the mission was clear. Get as many people out as possible.
Some were too far gone. Some were already lost. But for the rest, there was still a chance.
They fought, they pulled, they rescued who they could, but the swarm kept coming. The ground rumbled beneath them as the Hive Queen's screech reverberated through the tunnels, shaking loose debris from the cracked ceiling. Bob could feel it, a deep, guttural tremor that signaled something far worse was coming.
Then the ground split apart behind them.
A deafening, bone-rattling boom echoed through the tunnels as part of the subway entrance buckled under the pressure. Chunks of concrete and rusted metal broke loose, spraying across the corridor like shrapnel.
The Hive Queen's massive form surged through the wreckage, her armored body tearing through support beams like paper. Her limbs stabbed into the walls for balance, mandibles clicking wildly, glowing sacs pulsing with frenzied light.
Fades poured past her, flooding out of the tunnels like an unstoppable wave.
Bob didn't hesitate. "RUN!"