The Hive moved like a storm of alloy.
Tentacles crashed through the skyline, smashing through buildings and camps alike before dragging the wreckage screaming into the central mass. Human barricades vanished. Alien artillery disappeared. Entire streets folded inward like paper thrown into a furnace.
And through all of it—
Tom weaved.
Fast.
Red light streaked between strikes as another tendril slammed down where he'd been a second earlier.
BOOM.
The street collapsed beneath the impact.
Tom twisted mid-air and fired.
Red energy spiralled from his palm into the central mass—
Then vanished.
Absorbed.
"…Fuck's sake," he mumbled under his breath.
The Hive pulsed.
The blast travelled through its body harmlessly before the damage sealed over instantly. Spiders crawled over ruptured plating and rebuilt it within seconds.
Another tentacle swung.
Tom ducked beneath it as the other entity flew in from above, both hands glowing violet.
He slammed twin blasts downward.
The explosion swallowed one of the creature's heads—
Then spiders flooded back over it.
Reforming.
Again.
The other guy pulled back beside Tom, breathing heavily.
"Dammit!" he snapped. "Nothing we do seems to faze it."
A tendril shot between them.
Both dodged in opposite directions.
"And every time I destroyed it before," George continued, "it just came back stronger."
Tom blasted another incoming limb away before it regenerated instantly. For a moment, exhaustion clawed at him. He wasn't even entirely sure why he was still fighting. He never found much joy in this city, or any city for that matter, and if there was one thing he wished it would destroy was that god-forsaken office building full of data entry marketeers who thought they were the hot shit.
But something inside drove him, something buried. Yet even so, there was a hollow feeling inside—a feeling like, maybe this thing can't be beaten. But he forced the thought down.
What good would worrying about that do?
"It's like a boxing match," he muttered. "It's tiring us out before finishing us."
Purple looked toward him.
"…So we're finished?"
Tom frowned.
"Nah."
Another strike.
They split apart again.
Tom's mind raced as he blasted through another wave of spiders. He replayed the Hive's moves in his mind: every blast they'd unleashed, every limb they had crushed, the way the spiders always rebuilt from the outside in.
There had to be something.
Everything has a weak point.
A heart.
A brain.
A core.
Then—
"Maybe there's a core," Tom yelled suddenly, as if it jumped past his brain. "Like a heart somewhere we need to destroy."
The purple entity blocked a tentacle with both forearms.
"But where? I've destroyed its whole body already."
Tom's eyes narrowed.
"...Maybe it's external," he said, his voice gaining confidence.
George glanced toward him.
"What?"
"Where did it come from?"
"The university, but—"
"So go in there and find it."
The boy blinked.
"…What about you?"
Tom grinned.
"I'll keep ugly bollocks occupied."
Another roar shook the air.
Tom cracked his neck.
"We can't exactly let this thing roam free, can we?"
The being stared at the monstrosity towering over the city.
Then back at Tom.
"…You can't take this thing on your—"
A beam split the sky.
Both looked up.
A massive alien capital ship hovering above Grossaint fired first. A colossal blue laser slammed into the Hive's body.
Then another ship fired.
Then another.
Beams rained down from every direction.
The Hive groaned in discomfort.
The sound vibrated through the city.
Tom stared upward.
"…Well."
Another explosion lit the clouds.
"Looks like I'm not alone."
George frowned.
"…Didn't they make this thing?"
"Obviously it's gotten too strong for their liking." Tom scoffed. "'Buncha' fuckin' idiots."
The Hive lashed upward at the ships. It sliced clean through one of the smaller ones like butter. Flames erupted as the carcass drifted down to the city below.
"Forget that," Tom snapped. "Go."
The guy hesitated.
Then nodded once—
and shot downward toward the university.
Tom turned back toward the Hive.
The creature roared again.
"…Right then."
Red energy exploded outward.
"Let's dance."
I landed hard outside the university steps.
The MEI soldiers were still there.
"…What the hell are you doing?" I shouted. "Do you not see that thing?!"
One of them folded her arms instantly, and her brown ponytail flapped.
"Well, excuse us for not having magical god powers."
Another guy blinked as his head shot towards her.
"…What are you talking about? Yes, we do."
She pointed at him.
"You know what I mean."
I stared at them.
"Wait—you've got—?"
A tentacle smashed through a nearby building.
The shockwave shook the street.
"…Forget it," I muttered. "Just get out of here. We'll focus on killing that thing."
I didn't wait for an answer.
I flew into the campus.
The corridors blurred around me.
Room after room.
Lecture halls.
Collapsed classrooms.
Blood.
Bodies.
Empty.
I smashed through another door.
Nothing.
Another.
Nothing.
My breathing tightened. Patches of flesh and cloth appeared in flashes all over my body still. So much fighting. When will this end?
"What the hell am I even looking for?"
Silence answered me.
Then—
I stopped.
I began to recognise where I was. Just down the corridor was the same classroom I woke up in this hell. This hall was the same one I walked through before entering—
The bathroom.
It was a mere gut feeling, but maybe there was something there. It was where I first saw them after all.
I stepped inside slowly.
My aura lit the whole room instantly. The mirror was cracked now. Dust coated the sink. Blood stained the floor against the door. The basin was barely clinging to the wall. I stepped in front of it—in front of the mirror—exactly as before—
And remembered.
The spider.
The one that crawled onto me.
I looked down at my hand.
The aura unveiled like a shore at night.
It was slightly swollen, and the flesh around a mark was discoloured. A bite mark. How long was it like that? It sent a shiver down my spine thinking about how I've gone so long without even realising. I stared at it for a long time, and as if responding to me, I could've sworn—
It pulsed.
The ground rumbled.
Outside, the Hive slammed another camp into itself.
Human.
Alien.
Didn't matter.
Eventually—
Everything would become a part of it.
Himiko stared upward. Her arms were tightly crossed as her foot tapped against the floor in a quick rhythm. Until she stopped herself suddenly.
There was something gnawing at her mind. Nothing about this made sense. What kind of invasion would involve creating a creature that could overpower them?
All she could say was—
"…Why would they create something like that?"
Aiko answered quietly beside her.
"How do you kill a god?"
The Hive roared overhead.
"You create your own."
Kaoru snorted weakly.
"And this is what you get."
It still didn't add up in Himiko's head. The single piece of the puzzle that left an agonising gap in her mind: Why were they going after the entity? What did he do? She had to get to the bottom of this, and the first step was to identify him.
Her eyes wandered.
Nearby, the girl who stepped out of the university with him was sitting beside Miko's unconscious body, staring upward at the battle. But strangely, her face didn't portray fear; it looked as though she felt completely safe—protected.
It caught Himiko's attention instantly as her frown lowered a touch. Slowly, she walked over to her.
"You know him?"
The girl looked toward her, one brow raised slightly. She seemed slightly hesitant to respond, so Himiko pointed toward the campus.
"The purple one."
She answered too quickly—
"No."
—Which caused Himiko's eyes to narrow slightly.
"…Okay."
She sat beside her anyway. Miko lay peacefully in front of them, breathing gently. Above them, the red entity streaked through the sky, blasting chunks from the Hive while alien warships bombarded it from orbit.
"He saved me once," Himiko said quietly.
The girl blinked.
"Really?"
Himiko nodded slowly.
"Back in Nepon."
The girl's eyes widened instantly.
"Oh my God… you were there?"
"Yeah."
The memory returned immediately. The collapsed buildings; the running; Obayashi, Sato, Tanaka alive one minute, pulp below a giant pod the next. She felt so hopeless. Every time she thinks about it—as much as she tries not to—she shudders. But then—
Those Purple swirls.
"I was just a police officer back then," Himiko continued. "Those four-armed monsters were everywhere."
Another explosion shook the city.
"One of them was inches away from me, staring at me with hunger in its eyes."
Himiko's blood ran cold.
"Then he came… and killed them like it was nothing."
The girl listened carefully. Wide-eyed. Something about this girl intrigued her. She was definitely involved in some way—she knew him; her body language told her all she needed to know.
"…What's your name?" Himiko asked suddenly.
"Er—Krista Hopkins, ma'am."
"Kurista…?"
The girl smirked. Himiko responded with a faint smile.
"I'm Himiko Suzuki. Nice to meet you."
"You too, Himiko."
Static suddenly burst from Himiko's radio.
Krista nearly jumped.
A feminine voice cut through the static.
"Himi...…you…ear me…?"
Himiko grabbed it instantly.
"This is Himiko Suzuki—hello?! Can you hear me?"
More static.
Then—
"Thi...…koto, we're...…way now…"
Himiko's eyes widened.
"Mrs Isamu?!"
"…stay there......ming to you…"
The static faded out. Himiko tightened her grip on the radio before eventually throwing her arm to her side.
Krista looked toward her.
"What's going on?"
Himiko stood immediately.
"Stay here. We're being evacuated."
Her feet pounded against the tiled floor as she hurried over toward Kaoru and Aiko.
"I just got contacted by Mrs Isamu—"
Aiko blinked.
"Whoa, comms are back?"
"Not fully—there was a lot of static," Himiko said. "But they're coming."
Kaoru looked toward the skyline.
"They've gotta drive through that?"
Himiko smiled slightly despite herself.
"Just like the Void, isn't it?"
Kaoru snorted.
"I don't know what it is about you…"
The smile faded quickly.
"Hurry up," Himiko said. "Aiko, gather the survivors. Kaoru, go tell Harden."
Aiko saluted lazily.
"You got it, Mimi."
They split apart immediately.
Himiko looked back toward Miko.
Still asleep.
Still breathing.
Time passed strangely after that.
The Hive and the two entities tore through the skyline while alien ships bombarded the city endlessly overhead.
Then finally—
Engines.
Convoy lights appeared through the ruined streets.
Armoured vans.
Gurkhas.
MEI transports.
Makoto had arrived.
"EVERYONE MOVE!" Harden shouted. "GET IN—GET IN!"
The evacuation began immediately.
One by one, the vehicles filled.
Himiko and Krista carried Miko together toward one of the vans. The door slid open. Inside, the soldiers dropped everything and carefully grabbed Miko.
"Krista," she said, "look after Miko. This convoy will get you to a shelter."
Krista looked toward her.
"…What about you?"
Himiko shook her head.
"We've still got unfinished business."
Krista nodded slowly as she placed one foot into the van's interior—stopping to look back at Himiko.
"…Stay safe."
"You too."
The van doors shut, and after a moment, it drove away. Fingers crossed at her sides, Himiko watched as the convoy drove through. Above them, the Hive remained focused entirely on the red entity.
Makoto leaned from another vehicle.
"Himiko! Move!"
"Coming!"
Himiko started toward the van—
Then stopped.
"There's a hotel a few blocks over," she said quickly. "One of the entities shot down an alien shuttle earlier, and that's where it landed."
Makoto frowned.
"You've done enough already. We can send another squad—"
"It's fine," Himiko interrupted. "Let's go."
Makoto sighed.
"…If you insist."
The van lurched forward.
Aiko watched the skyline nervously.
"What if they can't kill it?"
Kaoru didn't even hesitate.
"Then we're fucked."
Aiko stared at him.
"…Wow. Nice."
Kaoru shrugged.
"What, are you seriously worried? You saw the one from the Void—what he did—"
The Hive roared somewhere overhead.
"—These things are basically gods."
Aiko looked down briefly.
"…Yeah."
She twiddled with her thumbs.
"But this feels different."
Kaoru looked back upward. The mass' eyes darted, trying to follow the red entity that soared around it like a satellite. But suddenly, one of the Hive's massive heads slowly turned.
Then stopped.
Kaoru froze.
It was looking at him—he knew it. He couldn't explain it, but he had this feeling like a key had unlocked a door deep inside of him, releasing a wave of heat across his body. Their eyes had linked.
His stomach dropped instantly.
"…I think it's looking at us."
Aiko frowned.
"What are you ta—"
The Hive moved.
A pillar of spiders dropped from the sky.
Fast.
Straight toward them.
Aiko grabbed Kaoru instantly out of pure instinct.
Kaoru didn't make another move, his eyes remained locked onto the Hive's and as he did so—
The pillar slowed to a halt. Dust particles suspended in the air, and the car stopped moving.
A darkness enveloped the world.