Mutation

"Relax." The elder's voice resounded. Calm—without a trace of panic. "Do you think the Queen has been defeated? Fools. If it were that easy to destroy, I wouldn't have wasted decades resurrecting it."

Just as his words echoed across the chamber, a sharp, grinding grrrrk came from the crystal orb. The sound was unnatural—like bone scraping against metal. All eyes snapped to the orb.

Inside it, the storm-tossed sky blurred—then refocused.

The Killer Queen Bee was still moving.

Barely.

Its wings were tattered. Its exoskeleton was cracked and scorched from the explosion. The hole in its chest glowed faintly, but its heart—the core that pulsed with monstrous energy—remained intact.

It hissed, fangs bared and vibrating violently.

Then, they saw it.