The hive quaked.
Shards of crystal rained from above as Diamondhead slammed a spiked fist into the hybrid creature's side, sending it crashing through a twisted column of resin. Acid dripped from cracked ceiling sacs, and the smell of burnt flesh mixed with mana-saturated mist.
But the enemy wasn't slowing down.
The evolved humanoid—infused with the Queen's hidden core—rose from the rubble, its runic body glowing with twisted violet energy. A third arm jutted from its back, twitching erratically, while black tendrils squirmed beneath its armor.
It roared, louder and deeper than before.
Riven braced, crystal armor chipping and cracked from the ongoing battle.
"Still standing?" he muttered, exhaling steam. "Then so am I."
The hybrid launched forward, claws like blades. Riven raised a crystalline shield and countered with a rising spike—but the creature ducked, twisted unnaturally, and slammed all three arms into Riven's chest.
The impact sent Diamondhead flying.
He hit the far wall hard, crystals shattering off his back. He groaned, the pain burning deep into his core.
The Omnitrix pulsed on his chest.
Not a warning.
A challenge.
Riven pushed himself up, his breathing ragged.
This form… it had limits.
And this creature had surpassed them.
Riven looked toward the Queen. She remained in the shadows near the central chamber spire—her wings trembling, her mana flaring like a wildfire barely contained.
She was afraid.
And she had every right to be.
Riven placed a hand over the Omnitrix.
"Let's finish this."
He slammed his palm down.
A burst of green light.
His crystalline body vanished.
And in its place—
Heatblast.
Flames exploded across his form, molten fire dancing along his obsidian-black armor. Lava cracks pulsed across his chest and shoulders, and the air around him shimmered with unbearable heat. The hive groaned as the temperature spiked.
Steam burst from the swamp floor. The walls hissed. The ceiling sagged.
"Ready for round two?" Riven growled, his voice echoing like a furnace.
The Queen shrieked.
The hybrid creature paused, hesitation flickering in its glowing eyes.
Riven took a single step—and the floor ignited.
Flames surged outward in a rolling wave, swallowing cocooned bodies, acid sacs, and drones that hadn't yet retreated. The fire danced like a living beast, clinging to walls, climbing to the ceiling, consuming everything in its path.
The Queen flared her wings to fly—
But Riven was faster.
He launched a spiraling fireball into her path, forcing her back. "You're not leaving this time."
She screeched in defiance—but faltered.
She had felt this fire before. She remembered what it had done to her hive.
Riven turned back toward the hybrid.
It rushed forward again.
This time, he was ready.
The first blow he took head-on, absorbing it with his flame-hardened chest. The second, he caught mid-strike—gripping the creature's third arm and twisting it until the joint cracked.
The creature roared.
"Even if you can regenerate," Riven said coldly, "can you keep up?"
He ignited his entire body in a pulse of pure flame.
The creature screeched, stumbling back, trying to recover.
But Riven didn't let up.
He unleashed a focused jet of fire from both palms, blasting the creature into a wall and holding it there. It thrashed and screamed, tendrils burning, armor melting.
Behind him, the hive continued to collapse.
Pillars exploded as heat fractured their cores. Resin dripped like molten wax. Drones scrambled to escape—some burst into flames before they could reach a tunnel.
Riven stomped forward, eyes locked on the Queen.
She hovered near the central spire, wings still glowing.
He hurled twin fireballs upward.
She dodged—but one clipped her wing. She spiraled down, crashing against a half-melted nest.
She rose slowly, hissing.
From behind the smoke, the hybrid lunged once more.
But this time—
Riven turned, sidestepped, and thrust a blazing fist into its core.
The corrupted orb shattered.
The creature screamed, energy leaking from its chest like liquid lightning. It stumbled forward—but Riven grabbed it by the neck and dragged it across the floor, flame scorching every inch.
Then he launched it skyward.
One final fireball—massive, blinding—detonated on contact.
The hybrid disintegrated mid-air, falling to the floor as nothing but scorched bone and molten debris.
The Queen screamed in rage.
Her runes burned brighter.
And she leapt.
Claws flashing, wings cracked, mouth wide.
Riven didn't flinch.
He caught her mid-flight, slamming her into the central spire with an eruption of flame. The hive's core chamber exploded in molten fury.
The Queen wailed.
He pulled back his arm.
"Goodbye."
One final blast from both palms.
Point-blank.
It hit her full force.
The Queen exploded.
Flames engulfed the entire spire, the surrounding walls folding inward from the force. The ceiling collapsed, vines igniting, resin sacs bursting in synchronized chaos.
The hive fell.
Riven dropped to one knee as the dust settled.
Smoke choked the air. Nothing moved.
Just ash.
Flame.
Silence.
The Omnitrix blinked twice—and reverted.
Riven collapsed into human form, panting.
His clothes and relics reformed, scorched and worn.
Nullshift rested in his right hand, faintly glowing.
He looked around.
Everything was gone.
The Queen.
The hybrid.
The drones.
Gone.
The hive had been annihilated.
He forced himself to his feet, swaying.
"That… was round two."
He didn't smile.
Didn't celebrate.
Just breathed.
Exhausted.
But alive.
End of Chapter.
Thank you for reading.
(A/N)["This is a hasty ending because the dungeon arc already feels long. While I was writing, I initially planned to add two more chapters for the final battle, but I realized the arc had gone on long enough—so I decided to wrap it up quickly."]