Chapter 1612: Chapter 1612

The Hive Queen swiftly absorbed her surrounding domain, growing larger and more monstrous, firing countless beams from her giant jewel-like eyes.

Yet Maria raised her hand slowly, commanding the ocean around her to form towering barriers of flowing black water.

BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!

The black void absorbed all the damage and spiraled into a towering mass of black void tears, roaring like a ferocious dragon.

"So… as I said earlier…" Maria smiled, her Anubis helmet shattering to reveal her face, no longer consumed by grief but radiating anguished fury, smiling fiercely while tears streamed down her cheeks. "I turned my strongest emotion into my power… No, not just my emotion, it's… everything I've ever been. I am quite literally… Sorrow itself, and I'll ensure everyone feels this emotion. Lacking it has created countless monsters across this tower. You don't know suffering, grief, loneliness… or sorrow. You only know victories. You only know how to destroy and revel in the destruction you cause. I am the one who will teach you what suffering is."

"UGH! WON'T YOU SHUT UP?! YOU DON'T DESERVE SUCH POWER! YOU ARE NOTHING BUT AN EMOTIONAL MESS! IF I HAD IT, I WOULD USE IT FAR BETTER THAN YOU! I WOULD—GAAAH?!"

BOOOM! BOOOM! BOOOM! BOOOM!

In that moment, the Hive Queen learned suffering, as her ethereal body was riddled with holes, spiraling spears of black void tears piercing her entire being.

A roaring dragon descended, opening its jaws and tearing through her head.

Paralyzed by fear, she could not move, watching her form slowly shred to pieces.

"Undeserving? Were you even listening to me? This power wouldn't exist if I hadn't forged it from my suffering, the very emotions you deem a weakness…" Maria sighed, shaking her head. "I let you evolve to teach you a lesson, but does it even matter? You are dying, and when you die, all the power you hoarded for your selfish goals will become mine. So thank you, Hive Queen."

"GAAAAAHHH! AAAAGGGHH! NO…! NOOOOO!"

The Hive Queen screamed in agony, shedding black tears of sorrow as she tried to crawl away from Maria's endless ocean of black void tears.

She drowned in the black sea, overwhelmed by the boundless grief, sorrow, and suffering of all her victims—millions of lives, including every Zodiacron she had devoured over the past three hundred years.

Maria's soothing voice echoed through the endless abyss until the darkness consumed the Hive Queen completely.

The Hive Queen ceased to exist.

The chaotic skies cleared instantly as a spiraling black hole opened in Maria's chest, absorbing the devastation left behind.

The remaining Hive members panicked. Both of their colonies were gone, and now their rulers were destroyed.

Without direction, they became mindless insects, scuttering aimlessly and screeching.

The Zodiacrons swiftly began slaying them with greater efficiency.

Simultaneously, Quick Hare defeated Drakogon, enabling her to help her people reclaim their hope.

A surge of golden light erupted from the ground as the Rabbit Zodiacron ascended into the skies. The Zodiacrons cheered, celebrating the fall of both the Hive Queen and Drakogon.

"Come on, Quick Hare, it's your time to shine. Lead your people."

Maria's voice whispered into Quick Hare's mind through her newly acquired and enhanced Psychic Abilities. Quick Hare looked skyward, seeing Maria in her base form, smiling at her.

Quick Hare felt a surge of emotion. The Hive Queen was vanquished, and Maria had accomplished something extraordinary, freeing Zodiacron Prime from a menace that had threatened their existence for centuries.

She wanted to thank Maria; to embrace her and express how much she owed her… but her gaze shifted to the Zodiacrons, confused and still battling the few hundred remaining Hive insectoids. Meanwhile, Drakogon's allies, Stryphex and Gravox, were caught in the fray, attempting to slip away.

"Vyperion! Gallotron! Take these, equip them!"

Quick Hare flew toward her seniors, handing them a pair of Golden Cores—cubes crafted from refined Zodiac Stones and hundreds of Zodiac Cores stolen by Drakogon.

"Do it! We can't let those two escape, and they have cores too!" Quick Hare urged.

Vyperion and Gallotron exchanged nods, equipping the Golden Cores into their chests. A golden power surged through their bodies.

Their Auras flared, manifesting as a snake and a horse of golden flames, their glowing white eyes fixed on the duo.

"Awaken your dormant power, heir of the Snake!"

"Unleash your true strength, heir of the Horse!"

They roared, merging with the Zodiacrons and imbuing them with tremendous power. Both achieved hybrid forms, blending their Zodiac Beast and Humanoid Forms.

The trio charged Stryphex and Gravox. Drakogon's lieutenants panicked, hurling Zodiacrons at them to slow their advance. New ɴᴏᴠᴇʟ ᴄhapters are published on novelꞁire.net

Quick Hare manipulated her Aura, gently redirecting the launched Zodiacrons to safety.

"You two! Where do you think you're going?!"

"We won't let you escape!"

Stryphex and Gravox tried to flee, but a massive barrier of water halted them, summoned by Alma, who had caught up and rushed to assist.

From within the water, Nyx and Celes emerged, striking the Zodiacrons. Celes wielded a giant fist of spiraling ocean water, while Nyx attacked with her sharp claws.

The impact sent Stryphex and Gravox flying toward Quick Hare, Vyperion, and Gallotron, who seized them. They delivered a brutal beating, shattering their armor, claws, and horns. The golden cores in their chests were seized, leaving them humiliated but alive.

"P-Please spare me! I was only following orders!" Stryphex pleaded.

"Drakogon was the real tyrant! We were too scared to defy him. He would've killed us!" Gravox said.

"Hmph, is that so?" Quick Hare said, crossing her arms. "We'll question you later. For now, we'll lock you both in the underground prison… And while we're at it, we'll free the imprisoned people for rebelling against Drakogon."

"We once thought they were madmen," Vyperion said with a sigh.

"But it seems they were right all along. How unfortunate," Gallotron added.

"For now…" Quick Hare's serious expression softened as she noticed Maria and her family approaching, beaming with bright smiles. "Ah! Maria! Everyone! You're back!"