The fused Queen loomed tall, wings spread wide, glow swallowing everything. Ash swirled thick, the forest bent, the air heavy with her voice.
"Yours ends. Mine begins."
Buzz staggered forward, every step dragging blood into the dirt. His claws shook but stayed raised. Zza bound herself tighter to him, silk fraying at the edges, her claws raw from pulling. Her breath came sharp, uneven, but her voice cut clean.
"Then take us. If you can."
The Queen lunged. Her claw ripped down like fire, splitting the ground. Buzz caught it on his arms, shell cracking further, ichor burning across his body. His knees buckled, but he shoved back with a roar.
Zza screamed his name and lashed silk across the wound in her chest, threads glowing white as she yanked him deeper into the strike. "Push, Buzz! Don't you give her an inch!"
