Then a rumble shook the ground under his feet. They could feel the screams of pain and death from the wild bugs beyond what their eyes would allow them to see. Something was coming, something really powerful. Will it be friend or enemy? Were they the defenders of King's Pass? Had they survived and returned with the magnificent news that the savage horde had been wiped out? Nothing of that. Who was destroying the enemy rear was none other than Hornet herself, now with a force that was beyond her comprehension.

Hornet walked slowly among the hundreds of corpses he left behind as he brandished his needle. Bursts of black energy ejected from his body at his will, embracing enemies and taking their lives with just a thought. A dark aura surrounded her, as if it were death itself, an aura that seemed to suck the soul out of any insect that got too close to it. They could all notice the obvious change. Its large size, worthy of a monarch. Her weaver legs, and now her four eyes, gave her the look of the queen of the deep nest, and the spiders did not hesitate to bow their heads when Hornet passed by.

Quirrel: - Hornet? What happened? - He asked in shock when he saw his new appearance, knowing the reason for the radical change.

Hornet: - "No sacrifice is too great." -

Iselda and Cornifer: - Hornet... - They murmured worriedly in a corner.

Hornet: - They will open the temple. I'm going in. -

Moth: - That's crazy. If he enters he will not be able to... -

Mina: - Do what she says. - He interrupted his peer, knowing the power that he now carried inside him, and the black amulet that hung on his chest.

The moths made a breach in the lifesage shield containing the infection, large enough for Hornet to gain access without having to tilt his head. The monarch solemnly approached the lament, but before entering the interior, she stopped to say a few last words.

Hornet: -Quirrell. - The insect looked still without leaving the state of shock in which it was. - Whatever happens, I leave the fate of Hallownest in your hands. -

Quirrel: - Wh... What? No. You can't go... You must... you must... - He said as a lump rose in his throat.

Hornet: -Quirrel. I count on you. -

The teacher had no choice but to swallow all the words that were stuck in his throat. He saw Hornet's resolve, and though he didn't want to accept it, he had no choice but to take on the responsibility entrusted to him. Stifling a desperate attempt at agony, Quirrel lowered his head to hide his dying face, only to kneel before the monarch.

Quirrel: - At your command. Your Majesty. -

Following these words, all those present knelt before Hornet, the queen of Hallownest and her most beloved regent despite the short time she was on the throne. For the first time in history, it was possible to see the deep nest dwellers shed tears of pain for what was to happen. They already had a queen and a king, and they had been left destitute for a long time. The thought of suffering the same fate again tore at their hearts, for after all Hornet was their rightful queen, inherited from Herrah. But the promise they made to him would not be violated, they would keep peace with the rest of Hallownest, no matter who occupied the white throne of the kingdom.

The bees suffered the same fate, although not many outside the hive knew the true reason. They viewed Hornet as their monarch, since their former queen, Vespa, never had issue. Although it was not strange to see little Hornet playing inside the hive a long time ago, after all, it was Vespa herself who welcomed her as her daughter, and even gave her her name. Hornet, the daughter of three queens.

Despite the pain that it gave them to see Hornet enter the interior of the Black Egg temple, they all showed respect during their departure. They all knew what was going to happen. They were all aware of the sacrifice she was willing to offer for the good of all. May the annals of history never forget you, Hornet, queen of queens and kings.

Once her silhouette disappeared from everyone's sight, Hornet found herself in front of the cracked door that used to contain the Hollow Knight. With a movement of his needle, he slit the casing that formed it, giving access to the enormous dark temple that contained the worst of his nightmares. She could feel that luminous, toxic aura trying to corrupt her body and mind, but she had a power inside her that wouldn't give in to such nonsense.

He took the first step of many, slowly entering the interior of the temple, a place so dark that he could barely see where he was going to put his feet. The only thing he could appreciate were those shiny seals made of weavers' cloth, vain attempts by the Pale King to contain the infection, but useless against the power of the Radiance. Finally he saw the light at the end of the tunnel, which led to a chamber that gave him a chill just looking inside.

The place was not very big, and there were strong metal chains everywhere, covered by strong magic web seals. A gloomy environment invaded by an orange miasma that suffocated his breathing, and right in the middle, surrounded by dozens of chains, was the knight, contained as if he were a terrible wild beast.

The knight, now taking the place of the first Hollow Knight, kept his gaze focused on the floor to try and keep the Blaze in check, but to no avail. His power was too strong, and his own soul could barely contain this exorbitant almighty being that was trying to escape from his mundane prison with all his might. Then he felt Hornet's footsteps approaching.

The knight raised his head, only to see Hornet's face just inches from his own, showing a smile he had been longing to see.

Knight: - Hor... net. - He said with a very weak and almost dying voice.

Hornet was surprised to hear his brother's voice, for he did not believe a Hallow Knight could even speak. Maybe seeing was true, maybe it wasn't as empty as she thought. Maybe you see if there was something alive inside. But he didn't have time to dwell on it, so he took his needle and broke all the chains that held him back.

One by one, the metal chains gave way to Hornet's spire, bursting violently as the magical seals frayed in the wind. As the last of the chains succumbed to the needle's edge, Hornet stepped back, waiting for the rest of the seals to collapse from lack of support.

One by one, the chains that covered the knight's body began to break into a thousand pieces, fragments of metal that flew dangerously in all directions, although Hornet did not even move in the face of such a threat, because for his current body, those were barely pinpricks of a pin. The last of the seals finally collapsed, leaving the knight free, while the Radiance could be seen trying to escape through the screams in his mask.

But something was different. Hornet could not define the reason, but it seemed that the constant fight against the Radiance had mutated the body of the knight. By the time he was able to stand up, he was almost as big as Hornet's current form, and maybe even a bit taller, but not quite as tall as the original Hollow Knight. Putting it in perspective, the three of them were only a few millimeters apart in size, with Hornet being the shortest of all. The knight was stronger, too, and his defined body had long since ceased to be the childlike form Hornet had known. He was quite the warrior, and Hornet was ready to face him with all her might. But what happened next left her in shock.

The knight rose to his feet, picking up the ancient pure stinger he used to use from the ground, though now it seemed barely a razor next to his massive body. Still, it was an exceedingly powerful and sharp weapon, capable of cutting even deeper than flesh. Hornet couldn't rely on her size, or she could prove deadly. She was even able to taste a fraction of his edge when the knight was just developing, she didn't want to see what he was capable of now.

But unlike what she thought, the knight took her stinger and wedged it over her hand, driving it so hard into the ground that it should be impossible for even the mighty Ogrim to pull it out. Hornet looked in shock, trying to understand what was going on. It was then that the knight looked up, one of his eyes still unconsumed by the Radiance.

Gentleman: - Do... it. - He said with muffled words.

Hornet understood everything in an instant. The knight was still struggling to maintain control of his body over the Radiance. He thrust his own hand at will to stay still, submissive in a kneeling position so as not to pose much of a threat to Hornet. Putting the sting in with such brutality, even he would have a hard time getting it back. That was a clear opening.

Hornet approached, holding the dream needle in his hand. A weapon capable of cutting the veil of dreams, and entering a dimension beyond anyone could understand. A dimension that the Radiance could shape to its will. He brandished the soulblade weapon, and plunged it right into the middle of the knight's mask, transferring his soul to that strange plane that he couldn't quite understand.

His body went limp, devoid of consciousness just like the knight's. As if they were two statues of meat and exoskeleton. The Radiance was not something tangible, not something he could cut with the edge of his needle. If they wanted to defeat him, they had to kill him at his own game. I had to kill him once and for all in the dream world, the world of dreams.