Solo Cultivating in Superhero Academy
Chapter 77: The mummy returns

Chapter 77: The mummy returns

The Hive Queen stood in the center of the vast, chamber-like clearing, her monstrous form nearly ten meters tall.

Her exoskeleton shimmered black and green, coated in metal-hard carapace that reflected the ambient light like polished steel.

Her face was a horror—multi-eyed, antennae twitching, and a jaw that dripped sizzling venom.

And around her...

Dozens of insectoid guardians.

Each one like a knight—taller than a man, plated in thick armor, their arms replaced with serrated scythes or glowing energy blades, their wings humming low and fast.

Then, without warning—

The Hive Queen screeched.

And the battle began.

Elius launched forward, his flying swords zooming ahead in a cross-formation.

Clang! Clang! Clang!

The blades bounced off the Hive Queen’s exoskeleton, sparks flying. Not even a scratch.

Clint pulled both pistols and fired six shots.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

The bullets hit—but again, the insectoids merely hissed, then charged forward. One swatted a bullet mid-air with a casual flick of its scythe.

Balkan’s worms lunged for the Hive Queen’s legs, trying to burrow through.

They couldn’t. The exoskeleton was simply too thick.

Monkaar’s echo strikes did little more than make them stagger.

Elius floated above, watching with calm intensity.

"We’re not making a dent," Clint muttered, sweating.

Monkaar was panting. "It’s like punching steel walls!"

Balkan growled. "Even my worms can’t dig through. This thing... it’s built like a war tank."

"Fall back!" Elius barked.

The group retreated into the hallway, sealing the door momentarily with a burst of spiritual force.

They sat in silence.

Breathing heavily.

Their bodies bruised, their minds racing.

Elius was already forming theories.

"The Hive Queen’s exoskeleton is reinforced... like steel alloy, but naturally grown. Same with her guardians. They’re covered in armor resistant to elemental and kinetic attacks."

Clint reloaded and leaned against the wall. "But my bullets—some of them cracked a few joints. Did you see that?"

Elius nodded. "Yours pierced, but only when you hit very precise points. Knees. Shoulder joints. Weak spots."

Balkan clenched his fists. "So what, we let Clint do all the damage?"

"No," Elius said. "We support. We have to expose those weak spots, force the guardians into positions where Clint can deliver the blow."

Monkaar nodded. "I can use my echo punches to force them to stagger. Balkan’s worms can trap them. We create openings."

Elius’s eyes burned.

"And once the Hive Queen is vulnerable..." He clenched his fist, spiritual energy leaking from his arm like steam. "I’ll finish it with the Sand Tomb."

For the first time, the four of them stood in unity. Their plan was aligned. Roles set. Strategy clear.

"Let’s go," Elius said.

They turned back to the gate, hands clenched, spirits high—

And froze.

Because the door was already open.

And standing inside the boss room...

Was something new.

Something that hadn’t been there before.

A tall, hunched figure cloaked in brown rags, its face hidden beneath a veil of sand.

The Mummy had returned.

A war drum of buzzing vibrated through the walls, as if the very hive itself was screaming. But none of it compared to the wailing—the bone-shaking, marrow-curdling howls of the mummy.

The creature lurched forward, rags flapping wildly as it hurled itself toward the Hive Queen with berserker fury.

Its arms split at the elbows, unraveling into tendrils of bandage, each one twitching with spiritual agony.

Its mouth opened wide—too wide—its throat glowing red, as if some molten furnace had been ignited within.

The Hive Queen responded instantly.

She reared her massive head, antennae twitching madly, and lunged. Her guardians formed a living wall around her, a glimmering phalanx of armor and chitin, but the mummy didn’t care. It howled, a raspy screech that echoed through the forest and seemed to rattle the bones of the living.

"RRRRHHHGGGRRRRHHAAAAAAAKKK!"

BOOM!

It slammed into the front line, tearing one insectoid in half. Its clawed fingers dug into the armor, yanking it open with ferocious speed. Green blood burst from the wound like a geyser. The Hive Guardians retaliated immediately—three scythe-arms slashing at once, carving chunks out of the mummy’s chest.

"RRAAAAKKH!!" the mummy howled, its body contorting like a tortured puppet. Sand spilled from the open wounds instead of blood, pouring like a river. But it didn’t stop.

It leapt, spiraling mid-air like a cyclone of pain, and crashed into another insect warrior. Its claws drove deep into the guardian’s thorax and pulled something out—a pulsating, green heart. The mummy devoured it, screaming as sparks burst from its cracked mask.

The Hive Queen unleashed her fury.

From her mouth, a jet of electric-green acid sprayed forward, blanketing the battlefield. The mummy spun, but it couldn’t dodge completely. The corrosive bile slammed into its left side.

"GGGRRRRAAAAAAHHHHH!!"

The scream that followed was inhuman.

Its body smoked and crackled. Flesh—or what little remained—peeled away like burnt paper. The arm that took the brunt of the acid snapped off, crashing to the floor in a heap of smoking cloth and bone. The mummy stumbled, twisted in agony, but still, it moved.

It hurled its own severed arm at a Hive Guardian’s face.

BOOM!

The explosion of sand and spirit energy sent chitin flying.

The Hive Queen roared and darted forward, all four of her clawed limbs stabbing out like spears. The mummy tried to dodge, but she was faster. A scythe leg pierced its chest, lifting it off the ground. Its body wriggled violently, then went limp.

"No way..." Clint muttered, eyes wide.

"It’s... it’s dying?" Monkaar whispered, his fists trembling.

Balkan shook his head. "No, it can’t be this easy. That thing—"

And then, it happened.

The Hive Queen opened her jaws wide.

The mummy’s limp body hung skewered on her claw—and she swallowed it whole.

"What the hell?!" Clint cried out.

Even Elius stepped back. "It... just ate it?"

Balkan’s worms curled defensively around him, hissing nervously.

Monkaar was frozen.

The Hive Queen stood tall, mandibles twitching, her distended neck twitching grotesquely as the mummy slid down her throat.

Then... silence.

No scream. No sound. Just the Hive Queen’s glowing eyes, staring at them.

Elius narrowed his eyes. Something about this wasn’t right. The mummy had been tracking them. Had been relentless. Now it was gone, swallowed whole? Just like that?

It felt wrong.

But he said nothing.

Instead, he stepped forward and raised a hand, palm glowing faintly.

"It doesn’t matter," he said. "We have an opening."

The Hive Queen swayed, her body slightly twitching from the damage she had taken in the brutal brawl.

"She’s weakened," Elius said firmly. "This is our chance. I won’t waste it."

He looked back at his team, a glint of mad resolve in his eyes. "Let’s take her down."

And so began the true battle.

Elius shot upward, riding his five flying swords like ascending steps.

Each blade spun around him like a celestial storm, humming with spiritual force.

With a command, all five shot forward like lightning bolts—targeting the joints, underarms, and neck of the Hive Queen.

Clint raised his pistols—but this time, his fingers split into six, revealing six barrels on each digit. He took aim, concentrating hard.

"Six Finger Style: Rapid Orbit Barrage!"

The guns fired simultaneously—twelve streams of bullet-force ripping through the air like meteor showers.

The sound was deafening. Each bullet carved into the Hive Queen’s shoulder, chipping her armor and slowing her response time.

Balkan raised both hands.

The ground shook. Cracks spidered out from beneath him.

"Come forth—Titan Dreadworms!"

BOOM!

BOOM!

BOOM!

Three massive forms burst out from the ground. Each was the size of a bus, plated with rocky scale-like armor and glowing green veins.

They screeched, their mouths wide with spinning fangs, and charged forward with explosive momentum.

They slammed into the Hive Queen’s legs like siege battering rams.

"Hold her down!" Balkan bellowed.

The Hive Queen thrashed, clawing wildly. Her guardians tried to intercept—but that’s when Monkaar moved.

He stepped forward, fists glowing with orange seismic light.

"Earth Echo Vibration: Second Collapse!"

He punched the ground.

BOOOOOM!

A wave of resonance shook the air, the frequency designed to shatter insectoid armor.

Four guardians staggered back, their chestplates cracking. One dropped to the floor, twitching, its insides fried by internal vibrations.

Elius gritted his teeth.

"Good. Keep her pinned!"

He swung both hands down.

"Sword Rain!"

His five flying blades split into fifty smaller fragments—each one a streak of light, a comet of divine edge.

They rained down in a storm of steel, slicing through the guardians and forcing the Hive Queen to crouch, her wings folding inward to shield herself.

Clint activated his final technique.

"Six Finger Style: Penetrating Spiral!"

He combined all twelve pistols into one, forming a spinning cannon at the center of his chest.

BOOOOOOM!

The bullet that emerged was so fast it left a sonic boom. It slammed into the Hive Queen’s neck and drilled, sparking violently against the thick carapace—until finally, crack—it pierced.

The Hive Queen screamed—a high, sharp, alien sound. Her body jerked wildly.

Balkan’s worms climbed her back, latching on and biting into the exposed wound. Acidic venom oozed from their mouths.

Monkaar charged again, fists vibrating faster.

"Earth Echo Vibration: Collapse Wave—Third Form!"

Both fists punched her side.

BANG! BANG!

Cracks spidered through her abdomen.

Elius reformed his swords and rose higher, standing on a single blade above her crown.

He raised both hands.

"SAND TOMB!"

BOOOOOOOM!

Columns of sandstone erupted from beneath the Queen and her remaining guards. Her legs were sealed. Her torso encased.

The guards screeched as they were yanked down into the earthen prison.

The sand rose higher—wrapping, tightening, suffocating.

Elius clenched his fist.

"BURY HER!"

The tomb collapsed inward, the sand condensing like stone, forming a perfect cube.

A beat of silence.

Then, it cracked.

A final screech escaped—

THUMP.

The massive Hive Queen toppled forward, crashing into the dirt, her massive frame split and smoking.

The Hive Guardians dropped beside her, motionless, their antennae still.

Dust settled.

The battlefield was silent.

The Queen was dead.