"Reiner.. It's been awhile.." Eren whispered.
He looked at Mikasa, who nodded, then at armin, who did the same thing. And threw himself up, and bit his hand.
His titan materialized, his roaring pierced the air, and he squared up with Reiner.
"Scouts!" Erwin yelled, "spread out, get ready for the colossal to appear!"
They all made a big circle, and watched, as Eren and Reiner circled, waiting for who'd make the first move.
"Reiner.." Eren though, "Last time, I nearly had you down, but this time, I will take you out! I need to, for everyone you've killed.. Shigashina district, Wall Rose,Wall Maria, Trost.. My mother."
He roared, stepping in and throwing a hard hook. He used his newfound hardening abilities to harden his two biggest knuckles, right before it connected with his jaw. The impact shattered Reiners armor, cracking his jaw.
Eren jumped back, out of the way of Reiners punch. He hardened the bottom of his foot, and threw it forward, into Reiners kneecap, shattering it, and causing Reiner to fall.
"He doesn't stand a chance! His armor buckles with every hi-"
Eren was cut off, as his leg was grabbed, and he was dragged down by Reiner!
"Shit!" He mentally screamed, as Reiner stood up, crushing his leg.
Next thing he knew, Eren was being slammed against the ground, repeatably.
Mikasa began screaming Erens name, as she watched her boyfriend being slammed down onto the ground over and over.
"Eren!" She screamed, "Please!"
He went limp, and Reiner stopped, dropping Eren.
He laid motionless, and Reiner flipped him over, and went for the nape.
Eren shot his hand to Reiners leg, pulling as hard as he could. Reiner came toppling down. Eren swiftly got on top of him, hardening his elbow, and began smashing Reiners head with it.
Reiner let out a loud grunt, as he kicked Eren off, and stood up.
Eren was sent flying back, and he slid across the ground.
"Mikasa!" Levi ordered, "Get Reiner off of Erens ass! Give Eren a minute to gather himself. With the way this is going, he's going to be exhausted before he can beat him."
Mikasa nodded, flying over to Reiners head. She didn't know what to do. She just went for the exposed muscle, hoping something would happen.
—
"Dammit.." Eren groaned, forcing
himself up. "For everything I do, he has a counter.. I can't beat him with take downs this time.."
He groaned, getting to his feet. "I'm going to have to beat him in a straight fist fight.."
He hardened his fists, taking steps towards Reiner.
"This could end really bad, but it's the only chance I have"
He roared, getting Mikasa's attention, she flew away, and Eren engaged Reiner again.
He stepped in with a hard straight, which Eren predicted he could counter with a straight of his own, which he did.
"Just like last time.." He smirked.
Eren slipped it, and instead of going for the take down, Eren punched Reiners elbow as hard as he could.
Eren heard a loud crack, then after the steam cleared, he looked at Reiners elbow.
His punch worked. The elbow was broken, and hanging off by its flesh.
He quickly grabbed what was left of it, yanking it off, and throwing it to the side.
If he wanted to beat Reiner, he needed to do it within the next few minutes.
Reiner charged him down, again.
Eren went to plant his foot in reiners abdomen, which he did. Reiner grabbed in, and slammed it into the ground.
Eren smiled, "Bingo.."
He hardened his knee, and places both his hands behind Reiners head. He pulled it down as hard as he could, and slammed up his knee, right into Reiners forehead.
Reiner immediately fell forward, limp.
Eren took the hardened plate on Reiners nape, and smashed it, leaving it wide open.
"Eren! Go!" Armin screamed, and Eren dropped down, opening his mouth.
Something gnawed at the back of his mind, Where was Bertholdt.. He had to have been watching.
He hesitated, looking to the trees, where he saw him.
There was another loud crash, as the Colossal Titan appeared.
"Dammit! I need to get Reiner now!"
Eren tried going down to eat Reiner, but He was cut out of the titan, and dragged away, right before a hand swiped Erens titan into a wall.
"Dammit Yeager," Levi sneered, "Be more cautious!"
"I needed to kill him! That was my chance."
"There will be another Eren! Look at him, the bastard is out! Let's take out the big one first, If Reiner gets back up, you can take him down again."
Eren scoffed, but did as he was told.
"Scouts! Surround the Colossal titan, but do not go for the kill! He will use his steam to fend you off. Tire him out, then go for it!"
Every scout, that wasn't fighting off the mindless titans surrounded Bertholdt, and with taking turns, went in, trying anything to get him to move.
Eren stayed behind, to rest for when he goes for Reiner again.
Bertholdt didn't seem to understand what the scouts were doing, as he swatted, and released steam, wearing him out.
The scouts kept going in, going towards the neck, or around the front to fake a frontal assault.
All was going well, no casualties, until someone went for the nape.
The colossal titan released steam, causing the scout to lose control.
The heat knocked him unconscious, and he fell to the ground, dying from the impact.
A few more, freezing at the sudden death, were caught by the sweeping of the giant arm.
"Stay focused!" Levi shouted.
—
Eren stood up, "Erwin, they're being slaughtered!"
He just nodded, and looked at Eren.
"Sit down, they knew this was going to be dangerous, they were ready for the sacrifices"
"Call then back!" He argued, "They need a different plan!"
Mikasa stood up, grabbing Erens shoulder. "Eren, sit and rest. They knew what could happen, they were willing to risk it for humanity. This is no different then any normal expedition."
"She's right Eren" Erwin said, "now sit, you need to be able to take Reiner down if he gets back up."
He reluctantly sat back down, along with Mikasa.
—
More soldiers started dying, before Levi ordered them to back up.
They all did, and Bertholdt slowed down, standing over the steaming body of the Armored titan.
"We need to take him down!" Eren yelled, "Once Reiner heals, it's going to be even harder!"
"We know Eren.." Mikasa said, rubbing his arm, "They're working on it."
Eren looked at Reiner, who's head was starting to heal,
"Mikasa.." Eren said, looking over at her, "You need to go and help."
"Eren, I'm going to stay here, I need to make sure you're safe" she protested
"I am Mikasa, just go"
"But Eren.." She began
"Dammit Mikasa!" Eren said, raising his voice to her for the first time since their fight, causing Mikasa to flinch. "They need you more than I do.." He said, softening his voice. "Please, go help them, I'll be fine. I promise"
She nodded, and stood up. Eren stood up with her, and grabbed her arm. "I'm sorry for raising my voice, i shouldn't have done that."
"It's fine Eren" She responded, "Now i'm going to go."
"Alright.." He looked down, before leaning in and kissing her cheek. "Be careful"
She nodded, pushed herself against the kiss for a second, before running off with them.
"Captain!" She yelled, flying up to Levi."
"Ackerman, perfect. It's up to us, we need to take this son'va bitch down, now."
"Agreed, how are we going to though?"
"We'll attack relentlessly at the nape, it's risky, but if we're fast enough, we could get away before the steam gets too bad"
She nodded, "When do we start?"
"Now"
Levi jumped off the tree and Mikasa followed. He flew towards the nape, causing the colossal to release some steam, once it stopped, Levi backed out, and Mikasa swung in, Making him release more. They kept switching on and off, before Levi signaled Mikasa to fly around front.
She did, swinging around the head, and she ran up the shoulder. She plunged her blades into the neck, and drug it up as far as she could, before releasing the blades, getting a new pair.
She swung around the big arm, dragging one of the blades through it, and then used the other one to drag it through the chest, across to the other shoulder. She released that one, and then swung up to the eyes of the titan, and stared directly into them.
She locked eyes with him, and pulled out a flare gun, firing it at them to blind Bertholdt.
Once Levi heard the flare, he flew in. and plunged his blades as far into the nape of the titan as he could, and drug them through, cutting him out.
Levi grabbed him, and threw him out onto a tree branch.
Both him and Mikasa flew onto the branch, and walked over to him.
"M-Mikasa! Hear me out, p-please!" Bertholdt pleaded.
"Shut up" Levi muttered, slamming his foot into the nose of Bertholdt. Levi put his blade to his neck. "For what you've done, I pardon you, from life"
"Wait!" Mikasa shouted, "Wait"
"What!" Levi yelled back at her.
"Take him to Eren.." She said, "Let Eren do it."
Levi reluctantly nodded, and grabbed him, dragging him down to Eren.
—
Eren looked down at Bertholdt, who was pleading with Eren.
"You really think pleading is going to work?" He asked him, "You've killed more people than I can count, including my mother."
"Eren please.. We were friends.."
"I was never anything to you. You planned on killing us all in the end. Remember how I said I was going to kill every last titan? Then said I'd make you die the most excruciating death possible?"
"I'll spare you the last part.." Eren said, grabbing a blade. "Goodbye Bertholdt.."
Bertholdt shut his eyes, as well as Mikasa, as Eren forced the blade through Bertholdt throat, and back out the back of his neck.
The body fell over, and blood pooled by it. Eren turned to Mikasa, and wrapped his arms around her.
She returned the hug.
"It's time we end this.." Eren whispered.
He turned around, and walked forward, biting his hand and becoming a titan.
"Reiner.." Eren thought, "It's time.."
He walked over, and grabbed his former friends head, bending down. Then, be noticed something.
There was a hole..
A loud crash sounded behind him, as Reiners titan appeared again.
Eren stood up, and turned around, to see him.
He was half of what it usually is. Barely covered in Armor. Looked like any normal titan. He was exhausted, he was desperate.
Reiner then screamed, like the way Annie did. All nearby titans stopped and ran in their direction, some going after Eren, some Reiner.
Eren rushed forward, grabbing Reiner and throwing him down.
"Damn!" Eren yelled, grabbing the back of his neck. "He knows he has nothing to lose! I need to take him down now!" He screamed at himself, doing right towards the nape.
Reiner couldn't fight back, so Eren got through, and tore open the nape. When he was about to bite Reiner, he felt the weight of multiple titans jump ontop of him.
He felt his titan being devoured.
—
"Eren!" Mikasa screamed, as she flew over. She began cutting as many bales as she could.
Eren knew this was likely his end, so he went for Reiner. He bit the nape, and Reiner, swallowing him.
He had done it. The shifters were gone, the last of the titans were now.. eating him.
He felt the nape being torn off, then his actual arms being bitten down on, them legs.
Mikasa kept cutting screaming Erens name.
He tried moving, but he couldn't. The titans in him were too much. Mikasa cut every one of them down, except one three meter, which grabbed Eren, and bit into his side.
Eren couldn't yell, he felt happy the world was now safe.
Mikasa killed the last one.
The last titan, no more. They did it, they won. Centuries of pain, suffering, over.
Mikasa drug him out, and into the field.
The remaining scouts gathered around them.
"Eren, please!" Mikasa begged, "Stay here! Fight it! Come on!"
"We.. we did it.." He coughed out, looking around.
"We beat them.. all of them.. Everyone.." He sniffled, tears pricking at his eyes.
He looked up at Mikasa, who was crying.
"Eren please, don't go, Eren don't die.."
He lifted his hand up, cupping her cheek.
"Mikasa.." He rasped out, "Don't cry, we won, no more suffering"
"Eren.." She whimpered out,
"Mikasa.. I, I love you more than anything. Anything in the world. I always have, and I will forever.." Eren choked out.
Mikasa took off the scarf, and wrapped it around Erens side.
"It's no use, I won't heal fast enough" He said, "Come closer Mikasa, please."
She leaned down, and Eren, with the rest of his strength, he slouched up, and pressed his lips against hers. She pushed back.
He laid back, his eyes looking over everyone.
"Thank you all.." He looked at Armin,
"Armin.. please take care of Mikasa.."
He asked him.
"I-I will!" Armin replied.
Eren looked back up at Mikasa. "Please Mikasa, live your life, I want you to. I'll say hi to Mom for you.." He said, tears starting to roll down his cheeks.
"Goodbye, my love.."
Erens head laid against the ground, his Eyes turned glossy as his ragged breathes stopped.
Mikasa held him tighter, starting to cry harder.
"I love you, Eren.."