"I appreciate the help." It was the first words that Levi said to Mikasa in a long time, but little else seemed suitable. "Fighting him alone wasn't exactly going to be my first choice. How did you know to come here?"
"I'd say it was planned, but I didn't know what was happening." She admitted the words without taking her eyes off of her opponent, one who seemed content to let them speak as he studied them. "I was in the underground city helping to lead a revolt. We broke out and onto the surface, then I sensed what was happening here."
She wasn't panting, but there were clear signs of exertion that showed she hadn't wasted any time before coming. Once again, it was appreciated.
"Now that I'm here though, mind telling me who we're dealing with?"
Levi braced himself, the internal pain of having to even speak of the man before them still as strong as ever. "This is the leader of the Military Police First Interior Squad, they're the one's that ambushed us in Mitras before, framed us for murder. Kenny Ackerman."
Mikasa finally broke eye contact on the man, whirling around to look at Levi in shocked confusion. "Ackerman?"
"That's right cutie." The man's words were like a snake, venomous even when he seemed to try being casual. Mikasa returned her attention to him, guard up at his mere voice. "I thought I recognised you; I saw your portrait a lot when we were preparing for our little operation. Mikasa Ackerman, little Eren Jaegers guardian angel, surprised you left his side to come here. Too curious about the name? Maybe we can sit down and discuss the old family tree?"
She sneered. "I don't know who you are, but I know who my family is. My old one, and my new. You're nothing to me, and you never will be."
He frowned at his words, a subtle anger burning behind his eyes. "That's a real shame to hear you know. First short stop doesn't want anything to do with me, now you too. And here I was hoping for a pleasant little family REUNION!"
He lunged on his last word, sword clashing against Mikasa's. He was fast, and even if it wasn't for his follow up flurry of stabs she could tell he wasn't showing off. The man was going straight for her throat, without a shred of hesitation or fear.
Levi was on him instantly, throwing in slashes of his own as she held the man off in defence. As soon as Kenny's focus drifted towards Levi, Mikasa joined in on the assault. Despite two people attacking him, he showed no signs of giving ground or being overwhelmed in the slightest.
He was agile, dancing around their attacks, but he didn't move from his spot, even as the two flanked him from opposing sides. Through it all, Mikasa and Levi could see the unyielding grin on his face. Kenny Ackerman was practically in heaven.
"Sir, the Military Police are pressing closer."
Anka's words pulled Pixis' attention away from the fight. He could see what she was referring to, as down the street a line of MP's were attempting to drive a wedge down into the Garrison lines. More red flares had been fired, signs of units being broken and reinforcements requested. Green flares had been fired in response, from further off Scout units or Garrison positions.
Some reinforcements had already arrived, but it was a trickle more than a wave.
"We have to hold them. Reform the lines and keep them at bay. Have reinforcements press them from the side and we'll squeeze them from all sides."
It was in concept, a simple plan. A classic hammer and anvil approach that worked as well against Titans as it did against humans. Pinning the enemy against one side whilst another hit them from the flanks. However, such a plan only worked so long as the 'anvil' actually held itself together.
As it was, that was looking to be a risky possibility.
Pixis grabbed a rifle from one of his guards and thrust it into the hands of Anka. The woman stared at him in confusion, though there was an almost fearful realisation growing in her eyes.
"All hands grab weapons and ammo, we hold the enemy here with every life we have."
The men and women by his side gulped but grabbed their weapons diligently. As they all began to move towards the battle, Pixis reflected that in such a situation he really would have liked to have had Erwin at his side. Another strategic mind to create plans with would be appreciated, however what he would really need was the man's lungs.
Truly no one else inside the walls had been blessed with such an inspiring set of pipes as that man. Right now, he would have greatly valued the man's tenacity for speeches. Alas, he would have to settle for his own presence to help inspire the men and women under his command.
Pixis arrived at the front within only a short amount of time, the lines crashing against each other in a fierce melee. Some of his soldiers had erected makeshift fortifications and were trading fire with the Military Police. Everywhere he looked were the signs of combat and fear.
"HOLD FAST! DO NOT LET SLIP AN INCH OF GROUND! FOR THE YOUR OWN LIFE AND THOSE OF YOUR COMRADES! NOT ONE INCH! HOLD!"
Those who had guns in his team chose that moment to loose a volley into the crowd of enemies. The volley itself did little, poorly coordinated and fired by less experienced troops, but the effect on his soldiers was instantaneous. Fear was clamped down on, soldiers braced and forced themselves to fight back harder.
There was a roar that rose through the crowd, a cry of a fighting spirit. No, the Garrison was certainly not defeated yet.
Weaving through the sky, Mike came under fire almost immediately. He weaved with a level of skill one could only gain through experience, the experience of having to dodge Titan swipes and leaps. The trick was not to dodge the actual attack, but to misdirect and be unpredictable. Against dumb Titans and relatively inaccurate musket fire, his abilities transitioned over well.
Likewise, his experience with his blades did the same.
The first man he cut down had swung at him first, but a sidestep and slice sent him down and dying quickly. Mike had moved on before he hit the floor, cutting into the crowd and piercing a soldier through the chest. The soldier became a shield for Mike as he used the man to block another gunshot aimed for him.
Mike detached the blade embedded in the man, racing forwards and slashing at the same time as he drew his replacement second blade. The MP managed to block the first swipe with his musket, a testament to his training that Mike could respect. The second slash caught him on the lower gut and opened himself up for another blade to sink into his shoulder blade and towards his ribs.
The Scouts experience changed them like no other soldier. Their determination, bravery, and ODM skills were unmatched by simple facts of their missions. Their levels of fitness and strength as well were much better, their muscles seeing far more use than any other branch. Despite how well trained and disciplined the capital Military Police were, they could not physically match up to the Scouts no matter how hard they trained. The Scouts could hit quicker, harder, and with a level of aggression that would be tantamount to suicide by anyone else.
To Mike's dismay, he found himself taking a macabre glee in the fight. Despite what he may have wanted, he relished his abilities in battle, and their was a high that could not be denied as he proved himself better than every opponent he came across.
The only thing that made him feel better was the feeling of his comrades by his side as they waded into the fight. More particularly, Ilse was at his back. Their relationship was a very emotional one, perhaps unwise given their situation, but there was a thrill to it he couldn't deny. It had started in pure passion, a mutual attraction that had spiked at their clashing demeanours. Mike's stoic nature against Ilse's open emotions had led to a very… physical beginning.
However in time it had evolved into so much more, the emotional dependence and comfort they felt with one another. In spite of what he showed, Mike felt the same nihilistic but desperate devotion to the cause as she, and the comforting feeling of having each other at their back was reassuring beyond measure.
Mike locked blades with one man as Ilse leapt through from behind, cutting him down the spine. She wounded another before Mike finished them off, both of them trading kills as they moved as a fluid team.
From a glimpse through the crowd, Mike saw the gun get raised. An MP in the distance raised the musket, taking aim squarely at Ilse as she cut down a soldier. Her attention was elsewhere, too focused through tunnel vision to be on guard for the shooter.
Mike moved before he even realised it, barrelling into the woman he loved and covering her with his body.
The shot never came. Looking up, he saw the would-be shooter fall as Nanaba swooped in from above and cut them down. With their momentum broken, the two loves flung themselves out of the fighting pit and behind cover, panting as they did so.
"What was wrong?"
"Shooter, didn't get chance to fire." Both of them were breathing hard as they spoke, but at Mike's words Ilse seemed to lurch to a halt. She looked at him in complete frozen expression.
He looked back at her in brief confusion, almost about to ask what was wrong before she finally spoke again.
"If we survive this, I want to get married."
That certainly had not been what he had expected. Still, after taking a few moments to process it, he answered.
"Okay."
She smiled, and he smiled back. Their breathing returned to normal, and the two of them dove back into the fight again.
Gohan's bones rattled as he blocked a kick. He returned the attack with just as much strength as he kicked Frieda away. She landed on the ground, bouncing up with her energy flaring only to receive another punch to the face. Gohan followed her as she fell back, throwing more punches and kicks that battered her body.
She responded with a Ki blast that caught him square in the chest, knocking him upwards and away.
He didn't realise how close they had gotten to it until he hit the wall, crashing through the top corner and landing on the ridge as his momentum was lost. A moment to catch his bearings later, and Frieda arrived charging towards him. As she threw a kick towards him, Gohan suddenly found himself grinning.
He blocked the kick with his arm, as well as the follow up punch almost before she'd even thrown it. He stabbed out with two fingers, jabbing underneath her armpit in a quick flash before blocking her other arm. He stabbed her again, and again when she tried to raise her arm and failed. He brief confused horror left him all the opening he needed for a salvo of strikes throughout her body, dropping her to her knees as she struggled to move.
"What… what did you do…?"
Even her words were muted, body frozen as she found herself unable to move beyond twitching.
"Pressure points. You used that combo against me earlier, twice in fact." Gohan found himself relaxing as she continued to stay still, his attack having worked. "That's the difference between the two of us. I'm a fighter, I know my body and how to use it. But you? This fighting knowledge isn't yours. I don't know if you stole it from someone's mind or something else, but you're limited. You don't have the imagination or experience to actually know how to fight. All you know are the techniques."
She grunted, moving herself enough to fall forwards slightly and catch herself on her hands.
"Do you think you've won? I can heal. I'm healing already. This won't stop me."
It was certainly true. Her mobility was returning, and quickly, steam rising subtly from her kneeling form. It was also an opportunity he likely wasn't going to get again. He had needed to strike specific spots in specific ways, and he'd only been able to do that because she had been sloppy and predictable. She would not let him have that chance again.
"I know Frieda. I know. But it gives us a chance to talk. Please… I know there must be a way that this doesn't have to end in bloodshed. I won't let these people die, and I don't believe you hate them like you say you do. I've seen you hesitate, your regret. I don't think you want to do this."
She winced, flinching under the accusation. It was impossible to deny it, not fully anyway. She didn't want this fight, not really. But she had to do it, she had to stop him. It just wasn't her choice. Tears hit her hands, startling her as she felt their splash.
Tears of regret, of shame, of guilt.
"I don't have a choice. I have to do this. I have to stop you."
She could move her head if she wanted to, but she couldn't look him in the eyes in that moment.
Gohan was silent at first, before he approached her, feet coming into her view as she remained staring at the ground. She looked up as he stood over her, a hand extended in offering.
"Please Frieda, take my hand. I know you're strong enough, you don't have to do this."
She looked away. Her emotions warred inside of her. Despite it all, despite all of the power that was coursing through her body, the power telling her that she could win, that she was unstoppable, she did not want this fight. She wanted to run away, to be with her dear sister like those days in the past on the farm. She wanted to rest, to be away from all of it.
She wanted peace.
But he didn't. The force within her that compelled all royal holders of the founding Titan, that connection to the will of the first king. By his will, she could not leave, she could not quit. By his will she could accept nothing less than Gohan's death. She could not surrender, or relent, or accept any kind of peace. There would be no peace or justice until her people had paid their debts with their lives.
There could be no peace, no matter the cost.
Her purple aura began to glow once more, her body finished with its recovering as power blasted from her once again.
Gohan leapt back, dropping into a fighting stance as her power rose. But Frieda did not move. She did not chase or prepare herself for a fight. She remained in her position, kneeling with hands pressed to the ground as she continued to power up. Sparks began to fly from her body, and a roar escaped from her throat.
It was wild, like a feral animal as Frieda lost ever more control over herself. More and more of her slipped away, a slave to the will of the first king as his will was done. A bolt of lightning struck Frieda's body, and her eyes bulged as a new wave of power washed over her.
Gohan waited in tension, ready to spring into action as he watched Frieda intently. But still no attack seemed to come. When it happened, it happened quickly. Frieda's power pulsed out from her, spreading throughout the land in an invisible wave of energy. There was a slight rumble, a shake beneath his feet, and a spike of Ki in his senses.
A hand erupted from the wall beneath his feet, grasping hold of Gohan as he attempted to dodge in surprise. The wall began to crumble as the Titan beneath it was freed, its second hand rising up to squeeze Gohan tighter as all the while Frieda continued to build in power.
Power built inside of Gohan before exploding outwards, shredding the hands that held him. Gohan soared up out of reach, only to be struck down by a kick from Frieda. She had been so fast Gohan almost hadn't noticed her movement. Her kick sent him crashing back down onto another section of the wall before he blasted away as another mighty hand came crashing out and reaching towards him.
As he dodged away from the second Titan, Frieda came in once more, bombarding him with a furious melee that pressed him back towards the Titan. Any inch of ground he put between them had the Titan pressing again at his back, swinging mighty fists the size of buildings at him.
One fist came too close for comfort, and in his reflexive dodge Frieda managed to latch onto his arm. She swung him around and hurled him straight towards the ground, crashing into a crater in the Earth. A massive skinless foot appeared overhead and stomped down onto the half-breed. Gohan's cries of pain could be heard even through the dirt and the Titan.
Gohan exploded out of the ground, soaring through the earth to the side and out from the Titans foot before he rose. The Titan was swinging at him again in an instant, but he rocketed out of reach and was met with a horrific sight. A hundred metres of the wall had crumbled away as eight Titans walked out from beneath their foundations, chunks of rock and cannon tracks fell down into the wreck on the ground.
Other Titans in the area seemed such an insignificant threat to him now, but he could see red flares already being fired in the distance by undoubtedly horrified Garrison soldiers as they watched their wall break apart. Frieda gave another roar of effort, and the gap in the wall grew out wider. Another Titan on each side began to break free, grasping the large blocks of stone that had once sat above their heads being grasped firmly in their hands.
They each reeled back, moving with such unnatural familiarity as they pivoted like someone pitching a baseball. The stones flew towards him at incredible speed, Gohan racing upwards with eyes wide. One of the blocks clipped him on the ankle as he flew, the stone exploding against his unyielding form as Gohan winced in horrific pain. His ankle hadn't been broken, but it felt like it had almost come close.
As he clutched his ankle in pain, a shadow descended upon him from overhead, Frieda's powerful kick racing down at him. He managed to dodge it in the nick of time, feeling the wind as it whooshed past his cheek. They exchanged blows, each hit from Frieda rattling his body as Gohan struggled to comprehend the shear power behind every hit.
Her growth in power was so rapid it was bordering on the absurd. He had to find a way to stop her once and for all, except it seemed any chance he may have had was lost as they continued their fight. His fist struck her cheek, yet unlike so many times before there was no hesitation from her, no crack or steam as she healed. Instead, it seemed like it didn't even faze her.
Her foot came up, and even though he raised his arms to block it, the attack still sent him flying backwards. Directly into the centre of the awaiting Titans. Once punched him squarely from behind, batting him forwards into the hands of another. This one squeezed him before hurling him away.
As if he was a pinball he was batted from Titan to Titan, their massive fists striking him harder than should have been possible for a Titan even of their size. Each attempt at blocking had him open from the flanks, leaving him being hit from every angle. Block, strike, crash. Gohan didn't know at what point his nose seemed to break, only realising it had happened when blood sprayed from his face.
He fell into the clutches of a Titan that threw its entire body behind driving him into the ground. The creature smeared him across the floor until its hand ripped away to shreds, and he was sent flying away until he came to a stop in a heap on the ground.
His breathing was slow, shaky, his entire body wrecked.
In so much pain, he simply laid there for a while. He spat out blood and a tooth, grimacing in the morbid knowledge that without Senzu beans that tooth was going to be gone for good. Shakily, his hands reached out and he pushed himself up into a sitting position.
It gave him a good view of Frieda and the Titans, now ten in number and all focusing their attention on him. He noticed their still vacant expressions, looking exactly like the puppets they were. He noticed too how twitchy Frieda was, the occasional spark of electricity around her and the way she constantly and reflexively tensed. Whatever she was doing to draw in all of her power, she could not hope to control it.
Gohan saw it all, and yet he found his attention wandering.
He absently realised that he was back inside of wall Maria, at a northern stretch he had never been to before. The land here was peaceful, so comparatively undamaged by the Titans as they had managed to mostly evacuate in time since the first breach. There were some houses in the distance, unharmed by any curious Titan but simply left to the whims of nature.
He saw how weeds grew rampant across the bricks, how the grass grew wild and free. But most of all he saw the flowers. White ones, yellow ones, blue and red and purple. Every colour he could seemingly think of was growing wild and free, and how found himself thinking of something that Mikasa had once muttered.
This world was beautiful.
He had known beauty, the wilds of nature from his home planet. The similarities were so strong, so powerful. It shouldn't have surprised him, this planet had been so similar to his own that he hadn't known how far he'd travelled for a long time. This world, it was so much like his own.
Because it was his own.
For years, this land had been his own. This land had become his own. Maybe it would become his grave too he supposed. But above all else, this land, the people here, they were his. They were his friends, his family, his love… This land was his.
A renewed sense of energy came over him, and with a firm hand he grasped his nose and jerked it back into place. The rise to his feet was struggling, his ankle screaming at him in pain as he stood. His stare down with Frieda became a glare, a ferocious promise that swelled with power within him.
He had told her, sworn to her that he would not let these people die.
He bent his knees and began to power back up, quickly rising towards the ceiling inside of him. He slammed against it and continued to press, pressing with everything he had within him. He felt the pain, the searing levels of destruction it wrought upon him as he pushed against his limit.
But this time, he would not stop. No matter what it took, no matter what it cost him, he would not stop. Let it be his death if it had to be, but he would not relent a single moment of effort. So what if it hurt? So what if it killed him? It didn't matter what barrier was being placed in front of him, he would not hesitate against it.
Damn his fears. Damn his doubts. Damn the pit of guilt that threatened to swallow him each and every day. Damn anything and everything that stood in his way, and damn himself if he dared to quit. No matter what it took, he would not give up!
Like a cracking of glass, his power exploded through.
The barrier broke, and his energy rocketed upwards. Like the sun had arisen, like his eyes and ears had returned to him, he felt once more an inkling of his strength returning to him.
The pool of power that was his own had been broken into, and step by step it was returning like a drip.
Not all of it. Not yet, not so quickly, but it was enough. So vast was his reservoir of strength that even this shred was enough for him to feel again, to truly feel. Ki ballooned into life around him, cracking the ground as dirt was incinerated at his feet from the power the poured off of him. He felt the wind cracking like a whip, flourishing into life as it finally happened.
Gohan's strength was coming back.