"Ma'am? Can you hear me ma'am?"
One her personal guards was shaking her gently. Lara Tybur's eyes opened slowly, the man's concerned face coming into focus as she returned to the real world. More than just becoming aware of his presence, she became aware of just how tense her body was. She was covered in a fearful sweat, her heart was racing, and her entire body held tension of receding adrenaline.
She was in short, terrified.
"Are you okay ma'am? The doctor is almost here."
"I-I'm okay."
The words were hard to speak, but her strength was returning quickly as the man helped to sit her up. He was gentle with her, something she deeply appreciated in her moment of vulnerability. She would have to pass along some praise for how he acted as she realised he had also taken the effort of putting a pillow beneath her head.
"The others… my brother."
"They're okay ma'am. I'm afraid whatever happened to you has happened to the rest of the family." He spoke with some minor trepidation. Not with some fear of her or her family, they treated their staff rather well for nobility. It was the hesitation that came from speaking of the taboo. "I'm afraid it has affected the Eldian's among the remainder of your staff as well."
She already knew it would of course.
She had seen the Eldians, all of them. Every Eldian across the world, including every one of them on Paradis Island. So many, and so clearly a military presence. She had unintentionally, gained a firsthand perspective of the Paradisian's society. She would need to discuss it with her family… along with the other.
That voice.
Son Gohan.
Whoever they were, something told Lara he was not normal. And, he was trouble. That first voice had been the Coordinate, it had to have been. And so for a second voice to interrupt, to declare open defiance against it was… impossible to think.
"Assemble everyone. Tell them we have things to discuss."
The world faded back in with a dull greyness. Eren had to breathe hard to steady himself, his body shaking as he began to rise. Adrenaline was flooding his body and his thoughts were a whirlwind. A shiver went up his spine in the memories of what he had seen.
Movement ahead of him snapped his mind into a focus.
Figures around him were moving slowly. MP's shaking off their dazed confusion as horror set in. They had all been sentenced to execution, with only the word of Gohan as their shield. But one figure stood out among them all.
Kenny was rising to his feet.
A red mist fell over his eyes. His heart beat rapidly, venom building in his mouth.
"KENNY!"
The man's eyes flashed towards him, confusion still on his face before softly washing away into amusement. Kenny swayed, but not with exhaustion. He was taunting him. Eren's teeth clenched hard.
"Didn't you hear kid? It's the end of the world. You sure you still want to try this fight?"
Kenny took a few steps backwards, body tensing as he prepared himself. Eren took a step forwards, yet he found himself hesitating.
Was this really what he should be doing? He could leave. Go back to Mikasa and the others, help to protect them if they needed him. His senses told him the Titans weren't moving, and he could assume that Gohan was doing something to keep them safe. But he knew himself that it was an excuse.
He wanted to kill Kenny. He needed it, he was burning up inside with the desire to murder the man. His mind called for him to fall back, to go to Mikasa and protect her. But his heart… his heart called for vengeance. Eren had never been one known for using his head.
"RAAAGH!"
The energy ball bloomed into life in his hand, before swiftly being thrust forwards and hurled at Kenny. Kenny grinned viciously as he backhanded the ball towards the side. A small group of MPs were caught in the blast, their screams silenced quickly as the explosion ripped them apart.
Kenny cackled as he turned and sprinted down the hall.
Eren's primal scream of fury chased him as they both raced further into the palace. Kenny's laughter bounced across the walls of the palace as the ran, passing by panicked soldiers and staff. The twists and turns were but a distant thought in Eren's mind, all he registered were the sounds of Kenny.
Eren didn't even register as they went down the stairs, descending into the basement of the palace. It was there that Kenny struck.
The blade would have sank into his stomach if Eren hadn't raised his arms in time. Instead, it pierced deep into the bone of his forearm. The pain was immense, only broken by the foot that buried itself in Eren's stomach. Kenny kicked him away and stood to the side in curiosity.
Eren's hand gripped the knife in his arm. He didn't rip it free as he held it, eyes fixated on Kenny as the man watched him. Seeing that Kenny wasn't moving, he began to pull on the blade. It was buried deep, and Eren couldn't hide the wincing or grunts of pain as he removed it.
The knife fell and clattered to the floor, its sound breaking the silence as the two stared off at each other. All was quiet, until a crackle filled the air and Eren's arm began regenerating.
Kenny smiled, finally seeing what he was waiting for.
"Fascinating…"
Insultingly, Kenny leaned back against the wall and watched as the wound healed.
"You know, I used to think that a Titan shifter like you was the ultimate power in this world?"
Eren snarled back. "I don't give a shit."
"I think you should. This is your last chance for a conversation before we all die." Kenny crossed his arms casually, though Eren didn't miss the other knife that had slipped into his hands as he did so. In spite of his words, Kenny clearly still had death in his mind.
Eren flexed his arm, feeling the muscles regenerating beneath his flesh. He was breathing deeply, not properly tired but he had exerted himself a little more than he'd have liked with his complete and abrupt sprint.
"What changed?"
Kenny grinned. "Gohan. Ki. The powers of a god… all of a sudden, turning into a giant naked monster didn't seem so impressive anymore."
"Why the hell are you here?"
Eren's snarled question seemed to actually catch Kenny off guard for a moment. "Come again?"
"You saw it, the same as everyone did. We're all supposed to die soon, so why are you here? You want this fight. Why not try to run? To fight?"
Kenny snarled back. "You think you know a damn thing about fighting!? I've been fighting my whole life. And I'm damned good at it to. Best there was. Better than any of the MPs who tried to stop me. Better than the brat I raised. Better than that girlfriend of yours too."
Eren hissed in fury but held himself back for the moment.
"I was the strongest out of everyone. Until I met the Reiss family that was. Until I saw a Titan up close. I'll never forget that day… But now, now you seem to think everything's changed. We're about to die? Hell kid, we were always going to die. Titans, old age, or just a knife in that back that you didn't see coming. Nothings changed. So I'm gonna live my life the same way I always have. Fighting. Winning. Killing."
Kenny openly flashed his blades, his eyes narrowing onto Eren. His final opponent before they all died.
"Spoken like a complete coward." Eren spat at the floor between them and tightened his fists. "You don't fight. You're a murderer. You prey on those weaker than you. You think there's no future in this world so you can just do whatever you want. I guess we can agree on one thing, you'll die just as you lived. Fighting dirty, using tricks to win, because deep down you're nothing but a frightened and pathetic man. That's why you led me to this basement because you didn't want me to use my Titan powers. But you think it'll prove your strength, that you really are the strongest again."
Kenny sneered at him, eye twitching as Eren's words hit a nerve.
"And just what are you doing here kid? You could have spent your last moments with your girl, but instead you came here to try and kill me. We're a lot more alike than you realise."
"But you're wrong." Eren felt the sense of righteous determination filling his body. It wasn't moral or just to many, but it was his. His own sense of right and wrong, the force that drove him to do so much. "Gohan's going to win, there will be a tomorrow. But you won't live to see it. Because I'm going to prove you wrong, right here and now. Today's the die you die, I guess you were right about that at least."
Kenny's frustration broke through, and his blades snapped up into a guard as Eren did the same, drawing out the swords of his ODM gear.
"Looks like it's time to find out who's right."
They stared off at each other for a brief and tense moment, waiting to see who would make the first move.
It was Kenny. He stepped forwards slowly, one foot and then another, then quickly he was sprinting towards Eren. He leapt high, inhumanly so were it not for his Ki. When he came down he struck at Eren with lightning fast speed, far quicker than Eren could block.
Eren's blades were chopped apart as Kenny ripped through his defence. Shrapnel filled the air but Kenny advanced through it without a single care. He jabbed at Eren's arms with the blunt edges of his knives before driving a knife forward to pierce his chest.
Eren's hand came up. The blade stabbed through his palm but was held back, blood trickling down the knife and Kenny's hand.
"What's wrong Jaeger? I thought you were going to prove me wrong? Is this really all you've got? BECAUSE THAT'S NOT ENOUGH!"
Kenny's other knife came up to stab down once more, only for Eren to lunge forwards and headbutt the man hard. Kenny's nose broke under the shocking force of the attack. He staggered back, and Eren ripped his hand free of the knife as a Ki blast built in the other.
Kenny dodged the blast, but Eren was following after him instantly. Eren was not as powerful, Kenny had become a quick master of his Ki lessons, but Eren's tenacity was indomitable. Even as his hand was still healing, Eren though a fist into Kenny's chest, driving the wind from his lungs.
Kenny roared in anger, throwing his weight back against Eren and driving him away. His palm thrust out and a beam of energy just barely missed his head as it blew away a chunk of the foundation.
Eren had flung himself out of the way, but the move had been desperate and left him vulnerable. Kenny was towering over him instantly, energy ball crackling into life in his raised hand.
"Looks like I was right after all, bye bye little Jaeger."
As Kenny through his hand down, Eren through his up. And bit down on his other hand at the same time. An explosion of steam rocked the basement, bones and flesh flashing into life as the Titan sized arm formed from Erens hand. The massive arm slammed into Kenny, the ball of energy exploding against the limb but doing little damage.
Kenny was ripped from the ground and slammed into the ceiling, before being smeared across the wall shouting in pain. Debris and dust filled the room, obscuring the man from view until he finally came to a halt. His hands clapped together, and the clouds of dirt were blown away by a gust of invisible energy.
Kenny was embedded in the wall, a Titan hand gripped around him tightly. Eren was on the other side of the room, blood dripping from one hand whilst the other was connected into the Titans limb. No other part of the Titan had formed.
"That's… that's not possible."
Kenny ripped himself free of the hand, landing on the ground with a stagger he couldn't quite hide. The attack had hit him harder than he'd expected, and they both knew it.
"I didn't think so either, at first." Eren grunted as he removed his hand from the Titan limb. Quickly, flesh and bone began to sizzle and melt back into steam. "You know for a long time, I really thought I was going to be special. I thought I could kill the Titans, that I would drive them back and get back my home. I thought I could be the one strong enough to finally do it. To free us all."
His eyes grew dull in the memory of the truth of it all.
"But that wasn't me. Gohan is the one, the one to save us all and lift us beyond the walls that kept us slaves. I never told him, never told anyone… but I actually kind of resented him for that. I was angry at a lot of things. At the Titans for the deaths of so many. At my father for not telling me the truth. My mother for trying to keep me safe. Mikasa for never letting me go. Gohan for being the saviour I wanted to be. And myself… for never being enough."
Electricity cackled around his hand, sealing the wound that he had made.
"But then I relented. I accepted what I am, that I would never be as strong as Mikasa or Captain Levi. But I would make my strength truly my own. I would not be limited by my abilities. I would become more. But I would become something else. I've accepted my Titan powers and made them something so much more!"
He clenched his fists, electricity rolling off his body as his Ki rose. Kenny's mouth twitched, a combination of a sneer and a wicked grin forming on his face.
"Well then, let's see what you've got!"
Kenny charged at Eren, who bit down on his hand. Electricity crackled and built but held in place until Eren saw his opportunity and unleashed the power. A Titan arm burst at Kenny, ripping up the ground and concrete as fingers tried to snatch him up.
Kenny weaved out of the way of the hand, racing along the limb towards Eren. The Titan shifter jerked, raising the Titan arm to crash into the ceiling in an attempt to squish Kenny. The man leapt out of the way, hurling an energy blast at Eren that exploded against the ground.
Eren was blasted backwards, slamming against the wall as his hand was ripped free from the Titan arm. He bounced off the wall and immediately rolled away as Kenny hurled a knife at him. The blade buried itself into the wall up to the handle, but Eren didn't pay it any attention.
"You're full of neat tricks Jaeger! But it'll take more than- AAARGH!"
The foot of a Titan kicked Kenny directly in his face. The man was ploughed into the wall, shaking the ceiling as it fell apart around him. Kenny exploded out of the debris, racing back towards Eren. A flurry of ki blasts rained out towards Eren, sending the young man scrambling to the ground.
Kenny was almost upon Eren when time seemed to slow down for him. Eren thought through his options in an instant, finding no good answer. Kenny struck before he could get away, blows landing against Erens arms as he raised his arms in defence. The bone in Erens right arm snapped, cracking under a hard punch from Kenny's ki enhanced strength.
The sickening snap was followed by a yelp of pain from Eren as his defence fell apart and Kenny sank a knife into his gut.
"Looks like your little Titan tricks weren't enough to save you after all. Time to die."
Kenny sunk another knife into Erens neck, a bloody gasp escaping his lips as the knife sank deep into his flesh.
Despite it all, Eren gripped the shaft of the blades tightly with both hands. He held Kenny in place as he stared back at him and smiled. Kenny opened his mouth to speak at the same time Eren opened his. No words were spoken however, as Eren bit down onto his own lip.
His body crackled with electricity, lightning rolling off of his body before his body seemed to explode. Steam filled the space around them, Kenny's shout of alarm was muffled by the sounds of bones and flesh booming into life.
A mutilated ribcage tore into the foundation and ceiling, cracking apart the room as bones pierced everything they touched. Including Kenny. The man was held aloft in the air, pierced all over his body by shards of fine bones through his torso and limbs. His head was almost spared, save for one piece that had jutted through his cheek.
Despite what it had cost him, Eren smiled in victory. His smile was weak however, as blood continued to pour free from his wounds. The attacks had been dangerous, and he had spent much of his energy trying to fight Kenny. Though Erens body buzzed with electricity, his wounds did not close.
"G-got you… you son of a bitch."
Kenny gasped weakly in response, choking on his blood as it bubbled into his lungs. Blood trailed out of his mouth and down his chin, wide eyes staring back at Eren in disbelief. Eren took satisfaction in watching those eyes, as they slowly dimmed with life leaving Kennys body.
The serial killer that had tormented so many, died gurgling at the hands of powers he had dismissed. To his dying breath, little more than a small and weak man in his soul.
Gohan slammed into the Final Titan. The body of the creature shook, bending as it struggled to stay upright. Spots of the flesh opened up, and a barrage of energy blasts shot outwards. The sky was filled with purple energy balls that exploded like fireworks. Gohan zipped between the blasts, but he was still hit several times due to the sheer number of them.
Bones bloomed from the Titans ribs, snaking out into the sky and attempting to ensnare him. The bones coiled and bent in unnatural ways under the Final Titans powers. Gohan punched and kicked at each piece of the skeleton that came near, shattering it all apart with each hit.
His limbs were in tatters, multiple muscles had been cut or torn by his fight so far and he couldn't bend his arms or legs properly anymore. He was having to rely heavily on his ki flight to compensate, twisting through the air for each kick, punch, and elbow.
He was in agony, but it would be enough for him to survive.
Titan hands came up and crashed into him. He was smashed down into the ground, bouncing off the dirt slightly as it was turned into a crater. His aura bloomed as the hand continued trying to press him down. His aura burned through the flesh and bone of the Titans hand, melting through the hand as Gohan flew up into the air.
A spinning disc of energy formed into his hand. Gohan hurled it into the gut of the Titan. The spinning disc cut through the Titans body with ease, buzzing through the bones and ligaments of the creatures insides. The front half of the Titan bowed and dipped as its body was cut in half, before finally it gave way and the flesh ripped apart and fell.
The Titans front half crashed down into the ground with a thunderous explosion of dirt and debris. Gohan soared down towards it, intent on finishing the creature off before it could regenerate. The king and his Titan were tough however, and it used its massively oversized hands like legs to move itself and whip around to face Gohan.
Another massive ki blast was fired into Gohan, his arms coming up just barely in time to shield himself.
He was sent flying backwards, hitting the ground hard and cutting a chasm into the ground as the earth beneath him cracked. Gohan began to rise, his power blooming up once more before it suddenly faltered. He yelped in pain, falling over as one of his legs gave way beneath his weight.
It was that damned leg again, and all the damage he had taken. He gripped the limb in pain and frustration. One senzu bean was all he needed. One senzu bean, and he would be good as new and could crush the king. His full energy would even return, instead of the trickle he was feeling currently.
Resentment filled his body. He could hear the Titans now, their thunderous footsteps rising in volume as they grew closer and closer. He was running out of time, damn it all. He grit his teeth and forced himself to stand. He wasn't able to stand normally, using his leg more like a crutch as he was finally able to rise.
Spiteful eyes laid themselves onto the king's Titan. Its top half shifted towards him. The king to his front, a stampede of Titans was behind him. It was swiftly becoming too much for his senses. He felt them all now. Every Titan within the land, the king and his Titan, Frieda's barely existent remains, every human being on the island. So many frightened people, so many relying on him and his promise to keep them safe.
And he was failing.
He was running out of time and hadn't done enough damage to stop the king or the other colossal Titans. His anger was rising. Damn the king for this. It was all so cruel.
"Do you not see Saiyan? It is pointless to resist." The kings voice rumbled from the Titans form. He could see the split skull opening out like a flower as the king presented himself. Frieda's body had continued its fusion, fading further away from existence as the king absorbed her. "The extinction of the Eldian people is a necessary justice. You cannot stand against the will of the king."
Gohan laughed in disgust.
"You… you think your something special. You think that your evil is just. But you're not. You're nothing. I've seen those like you a hundred times before."
"You have never seen anything like me."
"You're wrong. I've seen you in my uncle Raditz when he tried to kidnap me. In the Saiyans that invaded my home. In Frieza and his soldiers, the one's who killed so many innocent people for one mans evil wish. And I've seen you in the Androids, in Cell, the creatures of revenge built by another small man."
Gohan stood straighter and his aura bloomed higher.
"I know your kind. You think you can do anything you want, and that nobody can stop you. But I can. I will. I won't ever stop. I'll never back down. Not while there's a single breath in my body. I have the strength to stop you."
Clouds began to gather overhead, a blackening of the sky as his energy rose higher and higher. Gohan thought of all those people. His friends, his family, his love…
"I'll stop you, because that's what I have to do. It's what my dad would do. He was the greatest hero of all. Selfless. Strong. Kind. I failed him once. I had the chance to do the right thing, but instead I failed. I let my anger take control. But I won't ever do it again. You hear me? This isn't anger, or rage. This is a promise. Because I will be stop you and keep everyone safe."
His words rose into a cry, wind billowing around him as a bolt of lightning struck the ground around him.
"I will stop you like my father would. Because I'm my fathers SON!"
Lightning struck the ground, and Gohan's form exploded. An explosion of golden light burst into life.
The earth rumbled, an overwhelming level of power erupted out from his body. He roared with a mighty cry of determination. The ground shook everywhere, the entire island quaking beneath his feet as golden light burst outwards from the dirt around him.
His hair spiked upwards. His muscles bulged and crackled with energy. His eyes began to flash and pulse, changing colour to a deadly green. His hair flashed from black to gold, power rising and rising. The pool of energy was endless as it just grew more and more.
As the final barrier broke, Gohan ascended once more into his Super Saiyan form.
A golden aura climbed from the ground up to the sky. The light pierced the clouds and the heavens, skyrocketing past the king and his Titan. Aura bloomed like fire, a raging inferno as the Super Saiyan was birthed onto the planet.
Finally, the light broke away and Gohan stepped out. Aura buzzing with power, hair glowing blonde and with eyes of green. He took in a deep breath, lungs filling with air as he felt the familiar power fill his body.
His strength had fully returned.