If it weren't for Kuroka's presence, they would have died.
In the few short moments between the disappearance of the Boosted Gear and Divine Dividing and Eren's lunge, Kuroka's knowledge of Eren's tactics, her own inclinations for survival, and her desire to see almost everyone fighting in this battle to live to see another day was the difference between life and death for Bikou, Vali, Le Fay, and Issei.
Eren was on his back, and the return to his original size should have made him slower and less agile due to the sheer mass he now had to swing around.
Longer limbs meant greater reach and strides but meant they needed to cross greater distances to accomplish the same task as someone with shorter limbs. A simple rule of reality.
None of that mattered to someone with enough power.
From Eren's back, enormous pillars of white bone erupted, pushing his shoulders upward while more of it held his lower body to the ground as if he were doing a sit-up. The movement was so violent and sudden that it tore the Titan's lower back.
Instinct had Fenrir leap away from the arm he had been biting down on, and even then, the movement of the limbs it passed created a localized tornado in the air due to the sheer amount of oxygen displaced at high speeds that sent the great wolf flying.
Gogamagog didn't have that same instinct to let go of its pinned limb.
Eren's other arm rose so fast and violently that the enormous Golem was flung like a bullet, shooting off into the atmosphere and passing from sight in an instant.
Kuroka, holding down Eren's feet with Kasha and claws, had more time than the two on his arms to react. Not by much, but it was enough.
She also had noticed the very obvious fact that both Issei Hyoudou and Vali Lucifer were no longer clad in their respective giant armoured Sacred Gears.
Kuroka made a quick decision in less time than it took for most to blink.
She let go of Eren's legs, avoiding the white material that surged to hold him down to get leverage and jumped.
Not away from Eren, but upwards.
Her leap carried her to the sky and landed on Great Red's back.
The hundred-meter dragon had been having fun and suddenly found itself no longer part of a giant armoured mech, much to its displeasure.
It barely noticed the tiny (to it) cat that hopped on its back, looking around for whoever had ruined its epic kaiju battle.
If it had more than a few seconds to look, there was no doubt that Rizevim Lucifer would have died.
No matter how far one ran, one did not annoy Great Red and live.
Eren had no intention of giving the Dragon of Dreams a few seconds.
Barely was his top half vertical, and healed from the self-inflicted damage, that he used the same tactic on his lower body.
More pillars pushed him upward at an angle, launching himself in a lunging tackle for the red dragon a third his size.
Kuroka didn't waste even a breath, one of her tails wrapping around a still dumbfounded and confused Issei and jumping again.
Vali was in a slightly better position, both because his Gear had been nullified first and because he was simply a better fighter.
He had reacted quickly, opening his wings to stop himself from falling and, seeing Eren's sudden movements, had tried to rise.
Vali was fast, but he was much slower than usual without his Gear, and there was no way he would have escaped in time. So he let one of Kuroka's other tails wrap around him without resistance as she rose.
The clone that had been with Le Fay this entire time, hidden in a small piece of folded space, appeared on the original's back, holding both her and Bikou.
The twenty-meter cat rose quickly into the sky with her passengers in tow.
Eren passed right under, so close that Kuroka pushed off his shoulder to get more distance.
Eren crashed into Great Red.
The impact was strong enough that the shock wave broke the sound barrier as Eren's shoulder slammed into the dragon, white material crystalized into spikes that drove into scaled flesh.
Momentum and mass carried the pair further from Kuroka and her passengers, further from the city, as Great Red roared in pain for the first time in... probably forever.
They crashed into the mountains, flattening the land with their bulk. Great Red, now enraged, used its long neck to bite into Eren's shoulder, carving through reinforced flesh and bone.
Kuroka's clone, watching from the original's back, caught a flash of something on the back of Eren's neck.
Eren tore himself free of his Titan as its great bulk pressed down on the Dragon of Dragons.
Kuroka realized what was about to happen.
Kuroka created a platform under her feet, jumping again in a desperate rush to get away.
Anything to get some more distance.
There was no time for teleportation, and Arthur was gone.
Barriers. Reinforcement. Blessings.
With every ounce of Senjutsu, Youjustu, and magic Kuroka had, she protected herself and her friends.
Eren bit down on the webbing between his thumb and forefinger.
A sun was born right on top of Great Red.
And Kuroka wasn't far enough away.
Not from a blast like this.
Not when Eren wasn't holding back.
All her attempts to escape and defences would have meant nothing in the face of the Infinite fighting the Dream.
But they still had a piece of the Infinite with them.
Like Great Red, Ophis had been separated from Issei with Rizevim's reset of the Boosted Gear. She hadn't been empowering him to fight Eren but wanted to watch everything nonetheless.
Unlike Great Red, she was tiny enough that when Kuroka scooped up Issei, she had taken the little dragon in another of her tails.
Ophis, enormously diminished though she was since Eren stole her power, would still be counted in the upper half of the Top Ten.
And she had no desire to see her family, everyone she had come to care about, die in the wake of a battle she had asked for.
As Kuroka braced for the force and heat of the blast, Ophis conjured one of her snakes of power.
Containing all she could give, way more than even Ddraig could transfer, Ophis slammed it into the giant form of the woman she considered a mother.
BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOMMMMMMMMMMMMMM!
Flames rushed over the enhanced defences. Even at the edge of the blast, and enhanced by Ophis, they started cracking.
"Shit!" Bikou swore as the explosion shot them like a bullet, tumbling, bouncing around, and hitting each other.
"WHAT IS HAPPENING?!"
Poor confused, naked, recently dead Issei Hyoudou had, in the last few minutes, gone from being dead, getting a body, merging with a Dragon God, fighting his Senpai, having his Gear shut down, and placed at the edge of a what could only be described a magical hydrogen bomb.
He still had to wait for his answers, though.
"BRACE YOURSELVES!" Kuroka's clone yelled, struggling to be heard over their ears ringing.
Of the Nine Titans, each had their unique abilities.
The Jaw Titan's claws and fangs, the Beast Titan's sheer diversity in animal characteristics, the Armoured Titan's durability, or the Warhammer's Titan's ability to grow things from the bone-like material.
Individually, they might be strong, but they could be terrifying together. That was the premise of the Female Titan, the most adaptable of all of them. Its entire ability was using lesser versions of all other Titan abilities.
One just needed to look at the Attack Titan's ability to look at future memories and the Founder's omniscience. Combined, they allowed their wielder to directly choose a future they wanted to happen.
As the source and creator of all Titans in this world, Eren could use any of the nine's abilities.
Including the Cart Titans.
Its ability was simple. While other shifters could only turn into their Titan forms a few times a day, or only once in the case of the Colossal, the Cart could transform as many times as it wanted.
If the Attack Titan and the Founder together could decide the world's future, then the Cart Titan and Colossal Titan together could destroy the world.
A curious Kuroka, on the first day with her new partner, had asked the nine-year-old Eren how many times he could unleash the attack that wiped the Dantalion from the Underworld.
His answer had been simple.
As many times as he wanted.
The second blast followed the first after less than a second.
Then, a third.
A fourth.
A fifth.
...
If the first blast hadn't sent Kuroka and her passengers flying, they could have survived the second and third blasts.
Maybe even survived the fourth, thanks to being on the outskirts.
They would have died long before the ninth and final explosion went off.
It wasn't that Eren couldn't keep this up. He definitely could. Nobody saw it due to the light, but Eren wasn't actually transforming. Not only wouldn't his limited time left allow him to, but it would take time to pull himself from a fully formed Titan.
Time he didn't have.
So he used a trick he had learned in those days of testing his powers with Hange.
One didn't need a complete transformation to set off the explosion that came with it.
He'd bite down on his hand, drawing blood. The blood was a connecting factor, allowing the Paths to access the world outside the bloodline holders.
The explosion would detonate as the flesh and bones of an enormous Titan started to clad him in its form. Each was so large that it made the Titan body pressing down Great Red seem small.
Eren would then cut off the transformation instantly, bite on the healed wound, and start the process again, vaporizing the few parts summoned in the last transformation.
Over and over again, using his Senjutsu to enhance the power of the blast, Eren detonated himself right on top of Great Red.
When he finally stopped, it wasn't because he couldn't continue but because his prey was no longer there.
Great Red, singed slightly, had appeared in the sky over the enormous crater where Eren now stood.
Its power gathered in its mouth, and it breathed.
Flames of prismatic, psychedelic colour fell like rain.
The crater evaporated.
This was no fire.
Great Red simply didn't want this person in particular to exist, and its power went to work, making it happen.
The glassed hole where Eren had set off enough explosions to sink a small continent ceased to exist.
And it wasn't limited to the bowled mountain range.
The power spread, rendering everything into nothing.
Fenrir, fleeing since the first explosion, ran for his life from this tide of death.
The enormous wolf, back to its regular size since Le Fay was no longer supporting the spell, barely managed to dash past the line of defenders of Lillith.
Eren's explosions, though farther away than the one who destroyed Agreas, had still knocked everyone on their ass from the shockwave. Even Eren's Titans hadn't been able to keep their feet.
Only Gasper's still rampaging Gear continued to fight in the field of fallen bodies, freezing fallen Titans in time and tearing them apart.
Miraculously, or perhaps not considering Issei and company had ended up crashing into the walls of Lillith nearby, and Great Red didn't want to waste its efforts bringing him back to life, the tide of magical destruction did not reach the line of knocked-over devils.
For a few moments, the world was silent as the psychedelic flames, reminiscent of the colours of the Gap, burned away everything.
Then they faded, revealing what had become of a tremendous portion of the Underworld.
It was simply gone.
Not burned away, just gone.
An enormous cliff dropped off less than a few meters from Sairaorg Bael.
Completely smooth, the cliff wall shone in a myriad of colours as it descended at a perfectly vertical angle for tens, perhaps hundreds of meters before stopping at a ninety-degree angle.
At the base of the cliff, stretching further than the eye could see, more of the perfectly smooth material pulled into the horizon, reflecting the sky's light.
Great Red flew above this desolate wasteland, where no life could have survived, staring down at its epicentre.
Eren's green eyes glared up at the dragon.
Once more, and for the final time, he was in the body of a Titan.
Only a hundred meters tall, this was not Eren's Founding Titan, nor was it any form anyone had ever seen before.
It was as if the muscled physique of his Attack Titan form had been sized up to a Colossal Titan's, the longer legs and thicker feet the only marker of the Colossal Titan's usual red-muscled body.
Almost every inch of Eren's new Titan was covered in dense armour plating, excepting only his joints. Around his fists, the diamond-hard material of the Jaw Titan glinted in the form of spiked knuckles, and the flesh of his limbs below the armour glittered with the crystalized material that once protected Annie Leonheart for years.
The white, red, and crystal mixture glowed with a tide of ominous purple energy.
Eren's armoured mouth couldn't open, so there was no roar of rage to announce his counterattack. There was just a burst of movement as enormous white columns rose under his feet, shooting Eren toward the sky and Great Red.
The Dragon of Dreams would have attacked the Titan again in the brief moment before Eren reached him, but hundreds of white blades, each incredibly thin and sharp, appeared in the air above the dragon's wings. The sword blades, designed to cut flesh and powered by the Infinite, fell, carving tears into the thin membranes of the dragon.
Great Red roared in pain as it took its first proper wound. It didn't fall, for it never relied on its wings to fly in the first place, but the surprise of the attack gave Eren the time to reach his foe.
One of Eren's arms wrapped around the Dream's neck, swinging himself over the beast, locking his legs around the wing joints and driving his spiked fist into Great Red's neck.
The Dragon of Dragons fell, a red meteor sent spiralling into the vast basin it had created only a few seconds ago as Eren rode it to the ground.
Those were but the first seconds of one of the greatest battles this world had ever seen.
Claws rent flesh and scale.
Jaws rent bone and crushed crystal.
Enough power poured from man and dragon that reality bent and tore around them, space cracking and warping as the Gap bled over to the Underworld.
The land twisted as its topography was rearranged.
The sky twisted as every movement of the fighters distorted the weather.
Yet, even as reality crumbled and two of the greatest powers in this world battled across the horizon, there were still those who sought a path to survival.
As Eren dragged Great Red to the ground, a light enveloped every devil and defender of Lilith.
Gentle green and gold shone amongst a chaotic mess of white Titans and red blood, enveloping everyone who fought for those who could not defend themselves.
It was impossible to estimate how many lives that light saved.
Eren's explosions had knocked everyone from their feet, damaging even supernaturally tough eyes and ears.
Eren's white Titans, their healing accelerated by Senjutsu, recovered quickly, returning to their feet to continue their onslaught on the disoriented, blind, and deaf.
Had they even a few moments, they could have devastated their victims and moved on to the capitol.
If the defenders didn't get right back up, glowing green and gold, and resume their battle, that is.
Exhaustion. Pain. Injuries.
It all dissipated like morning dew under the soft green and gold glow of Asia Argento's Balance Breaker.
Limbs regenerated.
The unconscious woke up.
Everyone felt rejuvenated and fresh as if the battle had just begun and they were prepared.
When the fighting began again, it was not just the Titans that regenerated this time.
For the first time since Eren had started his new Rumbling, the defenders were fighting on equal footing.
Such was the power [Dawn's Affection], the most potent healing Gear this world had ever seen.
In a crumbled and destroyed section of Lillith's wall, two young men felt their connection to their Gears return under that green and gold glow.
[What happened?] Ddraig asked urgently as he re-summoned Boosted Gear on Issei's arm.
"My grandfather," Vali spat, quickly sitting up and re-summoning his own Gear.
He looked angry, genuinely furious, and Kuroka knew that if she let him, he'd throw himself against Eren again.
"Don't," the Yokai said, turning back into a human and grabbing the young man's arms. "That fight is out of our league. Eren's not holding back anymore. He can't afford to. If you go now, you'll just die in the crossfire."
Vali looked like he would argue, and Bikou looked ready to join him when a cry of joy rang out.
"Issei!"
"Asia!" Issei's face lit up with joy at seeing his girlfriend flying toward him. Joy turned to surprise as he saw the gold and green wings on her back. "What ha-"
Bang!
Issei's voice was cut off as a blurring form slammed into him, pulling him into a hug tight enough that his bones started to creak.
"Ise." Xenovia's voice was hoarse as she held her boyfriend tightly, tears leaking from her eyes. "I'm... so glad you're okay," she sobbed. "How...?"
"It's a miracle from the Lord," Irina said, also crying as her white wings carried her down to them. "He knew you did not des- ah!"
"Eep!"
Xenovia, seeing both her friend and fellow girlfriend arrive, had released Issei from her embrace so they could have a turn. She kept a hand on his arm, but now that she wasn't blocking their sight, everyone got a good look at Issei.
A very naked Issei.
Bikou hurried to cover Le Fay's eyes, but the young witch just ducked away, getting a good look.
Asia flushed red, and her golden wings faltered a beat in the air.
Irina was the worrisome one, though. Her white wings started to darken as she stared at her childhood friend in the buff.
"Ah," the angel gasped, quickly turning away (and wiping the drool from her lips) and putting her hands together in prayer.
"Sorr-" Issei began to say, covering his groin with his hands, but a harsh voice cut him off.
"We don't have time for your rom-com bullshit!"
Sona Sitri snapped as she rushed towards them.
She looked... bad.
Not injured, as everyone else, she was bathed in the green and gold glow of [Dawn's Affection], but her hair was a mess, half of her glasses were shattered, the other cracked, and her clothes were half destroyed.
Sona didn't care about any of that as she imperiously pointed a finger at Issei.
"You! Make your wall now!"
"Wha-" Issei couldn't even get a word out before Sona turned her finger to point toward the horizon.
"Look!"
All eyes turned, and at first, they thought she was indicating the apocalyptic battle between Eren and Great Red, but it only took a moment to realize what the heiress was talking about.
A mist had begun to coagulate across the horizon between Eren's battle and their position.
As they watched, enormous white giants started to emerge from the mist.
The earthquakes of Eren's battle began to be accompanied by a more steady, regular Rumbling.
"You need to block that!"
"I- can't." Issei wanted to, and he'd try, but he knew the weakness of his Crimson World Wall. "My Wall is one-sided. Those inside can destroy it. If I block those Colossal Titans, I either leave everyone out or leave the smaller Titans in."
"We'll protect you from within," Xenovia reassured him with a fierce look. "Nobody will get to you!"
"It's not just that," Issei warned, trying to get them to understand. He couldn't bear the thought of failing once more. "That many Titans will damage me faster than I can accumulate Boosts! I'll never reach Wall Fall."
"You don't need to," Sona told him, her eyes wild and frantic. There was a grim smile on her face. "You just need to hold on as long as you can."
Even as they spoke, the line of enormous Titans was interrupted as more figures emerged from the mist.
"Go!" Sona told Issei, not letting him argue for even a second longer as she whirled onto Kuroka. "I need to talk to everyone who just appeared! And everyone here! Make sure they can all hear me!"
As Issei covered himself in his Balance Breaker once again and began to chant, everyone else threw themselves back into the battle.
Carried by Kuroka and Le Fay's hurriedly constructed spell, Sona's voice carried out over the battlefield.
The civilians still fleeing to the other side of the city.
The defenders in the killing field, fighting the Titans.
The confused and disoriented Ultimate class attackers who had resumed their battle with the Colossal Titans.
And the woman in the red scarf watching a battle she had no way of influencing...
Sona spoke to them all.
{This is Sona Sitri.}
Once more, Eren's Rumbling advanced.
{The Satans are gone. Agreas and everyone on it were destroyed. I don't know how many have died.}
Thousands of white Titans burning and stomping the world flat.
{We are all that is left between the Titans and what remains of the Underworld. If we fail here, so does everyone else. Friends. Family. Everything we hold dear.}
Many of the Colossal Titans had appeared in the basin Great Red had created, and they soon became collateral in Eren's battle, unable to even survive the shockwaves.
Thousands still remained.
{We cannot beat the Titans. So long as the Founder still lives, they will return. Though they might be human, the Founding Titan has taken Ophis' power. Great Red... might lose.}
Sona might as well have said that the sun would rise in the west.
The idea of the Dream losing to anything was so absurd to the inhabitants of this world that some outright laughed at Sona's words.
She carried on, no matter the response.
{But we can win! We can survive! All we have to do is hold on. Hold on for one more minute. One more second.}
The sky gained a crimson glow.
Everyone saw the enormous crimson wall appear on the crater's edge, reaching the clouds and stretching over the horizon, separating the Colossal Titans from the city and its defenders.
All Titans within the Wall turned to the monolithic structure, whether in battle or not, as it began to glow with crimson power mixed with the purple of Ophis' enhancements.
{The Red Dragon Emperor can keep the Colossal Titans out while our Ultimate class fighters whittle them down. Those of us in the Wall will defend it. With everything we have, we need to protect this Wall!}
As one, the white Titans within the Wall launched themselves toward it.
They gave up all forms of defence as they frantically rushed toward the Crimson World Wall.
A devil in white armour and blue wings took out the first dozen that approached.
Vali's team threw themselves at the tide of Titans inside, joined by the other defenders, while outside the attackers did all they could to once more stymie the Rumbling.
{The Founding Titan is a human. They can only hold on to Ophis' power for so long. They want to kill and destroy as much as possible before that happens. We will not let them!}
Far in the distance, Eren dodged a blast from Great Red.
It sailed beyond him, crashing into the fake sun the New Satans had created to bring the Underworld more in line with Earth.
The sun winked out, plunging the Underworld into its natural state of twilight.
{For the Underworld. For our future. For everything we care about. I am asking you to fight. I am asking you to die. More than anything else, I am asking you to hold on. For just a little longer...}
Under the crimson glow of an impossibly vast wall, the Battle of Broken Worlds entered its climax.
{...Please hold on.}