On The Bench (AOT/DxD)

[ReadingDangerously]

The inhabitants of Agreas did not notice the ground beginning to rumble. They, high in the sky of the Underworld, could not feel the vibration of the dirt.

But they saw the lightning.

Those near the edge of the flying city, with the enhanced eyes of devils, saw the yellow flash of lightning that fell from a clear sky. It was a curtain of electricity stretching from one side of the horizon to the other.

They heard the crash of thunder as the energy impacted the ground with a cacophonous boom.

It was the curious eyes of the civilians of Agreas that first saw the Titans.

They emerged from beyond the mountains, enormous beings of white flesh and bone.

Thousands of them.

Ten ranks deep and reaching across the horizon as far as a devil's eye could see, these giants stood sixty meters tall, bigger than most of the dragons Ratting Game fans saw occasionally.

As one, these colossal beings advanced toward the flying city.

They weren't moving quickly, but their sheer size meant they swallowed the distance at a rate that most couldn't outrun.

And where they passed, the Underworld burned.

The very air warped and hissed with the heat they radiated, setting the world aflame. Every step crushed stone, tree, and animal. Clouds of dust and ash rose as they marched, blackening the air above.

The ground was on fire, the sky darkened from the clouds of dust and ash, and a tide of white between the two.

And behind the wall of white Titans, the Attack Titan advanced.

Five times the size of the Colossal Titans, the... monster was a creature of white bone alone, only its head having any semblance of flesh.

A demented, deformed centipede-like creature only shaped like a man in the vaguest sense, its enormous bulk was supported by its ribs acting as legs.

Its head, attached to a sinuous spine, lulled over the advancing army. Long hair framed a horrific face, its eyes focused solely on the flying city.

Step by step, the Rumbling advanced, crushing the Underworld flat underfoot.

But the Underworld wasn't without its defenders.

Barely had the citizens of Agreas begun to feel fear at the approaching tide of destruction before a call from the city leaders rang out. The confused and frightened heard words of reassurance before they found themselves engulfed in an enormous teleportation spell.

Tens of thousands of devils found themselves confused and disoriented as they were displaced towards the outskirts of Lillith, the devil capital, where the non-combat staff of the Satans' various ministries tried to maintain some semblance of order.

Agreas was left almost entirely empty.

Almost.

From every corner of the flying city, devils of power emerged.

Lords and Ladies. Ultimate and high-class. Victors of the Rating Games and reincarnated devils of great power. Peerages of the Satans and Extra Devils.

Almost immediately, two camps formed.

It was a deviation from the plan, one caused by having way more defenders than the Satans had recruited, but one that very few bothered to complain about.

In case the Chaos Brigade tried to sneak members onto the nearly abandoned city, defenders needed to remain. To have the Great King faction take over that duty freed up more attackers.

There was also the fact that most could not say no to Zekram Beal.

Led by a Pawn of Leviathan, the attackers launched themselves at the oncoming tide of Titans.

Led by the Great King, the defenders remained on Agreas to protect the city from surprises.

The former went to battle.

The latter went to hunt, searching for the secret lab they had paid so much to locate.

One side chose to dive into danger, charging at a threat to their home and way of life.

One side chose the safety of the air, secure in the knowledge that the Rumbling was a problem only for those lesser beings who could not fly.

Mikasa Ackerman was the first devil to reach the white wall of bodies.

With instincts and training designed for this very purpose, no longer bound by the limits of ODM gear, the last scout faced down the nightmare of her youth.

It was different, yet the same.

These Titans were just as large and imposing and, in many ways, even more dangerous than the original Wall Titans had been.

The heat they radiated set the air ablaze, and their bodies exuded an aura that Mikasa could now identify as Touki.

Yet Mikasa wasn't the weak girl she had been either.

The first Titan died when two copies of Purgatorio were carved through the Touki like it wasn't even there.

It fell, crashing into the ground with a cacophonous impact and sending those behind it stumbling over its body.

Mikasa killed two more before the blades in her hands dissolved, their forms disappearing as the magic Yuuto had left in them ran its course.

She summoned two more.

These weapons, this Balance Breaker, were the closest she had found to the blades of her youth, and their unique holy/demonic abilities ensured that they could cut anything. Even Touki reinforced bone.

Every day, Mikasa worked with the Knight in combat and endurance.

In the pocket dimension Adjuka had created for her years ago, designed to work around her lack of magic to power her enchanted weapons, thousands of copies of Purgatorio waited to carve through Titan necks.

With her eyes locked onto the approaching Attack Titan, Mikasa had time to wonder why Eren had chosen to use the Warhammer to regain this form.

She had a guess.

If Mikasa had been alone, she probably would have charged right at it, trying to stop this as soon as possible.

But she wasn't alone.

Behind Mikasa, the devils bore down on the Titans.

So, Mikasa did not attack Eren directly.

Instead, she led.

An advanced scout, showing those behind her the path.

The next Colossal Titan fell under Mikasa's blades as she flew behind it, cleanly severing its spine with a movement she had practiced ten thousand times.

Then she was on to the next one. And the next. And the next.

Within seconds, thirteen more of the enormous humanoids had their spines severed and fell to the ground, creating a stumbling block for those behind them before they dissolved.

Mikasa grit her teen in frustration as the heat started getting to her.

Promoting to Rook would lessen the speed she gained from her Knight promotion. Perhaps a Queen might have been better, but she gained no benefit from the Bishop aspect, so she had decided to maximize her strengths rather than shore up her weaknesses.

Deciding discretion was the better part of valour, at least temporarily. Mikasa took to the air, climbing higher to escape the heat and cool off.

It let her get a good look at the battle.

Hundreds of devils were laying into the Titans, and the results were... mixed.

The simple fact was that most devils were simply not trained on how to fight Titans, let alone ones reinforced by Touki.

Most had been told to watch her for how it was supposed to be done.

They had noticed Mikasa's methods and tried to replicate them to the best of their abilities. They targeted heads with blasts of fire and force. Swordmen and women carved into legs, sending the giants falling to serve as a roadblock.

Yet the Titans just kept regenerating.

Severed legs regrew. Collapsed skulls expanded. Touki turned blows that would have been devastating into only shallow wounds that closed before they could be targeted again.

Titans simply did not die unless that small section of their spine was severed. It didn't matter if every other body part was destroyed if that one piece was still intact.

If the attack were off even a little bit, the Colossal Titan would regenerate far faster than would be possible without Eren's Senjutsu powering them.

It wasn't that they weren't having some success.

Grayfia Lucifuge had turned a kilometre's worth of Titans into ice statues. Even with the heat of the creatures radiating every second, the Strongest Queen kept a lock on hundreds of Colossals through her magic.

Diehauser Belial might be unable to use his clan trait, Worthlessness, on the Titans because they operated on a principle from another world, but he had faced Touki before. In front of the Emperor of the Rating Games, Titans lost their defences, leaving them as little more than big, hot humans. His Peerage tore through the squishy monsters.

Okita Souji had been Mikasa's sparing partner for years and was one of the few who managed to replicate her feet of targeting the napes of the neck, his body count already surpassing hers.

Beowulf had a smaller body count only because he was less precise, focusing more on carving through limbs than the precise work needed to put the Titans down for good.

Sutr II was revelling in the heat and fire the Titans gave off. Staying far away from Grayfia's part of the battlefield, he was a whirling inferno that burned the eyes to look at.

Tannin led a thunder of dragons to pass over the heads of the Titans in an air bombardment of fire and force, trying to target the spines.

All over the battlefield, the Underworld's greatest combatants pitted their full might against this new, more powerful Rumbling and held it back.

Then Eren started to fight back.

Mikasa saw it happen.

Saw the thousands of white Colossal Titans seem to flex, every muscle in their body shivering at once.

She knew what was coming, but her shout of warning was lost in the great bellow of steam that erupted from every single Titan.

It was not the explosion that accompanied the shifting of the Colossal Titan but rather the Colossal's ability to trade muscle mass for an outpouring of heat.

It was no less deadly.

An explosion of expanding superheated air erupted from the army of giants, frying those too close and fragile to defend themselves. Sutr II dove atop Okita and Mathers to wrap them in his enormous bulk to try and give them time for Mathers spell to defend them. Beowulf endured with a quickwitted promotion to Rook, giving him time to join his Peerage members.

Others weren't so lucky.

Devils were not immune to heat; they were just slightly more resistant to it than humans. The sudden onset of boiling steam took hundreds flatfooted, and dozens died, their skin blackening and blood boiling under the intense increase in temperature.

The attackers weren't idiots, though.

Like Mikasa, they took to the air on their wings, gaining a reprieve from the spike in heat and readying to lay into the Titans from the safety of on high.

It was here that Mikasa's instinctual hesitation to approach the Attack Titan was proved to be the right call.

Hundreds of smaller forms grew from every spike atop the enormous centipede-like Titan.

Shaped like long-limbed apes, they curled back their arms and let loose thousands of splinters of white bone, the smallest still bigger than a person's head.

Open and exposed in the air, the devils faced the bombardment as best they could.

Whether trying to dodge with speed, block with spells or simply tank the damage, they had more success than humans would have, but they still took casualties from those not quick enough or tough enough to endure.

Bodies fell from the sky like dying birds, but the majority of attackers remained to witness the next trick Eren had up his sleeve.

The wall of oncoming Titans reformed.

Those who were injured regenerated. The dead were resummoned. And those who expended muscle mass for the shockwave of steam regained their spent flesh.

Using Senjutsu and an enormous wellspring of power, Eren had turned the Rumbling from something modern-day humans could deal with into an unstoppable tide that even the strongest devils were struggling to survive.

The Rumbling continued to march forward. Relentlessly. Inexorably.

Crushing and burning the Underworld as it went, approaching Agreas with every second that passed.

But the Underworld was not out of tricks just yet.

There was a reason Agreas had been flying in this particular region, surrounded by mountains on all sides.

Falbium Asmodeus was not only a military strategist with few equals, but he excelled in defensive battles. When the most reclusive of the four Satans could be bothered to wake up, his mind was the equal of his friend, Adjuka, in his field of interest.

Though he might be locked down in a battle for his life against the strongest Longinus, Falbium still had days to set up the battlefield to his specifications, learning what he could from Mikasa's retelling of the Rumbling of her world.

The Titans descended the mountains, their footing already unstable from the uneven ground, and fell right into the trap of the devil army.

Tens of thousands of spells, each no stronger than what a human magician could use, set off at once.

For days, the legions of the military had been hard at work laying pits, rock slides, and other assorted traps to stop the march of the Titans from advancing close to the flying city.

The army was not made of high-class devils, baring a few captains here and there.

No, they were the rank-and-file, low and mid-class devils that comprised the vast majority of the population. These were not beings with unique bloodlines or great magic. Just men and women looking to do what they could to protect their homes.

Even a little pebble can set off an avalanche.

And there were a lot of pebbles Eren needed to crush if he wanted to stomp this world flat.

The first line of Titans fell on those pebbles, crashing into the ground with the deafening boom of bombs falling. The Colossal Titans in the second row tried to step onto or over their fallen brethren to continue their uncompromising march but found a second line of traps waiting.

It only took minutes for the entire advance to grind to a halt as the enormous bodies blocked their fellows.

More than the hundred or so Ultimate class beings, it was the countless soldiers who had toiled for days setting up fault lines, landslides, and mud pits large enough to trap a Titan that stopped the Rumbling.

These weak soldiers might not be able to kill Eren's army, protected with Touki, but they sure as hell could give their heavy hitters time to finish them off.

From the sky where they retreated, the spear of the Underworld descended upon their open targets, taking the opportunity to wreak devastation on the defenceless Titans.

They had learned from their first bout, attacking quickly and decisively before retreating to escape retaliation from the heat.

The Attack Titan was not inactive when facing this most recent setback.

The hundreds of Ape Titans lobbing fractured material were joined by equal numbers of Warhammer Titans equipped with projectile weapons. Spears, javelins, slings, and arrows were less numerous than the cluster shot projectiles, but each was targeted and much more powerful.

Most devils could not both attack and defend themselves simultaneously, so they took their distance from the Attack Titan to maximize their utility by aiding the army in slaying the Colossal Titans.

Even if Eren could continue to regenerate his ground-shaking army, every loss would divert his attention and sap just a bit more of his power, giving their own fighters a better chance at finishing him off for good.

And Mikasa had no intention of letting Eren take even one step closer to those she wanted to protect.

The ambush had ground the Rumbling to a halt, but it wouldn't be long before Eren simply decided to dismiss the fallen Titans and conjure more behind their lines.

Mikasa had minutes at best before this delay was overcome.

With a deep breath and a ghosting of her hand over the scarf at her neck for luck, Mikasa launched her own counter-attack, pulling a green cloak from her storage tool as she called out to her only Peer.

"Behemoth!"

High in the sky, way higher than Mikasa could have flown naturally and hidden behind the layers of smoke and dust, an enormous shadow blotted out the light of the Underworld's fake sun as Serafall Leviathan's only other Peerage member turned back into their original form.

The enormous beast, larger than even a Colossal Titan, fell onto Eren's back with all the might of a meteor.

Behemoth wasn't a being known for magic. Its demonic power was only high-class, yet it was still firmly considered an Ultimate-class devil for one reason alone.

Sheer, brutal, physical power.

The Attack Titan's spines could not hold it aloft under the impact of the sudden attack, and it smashed into the ground with yet more earthquake-level shocks.

Right away, all the summoned Titans on Eren's back turned their attention to the new arrival as the enormous beast, a demented cross between an elephant and hippo, bulldozed from the tail toward the front of this white centipede-like creature.

With a trumpeting bellow, Behemoth crashed through dozens of Titans, stones and weapons unable to so much as scratch their thick hide.

Like a stampeding elephant, the reincarnated devil bulldozed its way through a half-formed Colossal Titan, reaching the halfway point on Eren's back within moments and powering through with almost unstoppable momentum.

And met a wall of armour-clad Colossal Titans strung out between the two ridges of the Attack Titan's spine.

Behemouth's charge was halted after they failed to pierce more than two layers deep.

Halted and surrounded before they got close to the Titan's spine, Behemoth let out another trumpeting bellow and began to lay waste to the Titans around it, fighting to escape its imprisonment.

And to buy time and attention.

After days of planning and concocting scenarios, every single estimation the Satans, Azazel, and Mikasa had come to the same conclusion.

They couldn't win.

If Eren truly gained the power of the Infinite Dragon God, even if only a fraction, then not even all the Underworld's forces, including the Satans themselves, would be able to stand up to him if he decided to unleash it all at once.

If it weren't for his desire for the Malebranche to gain a more permanent power-up, Eren could have used the Warhammer to summon a Titan so large that the explosion would entirely destroy the Underworld.

No, one could not win against infinite power in a head-on-head collision.

Thankfully, though he had power, Eren only had a few ways to use it. So the Satans had concocted a plan that was, ideally, designed to circumvent the notion of a head-on collision entirely.

Eren needed a war to entice Malacoda so he wouldn't destroy everything in one blast. More than likely, his attack would come in a form he was familiar with, I.E., The Rumbling.

Its greatest ability wasn't in direct damage but in its grind. Its thorough and inevitable destruction of anything and everything under enormous feet.

Perfect for a battle-hungry sapient weapon.

The Underworld's struggle for survival would be Eren's sacrifice to the leader of the Malebranche.

And that was their salvation.

Eren needed a battle.

They'd give it to him.

And kill him while he was distracted.

There was just one problem.

Eren was a sage, and the Satans didn't know how poor his sensing abilities were. They thought he was the greatest sage ever to live. That fact had been pounded into their heads time and time again, so they had to find a way around his supposed abilities.

What do you know? They had a being with them who had no power to speak of. One that was intimately familiar with Eren, his methodologies, and killing Titans.

They had no idea what form Eren would take, but it stood to reason that it would be large. Either a Colossal Titan or something similar. So they had Behemouth waiting to distract it while everyone else halted the advance.

While Falbium had been preparing the battlefield, Sirzechs had been recruiting defenders, and Serafall was setting up the evacuation spell, Adjuka Beelzebub had only one job.

Create a device that could hide Ki from the greatest sage to ever live.

With her life force completely invisible, no other power to sense, and all the Attack Titan's eyes focusing on Behemoth, Mikasa landed on the long spinal column.

She didn't hesitate.

With no way of knowing where Eren was and a limited time before he conjured more titans who could see her, Mikasa drove two copies of Purgatorio deep into the neck of the Founding Titan.

It reacted instantly, white bone forming into a copy of the Jaw Titan, but Mikasa was already gone, trailing her blades along as she flew up closer to the head.

Closer to Eren's most likely location.

Devil wings carried her up along the bone road toward the head, slicing and cutting away at the thick, white material.

Mikasa prayed this would be enough.

That this would stop Eren.

That when he asked her if he could do it all again, he meant if she could stop him and not if she could live through the destruction of her world a second time.

Eren might not sense her, but he could feel the damage to his body and trace its route.

Warhammer Titans grew from the base of his skull, weapons poised to skewer her.

Only... their thrust went wide, missing her by meters.

Was Eren letting her get close? As she flowed under the spine, Mikasa wondered, blades still attached, and her wings carried her upside down.

Then, an enormous jaw burst from the underside of the neck and nearly swallowed her whole.

With the speed and decisiveness she had cultivated since she had first picked up that knife to fight, Mikasa abandoned her two blades and folded her wings. She fell, barely escaping the teeth of the Jaw Titan.

But its eyes didn't track her.

In fact, its head swivelled as if searching for something despite Mikasa being less than a meter from its face.

...The Colossal Titans hadn't reacted to her either, had they?

It wasn't that Eren was trying to let her kill him. Mikasa had almost been hit a few times by the garage from the Ape Titan.

It was that, for some reason, he really couldn't perceive her.

Whether it was because Eren was doing it deliberately or because Adjuka's device somehow made her invisible to him, Mikasa didn't waste the opportunity presented.

Mikasa plunged two more copies of Purgatorio into the spot right behind the Jaw Titan, leaving them there as it snapped at them instinctively.

And, with two more, she carved the last few meters toward the head of the Attack Titan.

Purgatorio's blades snapped as Eren increased the density of his Touki against this threat that he couldn't perceive.

Mikasa grit her teeth to choke a sob.

If Eren had been anywhere in the spine of the Warhammer-formed Titan, he would have died already.

That he wasn't meant he could only be in one place.

Two more blades of Purgatorio appeared in her hand.

Before Eren forced himself to trample another world.

So Eren didn't have to look into the eyes of another dead friend as he chased an impossible future.

So that the boy she loved could have the one measure of freedom she could give, Mikasa would do it all again.

Purgatorio, clad in the barest flicker of Touki that Mikasa's prodigious talent had garnered in weeks of training, carved through the back of the Attack Titan's skull.

Mikasa's fledgling Touki flickered out.

It had been enough.

Split horizontally, Mikasa's blades had carved through the base of the skull upwards and at an angle to line up with the jaw of the enormous creature.

Mikasa flew through the opening, ready to once more kill her heart.

To find it empty.

Her eyes widened, and Mikasa quickly flew through the hole she had created, fearing another surprise attack.

There was no attack.

With the base of its spine severed, the copy of the white, centipede-like Titan that had led this second Rumbling collapsed, its massive bulk surrendering under its own weight.

Mikasa watched it fall, eyes frantically searching the battlefield.

With Kuroka's confirmation that Eren could use the Warhammer at a distance, there had always been the risk that he would hide somewhere in the back just to let the Colossal Titans do their work from safety.

Mikasa had rejected that proposal entirely.

Eren would never do something like that.

It was too passive, too cowardly for him.

No, he'd be at the forefront, leading everything. Even if it were the riskier option, he could not help himself from being in the thick of things.

So where was he?

Mikasa had little time to search the battlefield for the slightest hint of the true Attack Titan.

As if the collapse of the fake Founding Titan was a signal, the dense cloud of smoke and dust started to thicken.

Removed from the battle for the moment, Mikasa was one of the few who noticed the mist closing in on the battlefront.

And, in the distance, the mist pooling at the bottom of Agreas.

The heat haze, the fog of war, and the struggle for survival had blinded everyone to oddity closing in around them.

Mikasa's heart fell.

She flew. Far from the front line. Far from the battle, which was one titanic distraction.

Because she couldn't trust anyone else to stop him.

Because Mikasa Ackerman was the only person in this world that Eren Yeager had once chosen over his dream, revenge, and life.

So Mikasa flew toward Eren, praying she'd make it in time.

She didn't make it.

With blood flowing from his nose and sweat slicking his body, Georg reminded the world why Dimension Lost was considered a high-end Longinus, even greater than Boosted Gear and Divine Dividing.

Mikasa Ackerman, the Underworld army, hundreds of High class and Ultimate class defenders, and thousands of Colossal Titans were all swallowed in a deep mist.

The Underworld lost its attackers to a pocket dimension that kept them trapped.

It lost its defenders to Eren Yeager.

********

One of my favourite aspects of fanfiction is the notion of a crossover. Two worlds/characters that were never meant to interact, colliding and creating something unique. And one of my favourite aspects of a good crossover is the handling of powers. When it's poorly written, it makes a story dull and boring. One side is stronger/better, and there is no contest, so the stakes grow dull. I hoped to do something better.

Titans, as a general rule in anime, are scrub-level. A team of well-trained humans can kill one with swords, and modern weaponry almost trivializes them. That was a recurring theme of season 4 of AOT. The power of Titans was on the way out, thus Eldia and Marley could no longer use them to dominate the world. The current human world could stop the Rumbling. It would undoubtedly have collateral damage, but most advanced nations would be able to drop a few high-powered bombs and stop Eren's apocalypse as soon as it started.

Sirzechs alone could solo the entire army of Wall Titans and Eren's white Founder form.

So, I found myself in the fun position of using the rules of both worlds, creating a conflict that was at once believable and engaging.

Enter Senjutsu and Touki.

Sairaorg has little talent but overcomes it with years of hard work and effort. Eren cheats. Mikasa? She was still better than Titan shifters who spent their entire lives training for war. She's older and more experienced than most devils or human sages. And she's an Ackerman.

The entire 'power' of the Ackerman bloodline is described as 'knowing what to do' and enhanced physical abilities. It's implied that this is due to gaining all the muscle memory of previous Ackermans from the Paths, leading to their enhanced combat power. I cannot think of someone who would be more talented at learning Touki than Mikasa Ackerman. Her only constraint is the limited time she has to learn it.

I hope this little explanation shows how my mind works as I try to craft a story that is cohesive not only to characters but also to the rules of both worlds.

For example, Eren's shitty sensing doesn't matter to him because he uses the Paths to link him to his summoned Titans. Once they are summoned, he can see through their eyes. I took this method from how Ymir fought the scouts during the Battle of Heaven and Earth. Like then, even though there are no humans in the spines of the Titans Eren conjures, they are still destroyed if the nape is sliced. Eren can resummon them and doesn't need to keep them connected to his body like in his original world, but the rule is still the same. Senjutsu speeds up regeneration that is already present, and Touki makes things tougher, but the tactics Eren uses are all based on things he's either done or seen before.

Nothing is really 'new' because Eren isn't any sort of genius, but he takes what he has and takes it to its logical extreme. Hell, this entire part of his plan is based on Erwin's sacrificial charge so Levi could have time to reach the Ape Titan. Eren would have seen/lived that fight while he had the Founder, and I can easily imagine him using the tactics of those he looked up to to achieve his goals.

I hope this little explanation shows how my mind works as I try to craft a story that is cohesive not only to characters but also to the rules of both worlds. The next few chapters are going to get... messy despite being some of my most anticipated, so I'd lay out a bit of my thought process for those interested.

I will meet you all on Friday on the bench.

 

[ReadingDangerously]

"This way," Yuuto called, leading a group of temporary refuges toward a Ministry of Internal Affairs member. "I know it was a surprise, but the Satans know what they are doing. It shouldn't be long. You'll be home before you know it."

The Gremory Knight tried to give the group a reassuring smile.

He failed.

Even the mask he had worn for years wouldn't appear.

There was some grumbling from the civilians, but nobody made much of a fuss as Yuuto left them to get sorted.

He had it easier than most. Everyone knew his face thanks to their victory in the Youth Devil Tournament. Yuuto had no problem using his fame to try and keep the peace among the confusion.

...Fame he only had because of Issei using the Crimson World Wall on him.

Yuuto Kiba didn't let his mind wander as he moved on to another group of refugees milling about and looking confused.

This was why he volunteered to help when news of Eren's attack arrived.

Sitting around just... he couldn't do it.

He couldn't keep thinking of brown eyes looking blankly up at him, demanding answers on why Yuuto hadn't been fast enough.

Demanding to know why Issei Hyoudou had died alone?

To know what weighed so heavy on Eren's scale that this was what he chose?

Was it revenge? Revolution? Freedom?

Yuuto didn't have answers to those questions, even as they tormented him.

He might never have them.

So, Yuuto joined this relief effort.

He wasn't the only one.

Yuuto passed Akeno threatening a belligerent couple, Rias explaining the situation from atop a podium to a crowd of hundreds of devils, and Sona in a whispered conversation with Seekvaira and her father, Lord Agares.

The Agares family was the source of most of the information Yuuto knew about the situation. Apparently, it was a coordinated ambush based in Agreas once Eren made his move.

Both the Gremory and Sitri Peerages came and went, receiving instructions and dispatch on where to head to help manage the confusion.

Part of it was actual altruism, and part of it was a sense of duty, but Yuuto knew most of his friends were like him, trying to keep themselves busy.

...It had been Asia's idea.

When she heard of the influx of refugees from the floating city, the Bishop tore herself from Issei's... body.

No matter what anyone said, Asia had been determined to help where she could.

Even now, guarded by a zealous Xenovia, the former nun was doing her best to aid those who had gotten hurt in the initial confusion.

Yuuto steered clear of that area.

He couldn't look at Issei's lovers, eyes still red from tears and faces drawn.

Not without seeing his friend's happy face when he talked about them.

Not without remembering that only a few months ago, he would have killed them just for being affiliated with the church.

Was this what Eren had meant?

Just kids born in a situation they couldn't control, raised in an environment that shaped them and loosed on the world with all the biases and beliefs instilled in them by their environment.

Yuuto could never forgive the church. The hypocrisy, the lies, the manipulation, the death it caused in the name of a 'greater good.'

But he could now understand its members. Whether it was the exorcists looking to protect what they thought was right and good... or simple members who just wanted to help people. Most were no different than him, some were 'better' than him, and yet the world would pit them against each other just because of race, religion, benefits, or location.

They'd fight and kill and die just because minute differences grew into unforgivable grudges over years.

And when you did get that satisfaction, that revenge, you gave the other side reason to hate you, to seek vengeance on you in turn, and the cycle would repeat.

Despite knowing that now, after months of retrospection, Yuuto would still do it all again.

Yuuto's vengeance had been clean. There were terrible people, unambiguously evil monsters who shouldn't continue to live. Perpetrators of atrocities that he managed to kill and achieve his vengeance.

He hadn't paid anything for it.

If he had, would he have continued? Sought more targets? Or would someone have declared their own vendetta against him, leading to another and another?

If all Yuuto Kiba knew of Eren Yeager was that he killed his friend, would he have dedicated his life to revenge on him?

Yuuto saw that familiar anger and hatred in Xenovia's eyes. He heard it in her voice. Without her desire to stay with Asia, she might have already joined the army attacking Eren.

Yuuto couldn't even blame her.

He'd been there, in that mental place before.

Yuuto was once more Xenovia's Senpai now, in a way he never wanted to be.

Before the day was done, thousands would probably join her to take revenge on the man who attacked their home. And then Eren's friends and comrades would get revenge, too.

Over and over again.

Until only one person was left alive.

Yet, letting things happen and letting yourself be the victim only invites more tragedy. Yuuto had been a victim before. Someone without sin yet had still been used, exploited, and thrown away.

Pacifism only worked if everyone and everything was pacifist as well.

So what was the answer?

Was this all life was? Was this constant battle, this unending war for survival, supremacy, and revenge all that was out there?

Was this what drove a man to run away from it all? To ask the woman he loved if they could run away together?

Had Eren stared down a future full of hatred, death, and pain and looked for any way out, only to find nothing?

Yuuto simply didn't know.

That was a theme for today.

Not knowing.

Wondering why.

Demanding answers from a cold, cruel world that wouldn't give any just because you asked.

Right now, nobody here knew the current situation in Agreas.

Communication spells had been cut off within the first ten minutes.

For all they knew, Eren had already killed everyone and was on his way...

Yuuto shook his head again, focusing back on the task at hand.

His mind had been trailing a dark path, as it had since Issei's death.

So he did what he did before and threw himself back into the work at hand.

Ackerman-sensei would be fine.

Eren would never hurt her.

... A small part of his mind whispered that not too long ago, Yuuto would have sworn Eren wouldn't hurt Issei either.

The pang of recent loss hit him again, and Yuuto's steps faltered momentarily, but he carried on.

The status of an army filled with Ultimate class devils was beyond the Knight. He was a Low class devil with the power of a High class. It was above his pay grade without Issei's transferred Boosts, even without considering Eren's recent power-ups.

Right now, all Yuuto could do is help direct the refugees toward the staff that would take down names, addresses, and help them get settled.

...No matter how much his soul cried out to conjure Purgatorio and launch himself at Eren in a revenge-driven quest for answers.

"It's Darkness Knight Fang!"

Yuuto's footsteps stalled as 'he' was called out.

Two children, a boy and a girl, ran up to him, faces lit with excitement, their parents following behind them with looks of apology.

"Darkness Knight," the girl, probably six or seven, stared up at Yuuto with wide eyes. "We saw the tournament. You were so cooool. The best!"

"Oppai Dragon is the best," the boy argued, but his eyes still looked up at Yuuto with wonder. "Darkness Knight was a bad guy. He's only here 'cause of Oppai Dragon!"

"Well, he's good now," the girl argued back, digging into her pockets to try and find something. "So he's the coolest. Here! Can I have an autograph?"

"Not now, dear," the mother chastised, grabbing her daughter and pulling her away from the Knight with a strained smile. "Sorry about them. They're big fans of the show."

Yuuto had guessed as much by their use of his character's name and the Oppai Dragon action figure in the boy's hand.

"It's... It's not a problem." Yuuto managed the slightest smile, taking out a small pen and signing the... trading card?

(The Gremory merchandise must have grown after the season 1 finale. Yuuto hadn't seen it yet. They had been planning on all watching it together later today.)

He had no issue with the children's obliviousness to the situation, but... How would they feel when they learned there was no more Oppai Dragon in the world?

"Come on," the father said, picking up the son. "We'll get out of your way."

Yuuto maintained a smile as he pointed toward the nearest clerical station.

"Oppai Dragon will be here soon, right," the young devil called before they got far. "He'll beat up the bad guys and save the day, right?"

The parents paused.

Yuuto realized why. They wanted reassurance. Or maybe just information.

They had no idea that a man, Yuuto's Senpai, who had destroyed his original world and hated devil society, now wielded Boosted Gear and held the power of the Infinite Dragon God.

The most they knew was that an army of giants had appeared from nowhere and were approaching their home.

These devils had nothing to do with the Pillars, Rating Games, or terrorist organizations. To them, High class devils and their Peerages were nothing more than a mix of politicians, celebrities, and the army. Figures you saw on TV but never interacted with.

Like most of the thousands gathered here, they were just Low or Midclass devils who suddenly saw a tide of oncoming giants and found themselves teleported without preparation. While only a few had been hurt in the confusion, the fear and anxiety of the unknown still ran rampant.

That was what Yuuto was here to stop.

"Of course he will," the Knight lied. "Those bad guys won't know what hit them once Oppai Dragon arrives."

While his words seemed to reassure the children, whose faces lit up, the parents looked more concerned than before.

Yuuto feared they had seen through him, but he didn't know what else to say.

He didn't know what was going to happen.

He didn't know why what had already happened did.

He didn't even know if they could survive the next few days now that Eren had Ophis' power.

How could they beat the power of the Infinite Dragon God?

Every second that passed, Yuuto Kiba feared that the ground around the devil capital would begin to rumble.

But it was not from the ground that the first signal came.

Rather, it was a murmur of the crowd looking up that heralded the change in situation.

It took Yuuto a few seconds to realize what was happening, and a commotion swelled in the crowd. He wasn't the only one looking around for the cause, but thankfully the girl in her mother's arms was excited enough to direct his attention.

"Look," she pointed up at the sky with a wide smile.

Yuuto snapped his attention out toward the horizon.

It was kilometres away, and if it weren't for devils' senses nobody would have seen it, let alone make out the details even though it was a clear sky.

Still, as someone with an Evil Piece enhancing his senses, Yuuto could see more than most in the swirl of mist and the shadow that started to emerge from the vortex in the sky.

Cheers rose from the crowd.

"It's Agreas!"

Someone shouted the island's name and more of the crowd agreed, chanting and cheering.

They recognized their home even if they couldn't make out the details. Some had lived on it for centuries and knew its profile like the back of their hand.

Yuuto felt none of the crowd's joy as Eren's primary target emerged from the mists of Dimension Lost.

Only fear.

********

The Great King, the true leader of devilkind, Zekram Bael, watched the oncoming tide of white Titans from high atop Agreas' towers.

He was unimpressed.

Not in the devils that flew out to meet the giants burning his Underworld to the ground.

Not in the army's layout of traps and ambushes.

Not even in the attack itself, as it was appropriately large and destructive to warrant this level of response.

No, what sorely disappointed the old demon was the fear.

The panic.

The rush the New Satans had to stop what was, ultimately, just another assault on the Underworld by a human.

The Underworld had survived worse. Devils had survived worse.

Overestimating an opponent was just as dangerous as underestimating them.

They were so intoxicated by peace that they were quick to forget the chaos and death of the Civil War. Compared to that, what was one army of giants?

Then again, they were still young.

And Zekram Bael was old.

So very old.

He was one of the original 72 demons Lilith had birthed. He had been there for the Underworld's founding and the other Pillars' birth.

He had watched the sky light up in His Light, a tide of death that outshone the sun and claimed the lives of his siblings and servants.

He had been a leader in the greatest war this world had ever seen. His legions had pilled bodies as high as mountains.

Zekram had fought against the Heavenly Duo when their feud spilled over onto the battlefield of the Great War.

He had killed Seraphs and Cadres.

He had outlived the original Asmodeus, Leviathan, Beelzebub, and Lucifer.

Zekram Bael had watched God die.

He was very, very old.

He was old enough to show his age rather than being eternally young like most of his kind purported to be. Not even the devils' minor shapeshifting ability was enough to hide his advanced age.

He could have stopped the decay or delayed it, of course. Zekram could have sealed himself away like Gremory and the very few of his Peers who survived. It would have delayed his aging.

But Zekram Bael could not allow himself to do something so negligent.

Not when the Underworld needed the Great King.

That was why he was here, after all.

To make sure the Underworld survived. Not this battle, as it was just another of countless he had witnessed, but the aftermath.

The Malabranche.

Zekram Bael had been there when the Original Satans had concocted the idea of Sacred Gears of their own, a mockery of His tools. Only they lacked His ability to Create and tried to make up for it with power and violence.

The result, the twelve Evil Claws, had been nothing short of a failure.

A failure Zekram Bael had taken every precaution to keep buried in the centuries following the Satans' death and his ascent to the head of the Underworld.

There was simply no good that could come from weapons like that being out in the world. If they could have been used for the good of the Underworld, Zekram would have used them.

But they couldn't.

They were just tools of wanton destruction. Rabid beasts that couldn't be put down and thus needed to be put away.

For millennia, Zekram had succeeded, keeping them secreted away in the deepest space below Lucifaad.

Then, those fools had partially unsealed Barbariccia and Scarmiglione to help them attain a fraction of the original Satan's power.

In doing so, they had proved the New Satans right in their fight against the descendants of the original four.

Zekram Bael did believe that the current Satans were good for the Underworld. They were figureheads, certainly, but there was no denying their actual power and ability.

Both Adjuka and Zekram's descendant were not only powerful deterrents against the rest of the world, but Adjuka's Evil Pieces had no doubt saved their race.

The Great King was looking at the proof right now.

Of the devils fighting this tide of... Titans? (Were that they were called? How unoriginal.) Either way, over four-fifths of the attackers were reincarnated devils while his people did the necessary work here on Agreas.

It wasn't that Zekram Bael looked down on reincarnated devils. They were a necessity for the survival of his race and could even be stronger than most Pillars. He even liked quite a few.

Already, plans were percolating in his mind to push for a few to become Satans.

The Red Dragon Emperor, in particular, had potential. A few more years to ensure he matured a bit, and once he passed the test to become High class Zekram could start helping him make his way up in the world.

If Zekram had his way, Issei Hyoudou would join Sairaorg as a new generation of Satans.

Magdaran would become the heir again, as the Underworld would always need a Great King with the Power of Destruction, while Zekram let Sairaorg enact the policies to fold the Extra houses back into the fold.

Of the current devils Pillars, less than ten had children in this generation, and only half even had heirs. They needed new blood, and while the exile might have served a purpose at one point, it was about time to fold them back in.

And if the Crimson Wall became a Satan, not only would it provide the Underworld a great defender, but it would also go a long way to assuage the reincarnated devils that outnumbered the pureblood ones.

They'd have 'representation' with Issei Hyoudou, who Zekram's sources told him was as politically savvy as a walnut. Having someone they could get behind would help stabilize the Underworld further.

Zekram did not need an 'uprising,' no matter how doomed, while the world settled into a new status quo from the Peace Conference.

"So far, nobody has reported any signs, sir," Lord Bael told his ancestor respectfully as he received a report from Lady Paimon.

"Keep them searching," Zekram ordered simply, not taking his eyes off the battlefield.

The Great King didn't honestly think they'd find anything. He'd had agents looking for Zaoroma Nebiros' lab for centuries, ever since those foolish descendants had made off with the Malebranche in the Civil War.

Agreas had also been searched as the source of the crystals that made the weapons in the first place, but no traces had been found since their disappearance.

His great-great-great grandson nodded simply.

The current Lord was a disappointment, but not to the degree that he needed to be disposed of. He had enough power to be Ultimate class and the Power of Destruction, as was required to be Lord, but he lacked will and ambition.

The opposite problem to Zekram's current point of interest.

Sona Sitri might lack power, but that was only compared to the likes of Sairaorg and Rias, both of which were descendants of his, so she couldn't be blamed for not matching them. And she made up for weakness with cunning and ambition.

This little scheme of hers was a perfect example.

Oh yes, Zekram saw through it, just as he had seen through her when she declared her dream. She was much too young to try and pull one over on him.

But playing along cost him nothing.

So he had signed the contract in the letter, guaranteeing the funds and influence the Bael had promised to help her with her school.

In return, he had gained the 'secret' information Serafall was keeping hidden. The location of the Malebranche.

Zekram had honestly smiled when he had read the letter, already guessing that every Lord and Lady who the young heiress could reach had received the same letter.

If the young Sitri was right about the weapons being here, which was unlikely, then he'd regain the lost weapons.

If she was wrong, all he lost was a bit of time and money. Money he had already planned on giving her for her little experiment. And he gained a favour from a girl who now had a considerable fortune and influence.

No matter what, Zekram Bael won.

Because he played the long game.

He wanted Sona Sitri to succeed. Whether or not she used her school as a propaganda center in some sort of cold war didn't matter to him. What mattered was having that ambition, that institution present at all.

The greatest school in the world now at peace was created by devils?

The status alone would be worth it.

Much like having Issei Hyoudou as a Satan would help stabilize the reincarnated devil situation, having Sona Sitri's school would help stabilize the inter-pantheon situation.

She hadn't been wrong that the world was changing, and using that change for her ambition was well played.

The Sitri heiress' problem was that she was reckless.

This little scheme of hers, for example. Not only would it secure her funding and force hesitant or demanding supports to lock themselves into her plan, but it would also provide defenders for Agreas that the Satans wouldn't have recruited, giving their actual recruits more support.

Whether the young Sitri's goal was a selfish power grab or a selfless aid for her sister was irrelevant. She had succeeded in her aims.

Her short-term ones, at least.

Long term, Sona Sitri would be paying for this little trick for centuries to come.

If the Malebranche were found, every devil who received a letter would feel entitled to one. And since Zekram wouldn't allow anyone to get one, they would turn their ire on Sona, who had alerted others instead of just themselves.

Even worse if the Malebranche weren't found.

All their efforts and money for a red herring? The Lords and Ladies wouldn't just be mad. They'd be suspicious.

Everything Sona Sitri did from here on out would be scrutinized and monitored. And she had given them the perfect excuse. They were now part owners in her school. It made perfect sense for them to keep track of their investment.

A well-laid but short-sighted plan.

Thankfully for her, Zekram Bael had no intention of seeing such potential squandered.

No matter the outcome, she'd need to be punished to appease the other letter recipients. And who better than the Great King?

He'd take her under his wing as a 'punishment,' which would protect her from more nefarious individuals. All the funds and influence she gained from this stunt would still go toward her school, but he'd make sure they were used correctly.

It was a shame Sona Sitri was the only heir of the Sitri family. Otherwise, he might have pushed for an engagement with Madragan, but having her as an apprentice might be better in the long run.

She couldn't become the next Great King, but Zekram still had a few millennia in him. Enough for a few more generations of decedents. He hadn't rushed for a true successor and wouldn't start now.

Besides, having an apprentice would make training any potential successor easier and more stable.

Because that was what it was all about.

Stability.

To the Shadow of the Devils, who had seen his creators and God die, who had watched empires rise and fall, who had instated new Satans and would do so again, nothing was more important than ensuring the Underworld continued as it did.

From devils' birth to the end of time, the Pillars needed to stand tall.

Only then could the Underworld survive.

Zekram Bael watched the army of the Underworld and the wall of white giants disappear into a haze of mist with only a raised brow.

Dimension Lost? How nostalgic.

But what now?

When no next stage of the attack appeared, Zekram was about to turn his attention to the Satans' ongoing battle when, once more, his descendant interrupted his thoughts.

"Ancestor," Lord Bael said hurriedly. He should control himself better. "We found something."

Despite himself, Zekram felt a touch of surprise at the news.

"Something?"

"Lord Sallos," his descendant answered quickly but succinctly, knowing his gaff. Generalities such as 'something' had no business in any report. "He discovered a fresh passageway through the crystal. A tunnel made of the same white material as the giants. Despite your orders, he investigated. His son alerted me. Lord Sallos is dead."

No great loss. High class only due to his rank, and his heir had the clan trait, so it wasn't lost.

Hopefully, watching his father die would give the young man some semblance of self-control. And teach him to follow orders.

"Show me," Zekram ordered simply, not even bothering to tell the man not to spread the information around to the dozens of other searchers.

If he didn't know that much, he shouldn't be Lord.

Had Sona Sitri been telling the truth after all?

The outcome would be the same. Zekram would simply frame the apprenticeship as a reward instead. It would increase her value, though. She had gone behind her sister's back to give this information to him.

It didn't take long for both Ultimate class devils to reach the mines of crystal used to create the Evil Pieces and Brave Saint cards and had been the building block of the Malebranche so long ago.

It required a bit more navigating the twisted depths of the floating city before the pair were in front of a tunnel markedly different from all others due to the smooth white material that made it up.

It was easy to guess which was the right one by the body of Lord Sallos impaled on spikes, blood and viscera coating the walls from his sudden and violent death.

Zekram Bael barely paid any attention to the shaken young man, only a few centuries old, who stared vacantly at his father's corpse.

Losing a Lord was only noteworthy if their house was without heirs or their bloodline dissipated, so the old devil simply destroyed the body and the spikes with the Power of Destruction.

The tunnel reacted.

More white spikes were jutting from it to try to kill the new intruders, but they were similarly destroyed.

Just because Zekram Bael was not a Super Devil like his Satan descendant did not mean he was one iota less able to use the Power of Destruction.

He was the originator of the power, after all.

The pair proceeded unhindered through a corridor scoured by black and red power.

The only point at which Zekram paused was when he felt the atmosphere shift.

He wasn't as talented as Adjuka but had been around the block before. He knew the sensation when passing into a smaller dimension.

A two-dimensional seal organically grown into the crystal, from the same crystal? Was that how Zaomara hid the lab? Quite ingenious.

Still, that would explain how a sage had found it when others failed. Their attunement to the physical world was much greater than most sensory types.

More and more, it looked like Sona Sitri's information was right on the money.

If Zekram regained all twelve Malebranche, he wouldn't forget who it was due to.

Punish failure and reward success.

A fundamental principle that too many failed to implement correctly.

The final barrier before the lab, a thick enchanted door, had been torn from its hinges and lay discarded to the side, and the two devils entered without issue.

As soon as they passed it, they felt the power.

It was a pressure, a familiar one to Zekram, that pressed down on them. It was something hard to quantify or qualify.

Not Demonic power, but just an aura of malevolence and death that seemed to permeate the room like a miasma.

The origin of the sensations wasn't difficult to identify either.

Twelve stone statues lined the room, each depicting a different amalgamation creation that was both a weapon and a living being yet resembled neither.

At the foot of each statue was a plaque with a name in curved, stylized lettering. All twelve were here, from Calcabrina to Draghignazzo and Farfarello.

Yet even amongst the pressure they all exuded, one stood out even from the rest.

At the center of the room was a stone statue whose aura was even deadlier than the others and whose plaque was placed over its head rather than at its feet.

'Malacoda must never be awakened.'

A simple but poignant warning.

One that the thin human sitting with his back to the center statue had clearly ignored.

"Eren Yeager."

Zekram recognized the human by the odd markings around his eyes and was unsurprised to find him here.

The young man looked at the old devil with a blank, almost unseeing gaze.

The Great King felt a smile tug at his lips and let it form.

He had nothing personal against the boy, but to see him like this was just too fitting for an enemy who attacked the Underworld.

Zekram would have to tell this story later.

It would be a nice consolation prize.

"Ancestor?" Lord Bael asked, cautiously eyeing the human who had conjured an army not too long ago.

"You do not need to concern yourself with him," Zekram told his descendant. "He's no longer a threat."

"Sir?"

A blast of black and red destroyed the central stone statue, sending debris raining onto the human.

Eren didn't flinch or move.

"They're fake," Zekram said simply. "Imitations of the aura but with no depth or power."

A bit disappointing.

Zekram had never once worried that a human would be able to unseal and wield one of the Evil Claws. No matter the power, they simply wouldn't work for a human, but the Great King had hoped to reclaim them.

Instead, all he found was one of Zaomara's decoys.

"Was there a trap?" His descendant asked, still keeping an eye on the human.

"No," the Great King denied, approaching the sitting boy and peering down at those empty eyes.

Familiar eyes.

Eyes he had seen on most of his enemies.

"He simply realized his folly. All his efforts, sacrifices, and plans were for nothing. He traded his future and his subordinates' lives for this opportunity. For power that was never meant to be his. And got nothing out of it. An all too common experience for humans due to their lifespan. This is what being short-sighted leads to. Despair."

The boy finally moved when Zekram stood over him.

Eren tilted his head to meet the eyes of the Great King looking down on him.

"I know the answer," the empty voice spoke. "But I need to hear it."

Zekram raised a brow, amused.

"If I kill you, what happens to the Underworld?"

"Do you think you can?" Zekram asked, genuinely curious.

It wasn't the first time some enemy or foe had tried to get rid of him in their final moments. It was actually quite common for one such as him. More people hated his guts than almost anyone in history and would trade all they had, lives included, to end his life.

Most of those people were dead.

Eren Yeager would be no different.

The second he made a move of any sort, Zekram would atomize his body.

Eren didn't answer, looking up at the old devil with blank, empty grey eyes.

"The answer is simple," the old devil sighed, already moving past this amusing distraction.

He somewhat regretted destroying the status of Malacoda. It would still have made a novel addition to his collection, even if it was fake. Now, he had an incomplete set.

"Without the Pillars, there is no Underworld. Without the Great King, there are no Pillars. Thus, there will always be a Great King. Without one, there is no Underworld."

Zekram was not so foolish to think himself irreplaceable. He just hadn't found a successor to truely rule the Underworld yet.

Certainly, the current Lord Bael held the official rank of Great King but so had a handful before him.

None of the Lords of the family had been worthy of the true power of the Underworld.

"I... see..." the young man said slowly.

Then, with shaking limbs as if every movement hurt him, Eren Yeager raised his hand.

Showing his sliced palm to the Great King.

Zekram Bael raised a brow at the bloody hand.

Then he felt the pocket dimension the lab was located in collapse instantly. As these things tended to do, the pocket dimension's contents struggled to fit into real space.

Without the tunnel the boy had dug, the two Ultimate class devils might have been seriously injured as what was essentially a two-dimensional space tried to occupy a filled 3D one.

Thanks to the tunnel of white material, though, everything was crammed into the empty air of the tunnel as if someone had crumbled it all like a piece of paper into a ball.

And that paper was destroyed by the Power of Destruction.

The human hadn't moved in the slightest, still holding up his bleeding hand as everything around him was reduced to atoms.

Zekram had intended for his power to kill the boy as well as the remains of the lab.

He was shocked when his magic crashed into the boy and dissipated against his flesh like water breaking on a dam.

A body prepared by the Holy Grail's blessing, reinforced by Senjutsu, and stuffed so full of the Infinite's power that even moving was difficult could hold up to almost anything.

Even the most devastating power a devil could wield by the origin of the Power of Destruction.

The sixth sense of a devil that had survived millennia and the Great War tingled, and Zekram immediately made a judgment call.

He fled.

Or tried to.

Even though he used all his power, leaving his descendant and Agreas behind, Zekram Bael could not activate his magic...

No. He could activate it.

Zekram was experienced enough to recognize what went wrong.

Teleportation couldn't happen while already being displaced.

Agreas was being teleported.

The floating island reentered real space in the Underworld, and the Lords and Ladies who searched it wondered about the sudden shift.

A few were spooked and tried to leave.

They failed to escape.

Zekram Bael met the dead grey eyes of a human boy.

Deep in the bowels of Agreas, high in the sky outside the Underworld's capital, right beside the Great King of the Underworld, lighting crackled across a bloody palm.

********

Asia is only a supporting character in this story, but I wanted to highlight some aspects I like about her. Unlike Rias, who collapses after Issei's death, she maintains her dedication to helping others. In DxD, Asia Argento is unambiguously 'good.' I think it makes her less interesting to write, but it gives us a breath of fresh air. To say people like her don't exist is the same as irredeemable monsters don't exist. They both do, and they both need to be acknowledged.

Zekram Bael is... really underused in DxD. A staunch supporter of the Pillars and a traditionalist to his core, he still sided with the New Satans, helped Sairaorg become a Satan and aided Issei. He's wonderfully complex. It's not 'evil' but more like a version of Floch, who was actually in charge for millennia and had the wisdom to match.

Unfortunately, he was missing critical information.

I hope it comes across how quickly things are happening in relative time. Though it's been a few weeks for us, the audience, Issei died only a few hours ago. Eren just started his attack. At most, the army disappeared ten minutes before this chapter's end.

Even with his spies, Zekram has no idea Issei is dead, and Eren has Ophis's power. Not just one of her snakes, Zekram could deal with that, but the vast majority of her actual power. Because nobody knows about Ophis except Vali's team, those at the Hyoudou residence, and the Satans.

Even if you are the most careful and cautious person in the world, bad information kills.

I'll meet you all on Sunday on the bench.

 

[ReadingDangerously]

Akeno hadn't understood the fear of the Titans.

She heard about it and the reasons for it. Even understood it, on an intellectual level.

She saw the shadow of that fear in Mikasa Akerman's gaze when she talked about them, even decades later.

She had even seen the illusionary image of the Attack Titan, both in miniature and life-size.

But… she'd seen bigger.

It wasn't even a lewd joke.

Fifteen meters simply wasn't that large on a supernatural scale. Tannin was just as big, and he occasionally visited the Gremory estate.

And Titans lacked magic. The power that was the true measure of the strong in her world.

That invisible pressure which weighed down on body and soul when in the presence of Ultimate class devils. She'd known it in her father, in Sirzechs, in Grafiya, and in their Peerages.

Compared to the people she saw every day, something that was just a bigger human didn't seem scary.

Sairaorg was intimidating.

Loki had been terrifying.

But… Titans simply weren't. Not when Akeno had been able to fly before she could walk and could rain lightning down from the safety of the sky.

Oh, she was very aware of the power Eren held.

…He had killed Issei, after all. The strongest of the Gremory Peerage.

But that came from Senjutsu, Ophis' power, and Boosted Gear.

Sure, they enhanced his Shifter powers already present, but Akeno had simply not been afraid of 'Titans,' just 'Eren.'

The last few hours since Issei's death had given Akeno a taste of what living in Eren's world had been like.

Both inside the Walls and outside Paradis Island.

It was a choking thing, the fear.

To stare at the horizon and know that giant monsters could appear from beyond the mountains at any second to kill you and destroy everything you know…

Well, she could understand why living like that your entire life could drive some humans mad.

Still, it was a fear of the unknown, of a threat that might come for you, not of Titans themselves.

It was a vague fear, almost hazy and undefined. It simply blended into the confused mélange and surreality of the hours after finding Issei dead.

It all seemed like an ill-conceived nightmare.

As if any second, Akeno could wake up in Hyoudou Residence, get dressed for school, tease Issei and Asia about their no doubt wholesome sex, and then go to school. Maybe spend lunch with Eren on the bench.

Seeing Agreas appear from the mist in the distance was just a continuation of the unrealistic nightmare. Like her mind told her, 'This happened, and then this, and this too. Oh, why not have a city teleport itself while we're at it?'

Akeno Himejima had time to notice the confusion around her, and a small part of her mind noted Sona's pallor before she heard it.

The roar of a Titan.

The only Titan in this world.

Agreas, the massive floating city that housed tens of thousands of devils, exploded.

It was like a sun appeared.

High in the sky and tens of kilometres away, yet the shockwave still bowled everyone without cover.

The young, weak, and infirm were rendered unconscious as the equivalent of a nuclear weapon went off in the Underworld within sight of the capital.

Most of the heat from the explosion was dispersed long before it reached the refugees outside Lillith's walls, but the temperature rose noticeably.

Akeno couldn't hear anything. The explosion had deafened her.

Akeno couldn't see anything. The explosion had blinded her.

But Akeno could still feel.

Feel the ground shake.

Knocked on her back against the ground, Akeno felt a vibration in the earth.

Then another.

And another.

She scrambled to her feet, not hurt but disoriented, blinking and rubbing her eyes to regain her vision.

It came much quicker than for a human, but Akeno didn't believe her eyes at first.

It had to be leftover retina damage. An imprint on her eyes from the explosion.

There was no way THAT was real.

But it was.

Akeno Himejima got her first true look at a Titan.

Large.

Huge.

Massive.

Gargantuan.

Colossal.

Terrifying.

Hundreds of meters tall, it dominated the horizon like a red god.

A monstrous one with all its skin flayed, bony rips poking out from red muscle and a jaw more fitting for a Stray Devil than anything human.

Akeno finally understood the fear of Titans.

Compared to THAT, what were they?

Prey to be consumed.

Insects waiting to be squashed.

There was something inherently terrifying about being so small. The survival instinct of all living beings told you that just being near such a being was deadly.

A twitch of a muscle, a brush against an arm, a misstep, or a moment of carelessness from something so big was enough to kill you.

Even if something wasn't malicious, the size difference alone meant they were different categories of beings.

Did one notice all the ants in the grass or pavement they crushed every day? The errant fly that gets instinctually swatted?

No.

And this Titan wasn't just large. It was malicious. It wanted to destroy everything.

It was Eren.

Akeno knew it with the certainty of her own name.

The long dark hair. The cheekbones. The structure of that demented, jagged jaw.

It was definitely, unmistakably, Eren.

There was only one difference from the boy on the bench.

Those burning green eyes differed significantly from the empty grey ones Akeno knew.

Like a pyre of emeralds, they burned as they glared at the Underworld's capital.

In that malevolent green, Akeno saw all the rage, the pain, the vengeance that had driven a boy to stomp his world flat.

And those green eyes were trained directly on them.

Behind Eren, the last burning remnants of Agreas fell to the ground.

Eren advanced, stepping forward in a stride that covered a mountain.

The Underworld shook as his foot fell.

People were screaming. It was hard to hear over the ringing of her ears, but Akeno started to notice. Began to realize that the mass of devilkind was fleeing away from the advancing giant.

Then she noticed something else.

The crackle of lightning.

The familiar sound took on a horrific meaning when Akeno noticed it.

In front of the refugee camp, barely ten meters from the fleeing, screaming civilians, more minor explosions went off.

As the lightning faded, a tide of smaller white Titans attacked.

********

The Underworld shook with a mighty rumbling BOOM as Eren stepped closer to the capital.

Very few had the luxury of paying him attention.

Rias Gremory was the first to kill one of the Titans.

It wasn't that she was more prepared for the appearance of the giants, ranging from five to twenty meters tall. She just happened to be in the right place, the outside of the crowd of people facing where Agreas had appeared, at the right time.

She, like many, had been knocked from her feet by the initial explosion but had regained her position as Eren took his first steps toward them. She had watched the Titans form and, without even thinking about it, destroyed five with concentrated beams of her Power of Destruction.

BOOM.

The screaming started right as hundreds of Titans launched themselves forward, half seeming to veer toward her direction.

Seeing so many giant monsters bearing down on her, the smallest of which was three times her size and the largest over ten times, Rias immediately took to the air on her wings, launching high enough not to be within reach.

It didn't stop the Titans from launching themselves at her former position, arms grasping, teeth chomping, bulbous eyes searching for her.

A large ball of Destruction tore through them all, killing a handful and tearing great gouges in others.

BOOM.

A large one, fifteen meters at least, zeroed its attention on the source of the attack. It jumped, launching itself into the air with mouth agape to try and swallow Rias whole.

It would have missed by a good ten meters, as Rias had already repositioned for another attack, but it never made it back down to the ground as a gold gauntlet-clad fist smashed into its skull at its apex.

There was enough force in the blow to completely pulp the top half of the Titan, sending a rain of blood and flesh to the ground below.

BOOM.

"What are these things?" Sairaorg Bael asked grimly.

Clad in the golden armour of Regulus Nemea, he flew closer to the ground and unleashed a barrage of punches on a rotund Titan that severed its torso from its legs.

"TITANS!" Rias yelled as loudly as she could, seeing other defenders separate themselves from the fleeing, screaming civilians. "TO KILL THEM YOU NEED TO DESTROY THE BASE OF THE SKULL! OR THEY'LL REGENERATE!"

BOOM.

Her words were heard, thankfully, as she saw both Sairaorg and Seekavira's Peerages start to coordinate better, aiming for the weak spot.

Rias needed to heed her own advice, as those she injured with her first blast were already regrowing their limbs and launching themselves at anybody they could see.

People were running, flying, and screaming as they desperately tried to reach the safety of Lillith's walls.

BOOM.

Rias tried to form her Rain of Destruction, but the individual droplets of power were too weak to pierce deeply into the thick skin of the monsters. It wasn't without an effect, as it injured many, but not enough to actually kill them.

"They have Touki," Sairaorg said as he flew toward another group. "Not a lot, but it's there."

"Just enough to be annoying," Rias snorted as she sent a few lances of Destruction toward a Titan that had bypassed Sairaorg's Queen to reach a fallen civilian.

BOOM.

It held the woman in its grasp, bringing her to its gaping maw. The first separated its arm from its body, freeing the woman, and the second cut off its head.

"We need to get everyone into the sky," Sairaorg said, pausing in the battle for a second. "My Peerage can hold these here. Go to the organization center and have them broadcast that the city is to lower its flight wards. I want everyone flying over the city in a minute. Everybody is to get to the other side. Then join your Peerage. I want you to take the northwestern section. If you see Sona, tell her she's in charge of the southwestern part."

Rias blinked, surprised at the sudden orders that paused her momentarily. Then she moved past it.

BOOM.

"We need to stop him," Rias disagreed, pointing toward Eren. He was getting closer with every cacophonous footstep. "If we can, this all ends."

Her heart clenched at the words, but they needed to be said.

Rias had no idea what the status of her brother, the other Satans, their Peerages, Grayfia, Mikasa, and everyone else who had gone out to fight Eren was.

But he was here, and they weren't...

BOOM.

"We can't do that with so many people underfoot," Sairaorg argued back. "These Titans are just distractions. They're spreading chaos and confusion, but they focus on those who attack them. It's meant to buy time for the big guy to get here. This is not optional, Rias. This is an order from the Great King. Go."

He had a point.

If they had any chance of fighting Eren, they needed to be able to unleash large attacks without fear of collateral, which meant fighting him as far from the city as possible.

Still...

BOOM.

"Great King?" Rias asked, sending another explosion of Destruction raining down on a pack of Titans that had surrounded Seekavira's Pawn.

"...Father and Ancestor were on Agreas," Sairaorg said sadly, and Rias' heart clenched. "Until such time as we can verify their survival, I am now Lord Bael. As the highest-ranking devil after the Satans, I am taking command of this battlefield."

Rias wanted to fight, to argue, to fly out and rain Destruction on Eren for the death of Issei, her Uncle, who knew how many others.

Just because she hadn't been as close to him as she had Aunt Misla didn't mean she had wished her Uncle dead.

Her mother would be devastated.

BOOM.

And Rias... Rias knew her feelings were less important than making sure people survived.

They didn't have time to argue.

"As you command."

BOOM.

Rias nodded and flew away.

She wasn't passive as she left, destroying what Titans she passed, pulling fallen devils to their feet and generally telling people to get into the air.

They wouldn't be safe, but they'd be safer.

BOOM.

Rias found a gathering of Sona's Peerage, directing Tsubaki to lead them toward the south end and directing the Ministry staff to spread out and get the civilians into the air.

It was one of the few times she was grateful for her brother's sis-con ways, as they all recognized her instantly and did as told.

BOOM.

Yuuto was the first she found from her own Peerage, Purgatorio whizzing around him as he led a column of survivors away from the oncoming tide of giants.

Three Titans of varying sizes tried to pick off a few of the stragglers, but Yuuto was there, blades slicing through flesh like a hot knife through butter. None of the Titans had time to so much as flinch before they were dissolving on the ground.

Like Tsubaki, Rias didn't stay around long enough to talk except to direct him toward the northern side when he was done with this group.

BOOM.

He did manage to get off a warning before she was back in the air.

"They don't react to me until I hurt them," the Knight called after his King. "I tried to act as bait, but they'll run right by me to get to others. Then they'll attack wherever I was. It's like they can't see me."

Rias didn't have time to answer and didn't even think to as Eren let out a deafening roar of rage, and all eyes turned toward the attacking Titan.

He was closer.

So much closer.

At least half the distance had been swallowed by now, but thankfully, he seemed to have stopped for the moment.

As they watched, Eren swung an enormous arm, swatting at a white figure flying around his head on blue wings.

Though his fists weren't close to the agile flyer, Vali still staggered in the air as if hit.

Before a second blow could target the destabilized devil, an enormous staff struck Eren's jaw as Bikou flew by on his golden cloud, spikes of white material jettisoning from Eren's shoulders to try and lance the monkey Yokai.

Bikou dove, the golden trail of his cloud winding through Eren's legs. More white spears erupted from Eren's legs in front of him, creating a trap Bikou couldn't escape.

He didn't try. He kept flying forward, and right before he crashed into the wall of thorns, a blade cut through space in front of him.

In a move they had practiced a thousand times, in countless spars against this very Titan, Bikou flew through the void carved by Caliburn to emerge right behind Eren's head.

As the copy of Ruyi Jingu Bang smashed into Eren's skull, two giants emerged from the rift Bikou had just entered at Eren's feet.

Despite being tens of meters tall, Fenrir and Gogmagog looked positively minuscule compared to Eren's massive form.

Thankfully, they were accompanied by one of the greatest magical prodigies of the generation.

One who had been practicing a specific spell for years to try and help her brother finally defeat his sparing partner.

As soon as they were free of Caliburn's portal, Le Fay's magic engulfed the pair, and they began to grow, and grow, and grow.

Within an eyeblink, both Fenrir and the golem were sixty meters tall. Still smaller than Eren by a considerable margin, they at least reached his knees now, and they used their new massive size to attack the Titan's limbs.

Fenrir's God Slaying fangs bit deep into Titan's flesh, bypassing Touki and Senjutsu to tear an enormous chunk of flesh and bone from the leg.

Eren staggered from the loss of balance and was finally pushed over when Gogmagog wrapped its body around Eren's other leg and unleashed its entire arsenal. Lasers, bombs, magical bullets. The enormous golem did everything it could to destabilize the second leg, even going so far as to engage its jetpack to try and lift the Titan's foot by the barest amount.

It almost wasn't enough.

I shall become a pure Emperor of White Dragon,

Then Vali was there again, armour a bit battered but whole as he unleashed his own surprise on Eren as he finished his chant.

And I shall tear down all walls that defy my dark radiance!

A twist inspired by a rival he never got to defeat.

[TITANICO JUGGERNAUT OVERDRIVE!]

Vali couldn't absorb a fraction of a fraction of the Infinite's power, even if he engaged Juggernaut Drive.

But Divine Dividing didn't just divide power.

[DIVIDE DIMENSION]

Eren shrunk.

In a moment, the gargantuan Titan that dominated the horizon was halved in size.

As the power of one of the Dragon Emperors was taken to its logical extreme, Eren went from close to five hundred meters tall to only two fifty.

The shift in size was enough for Fenrir and Gogmagog's efforts to take effect, and Eren toppled backward, crashing into the ground with a cataclysmic, Underworld-shaking collapse.

As Eren fell, Vali grew.

The blue wings on Vali's back exploded in blue light as they vented the excess he couldn't handle, but he was still a genius the world hadn't seen before in nearly all fields.

Combat. Magic. His Sacred Gear.

Vali Lucifer had it all, trained it all, and he had used it to create a technique specifically designed to defeat a man who had become his true rival after all these years.

The enormous white armoured figure grew and grew and grew until even he couldn't get any larger.

Though he towered over Gogmagog and Fenrir, he was still smaller than Eren.

But he wasn't done yet.

[DIVIDE DIMENSION]

Eren shrunk again, now only tens of meters taller than Vali's hundred-meter form.

[DIVIDE DIME-]

Eren's foot slammed into Vali's knee, interrupting him as the White Dragon Emperor buckled.

Using conjured pillars as a platform, each meters thick, Eren launched himself from his prone form on the ground and tackled Vali around the waist, bringing the pair into a grapple that destroyed mountains.

As the giants fought, the insects at their feet tried to flee the battle.

Rias had only paused long enough to realize Team Vali had arrived to delay Eren before she returned to her mission.

Once they had the civilians safe, she could... she could... she could...

Rias didn't know what she'd do; she just needed to do something. Anything.

Eren had stolen Issei's life, her freedom, her Uncle, and who knew how many other lives today.

Rias... She couldn't let it continue.

Even if...

Before she could finish the thought, Rias was at the organization tent.

At this point, it was little more than a raised platform with a roof, its walls destroyed so its two occupants could have a view over the refugee camp turned battlefield.

Still, it was almost entirely empty, except for two occupants.

"Rias," Sona said as soon as she caught sight of her rival. "I directed Akeno to the front line with all the other fighters. I need you to go reinforce her. We are buying time till Aunty arrives with the army. The Ministry staff is trying to open the barriers for flight over the city."

While it was relieving to know that action was already being taken, Rias' hope rose at the other piece of news.

"They're on their way?" Rias asked eagerly. She had feared the worst with Eren here and the army nowhere in sight.

"They were caught by Georg," Kuroka, the only other person with Sona, said. "He can't kill them all if he drops them somewhere dangerous. His best bet is to hold onto them as long as possible, but he'll tire eventually."

"One of Kuroka's clones is with them," Sona explained. "They know the situation here. As soon as they get free, they'll be here to help."

Rias felt a profound relief but still wanted to finish here and help her friends.

"Sairaorg gave the order. Broadcast that the barriers are to be lowered, and everyone that isn't fighting is to fly to the other side of the city."

Sona blinked at her friend for a second, then she nodded.

"Having the Great King's orders will force them to lower the barriers."

Rias nodded, ready to take off to help her friends.

And froze.

"... How'd you know Sairaorg is Lord Bael?"

"Not now," Sona said, returning her attention to the battlefield. "You should go help your Peerage. Rossweiss brought Gasper, Koneko, Ravel, and Irina before Eren arrived. You'll want to lead them."

Once again, Rias almost instinctively flew out to protect her family, but the political awareness nurtured over the last year and a half told her something was off.

Sona was just trying to get rid of her.

"Sona," Rias asked. "How did you know my Uncle was on Agreas?"

"We do not have time for this," Sona snapped, the first time Rias had ever seen her do so. She looked... stressed. Drawn. Her face was pale, and the eyes behind her glasses were furrowed in consternation. "If you hadn't noticed, we're in a crisis."

The Rias of two years ago would have agreed. She would have flown away, desperate to protect those she cared about.

This Rias had paid a price for both her kindness and her ignorance.

"Sona... Did you know this was going to happen?"

Sona laughed.

It was high. It was loud.

It was the laughter of a woman on her last line of sanity.

Then she stopped.

All emotion fled from Sona Sitri's voice like a switch had been flipped.

"I didn't know this was going to happen," Sona said, her voice empty. "I made sure it happened. I made sure every figure of note and importance that I could get in contact with was on Agreas.

"Son-

"And now they're dead." Sona interrupted. "All of them. I practically held them in place for Eren to kill them."

"Why?" Rias asked, voice cracking in horror.

"Because we can't win," Sona said. "Look at that!"

Sona gestured toward the battle of giants in the distance, their every move sending the Underworld trembling.

Closer at hand, tens of thousands of devils fled the white jaws of slavering Titans. What defenders remained were trying to hold them in place and kill them, buying time with life and limb.

"Eren has Ophis' power," Sona said simply. "Whether he got the Malabranche or not, it doesn't matter. We can't beat that. We can't beat Eren. So, I set up a situation where he'd let himself loose. I gave him everything he wanted."

"You gave him lives!" Rias exclaimed, stepping closer to her rival.

Even if she hadn't been the closest to her Uncle, what about Sairaorg? Despite everything, he still loved his father. And who else was on Agreas?

How many orphans had Sona just made?

"I gave him the Underworld!" Sona snapped again. "You don't get it, do you? I didn't just put most of our ruling class on that island! I gave him the island itself! There will be no more Evil Pieces. Our peace treaty might fail because we can't produce Brave Saint cards anymore. I have single-handedly ensured that our way of life has come to an end! No more Rating Games! No more reincarnated devils!"

Rias... hadn't even thought of that.

"And it worked," Sona said simply, gesturing out toward the field of chaos. "This? This is nothing. The army faced thousands of Colossal Titans. Eren could conjure more, but he's sticking with smaller ones. He could kill Vali and his team instantly, but he doesn't."

"If he wanted to, Eren could emerge from his titan and transform as many times as he likes," Kuroka said grimly. "He's not bound by the limits of his world. He could destroy everything with a few transformations."

"Because he wants to lose," Sona nodded. "Because he's already accomplished everything. Now, he's just waiting for the right person to finish it. I destroyed half of all pureblood devil bloodlines to get my Aunt this chance. Now, we just need to hold on until she comes back."

"What if she doesn't?" Rias asked incredulously. "What if you are wrong, and Eren doesn't let himself lose? What if he's not satisfied with what he's already done? Eren won't stop just because you want him to!"

"If I am wrong, it won't matter," Sona said grimly. "Because we'll all be dead. Now, if you excuse me, I will try to save what is left of the Underworld."

As Sona engaged the magical speakers, Rias was left to throw herself back into the chaos.

As she did, she couldn't help but look over toward the clash of giants, to the enormous red humanoid that seemed hell-bent on tearing down everything she had ever known.

Was Eren fighting to win?

Or was Eren just fighting because that was all he knew how to do?

********

Apologies for both the late posting and the lesser quality of the edits. Been feeling sick for the last few days.

I think only a few people got the implications of Sona's plan when I first posted her chapter. Eren didn't just kill a bunch of devils that led their society. He destroyed the material needed to reincarnate people. Devil society has been built on Rating Games for centuries, and he put an end to it. Even if everyone survived, the chaos would be insane as Devils would need to reconfigure their whole society.

I will admit that this idea isn't original to this fic. I thought this was what would happen in canon when Rizevim stole Agreas. I was like, 'Wow. The complete destruction of the Rating Game system. How interesting.' But then Ishibumi just returned to the island with barely any consequences, and I was sorely disappointed.

The only other thing I'll touch on in this chapter is Vali's team. They'd been fighting against Eren for years, then he disappeared. Of course, they'd have new strategies. Vali had, canonically, already mastered Juggernaut Drive when he beat the predecessors in Divine Dividing. Then he watches Issei pull out Crimson World Wall and goes, 'Hold my beer.'

I didn't want to simply redo Empireo Juggernaut Overdrive, and I always like it when characters in fanfiction react to changes that are different from canon. After seeing Issei do so, Vali would always find a way to alter Juggernaut Drive, so I thought, 'What form would this Vali take it?'

Man, have I had fun with this fic.

So close to the end, only a few more meetings on the bench.

 

[ReadingDangerously]

The first sign that something had gone wrong was when Arthur suddenly hesitated mid-swing.

Things hadn't been going right, per se, but they had been holding their own. Keeping Eren from getting any closer to Lillith.

They weren't winning by any stretch of the imagination, and this part of the Underworld would need to have its maps redrawn, but still, they could have kept Eren at bay for at least another half hour if he continued to fight as he did.

But when Kuroka's clone noted Arthur's unexplained pause, a sense of foreboding overtook her.

She'd been staying in the back, unwilling to fight Eren but also making sure these battle-hungry idiots didn't get themselves killed, so she had the best view of the situation.

She felt the slight swell of magic from a device he wore right before the pause. There was a heartbeat as Arthur's sword hung in the air, missing several white lances that shot toward his undefended neck.

Kuroka's clone conjured a barrier that delayed them long enough that Arthur could dodge, severing the spears as they passed and gouging a furrow into his shoulder. Thankfully, it wasn't deep, but blood did splatter his face, and he had to take off his glasses.

"Le Fay's spell went off," the Pendragon said quickly. "...The one monitoring Elaine's well-being."

It took Kuroka's mind only a moment to realize what he meant.

Oh, Eren.

Why were you so cruel?

But... that was how it worked with Eren, wasn't it?

He chose a Path and walked it, no matter the cruelty.

Now, Arthur had to choose between staying and helping his team fight Eren or the woman he loved.

Kuroka knew what he would choose.

After all, Eren had promised him the opportunity to reunite with Elaine, and here it was.

"Go," Kuroka said simply. "I'll step in."

"Make sure they're safe."

That was all Arthur said, trusting Kuroka as he cut a hole through space with Collbrande.

Leaving Kuroka to pick up the slack as the only one who could rapidly teleport the combatants around the battlefield.

She was a poor replacement. Teleportation was not her specialty, and she lacked Collbrande's speed.

But she was the only one they had.

********

Arthur emerged from the tear in space to find his family home in ruins.

"There you are," Siegfreid greeted amiably, his calm and welcoming expression at complete odds with the destruction around him.

Or the blood covering him.

"Hm? Oh, this isn't their blood. I finished my task for Eren before coming here and they put up a fight. Fun, but not worth remembering."

"Seigfreid," Arthur greeted, just as politely with Collbrande levelled at the hero. "What are you doing here?"

"Calling you," the clone of the dragon slayer said simply, nodding toward the two prone figures on the ground. His own six blades aimed right back at Arthur. "Eren needs you out of the way."

"Am I supposed to let myself die, then?"

"Hmm? Oh no." Siegfreid stepped away from the bruised and battered forms of Uther Pendragon, Arthur's father, and Elaine Westcott, Arthur's lover. "I have no intention of using them to kill you. They're just here to make sure you stay. So we can fight."

Arthur tried to think of the implications of all this, of Eren's need to get him off the battlefield specifically, and why Siegfreid specifically.

Like Kuroka, it didn't escape his notice that this was a twisted way for Eren to keep his promise.

Still, one thing did stand out to him.

"Eren sent you here to die," Arthur said simply, though not unkindly. "You've never beaten me before. If we fight now, with their lives on the line, I will kill you. If you leave now, I won't chase you."

"I know I'll die today," Siegfreid nodded, settling into a stance. "We all do. Today is the last day of the Hero Faction."

"There's no heroism in this fight. You attacked them unprovoked. They are human. Reclusive. You are not a hero for fighting me while holding my family's lives hostage."

"A bit dishonourable," Siegfreid agreed, not budging from his preparation for the oncoming battle. "But it needed to be done. I asked for this fight and am willing to dirty my hands to get it."

At Arthur's look, the clone smiled.

"You didn't know? Eren told us the day we'd die. But he let us choose how it would be. The others wanted to be remembered, be greater than their predecessors, or see the pinnacle a human could reach."

Seigfreid shrugged as if saying, 'What can you do?'

"I wanted something else. I wanted to see how far I could get with this cheap life of mine. You are the greatest human swordsman in the world."

"There are better."

"Devils and monsters. Beings who have no idea what it is like to be born limited have to trade lifespan for power. No. You are a descendent of King Arthur, trained by the best, wailing the greatest Holy Sword. I am a clone specifically created to handle the greatest Demonic Sword. Which of us is the best? I am here because I wanted an answer to that question."

"You already have one," Arthur said simply, sliding into his own stance. Collbrande glowed white, ready to cut anything to pieces. "By your admission, you will die here."

"Yes," Siegfried smiled, Gram radiating a malevolent red in response. "But just because I'll die doesn't mean I'll lose."

********

"Stubborn, thick, blockheaded, suicidal fool!" Kuroka's clone listened to Sona curse Eren as she relayed Arthur's disappearance.

Honestly, if it weren't for the situation, Kuroka would be giggling at seeing the normally prim woman come undone from the stress.

"Arthur was my emergency evacuation tool."

"Collbrande can cut space," Kuroka pointed out. "But it's a portal, not teleportation. Quicker, but people need to move through it, nyaa. He wouldn't have been able to evacuate the city."

"Not the city," Sona said, taking a deep breath, adjusting her glasses, and surveying the battlefield once more. "If it looked like we were going to lose, I was going to have him try to bring the Satans here. Mix their fight with this one to give us more time."

Her evacuation plan was to bring two of the top ten, four Satans, and Cao Cao? All to cause more chaos?

Kuroka was seriously starting to wonder if the mind behind those glasses was in any way sane... or if it had cracked because of the stress.

"Direct Lord Agaras to move his Queen toward the north," Sona snapped off. "More of the Titans bypassed Rias's position and are nearing the walls. If they get over them, it will be urban fighting. We'll lose the killing field we have here."

Kuroka conveyed the order to the devil through another clone.

Sona was quiet for a second, watching the chaos around and below them. The pair were flying high in the sky, both for the bird's eye view and because the shaking from the clashing giants in the distance was too destabilizing.

"I don't get it," Sona eventually said.

"Don't get what?"

"Eren's plan here. I know he'd prefer not to kill people he doesn't know or care about. He's targeting people who fight back. And the only deaths from those are the people who try to run after fighting back. Targeting the civilians seems like an afterthought, a provocation at best. He's already completed his task."

The pair watched Saji, clad in Vitra's complete avatar, swallow a smaller Titan whole and tear another to shreds. Seven more of the white giants dogpilled the Pawn.

Sona's fists were clenched as she watched, and her following words came through grit teeth of helplessness.

"No matter what happens now, even if all the Satans survive, it will be centuries before the Underworld is at a comparable power level. Rebuilding the same society will be impossible, even if Lord Beelzebub pulls out another miracle. Everything lines up with the fact he's stalling for time for my Aunt to get back... except for one thing. What is going on with Rias' Peerage?"

Momo and Tsubasa together managed to kill one of the Titans on Saji, giving him wiggle room to twist his body and bite off the head of another.

"What do you mean?"

"I thought Eren was just trying to spare the people he knew," Sona gestured toward the north, where a crowd of Titans was being decimated.

Despite the number of attacking giants being similar to everywhere else (That is to say, overwhelming), more were getting by to the walls because they ignored half the defenders.

"But that doesn't make sense. They attack Akeno, Yuuto, Koneko, or Rias as soon as they're damaged. Eren's not saving them. He's just letting them get a first hit. So why bother? Why not include Xenovia? He's met her. Or Irina? Why only those four? There's a clear cause and effect with every other part of his plan. Except that. There's something I'm missing."

Eren roared in the distance, hand clasping around Fenrir's neck where it had bit down on his side. Vali grabbed the arm and twisted it, freeing the God Devouring Wolf.

Eren's other arm, concealed by the move, had snaked around Gogmagog's leg and used the enormous golem as a cudgel, bashing the White Dragon Emperor on the head with a resounding 'GONG' that vibrated the air it was so loud.

Surprisingly enough, Kuroka actually had an answer to Sona's question.

It was one of those things that she simply didn't have time to explain in the frantic hurry of the last few hours.

"It's not you that's missing something," Kuroka explained simply once they could hear again. "It's Eren. He can multitask with all these Titans because he's cheating with the Path. Infinite time to direct and control them, seeing through the Titans' eyes. But he can't see those four. Or you, for that matter."

"What-" Sona started to ask but stopped when her eyes caught something. "Quick! Sairaorg needs to get to Seekvaria!"

Kuroka hurried to relay the message to the front line, and the golden lion blasted southward to save his friend.

Kuroka realized quickly what had Sona so spooked.

Another group of Titans were bearing down on the young devil King and her Peerage. There were only three, more than enough for Seekvaria to deal with usually, but these were different.

They moved fast, much faster than the usual giants, and travelled on all fours. Two looked almost identical, with odd faces of white bone.

On top of moving at greater speeds than regular Titans, all three had sharp claws that dug into the dirt and wicked, jagged jaws filled with razor-sharp teeth.

There was a tense second as the three new Titans lunged at Seekvaria's Peerage like rabid dogs, tearing into flesh with their claws.

Thankfully, Sona's quick warning had Sairaorg there before any were eaten. The wounded were carted off to Asia as quickly as possible as Sairaorg made quick work of the three new Titans.

As soon as the situation was somewhat stable, Sona asked her question, not taking her eyes off the battlefield.

"What do you mean Eren can't see us?"

"Part of losing his power in Kuoh, nyaa," Kuroka quickly explained. "Anyone he spent considerable time with there gains protection from his power. You are invisible to the Path, which means Eren can't see any of you unless he looks at you with his own eyes."

There was a beat of silence between the two women, but the noise of battle drowned it out.

Then Sona fully whirled to face Kuroka, fear writ large across her face.

"Is my Aunt included among those?" The heiress demanded. "Did Eren know she was in this world before meeting her?"

Wondering what had the heiress so spooked, Kuroka answered.

"She's also invisible, nyaa. He had no idea she was in this world until a few months ago."

Part of Kuroka knew that it was only because Eren had been ignorant that he was on this Path in the first place.

If he knew Mikasa was here the entire time, he probably would have simply spent his new life with her, away from everything and everyone.

Only with Mikasa's absence had there been room for Kuroka.

The nekoshou ignored that dark pit in her stomach as Sona bit her lip in thought, growing paler by the second.

"You should have told me this," Sona bit out, worrying her lip. "Send Rias toward my Peerage."

Kuroka did as she was asked, and the real her with Shirone alerted the devil King.

"Even if he can't see you, the future he sees is absolute, nyaa," Kuroka reminded Sona. "He can't see most people and has no idea what they do to help build the future. They still help build it. Even me."

"That's not the problem," Sona bit off, rubbing her temples. "But it means my plan, which was based on my idea of his plan, is fundamentally wrong."

"So far, you've-" Kuroka cut herself off as Eren's fight got closer.

The wind from a leg sweep created a wave of force strong enough to toss the two women flying, knocking about in the air.

Kuroka's clone caught Sona and quickly teleported them to another part of the sky.

"My initial premiss is still good," Sona said, quickly readjusting her glasses but not bothering with her hair as she returned to surveying the battlefield. "Eren is still acting like he's waiting for something instead of killing us all. But he's not waiting for my Aunt. He's not trying to replicate his death to make her seem like a hero."

"If he saw her with his own eyes, not the path, he would have known she was in this world," Kuroka nodded. "He still could be waiting for her, even if he doesn't see her again."

"No," Sona denied. "Eren doesn't want to die. But if he has to die, his death has to do something. Achieve something. He won't let himself die if it's not to make someone a hero, end the Titans, or something equivalent. He would have found a different Path. So either he's not planning on dying today, or whatever he's waiting for is worth dying-"

Eren roared.

Thunder boomed as new Titans were conjured.

The differences between these new arrivals and the first Titans were immediately clear.

There were more quadrupedal Titans with claws and fangs and similar ones that lacked animalistic weapons in favour of more human limbs while remaining on all fours.

A few looked similar to the regular Titans, just slightly larger and with pointed ears.

Some were animalistic, like bulls, wolves, or birds. There was even a sheep-looking Titan.

Others were still human-shaped but were clad in armour of varying thickness and styles.

Some bore weapons. Spears. Axes. Swords. Hammers.

And some... were women.

Kuroka could slightly understand why that last fact stood out so clearly. After seeing so many Titans with no sexual characteristics, seeing breasts on one of those giants was decidedly eery.

For a while second, she wished the Hyoudou boy was still alive. His face would have been priceless.

But that thought passed in the blink of an eye.

Thankfully, there were no Founder or Colossal Titans.

That, and the fact that there were fewer total Titans than before, were the only blessings as Kuroka beheld a small army comprised of the Nine Titans.

Whatever Eren had been waiting for, they were out of time.

"DOWN!" Kuroka shouted, grabbing Sona and diving toward the ground as arrows filled the sky.

"We can't fight this!" Sona shouted. "Not without the army!"

"We'll have to!"

"You need to help us!"

"I am helping!"

Kuroka pulled up at a sharp angle, skimming the ground, rising a bit to get a better look at the battlefield before ducking behind a half-destroyed building.

It had been a few seconds since the arrival of the Nine Titans, and it was clear things were already turning against the defenders.

The weaker Peerages were already on the retreat from the increased ferocity, and even the stronger ones were struggling.

Sairaorg might still be able to kill one with a punch, but it was only one. And sometimes he needed multiple hits if it was one of the Armour or Warhammer Titans.

The quadrupedal Titans were nimbler and quicker, and the Warhammer, Armoured, and Female Titans were tougher. Even the Attack Titans were simply better designed than the Pure Titans, with more optimal bodies for fighting.

Half of the attacking Titans were able to simply bypass the defenders because the devils were so pressed to survive they couldn't draw their attention.

Vali and his team were still holding Eren back, but Arthur's absence was felt with every step closer Eren grew to the city.

They had gone from holding out in a defensive battle to just trying to survive.

The city, its citizens, and all the refugees were on their own, and the Titans were moments away from the walls.

Walls not meant to keep out giants.

"You can help more!" Sona shouted back as two Jaw Titans and a Cart Titan rounded the building they had been hiding behind, looking directly at them.

Kuroka's clone quickly hid herself in an illusion, knowing that Sona was invisible to them.

The devil heiress had frozen, like a hare staring down the houds.

The Titans were only about three times her size, but a miss-step would be enough to kill her.

Sona was not Rias. Her power was not strong enough or suited to carve out the back of their necks.

For a tense moment, the Titans stood there, their heads swinging back and forth, but Eren's poor sensing could not locate Kuroka's clone, and the trio bounded off in search of more prey.

"You are a seven-tailed Nekoshou," Sona hissed angrily. "A master of Senjutsu, Youjutsu, and magic. You are one of the few Ultimate class beings we have! You should be fighting!"

"I can't fight Eren," Kuroka argued as her invisibility fell. "I won't! I am helping enough! Or are you forgetting who's saved the most lives today!?"

"And you could save more!" Sona snapped. "I've sold out my race, my morality, my dream, and maybe my life for this. I don't care if you love him. I love Eren. I'm still fighting him!"

"I can't!"

Because Kuroka's whole plan to save Eren's life was based on one of the first flaws in the Path's abilities she had discovered.

Eren had to actively look for a potential future for his ability to come into effect. For example, he'd never look into a future where he became a devil, so he'd been blindsided by his inability to become one.

And everything Kuroka had done since she fell in love was to make sure Eren never thought to look into a future where 'Kuroka betrays me.'

It was why she had been willing to let Mikasa kill him again because Eren needed to die with a smile on his face.

Eren's future sight was absolute, and Kuroka wanted him to have that smile he desperately ran toward.

But it was after that death that her betrayal would come.

But what if Eren looked into a future where he faked his death? One where he was 'dead' in a way Kuroka couldn't sense, and she went ahead with her plan?

Eren would never allow her plan to succeed if he knew it, so she did absolutely everything she could to ensure he never felt the need to look into a future like that.

There was a reason she thought of her plan as a betrayal after all.

Sona glared at Kuroka, all the last day's heartbreak, pain, fear, and exhaustion packed into that glare.

Kuroka bore with it, unbending.

She felt for the girl. Even liked her.

But Kuroka would not give up on that dream of hers.

Not for anything.

The tense moment was broken when another scream tore through the air.

It wasn't Eren's earth-trembling roar.

It wasn't a scream of pain from loss of limb or pain.

No, it was a scream of despair.

Of loss.

A heartrending cry of sadness and grief.

"What was that?"

Kuroka's clone took a second to process the information she received and grimaced.

"The former exorcist let slip that the Red Dragon Emperor is dead to the dhampir. He's going absolutely berserk."

Sona took a second to digest the information, and then she glared at Kuroka.

"He's going to attract the Titans," Sona summarized simply. "He was sealed for a reason. Gasper going berserk is going to be a genuine threat Eren won't ignore, if not to himself, then to his Titans."

"You want to use him as bait, nyaa?"

"No. He'll do that on his own, and Rias will be there to protect him. Send her back over. Eren saw this happening because Gasper isn't protected from the Path, right?"

"Right."

"But your sister is?"

Kuroka's heart skipped a beat.

"If you won't fight to save our lives, then you will to save hers, right?"

"Be very careful with your next words, girl. I killed my King for less than what you're threatening."

"I won't do anything," Sona denied, almost sounding affronted. "But if I have to use every tool to make sure we see tomorrow... well, I've already done worse than simply point out a fact."

"What are you talking about?"

"Merely that Eren's blindness to those four and myself is an advantage... and a weakness." Sona adjusted her glasses. "You say he's smiling in the end? Is that why you've felt safe this entire time? Because he wouldn't be able to smile if he hurt you or Koneko? Then you haven't realized the problem."

Eren had told Kuroka that she'd survive.

She didn't doubt him, knowing that he genuinely cared for her and that he wouldn't be smiling in the end if she was hurt or dead.

"Eren could accidentally kill one of us and have no idea," Sona said simply. "If he doesn't see it with his own eyes and doesn't get news between now and whenever he dies, he'd have no clue what he did. He could be smiling the whole time, unaware that he accidentally stepped on someone without noticing. I imagine identifying all the bodies after this will be a nightmare, and I don't think Eren intends to live long after this."

Sona wasn't arguing that Eren would be able to smile if they died. Just that the blessing of not being visible to Eren was as much a curse.

"I'm right there with her," Kuroka argued back. "I won't let anything happen to her."

"Eren's already ramped up once. Who knows what he'll do once the army is back. You won't be able to protect her when there are a dozen Ultimate class devils fighting. One stray spell is all it will take. Your best bet to make sure your sister survives today is to make sure Eren is stopped as soon as possible."

"If it gets to that point, I'll just take Shirone and run."

"Will she let you?" Sona pressed. "If you succeed, will she forgive you?"

There was a moment, a beat, as the tension hung in the air.

Then, another roar from Eren mixing with Gasper's screams of sorrow.

The rubble they were hiding behind bounced as the ground rumbled from another blow in a battle of giants that was drawing closer with every breath.

Kuroka broke the silence between them first.

"You are a real Devil."

"I learned from the best."

********

Despite her words with Sona, Kuroka, the real one, didn't suddenly throw herself at Eren.

No, she stayed with Shirone.

Shirone, lacking as she was with Senjutsu, couldn't deal any real damage to the Titans. She'd gotten a few kills from smaller Pure Titans, but that ended with the assault of the former Shifter Titans.

Her enhanced durability helped her stay alive, but the Rook strength didn't mean much in this league. Not when blunt force was useless unless it fully destroyed the spine.

So Shirone wasn't one of the main combatants.

The white nekoshou didn't let that stop her for a second.

Her face was the empty blank it had been since they found Hyoudou's body, but she moved with all the determined anger of a predator.

If she couldn't kill Titans, Shirone would simply help those who could.

Her tiny form was almost invisible in this battlefield of giants. Unlike the others, the Rook didn't take to the air, instead staying on the ground and darting between enormous feet.

Thanks to a small discovery that Titans were lighter than creatures their size should be, Shirone had found a way to help.

Invisible to the Titans, Koneko placed herself right under where an Armoured Titan's foot would fall.

Like a super strong tack, she caught the descending foot with her raised arms right before it hit the ground. Its considerable mass pressed down on her, and she braced her knees to not buckle.

She held that position for a half second, and one could almost imagine the Titan's confused face if it could think for itself.

Then, Shirone pushed off the ground with all her might, using every ounce of strength she had.

Seeing a sixteen-meter-tall giant stumble because of a tiny girl barely a meter and a half tall was honestly hilarious.

Shirone couldn't throw Titans unless it was one of the smaller ones. Even though they were lighter than they should be, they were still massive.

But she wasn't trying to throw them.

As the Armoured Titan fell forward, it exposed the back of its neck to the sky.

A blast of holy lightning destroyed the spine, armour plating and all, as Akeno flew by.

It was a well-coordinated, well-planned small group tactic that allowed Shirone to work with whoever was nearby. Rias, Akeno, Xenovia, Kiba, Irina, or someone else who could finish the job for her.

It was also stupidly dangerous.

Already, Kuroka had to pull her sister out of the way a few times when a Titan was about to crush her without her being in a proper position to catch its descending mass. Or when a Warhammer Titan turned out to have spikes under its feet. Or when a Jaw Titan nearly tore the Rook apart while she was still held down by a foot.

It had barely been thirty seconds since Gasper Vladi had begun his rampage, becoming a mass of shadow and blood-red eyes that froze Titans in time before ripping them to pieces.

In that time, Shirone would have died seven times if not for Kuroka.

It was after the seventh time that there was a brief pause in fighting for the younger nekoshou due to Gasper's rampage getting closer.

Kuroka expressed the wish she had been holding this entire time.

"Let's run away."

Shirone looked at her, and Kuroka's hands balled into fists, the cane handle creaking slightly.

Kuroka hated that blank look in her eyes.

Shirone used to be so expressive and happy.

"I won't."

"Please, Shirone," Kuroka begged. "If Eren wanted us dead, we'd be dead. We can leave. Just for a little while. A day. Half a day. My clones will stay here, helping people. We'll be safe. You'll be safe. I'll make sure your friends are fine."

"My family," Shirone corrected. "And family doesn't leave family."

It hurt.

It hurt so much.

"...Eren's my family," Kuroka admitted lowly. "Vali, Le Fay, the others. They're my family too. But I can leave them behind because I know they can care for themselves."

"And I can't," Shirone nodded, not seeming hurt by the implication. As if she had always known. "I need to be saved. I can't defend anyone. I can't hold onto anyone. Issei-senpai was a better Rook than me."

"You don't have to be a Rook," Kuroka said kindly. "You can just be Shirone. Not everyone needs to fight. I never wanted you to fight. That's what Onee-sama is for."

"...You're like Ackerman-sensei," Shirone said, and something was finally in her eyes. Pity? Empathy? Love? Sadness? "You're too strong. Too reliable. People count on you, and you try and protect them."

"Onee-sama wouldn't kill Eren for humanity," Kuroka denied.

"...But you don't understand the protection," the white cat continued, ignoring the interruption. "You don't understand that we want to be strong enough to protect you too. That every time you protect us, that you leave to do something we can't, a small part of us dies."

Shirone's small hands clenched into fists, and she held up to her sister.

"We might not be strong, but we can do something. A tiny thing. I can't kill Titans. I can't fight Eren. But I can help those that can. I couldn't save Issei-senpai, but I could have been there for him when he died. I won't leave them alone."

"...Is it wrong to want my family to be safe and happy?"

"...Nobody should be alone," Shirone said softly. "If you are running ahead or running away, you leave everyone alone. I can't do that."

Shirone turned, ready to dive back into battle.

Kuroka stopped her from advancing right before Gasper's power swept the area in front of them, freezing time for all within.

That was the problem with rampages.

Even if they gave you a burst of power, it was often accompanied by an accompanying problem for your allies.

This wasn't the first time Kuroka had stopped someone from becoming a casualty to the dhampir's unrestrained Sacred Gear, but there was a difference this time.

The hand she had held out to stop Shirone had been the one holding the cane.

Her cane.

Eren's cane.

The one she had made for him when it became apparent his body was starting to shut down.

It wasn't fully engulfed in the temporal freeze. In fact, only a small part of the handle was frozen.

If Kuroka was willing to cut those two wings in half, she could free it.

If she wasn't, then something could come by and destroy it, or she'd have to stand guard over the item until time unfroze, and who knew when that would be? Gasper's Gear wasn't following the usual rules at the moment, and the usual deadline had passed for many Titans that were still frozen.

Looking at the cane suspended in the air, Kuroka couldn't help it.

She laughed.

"Nyahahahahaha," Kuroka laughed and laughed and laughed and cried.

Had Eren seen this? Planned this?

Or was this just a byproduct?

A ripple in time that would crash into others until they formed a wave that would help carry him to the future he wanted?

It didn't matter, did it?

Everyone built the future with their choices. Eren just reached the end before everyone else.

A clone appeared beside the cane.

Another appeared beside Shirone, who looked at her laughing and crying sister with worry.

"Hey, Shirone?" Kuroka said softly, rubbing her eyes and giving her sister a watery smile. "When this is over, do you want to live with Onee-sama and Bother-in-Law? We have a really pretty house. Vali and the boys destroy the valley sometimes, but Onee-sama is good at fixing it by now."

"...Nee-san?"

"It won't just be us," Kuroka continued, wiping off her tears. They just kept coming. "Mikasa might come to if she can stomach it. Your new family can visit too. We'll be happy. We'll be safe. We'll be together. Everything we ever wanted. Eren will make his cookies, and we can play games while eating them. And there'll be kittens. The cutest kittens in the world."

"...That sounds nice, Onee-sama."

"It would be," Kuroka allowed herself to hold to that dream a final time, pulling Shirone into a soft hug. "Wouldn't it?"

Then Kuroka let go of her sister and teleported beside her clone, who had just teleported Le Fay away.

She didn't say anything, just starting to transform.

Everyone knew that almost all Yokai had a shapeshifting ability of sorts, to look either more or less human. The more human, the weaker they were.

Nekomata, and nekoshou like Kuroka and Shirone, could turn into cats, unsurprisingly.

What was slightly less known was that the stronger a Yokai, the greater their transformation ability. Their exact nature varied based on species.

Monkey Yokai, for example, gained more flexibility in the number of transformations. Sun Wukon was famous for his numerous forms. Kitsune grew in size. Yakasa, fully transformed, was larger than most dragons.

There had only ever been one seven-tailed nekomata, and Magari's transformation was similar to Kitsune's growth in size but to a lesser degree.

Kuroka wasn't just a nekomata but a nekoshou.

A variant of the species specialized in Senjutsu so rare that she and her sister were the only known nekoshou she knew of.

When Kuroka transformed, she grew in size, too, but it was barely twenty meters tall.

Compared to the spell-enhanced Gogmagog and Fenrir, the Titanico-clad Vali, or even the diminished Eren, she was little more than the size of a house cat.

Even her shape wasn't anything new; she was just more panther-shaped than a regular cat and having seven tails instead of one.

But nekoshou were never physical fighters in the first place.

Kuroka's roar mixed with everyone else's as thousands of spinning wheels of black flame surrounded her.

The Kasha spun like shuriken, lancing forward and cutting into Eren's back, ignoring his Senjutsu like it wasn't even there.

Eren screamed in pain at the sudden attack, though Kuroka knew for sure she hadn't taken him by surprise.

That was why she had been so adamant about not fighting him.

Because if Kuroka fought Eren in this timeline, the one he chose, it meant she fought in others.

He would look into others to see her abilities and what actions he could take to ensure he didn't kill her yet still achieved the desired outcome.

And, in those futures he didn't choose, in some of them, she'd die. On accident or not, it didn't matter.

And he'd see it.

Eren literally could not stop himself from seeing an entire timeline when he looked into one.

In those timelines, he'd grieve for her. In some of them, he might end up searching her body for one reason or another. Or maybe someone else would. Maybe her holding spell would simply fail, and its contents would spill out.

The last price she had asked of the Satans in exchange for betraying Eren.

A single Evil Piece. A Queen.

One mutated when Kuroka demanded that it be created with a splinter of wood from a bench as part of the deal.

If Eren saw that in another timeline, he'd know it was for him. And if he learned it now, it meant the past versions of him would know it, too.

Either Kuroka went her whole life never giving Eren the knowledge of what she planned, or he had always known.

There was no in-between.

As black flame burned.

As the Kasha cut into Eren's back.

Kuroka's claws tore into his legs, thighs, back, and shoulders.

As Kuroka tried to bite into the back of his spine, her teeth scraped across the crystal that protected him.

As Kuroka failed to pull Eren from his Titan yet continued to strip him of Senjutsu, disrupting his Ki as she could so that the other's attacks could do more damage.

As Kuroka destroyed her hope for the future for the sake of her sister's safety, she couldn't help a trickle of terror.

That Eren hadn't been waiting for Mikasa.

That Eren had been waiting to die at her hands.

That all his delays, all his holding back, had been to give her the time needed to come to a decision.

It had been a fear since she realized what Mikasa had done in her world.

Would he do it all again?

Would Eren require Kuroka to be the one to end his life to get that smile?

Then space tore as a colossal rent in the fabric of the Underworld's reality opened in the sky.

Eren, his Ki disrupted, in pain, off balance, shrunk, and weakened, was unable to defend himself as a fist the size of his head clad in a red and green gauntlet punched him in the face.

[EEEEEERRRRRRREEEEEEENNNNN!]

********

I'm not going to lie, guys. I'm not doing so hot. Been sick all week and only barely starting to get better today, and I've barely written anything. The only reason there is even a chapter today is because I like to keep a buffer of at least half a chapter in case of emergency, and even then, it's nowhere near as polished as I would like.

What does this mean? It means I could, theoretically, hurry and write the next chapter and have it available Sunday. If everything goes great and nothing unexpected happens, it will still be a mess due to a lack of time to edit.

I won't do that.

So, this is the only chapter this week. I rushed to the end of my last fic, and the story suffered for it. I don't want to do it again. It is a bit of a disappointment, but it will lead to a better story in the end.

About this chapter: Kuroka has been an... interesting character to write. In many ways, she's like a more expressive Mikasa. In others, she's been a wholly unique character. I always wanted her to be the type of character that exemplified AOT's habit of forcing characters to choose what they value at their most basic, most profound level.

Annie to return to her father. For Floch, it was a safe Eldia. For Historia, it was Ymir. Eren with Mikasa and Armin. Despite loving others and having all sorts of connections and concerns, these people are forced to throw away parts to protect what truly matters to them.

Someone who can't sacrifice anything can never change anything.

Kuroka, as I hope comes across, loves Eren deeply. But, no matter how I write her, I can't imagine her picking a man she loves over Shirone. Not if I want to stay true to her character. If Eren couldn't see the future, if he wasn't so hell-bent on getting to that endpoint, she would have done anything to get that dream of hers.

Forced to choose between her dream and Shirone's safety (and what Eren's doing to achieve his smile), she chose the latter.

Koneko also shines, I think, when she had her sister to play off of. Nowhere near as expressive, but loving in her own way. Very family-focused yet shaped by the trauma of her life. Issei's death simply solidified the beliefs that had been taking shape throughout this fic.

I think that's all I'll say for now to avoid spoilers. I am really excited for the coming chapters and am bummed they need to wait longer, but I do want them to be as good as I can make them. I think the next chapter or the one after will be a real dividing mark on whether someone enjoys the end of this book or not. There will be a few others, but this is where things get... creative.

If you've stuck with me this long, I can only ask that you try to reach the end with me.

I will meet you all, hopefully feeling better, next Friday on the bench.

PS: Special credit to Sagely Hijinks on Spacebattles for the first omake. I love it when something I create inspires others. It's short and poignant, a 'What-if' Bad-End. You can consider it pseudo-canon as a 'what-if' timeline that Eren looked at but not the Path he took.

 

[ReadingDangerously]

ZOOM ZOOM IYAAN!

Those were the first words Issei Hyoudou heard.

Well...Not 'heard' so much as 'experienced.'

[...They have that song in the afterlife?]

He wasn't speaking, not really.

To speak, you need a mouth. Air and lungs. You required the concept of sound.

Issei felt nothing. Saw nothing.

Was nothing.

There wasn't even darkness.

There was just Issei.

Alone.

With his thoughts.

His regrets.

And that song.

HE HAS SEEN LOTS OF OPPAI, BUT HE LIKES BIG ONES THE BEST!

[Why?]

The question, more of a plea, cut through the nothingness.

[Ddraig!?]

[Why is he singing that?]

OPPAI-DRAGON ALSO PUSHES TODAY

Issei wasn't hearing things, for he had no ears. It was more like 'communication' was being transmitted to Issei directly.

But he'd recognize his partner anywhere.

[Is it because he's made of Dreams? That has to be it, right? It's popular and kids dream, right? They'll grow out of it, right?... Please?]

[There, there,] Issei tried to console his friend, unsure if the dragon could hear him. [It's not so bad. It means you're popular. So many are looking up to you now. You're the coolest dragon.]

[Sob.]

ON THE EDGE OF A CERTAIN SEA, THE OPPAI DRAGON WAS FLYING

[Uh... I know you're, um, sad, but... am I dead? Can you hear me?]

There was a moment of silence, and Issei feared his words would go unheard.

Maybe this was what death was like, a void of nothing where you heard things but were unable to affect anything?

[...You died, partner.] Ddraig said with a sad sigh. [Samael's poison is deadly to dragons. Extremely so. Even I, at my peak, would have died if subjected to what Ophis went through.]

IN THE SUMMER SEAS, THE OPPAI IS FULL OF DREAMS!

[...ah...]

That...

Issei didn't know how to feel about that.

Sad?

Of course, he was sad! He didn't want to die, damnit!

Issei had just lost his virginity! He only had two girlfriends! He'd barely had time to get used to being a devil and Ddraig's partner!

He wouldn't be there for the season 2 premiere! The kids would be disappointed!

His parents would be devastated! They had tried so hard to have a kid, and then he went and died. This would destroy them.

And his friends?

Issei... didn't know. They were strong. Stronger than him, but at the same time, they had dealt with a lot of stuff in their past.

He didn't want his recklessness to be the reason they were hurt again.

Asia and Xenovia...

Satans damnit! Issei didn't know what to feel. Of course, He'd miss them and wanted them to be happy, but...

AGH! SOMEONE ELSE WOULD GET TO TOUCH THEIR OPPAI! ARRRRGGGGGG! HE WAS SO JEALOUS!

And mad.

Issei found himself almost angrier than ever before.

At Eren.

What right did he have to kill Issei? Was it because of the Crimson World Wall? Issei remembered vividly the rage, pain, and disgust on Eren's face when he talked about Walls.

Had Issei's choice of power been wrong? Or did it not matter, and Eren would have killed him anyway for Ddraig?

Why did he get to kill someone just because he needed Boosted Gear?

Rage, grief, regret and confusion swirled around the disembodied consciousness that was now 'Issei Hyoudou.'

Ddraig knew the risks of leaving him like that, but some things needed to be said.

[Your soul should have been destroyed. The only reason it wasn't was because the Boosted Gear, the source of draconic traits, was taken out of your body before it was.]

[...So I'm in the Gear now? Like the Senpais? Can I talk to them?]

If this was what life, or unlife, was like for them, Issei felt bad for not being kinder to them. This was going to get boring really fast.

This seriously sucked.

[You are but...]

There was a feeling of foreboding as Ddraig trailed off softly.

[Ddraig?]

[I'm sorry, Parnter.] Ddraig said sombrely. [The Gear extraction killed you, but your soul wouldn't have come along. It would have been left in the body with the poison.]

[But I'm here. You saved me?]

[I didn't. My former weilders... they initiated Juggernaught Drive at the last second.] Issei could hear the grief in Ddraig's voice. [They switched places with you.]

Ah...

Ahhh...

[Belzard-senpai? Elsha-senpai? Everyone?]

[...Everyone. To make room for you. Juggernaut Drive is all or nothing. They told me to pass on a message when you woke up.]

[...What is it?]

['They were Oppai Dragon's biggest fans. They couldn't let the wielder who made Boosted Gear a symbol of hope disappear.'] Ddraig paused for a second, then let out a defeated sigh before continuing. [And... 'ZOOM ZOOM IYAAN.']

Ahhhhhhhhhhh.

Issei wished he could cry.

Wished he could scream.

Wished he could punch Eren in the face.

He couldn't.

All he could do was wallow in the pain, rage, and grief, plunging deeper and deeper into that pit of misery and loss.

[I'm sorry, partner.] Ddraig repeated, knowing this was the first time Issei had lost someone.

The closest was when Asia fell into the Gap; even then, Vali saved her.

[...Eren has the Gear now?]

[No.] Ddraig said bluntly. [Ophis recognized what happened and took it before he could.]

[Ophis?] Issei asked, the surprise giving him a brief respite from his loss.

"Yes. I, saved Issei."

[Gah!] Issei shouted in surprise at the... not the voice, but the fact that he was experiencing sound at all without a body or ears. [Ophis! What is going on?]

"Issei is being saved."

[She... um...] Ddraig's hesitation in explaining what happened did not fill Issei with confidence. [She brought you to someone that could help.]

"Look."

Suddenly, Issei had sight again.

Still no body, but he could perceive the world as if he were a camera floating over a scene in a movie.

A Kaiju movie, to be specific.

[Woah!] Issei exclaimed, for a second forgetting his grief as his awe overpowered everything else.

Enormous red scales larger than his body. Wings bigger than his house. A maw that could have swallowed his school.

It was freaking huge!

And Ophis was punching it.

This was a dragon.

THE Dragon.

Even Issei could guess who, and what, this was.

[Great Red?!] Issei, completely bamboozled at the sight of the gargantuan beast flying through the void of the Dimensional Gap, couldn't help the scream of surprise from leaving his voice.

Ophis kept hitting the scale she was on, a mask of concentration on her face as she pounded tiny fists into a scale with a miniature frown.

It had no effect, like a child trying to beat up a mountain, and the enormous beast kept flying, even doing a barrel roll in the sky that turned into a corkscrew dive.

[Ophis brought you to Great Red so he could give you another body.] Ddraig explained. [Look near that spike. To the left of Ophis.]

Issei didn't have eyes to look, but he could direct his attention to the spot.

It looked like a mound, vaguely human-shaped, leaning against the large spine of the dragon.

[Is that me?] Issei asked. [Am I not dead?]

[You are dead.] Ddraig corrected. [You just won't be for long.]

[Uwaaaaa!] Issei... well, bawled wouldn't be entirely correct, but it was the disembodied equivalent. [Thank you, Ophis-sama! Thank you, Great Red-sama!]

Wait.

[But Ophis? Don't you... hate Great Red?]

"Bake Red is loud. Annoying." For emphasis Ophis smacked the dragon with her palm.

Even in her weakened state, she was still twice as strong as Ddraig, and her blow could have destroyed the Himalayas.

Great Red didn't even feel it.

"But..." Ophis paused her 'beating' of her hated foe. Her frown deepened, and her brow furrowed. "Issei dying... hurt. Didn't want that. Even for Silence."

[Uwaaaaaaa! Ophis-chan! Thank you!]

Perhaps to stop his partner from spiritually crying like a baby, Ddraig hurried to speak.

[Great Red is a being of Dreams. Strong dreams or popular dreams are like... food or blood to him.] Ddraig said, then sighed, and the following words sounded as if they were coming through clenched teeth. [Oppai Dragon is very popular, so he's doing you this favour just this once.]

More than ever before, Issei felt those same dreams. Those expectations. Those hopes.

He had failed them.

In the worst possible way, he had failed everyone.

Issei Hyoudou had died a failure.

For a second time.

There would not be a third.

Not when this failure, this third chance, had been paid for by his Senpais souls.

[Thank you, Great Red.]

The enormous dragon didn't respond to Issei's thanks, just tucking its wings into a triple front flip that would have made Issei nauseous if he had a body.

Issei didn't know if that was in response to his words, but he decided to ask the question he feared answered most.

[How long has it been?]

[...Only a few hours. You woke up because your body's almost done.]

A few hours.

Not his worst fears of days lost, but still way longer than he had hopped.

Issei remembered Le Fay's warning. Without Boosted Gear to prolong the time he could hold onto Ophis' power, Eren would only have hours before it dissipated.

Ophis, in saving Issei, had forced Eren into a very tight schedule.

A few hours might as well have been an eternity when Issei considered what he might find when he returned.

[How much longer?]

[Not long. Less than an hour. Great Red can do pretty much anything. It just copied your impression of yourself and used it as a base. It probably could have done it in an hour if it was a blank template body.]

[I'll be the same?] Issei asked, a bit surprised. He had been afraid he'd become some sort of dragon/human hybrid with scales, claws and a snout.

Which would be awesome, but he was worried that Great Red wouldn't consider the important parts.

Like the ability to have sex.

Wait! This was a new body. Did that mean he was a virgin again!?

Damnit! He just lost it!!!

[You'll look the same, but you won't be human. Or a devil. Your body is made from Great Red's flesh. It will be stronger. Tougher. If nothing else, you'll be able to Boost more without as much strain.]

[Awesome! Can I use magic now?]

[No. Magic is soul-based. Your reserves are still as pitiful as ever.]

Issei felt like crying.

He wanted to be able to teleport by himself, but it looked like the days of going to clients' houses on a bicycle were not over just yet.

[Partner...] Ddraig paused as if unsure how to say something. In the end, he decided to be blunt. [Your Evil Piece was left in your old body. You are no longer a member of a Peerage. And you don't have to become one. You don't have to become a devil again.]

[I will be.] Issei said instantly. [I am Rias Gremory's Rook.]

[If it's about your dream, you'll be stronger than ever. Your girlfriends won't leave you, and I'm sure you can still become a Harem King without the Peerage system. Plenty of my former hosts had harems without it.]

[I know. It's not about that.] Issei said seriously, resolution filling his voice. [I don't care if I'm human, a devil, or a dragon. Gods, fallen angels, angels, Yokai... I've met them all. None of that crap matters to me. I'm Rias Gremory's Rook because that's who I want to be. I want to defend my friends and family. That's it.]

[And it has nothing to do with Yeager?]

[...I am going to show Senpai that race doesn't matter. That he was wrong thinking I broke my promise. I can be a Wall to protect everyone, not just devils. He wasn't wrong to trust me. Even if he poisons me with Samael again, I'll be tough enough to endure even that! The Wall he hates so much will be the hero he never could be!]

[...So long as you are sure this is what you want, I'll be with you to the end, Partner.]

[Thank you, Partner.]

The pair lapsed into silence.

Issei tried to distract himself with everything he could so as not to think about the loss of his Senpais or what might have happened while he was gone.

Or what could be happening at this very moment.

Great Red was a good source of distraction, the titanic dragon seeming to have an inexhaustible source of tricks to perform in the void.

If anything, having an audience spurred it on further, and it occasionally used its power to add special effects to flips, dives, rolls, or maneuvers Issei didn't know the names of.

Ophis continued to (ineffectively) try and beat up Great Red, seeming to not tire of her failed attempts.

Eventually, something changed.

Great Red, mid-triple-axel, paused.

Then he took a sharp turn, flying in a seemingly random direction in the Dimensional Gap.

[What's going on?] Issei asked. There was no way to orient oneself in this place, so he didn't know if they were going somewhere specific.

[Great Red sensed something.] Ddraig said simply, unsure himself. [Said he knows where to send you back. People are calling out to you.]

[Really!?] Issei asked, excitement and fear warring in his heart. He hadn't been looking forward to popping up somewhere randomly on Earth or the Underworld and trying to find his way home. But if people needed saving, that meant they were in danger. [Where?]

"Lot of people are crying out for Oppai Dragon," Ophis said, pausing in her tiny barrage to look at the mound of Issei's still-growing body. "Issei is still growing. Needs more time."

[How long?]

"Mmmm. Half a cookie? Less?"

[Eat or cook?]

"Cook. Seventeen cookies if eating.]

It took Issei a second to translate that into non-Ophis units of time.

A bit over five minutes, then.

It took a little over one minute for Great Red to reach the destination, a part of the Gap that looked the same to Issei as every other.

The enormous dragon hovered in the air for a moment before the space in front of it seemed to ripple, and Issei could see what had attracted Great Red.

It was chaos.

White Titans were everywhere, attacking everyone. Issei recognized Sairaorg and his Peerage, Sona's Peerage, and even a few devils here and there.

They were all fighting with everything they had, trying to survive under an onslaught of the giants.

As Issei watched, a devil in some official-looking uniform was separated from the others and impaled on a pitchfork of white bone. Another Titan lashed out with an armoured fist, splattering the screaming devil in a shower of gore.

It wasn't hard to find his friends amidst the chaos. Most were orbiting around an amorphous blob of blood-red eyes and shadows.

Issei's relief at seeing them mostly intact was overwhelmed by his worry when he saw Titans being frozen in time by the creature's gaze.

That was Gasper! What had happened to the shut-in dhampir to turn him into... that?!

Rias and Akeno were simultaneously trying to dodge the random outbursts of Gasper's Gear while still trying to stem the seemingly inexhaustible tide of white Titans.

The others were also doing their best but were nowhere near their leaders in kill count.

And it was showing.

Already, dozens of Titans had scaled the city walls and entered it while the defenders fought for their lives. They rampaged, destroying buildings as they chased fleeing civilians.

Beyond the field of devils fighting was a battle that eclipsed any Issei had ever witnessed before.

An enormous Titan of muscle and bone battled with an equally large white armoured figure.

Issei recognized Vali's Balance Breaker Mail, though he had no idea how it had gotten so large. Similarly, he noticed the slightly smaller (in comparison only) Fenrir and Gogmagog doing their best to hinder Eren whenever they got the chance.

Issei looked at this battle of giants, comparable or equal to Great Red in size, and felt...

Helpless.

Angry.

So angry.

Was Eren fighting his friends and team just so he could kill all these people?

Every second that passed, Eren pushed Vali back further, drawing nearer to recreating the Rumbling.

What happened to not wanting to repeat mistakes?

Eren was going to commit genocide. Again.

Unless he was stopped.

[How long?] Issei asked, fury stoked in his chest.

[Another minute.] Ddraig answered instantly. Then paused as if listening to something. [Great Red said he'll help if you can wait till your body's done.]

[Really? That'd be great!] Eren had Ophis' power, and, as angry as he was, Issei was aware that he might not be able to help more than simply erect the Crimson World Wall to help stem the tide of smaller Titans. [Is it because of the Dream thing? He doesn't want a bunch of people who can dream to die?]

[...No,] Ddraig said, sounding exasperated. [Great Red doesn't really care if most people live or die. He's killed more people on accident than those that are here. It's just... He thinks the fight looks awesome. He doesn't want to be left out.]

Right. Powerful dragons just did whatever they felt like whenever they felt like.

It was a good reminder that Great Red wasn't his friend or ally, no matter how thankful Issei was to him.

Once again, Issei was reminded that for every dozen devils or dragons that was reasonable there was one that was a battle maniac like Vali or as vile as Diodora.

... Then again, humans like Freed existed too.

Or Eren.

The thought was enough to sober Issei up, and he watched, helpless to do anything, as his friends struggled to stay alive under the relentless attack of his Senpai.

Every second that passed, he saw the destruction Eren was bringing to the world.

A world Issei wanted to protect.

The loss of his Senpais. The sting of Eren's betrayal. The fear of death. The helplessness. The weight of his failure.

It piled up and up and up, swelling, growing, ready to be unleashed.

As a new arrival in the fight, an enormous black cat with seven tails launched itself at Eren's back, Issei received the message he had been waiting for.

[Brace yourself.]

The first second was increadibly disorienting as sensation, actual feeling, rushed back.

Issei was overwhelmed by the sound of his own heartbeat, the smell of the dragon, and the pressure of Great Red's flesh around him.

For a second, Issei experienced seeing things from the disembodied position while simultaneously perceiving the darkness of the... sack in which his new body was formed.

Then he was bursting free, the pouch opening to expel him into the chaotic swirl of colours of the Dimensional Gap.

Issei didn't even take a moment to luxuriate in the feeling of being alive again, didn't even notice his own nudity, or that Ophis had stopped hitting Great Red again to float away.

Issei didn't dare hesitate for even a second longer.

Already, he feared he was too late.

The pressure in his heart doubled and doubled every moment that passed as he looked out at the enormous form of the Founding Titan.

Boosted Gear appeared on his wrist.

Scale mail-clad his form.

And, when Issei felt a pressure, a foreign yet familiar presence, he let it seep into him.

Great Red was... Power. So much power.

It was easy to say he was made of Dreams and could do whatever he wanted, but feeling it seep into his soul was a humbling experience for Issei.

Issei should have exploded from being stuffed full of the Dragon of Dragon's might.

He didn't.

Great Red simply didn't allow him to. For all intents and purposes, Issei was a part of the enormous beast, both contained together in the shell of the Boosted Gear's Scail Mail.

Instead of popping like a particularly disgusting grape, like air being blown into a balloon, Great Red disappeared as Issei inflated.

Great Red was Issei Hyoudou, the wielder of the Boosted Gear and a hero the masses cried out to for salvation.

In that heartbeat of a moment, as his Scail Mail grew to match Vali's in size, Issei somewhat understood Eren.

This must be what he felt as he absorbed Ophis' power.

This heady feeling, this unending well of potential, could be used to shape the world however he wanted.

And Eren used that power, power gained from Ophis' torment and Issei's death, to destroy and terrorize.

Space tore.

A red gauntlet formed a fist.

The pressure in Issei's heart erupted with a yell.

[EEEEEERRRRRRREEEEEEENNNNN!]

And Issei punched Eren in the face.

********

Words... couldn't describe it.

Ever since Issei's death, there had been a weight in the air. An unspoken promise of death, doom, and destruction.

How could they stand up against Ophis' power? When faced with the power of the Infinite, what could they do but try and survive?

They were but tiny birds flying amidst a storm at sea, knowing they could die at any time yet still desperately searching for land. For a way to survive.

And that was only for those who knew of Eren's plan or Issei's death.

It must have seemed like a terrifying, confusing mess to everyone else.

The Satans were gone.

The army was gone.

Agreas and all its defenders were destroyed.

A giant so large as to tower over mountains stomping toward them as an army of white Titans tore through a refugee camp and its few remaining combatants.

Even if they did not know of Ophis' power, the devils of the Underworld could sense the despair, the fear, and the helplessness as they fled for their lives.

What initially hope there was, from the arrival of the White Dragon Emperor and his team to delay the monster, was fleeting as the situation continued to change, evolve, and deteriorate.

Every ray of hope seemed to appear only to die a cruel death.

Even the arrival of a new monster, the seven-tailed cat, seemed unable to put this nightmare to rest.

Devils were not known for being creatures of prayer, but they still hope. Wishes. Dreams.

They, like everyone else in the world, didn't want to die. Didn't want their friends and family to die. They wanted to keep living.

The single wish of all beings born, no matter race or creed, to be able to live.

Yet, it seemed like these giants, these Titans, had been created specifically to snuff out that wish.

It was the Underworld's darkest hour.

If there was ever a moment for a hero to appear, this was it.

And, like a miracle from a god they once fought against, one appeared.

Words could not describe what everyone felt as they saw the red armoured form deliver a clear blow to the Titan.

To many, the Red Dragon Emperor was a figure of legend, a being of almost unsurpassed power that was as much a part of mythology as it was a real figure of terror and awe.

Every few decades, there'd be a new story about one of the Heavenly Dragons destroying or killing something, a country, a prominent figure, or just taking control of an area. They were natural disasters more than people.

Until the most recent wielder of the Boosted Gear changed all that.

To the children of the Underworld, Oppai Dragon was a hero. Plain and simple. Many, seeing their hero arrive in the knick of time, cheered. Some clapped. A few started to sing the theme song they knew so well.

To those who knew him best, Issei Hyoudou's arrival wasn't just a joyous occasion.

It was a miracle.

Issei Hyoudou was dead.

His body rested in a protected room in the Hyoudou Residence.

His Evil Piece sat on a nightstand in the Gremory Estate.

He had died, betrayed, poisoned, and alone.

To see the Boosted Gear Scale Mail. To hear his voice. To realize that he was alive...

It was like there was happiness in the world again. Joy. Hope.

Smiles were the least of their reactions.

Tears of joy were also common.

Asia Argento openly wept as her Sacred Gear underwent a fundamental shift at seeing the man she loved again.

And, in the mind of one young woman, the pieces fell into place.

Why Eren could smile after killing his friend.

And how they could win.

Without Boosted Gear, Eren's power was on a time limit. One that would come into effect any second. If they could hold out just a bit longer, they'd beat Eren.

...He'd die, making them all heroes after having achieved his aim.

A recreation of how he had gone out in the last life...

As grief warred with pain and finally settled into resolution in Sona Sitri's heart, she quickly set up a plan to see them through this terrible storm and into tomorrow.

...Sona failed to take into account one crucial aspect.

One nobody could understand because they didn't know how the Path ended.

To Eren Yeager, everything that was happening now, this attack, terror, and destruction... It occurred before he ever arrived in Kuoh.

He had seen, experienced, and lived all this the moment he accessed the power of the Founder.

To everyone else, this was the present and the future.

To Eren, it was the past.

And that was where Sona's one flaw in her understanding, through no fault of her own, prevented her and everyone else from understanding Eren Yeager.

It was the same mistake Mikasa had made, the same error everyone who knew him was making.

It wasn't their fault. They simply didn't have all the pieces. Nobody did.

Without them, they could not realize a straightforward truth.

The Eren Yeager who had crushed his world flat, killing eighty percent of the population...

The Eren Yeager who awoke in another world with no explanation but a Path to follow, one so similar yet different to his first life...

The Eren Yeager who ran away from it all, who sought out an answer as to why he'd do the terrible things he did...

That Eren Yeager was not who they were dealing with.

The Eren Yeager who arrived at the bench differed from the Eren Yeager who left it.

And nobody yet knew the world he'd build.

But they would.

********

"Hahahahahaha," Rizevim Lucifer laughed and clapped as he watched the Red Dragon Emperor punch Eren Yeager in the face.

He could see the shock in people's faces, see how the battle seemed to pause with the sudden new arrival, and the realization set in as the Titan was sent flying, jaw wholly torn off from the strength of the blow.

Yeager's fall carved a canyon into the ground as he skidded to a stop.

Rizevim hoped it hurt.

The only way this could be better would be if he could see the disbelief on his disappointment of a grandson's face, but he'd have to settle for the body language that shone through the white armour.

It was easy to read.

Everyone had completely frozen at the suddenly resurrected Red Dragon Emperor, from the disappointment of a Lucifer to Eren's pet to the God Killer and the automaton. His enormous size helped.

They got over it quickly, joining the attack on the Titan.

Eren got to his feet as the Red Dragon Emperor bore down on him, every step a tremor. He raised a forearm to block a punch, his arm shimmering in a crystalline hue as the red gauntlet crashed into it with a cacophonous din and retaliated a punch of his own.

The White Dragon Emperor got to him first, ducking low, getting in close, and unleashing a flurry of blows on Eren's chest. Blue wings continued to vent power Vali couldn't absorb, but the punches themselves impacted with the force of meteors. Bone snapped. Muscles tore. Eren's rib cage dented.

Fenrir was there, tearing a chunk as big as a building from the Titan's thigh.

The cat Youkai was on Eren's feet, holding him down, with Kasha nailing his feet to the ground.

Hyoudou, with the openings provided, couldn't miss. Like Eren, he raised his forearm but deflected the blow to the side rather than block, letting his left hook crash into Eren's face once more.

The enormous skull shattered. Eyeballs pulped. Teeth rained like immense hail.

Rizevim continued to smile and laugh as he watched his 'partner' take the beating of a lifetime.

He could see how it would play out in their mind now.

The Red Dragon Emperor was not used to working with this team and only had passable fighting skills. He made up for it by being the strongest there, every second growing stronger.

His allies made up for his weaknesses.

Rizevim could say many negative things about his grandson, and he did, but there was no denying that Vali Lucifer was a genius on the battlefield.

It barely took him seconds to adapt to the Red Dragon Emperor's presence, changing his style to one that focused on exploiting weak points and openings instead of being the lead combatant. And every blow weakened Eren further.

His team followed suit, taking their leader's cues and shifting to a more supportive role to give the Red Dragon Emperor the openings he needed against a more experienced opponent.

Rizevim could almost imagine the hope growing in them as they fought, growing stronger as Eren weakened.

They weren't just holding out anymore.

They were winning.

Had the holy sword user still been here, they may have already carved the Titan free of his body.

Even without Arthur Pendragon, if this continued, then Eren would lose.

Rizevim could see that realization in everyone in Lilith, the hope, the excitement.

He allowed it to grow and allowed Eren to keep losing.

Every moment, Eren was pushed further and further away from the Underworld capital by the unified might of the two Heavenly Dragons.

For the first time in history, the Red Dragon Emperor and White Dragon Emperor fought together. And together, they undid all of Eren's progress, pushing him even further back than when he arrived with Agreas.

It was almost enough to bring a tear to the eye.

If nothing else, seeing the Titan like this was cathartic in the extreme.

And entertaining.

It was always important to take simple pleasures in life, or the ennui would kill you before any of your enemies could.

But, if Rizevim wanted his own goals to succeed, he couldn't allow Yeager to die.

Just yet, at least.

So, like Hyoudou, he'd appear just in time to save the day.

What was the term again?

Diabolus Ex Machina?

A perfect fit if Rizevim said so himself.

********

There are years where nothing happens and minutes where everything happens.

Undoubtedly, the last half hour was some of the most confusing, terrifying, and complex in the Underworld's history.

The situation had changed so much, so quickly, and so often that nobody was a hundred percent sure what was going on anymore. Enemies turned to allies. Success and failure vacillating every second.

Such was the nature of war.

It can change on a dime.

For better or worse.

It happened in the span of two seconds.

Most never even realized what went wrong.

One moment, the defenders of the Underworld were winning.

In a moment that would go down in history, the White Dragon Emperor and the Red Dragon Emperor had teamed up to defeat the attacking Titan.

The giant was on the ground, on his back, as most of his limbs were constrained by Kuroka, Fenrir, and Gogmagog, while Issei Hyoudou and Vali Lucifer did their best to destroy Eren's body faster than he could heal it.

The next moment, a devil appeared behind the pair.

In less than a second, he had flown from Vali's back to Issei's.

Perhaps, had Great Red enhanced the Boosted Gear instead of just increasing Issei's size, nothing would have happened when Rizevim touched him.

But, the world's first Super Devil's ability didn't care about the host, only the Sacred Gear.

Incredibly situational and even weak compared to Sirzechs' or Adjuka's abilities, Sacred Gear Canceller was the perfect counter for all who relied on God's system.

At that moment, when Rizevim touched both the White Dragon Emperor and the Red Dragon Emperor, their Sacred Gears reset.

Gargantuan armour disappeared as the Boosted Gear and Divine Dividing returned to the depths of their host's soul.

All the Boosts faded. All the Divides disappeared.

Their armours retracted, leaving two young men and a hundred-meter red dragon flying above the fallen Titan.

Rizevim Lucifer laughed as he watched hope turn to confusion, then despair, teleporting away.

He knew, as strong as he was, he wouldn't survive what came next if he stayed around.

But neither would they.

With all his power and size returned, Eren lunged for Great Red.

And he stopped holding back.

********

And so begins what I think of as 'secret part 5.' It's not a separate part, just the beginning of chapters to the last, which will all be controversial in one way or another. From here on out, these chapters will make or break On The Bench for some people. Some may hate it. Some may love it. Either way, I am committed to walking the Path to the end.

Before anything else, I would like to thank everyone for their well wishes and concern last week. It means a lot to me. I know exactly how frustrating it can be to wait for another release of a story I love, and your patience is deeply appreciated.

About this chapter: I'll be honest, from a 'writer' point of view, I would have preferred Issei to stay dead. Death needs to have stakes. One of my biggest complaints about comics is their lack of commitment to keeping the dead dead. It ruins the impact when you know the character will just come back later.

That being said, fanfiction has its problems on the subject. If I was doing an AU, it wouldn't matter so much, but I decided at the beginning that I would remain as committed to canon's rules as I could be, both AOTs and DxDs.

More than that, I couldn't think of a reason Eren would choose a future where Issei stayed dead. Not if I wanted to stay true to my understanding of his character. Eren can and will kill for the future he wants. But he would never let his friends die if he could find a way around it.

In his world, he couldn't find a way to save Sasha, no matter how much he looked, and still get the ending he wanted. In this one, where resurrections in various forms are common, he'd use every one of them, no matter how dubious, if it meant saving the people he cared about.

I have so much more I want to say, but I've already deleted six paragraphs of this AN because of spoilers, so I'll stop here. I hope the wait was worth it, and I will meet you all again on Sunday on the bench.
PS: A shoutout to OrangeMaster on Spacebattles for their Omake. I enjoyed it and hope they continue it if the desire takes them.

 

[ReadingDangerously]

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.}

********

The last chapter was about as controversial as expected. This is fine, and it won't be the last, but I want to clarify one point. Whether you like Issei's return or not, I want to make it clear that I didn't pull it out of my ass. That is canon.

At one point, Issei dies to Samael's poison, and Great Red, who is just passing by, goes, 'Ah. I like his show. I'm just gonna bring him back.' No lead-up, no deeper thought. I like to think I take canon and give it more logic and consistency without going against it.

More to the point, Eren can see timelines close to canon. Not canon, exactly. Changes due to the crossover snowball, so he'd never see the exact Highschool DxD timeline, but it would be damn close. Anyone who thinks Eren wants his friends to die for his goals is full-on ignorant of AOT. This is a man who chose a future where Reiner and Annie, two of the architects of his trauma, survive. Eren always chooses those he's close to over the masses.

Especially if their survival is needed for his plans.

About this chapter: A bit of a setup and a peek at how broken the DxD setting can be. We don't get to see Great Red fight much in canon, so I had to improvise a bit, taking what limited knowledge of his character and abilities I had. Essentially, I went: Power? Yes. The only reason Eren can even fight him is because Ophis' power prevents Great Red from simply wiping him from reality. Sort of like what Crom Cruach tried, only successfully.

We also see a tactic I previously mentioned, combining the Colossal's explosion and Cart Titan's multiple transformations. We know partial transformations still have after-effects like steam and expansion, though they are less than complete transformations. Eren makes up for that defect by creating a 'partial transformation' so massive that it makes his Founding Titan look small.

And that alone is enough to kill pretty much everyone around him.

A big theme of this fic is how much the little guys get fucked over by those in power. And there is always someone stronger, so you're constantly getting screwed. In a world where Great Red and Ophis exist, where the Top Ten can curb-stomp pretty much everyone not on that list, everyone is just trying to survive. The Underworld is being destroyed as simple collateral damage while the devils just try to hold on.

At the same time, the weak can 'beat' the strong either by stacking buffs like Eren or simply outlasting them. Ddraig and Albion were strong enough that all three factions had to gang up on them to take them down, but they still died in the end. The sheer variety in powers is one of DxD's best traits. Most of the time, it falls into the standard DBZ trope of power levels, but every once in a while, you get something that is not direct power that is the key to victory, like Asia's Gear.

Anyway, I've rambled on. Still on track to finish before the end of summer, so I will meet you all on Friday on the bench.

 

[ReadingDangerously]

She wasn't strong enough.

That thought tore its way through Mikasa Ackerman's mind as she carved through the spine of a Colossal Titan before it reached the Crimson Wall.

She hadn't been fast enough to escape the trap.

Mikasa wove in front of another Titan as Eren's fist impacted Great Red in the side. The shockwave sent many of the unprepared attackers stumbling in the air. Mikasa just kept up the attack without pausing.

She hadn't had the ability to escape Dimension Lost, spending who knew how long wandering in that deep mist.

A copy of Purgatorio sliced hamstrings as she dove low, causing a pile-up that she used to carve through four more spines.

And now, finally free of the Longinus, Mikasa laid eyes on Eren for the first time since falling asleep in his arms.

And knew she could not fight him.

Mikasa escaped the cluster of Colossal Titans, putting herself against the Crimson Wall to watch Eren fight again as she cooled off.

Seeing him like this, fighting the strongest being in the world toe to toe... It confronted her with the truth.

Eren was beyond her now.

It was a bitter realization, one that should have been obvious since she learned of his past in this world.

Unlike her, who had everything she needed and chose a peaceful life, who had decades of peace to dull her edge, Eren was fresh from the Rumbling when he arrived and had been trapped in his war the entire time.

Eren had been struggling, fighting, and improving himself since he realized what sort of world he was in.

He'd always been that way, always worked harder than everyone, always sought advice from anyone who could give it. Eren had always given his best effort to improve himself, even when those efforts failed him over and over again.

Eren was never satisfied until he had the strength to accomplish his goals.

Mikasa Ackerman was not like that.

She might not have been born strong, but she had been the strongest ever since she took up that small blade.

She'd dedicated herself to her friends and family, trying to use that strength to keep them safe. And she had trained, tried to improve herself, just like everyone else.

Still, it didn't change the fact that Mikasa Ackerman had been the first-place cadet in the 104th, beating out Titan Shifters, Warriors, and those who had put forth much greater effort than her just because she had been born an Ackerman.

She simply lacked the hunger Eren had.

Even at the end, when the Walls fell and Eren began the Rumbling, excepting the difficulties of reaching him, it had never been a lack of ability that stopped her from fighting Eren.

Merely a lack of willingness.

Now, despite having a willingness to fight Eren, to do it all again and kill her heart a second time, Mikasa Ackerman discovered, for the first time in her life, that she simply did not have the ability.

All her training, powerful weapons, and even the rudimentary grasp of Touki she had achieved wouldn't be able to scratch Eren as he was now.

Trying to interfere in that fight in any way would simply get her killed, accomplishing nothing.

It was bitter.

It was terrifying.

It was so... freeing.

The acrid taste of weakness. The helpless realization that she could only watch. The fact that all Mikasa could do was kill Titans, yet never be the one to end them permanently...

It was all overshadowed by the tide of relief she felt.

Even as she fought with all she had to stymie an unending tide to provide just a little relief for the boy who was now the only Wall protecting her loved ones, Mikasa was forced to confront a truth about herself that she had been burying since Eren had asked her as a simple question.

Mikasa did not want to do it all again.

She could. She would.

Because she had ceased living for Eren alone and now lived for so much more, Mikasa could once more kill her heart if that was what it took.

But Mikasa didn't want to.

Mikasa never wanted to kill Eren.

She never even wanted to fight him.

All of Mikasa's strength had only ever been meant to help those she cared about.

Now, she could do just that.

Every Titan she killed here directly helped those she was trying to defend. One less Colossal smashing down the Wall meant a few more seconds that Issei could hold out.

Seeing the boy alive was another relief Mikasa couldn't put into words.

Not only because she didn't want him to die and didn't want those children to feel the loss of a loved one, but because his survival meant Eren hadn't killed someone he called a friend. Hadn't put himself through that once more.

It meant Eren was trying to avoid repeating the same mistakes and heartaches of the past.

And so was Mikasa.

If nothing else, the proof that Lillith still existed meant he wasn't yet willing to repeat the genocide of the Rumbling.

Mikasa Ackerman barely understood what was happening. She had no idea of the implications, the cause and effect, or even what plans Eren had put in motion.

She didn't know if she'd still be required to be the one to stop Eren once the situation changed.

All Mikasa Ackerman knew was that, for the moment, she didn't have to fight Eren.

She was free of the final duty the man she loved had imposed on her.

********

He couldn't hold on.

"Is there-GAH-any-thing else ghrk-u can urgh!!!?" Issei cried desperately through the pain, his attention pulled in a thousand different directions by the Colossal Titans.

Those were the only words he could get out before he was overwhelmed.

Despite the Ultimate class devils doing their best, the Rumbling had reached the Crimson Wall.

Titanic fists battered against red scales.

Thousands of legs, each larger than most buildings, reared back in simple kicks that could destroy cities.

An omnipresent oppressive heat boiled against Issei's flesh which had become the only barrier between his friends and certain death.

"Can't. I, am weak." Ophis said simply.

She was on top of the impossibly vast Wall, watching Eren's fight with Great Red with unblinking eyes from beyond the atmosphere.

Whenever Eren hurt the Dream, Ophis would throw a tiny fist forward as if she were the one hitting him instead.

Every time Great Red hurt Eren, Ophis would pout as if the monstrous dragon was being unfair.

The entire situation would have been cute if Issei hadn't felt like he was dying.

And he had quite a bit of recent experience with dying to say with absolute certainty he wasn't exaggerating.

Not even the sight of the Female Titans trying to attack him could draw his attention from the simple fact that he was losing.

Ophis was already doing her best, feeding all the power she had left into him as she watched the fight.

Asia's Balance Breaker was also helping, healing him as best as she could.

And it wasn't enough.

Issei was stronger than he'd ever been, stronger than he could ever have hoped to be when he first developed this technique.

Yet he couldn't hold on.

There were just too many attackers.

Thousands of enormous blows rained down on him every second, each powered by Touki stronger than Sairaorg's had been and accompanied by a searing heat.

Issei was Boosting dozens of times a second, every moment multiplying his power to a point he'd never be able to achieve on his own, yet he was forced to expend those Boosts faster than he could pile them up.

The central premise of the Crimson World Wall was just a method to buy time to amass power to transfer it to someone who could deal with the situation, whatever it was.

Issei sacrificed his mobility, attacking power, and initiative for the peak efficiency at growing Ddraig's power. He released small bursts of that power, just enough to perfectly counter an attack, to save more power from trying to endure a full-power attack.

It was a game of efficiency.

So long as Issei accumulated more power than he spent, he could keep Boosting forever.

Wall Fall was just the point where his body couldn't handle any more power, and he had to transfer to someone else.

And he was spending more than he gained.

Issei was battered, bruised, and bleeding within his Wall. Every wound Asia healed was replaced with two more.

Every second, he endured more blows, his body taking the damage as he mitigated them as best as possible. He healed from Asia's gear, keeping him in the fight for longer, only to take more damage.

Issei's head hurt.

His body hurt.

A thousand enormous red gauntlets clashed with a thousand and one white fists.

A dozen more emerged to block the accidental attacks from the devils.

Grafiya's glaciers were shattered before they could crash into the Wall, even as they destroyed a dozen Colossal Titans.

Diehauser Belial used the Wall as a springboard, launching himself at a new target, and Issei had to counter the force of that jump.

Surtr II's flames joined the blasts of steam searing his flesh, and Issei had to pad that part of the Wall lest it be consumed by the giant's fire.

Their attacks were large but occasional water splashes, intermittent compared to the unending downpour of the Titans' fury.

Even tiny drops can carve through rock given enough time, let alone this storm of violence.

Still, the stone could endure the rain.

If not for the thunder and lightning.

The intermittent splash of attacks from the devils and the steady beat of the Titans' fists were accompanied by the swell of a tsunami, relentlessly battering Issei's Wall with the force of Eren's battle with Great Red.

The shock wave of the fist on the Dream's scales that pounded against his body.

The jagged shard of that psychedelic material carved into Issei's side after passing through the flesh of Titan and devil alike.

The tornado of magic, a whirlwind of power and broken space that drove devils to flee as it butchered hundreds of Colossal Titans before stopping against Issei's Wall, grinding into him as it raged.

Issei could last against the Ultimate devils for days.

Issei could endure the battering of the Rumbling for hours.

Issei could weather the intermittent aftereffects of Eren's fight for several minutes.

Against any of them alone, his enhanced Boosting rate would more than compensate for losing power from defending, allowing him to reach his peak and achieve Wall Fall.

Against all three?

All of it, the storm, the rain, the swell battered at the rock that was Issei Hyoudou, threatening to shatter him and pull him under.

And he was desperately fighting to stay whole.

To endure even as he cracked and weakened.

Issei was not a Rook anymore.

His new body, made from Great Red's flesh, might be much greater than a human's and even a devil's, but it lacked the specialization in defence he was so used to.

The pain was only bearable because the soul-rending agony of Samael's poison was fresh in his memory.

Issei floated in a hazy consciousness of blood, pain, and violence.

Ddraig's power worked best by compounding. One Boost to someone stronger was worth a hundred Boosts to someone weak.

So what happened when there was practically nothing left to Boost?

If a Boost turned forty thousand into eighty thousand, it also only turned one into two.

With all his Crimson Wall, Ophis, and Asia's help, Issei could Boost a handful of times a second.

And it didn't matter when all it did was turn one into two thousand. Not when Issei received over that number in kicks in that one second.

Not even the relief of Dawn's Affection could stir Issei from the fugue he fell into.

One more minute.

One more second.

He just needed to hold on for a little longer.

Just a little longer.

...Issei Hyoudou fervently wished the battle would end. That this day, which began with him crashing through his kitchen window, would end.

That he could drop his Wall, return home with his girlfriends, and spend the next century or two not fearing for his life.

He wanted to rest. To sleep. To do ecchi things with women he loved.

But he couldn't.

He needed to hold on.

Issei felt the dip in power every second.

The initial burst he had gained, the well he had dug before the Rumbling reached him, was starting to run out.

If that happened, the Titans would breach his Wall.

He would die.

His friends would die.

He'd fail.

Again.

A third failure could not be allowed. Not under any circumstances.

Not when the second had cost his Senpais' souls.

So Issei held on.

As best as he could, Issei held on.

Even as his power waned, as darkness crept at the side of his eyes, he stopped being able to counterattack.

Drop by drop, Issei's well had run dry.

Yet he held.

One more second.

One more second.

One more.

One more.

One.

More.

Second.

... Issei couldn't see anything.

Once more, he had returned to that state of nothingness.

Only he felt everything.

All the pain.

...He wanted it to end.

He wanted to go back to school.

He wanted to return to those halcyon days of laughter, perversity, and ignorance.

Where his greatest worry was if Asia would like the next date he planned or what sort of play Xenovia decided was normal to talk about in the middle of class.

Where Senpai was just an otherworldly source of wisdom.

Where friends could laugh on a beach surrounding a bonfire and look out to where the sea met the sky.

Issei Hyoudou wanted to be happy.

...

...To regain that happiness, he needed to endure.

...To reach that beach, he could hold on.

...For that smile, he would live.

And, in the darkness of pain, with only the hazy memories of smiles and laughter to push him forward, Issei Hyoudou endured the violence of a cruel world.

The storm crashed against the Wall...

And broke first.

That empty well's final few drops of power started to swell again.

********

Akeno Himejima wasn't thinking.

She had entered a state of pure reaction, of movement without thought.

There was just the lightning.

Holy lighting's thunderous crash was like music, a beat she could lose herself in.

Black feathered wings carried her along the inside of Crimson World Wall, the golden thunder spears of her power raining down on the white Titans.

There was no sadistic joy in the act. The Titans could not feel pain.

It was just... just fear. And confusion.

A disorienting blur of violence where one moment blended into another yet still was perfectly remembered.

Like someone was taking millions of snapshots and then collating them together in a stuttering slideshow to the beat of thunder and lightning.

A flash of lightning illuminating the sky as she and Rias annihilated a rain of arrows and spears.

A roll of thunder shaking the ground in front of Gasper, directing the mass of eyes and darkness away from the Wall and toward a squad of Armoured Titans.

A waft of burnt flesh rising to her nostrils as she slightly misfired her Holy Lightning in her hurry to destroy two Jaw Titans inches from carving a chunk from Issei's fortification. Asia's healing already at work, erasing the burn on Akeno's arms.

A hiss of steam as she electrified Sona's water, sending an Attack Titan into a spasm.

Little moments that shone with perfect clarity in her memory, yet Akeno had no idea how they happened.

And through it all, the Colossal Titans loomed mere meters from her.

Those within the Crimson World Wall could see out of it, see the thousands of Titans like a white wall beyond their Crimson defence.

They could watch as enormous fists and feet battered against Issei's defence with enough strength to destroy cities.

This close to them, Akeno had to look practically straight up if she wished to see their heads and the battle the Ultimate class devils fighting up there.

If she genuinely paid attention, every few seconds, the tide of Colossal Titans would have an opening.

A window to the battle beyond, where Eren fought Great Red.

Akeno saw none of it.

The Colossal Titans were terrifying. This close and looming they were a stark reminder of the fear she felt when first seeing Eren and felt the sheer helplessness of a bug in the face of a human.

Yet she noted them only as a background. A dangerous one, certainly. Something that would absolutely kill her if they could.

It was like being in an underwater aquarium.

You knew you were inches from enough water to drown you and whales that could kill you by accident, yet you weren't scared because you knew the glass would not break.

Akeno was afraid of the giants on a visceral level that she never thought she could feel.

But she was not scared of them reaching her because Issei wouldn't fail.

It was a baseless, senseless, foundation-less confidence in the boy she had seen grow from a helpless teenager into a young man.

One she had traumatized and hurt yet had never sought revenge on her.

One who had died and miraculously returned.

One who had all the power in the world yet dedicated it to protecting others.

These enormous Titans scared Akeno, but she was certain Issei would hold on.

What truly scared Akeno, what numbed her to all but the thunderous crash of lightning, was the fear of failing to protect someone again.

One attack.

One stab in Issei's back.

One failure that might as well have been a betrayal to the Red Dragon Emperor.

That was all it would take to see this Wall fail, for Akeno to once more watch someone she cared about die before her eyes.

More than one person.

Everyone would die.

Unless her Holy Lightning could help save them.

Rias. Yuuto. Sairaorg. Team Vali. Saji.

These were the backbone of the defence of the Crimson World Wall. Those who could kill Titans quickly and reliably when they drew close to Issei.

A final defence for the Wall that kept them all from the Titans.

And Akeno was one of them only because her Holy Lightning was stronger, more potent, than regular spells. The vast area coverage, the destructive power and its ability to maneuver an attack at the right angle to target the nape.

Akeno knew she wasn't the only one protecting Issei's vulnerability.

Knew that if a Ttitan managed to get through everyone, it wouldn't be solely her fault for missing it.

Yet the thought of being responsible for even one more death of someone she cared about was enough to drown out all other fears she held. That terror drove her to act, to fight.

So she lost herself in the clash of Holy Lightning, in the roll of her power as it tore through Touki and flesh.

It was the only constant in this ever-changing battlefield.

That's why it took her so long to notice.

Akeno was no longer the sole musician playing to the beat of Holy Lighting anymore.

It only struck Akeno as she fried one of the few flying Titans, a hawk-like thing that was small for a Titan but had been close to plowing into an upper part of the Crimson Wall.

Her hands unleashed a tide of lightning, a curtain blocking off the white creature from clawing into Issei. It still tried to plow through, but the power discharge sent its body into a spasm that halted it.

It gave her time to ascend, gaining a bit of height on the... Beast Titan? Jaw Titan? It could be either.

But it didn't matter because Akeno was above it, and a piercing bolt crashed into it from above, right where its skull met its neck.

She couldn't sever the spine, but enough firepower was enough to destroy it, even Touki reinforced as it was.

From her momentary vantage point over the battlefield and without another enemy in the sky, Akeno had a moment of clarity that had been lacking amidst the confusion and hast of the battle on the ground.

She could see it. The white tide of Titans on both sides of the Wall crashed into the crimson line that separated them.

On one side, the battle was below her.

Dozens of individual pieces moving, overlapping, shuffling and scrambling to either reach the Wall or destroy those trying to do so.

On the other, the battle was above her.

Hundreds, thousands of enormous beings that she had to strain to see the tops of and the... insects that flew around them, bringing the giants down.

And Akeno could see the way the battle had been shifting.

It was the colours that gave it away.

The radiant crimson glow of the Wall had dimmed, even with the flicker of purple that permeated it.

It had been washed out by the tide of white, bleached to the point where every second, that beautiful shade of red threatened to vanish under the tide.

They... were losing.

Issei was flickering, weakening.

As Akeno watched, dozens of Colossal Titans were killed by the Ultimate Class devils, yet hundreds more landed blows to tear down the Wall.

Akeno grit her teeth, her wings flexing as she dove.

Even if they lost, it would only be after holding on as long as possible.

That's when she heard it.

Thunder.

She almost didn't realize what it meant.

Akeno wasn't the only person to use that element on this battlefield, even if hers was better than most.

Nor had Eren ceased summoning the occasional Titan within the Wall to supplement those lost. It was less often than before, as he was also supplementing the Colossal Titans outside, but it was still pretty frequent.

So Akeno almost paid it no mind.

Then the flash.

White bolts of electricity with the golden glow of Light.

Feathered wings froze in the air mid-dive as Akeno watched five Colossal Titans fall amidst bolts of Holy Lightning larger than anything she had ever conjured.

He... couldn't see her. They could see out of the Wall, but those outside could not see in.

He didn't know she was there.

But Akeno knew Baraqiel was here.

She could see him up there amidst the clouds, the lightning, and the Light.

The black feathered wings. The mechanical limbs replacing those lost in the battle against Loki.

It was him.

He was here.

More than the army of wounded yet still fighting fallen angels that accompanied him and Azazel.

More than the radiance of the Heavenly Host led by Michael descending on the Colossal Titans like the hammer of a dead God.

More than the Crimson Wall starting to glow with a red light once more.

Baraquiel, her father, was here.

That was how Akeno knew they'd win. They'd live.

It was not the reinforcements that quieted Akeno's fear.

It was the familiar beat of the music of Holy Lighting.

And, even if she still hadn't forgiven herself and had a long, winding path to go, Akeno took one more small step forward.

For the first time in her life, Akeno forgave her father.

The battle was not done yet, so they both continued to fight.

Yet the fear in both their hearts was lessened.

Only one part of that small, broken family could see the other, but both were comforted by the sound of Holy Lightning resounding from the other side of the Crimson World Wall.

********

In the long run, and in the chaos that came before and after, the meeting didn't matter.

It lasted a few moments and had no impact on the world or the battle, and Rias never mentioned it to anyone because there was no need to.

Amidst the battle, less than a minute after the arrival of the angels, and as hope was swelling in her breast, Rias had an insignificant chance encounter.

"Have you seen my sister?!" Riser Phenex asked, eyes scanning the battlefield in a hurry.

Rias barely took a moment to look at the man who had been a figure of her nightmare for years.

The destruction of Agreas and attack on Lillith had only begun less than half an hour ago, despite its twists and turns.

It would make sense that the Underworld would send what they could to help. Sona had probably put out the call as soon as possible. They had been flowing into the battlefield in fits and starts, unable to really change the tide, but now it was becoming apparent.

Those not strong enough to have been on Agreas or fighting the Rumbling, yet still influential figures in their own right, would be flocking to help if they had any sense.

The initial killing field, the area Eren had first attacked where the refugees had arrived, was pincered between Lillith and Issei and still saw the bulk of the fighting on this side.

But the Crimson World Wall stretched for a long distance, and the reinforcements spread along it as a few of the Titans tried to flank the devils.

Rias even thought she had seen her mother and father outside the Wall, helping with the Colossal Titans, though she couldn't be sure as the urgency of battle claimed her attention again.

Riser Phenex was only one of the new arrivals as they steadily trickled in in fits and starts. He and his Peerage would be helpful, if only as more bodies to take up the Titans' attention off Issei.

Looking at the man now, Rias was amazed to realize she felt... nothing.

Riser had never been the reason she'd been so unhappy. Just a target that was easy to understand and hate. Rias still didn't like him, but she didn't hate him either.

He had just been an obstacle to her dream of living as she wished.

In the confusion of the last few hours, the terror of Issei's disappearance, the grief at his death, the terror of the battle, the horrified realization at what Sona had done, and sheer, rapturous joy at seeing Issei alive, on top of the confusing mix of anger, guilt, love, hatred, awe, and fear that the sight of Eren brought her...

Riser Phenex just... didn't matter.

Rias Gremory had moved past him.

Rias' freedom, her way of life, her dream, had a different enemy.

So she didn't mind helping a concerned brother looking for his little sister on a chaotic battlefield like this.

"Check near Irina," Rias nodded toward the sole angel fighting within the Wall. "I saw them together not too long ago."

"Thanks!" Riser said, paying her no more mind as he shot off toward the angel.

Rias' last conscious thought of Riser that day was a bit of wry amusement at how he flinched whenever Akeno unleashed her Holy Lightning.

Then, it was back into the fray, defending Issei from Eren's relentless attacks, fighting to survive.

...And trying to ignore thoughts of what tomorrow would bring if they did survive.

Because Rias couldn't... the world couldn't return to how it was after this.

Amidst the ongoing fighting, Rias felt something change in those few minutes after she exchanged words with her ex-fiance.

Something she couldn't put her finger on, not directly, yet still niggled at the back of her mind as she tore through Titan after Titan, staying around her Peerage as best she could while also covering Issei's back.

It was Koneko who caught on as Rias swopped down to finish off the Sheep Titan the Rook had in hold.

"...Getting brighter," the Nekoshou said as the Titan in her grasp dissolved.

Rias took a second to process what her laconic Rook meant.

That's when it clicked.

Since Eren's battle with Great Red had destroyed the sun, they'd been fighting in the twilight of the Underworld.

More than enough light for devils to see by, but still not anything that one would call bright.

It also heightened the confusion on the battlefield, with the bright lights of fire, lightning, Light and other magics shining all the more for the contrast.

But now, the entire area was as bright as a sunrise, and Rias didn't take long to realize the cause.

The Crimson World Wall was shining, every second glowing brighter and brighter hue of red.

The Boosted Gear took one second to turn one into two. But turning a trillion into two trillion also only took one second.

And, with the reprieve of two new armies killing Colossal Titans faster than Eren could spawn them, ones with more precise forms of attack on top of that, Issei found himself able to defend against the aftershocks of Eren's battle with the power no longer spent on thousands of enormous fists.

The Colossal Titans were still there, attacking him, but they were not the overwhelming tide they once were. Eren was not producing them as fast as they were being destroyed anymore.

And once Issei stopped losing power every moment, he could start building a reserve.

And that snowballed.

The glow had been subtle at first, a ramp up from nothing, but once it reached a certain point, the exponential nature of Ddraig's power took over, and it went from a bright glow to an incandescent light in seconds.

Rias realized what was going to happen before she heard the words.

[Wall Fall]

For a brief moment, Rias wondered who Issei would give the power to. Issei's transferred boosts didn't put any strain on the receivers, so it could be literally anyone.

Yuuto again? Or maybe someone like Grafia... no, they had to be inside the Wall. Sona perhaps? She'd know what was the best play. Or Sairaorg, to stack buffs on their strongest fighter?

At that moment, Rias tried to think of who would be the best recipient. Whoever it was, they would have to do something to make up for the loss of the Wall separating the Colossal Titans from everyone else.

Then Rias felt it.

Power.

More power than she could have ever dreamed.

More power than her brother held.

More than Ddraig had in his life.

Rias didn't know it, but this was the power of the Red Dragon Emperor if his body was made from the flesh of the Dream and bolstered by a fragment of the Infinite.

Issei, with Ophis' help, would have reached Wall Fall much sooner if his new peak wasn't so high. What he'd lost in defensive ability from no longer being a Rook was more than made up for in capacity for growth.

And he'd transferred all that power to Rias Gremory.

For a moment, Rias just... hung there, in the air, unsure.

Eyes were on her. So many eyes.

Not the Titans'.

The loss of the Crimson World Wall had ceased the smaller Titans' frantic charge, and they immediately returned to attacking everyone around them.

The Colossal Titans began to step forward, enormous feet ready to crush and burn all in their path. The heat was already starting to rise.

And right in front of them, right where the Wall once stood, a young man with brown hair grinned up at her from his prone position on the ground while Asia's hands glowed green and gold against his chest.

He was already chanting.

Rias grinned back, joy, pride, and triumph swelling into a crescendo in her soul.

Issei Hyoudou and Asia Argento were made for each other, and Rias decided right then and there. An OTP, if there ever was one.

Together, they had turned a one-time-use technique already strong enough to be the backbone of an entire faction into something repeatable.

Something fantastical.

Issei reaches his limit, passes power to whoever needs it, and passes out. Asia then heals him, and he sets up his Wall again, as the first person with power battles any attackers.

Together, those two could make as many temporary Red Dragon Emperors as they wanted!

Rias Gremory reafirmed that she had the best Peerage as billions of tiny black stars filled the sky with her laughter.

She stretched the control she'd been practicing for the last year, using every ounce of it she had to turn this enormous well of power she had been gifted into those few seconds Issei needed to restore his Wall.

Angel. Fallen. Devil.

They all froze in place as the air was saturated with the Power of Destruction like tiny water droplets.

Rias' grin was wild and free as she let her power flow.

It was a good thing she had such large targets, wasn't it?

She would not miss.

Black rain fell.

And so did the Titans.

Every.

Single.

One.

It was like... an old movie, one without colour or sound. Grainy was perhaps the best way to put it.

Black tears in reality carving lines in the world.

Those effervescent black dots, small bundles of Destruction, carved scars from above and below, right and left, in front and behind.

Enormous white humanoids were suddenly filled with a flickering darkness before they just... ceased.

That wasn't the end of the battle, of course.

For one, Rias only summoned her Black Rain within her eyesight for fear of hitting allies she couldn't see. It was enough to obliterate the army of white Titans, but it was not complete.

For another, the source of the Titans was still present.

No sooner had Rias destroyed the Titans than the lighting beat heralded more of Eren's army.

Rias destroyed those, too.

For a few seconds, it was a race as the King did her best to buy just a little more time. A few seconds for her people, her friends, to breathe and rest.

Then Issei finished his chant.

The Crimson World Wall rose to separate Eren from his would-be victims for the second time.

And Rias...

She didn't know why she did what she did...

No. That would be an excuse.

Rias knew why she did what she did.

It was the fear and stress.

It was petty vengeance for everything Eren had put her and her family through.

It was for the still unprocessed grief of Issei's death.

It was a simple high of power, of joy, and of feeling like she finally had some control over her life.

It was because Rias Gremory still felt like Eren Yeager had stolen something precious from her.

And she wanted to take it back.

Rias made a choice to seize back the freedom to decide how she'd live her life.

All of those reasons were true. There were definitely more.

Reasons. Justifications.

They didn't matter in the end.

What mattered were actions.

What mattered was the coalesced ball of destruction, formed far beyond what Rias' normal range would be, that launched at Eren as he fought with Great Red.

That ball, a tiny black dot on the horizon, left her right before the Wall rose again.

Containing as much power as Rias could pack, it flew toward its target.

There was very little hope of hitting Eren at this range, even at the speeds it was going.

It might hit Great Red instead. Or even pass by harmlessly.

Rias took the attack not because she thought it would win the battle but because she needed to do it. For herself, more than anything else.

All this time, Rias had been reacting, the passive victim, while Eren, the Chaos Brigade, and even Sona dictated her future and that of her family.

Rias needed to seize something of her own will.

A meaningless gesture of defiance that only served to make Rias feel better, even if it accomplished nothing of value.

It didn't.

That tiny black dot flew straight and true, searing across the horizon through debris and torn space.

The battle between dragon and Titan moved, rose and fell in the air, yet that tiny bundle of destruction continued to advance.

Eren grasped Great Red by its neck with one hand, the other raising a thin white blade shaped like his sword.

The world would never know whether it would have been enough to sever the Dream's neck.

A tiny black dot slammed into the back of Eren's hand.

Even with all the power Rias could give it, the attack barely damaged Eren as he was now.

It just blew a few fingers off his hand that were quickly healed, and the dropped blade dissolved.

It seemed to startle Eren, though.

Almost by instinct, the Titan turned to look at the direction of the attack.

Even from this distance, Rias saw green eyes searching, roving the battlefield for his enemy.

But Eren couldn't see her from beyond the Wall.

Rias realized what she had done before it happened.

Saw it the coiling of Great Red's neck.

Understood it in Eren's moment of inattention.

Dreaded it as the Dream twisted its draconic maw to bite into an exposed weakness.

Great Red bit into the back of Eren's neck, tearing the spine from his body in a bloody chunk and swallowing it with a meaty gulp.

Eren's body fell, and the world shook with its collapse.

Great Red roared.

Rias closed her eyes.

Devils, fallen, and angels all began to cheer.

Rias shook with grief yet did not cry.

She had decided to live with whatever the consequences were when she chose this path.

Rias never wanted Eren dead. Never forgot that he still owed her an answer.

Never forgot that Eren was every part of her dream as any of her Peerage.

Yet the path of freedom is paved in corpses.

Determination warred with a sense of loss as devils, fallen, and angels all began to cheer.

"DON'T!!!"

The voice was loud but not loud enough to be heard over the cheering and across the vast battlefield.

"THE TITANS!!!"

A few people heard the words of the woman with the red scarf.

"THEY'RE STILL HERE!!"

Some even prepared to continue the battle with the white giants without her warning, not understanding the implications of their continued presence.

"HE'S NOT DEAD!!"

Only a few people heard her.

But everyone saw the titanic left arm burst from Great Red's roaring maw.

An enormous shower of blood, bone, scales and fangs rained down on the psychedelic ground.

Great Red's body began to bulge and contort as if ready to explode any second.

Those with better eyesight noticed no light in the Dream's massive eyes.

Just the vacant void of an empty body.

Another white arm burst from Great Red's shoulder, where long serpentine neck met bone, showering the area with more gore and red scales with its eruption.

A Titan's hand grasped the opening and rent as if to pull itself free from the corpse.

And that was when a devil appeared with a laugh on that titanic hand.

********

It's always been a point of fascination for me how difficult yet easy Titans are to kill. So long as the correct part of the spine is severed, they drop dead, even if every other part of their body is perfectly intact. On the other hand, if that one-meter-long, ten-centimeter-wide part of their body remains intact, they will regenerate from literally anything, given enough time and sunlight.

Take Rod Reiss, for example. His Titan was absolutely huge, bigger than even a Colossal Titan. Half his body was just gone for the entire time he crawled toward the wall. Then, he had his head and neck exploded by barrels of gunpowder. Yet, he still would have lived and regenerated if Historia hadn't cut the chunk that contained that part of his spine. Whether you believe she knew where to cut because of luck, remnants of her bloodline, or Future Eren pointing her in the right direction, it is still amazing what sort of damage he would have caused if he had regenerated behind enemy lines.

About this chapter: It's a culmination of a lot of threads. I could have made each of these four parts their own chapters, but it would be wrong to draw them out for pacing reasons and because most of the work on these characters was done before this chapter. I don't think any of this is a surprise, but I wanted them to have a sort of closure.

This isn't the end of the story just yet, and we still have a few more twists and turns on our Path before it concludes, so I will see you all on Sunday on the bench.
PS: Big shoutout to Orangemaster, who wrote a follow-up to their previous Omake, and Netra for their own, now semi-canon, Omake. Both are readable on Spacebattles under the Apocrypha tab, but I would like to publish them on the other websites I post to, with their permission, when OTB is done.

 

[ReadingDangerously]

Cao Cao stared into his drink, paying no attention to the noise behind him.

His comrades were never quiet, except for Georg, of course, and their new... boss had stirred them up.

Deliberately, Cao Cao could see that now.

He'd provoked them by showing up with a descendent of Lucifer, a holy sword wielder, a witch, Kuroka the Black Cat, and a yokai. A more provocative group Cao Cao couldn't imagine.

Then Eren went and declared himself their new leader and essentially challenged the Hero Faction by himself.

Said Hero Faction was now busy pestering his team of devils and Yokai about what on earth had just happened.

The one with the most information was the three-tailed nekomata, the infamous Kuroka, but she was deliberately coy.

Jeanne was having more success with the small witch, but her brother was hovering around her protectively.

Cao Cao would get any actual pertinent information from Georg or Sieg later.

Right now, he faced a choice.

Should he go along with this... Eren Yeager or pretend to do so while undermining him and searching for a weakness.

Yeager was human but surrounded himself with monsters. Yokai and devils.

He was strong, but how much was... debatable.

If Cao Cao believed the absurd claim that Eren could see the future, he could be a game changer. Just what his budding faction needed to really achieve their goals.

But if he believed that, Cao Cao would have to accept the young teen's words.

Cao Cao couldn't move, trapped in the grasp of the enormous being.

His spear, the True Longinus, was stabbed into its eye, yet it didn't have any effect it would usually have on devils or other inhuman beings.

Around the created battlefield, his comrades lay just as defeated as himself.

Herc was trapped in a sphere of white material, continuous explosions ringing out fruitlessly.

Jeanne was trapped in this giant's other hand, her sword trying to carve through its giant fingers without success.

Sieg was suspended in the air, every one of his eight limbs held in place by more of that white material like a spider trapped in a web.

Only Georg hadn't participated in this battle, though he was the one keeping this battlefield around.

And, right in front of Cao Cao, the giant lowered its head, exposing the back of its neck to the reincarnated hero.

There was a release of steam, and the boy emerged, tendrils of flesh still connecting him to the monster that had crushed the budding Hero Faction.

Eren Yeager reached out a hand, and another white tendril dropped the True Longinus into it.

"I've proved my point." That empty, dead voice. As if nothing he had done truly mattered. As if he had no life. "If I wanted you all dead, I'd kill you now."

Cao Cao's eyes were on his Sacred Gear.

It had no reaction to being held by the boy, his enemy.

Eren twirled the ornate spear casually as if he wasn't holding the strongest Sacred Gear.

Then he grasped it right under its tip and held out its shaft to Cao Cao.

"In every future, without my intervention, you fail to achieve anything significant," Eren said simply, holding out the spear and ignoring the blood dripping from his hand that steamed as it met the air. "You cause an incident. You attack someone important. You sometimes kill them. But that is it. A footnote in history. You aren't remembered as heroes. In most timelines, the Hero Faction is not remembered at all."

Cao Cao grasped the handle.

"With me," Eren said, empty silver eyes boring into Cao Cao's. "Every devil, angel, monster, or mage will remember you. You will carve your name into history. Humanity will know the Hero Faction as-"

"When I was a boy, I wanted to be a hero."

Cao Cao's thoughts were interrupted by their subject.

Eren wandered over casually, empty grey eyes staring out over the horizon.

"You are a boy," Cao Cao responded blandly.

"In my last life. In my last world." Eren stepped up beside Cao Cao, leaning against the railing that came up to his shoulders. "Humanity was beset by monsters. I wanted to kill them all. I did kill them all."

"Yet you are with monsters now."

"What I realized," Eren continued as if uninterrupted. "Is that humanity are the monsters. If I wanted to kill all of them, I'd need to kill every human. This world might have other races, but that has not changed. There is no such thing as a hero, just a well-known killer. People give 'heroes' on their side glory and 'heroes' on the other are monsters. Murderers."

"Humanity needs heroes," Cao Cao disagreed. "We need examples. We need ideals. We need people to point to and say, 'They did that! I can, too!' That's what it means to be a hero."

"Humanity needs nothing," Eren shook his head. "People do not unite behind heroes. People do not unite to fight monsters. A common enemy does not make a common cause. Humanity could face its doom, and they'd still tear each other to pieces. Still pull their comrades down just so they won't die alone. I saw it in my old world. I saw it in this one. Nothing has changed, and nothing will change, whether they have heroes or not."

"If that is what you believe, why are you here? The Hero Faction was created to fight for humanity," Cao Cao glared down at the boy. "To kill monsters. To prove that we won't be pieces in their games."

"I have seen every horror you can imagine," Eren said in that empty voice. "Theft. Betrayal. Rape. Murder. Genocide. By humans and against humans. I have been the victim and aggressor. I've killed more people, more of humanity than any monster you can name. And I did it all while being human myself."

Eren turned and looked at Cao Cao, his empty voice ringing out hollowly.

"I have seen countless ways this world can end. Some by gods. Devils. Things you can't imagine. Or by humans themselves. It doesn't matter what does it in the end," Eren shook his head. "In every one, humanity plays a role in its own doom."

For the first time, looking into those empty eyes, Cao Cao believed the boy could see the future.

That he had lived countless lifetimes in futures that would never be.

"Being a hero for humanity means being a hero for monsters. For devils. For gods. Because they exist here. They will be inspired by you, just as every human," Eren said bluntly. "Forget humanity. It is a meaningless concept. Just focus on being a hero."

"I won't forget it," Cao Cao rejected. "And you didn't tell me why you're here. You can see the future. You should know that is not something I will agree to do."

"You will agree. I am here because I need the Hero Faction, and you need me," Eren met Cao Cao's glare with the eyes of a man looking at a corpse. "You will do what I say when I say it. You will kill who I tell you to. You will die when I tell you to. You will work alongside the monsters you hate so much. You will even save some of them."

"And in return?" Cao Cao demanded. "What can you offer me that is worth selling my soul?"

"I will accomplish your goal. I will ensure this world knows how strong a 'human' can be. Never again will they underestimate our potential. I will turn you from a victim of this cruel world into the aggressor that shapes it, a 'hero.' Every wielder of the True Longinus after you will know 'Cao Cao, the human who killed a god.'"

"A human killing a god?" Cao Cao tasted the words on his lips, hiding the rampant desire in his heart.

He wanted that.

He wanted that so much.

But...

"You are asking us to die for you. I will not sacrifice my comrades for that. I can... We can kill a god without your help."

"No. You can't. No Longinus, not even the first and strongest, has ever killed a god." Eren's empty eyes pinned the older man in place. "You won't just kill a god. With me, you'll kill one of the Top Ten."

Cao Cao's rampant heart froze.

That... that was more than he ever dreamed of being possible in his life.

"I cannot force anyone to follow me except with the threat of violence," Eren continued as if he hadn't just uttered something positively absurd. "But you will anyway. Some people just can't stop themselves from moving forward, from fighting. I'll ask a simple question instead of trying to convince you anymore. How do you want to die?"

When Cao Cao set out to create this gathering of heroes, he knew that he was setting himself up for death. A hero gave everything they had for their dream.

If they were still alive, they still had more to give.

Heroes never live long, happy lives.

Cao Cao looked back toward the horizon.

And made a decision.

"I want to see the peak. I want to die having witnessed humanity's greatest potential. I want to die a hero who will inspire others to chase that peak."

"There is no peak," Eren said simply. "Just another horizon, another mountain. Another wall to tear down or another ocean to cross. That's the bitter truth of the world, of all worlds. There will always be more enemies. You will never be free of them."

It would have been easy for the boy to lie and claim getting Cao Cao in a position to kill one of the Top Ten was the farthest humanity could go. Already, that was well beyond what anyone else in the world thought a human was capable of.

But he didn't.

Eren Yeager simply showed Cao Cao a peak he never even knew existed.

"But I can give you this promise," the Devil promised the Hero. "You will live long enough to see a human kill the Dream."

That was when Cao Cao decided to follow the boy toward the end of whatever Path he was walking.

********

"Was this what you saw in his mind?" Hades asked Indra casually, not taking his eyes off the projected image of the battle.

Even from so far away, they could still feel the vibrations of the earthquakes caused by Eren's struggle with Great Red.

There was also the small matter of the sun going out and the weather shifting every few seconds, but they were gods of such a high order that such things didn't concern them.

"More or less," Indra replied, his tone less casual.

Unlike his viewing partner, who watched without a blink or a twitch, Indra's gaze was not locked on the battle between man and dragon but rather between the hero and devil kings.

Cao Cao should be dead.

It was the simple, unavoidable truth.

The once handsome and heroic figure was now in a pitiable, wretched state.

Half his scalp had been shorn off by a blast of Destruction dodged too late. What remained of his hair was a matted mess of blood, and the rest of his face wasn't much better.

His left arm was useless, a limp black lump of flesh from the necrosis of frostbite.

All his clothes had been torn, destroyed, burnt, or shattered. Nothing remained to preserve his modesty, allowing any observer to see his countless wounds that wept blood or puss.

All that was damning enough already. Lacking Eren's regeneration ability, Cao Cao would inevitably succumb to his wounds and die unless treated by something equivalent or greater to Twilight Healing.

But it was the fracture, zigzag patterns of white gold that covered the hero's flesh that would be his real doom, healing or not.

Like a broken piece of porcelain, held together by molten gold yet liable to shatter any second, Cao Cao stood against his foes with the aid of his spear.

He should be dead.

Not only was he facing the four Satans, each powerful in their own right and used to working together as a team, but they were not holding back.

Serafall had shed any pretense of the jovial Magical Girl she was once and, in her place, was just the cold killer of the devil Civil War.

Falbium barely moved, yet neither did his Absolute Defence, acting as a bulwark for his allies against a weapon designed to kill them.

Adjuka's Kankura Formula rotated around the devil, a mass of complex mathematical spellwork that allowed him to manipulate magic to a degree never seen before. No spell would ever be able to act against his will.

And then there was the monster.

The Crimson Devil.

Sirzechs Lucifer was an... abomination.

Something this world should not have birthed and should have removed as soon as possible.

He stood there, no longer a man or devil but a void.

A blight on reality.

Sirzechs' true form was nothing more than a mass of destruction, so powerful and overwhelming that even Hades had regarded the devil with apprehension witnessing this form.

Just changing into this... violation had caused an earthquake that equalled any one Eren and Great Red conjured.

Facing and surviving against any one of these four would be an accomplishment for anyone in the world.

Facing all four should have been suicide.

Cao Cao should be dead.

But he wasn't. Not yet.

Because, like his namesake, the hero's greatest weapon was not the one a dead God gifted to him at birth but the strategic mind of a mortal.

He'd set up everything he could to ensure he had every advantage. He didn't use spells, just his spear and body. Both were anathema to devils, meaning they couldn't get close enough to hurt him.

Cao Cao did everything he could throughout the battle to lock down his opponents.

Sirzechs' power was great, yes, but it was also uncontrolled. He was Destruction, but in this form, he lacked the control he had trained centuries to attain.

If he attacked with anything less than the greatest care, if he so much as moved, he risked killing his comrades as much as his enemy.

Yet he had been forced to take this form.

Cao Cao was definitely wretched and pitiful, but he wasn't the only one injured.

Serafall's left leg had been replaced with one of ice. True Longinus had nicked her ankle, and she had to sever the limb before the Light spread to the rest of her body.

Across Ajuka's face was a seared hand print, burned so deeply into his flesh that one could see the swirls of a fingerprint. Cao Cao had grabbed him by the skull, ready to run him through in the moment of surprise following the unveiling of his Balance Breaker.

His touch alone, from a body so sanctified by the Holy Grail, was enough to wound the Super Devil.

Only Sirzechs's quick movement had saved his friend's life.

He'd managed to unleash a bolt of destruction close enough to Cao Cao to carve out that chunk of skull, but it had also left him open to a slash from the True Longinus against his chest.

To stay alive, he'd been forced to convert his flesh into Destruction as Falbium sent the human back.

Ever since that exchange, there was an almost deadlock.

No longer surprised by the esoteric abilities of the True Longinus' unique Balance Breaker, the Satans hadn't allowed Cao Cao to gain another opportunity like that again.

Both had reason to want to break this equilibrium as soon as possible.

Cao Cao because more white gold cracks crawled across his flesh every second that passed. A countdown to his death.

The Satans because they could see their home, their friends, and their family under attack. Just being in proximity to Great Red, or an equivalent being was counted as a death sentence, and every breath spent on this fight was one where someone they loved could die without their protection.

Yet victory remained distant for both sides.

Cao Cao would rush in, either physically or with an ability from his Balance Breaker, only to be fought off by the conjoined effort of the Satans before he could do any damage.

Similarly, the Satans would rain down attacks or lay out a trap, but Cao Cao's greater mobility would allow him to evade.

Something needed to change.

And it was from the battle so far away that the change came from.

"Pigeons and crows," Hades grumbled with the sound of rattling bones at the sight of the angels and fallen coming to aid the devils in defending the Crimson World Wall. "I suppose it doesn't matter. They're just closer to the Titan now. Let them join the bats in making my Underworld their grave."

Indra didn't say anything, didn't even look at the battle that would define an era, and just kept watching Cao Cao.

Hearing the God of the Dead's words, almost all attention had briefly shifted to the image of the battle near Lilith.

Almost.

Adjuka had used the opening to blast a spell from Cao Cao's back.

The hero dodged out of the way with a sidestep, but the spell bounced as if hitting a wall and followed him.

With narrowed eyes, Cao Cao wove out of the way as the spell bounced in jerky, angular motions.

His eyes widened when he realized what was happening, and he touched one of the seven orbs that surrounded him, his Balance Breaker.

Immediately, Cao Cao reappeared a distance away as the bouncing spell formed a magical formula.

Whatever it meant to do, it would have been nasty based on how everything within it seemed to... invert.

Not that the hero was safe. No sooner had he reappeared did a blast of Destruction carve its way toward him faster than he could blink.

Another of his Seven Treasure Orbs put itself between it and himself, sending the attack toward Adjuka.

Falbium appeared beside his friend, his defence up and deflecting the attack away from the battle.

It flew off, destroying a mountain in the distance, as the battle paused again, each side eyeing the other warily.

Then Cao Cao seemed to relax, leaving his stance and leaning against his spear for support.

His smile was one of pride, achievement, and joy.

"I don't suppose you're giving up," Serafall asked with a tight smile. "This battle is pointless. If that bitch Gabriel ends up saving So-tan before I can, I'll join the Brigade myself."

"I'm afraid the Brigade is done," Cao Cao laughed. Blood dribbled from his lips. "After today, the surviving factions will fragment and go their own way. If you want to coral them, go ahead. But you are not Eren Yeager."

"Your blind faith in the man has led you to your death," Adjuka pointed out, his formula spinning. He was undoubtedly using the brief respite to set up some fiendishly complex trap.

It didn't matter to Cao Cao.

Nothing about this battle mattered now.

Not when he'd already won.

The fighting... it had just been trying to get extra, really. The desire to see if a human could face all the Satans at once had been too much for him to resist, and it suited his goal of buying time.

Cao Cao had always known how to end this battle.

"I chose to die here," Cao Cao's head lilted to one side as if listening to something they couldn't hear. "Eren never made us heroes. We chose that. We chose the fight, knowing it would kill us. And we chose to follow Eren. We haven't regretted it once."

"Your loyalty is admirable but futile," Falbium said grimly. "The Dream will kill him. Not even Ophis, at their peak, could best Great Red. He overeached."

"Messed up your little slave state, didn't he?" Cao Cao laughed, coughing more blood.

Another crack of molten gold snaked along his face.

"We were already planning on releasing fewer Evil Pieces," Serafall smirked, twirling her pink wand casually. "It was part of the Peace Treaty. We already had the Brave Saint cards for most high-level angels made before the Kuoh meeting. Rating Games won't even disappear, as we planned to include other races in them now that we have peace. Face it. Eren's Rumbling failed to accomplish anything truly significant."

They all knew the Leviathan was generalizing quite a bit. Even if nothing else, the death toll of so many devils, particularly those from Pillar houses or Ultimate class, would be a massive blow to the devils.

It was good they had a peace treaty now because if this had happened even a few years ago, there was no doubt every other faction would have pilled on the devils. Extinction might have been unlikely, but there was every risk they would have been returned to post-Civil War numbers.

Even with the treaty, there was no certainty that other factions wouldn't pounce on the weakened devils.

Still, there was some truth to the fact that Eren's new Rumbling was nowhere comparable to his first world.

Of course, of the people there, only Serafall knew what the Rumbling was, and everyone else just thought it was a name the Magical Girl gave the assault on the Underworld.

"You don't get it," Cao Cao shook his head, pretending not to notice the icy mist covering the ground as they talked.

Or the magical circle the mist covered.

Or the fact that Falbium was preparing a veritable fortress of defences.

Or that Sirzechs Lucifer had not said a single word.

Instead, the hero leaned on his spear as if holding himself up was too much effort.

Around him, the seven treasured orbs of his Balance Breaker faded with the halo of Light that accompanied them.

Cao Cao was left standing there, naked, bloody, exhausted, and defenceless, as his body destroyed itself from the inside.

Yet, for all the blood on his lips or the gold cracks running through them, Cao Cao's smile was pure happiness.

"Eren."

Hades sat forward, attention riveted on seeing the Crimson Wall falling and the Black Rain.

"He'll deny it."

The mist crystalized, trapping Cao Cao's legs. He could no longer run.

Eren looked ready to finally kill the Dream when a ball of destruction tore through his hand.

"He'll fight it."

Having lost his Balance Breaker, Cao Cao could not teleport away as an enormous binding spell locked space itself in place.

Great Red lunged, tearing into the Titan's neck.

"But Eren's a hero."

Great Red roared.

Falbium finished his defences.

All this effort just to allow their friend the opportunity to fight.

Sirzechs moved through frozen space, his every twitch destroying the spell Adjuka was using to reduce the collateral. The abomination's very presence shook the air, tearing at Falbium's defences.

Indra casually set up a barrier separating himself from the battle, protecting Hades in the process from the twisting and writhing form of Destruction.

With the greatest of care, Sirzechs Lucifer unleashed the attack that won the Civil War.

What Rias' Gremory's Black Rain was based on.

Ruin, the Extinct.

An entire lifetime dedicated to the ultimate concept of 'Elimination' took the form of countless bullets swirling around, encompassing Cao Cao in a hailstorm of Destruction.

"Because a hero always wins."

A white arm erupted from Great Red's maw.

Hades let out a noise of begrudging admiration.

And the world... glitched.

Something happened.

Everyone knew that.

Everyone could tell that something had happened.

But the how?

The why?

The what?

Nobody could understand.

Because miracles could not be understood.

All they knew was that the battle between Satans and Hero was fundamentally changed.

Cao Cao now stood outside the frozen, space-locked area, and the Satans were inside, under attack from countless bullets of Destruction.

The hero's eyes were not on the devil kings scrambling for their lives.

His eyes, like those of the God of the Dead, were glued to the sight of a human killing the Dream.

And he began to chant.

O Spear,

Adjuka hadn't taken more than a moment to dismantle his spell and realize what was happening.

As Sirzechs struggled to reign in his power to not kill his friends, Adjuka threw his into protecting them, even as a bullet of Destruction carved off his arm.

The true Holy Spear which pierces God.

Serafall and Falbium joined Adjuka only moments later, also understanding the danger they were in.

If Divine Dividing and Boosted Gear had something like Juggernaught Drive, why wouldn't the greatest Sacred Gear in existence?

Even without a being locked into the Gear, was there any doubt that God would have let the greatest weapon He gifted humanity be surpassed?

Take the ambition sleeping within this Hero's heart.

Truth Idea.

The lingering will of a dead God left behind in his Creation. An imprint. A memory.

A judge.

Pierce through the gap of Blessings and Curses.

If the holder's heart and ambitions were worthy, the Longinus would give the mortal the greatest blessings.

A miracle.

It could come in any form. Absolute power to annihilate their opponent or a blessing that could capture their enemy's hearts.

I shall declare the Will, and with my last breath,

The pinnacle of Sacred Gears and the system left behind by their creator.

And, with a body reinforced by the Holy Grail, Cao Cao used it twice.

Once to change the world to get him in position.

Once to allow a mere human to kill one of the Top Ten.

Blossom into a field of Glory.

...

Indra was the only one who saw it all, from start to end.

The reversal of the situation.

The scrambling of the devils to block an attack they knew they couldn't in the vain hope that at least one of their friends would survive.

The man and the spear. Both glowing with a faint, holy light. Not blinding, but sharp. Deadly.

The smile on the Hero's face was proud and peaceful as he entered the most basic weapon forms a human could learn. One taught even to the most common of unskilled peasants.

Indra saw the spear thrust.

There was so much distance between the spear tip and the target, enough that even the Longinus' extension would not have reached.

It didn't matter.

It wouldn't be a miracle if it made sense.

Cao Cao thrust.

And Hades died.

The God of the Dead never even noticed his own death, too enraptured by the sight of the end of the Dream.

Cao Cao noticed his death, but he greeted it with a smile.

He'd chosen his end and accomplished everything he needed to do.

...

Amidst the battlefield filled with corpses of the divine and draconic, Herc lay prone, staring up at the sky. He smiled as he activated his sub-species Balance Breaker of Variant Detonation. It allowed him to set off an explosion equal to any he'd witnessed.

An explosion equal to those Eren unleased rang through the battlefield between Ahriman and Angra Mainyu.

What was left after that... the mist took back.

...

Jeanne held the Holy Grail high as her blood pooled in its depths, joining that of every other hero she had led today.

When she died upon Mt Olympus, her spirit continued to lead those of her comrades with a smile.

After all, it wasn't like the Reapers would be around to claim them as a mist ferried the Grail and the bodies away.

...

Siegfried stood victorious, only Gram still in his hands as he stood over a swordless Arthur Pendragon. His smile was peaceful. Content. As if a long-held wish had finally been fulfilled.

And, when Arthur struggled to his feet from his injuries to tend to his wounded lover and father, he left the hero standing.

Sieg's victory had been earned at the price of his lifeforce, and Arthur would allow his one-time rival this dignity as the mist claimed one more.

...

Like all his comrades, his friends, Cao Cao died with a smile on his lips.

Never seeing the devil land on the Titan's hand as a familiar mist took the Hero to a place where he could finally rest.

Indra watched it all, a witness to the end of an era.

And the beginning of a new one.

********

Apologies for the lateness of this one and its less-than-usual polish. I still haven't built back my buffer chapter, and some IRL stuff came up.

This is a bit of a tease, but I am structuring this in a way that allows people to understand character motivations and cause and effect. The Hero Faction hasn't gotten a lot of screen time, but what they did, I wanted to be meaningful.

I am sure this one will be divisive like the other chapters in this 'Part 4, Part 2'. For the moment, I can only say that the next ones will be as well.

About the chapter: I don't want to say much, just that Truth Idea is as broken as anything else in DxD. It's basically an 'I win' button left entirely at the author's discretion. Don't want to solve the current issue directly? Just make it not come into effect and blame it on the 'remnant will of God.' Want a plausible reason why Mook 3 could suddenly face off against the armies of Trihexa? 'God willed it so through his magic spear.'

If I didn't know any better, I'd assume Ishibumi self-inserted himself as a dead God. That's not to say I don't like Truth Idea. I, in fact, love it because, as a fanfiction writer, I can also use it on my whim. It also has some really... interesting implications.

That's all for now, I'll see you all on Friday on the bench.

 

[ReadingDangerously]

Life was pointless.

Pointless and dull.

There was just... nothing of interest, nothing of worth.

Like a discarded doll, Rizevim Levim Lucifer lounged in a world of grey monotony.

How long had it been since he left his seat? Months? Years? Decades? Maybe even a century.

It didn't matter. Nothing did.

What was there to do, really? There was nothing new. Nothing interesting.

Rizevim hadn't experimented with his mother for a few years and still hadn't been able to create more Super Devils. He could return to that, he supposed.

Not that he had any real plan for them. It was just something to do.

An idle curiosity that soon waned as decades passed with no success.

...Were the servants keeping her alive? They should be. They fed him regularly, so they should still attend his projects.

...Did his last experiment leave her with a mouth?... Eh, it didn't matter. Nothing did.

The world was just too... dull.

His race was focused on rebuilding after their little Civil War, which bored him. Rating Games were just... empty. Not engaging in the least without the threat of death.

Not even the angels and fallen were any fun anymore, content to sit back and mope without their precious 'father.'

When was the last time something had stirred his interest?

...Probably when his servants mentioned something about a big war. But then it turned out to be between humans, so Rizevim ignored it as inconsequential.

He was proven right when they repeated it a few decades later.

Humans were just so... predictable.

That was their greatest failing in Rizevim's eyes. Their short lives meant they kept repeating the same mistakes over and over.

Their weakness could be excused if they weren't so dull.

So, even as the world changed around him, Rizevim Lucifer languished in boredom.

No matter how much those pathetic devils from the 'Old Satan' faction asked, he never left his reclusive mansion.

His servants were non-entities who had learned quickly that trying to 'entertain' their master was a dangerous and fatal endeavour. It was better to let him languish and cash their absurdly high paycheck for the easy work.

The only time he ever did anything was on the few occasions he interacted with his descendants.

The lot of them were worthless, but at least they could alleviate the drudgery. Sometimes.

Rizevim had let out a laugh when his 'grandson,' a half-devil, ended up with the Divine Dividing. He could appreciate some irony there, so the name Vali Lucifer stuck out a bit compared to the rest of his family, even his father... whatever his name was.

Rizevim couldn't be bothered to try and remember. It wasn't like he was the only decedent Rizevim had killed when he got too annoying. His pathetic wretchedness had ceased to be amusing when the brat had run away from home. Had Rizevim killed the human woman as well?... Probably.

What spark of humour was lost again with the loss of his favourite toys.

So, for years, Rizevim lay like an empty husk in a world of gray.

...

The first splash of colour in his life came when a severed head rolled to his feet, splattering the floor with fresh blood.

It wasn't the head itself that was interesting. Rizevim eyed it boredly, uncaring for the gruesome sight. He could tell that the head had not been severed but torn off by great strength.

Hmmm. Silver hair. That was a Lucifuge, right?

Hadn't seen one of them for a while... well except for that maid the new Lucifer kept as a trophy. If nothing else, that Gremory could appreciate the use of good servants.

The faintest spark of memory stirred in Rizevim as the bloody face, contorted in an expression of agony in death, looked up at him.

Right. This was that maid's... brother? Yeah. Rizevim remembered how funny the look on the Lucifuge's face was when he realized his sister had betrayed the Old Satans during the Civil War.

So he was dead?

Huh.

Rizevim's eyes rose to the person who had thrown the head at his feet and stained his rug.

It was a human. A boy.

The first thing that stuck out to Rizevim wasn't his age, the odd patterns on his face, or that he was accompanied by a three-tailed nekomata, a reincarnated devil.

It was his eyes.

Empty eyes.

Eyes that saw the world for what it was, an empty void of meaning.

Eyes that had ceased to care, that had given up on everything.

Eyes like Rizevim's.

"Are you here to kill me?" Rizevim asked blandly.

It might have been interesting if it was anything other than a human. They had managed to sneak in after all.

But Sacred Gears simply didn't work on him, so Lucifer's son couldn't muster anything but the barest hint of motivation.

"No. I won't kill you. I need your help."

His voice... like his eyes, they were empty.

"Then why the head? Most who want my help usually give me better gifts than an old servant's head."

"You don't care about his death, and it got your attention." The boy wasn't wrong about that, if only for the novelty of the introduction. Then again, how did these two get so close without him noticing? "In most futures, Euclid Lucifuge is an annoyance. I simply got rid of him early since he isn't needed."

Rizevim didn't even bother pretending to acknowledge the name of the dead devil, already forgetting it as the first smear of colour in a long time roused something in him.

"'Futures?'" Rizevim leaned forward. The nekomata shifted uneasily behind the boy as if ready to defend him. "Who are you?"

"My name is Eren Yeager. I am from a world beyond the Dimension Gap. I died there and was reborn in this one."

For the first time in his life, Rizevim's heart skipped a beat.

"Another world?" The devil asked, leaning forward eagerly.

"One without Sacred Gears," the boy, Eren, said.

Then, in a move so fluid it spoke of long familiarity, he raised his hand to his mouth and bit down on the webbing between his thumb and forefinger.

An explosion of steam and force engulfed the room in an instant.

Rizevim didn't move from his seat, just watching the phenomena with interest. The fact that half the room was destroyed was utterly irrelevant to the Super Devil.

The steam dissipated, revealing an enormous skull with numerous sharp, jagged teeth on a too-wide jaw.

Eren stepped out of the giant skull's mouth, flesh steaming as the wound on his hand healed.

That... was not a Sacred Gear. Rizevim could say with absolute certainty that the giant... whatever that was, was not a Sacred Gear.

So, was this boy really from another world?

Was... was there more out there than this dreadful drudgery?

A world, or worlds, that was just beyond the Gap?

Ones less dull than this one?

Ones where Rizevim Levim Lucifer would no longer be subsumed in the endless grey morass?

For the very first time in his life, Rizevim wanted something. Longingly. Desperately.

But he didn't show that on his face.

Instead, he smiled and laughed.

"You're interesting enough to hear out," Rizevim waved his hands casually as if to say 'get on with it.' "What, exactly, do you want my help for? Something about the 'future?'"

"Ever since I've been reborn in this world, I've been able to see the future," Eren nodded sharply. "And I hate it. I need to change it. This world cannot go on like this. I need to use your name to recruit soldiers. I need your knowledge on how to release the seals on Malacoda. And I need your Sacred Gear Canceler."

While the fact the boy knew about the Malabranche was mildly interesting, the real jewel was the tidbit about his clairvoyance.

"If you know the future, you know what I want in exchange."

"I do. I know how to leave this world."

"How?" Rizevim carefully let his voice remain neutral as if it were a mere curiosity. "Or will you keep it a secret until I agree to your deal?"

"I'll tell you," the boy said. "But you'll help me anyway. Because even if you know, you can't get there while it is guarded."

"'Guarded?'"

"The Infinite and the Dream."

Ah. Of course. Other worlds would be beyond the Gap, wouldn't they?

"Then I fail to see what is in it for me if all you are going to give me is useless information."

"Not useless. I will weaken the Infinite and kill the Dream. After that, you won't have any issues getting beyond the Gap. You can take the other eleven Malabranche with you. I only need Malacoda. But to get there, you need to help me."

For the first time, Rizevim felt his eyebrows rise in surprise and was unable to stop them.

This human boy would kill Great Red?

Rizevim couldn't help the laugh of amusement that escaped him then, and he rose to his feet, clapping.

"That sounds like fun. Eren Yeager, right? I haven't heard an ambition like that in centuries. What do you say about becoming a devil? My race has been nothing but a disappointment for so long. I'm sure I can swipe some of those chess pieces."

"No," Eren's face contorted in a grimace. "If I become a devil, I lose my ability to see the future."

Interesting.

"No matter. A devil is a state of mind, not a race." Rizevim said flippantly. "So you want this world? If you kill the Dream, you deserve it. I'll content myself with a bit of a vacation in other worlds."

And if he failed, it would be an interesting diversion from the monotony, if nothing else.

Besides, now that he knew other worlds were out there waiting for him, Rizevim could pursue his own method of reaching them while the brat did whatever he wanted.

Those curious mentions from his father of a Beast from beyond the Gap were at the top of the list.

Supposedly, it had weakened Grandad enough before it was sealed that Pops and the other Satans had been emboldened enough to launch the ambush that killed all five.

Rizevim hadn't pursued that inquiry for the simple fact that he wasn't stupid. Anything that could strip the angel's precious Daddy of his power enough for him to be ambushed wasn't something Rizevim could handle.

But if he had another world to flee to while this one was destroyed... That would be a fitting end to a dull world, wouldn't it?

So the son of the devil shook a human's hand.

It was just a question of which was more devilish than the other.

And whose world would emerge in the end.

********

Rizevim laughed.

It was a laughter of pure, innocent joy.

The laughter of a man whose life, whose very existence had been saved.

It was the laughter of a man trapped in a prison, a cell of grey monotony that had finally been freed.

Eren had really done it. He'd killed Great Red.

A human had killed the Dream.

Magnificent. Wonderful. Stupendous.

Rizevim wasn't going to lie. He'd thought the boy would fail.

It was the Dream!

Killing Great Red...

Even with the ability to see the future, even with Ophis' power, that just shouldn't be possible.

When Eren fell for that little distraction from the Gremory girl, Rizevim had honestly thought that was it. A good showing all together but a bit disappointing.

But when that arm tore out Great Red's throat?

Mwah. Chefs kiss.

Just wonderful. Rizevim hadn't been able to stop himself from applauding the show.

Now, it was just time for the actors to exit the stage and the curtain to fall.

Nobody likes a story that doesn't know when to end after all.

And the finale was just right.

So Rizevim appeared over the corpse of Great Red, on the hand of the Titan that began to pull itself from the bloody remains of the dragon.

As soon as he touched the flesh of the Titan, it was all over.

Rizevim cancelled the one Sacred Gear Eren had used that he could touch.

Rizevim's laughter was just as joyful as before, though the purity was tinted toward a darker joy as the Titan stopped moving.

All Titans stopped moving.

Standing there, atop the body of the Dream and the one who killed it, Rizevim couldn't help the surge of... ecstasy.

This was it. The very climax of this world.

Nothing in this reality would ever be able to top this moment.

Better to destroy it now so the memories would remain pure and find new pleasures in the freedom of other worlds than to waste more time letting the colour bleed from it once more.

There was no hint of grey in this world of red and white.

"You should have a few seconds left before that power tears you apart," Rizevim taunted as the Titan's flesh started to steam, wafts rising to the purple of an Underworld without a sun. "How does it feel? The Grail no longer supporting you? Your own regeneration just prolonging your agony as your body tears itself apart from the power you should have never wielded? I can't imagine it, so you need to tell me."

The Titan was half gone already.

Great Red's corpse, bloating and distending as the Titan wanted to break free, now rested in a pile of blood, bone, and scale, slowly deflating as its titanic contents dissipated.

There was movement, though.

Rizevim's smile widened as a human hand feebly reached for the opening in Great Red's neck, struggling for freedom in a last, desperate attempt to survive.

Rizevim's wings carried him over.

Eren was covered in blood. So much blood.

Not one inch of his skin or hair was any other shade than the deep crimson of Great Red's blood he crawled through as all his power left his body.

His eyes, though...

Rizevim took a deep breath, savouring the moment half a decade in the making.

He couldn't stay long before others came to investigate, but he would enjoy the moment while it lasted.

Then he reached down, grabbed Eren by the hair, and yanked him upward.

The boy tried to resist, to use the strength that had cowed gods and killed the Dream, but all he managed was a helpless flailing as he was held aloft.

His eyes never changed, though.

Eren continued to glare, burning green boring into Rizevim with a hatred and rage that sent a shiver of joy up the devil's spine.

"You know why you lost in our little game?" Rizevim smiled.

Eren spat blood in his face.

Rizevim laughed and started to squeeze, fingers tearing through flesh and bone, digging into Eren's skull.

"Because your clairvoyance? It's a Sacred Gear."

Brain matter squelched as Rizevim continued to squeeze. Eren didn't scream. Didn't utter a sound. Just continued to grit his teeth in rage as he glared at the devil who had bested him.

"You were too careless. Too self-assured in your ability to see the future. You've broadcasted your ability so much that I learned its secrets. Because it's His ability. You have been the first to use it since Him. You have to choose to look into the future. You have to see it with your own eyes. What you don't see, you will never know. What a Sacred Gear can't see you will never know. Me."

Rizevim's other hand reached for the boy's neck, wrapping around it while one hand kept a firm grip on his brain and scalp.

Regeneration was such a curse when you couldn't die, wasn't it?

By now, Eren fully couldn't move.

The blessing of the Grail that had allowed him to handle Ophis' power had long since faded. Without that reinforcement of his flesh, he couldn't move a muscle.

Rizevim could leave him here to die.

Ophis' power was holding him in place, his body unable to handle it. Still, once it ran its course, Eren would die to the Grail's after-effects, his regeneration no longer exceeding the amount of damage the Sephiroth Grail inflicted on him.

Would he start to crack like Cao Cao had been before running off to die to the New Satans? Or would he wither away, helpless to do anything as he remained trapped in an endless cycle of destruction and regeneration?

Rizevim was mildly curious but had long known he wouldn't leave death to chance.

Besides, this was so much more satisfying.

"Your Titans might be from another world, but the ability to see the future? I know it's not. I know who had it last. I know how He died. Weakened. Alone. In a moment of triumph. Because you chose to look for a future where you'd win. Not one where you'd survive."

The Holy Grail appeared over Rizevim's shoulder, where Eren could see it, floating so as not to touch his skin.

Rizevim grinned as realization dawned on the boy.

Rizevim's Sacred Gear Canceler worked on the Gears he touched. There had been no way for him to interact with whatever Gear gave Yeager his Clairvoyance.

Until the boy chose to consume the power of another Gear, one the Lucifer had handled directly.

"Don't worry," Rizevim said patronizingly. "I'll put it to good use. This little cup and I are going to do what you couldn't. We're going to destroy everything. Your memory will be forgotten with this world as it dies, taking your plans, friends, and pet with it."

With those last words ringing in Eren's ears, Rizevim tore his head from his neck in a shower of blood, bone, and flesh, paying careful attention to making sure the spine was severed.

After all, he'd watched the battle the whole time and learned the Titan's weakness, just like everyone else there.

The moment Eren's head was severed, every Titan in the world disappeared.

One moment, they were there.

The next, they were gone, falling to the ground and dissipating into the air like a dream that had never been.

Leaving only a wreck of a battlefield and survivors haunted by a battle they could never forget.

Rizevim savoured the moment like a fine wine, holding Eren's severed head in one hand and dropping the corpse from the other.

...

It was the cry that saved his life.

A cry of so much anguish, rage, grief and loss that it would have torn through the hearts of anyone with an ounce of empathy as it involuntarily escaped from a heartbroken woman's throat at the sight of the severed head of the man she loved.

Again.

Rizevim only had a moment of confused realization. Just a moment to wonder how anyone else could be there.

He hadn't felt any magic or teleportation, and the spells he kept up didn't detect any other distortion in space except those wounds in reality that still lingered from the battle between the Titan and the Dream.

Which meant whoever had cried out had arrived from beyond the battlefield through physical means, relying on pure speed and ability to dodge the hazards from the apocalyptic clash of man and dragon.

That speed... That distance... Even one of the fastest in the world would have had to have left that Wall before Eren tore out Great Red's throat to get there so soon.

Those thoughts were all Rizevim had time to form as he turned, arms raised to defend himself from the attacker, Eren's head still grasped tightly between his fingers.

Mikasa could have killed Rizevim Lucifer right then and there.

Her speed might still have been enough, even though her cry had ruined the surprise.

Her abilities were not Sacred Gear dependent, just the pure physicality she had trained and a hint of Touki that pushed her into the realm of the Ultimate class.

She could have done it.

But...

Seeing Eren die again...

Seeing that head, the source of her nightmares for the last eighty years...

Mikasa could not bring herself to drive her blade through those sightless eyes. Could not cut into the face she had last seen sleeping in a bed with a content smile.

Mikasa's attack shifted minutely to avoid Eren's severed head.

Two copies of Purgatorio were carved through Rizevim.

"GAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHH!"

Rizevim's scream of agony echoed in the now silent Underworld as the arm holding the head went tumbling to the ground with half his right leg, joining Eren's body on the mountain that was Great Red's corpse.

Purgatorio dissipated from Mikasa's hands, destroyed by Sacred Gear Canceler, alerting her to who she was dealing with.

So she pulled out two of her regular enchanted swords and lunged for the devil who had killed Eren, rage and grief warring in her.

Eren... might have needed to die. She might have prepared herself to kill her heart once more, but this... Mikasa had never wanted Eren to suffer.

Rizevim, in excruciating pain, unleashed a spell intent on destroying whoever this woman was.

The loss of his arm was an annoyance, but he could replace it with some of his mother's flesh.

More important was to kill this bitch who had ruined his moment of triumph.

Mikasa twisted out of the way of the spell, the tears in her eyes not hindering her movement for even a heartbeat, as she lunged once more.

Rizevim managed to get a barrier up to save his life again, but the enchanted weapons did not have the same cutting power as the copies of the Sacred Gear. With the benefit of Touki, they still cut deep into the magic but were stopped before they could reach the devil's neck.

For an instant, Rizevim locked eyes with the woman after his throat.

She looked at him with all the rage, hatred, and grief he had hoped to see in Eren's face.

Yet instead of the satisfaction of triumph, all Rizevim could feel as he looked into those eyes was a terrible, gripping fear that overcame the pain and rage from his wound.

If he fought this woman, he'd surely die.

She was a rabid dog, hell-bent on tearing him to pieces. Missing an arm and without a Sacred Gear to nullify, Rizevim had a very real sense of impending death if he fought her.

In his mind, he created a thread of logic for the feeling.

He had already won. He didn't need to remain here. The angels, fallen, and other devils would reach him soon enough if he stayed. They'd help... whoever this woman was.

He didn't need to stay.

Once he finished destroying all the seals with the Grail, the Beast would destroy this world, this woman included, while Rizevim would be away in another world.

So long as he had Lilith, his severed arm didn't matter, so he hadn't truly lost anything. He could create any number of new devils to act as his army. He didn't need Eren's or Great Red's body to unify the remnants of the Brigade.

...There was a thread of logic in Rizevim's thoughts, but they were a simple mask for the truth.

Rizevim Levan Lucifer had never suffered a day in his long life.

He'd fought. He'd killed. He'd even been injured a time or two.

But as the world's first Super Devil, one only born near the end of the Great War, the simple truth was that his centuries of existence had been ones of luxurious drudgery, his every need taken care of by servants and what foes he did have he simply suppressed with his enormous magical power.

Rizevim wasn't a battle maniac or someone with a grand ambition or a dream. His only conviction was in his own superiority.

There was a simple truth that Rizevim could not, would not acknowledge.

No matter how much he thought of himself as the prime example of devilkind or the disdain he held for everyone else, Rizevim Lucifer was no different than any other petty tyrant given power. Just as human as the worst human. He wasn't special.

He was a leech, a parasite on the world that contributed nothing and only sought to satisfy his own sense of arrogance, sadism, and greed.

Confronted for the first time with the genuine threat of death, that the millennia of life he still hadn't lived would be cut off abruptly by this nobody, Rizevim did what all cowards did and came up with excuses.

He could have won. Could have killed Mikasa. His power, even without Sacred Gear Canceller, was nothing to scoff at, firmly in the Satan class. If he had just unleashed everything he had, Rizevim could have killed Mikasa before reinforcements arrived.

He didn't.

Content his justification, Rizevim detonated his shield, sending the terrifying woman away.

He didn't try to attack her again, just casting a spell to create a magic wall between them to block her sight and slow her down.

By the time Mikasa rounded the wall, the teleportation was already underway.

Mikasa lunged, unwilling to let Eren's murderer escape alive.

Her swords passed through where his throat had been only moments before, the faintest hint of blood the only marker of the shallow cut they managed to make on the Super Devil before Rizevim disappeared.

Mikasa had been too slow.

Always too slow.

And, as her eyes filled with tears, she noticed the familiar mist consuming Great Red's corpse.

Mikasa dove.

Every ounce of speed, every drop of Ki.

She used it all to try and reach for the head with blank eyes that stared up at her as if demanding to know why Mikasa was always too late.

Her hands caught nothing but mist as Dimension Lost claimed its final prize.

Still weeping, Mikasa was still staring at her empty hand when Serafall arrived to pull her friend into her embrace.

She wasn't the only one there. Many others had arrived to try and discover what had happened to the Dream and the Titan it had been fighting.

Already, the other Satans were trying to do damage control, trying to discover everything they could about the situation.

It slowly settled onto everyone around then.

They had endured.

They had survived.

They had won.

Yet, there was no satisfaction in the ruins of a broken world, one that would not, could not continue as it had.

Victory tasted like ashes and blood.

********

Hmm. What to say? The reception to the last chapter was much better than I expected, though the confusion is understandable. Hopefully, it will make more sense by the end. I fully expect this chapter to make up for the lack of divisiveness and then some.

As I mentioned a few times, there were still twists and turns to go. Despite all the crumbs I've left, nobody has yet discovered where this Path yet leads. To avoid speaking on it, I'll just say this: Baring those who were with Mikasa when she explained her past, nobody else in this world is familiar with Titans and their powers.

Eren has made it clear his powers are from another world, but their exact mechanics? He only told Kuroka those, and even then kept major parts of it a secret till meeting on the bench. When confronted with something you can't understand, you rationalize. You compare it to something you do. And if the source of that lack of understanding encourages that mistake? Well, you make more mistakes.

They pile up, one on top of the other, each justifying another mistake. Until you have built a tower of false beliefs and assumptions that seem to conform to reality but are based on a fundamental lie.

I'll meet you all on Sunday on the bench.

 

[ReadingDangerously]

Numb.

That's what she was. Numb.

Tired too.

Satans, but Sona didn't think she'd ever been this tired.

Had it really been less than half a day ago that Issei had been taken?

It seemed like a lifetime ago. One in which a different Sona Sitri lived.

And the current Sona Sitri was not a better woman for the change.

Sona knew it.

Sona knew it in the way she had immediately sent her Peerage out to help organize and clean up without even giving them time to rest because there was a genuine chance she could be arrested at any moment, and she didn't want them implicated.

She knew it in the bend of her thoughts as they had already turned toward the future of political and socioeconomic changes that would come.

The Peace Treaty could fall apart without the ability to provide the angels with more Brave Saint decks.

Reincarnated devils would soon cease to be created. The exact time frame would depend on how many sets of Evil Pieces Adjuka had at hand and their stores of the crystals used to make them. Still, shortly, someone would be turned into a devil only when a previously reincarnated devil died, and their Piece could be used again.

And that was just from the destruction of Agreas.

The death of the Great King and a sizeable force of the ruling class would create a void in governmental positions that needed to be filled... a void Sona had created.

Lilith proper had remarkably little damage to the city despite the numerous versions of the Nine Titans getting past the defenders. But the Underworld now had a gaping hole, still writhing with the aftereffects of Eren's battle with Great Red.

The material of this... canyon was still unknown, but already a few of the people who had tried to reach the center of the battle were injured by the tears in space, the incomprehensible phenomena that manifested only to disappear moments later.

And then there was the battle itself.

Sona had absolutely zero clue what the fallout from this would be.

A single human had taken on the Three Factions' combined might and... essentially won.

Oh, certainly, the death toll was absolutely nothing compared to the Rumbling of his world. It wasn't even a fraction of a fraction of the damage to the infrastructure, let alone the lives of ordinary people.

But the world wouldn't be comparing this event to one that claimed a billion and a half lives.

No. Once they learned about Eren, the rest of the world would see a human fighting the strongest devils, their entire society, and decimating it. Even the aid of the angels and fallen only served to stalemate the battle.

Eren Yeager, a teenage human, had killed the Dream!

What did you even compare that to?

Gods had died in the past. So had dragons. So had other members of every other race at one time or another.

But the Divine Duo?

The Infinite and the Dream?

Many didn't believe they could die.

They predated the fucking planet.

Sure, they didn't usually affect day-to-day life, and thanks the hells for that, but they were always there!

A constant of reality like gravity or magic. It was like a human waking up one morning, and suddenly, the sun was just gone.

And a human did it!

One without a Sacred Gear at that!

Sona looked up at a sunless sky.

And sighed.

There was... no frame of reference to which Sona could compare this. Nothing she could think of that would even hint at what was to come.

Sona could judge possible political fallout for her actions. She could think about leveraging the undeniable impact she and her Peerage had in this battle against the rumours that would start to fly once people started asking questions about why their Lords/Ladies/Ancestors/descendants/family were on Agreas.

She could see possible avenues for her society's future prospects. The Satans still lived, so it wasn't likely devils would fall into another Civil War.

(A small part of Sona, the one steeped in morbid humour and grim fatalism, asked herself who the Satans would even fight in a Civil War.

After all, Sona had killed most of their political adversaries.)

But no matter how her mind worked, she just couldn't imagine what the world would look like tomorrow once news got out of Eren and what he had done.

...None of that was why Sona was numb, though.

Eren was dead.

She'd known it when the Titans had dissipated, collapsing and vanishing into steam right before her eyes.

She knew it by the fact that she didn't see her sister among the Satans organizing the cleanup and organization. She'd only seen her once when Serafall checked if she was whole and hale before disappearing again.

The only reason Serafall Leviathan wouldn't be with the other Satans at this critical moment was if something personal had come up.

...Like consoling a grieving Mikasa.

Eren was dead.

Knowing what she did about the Founder, Sona could now see the cause and effect.

Eren had chosen his moment of death.

He'd launched an attack that had largely avoided civilian casualties while still killing most of the sort of people he couldn't stand. He'd destroyed the Evil Piece system that he hated.

He'd killed Great Red.

As far as deaths went, nobody could say Eren's wouldn't be remembered.

No doubt anyone with any ambition would see it as possibly the most incredible death of all time.

Hells, for the rest of time, people would study every morsel of information about Eren, fighting over every little detail.

Whatever had finally... got Eren, a final trick from Great Red, her aunt, or something else, it would never eclipse the final few hours of his life in fame and infamy.

But that was only from an outside perspective. A perspective from those who'd learn about Eren Yeager but had never known him.

Who hadn't known the horrors of his past.

Who hadn't hated him for what the choice he gave her, just for a sliver of hope in protecting what she cared for.

Who hadn't admired, feared, respected, taught, and learned from him.

Who hadn't loved him.

Those people who'd look at Eren Yeager's life in this world, his death, and his achievements and not know the boy on the bench.

The one who dreamed of freedom, who couldn't stop himself from trying to fix a cruel world, and whose entire life had been one of a puppet dancing on his own strings.

They'd never know of the boy who'd once wanted to run away from it all just to spend the last few years of his life with the woman he loved.

Eren Yeager was dead, and Sona was too numb to process.

She wasn't even crying.

Just... numb.

So... she just wandered the killing field where she had fought against his Titans.

Sona wasn't idle as she wandered, of course.

She helped clean up the rubble, even freeing one of Seekvira's Pawns trapped. She used her magic to help clean off what she could. Directed people to temporary shelters.

She saw devils hugging each other in relief and joy at their survival.

She saw others weeping at the news of a death. Or holding a limp body. Or... a limb.

There were no injuries.

So long as one was alive, Asia had completely healed them when Issei transferred his second Wall Fall to her.

Even the injured Satans were in perfect condition thanks to the dragon's and former nun's unity.

Sona suspected that Asia would soon have just as much of a cult following as the 'Oppai Dragon.'

Not that either of them cared at the moment.

Sona saw them, too.

Asia was with Irina, Xenovia, and Ravel, surrounding Issei as he hugged a crying Gasper under the watchful gaze of Rossweiss.

Issei was also crying, though unlike everyone else, Sona doubted he was crying tears of joy for his own survival.

Was he grieving his Senpai? Or had Eren's actions soured that relationship fully?

Sona didn't want to ask.

Rias and the rest of her Peerage were absent.

Rossweiss caught Sona's look and gestured with her head in a direction.

"They went looking for Koneko."

Sona nodded in gratitude, unable to trust her voice at the moment, and went in the direction pointed.

She found them easily enough.

Akeno was slightly off to the side, hugging her father, but the remaining Gremory Peerage were...

"Where is it? Where is it? Where is it?"

Thirty or so clones of Kuroka were frantically shifting through rubble, dirt, and stone. Some were casting spells. Others were digging in the ground with their bare hands. A few were flying overhead, like vultures searching for prey.

The tears in their eyes didn't seem to impede the search for... something.

Amidst the frantic, manic movements of the Nekoshou and her clones, Sona saw the crimson hair of her once rival.

Rias also seemed to be searching, though she was doing it with slow, jerky motions and without letting go of Koneko's hand.

Yuuto was beside them, his movements more fluid but no less slow as he cut through a boulder to move its pieces to the side.

"...Sona," Koneko said, alerting the other two of her arrival.

Rias looked up, but her eyes were vacant and distant.

Was she just as numb as Sona?

"...Hey," Yuuto greeted, his voice hoarse.

"What-" Sona stopped when her voice came out in a dry croak that sounded like a sob. "What are you doing?"

"...Helping Onee-sama look for his cane."

"She said a Titan crushed the clone she had with it when Senpai-" Yuuto closed his eyes and drew a deep breath. "When Great Red bit the back of the Titan's neck. Once she summoned another clone to look for it, she couldn't find it."

Ah.

Sona... didn't know what to say to that.

So she changed the subject.

"I would have thought you'd want to be with Issei."

"They need some time together. Some privacy." Yuuto tried to form one of his charming smiles, but it came out as a grimace.

"The yakitori kissed the pervert as soon as she could." Koneko deadpanned, but there was no joy in the delivery.

"...Has he told you how he... came back?" Sona asked as delicately as she could. "Or what happened with... With Eren?"

She had cursed out his name so often in the last few hours, yet saying it now sounded so... alien. Foreign.

"...No. Not yet. Haven't really had time," Rias finally said, looking over in the direction Issei and the rest of her Peerage were. "I... suppose it doesn't matter now, does it? We survived. We're all here. We won."

Sona wanted to comment about the 'all here' part. Wanted to point out that it hadn't been a bloodless victory by any means. That the dead were still being counted.

But she understood her rival.

Rias Gremory was a kind devil.

But her kindness had become something... personal. Selfish.

And, to be honest, Sona was glad for it.

Rias wasn't feeling the weight of a society teetering on the brink. Her selfish kindness was saving her from all this loss.

"...It doesn't feel like we won," Koneko said, looking around at the clones of her sister still frantically searching for a cane that had probably been destroyed when the Titan crushed Kuroka's clone.

"It doesn't," Rias agreed, tightening her grip on her Rook. Her hand was shaking. Her eyes were on Sona. "I... After... After what he did... What you did... What I did..."

Rias took a deep, heaving breath.

The tears finally started to flow.

"Eren's dead. Aunty killed him. Again. We helped. And... I knew he was going to die anyway. Knew that stupid curse was going to get him even if he won. Knew that what he planned to do... HAD done was wrong. He killed a lot of people. He was killing a lot of people. But I... he..."

Sona watched Rias struggle to try and find the right words to convey the absolute mess of emotions she must be feeling.

Sona was still numb enough that the words slipped out of her own mouth.

"I hated him," Sona admitted. "I guess a small part of me still does. Because of the choices he gave me. Because he put Aunty in that position again. Because of... Issei, and the Rumbling, and hurting my sister and my Peerage and destroying so much of what I know and.-"

Sona stopped herself from continuing to ramble. Took a deep breath as Rias, Koneko, and Yuuto watched her and adjusted her glasses.

"I hate that I still don't see the point. I still don't understand everything. He-" We. "Killed a huge chunk of the Pillar families. Destroyed any hope of creating new Evil Pieces. And killed Great Red... And that's it? That was the end goal? All this for something that could be accomplished with Ophis' power, well-placed assassination attempts, and one or two Colossal Titan explosions? He didn't even need Issei's Gear! All this death and destruction. It just seems so pointless! And yet! And yet!"

"And yet you didn't want him to die." Rias gave her friend a watery smile as Sona's anger-fueled burst of energy ran out, leaving her numb and tired once more. "Even though he took something precious from you. From all of us. Even though a part of you will never completely forgive him for that. You never really wanted him dead."

"No," Sona admitted with a sigh of profound weariness and loss. "I didn't."

"Senpai... He couldn't stop himself," Yuuto nodded in understanding, leaning against the severed boulder. "I don't think Senpai can ever really stop. Even when he was with us, on the bench, he was still looking toward the future. Still thinking of what he'd do once he discovered the Red Dragon Emperor. And I think... I think if it weren't for Issei being his friend, he would have taken Boosted Gear and fought harder. Killed more people. I think he changed a bit once he talked to us and Ackerman-sensei. But he still couldn't stop. Because it wasn't about revenge. Not really. It was trying to build a better world, and he had to keep moving..." The Knight looked out over the crater of the battle. "...He might have wanted to be stopped."

"... Could'a won," Koneko nodded, rubbing her wet eyes. "Could'a killed us all. Didn't. Didn't want to. Eren was... kind. Strong. Violent. Scary. But... He didn't want to be. He wanted to be kind."

"Just one of those explosions would have killed everyone," Rias rubbed her hand against Koneko's head gently. "He didn't use it though. Didn't really kill Issei. Didn't even fight us at all, except when we attacked first. Eren... He was not a good man. But he would have been a good devil."

Sona considered telling them about the Founder and how Eren had deliberately chosen how this would end.

That he'd probably been smiling when Mikasa put him down again.

She would have. Even if it would hurt them to learn that Eren had been caught in the horrific trap of the Paths once more, it might give them some closure.

But then she noticed Akeno approaching with her father and changed what she was going to say.

"You have our thanks for coming to our aid," she said formally to the Vice Governor General as Akeno hugged Rias tightly. Both were shaking. "We might not have held out till the end without your aid."

"I couldn't let anything happen to Akeno. Not again."

There was a lightness to Baraqiel that was missing from everyone else.

Was it because he'd saved his daughter, didn't know Eren, or was he used to battles so much worse than this one?

Either way, he had a joviality that seemed so... jarring.

As if everyone should feel as numb and tired as Sona.

He even cracked a smile as he held up his regrown arm.

"I even got my limbs back out of it. Thank Asia for me, will you? I'll do it when I get the chance to talk to her, but that might not be possible for a while."

"I will," Rias nodded but didn't smile in return.

"You're leaving?" Akeno asked, pulling away from her King.

"There's... a lot to do," Baraqiel's smile turned into a grimace. "Devils weren't the only ones attacked. Thanks to the Satans giving us a heads-up about the possibility, we managed to hold off for a while, and once Michael came to help, we won. Still, a big part of our territory and facilities will need to be managed and, unlike Devils, we don't have that many leaders that can handle that sort of task."

"Er-Titans attacked you too?" Sona asked, surprised despite herself.

"No. Annihilation Maker's creations," Baraqiel's grimace turned into a full-blown frown. "The Chaos Brigade did something to the wielder, a young boy, that caused his Gear to go berserk and then gave his creations part of Ophis' power. We managed to capture him, and Azazel sealed his Gear. He'll need training before he's no longer a risk to himself and those around him, but Azazel is good at that sort of thing. The monsters it summoned were part of the attack on the other factions, so stopping him helped them."

"Other faction? Who else?" Sona asked with a trembling voice, almost afraid of the answer.

"Everyone." Baraqiel's lips thinned as he spoke. "This was the Chaos Brigade's big push. Every part of the organization used it as an excuse to finish their vendetas. Greek. Shinto. Egypt. Magicians. Secret Societies. Pretty much every faction was attacked in one way or the other. As far as we can tell, Heaven and the Hindu Pantheon were the only two that weren't."

"...Fuck," Koneko muttered under her breath in awe.

"We, that is, those who signed the Peace Treaty, got off slightly better than most since we had the warning from the Satans. Others weren't so lucky. A few would have been fully wiped out if we didn't stop Annihilation Maker and that Titan hadn't died with Great Red. The attackers lost Ophis' power and a good chunk of their reinforcements."

Sona felt dizzy.

She'd been ignorant. Myopic.

Eren's problems with the Underworld were well known, and she'd believe he'd simply used the Chaos Brigade to gather what he needed for his own attack, not trusting them to fight with him except as distractions for her sister and the other Satans.

She'd believed he might have even killed them before he attacked the Underworld as he'd made no secret he didn't like them.

...No. Those were excuses.

Sona had never even thought of other factions at all, too caught up in the doom approaching her people and her own misery.

At least, those were her thoughts before she discovered he could use the Founder, and she hadn't had time to reevaluate everything in the frantic hours since then.

Of course, he'd use the Brigade till the very end. Of course, he'd use his own death to snatch victory from them right at the last moment.

What else was she missing? What other assumptions were wrong now that she knew he'd experienced this all before ever meeting any of them?

Had... had Sona missed something important?

Something vital to understanding why Eren had chosen this ending?

"Don't worry about it," Baraqiel seemed to think her disquiet was from fear. "The Chaos Brigade, what remains of it, won't be able to do anything like this again. They failed too hard. Everyone will be on the defensive for a few years or decades as they try and recover. We'll be doing the same. The Hindus won't be a problem either. They keep each other in check. Just focus on rebuilding. The world has changed, but it's not over yet and won't end anytime soon."

Sona didn't hear him, too lost in going over her every memory with Eren, trying to piece together anything she had missed or overlooked in the panic since Issei's 'death.'

She barely heard Akeno wish her father farewell.

She was the only one who paid no attention to Ophis' arrival.

"Kuroka."

The tiny dragon had appeared next to one of the clones...probably the real one.

"Ophis," Kuroka said, her eyes wild as she continued to search for the missing cane. "I'm busy."

"Where is Eren?"

The search stopped instantly, and Kuroka looked down at Ophis.

The diminutive form of the Infinite Dragon looked back up at her with a blank face but eyes expressing so much.

Confusion. Fear. Loss.

"He killed Baka Red. I, have Silence. But... where is Eren?"

Kuroka's hand started to tremble.

"I, saved Issei. Eren doesn't need to hurt. I, have Silence. We, won. So... Where is Eren?"

"Eren... Eren's gone," Kuroka croaked, collapsing to her knees in front of Ophis and grasping her by her small shoulders. "Just for a little while. I'm gonna get him back."

"Where?" Ophis asked with a tilt of her head. "I, can't find him. I, could always find him. Why can't I find him now?"

Kuroka let out a choking sob, pulling the tiny girl into a hug as everyone just... watched.

"Is he hiding? Because I saved Issei? Eren should be happy. Because I was going to ask for a Banana Dimension? I'm sorry. I, won't ask."

"No," Kuroka said softly, hugging the girl to her. Her shoulders were shaking. "No. You didn't do anything wrong. Eren's just... just a blockhead. He's hiding from me. Because I want to be a bit selfish."

"Your Evil Piece wouldn't work," a hoarse voice told the crying woman and Sona was finally torn from her thoughts.

Everyone looked over at Mikasa approaching, Serafall right beside her.

Both looked like they had been crying.

Kuroka didn't seem to care about their state, only about what she was looking for.

"Give him back!" Kuroka said firmly, separating herself from Ophis gently.

"For what," Mikasa said rhetorically, her eyes empty and hollow. "He's not coming back."

"You don't know that!" Kuroka snapped, standing in a hurry as she glared at the other woman. "Give me him!"

"Evil Pieces don't work on him," Rias agreed with Mikasa, a complex look on her face as she looked at Leviathan's Pawn.

She wasn't the only one.

Almost everyone was looking at Mikasa with... well, calling it a melange would not be doing justice to their conflicting feelings.

Not that the Ackerman was any better.

She looked... destroyed. Wrecked. An example of misery so complete that Sona had never seen the like before.

"I know!" Kuroka turned her ire on the redhead but froze when she caught sight of her younger sister looking up at her. Kuroka sagged, tears flowing as she looked back to Mikasa. "Please. I know it didn't work for you. But... I have to try."

"It still won't work," Serafall said softly before Mikasa could answer. "The Evil Pieces need an intact body. He... wasn't."

There was a low, keening wail.

Sona didn't know who it was coming from.

It could have been her.

It wasn't Kuroka.

"Please! I need to see it! See him!" Kuroka pressed frantically. Begging. "I need to know if it was worth it! Please, just let me see his smile!"

It clicked.

With a sudden clarity, it clicked for Sona.

It wasn't the smile comment.

Eren might have lied to Kuroka. He had certainly lied enough, and deceiving Kuroka wouldn't have been the worst thing he had done to get the ending he wanted. Kuroka was also fair game for predictions since she supposedly wasn't immune to the Paths like Sona was supposed to be.

Like Mikasa was supposed to be.

No, it wasn't Kuroka or Mikasa that stirred the insight.

It was Akeno, watching the conflict with sharp eyes.

Akeno, who was also immune to the Path.

Akeno, whose words now rang through Sona.

At the time, it had scared Sona stiff, but it had been half-forgotten in the revelations about Eren, his world, and his goals.

"He once told me he'd die on the bench. Alone."

A sentence that took on a whole new meaning now that she knew he could see the future.

"What smi-"

"Aunty!" Sona interrupted, the numbness fading and energy coursing into her as her heart picked up until it was beating so fast she was sure everyone else could hear it. "Did he see you? Did Eren see you?!"

Mikasa blinked numbly, looking at the younger girl.

"Ah. No. I was... I was too late."

"Too late?" Kuroka asked with a growl, stepping forward toward the woman. Serafall looked ready to defend her Pawn, but Sona stopped them with another question.

"You didn't kill Eren, did you?!"

Mikasa looked down at the girl, seeing something in her eyes that made her heart skip a beat.

"No. I didn't. I was too late," Mikasa repeated, more firmly this time as anger replaced grief. "Someone else got there first. Rizevim Lucifer. He..." Mikasa's teeth clenched, and her hands shook. "He killed Eren. I... almost killed him. Would have killed him. But... he had Eren's head. He managed to get away. I'm going to find him and kill him..." The anger at the thought withered and died, once more replaced with grief. "And while I was fighting him, that mist took Eren's body. And Great Red's."

Sona didn't pay any attention to the rage on her aunt's face or on the faces of the other people there.

She just asked one more question, a desperate burning... something in her chest.

"His eyes! Did you see Eren's eyes? Were they grey? Or were they green!?"

Because Eren didn't have to be in his Titan.

And Titans didn't need to be huge.

Mikasa stared at her niece, almost uncomprehending for a second.

Then it clicked for her, too.

"You think..." Mikasa asked, a note of desperate hope in her voice as she reached for Sona's shoulders, locking her place so they could stare eye to eye.

"Answer the question!"

"I- I can't say for sure. His regular eyes look green if the light hits them right. Or blue. And without the sun..." Mikasa shook her head. "I barely saw him for a second. He was covered in blood, so I didn't see his skin. After Rizevim was gone, I got a better look, but they were pale. I could be wrong."

Kuroka also seemed to get it as she asked her own question, her golden eyes alight with their own fire.

"Was he smiling?"

"Why would he be smiling?" Akeno asked waspishly, not yet understanding what was happening. "He's dead! Eren's dead! You don't smile when you die! Not when someone like Rizevim Lucifer kills you!"

Kuroka didn't look at the girl, just staring at Mikasa.

"No," Mikasa said slowly. "I can't say about his eyes without... without hoping too much. But I can say, with a hundred percent certainty, that Eren was not smiling."

Kuroka laughed.

Loud, long and filled with such relief and joy that everyone had to stare at her as she scooped Ophis up into her arms, pressing the dragon into her breasts and spinning the small girl.

"Sona," Serafall said her name with such calmness that it took the younger Sitri a moment to realize she was also grinning.

And crying.

The tears that had refused to fall were now flowing without stopping. Everyone was looking at her like she was crazy.

Serafall waved her hand, and a magical boundary appeared, separating them from the rest of the rubble of a ruined battlefield.

Once they had their privacy, the Leviathan looked at her sister.

"Tell me what is going on. Or else."

The fact that her sister was saying something like that... It made Sona look at her aunt.

Mikasa looked...

Sona couldn't not explain after seeing the normally strong, dependable woman looking at her like that.

So, Sona put it as bluntly as possible to avoid confusion.

"Eren can use the Founder."

In the moment before the shocked and horrified listeners could ask for... everything, Kuroka added her own bombshell.

"Eren's known the day he dies since he regained his powers," the nekoshou's smile was infectious as she continued to squish Ophis into her boobs. "He told me he dies with a smile, but he never knew why he was smiling. He's been chasing that smile for thirteen years."

"So... You're sure... He's..."

Mikasa stuttered out the words as if not daring to hope to have the final confirmation.

Yet there was also a note of horror in her at the idea that Eren might once more be trapped in the endless hell of the Paths.

Sona gave her aunt a watery smile.

This wouldn't answer everything, and it certainly wouldn't solve the answer of Eren's... status, or whatever you wanted to call this ball of emotion and conflict within them all. Eren had just attacked them, killing a lot of people, and manipulated them to help, even if indirectly.

All this would do was put off the end, the grief, for a little bit.

A little more time to come to terms. To digest. To do things right!

Sometimes, just a bit of time was enough to say goodbye.

"Eren's not dead. He's still alive!"

********

As the privacy spells went up around the Leviathan, her Pawn, her sister, and the Gremory group, Vali tried to ignore Bikou's look.

He failed.

"I thought I told her," the White Dragon Emperor said a bit sheepishly.

Bikou just continued to stare accusingly.

[No. You didn't.] Albion's voice was tinged with exasperation. [As soon as you told them you found Eren, you fought her not to go to him immediately, remember? You spent the entire day convincing her to wait to use the attack as cover.]

Vali did remember. But he also remembered telling everyone that Eren had told him the bench was where he'd die.

[You only told them that after she had already left to find him.]

…Right.

Ok, so it was Vali's fault.

Or at least partially his.

Eren could have told Kuroka he'd die on the bench at any point, so the young Lucifer was only willing to take fifty percent of the blame... Maybe thirty.

He and Bikou returned to Kuoh to see if Eren was there after the battle while Le Fay and her familiars went to find Arthur.

He wasn't there, which probably meant Eren hadn't died yet.

Vali had been surprised not to find Kuroka looking there as well, and by the time he returned to the battlefield, they'd caught the tail end of her realization that Eren still lived.

"How was I supposed to know he wouldn't tell her?" Vali was starting to get defensive at Bikou's flat look. "He told me right away! Didn't even try to keep it a secret. Didn't tell me I had to either."

Bikou sighed.

"If I had known she thought Eren would actually die in this battle, I would have told her. No wonder she didn't want to fight," Vali ran a hand through his hair, ensuring it was still appropriately styled. "It's not like it mattered. Eren still kicked our asses. Our last shot, all of us together, and we still lost."

"...It was a fun battle, though."

"…It was," Vali admitted quietly, looking out into the distance where the Dream had fallen. "Not knowing if we'd live or die. Not knowing if victory was even possible. And getting to go all out like that without worrying for collateral… It's the most fun I've had in my life… Eren even left us a gift. We can find the Boob Dragon to fight with later."

The pair lapsed into silence, looking out over the battlefield once more.

Then Bikou snorted a laugh.

"What?" What had been funny enough to interrupt their cool moment?

"Nothing. Just…" Bikou was chortling, grinning like a monkey. "Do you think he knew? About Kuroka not knowing he would survive? That she was fighting thinking she was killing him?"

"Maybe," Vali shrugged, not understanding the humour. "I have no idea what he sees. He sees everything the Titans do but has no way of knowing what other people are thinking. Why?"

"I just found it funny that both women he's gone for so far have tried to kill him. One even succeeded. I was wondering if that was his 'type.' Ya know?"

"Probably," Vali smirked. "If that's the case, the entire world would be his 'type' now."

The smirk died as a more sobering thought came to him.

Eren, from even before he met Kuroka, had to have known she'd fight him today. And if he had known she was fighting to kill him…

Was that why Eren could fall in love with Kuroka in the first place?

Because he knew she wouldn't choose him at the end of it all? That Kuroka, when push came to shove, would decide to pursue her own happiness even if it meant it was no longer with him?

…That sounded like Eren to Vali.

"What are we going to do now?" Bikou asked as the silence stretched on.

"Eren still has promises to fufill. I will make sure he comes through."

"Just your promise," Bikou shrugged when Vali looked at him in surprise. "The Hero Faction got theirs. Ophis got hers. Kuroka, Le Fay, Arthur and I got ours. So, you're the only one left."

"Will the Monkey King agree this counts for your bet? Everyone thinks Eren's dead."

"Even if Eren did die, there's no denying that the Old Man isn't the greatest sage to ever live anymore," Bikou said with a mischievous grin tinged with smug satisfaction. "Eren, a sage, killed Great Red. It is literally impossible to top that. He'll argue, but we both know I won."

Vali couldn't really disagree with that, though he did feel a bit of regret at not being the one to finally beat the Dream.

As a child, he'd often wanted to be the one to kill Great Red and place white dragons at the top of the hierarchy of this world.

"I don't know where Georg is or where he took Eren, so I can't ask him about my mother…" Vali trailed off before shrugging. "I guess all that's left is to hunt down Rizevim. Eren did promise that he'd die miserably."

"Something tells me that we won't be the only ones looking for him," Bikou chuckled, looking at where the group was still talking, protected by privacy wards. "If we do find him, how will we kill him? You can't use Albion for it?"

"I have some ideas," Vali smirked, looking toward his rival surrounded by his… 'Harem' was it? "Let's find Arthur and Le Fay and see if they want to help."

Despite what he wanted the world to think, Eren clearly wasn't ready to die just yet, and Vali honestly couldn't wait to find out what could possibly be a more worthy end than the death of the Dream.

********

A bit of a breather chapter after the relentless movement of the last few. I don't want to brush off this battle's effect, as this story is still character-focused.

One of the most delicate parts of writing this story is managing who knows what and when they learn it. I've done my best, but there may be some inconsistencies. Feel free to point them out for me if you find them.

I don't think Eren's survival comes as a great surprise here. Chapter 1 spoiled it, after all, and a few eagle-eyed readers caught onto the 'green eyes' and blood-soaked skin part of the last chapter. I will say that pretty much all the setup for the end is done now, and I've left a ton of hints for those curious to find them.

To prevent spoilers, I won't comment too much on them. Instead, I'll highlight my take on one of the discussions I've read about after the last chapter.

Mikasa Vs Rizevim.

Like her fighting Vali, it is a matter of situation. Rizevim, if he sees her coming, could just inundate her with massive spells she might not be able to dodge and can't tank through until she gets a better grasp on Touki. She'd simply lose. That being said, Mikasa doesn't fight fair. None of the scouts do. They ambush. They come from behind/below/above. If she can get the drop on someone with Purgatorio, there are very few non-god characters that can survive.

Rizevim totally could have beaten her if he had been calm and gone all out. But he didn't. He's not Cao Cao or Eren. Every depiction of him in cannon is him either using his inborn power and abilities to curb-stomp opponents or torment those weaker than him. The first second he feels threatened, he flees, and when he is defeated, he begs for his life, throwing away all his 'beliefs' in his supposed nobility and supremacy.

Rizevim is strong. But he's venial, self-serving, and a bully. When push comes to shove, he literally has no redeeming qualities. Some people are just like that.

Anyway, I will see you all on Friday on the bench.

 

[ReadingDangerously]

Thirteen years.

As Mikasa listened to Sona recount what she had learned in the last few hours, she kept returning to that idea. It wasn't that she wasn't paying attention. Rather, Mikasa hung on to every word, imprinting them deeply to not forget a single fact of the tale.

But still...

Thirteen years.

For thirteen years, Eren had been trapped in the Paths, where every second was an infinite moment that was simultaneously his best and worst day, where he felt every pain he'd ever felt and saw futures that would never be.

For thirteen years, for every second of every day, Eren had experienced this attack, this second Rumbling. He was fighting his friends, her, and the whole world. His comrades were dying. Every wound was carved into him, and every heartbreak was presented to him anew.

And yet... Yet... Mikasa couldn't say he was worse off than he'd been in their world.

In their world, Eren had only been trapped in the Paths for a few days, but those Paths had been made of two thousand years worth of experiences from the perspective of countless Eldians.

Mikasa had always believed that those experiences in the Path, the pain of the Founder and Attack Titan's knowledge, had been a significant reason for the Rumbling. She'd always thought that experiencing all the pain and suffering the Titans had created significantly influenced his choice of end.

To have the slate wiped clean of all that came before.

Ending Eren's misery, once she learned of it after the fact, had been the one consolation for what Mikasa had done. Eren... he hadn't wanted to live like that. Death had probably been a relief. A release from his prison of torment.

Yet, in this world, he lived for a full thirteen years in that eternal prison.

If the Founder was so terrible, why prolong it? Why not choose a future that freed him sooner? Why not choose an end where he didn't need to suffer for as long?

...That was the question, wasn't it?

Why?

Sona finished her tale, her eyes still red from tears shed, but her smile faded as she spoke of what she had done. The price she had paid to ensure Eren got the ending he wanted while still saving as many people as she could.

Serafall was the first to speak.

"You should have told me."

"No."

She said the word immediately, without thought and consideration, but it was the correct answer.

Mikasa was sure of it.

"She did the right thing."

"Mi-chan..." Serafall said, her voice soft but chastising. "We could have helped. Come up with something better."

"Could we?" Mikasa asked, finally looking at her King. Mikasa didn't know what her face looked like, but Serafall flinched. "We couldn't. Not when he has the Founder. He won. He won thirteen years ago. All we can do is ensure his victory is as bloodless as possible."

Before anyone could say anything else, Mikasa shook her head slightly, refocusing.

"I'll still... fight Eren if he does something I disagree with. He'd do the same. Just... Sona made a hard call. One that saved a lot of lives. Because Eren would have killed more people if it got him the future he wanted. I know that. We all do."

"And if we had known, we could have organized something better," Serafall pointed out. "Something that wouldn't have put so many people in danger!"

"No," Kuroka shook her head. "You couldn't have. Eren needed to kill Great Red to get the memory of it to get Ophis' help." "I, still can't find him." "He needs to see '3' to being '2.' And if Eren had shown up with power and told you he could see the future, would you have let him destroy Agreas and kill so many of the Pillar families before fighting Great Red?"

"...How many?" Sona asked, looking at her sister. "How many did he- I, kill?"

"It wasn't you," Serafall denied instantly. "It was Eren."

"It was her," Rias denied just as vehemently, stepping up beside her rival. "You don't get to take that from her. From me. Any of us! We made our choices, and we need to live with them."

"Choices you made without knowing the future! Unlike Eren!"

"That doesn't matter," Akeno disagreed. "If we have to move forward, it won't be by ignoring our guilt. We might carry it with us, but it is ours. Eren did what he did. There is no changing that. But so did we."

"What guilt!?" Mikasa had never seen Serafall so frustrated. She looked ready to tear her hair out. "All you did was fight against a man trying to destroy your home and kill a bunch of innocent people! There's nothing for you to feel guilty about!"

"But he wasn't, was he?" Yuuto pointed out. "If he wanted to, he could have killed everyone. He killed Great Red. If he wanted us all dead, we would be. It wasn't about killing. It was about destroying something Eren thought was wrong, even if it meant making enemies out of everyone."

"You can't be trying to justify his actions?"

"Not justify," Koneko shook her head. "Understand."

"Just because we understand them doesn't mean we agree," Yuuto rubbed a hand gently through Koneko's hair. "Eren... he isn't evil. He just weighed things on a scale and found that the destruction of the Evil Pieces system and a large portion of the Pillars was worth the collateral damage."

"How many?" Sona asked again, more forcefully this time. "How many dead?"

Serafall looked at her younger sister, tears of frustration building in her eyes. It made her look younger than her centuries.

Then again, Sona had always been Serafall's weakness.

"How many!?"

"...We're still counting," Serafall eventually said, deflecting.

"You have a better idea than that!" Sona snapped. "'The first thing an army should do after a battle is to take stock of the remaining military assets.'"

"I never should have given you Falbium's books," Serafall muttered, almost petulantly. "But you were so cute when you asked..."

Ah!

"Onee-sama!"

As she watched the two sisters argue, a revelation struck Mikasa like a lightning bolt.

Seeing them, this handful of... kids, essentially, glare down one of the Satans, it was hard not to see it.

They were healed, but they were bloody. Tired. Stressed. They just had their first great battle, rivalling any others. One against someone they cared about.

Yet, they were still fighting.

"...Falbium's spells told him that of his eight thousand troops, two hundred and seven died battling the Colossal Titans. A hundred and eighty-seven Ultimate Class devils were part of the initial attack against the White Titan. Thirty-eight died. Among the reinforcements, fourteen died in the battle against the Colossals outside the Wall. As far as we can tell, the defenders inside only lost eighteen, as the Titans were focused either on Lillith or the Wall. Civilian casualties are less accurate, but at least a few dozen perished in the confusion, and a handful more didn't evacuate Lilith before the Titans got by you. We're still searching the rubble."

Mikasa's eyes swept the young devils in front of her, looking at their grim faces, then at Serafall and something just... clicked.

"...And how many were on Agreas?"

Even counting that she had spent less time with him than Kuroka or the others in this world, Mikasa still felt that she knew Eren the best. Understood his motivations the best.

And, now knowing he had the Founder and wasn't simply fighting but working with a plan he knew would succeed, Mikasa could finally try and put together the clues of all their talks.

"We don't know. They weren't part of the plan or Falbium's spells. The others and I were already away when the attack began."

Was this what Eren meant when he said he didn't want to repeat the mistakes of the past? Was this why he had chosen this future?

"And you didn't receive a report from those who teleported to Agreas when you returned? Someone would have counted or recognized the extra Lords and Ladies. I sent out sixty-four letters. Even if only half answered, Grayfia would have taken note."

Mikasa remembered the relief she had felt for those few minutes when she had believed she didn't have to be the one to kill Eren again. That it was left to someone else.

"...She did, but I haven't received her report yet. I went to help you, then Mi-chan, then here we are. Onee-sama will tell So-tan later."

...Had Eren felt that same relief?

"Don't lie to me!" Sona snapped. "I know for a fact that you wouldn't cut yourself off! You are still receiving reports now, while we talk."

"Sera," Mikasa said gently, using their private nickname to grab the Leviathan's attention. "Tell her."

The pain on her friend's face only made Mikasa more determined that she was right.

"Protecting someone you love is kind. But only if they need the protection. If they don't, it's not love. It's a padded prison of ignorance and helplessness."

Mikasa hadn't realized what she had been doing to Eren for years. Her love and desire to keep him safe had been a chain around his neck. It was only when she let go, when she trusted him, that he had been able to grow. It had been too late then but in this world? It wasn't too late.

Seeing her older sister vacillate, Sona struck the final blow.

"Even if you don't tell me, I'll know," she said softly. "In order to get them onto Agreas, I had to make it look like I was acting against you in self-interest. Everyone there signed a magical contract to fund my school for decades, no matter what happened. I am going to inherit all the wealth and power they signed over. All I will have to do is count the empty seats in my next board meeting."

That finally pushed Serafall over the edge.

"Grayfia counted three hundred and forty-two devils who were not part of the initial plan." Sona's breath hitched as she stared wide-eyed at her sister. "Most were Peerage of the ninety-seven Lords and Ladies she recognized. If you only sent sixty-four letters, they shared the information with their family or retainers. Or Zekram sent out a call."

"That's..." Rias breathed out in shocked awe.

"Over half the members of the House of Lords," Serafall nodded grimly. "Plus various retired members and heirs. All together and based on names, Sirzechs thinks at least seven of the remaining Pillars are fully extinct. Four more are left with no one with their clan trait and will be demoted to Extra families if they survive at all. Six are leaderless, their heirs either too young to inherit or indisposed in some way."

"Satans..." Akeno's hands clenched and released as if trying to grasp something.

"We were lucky," Serafall continued grimly. "Our total casualties from this attack are expected to be less than a thousand. A fraction of a percent of the population. Other factions were not as lucky. Initial reports give casualty estimates between ten percent to full annihilation for smaller forces. That doesn't change the fact that most of our losses come from our strongest military forces. We are only slightly better off than the likes of the fallen."

Lucky was an understatement.

There were more casualties on a human battlefront, let alone one with the kinds of powers in play here.

But it wasn't really luck, was it? Not when this was a precision strike orchestrated by someone who could see the future.

The Titans, the flash and awe of it... It was all a big distraction to mask Eren's real targets and lure out Great Red.

"Bara- Father mentioned that heaven and the Hindu were not attacked," Akeno pointed out.

"The Trimurti have kept themselves stable for thousands of years, and the Hindus are not as prone to infighting as others," Serafall nodded. "Baring Indra and Shiva, the Hindus have no interest in changing the status quo. Eren killed Great Red, so he probably could have taken them on, but not while he was on a time limit like he was. No. He deliberately left them untouched and every other faction is wondering why. Were they in on it? Indra was. But others? Every eye is on the Hindus, waiting for them to show the slightest hint of movement while everyone else recovers. By leaving them alone, Eren's forced a stalemate. The Hindus can't move without provoking everyone, and nobody can attack them since they are so strong."

It was easy to forget behind the costume and magic wand, but Serafall was the Satan in charge of Foreign Affairs. Her entire job was to keep the peace between devils and the innumerable factions of the world.

"He's really created a cold war," Sona rejoined the conversation, recovering slightly from the shock.

"Why not heaven," Yuuto asked. "He's not really religious. Why didn't he attack them?"

"He probably didn't need to," Serafall shook her head. "Ever since the big guy died, it's been the weakest of the Three Factions by far to those that know about His death. Only Michael and the leftover System that makes us weak to Light have kept heaven as a viable threat. We benefited from the myth of his survival as well. Like the Heavenly Dragons, anyone who got in the way of His wars also became a target. Nobody wants to become a second Vritra."

"And if Eren knew about it, which he should, he'd know that destroying the Brave Saints would do more damage to heaven than an attack anyway," Sona ran a hand through her hair in frustration.

"The ruse won't last much longer," Serafall continued grimly. "Most of the world still thinks He's alive, but He hasn't been seen in centuries. He didn't attack the devils during the Civil War and didn't attend the Peace Conference. It won't be long before it gets out He's dead, no matter what we do now. If this was before the Treaty, heaven would be wiped out. He made a lot of enemies that outlived Him."

"Will the Treaty hold?" Mikasa asked, mind still trying to piece together the fragments of her idea. She had its shape, the bare bones, but the details were lacking.

She wasn't a genius like Armin, but looking at these battered children- No. These young men and women. These warriors who had stood up and fought for their home.

Mikasa almost smiled bitterly when she remembered that their youngest, Koneko, was still older than Mikasa had been when she finished training and joined the scouts.

"Almost certainly," Serafall nodded. "It won't be as smooth since we can't provide the Brave Saint cards we promised, but Michael made the right call to help the fallen and us. It wasn't a purely benevolent move. He needs us to ward off the vultures once news of His death spreads. And we need heaven and the fallen to make up for our lost forces today."

"Eren... helped the treaty?" Koneko frowned in thought.

"Yes," the Leviathan nodded. "The threat of the Chaos Brigade is all but gone, but its presence never really helped as a unifying threat. It was too nebulous. Unknown. But other factions? Everyone is used to being wary of them, and survival is a great motivator for turning enemies into allies. It won't be perfect. Everyone will want to be the first to recover their strength, but it will be self-interested. With everyone weakened and distrusting, what few allies you can count on will be invaluable. I wouldn't be surprised if other factions didn't start trying to join the Treaty. Especially the harder hit ones like the Shinto or Greeks."

"What happened in Japan," Rias asked worriedly.

"The remaining Korean gods took the chance for revenge for what happened last century," Serafall said bluntly. Everyone winced at the reminder. "The Shinto Pantheon is still around, as is Amaterasu, but they are in no state to fight off the Jade Court if they decide they also want to take their own shot."

There was a note of grim silence as the reality of their new world settled on everyone.

It was Koneko who asked the question they were all thinking.

"What now?" Golden feline eyes swept them all, searching for an answer. "What do we do now? Eren is still alive. He's not done."

"With how tense things are," Sona let out a long, weary sigh. "If news he's still alive leaks, this temporary peace will end instantly. It's impossible to predict what will happen, but everyone will be scrambling to do something, either for or against the human that killed Great Red."

"But if he's left alone, whatever he has planned next might also set everyone off," Akeno pointed out, a grim fatalism in her voice.

"We can't stop him," Rias said, sitting down tiredly. "He'll succeed with the Founder, no matter what it is."

"You don't do anything," Serafall shook her head. "You've all done enough. You go back to school and let us take care of this." When all the young devils looked ready to protest, Serafall glared at them as the temperature dropped. That shut them up. "We'll rebuild, get things organized. I'd want to keep you here, with me, but So-tan, you need to be out of the Underworld. For as long as possible. I'll let you know when it's safe to return."

Sona didn't even look like she would argue; she just nodded. She could see the wisdom in remaining out of the public eye for a while.

It wouldn't stop the rumours or lessen the flow of wealth and power that would come her way, but it would hopefully mitigate the fallout.

It was, surprisingly, Mikasa who rejected Serafall's order.

"They'll help me," she declared. When her King looked at her Pawn, Mikasa explained. "I'm no use for rebuilding and not known enough to be missed. I'm going to hunt down Rizevim. They'll help when they can."

That got some wide eyes, but Serafall shook her head furiously.

"No way," she denied, crossing her arms in an X for dramatic effect. "I know you're angry, but he's a Super Devil! One of only three to ever live! You took him by surprise once, and he won't allow that to happen again. You can't beat him, and I am not going to allow them anywhere near him."

"Of the people here, Rias is the only one who could hurt Eren when he was going all out," Mikasa pointed out.

"That was with the power of a Heavenly Dragon!"

"A power that we can use whenever we want," Mikasa pointed in the direction Issei was huddled with the rest of the Gremory Peerage. "Eren chose a future where Rizevim 'killed' him. Visibly. Publicly. I got there first, but others saw him. I can't imagine Eren would choose that way if he didn't need to send a message. "

"Eren killed Great Red. Rizevim 'killed' him," Akeno said, even using finger quotes. "'Rizevim is a greater threat than Eren,' is that it? He's also the last remaining leader of the Brigade. Everyone else is either dead or fled. Eren did everything he could to ensure the world only has Rizevim left to blame for today."

"Trust me, Sera," Mikasa tried to reassure her friend. "I have no plans to put them in any danger I don't believe they can't handle."

"They shouldn't be in any danger at all."

Mikasa let out a small, sad smile.

"There's always danger. There will never be a world that doesn't have enemies looking to hurt you. All you can do is prepare those that come after you so they are strong enough to inherit the world as it is, not as you hope it to be."

"There is a big difference between training them and throwing against the third strongest devil ever born!? And why them? We can deal with Rizevim."

"No. You can't. You must be here, rebuilding and ensuring another Great War doesn't break out. And it has to be them. And me. Who knows what Eren told Rizevim. They are the only ones Eren can't see in the Paths, right?"

"Right," Kuroka, still hugging Ophis to her chest, nodded with her little smile. Around them, her clones still searched for the lost cane, but the urgency was gone. "Eren mentioned something about being able to see one of you, I think Issei, but everyone else he saw on the bench should be completely invisible to him. You won't be able to change the future he experienced, but he won't know what you did to get to that future."

"We'll still need your information networks to find him," Mikasa consoled her King. "And we'll only attack with a plan. I'll make sure they're trained. Ready."

"But not safe," Serafall muttered petulently.

Then she relented, giving her Pawn a begrudging nod.

Not even Serafall could deny these young devils' impact on this battlefield.

She was trusting Mikasa to do right by them.

"You know," Sona said in the silence that followed, narrowing her eyes suspiciously at the smiling nekoshou. "You were very vague on why he couldn't see us. You just said something about Kuoh and why he was there in the first place. Is it something we can replicate?"

Kuroka hesitated, biting her lip as her tails waved behind her.

Then she hugged Ophis tighter to her chest and told them.

About Eren running away, how he didn't know why he was smiling, and how he had gone looking for the part of the Path he was blind to. How he had found it in a park in Kuoh, a bench that nullified his Founder abilities.

She talked of finding him after the Peace Conference, meeting him again, and his continued struggle to understand the future. About how everyone he met for the first time on the bench was immune to his power, blank spots in the Path.

"He was always protective of that damn bench, no matter how uncomfortable it was," Sona sighed in fond frustration, adjusting her glasses. "He was probably worried that if it was damaged or moved, it would lose its power... whatever it is."

"I have no idea," Kuroka shrugged. "It's not magic. It's not Senjustu, Ki, Light, or Demonic Power. I sensed nothing from it at all, even when I was sitting right on it. And I am a much better sensor than Eren."

"Isn't he a better Sage than you," Akeno pointed out.

"Because he cheats," Kuroka pouted. "He has infinite time in the Paths to practice. If it weren't for the limitations of his body, he could theoretically be as strong as Ophis in Ki alone. But sensing requires outside practice, so he's only a bit talented."

"AH!" Koneko suddenly exclaimed and everyone looked at her in worry. She was blushing deeply. "...That's how you got your tails. That... bouchujutsu technique. When you... with Eren... you go into the Path. And you spend years."

"Right," Kuroka gave her sister a sly smile. "Onee-sama doesn't remember her time there, but it was long enough to get seven tails. Who knows what happened~"

Mikasa didn't need Language to understand that 'Bouchujutsu' translated to 'Bedroom Techniques' to understand the implications. She just had to hear it in the cat's tone and see the flush on the young devils' faces.

Despite everything, the intense jealousy still rose within her chest. That familiar rage, envy, and bundle of dark emotion she had felt when Eren seemed a bit too eager to spar with Annie or when she noticed his new comradery with Historia was just as present now as it had been then.

It was even worse, knowing that Eren had actually... been with the cat. She'd ignored it and would continue to do so because it wasn't like Kuroka was... with him now, but it didn't change what Mikasa felt.

It was illogical. She'd... not moved on, per se, but Mikasa had been happy with Jean. And, in a way, she was happy that Eren had something, someone comparable.

But feelings didn't care about logic. They were pathetic, messy, and all too flawed.

Like Eren, Mikasa could acknowledge the hypocrisy of her own feelings. That small but unignorable voice in her heart.

It should be me.

It didn't mean she wanted to dwell on those feelings. Especially since right now was not the time for it.

"Anything else?" Mikasa pressed. "Anything else you haven't told us about Eren, that bench, or his future?"

"...Only that meeting you made him even more reluctant to move forward," Kuroka said with a moment of thought. "He said he didn't want to inflict it on you again. That you would understand while we wouldn't."

"The Rumbling?" Akeno snorted in an unlady-like manner. "Everyone can understand the fear of not wanting to be squished like a bug."

"No," Sona shook her head. "Eren claimed it would be worse than the Rumbling. Or at least, that's what she told me."

Kuroka nodded with a grimace.

Everyone got very quiet then.

It was hard to fathom, here amongst the rubble and in a world with a destroyed sun, but this... attack was nothing compared to The Rumbling.

Less than a thousand dead... or a few thousand if one counted other factions, compared to one and a half billion?

Mikasa had lived through a post-Rumbling world.

The death of the Dream was shocking, but the impact would be nothing compared to the after-effect that event had on everyone and everything.

Even when Mikasa had died when the vast majority of the population was too young to remember the Battle of Heaven and Earth, its shadow still loomed over history.

There was a pre-Rumbling world and post-Rumbling world, and the two were almost wholly incomparable.

"Maybe he was talking about power rather than damage," Rias guessed.

They all hoped it would be the case, but nobody seemed convinced.

Still, Eren had the Founder. Whatever future he had already experienced, they couldn't change it. All they could do was try their best to shape it in their own small way.

Perhaps that was why Serafall sought to change the topic slightly from that grim fatality.

"I'm gonna have Adjuka look at this bench when he gets the chance," the Leviathan said. "If anyone can get anything out of it, it'd be him."

"I'll pull up what I can on the park's reconstruction," Sona said with a sigh. "Maybe there's a clue there."

"Suspicious."

"Do we have any other idea what might be behind it?" Yuuto asked, looking around after Koneko's summary. "It can't be a coincidence, right?"

"Someone clearly wanted Eren in Kuoh. Someone who knew how his power worked and his relationship with Mi-chan," Serafall said hesitantly. "We... have one more clue."

"Really?" Everyone looked at the Satan in surprise, even Mikasa, but it was Kuroka who asked the question.

"You remember the infirmary after your rating game?" Serafall asked, gesturing at Rias and Sona. They both nodded. Mikasa wouldn't forget that day, that talk with Saji, and the time after that for as long as she'd live. "I guessed Eren might be from Mi-chan's world, so I checked with Adjuka-chan. He confirmed it based on the blood you gave him."

"Okay," Sona said lowly, wondering where her sister was going with this.

"And we checked on an old experiment of his. One that hasn't changed in nineteen years," Serafall said, looking at her younger sister with a complicated expression. "Apart from being from another world, Mi-chan has another thing in common with Eren. This isn't the first time a wooden object seems to have power we can't sense."

Mikasa realized what her King was talking about before the Leviathan summoned the object from her own storage. Something she hadn't thought about, tried not to think about, for almost two decades.

It was a coffin.

It was a nice coffin, admittedly. The wood was polished and clean as if it had never been used, and there wasn't a scratch on it.

Under everyone's surprised eyes, Serafall popped open the lid.

Mikasa looked away, raising a hand to the scarf around her neck.

She knew what would be in that coffin.

It hadn't changed in the months she lived in Madagascar and wouldn't have changed in the years since.

If she looked, she knew she'd see it filled with her favourite flowers. White and fresh as if they had just been plucked.

Mikasa knew that in that pile of flowers would be an empty space that perfectly fit an old woman.

But there was no longer an old woman there.

Instead, it was just a short note.

She'd stared at it long enough to know its words by heart.

Mikasa never liked that coffin, even though her family had prepared it just as she asked in her will.

It was supposed to be her eternal resting place.

The final reunion with Eren, in a place where they were free of the world's cruelties.

Instead, it had become an ominous vessel that had brought her to this strange version of hell where there was no hope of that reunion.

...Only, that wasn't true, was it? She'd been reunited with Eren. In a way she couldn't have ever hoped for.

Mikasa looked at her coffin and saw the note lying where she once lay.

'A life for a life.'

Underneath that vague statement was a drawing of Pawn Piece.

"This appeared in front of me one day," Serafall said simply. "Teleported right through all my wards and defences. I thought it was an attack, but nothing else happened. I opened it and found Mi-chan inside with this note."

"What does that mean, 'A life for a life?'"

"I took the coffin to Adjuka to find out how it passed everything," Serafall continued, not answering Rias' question. "He examined it for three days and couldn't discover anything except that the wood isn't native to this world. But the flowers never wilted. The body, um, Mi-chan, didn't decay. It has power of some sort, one that stops anything within it from deteriorating, but we couldn't find out how it works. So, I reincarnated Mi-chan. We'd hoped she knew what had happened. She had no idea either."

More than that, Mikasa had been completely confused about what was happening.

And angry. And in denial. And despairing.

The point was that Mikasa hadn't been in any state to answer questions calmly. Especially since she didn't actually have answers.

"Don't the Evil Pieces not work if they aren't used right away?" Kuroka asked, surveying the inside with a critical eye. "Before the soul moves on?"

"We believe that whatever power keeps the contents fresh also prevented Mi-chan from moving on."

"So Eren has that bench, and Aunty has this coffin?" Sona asked with a furrowed brow. "Someone clearly planned this and created this item. Both of them. Someone who wanted to connect you, me, Eren, and Aunty."

Mikasa could see her King's conflict as she hesitated with the final clue. So, once again, Mikasa gave Serafall this last push. If she was right about Eren... about his intentions, then these young warriors needed to know everything.

"Tell her the rest."

Sona's eyes narrowed in suspicion at her sister.

"I only learned later," Serafall sighed, stepping forward to pull Sona into a hug. As if to reassure her. "But the moment I reincarnated Mi-chan was the same moment you were conceived."

Mikasa could see the wheels in her niece's brain grind to a halt.

There was the embarrassment, of course. Nobody wants to talk about or think about their own conception.

But there was also the implication.

With the note and the timing, it was too coincidental to be anything less than deliberate.

Lord and Lady Sitri had been trying for a second child for centuries, ever since Serafall had taken up the Leviathan title and never succeeded. Until the moment Mikasa was reincarnated?

Whoever was behind this had been able to influence a devil's ability to have children, which was infamously bad.

"That's impossible," Rias shook her head. "You're saying that Sona is-"

"I was the first to meet Eren on the bench," Sona said lowly, interrupting Rias. "Nobody would have talked to him if I hadn't started tutoring him. We just would have sent him out of the wards. And it was because of Saji's crush on me that Aunty heard about Eren... That's..."

Mikasa could understand the shock. The feeling like your life wasn't your own. Like you were just dancing on someone else's strings. Everyone who knew of Eren's ability faced that feeling at one point or another.

Serafall, though, wouldn't allow her sister to spiral.

"She's your Aunt because, without her, I might not have you," Serafall said with a small smile, still hugging her sister. "I can't imagine a world like that. You were my little miracle. Even if Eren does do... something worse than the Rumbling, even if he destroys the whole world and nothing we can do stops it, I won't regret a single moment. Because I got Mi-chan and So-tan. Because I had nineteen years of happiness out of the deal."

"No matter who's behind this," Mikasa said, stepping forward and laying a hand on Sona's head. "Never forget that you are 'Sona Sitri.' You made your choice. Hard choices. You've been hurt. But you should never regret being born in this world. And we'll never regret loving you."

Sona said nothing, just hugging her sister back and letting herself cry.

Mikasa didn't know what Eren still had planned. She could only think of two things he'd consider worse than the Rumbling, and neither seemed possible or likely.

But the end?

Why he was smiling?

Mikasa finally felt like she understood that part of him.

Eren had been smiling despite thirteen years of pain and imprisonment within the Paths.

What could make him smile despite all that?

Mikasa only had one answer she could think of.

Freedom.

********

Georg looked out over a field of graves.

There were hundreds, line after line of tombstones.

Georg had tried his best, using his magic to ensure everything was clean and that it would remain as preserved and sturdy as possible from any would-by defacers that would no doubt come in the centuries after he was no longer around.

Everyone had a grave.

Even those who had nothing left to bury.

Everyone's names were there, from the longest-running veteran to the newest recruit. He'd grouped them with who they fell with, their deeds carved upon monuments for future generations.

There was a kind of peace that came with knowing you were going to die, where it would be, and how.

It allowed one to decide how they wanted to be remembered.

Everyone left behind their own words for their descendants or visitors.

Still, for all his effort to make sure everyone would be recognized, Georg couldn't deny his own partiality.

While most of the graves had been dug and tombstones created by magic en-mass, he'd spent careful attention on the four markers at the forefront of this cemetery, sitting as the crown jewels to this monument to the Hero Faction.

The statue of Hercules was larger than life, smiling in the way he would whenever a new challenge appeared or when he saw an incredible explosion. The epitaph he had chosen was scrawled across the base, below his name, in blocky letters.

Live brightly. Laugh explosively. Let the world feel the impact of your death.

Jeanne, in contrast, had chosen a more classical monument, even if she added the request for a rapier to be stabbed into the traditional cross. Her own words were carved in a more flowing script as she spoke to her next reincarnation.

Surpass me as I surpassed the one who came before. Until our victory is absolute and bloodless.

Seigfried hadn't left any words behind for his grave, modelled as six demonic swords crossed over a man's head like a crown.

Instead, he'd just asked Georg to write down the results of his final battle, no matter what they were.

Georg obliged, and he liked to believe Sieg would have appreciated his choice.

I won.

Finally, Georg came to the last grave.

It was the simplest of the four, yet the most poignant.

A stone spear planted firmly in the ground, its tip poised toward the sky as if to pierce the very heavens.

Words scrolled along the haft.

Cao Cao. A hero.

Georg looked at his work, the field of graves in a pocket dimension here at the end of the world, and felt very lonely.

He wasn't the only survivor of the original Hero Faction, as he had gone to great lengths to make sure the world thought of the host of Annihilation Maker as a victim. Leonardo would be taken care of by the fallen. Vali would make sure of it. There had been some serious discussion of leaving him out entirely, as he was too young, but Annihilation Maker was needed, so they did what they could to ensure that he'd at least have a future.

Still, that didn't change the loneliness of looking over the graves.

They had chosen their end.

Georg had chosen to continue on.

Still, the melancholy didn't care about that choice.

A part of Georg wished he had died with them. That he wasn't the one having to bury his friends and go on, living life as if the world wasn't just a little bit dimmer from their deaths.

A more significant part wished to use the Grail that had collected all their blood and bring them back somehow.

It was theoretically possible. They had managed to bring back an Evil Dragon after all.

But humans were different than dragons, devils, angels, or monsters. To them alone was there a promise of an afterlife, of reincarnation.

His friends had all known of the Grail and, to a one, asked him not to bring them back.

They had wanted to be heroes, and death was the only rest a hero could get.

Better to die at their zenith than continue on, wasting away and becoming just a footnote in history.

Or worse, live long enough to become a cautionary tale.

None of them had been religious in the conventional sense, but Georg believed they all harboured a secret hope. One that beat in his own chest.

That their deaths would inspire their own legend.

That one day, their reincarnations could look at their past selves with the same pride the Hero Faction had felt once they discovered who they were.

Besides, Georg didn't have the Grail. Rizevim had taken Cao Cao's, and Eren's was still needed.

...Sometimes, Georg wondered if his reincarnation had been a trick of fate.

Like his namesake, Georg had made a deal.

'I want to see them become heroes.'

And Eren had delivered, just as he had to everyone else.

Even now, Georg wondered if the shades, the imprints of Jeanne and her followers, were still rampaging across Mt. Olympus.

Soon enough, the Reapers would rally from the loss of Hades, probably behind Thanatos, and they'd see them off to their proper afterlife.

Once they did, all the Grail would be able to conjure would be the imprints of their souls, not the souls themselves.

Georg would check in a couple days when he went out for supplies. He had to keep his returns to earth as few as possible.

He was a wanted man, after all.

One day, Georg would return to that original hideout, where friends founded an organization based on the childish dreams of heroes and monsters.

He'd place these graves there so they'd last even beyond his death and Dimension Lost's transference to a new host.

So, for now, it was just Georg and the graves.

And the mountain of crimson blood, flesh, and scale beyond.

In the moment's silence, as he bid farewell to the friends he loved, the comrades he fought beside, and the heroes he admired, Georg could hear it.

The only sound in this place with no wind, animals, or other life.

In this place beyond the Gap, where the world ended, and the vast infinity of the unknown stretched out endlessly beyond the mist of Georg's Sacred Gear, that sound might as well have been the clock's ticking for its regularity.

Without fail, every ten seconds, a voice would echo out from that gargantuan carcass that did not rot or decay.

Empty of all emotion or inclination, the voice reverberated as if overlapping with itself countless times as it slowly ticked down the minutes toward an inevitable end.

[[[[[[[[[Boost!]]]]]]]]]

********

Death in DxD is... weird.

First, there are numerous means of resurrection, from Great Red, the Evil Pieces and the Grail. Yet nobody is desperately hunting the Sephiroth Grail, hoping to bring back loved ones and the like. Is it because its hosts are so rare or because Valarie's subspecies, Balance Breaker, is unique? And there are afterlives, but only for humans? And devils die but don't have one? Except if they're killed by holy swords or Light, they are completely obliterated? As I said, it's bizarre and inconsistent. As expected of a world of Shonen Boobs.

I've been trying to keep to the 'rules,' such as they are. 'Power' is a big limiter. You can't bring back someone who's stronger than you. Thus, nobody could really bring back Great Red when he died. Or God. The second is souls. Humans have them, and they reincarnate. So you can't bring back someone who is long dead. But monsters/dragons/gods don't have them, so they can be brought back even after centuries. It just takes more power.

Anyway, mechanics aside, this chapter has a lot. Like so much. I never want to feel like I pull things out of my ass, as I want there to be immersion, so kudos to everyone who catches all the hints I lay out. More threads I've left dangling are tying up, and the tapestry is coming together.

Most likely, you all have questions, but I want the story to answer them rather than an author's note. So, the next chapter will be the last Author Note before its full steam ahead to the end. Feel free to ask questions, and if the story doesn't answer or won't answer, I will. Probably only tangential things.

I'll meet you all on Sunday on the bench.

 

[ReadingDangerously]

136 days until the End.

Great Red did not need to eat. It had simply created a stomach within itself for the sole purpose of celebrating its victory over him.

Eren had less than a minute before the Dream simply vaporized everything within itself and returned to the void, content with its first cool fight thousands of years.

Plenty of time for someone who knew exactly what to do.

Eren emerged slowly from the enormous piece of flesh that was once the back of his Titans's neck. He remained attached simply because he needed to keep this final Titan alive for a little longer. He was too fragile to handle another transformation, but he needed to be out of it for this next part.

With flesh still connected to the regenerating Titan, Eren grew another, smaller form beside himself.

It was another 'Eren Yeager,' one in which he had spent centuries getting perfectly right in build, form, and expression.

There was no rule that a Titan had to look monstrous, and Eren was their creator. He simply found it easier to use Ymir's old frameworks, but he could, if he wished, create on his size and shape.

This Titan Eren was almost entirely flesh-coloured, not a creation of the Warhammer, but an almost tumour-like growth from the Titan Eren was still attached to.

Still, it was obviously not him to anyone who bothered to look closer. The way the clothes were attached to its skin or the change in eye colour Eren couldn't do anything about, but that was fine once there was enough blood to disguise it.

It only needed to fool Rizevim for a few moments.

Here, in the 'stomach' of the Dream, only seconds after being swallowed, Eren took the final step toward his plan.

With slow movements, ones due to the sheer power running through his body threatening to tear him apart, Eren raised an arm behind his head.

If the connection failed, his Senjutsu didn't heal him fast enough, or something went wrong in the transference, Eren would die.

He was not afraid.

After all, he'd already succeeded. He was just going through the motions.

He'd already doomed this world.

Eren was just going through the motions.

So, with hands that trembled from the strain of the Infinite's power flowing through them, but without any hesitation, Eren Yeager plunged a blade into the back of his spine.

Blood and spinal fluid sprayed Great Red's stomach.

********

136 days until the End.

Rizevim dragged his wounded body through the teleportation circle.

He forgo his usual subtlety when moving through this part of the Underworld. The Reapers were a mess; if they sensed him in his secret lab, they couldn't do anything about it.

Hades was a more significant concern, but he should still be with Indra, so Rizevim had enough time to grab his mother, destroy this place, and leave before the Lord of the Dead even suspected his presence.

Only... his lab was already destroyed when he arrived.

For a moment, Rizevim could only stare at the remains of what had once been a sizeable magical complex.

Then he snarled, kicking the corpse of one of his dead servants. What good were they if they couldn't even keep his stuff secure?

Rizevim stalked the halls toward where he kept his mother. He didn't expect her to still be there. Anyone who could find and destroy this place would have taken the Mother of Devils' body for their own, hoping to create their own army.

Still... if parts of his mother remained Rizevim could use them to replace his arm before going off in search of whoever had destroyed his stuff.

But that wasn't to be either.

Rizevim found the containment chamber even more thoroughly destroyed than everywhere else.

Every part of the pile of flesh that remained in the room was blackened and burned.

Not by fire but by something holy, rendering the lumpy mass entirely unusable for him.

Rage, like never before, kindled in Rizevim's breast as he looked at the sticky note taped to the place where Lilith's head should be.

'The Hero Faction would like to extend its thanks for your hospitality over the years.' -Georg.
'A hero needs to save a damsel in distress.' -Cao Cao.
'I wish I could see your face right now. I bet you look constipated, hahaha.' -Hercules.
'Nothing personal. We just don't like you.' -Seigfreid.
'Bleh >' -Jeanne.

Rizevim's one good arm destroyed the door.

His magic destroyed the rest.

********

112 days until the End.

"Eren Yeager didn't lose," Indra said, removing the shark from the hook, releasing it, and casting his line back into the sea.

"He's dead," Rizevim said, keeping his smile on his face even if his eye twitched at the name.

"Yes. But he won." Indra sipped his bear.

He hadn't offered the devil one.

"He's dead, and everything he's built is destroyed. I won."

"Won?" Indra laughed lightly. "Is that why you are here? No. What remains of the Brigade thinks you're to blame for their loss. Everyone else thinks you are the mastermind. No. You're here because nobody else will help you."

"I don't need their help," Rizevim answered airily. "I can do everything myself. I just wanted to give you an opportunity. All you'd need to do is get me the Nail, and once I'm done, I'll give it back with the Grail."

Indra's laughter was loud and boisterous, shaking the small boat in the waves.

Rizevim grit his teeth but didn't let it show on his face.

"You don't lack ambition, I'll give you that. And blasphemy. You have the Cup, and now the Nail?" Indra laughed, wiping his eyes under his sunglasses. "But you are out of date by centuries. I traded it back to the White God before your father died. It's probably in a Sacred Gear somewhere."

That was bad.

The Nails would be perfect for disrupting the seals, but the Iron Crown of Lombardy was a fake, replaced at some point in the past and this had been Rizevim's last lead on the other Nail.

The plan was still possible. It would just take months instead of a few weeks.

For an instant, Rizevim considered just... leaving.

Without Great Red, the way was cleared. A few hours and he'd be in a new world.

But the thought of leaving this world like a fleeing dog, of having this grey blemish continue to exist, sent shivers of revulsion through his chest.

No. He was Rizevim Levin Lucifer! The first Super Devil. The antithesis of all things good and holy.

He wouldn't slink away, beaten and chastised by the ghost of a human boy.

When Rizevim left this world, it would be as a conqueror. A demon king released to ravage all the worlds that yet existed.

"I see," Rizevim said, letting his smile fall. "Then I shall be on my way. I have work to do."

"Rizevim." Indra's voice, devoid of all joviality, stopped him in his tracks. "My war has been delayed by at least half a century. The Three Factions are unified but brittle. The Brigade and all its members are either dead, dying, or hunted. Every significant force has been weakened. The Infinite is limited. The Dream is dead."

"What are you saying?"

"Eren won," Indra said bluntly. "A human took on the entire world and won. He might be dead, but we are living in his world. One where gods fear humans. He bought time for a new True Longinus wielder to grow. Nobody has made a move in weeks. But the time Eren bought is also ours. A human's world is limited to a human's lifespan. Everyone is waiting for the first idiot to step out and test the waters of this new world. You'd be wise to do the same."

And don't be the idiot.

The rage and humiliation at the implication were barely contained. Rizevim knew the only reason Indra was even talking to him was because he was so restricted. The second the God of War tried anything strong enough to kill the Super Devil, everyone keeping their senses open, just waiting for an excuse, would jump into their business.

Still, he would not swallow this.

"You are wrong," Rizevim said, taking to the air on his wings. "This is my world. I took it from his corpse when he thought his foresight could predict the Devil."

"Tell that to them."

In the open waters of the Indian Ocean, it was easy to tell who the God of War was talking about.

There she was, the wind of her passage sending enormous waves flying from the speed of her approach.

Rizevim's shoulder throbbed. For a split second, he wanted to kill her. To fight her. Destroy her.

To break her.

But she wasn't alone.

The Gremory girl and Baraqiel's brat were with her, both glowing with the crimson power of the Red Dragon Emperor.

None of them used Sacred Gears. Against one of them, especially her, he'd slaughter them.

All three? With Indra nearby, and who knew what else watching?

Rizevim grit his teeth as he fled, his pride burning fiercely.

This was his world.

His to destroy.

They could enjoy their petty victories all they wanted.

He'd be the one laughing in the end.

********

110 days until the End.

Three seals.

That was how many Rizevim had managed to destroy before he was interrupted in his work.

The God of the Bible had spread these spells all over Earth, and only someone with Grail, or equivalent access to the White God's System, could even sense them.

This meant Rizevim needed to be the one to find them, destroy them, and do so without being caught.

It helped that Rizevim was in no way a blundering idiot. He kept his power suppressed, his presence low, and he only stayed as long as needed.

So, when after only finishing up with the fourth seal, out of the hundreds he needed to get through, Rizevim felt the teleportation magic appear around him, he felt more confused than anything.

He was in a small, rural chapel in Chile. The only people who had been around in the middle of the night had been a local drunk blearily watching the stars from the stoop that he'd killed easily.

How, by all that was unholy, had someone managed to find him?

Rizevim didn't have time to wonder, didn't even have time to formulate a plan, before the new arrivals, some sort of local magic sect, appeared and started shooting him.

Language translated something to the effect of 'For my brother... something or other.

Rizevim honestly didn't care and stopped listening, just reducing the dozen or so human magicians to ash. For good measure, he destroyed the town as well.

Then, he had to get going. Fast. The local deities were taking note.

They were weak, as far as gods went, but they were still gods, and Rizevim would not allow himself to be locked down into a battle he couldn't end quickly.

He hoped this interruption was the exception, not the rule.

********

96 days until the End.

"Rizevim killed the last parts of Nilrem in Iceland, but Vali's team chased him out of South Africa," Georg reported, leaning against the corpse of Great Red.

These reports, spoken to the corpse of a dead Dream, were pretty much all he had to do except send the letters.

Georg didn't know how Eren knew where Rizevim was at all times. His foresight used to be limited to the knowledge he could obtain himself, but he wouldn't question it.

Like always, Georg would follow the step-by-step commands Eren had laid out for him long ago, carrying him toward the future.

[[[[[[[[[Boost!]]]]]]]]]

"The Greeks are waiting for him in Kavala, and I sent out the letter to Amaterasu."

Georg trailed off, no longer having anything left to report for the moment.

Looking out over the graves, Georg couldn't help the melancholy.

[[[[[[[[[Boost!]]]]]]]]]

"Leo is doing alright, as far as I can tell. The fallen have been treating him right. They want him to join to help make up for their losses... Things have been mostly quiet."

[[[[[[[[[Boost!]]]]]]]]]

"I've had a lot of time to think... About what comes after..."

[[[[[[[[[Boost!]]]]]]]]]

"I want to train more heroes. I want to find their reincarnations and tell them of who they used to be."

[[[[[[[[[Boost!]]]]]]]]]

"I don't want the world to forget them..."

[[[[[[[[[Boost!]]]]]]]]]

"Or you."

[[[[[[[[[Boost!]]]]]]]]]

"...Merry Christmas, Eren."

[[[[[[[[[Boost!]]]]]]]]]

********

75 days until the End.

Serafall looked at the letter that had fallen to her desk from a clump of mist.

Like the last one, it spoke of where Rizevim was.

Like the last one, she hesitated.

They'd been extra careful last time, fearing a trap, and the Super Devil had gotten away before Mi-chan, Rias, and Akeno could fight him. The fact that Indra had been there at all made it seem like a trap, but the God of War hadn't done anything, and Rizevim had fled.

Knowing that Eren could see the future, Serafall knew the boy knew that she wouldn't catch the Super Devil at that time and was using it as proof of the letter's contents.

But did Eren know that Serafall knew that he knew the future and knew that he could set up the exact letter she wasn't prepared for as a trap?

Gah! This was making her head hurt and was so un-cute!

Serafall decided then and there to do her due diligence (with extra diligence because of So-tan!), and Eren simply had to set up his future around it.

She cast her spells, sent off agents, and had Mi-chan alert Issei to start Boosting.

Then, her unplanned work was done for the moment, and Serafall returned to what she had been doing.

More work.

The Underworld wasn't going to rebuild itself, and someone needed to streamline the mess So-tan had found herself in.

CURSE YOU EREN YEAGER!!! YOU STOLE MI-TAN'S HEART AND MY FREE TIME!!!

...Oh, yeah. And upended the world order and society, and rewrote the history books...

And destroyed her race's greatest method of population...

And killed a bunch of people...

But who hadn't?

More importantly, Eren Yeager toyed with a maiden's heart and prevented Miracle Girl Levi-tan from recharging her So-tanium!

If the Leviathan ever got her hands on the Titan, she'd Pew-Pew him so hard...

********

15 days until the End.

Rias, dressed in her traditional kimono, accepted the diploma with grace.

Her family was, of course, obnoxiously loud and celebratory with her brother's chants of 'Rias! Rias! Rias! Rias!'

Two years ago, it would have mortified her.

Now, she just gave them a warm smile, her cheeks only slightly flushed.

At least they hadn't brought a banner like Serafall, settling for just a few flags. Sona managed to get through the valedictorian speech, but Rias could imagine her friend had died a little inside.

It was nice to see them again. The fact that they could take this time off for their graduation meant things must have been calming down a bit in the Underworld.

Things on Earth had been... mixed.

It was increadibly hard to just return to school after everything, but it had just been so... peaceful.

It had almost been eerie how things just went back to normal.

Issei struggled to balance the attention of his growing harem. Sona was trying to manage her influx of wealth and power while dealing with angry letters/threats and trying to train up a replacement for Student Council President. And the Gremory Group had returned to making contracts, studying, and training.

Rias knew she wasn't the only one struggling to cope with the shock of returning to this peace.

The Battle of Broken Worlds, as Eren's attack had come to be known, hadn't even lasted a full day, yet Rias felt there should just be... more.

More impact.

More aftereffects.

It was as if everyone should feel like her like the world had changed.

Aunty Mikasa had been invaluable in the last few months.

Not only as someone to train with, her grasp of Touki growing by leaps and bounds that matched Rias' and the others' growth, but she was also as a bastion of calm and wisdom.

She was there to talk to Rias when the jarring dichotomy between idyllic peace and frenetic battle got too much. Or to help Sona juggle her responsibilities. Or to talk Akeno through her nightmares.

She was there to learn Senjutsu next to Koneko, teach Yuuto how to incorporate more aerial combat in his style and continue to push Gasper's growing physical conditioning.

Rias had even seen the Pawn talking with Kuroka late at night once.

Looking at the woman, her applause more subdued and her smile less jubilant than those around her, yet no less real, Rias couldn't help but appreciate the woman's presence.

Yet, it wasn't as if everything was perfect.

Their investigations into the bench and coffin had turned up nothing at all, and they had no other clues about the mysterious being who had orchestrated Eren and Aunty's presence in this world.

And Eren was still out there, doing who knew what.

As was Rizevim.

Rias hid the wince at the thought of the Super Devil.

They'd received tips of his location three times. The first, he'd fled before they could reach him.

The second time, they'd fought the son of Lucifer.

It had only been for a few seconds, but more than anything, it went to show the differences between Rias and those classified as Super Devils. If not for the power from the Crimson World Wall, she, Akeno, and maybe even Aunty would have all died.

Still, the devil fled in the end when team Vali showed up.

The third and most recent battle had been a lot longer.

Rizevim had set up a fortification of sorts, expecting more attacks. It was only thanks to their side also having more of a head's up, thus more time for Issei to transfer, that they had managed to chase him off again.

... Eren had probably planned things that way.

Rias couldn't help but notice a pattern as the days and weeks passed.

Despite being hunted by almost everyone in the world and attacked as soon as he appeared, Rizevim managed to stay just ahead of his pursuers. Not enough to escape unscathed, but enough to continue to live to continue his work another day.

Through warnings, notices, and letters, Eren ensured that Rizevim was constantly attacked yet never truly defeated.

Even if he couldn't see Rias and the others, he could still have Georg send off letters to other pantheons or enemies and use them as attack dogs.

Enough to keep Rizevim desperate, but still successful and at large.

Eren was buying time.

Even Rias, who wasn't a master tactician by any measure, could tell that much.

Granted, it was only apparent to those who knew Eren was still alive. Everyone else probably just thought Georg was hunting the man who had killed his leader and comrade and betrayed the Brigade.

Still, it was obvious that Eren wanted Rizevim to live a little longer and continue holding the world's attention while Eren did... something.

Whether he was just using the Super Devil as a distraction, really wanted him dead, or wanted him to succeed, Rias didn't know.

But the fact that Rizevim was up to something meant they couldn't ignore him either.

Rias felt that frustration again, that sense of helplessness at having her fate determined by someone else.

Even if they knew they were playing into Eren's hands, they couldn't stop.

Yet, Rias couldn't honestly say she was still angry at Eren. Not anymore.

Not knowing he was the greatest prisoner of this future he was chasing.

Did Eren want to die?

Rias had asked him that question long ago and hadn't received an answer.

Now, knowing as she did his history, the Rumbling, and the Paths, that question haunted Rias.

Was that why Eren was smiling in the end?

Was it because he was finally free of this life that had been nothing but a prison to a future he believed to be worse than the Rumbling?

Rias needed that answer. Needed to know if the boy on the bench's freedom was a freedom from life or something else.

Eren had the answer she needed herself.

Even Aunty's presence couldn't change the fact that Rias was feeling... empty. Listless. Like she had an anger or energy within herself and didn't know where or how to direct it.

If Eren was still here, if she could meet him one last time on the bench, Rias was certain she could have that answer.

So, as Rias stepped down from the stage, under the applause of a crowd who had no idea they were living in Eren's world, Rias reaffirmed her decision.

She'd follow Eren's Path to the end to hear his answer.

********

0 days until the End.

Rizevim let the triumphant smile stretch across his face as he flew through the void of the Dimensional Gap.

He wasn't the picture of aristocratic grace anymore, with one arm, missing half a foot, and his hair burned from his scalp by an angel's holy spear, but he didn't care.

He'd won!

It had taken longer than he'd liked, and he'd had... setbacks, but Rizevim Levin Lucifer had won.

Hundreds of pursuers died, and those that remained would die in the next few minutes once the Beast was unleashed to finish its work.

And Rizevim would be free!

Free of this wretched world. Free of these mongrels who thought themselves devils. Free of the loathsome shadow of the Titan.

Eren Yeager's memory would disappear under Trihexa, along with everyone and everything that had ever wronged Rizevim.

The son of Lucifer planned on spending the next few decades in whatever world he found, just enjoying this sensation of victory.

It had taken destroying hundreds of seals for him to sense the Beast's stirring, then hundreds more before he reached this point where it was ready to break free of the White Gods' shackles with just a little nudge.

Dozens of times, Rizevim had been attacked while he worked. Sometimes, he was interrupted even before he started breaking the seals, and he'd be forced to give up that particular one, but that was fine.

Rizevim didn't need to destroy all of them.

Just enough that the Beast could do the rest once freed.

All that was left was to carry the last seal he needed to break with him and follow the Grail's trail through the Gap toward the End of the World.

What a fitting name, Rizevim laughed.

If there was a chance, he could watch Trihexa destroy everything before he made his escape.

The catharsis that would bring... Um. Just perfect.

So, despite his wounds, Rizevim was smiling widely as he narrowed down on the section where the infinite Gap between dimensions was weak and thin.

It looked exactly like every other part of the Gap, a wash of psychedelic colours and vast nothingness, but the Grail told a different story. It sensed the boundary between the principle of life and the great unknown of other worlds, and Rizevim followed its trail.

The Holy Relic glowed, and Rizevim, with a broad smile, tore a hole in the void.

And emerged into a barren plane with walls of mist.

The Super Devil only had a moment to recognize the familiarities of one of Dimension Lost's creations before a blade nearly cleaved his head in half.

"GAHHHHH!" Rizevim screamed in pain, automatically detonating his prepared defences.

If nothing else, the last few months had given the Super Devil the combat experience he had lacked the last time she had nearly killed him.

The woman with the swords was blasted away, but the glow of Touki around her body protected her from most of the damage she would have sustained three months ago.

Rizevim didn't waste any time, unleashing a great burst of magic around him to destroy any other ambushers.

He was rewarded for his preparations by the grunt of pain of someone who had been behind him.

Rizevim barely had time to recognize it as the monkey that was always with his disappointment of a grandson before he sensed the disruption in space.

Rizevim threw himself out of the way as Collbrande carved through the space where he had just been.

The Pendragon and the Durandal wielder poured from the tear in space, chasing him.

Rizevim engaged a short-range teleportation, something he had become quite good at recently, and appeared behind them.

He aborted his attack as Black Rain filled the dimension.

Putting all his power in a barrier, Rizevim grit his teeth.

"You cannot kill me!" He taunted as his shield held out.

Holy Lightning joined the Destruction, and Rizevim endured that as well. They were weaker than they should be, he noted. They were still glowing with the crimson of the Red Dragon Emperor's power, but it was less than the last few times.

All the better for him.

"I've removed my weakness! I've multiplied my strength!"

The outer layer of his shields was destroyed and regenerated in succession. Power poured from the Grail over his shoulder.

Sensing a slight delay in the attacks,

Rizevim detonated the outer layer, using the blast as a distraction to teleport beyond the surrounding attackers once more.

He didn't turn to attack them, instead flying forward, the Grail leading him on.

A crimson wall rose in the distance, stretching from one end of the pocket Dimension to the other.

Rizevim smiled a bloody smile, power pouring from him and battering Eren's pet before the cat could get close.

That Wall and the walls of this pocket dimension were no barrier to Sacred Gear Canceller.

With one touch, he'd be beyond the Red Dragon Emperor.

A second, and Rizevim would be free of this world.

He'd like to see these insects chase him with the Beast of Destruction on their tail.

"You cannot kill me," he crowed, nullifying a rain of Holy Demonic swords. "I've won!"

Nobody answered him, and Rizevim lamented the loss of the youth's ability to trade barbs with their opponents.

She was chasing him, wings carrying her faster than the others.

Rizevim would delight in her death most of all.

Another tear in reality from the Pendragon, releasing the jaws of the God Devouring Wolf.

Rizveim hurried to dodge, knowing none of his barriers could protect against those fangs.

His dive placed him near the ground of the dimension, and he was about to nullify it when a rain of lasers and missiles from the golem forced him to ascend away.

She was gaining.

More Black Rain.

Rizevim finally realized why it lacked the power from the battle against the Titan. It was likely due to the desire to spread the transferred power around and not having the time for too many of his 'Wall Falls.'

Rizevim grinned. If the Red Dragon Emperor had simply focused on one person, the Lucifer would have been in much greater trouble.

But he hadn't. The reincarnated devil had, instead, ensured that nobody would be destroyed instantly by Rizevim, and it would cost him everything.

"I've surpassed the Titan!"

Teleport to avoid the spell trap.

"I've surpassed the original Satans!"

Dodge Durandal and send the exorcist crashing into the Valkyrie.

"I've surpassed the Creator!"

Dive and twist to avoid the Ryuu Jing Bang's sweep.

"You cannot kill me!"

He was within arms reach of the Crimson Wall.

"I've won!"

[Reset]

The Crimson Wall was destroyed with Rizevim's laugh.

And the Super Devil froze under the gaze of the Dhampir hidden behind the Wall.

No matter Gasper's determination to reclaim Valerie's Grail, it was only for a second. Rizevim was still the antithesis of all Sacred Gears and their powers, even frozen in time.

But that second was enough for Vali, also hidden behind his rival's Wall, to reach his childhood tormentor without any hindrance.

Rizevim's time resumed to see his disappointment of a grandson, the White Dragon Emperor, bathed in the crimson glow of Ddraig's transferred power, plunge his fist into Rizevim's chest.

The pain was... unimaginable.

But the fear was greater.

This couldn't be how he, Rizevim Levin Lucifer, the first Super Devil, died.

He refused. Not like this!

Not hounded by reincarnated devils, trash, and rejects.

Not at the hands of this... pathetic child!

Not when Rizevim was so close, mere meters from the freedom he had yearned for.

"You... can't... kill... me..."

"Just shut up," Vali said, using the hand not plunged into Rizevim's chest to punch the Super Devil in the face. "That was for my mother."

Rizevim's fear rose, swelling in his broken chest.

"Heal... me..." he ordered, though it sounded more like begging.

He knew they could do it. That nun girl should be around here somewhere.

Another punch.

"That was for me."

"I... die... final... seal... breaks..."

A knee to the groin.

"That was for everyone else you've ruined!"

It hurt. It hurt so much.

But the fear of death was so much greater than the pain.

"I... die... Everyone... dies..."

Vali didn't attack again.

He just looked into his grandfather's eyes, into the son of Lucifer, who had made his childhood a living hell.

And smiled.

"No," Vali said with a malicious glee. "Because Eren's still alive."

Rizevim had a moment to comprehend that fact.

To understand how everyone had been able to find him for the last few months and how these insects had known he'd be here.

Rizevim's last moment was one of horror, realizing he'd lost.

A puppet on the Titan's strings to the very end.

Then Mikasa's sword cut off his head.

********

136 days until the End.

Great Red looked around this cold, lonely world of towering sand dunes and bright blue stars.

And he looked at the boy, the tiny human dwarfed by the Titans of sand and the one pillar of white light in the center of this empty world.

The giant dragon looked at the tiny boy, and the boy looked back up at the towering beast, the only splash of red in this world of blues and whites.

"Welcome," Eren greeted the Dragon of Dragons, his voice an empty whisper as it echoed infinitely. "To my Dream."

********

This is it.

The last AN before the end of the story.

Like Rapturous Rhapsody, I will write a post-op on various things after everything is done, but that will be released after the epilogue in two weeks.

Next week, we finish On The Bench, and the epilogue will be on Friday afterward.

I struggled a lot with this chapter's framing, trying to convey events in an understandable yet still entertaining way. I decided to go with this snap-shot approach because, despite the significant time frame, not much actually happens/changes for the characters.

I spent dozens of chapters between Issei's 'death' and Great Red's, a span of a few hours, yet only one that covers months of time. There's a reason Eren needed this time to Boost, but I didn't want to needlessly delay the end. It would ruin the pacing of the ending if I depicted a bunch of battles that essentially went, 'Rizevim is here, is attacked, and escapes.' I don't think that would make for good reading.

Still, I am honestly surprised that nobody has yet to catch all the crumbs I've laid. At times, I couldn't help but go, 'Ah, they're totally going to guess it now!' I guess that is one benefit of serialization. All the clues are spread out over weeks and months, and only when taken as a whole is the complete image really clear.

Whether you've guessed the twists that remain, I hope everyone enjoys what is to come.

There is so much else I want to say, but I will leave most of it until after the story is done. All I will say here is that I am glad you've walked this path with me, and I will meet you all on the bench.

PS: I forgot to shout them out in the last chapter, but two more Omakes were made on Spacebattles. Orangemaster continues Erenel's story, and Netra released another Omake that can be considered semi-canon. I recommend everyone give them a read when you get the chance. After On The Bench is done, I will cross-post all omakes onto other sites with their permission, but if you don't want to wait, please give them a read.

 

[ReadingDangerously]

Gasper dove for the fallen Grail as it fell to the ground, no longer supported by Rizevim's spell.

"Got it!" The cross-dressing dhampir cheered as he held onto one of the missing pieces of Valerie's Gear.

He was holding the holy relic with a toy grippy claw he'd brought, knowing he'd be unable to touch the thing without burning his flesh.

Unfortunately, nobody paid attention to the funny vamp's cute cheer.

Their entire focus was on Rizevim's body, suspended in the air, even though Vali had removed his bloody arm from his grandfather's chest.

The headless body floated there for a beat.

CRACK!

A sound, like broken glass, resounded through the pocket dimension.

A black crack, jagged and fractured, formed through the floating corpse.

Suddenly appearing in the pocket dimension, Georg yelled as he stood beside Issei.

"Everyone behind the wall!"

The Red Dragon Emperor, Boosted Gear already healed by Asia, started chanting.

Team Vali, well used to working with the holder of Dimension Lost, complied without even a moment's delay.

CRACK!

The Gremory Group took a moment longer, but they, too, moved behind Issei when the black crack extended from Rizevim's body and started to spread through the air.

CRACK!

Like reality was nothing but a piece of porcelain, the black crack spread further and wider, snaking through the air.

Above. Behind. Through itself. To the left and right. In directions that didn't make sense and the mortal mind couldn't comprehend, the cracking spread.

CRACK!

"What is that?" Mikasa demanded.

Issei continued to chant.

CRACK!

"A seal broke with Rizevim's death," Georg answered, staring intensely at the shattering space around them. "The last one needed to weaken for the Beast to start breaking free."

"Beast?" Kuroka asked. "What Beast? Where's Eren?"

The Crimson World Wall rose, separating the group from the shattering sky.

CRACK!

"The Beast of the Apocalypse," Georg answered, not taking his eyes off the cracks. "The one that invaded this world centuries and the God of the Bible fought and sealed. Rizevim's been destroying seal for months."

"Why?" Vali asked, readying himself for another fight. "What can it do? Could he control it? Can we?"

CRACK!

"It's as strong as, or stronger than, Great Red," Georg deadpanned without looking at the White Dragon Emperor. "The only reason it could be sealed is because it is a creature focused on pure annihilation. No higher thoughts, just an instinct to destroy. And it still led to His death."

"...And Eren let Rizevim unseal it?" Rias asked, horrified. "What is he planning?"

CRACK!

"More importantly, what can we do to stop it?" Arthur asked, glad Le Fay was still with Elane. Getting her to remain behind had been a chore, but at least she was safe from... whatever was happening.

CRACK!

... Tink.

A chip of darkness fell from the cracked sky.

"You don't stop it," Georg answered as the cracking stopped resounding. "You've done your part. I'll do mine. The rest will be left to Eren."

All at once, the cracks in the pocket dimension at the end of the world all shattered, a void tearing through reality and leaving an endless hole without depth.

And in that void, that was not darkness but the absence of everything that could be considered 'existence,' was a small light.

From the inside of the Crimson World Wall, they could look through and see that small light.

It was vaguely humanoid, in the shape of a small boy of indistinct form and size.

The only distinguishing feature of the being was the ten horns that adorned its head like a crown.

No sooner did they see the abnormality, did it howl.

A sound of primal rage.

The cry of a Beast bent only on annihilating anything and everything.

Without delay, the Beast threw itself against Issei's Wall with a ferocity that could not be conceived of by anything with a functioning mind.

As it did, it began to grow and change.

Heads, wings, paws, claws, jaws, fur, hide, tails and all manner of limbs erupted from the creature in a grotesque display.

It had completely transformed in that eye blink between emerging from the cracked void and impacting against Issei's Wall.

Vaguely primate-shaped and covered in writhing fur, densely packed scales and bulbous flesh, nobody would mistake this creature for anything remotely natural.

Each of its stout arms was from a different animal. All four of them. Its enormous legs, one pachydermal and the other feline were each thicker than two of those arms combined.

Seven enormous tails, long and thick, each of beasts that had no reason or relation to one another, grew from its twisted back in different shapes, yet all deadly in one way or another.

Erupting from shoulders of bulging flesh and scales, seven necks stretched toward the sky and upon each of them were the heads of seven beasts, ravening, roaring, crying and braying for slaughter and destruction.

The only commonality between the white core and the beast that impacted the Crimson Wall was the ten horns upon their head.

"Satans!" Issei cried in pained surprise as the Beast crashed against his armour, claws tearing, beaks pecking, and tails lashing him with a fury.

"Ise!" Asia immediately started to heal him, trying to lighten the load slightly.

All the while, the Beast continued to grow, its power being wrenched from the seals Rizevim had left untouched.

"He won't be able to hold out," Akeno noted with worry, comparing the growth rate between Issei and the Beast.

It was simply returning to its full strength faster than Issei could grow, and its ceiling was higher.

They had left Ophis behind, fearing Rizevim would have sensed her, and now they were coming to regret it.

Georg didn't answer, continuing to stare intently at the Beast through the Wall.

The misty walls of the dimension started to close around the Beast, a hazy blur starting to distort its form.

666 did not care, throwing itself against the Crimson World Wall with greater destructive power with every second.

Blood started to drip from Georg's nose.

The mist surrounded the Beast as it started to use magic.

Great tides of power, unfocused on any effect but complete annihilation, washed against Issei's scaled armour.

The blood came from Georg's ears now, with great red rivulets dripping in thick globules down his face.

"GAH!" Issei cried out in pain as the Beast, now hundreds of meters tall, plunged a bladed tail through the Wall.

He tried to hold on, but the time he had to grow and Boost was too short to stand up to this power level so quickly.

Those he protected could not cross the barrier and were forced to helplessly watch the onslaught.

A clawed arm tore large gashes from the Crimson World Wall, and Issei cried out again, the wounds reflecting on his actual body.

Then the Beast was gone, swallowed by the mist.

The Wall crumbled, but Xenovia was there to catch Issei before he crashed into the ground.

The hole in his chest quickly healed, and he gave Asia a smile of thanks.

Nobody had caught Georg as he collapsed, blood pouring from his eyes.

Asia still healed him once Issei was out of danger.

"Urhg."

The last Hero Faction member grunted as he stood, wiping blood from his face with a cloth. He looked at his blood-covered glasses, sighed, and threw them away before producing a new pair.

Slightly recovered but still a bit wobbly, Georg nodded toward Asia.

"You have my thanks. That could have been... very bad for me if you didn't help me."

"You're welcome," the former nun gave the descendent of Faust a warm smile.

Not everyone was as kind as her, though.

"Where did you send it?" Mikasa asked, grabbing the young man by his robe and dragging him to eye level. "Where is Eren? What is he planning?"

Adjusting his glasses, which had slipped from the violent motion, Georg answered leisurely as if he wasn't in a hurry.

"I just sent it to the Dimensional Gap. It would have ended up there anyway after it killed us and destroyed this dimension." Georg looked over the Pawn's shoulder to meet Issei's still woozy eyes. "I do apologize for our continued use of you. The Hero Faction and Eren owe you quite a bit of thanks."

"What did you do to Issei-senpai," a shaky Gasper asked, Grail still clasped in the plastic claw toy.

"Used him as bait," Georg said bluntly. Then he paused, tilted his head, and continued. "Again. My apologies for last time as well. It was necessary. If it makes you feel better, I do not believe there are any plans to do so again."

"It doesn't!" Issei retorted, feeling quite indignant.

"That's too bad," Georg replied blandly, looking back to the glaring Mikasa. "As I mentioned, the Beast of Apocalypse, 666, or Trihexa, however you wish to call it, operates by instinct to destroy. But it is fascinated with all things related to Great Red and Ophis, the only ones comparable to it in power. Hyoudou was brought back by Great Red, and his presence distracted it long enough to send it away before we died."

If what the magician was saying was true, it didn't take a genius to understand that the creature... thing... would head to the greatest source of that power.

"Where is Great Red's body?!"
"Where is Eren?!"

Vali's and Mikasa's questions came out simultaneously, understanding what the boy was doing.

"On earth," Georg replied genially. "And the Underworld... It's all over the place, really. Though I do believe the largest piece is in India."

"You..." Mikasa growled, shaking with fury.

Worse than the Rumbling.

That thought had turned over and over in Mikasa's head so many times over the last few months.

She'd tried, over and over again, to think of what it could be.

But no matter how she thought of the possibilities, of what Eren would consider worse than eliminating eighty percent of humanity, Mikasa still only came up with two answers. Neither of them would allow Eren to smile in the end.

The first and most straightforward answer was something that would lead to a number of deaths that exceeded one and a half billion.

Mikasa hadn't been able to come up with a way for the second answer to come about, and she knew she couldn't actually stop Eren with the Founder; she just did her best.

So she'd focused on the smile and what might have led to it.

She thought she'd found the answer in the young devils he'd considered his friend, but it seemed Eren had played her one last time.

"I do want to thank you for your help," Georg smiled fearlessly at the woman. "We could not have gotten here without you all. Don't worry, you'll be safe here."

"Don't hurt him," Kuroka advised at seeing Mikasa's fists tightening. "None of us can move through the Gap as quickly as him. He's our only hope of getting to Earth quickly."

"I'm trying to reach my brother," Rias said, worrying her lip as she cast her spell. "Everyone needs to be warned."

"You don't need to," Georg said genially. "They'll know soon enough. Everyone will."

"What are you trying to accomplish, Georg," Bikou asked, hands tight against his staff. "What is Eren up to? Killing Great Red wasn't enough, and now he wants a bigger battlefield on which to die? I didn't take him for the battle junkie type."

"He's not," Koneko said with complete conviction.

"You are forgetting who we are," Georg said with pride. "We are the Hero Faction! We fight for humanity! For the future! And Eren, he's one of us to the core."

"Senpai wanted to be a hero," Issei agreed hesitantly.

"But there is no such thing as heroes," Yuuto finished for him. "Senpai knows this. He won't unleash something like Trihexa just to be a 'hero.'"

"He's stalling," Akeno said, also trying to cast spells to warn those behind. "Distracting us while 666 moves."

"I am," Georg nodded. "But not till then. Until Eren is ready. We're safe here, and you can't stop me. Unless you kill me, which will leave you stranded here at the End of the World. Some of you are strong enough to survive the void, but not all of you. So, while I'm killing time, let me ask you this question. What is the greatest danger to peace?"

"Power," Rias answered instantly. Then, a bundle of destruction formed in front of the magician's nose. "Power you don't have at the moment."

"You're partially right," Georg carried on fearlessly. "A C- if I had to grade you. Uneven power is half the answer. The weak fear the strong. The strong ignore the wishes of the weak. The weak rise up and become the strong or are suppressed. The cycle continues."

"Enough of this," Mikasa snapped, throwing the magician away. "Issei!"

"YES, MA'AM?" Issei quickly stood to attention at the address.

"Start Boosting. Power up Collbrande. It should be able to cut open a way back with enough power."

"YES, MA'AM!"

"Maybe we should use soldier cosplay tonight," Xenovia whispered to Asia, who turned red at the idea.

Issei gained a derpy smile as he started to Boost.

Then his gaze went vacant.

Everyone stopped.

"Ah," Georg sighed, standing up and brushing the dirt from his cloak. "I had hoped to finish my speech first. I suppose you already have the second half of the answer."

It wasn't that the last member of the Hero Faction wasn't afflicted with the same thing as those with him in this pocket dimension.

He was.

Just like everyone else alive.

Georg had just expected the sudden dimorphism, where he existed simultaneously in two places.

Eren had told him that the trick was to do something, like cleaning himself, talking, driving a car, putting out a fire, or fighting for your life, that one could concentrate on in the real world.

The more relaxed, safe, unaware, or unengaged one was, the more one was overwhelmed by the second set of experiences. The peak was those who were asleep or unconscious. They'd have nothing to ground them from the Dream.

Georg was still there, with them, but it was a background awareness as he finished speaking.

"To make it clear, though, even differences in power can be addressed and responded to. Compromises can be reached. Agreements. Deals... Promises..."

Georg trailed off, mind wandering to promises given and kept.

Nobody answered or even paid him much attention, though he knew they were still aware of him. Could still hear him.

They could have said something, but they were too absorbed.

Neither the real world nor that cold Dream could be entirely ignored, but if one focused wholly on one, the other fell into the background.

They must be focused entirely on that world, not even trying to stop him.

So Georg regained his momentum and continued.

"But none of those can be achieved in the face of the greatest threat to peace."

For a moment, Georg allowed himself to sink into that shared Dream.

Around Georg, in a world without end that was still finite...

Where towering sand dunes stretched forever and time had no meaning...

Every sapient being looked toward the towering light in the center of this cold, blue world.

Every human, angel, fallen, devil, yokai, god, buddha, dragon, monster, and other races that could dream faced that light.

A singular, unifying experience that everyone alive shared.

And they couldn't turn away... Well, they could.

But no matter what they did or how they tried to cover their eyes and turn their head, they always faced that light.

And the figure in front of it.

Billions of eyes looked at the figures in the center of this world, yet they could all see him clearly as if he were right in front of them.

Distance wasn't a factor.

Time and space had no bearing in the Path.

At the center of this world, without beginning or end, was the sole splash of crimson in this world of blues and whites.

The enormous red dragon towered over everyone and everything. Its great eyes saw everyone, heard everything, and held all their gaze.

Yet it was still dwarfed by the pillar of light behind it.

A straight line from the center of the world stretching toward the sky that illuminated everyone.

And bathed in its blue-white glow, atop the head of the great red dragon was a young boy.

Georg tore himself from the vision by engaging his Gear and focusing on what he had to do.

He needed to return to earth, and he had no desire to see Eren, his leader and the man who had taken on the world, look like that.

There was something profoundly wrong in seeing a man in what should have been his moment of crowning triumph and glory as a six-year-old boy.

And Georg never wished to see his comrades cry.

********

The world was ending.

Trihexa, the Beast of the Apocalypse, had found Earth, the Underworld, and more.

Eren had Georg scatter pieces of Great Red's corpse throughout the realms before Rizevim had even started his journey to the End of the World.

666, having no greater thought than to destroy and finding a target-rich environment, did the same to itself.

From each of its seven heads, seven bodies split.

The horde of beasts, each only slightly weaker than the sum of their parts, spread to cover the skies of reality with their power.

And everyone, everywhere, felt it.

That power.

Magic, in all its forms, was the benchmark of strength for this world for a very good reason. While one's individual abilities gave the magic shape and inclination, enough power made distinguishment between types meaningless.

With enough power, reality becomes as you wish it to be.

Gods and dragons were the strongest races for a reason. Their very presence was a physical thing, a bundle of power so condensed that just being around it was enough to weigh one down.

For the first time since the planet had existed, the Earth and its inhabitants felt the complete focus and attention of a being equivalent to Great Red and Ophis.

Everyone could feel it.

And it was malicious.

Not evil, for evil only exists in opposition to the concept of good.

No, this was simple violence without reason. The raw, primal need to destroy.

To see something that was not the 'self' and hate it so much that it must render it all unto nothing.

Everyone felt that power and omnicidal urge that carried and knew.

Knew it was there for them. To destroy them. To kill them.

To render all unto nothing.

And that was just the presence of the Beast.

The fragments of Great Red's body had been scattered in largely uninhabited areas. Open seas, wilderness, and the like.

When Trihexa tore through the barriers of reality to get to them, its presence destroyed the world around it.

Earthquakes shook the planets and worlds. Volcanoes erupted.

The seas boiled and parted as the land was rent asunder.

Nowhere was this destruction more evident than in India, in the secret realms of the Hindu gods.

As soon as Trihexa had been pulled from attacking the Crimson World Wall, Georg had released his hold on the last pocket dimension holding Great Red's most significant piece.

A titanic dragon's head, neck, and wings fell into the laps of the Hindu deities.

Less than a minute later, as the Trimurti were still surprised and wary, Trihexa's main body tore through reality.

...

Nine seconds.

That was how long the apocalypse lasted.

Nine seconds between Trihexa's first attack and its last.

In those nine seconds, when everyone in the world felt its power and malice, the Gods and Buddhas of Mount Meru fought against the Beast of the Apocalypse.

And died to it.

They, who dominated the Top Ten, inflicted enormous damage in that short period. Each of the Trimurti was a being who could annihilate the bottom half of the list individually.

But in those nine seconds, they could not even fend Trihexa off. All wounds inflicted on it healed before any long-lasting effects could pile up.

Shiva, the god of destruction, instinctively understood their futility in trying to destroy something that embodied destruction.

It would be like trying to kill Great Red with a dream.

In the short span between departing the End of the World and arriving in reality, Trihexa had already destroyed the last of its seals containing its power, and not even the combined might of the Hindu Pantheon could ruin one of its forty-nine bodies.

Indra joined the Trimurti in fighting the Beast by the fourth second.

All considerations and preparations for their future war were put aside in the name of continued survival. Regardless of secrecy, they used everything they had to fend off the sudden invasion.

By the sixth second, the powers of the world, those still recovering from the attack of the Chaos Brigade, had launched their own counter-offensive against the rest of the bodies of Beast.

One could almost consider it a coincidence that those least injured, set back, or impeded by the coordinated attack by the Brigade were also those who were able and willing to throw themselves against the Beast of Apocalypse.

It wasn't.

To the boy whose past, present, and future were all the same, the decisions the greater powers of this world made in those nine seconds determined the fate they had already suffered.

By the eighth second, Trihexa's every body was engaged by at least one party, and the Hindus, not being idiots, had decided to use Great Red's severed head as bait to try and draw the Beast back to the Gap, where they could fight it at full force.

Reality was simply too fragile for them to go all out.

On the ninth second, as human governments and the unprepared barely recognized that something was happening, Eren took the last step on his Path.

One final sound resounded throughout the world on the ninth second.

[[[[[[[[[Boost!]]]]]]]]]

The power stored tipped over the edge and became self-reinforcing, even without a mind to consciously continue it.

On that tenth second...

In an empty world of blue stars, sand, and white light...

In the Unified Dream...

The boy spoke to a world that was not his own.

My name is Eren Yeager.

The boy, Eren, was crying as he spoke to the whole world. His words drowned out the voices crying out in confusion, fear, panic, or wonder.

Flesh bulged from every piece of Great Red scattered across the world and pocket realms. Growing, distending, and bursting.

I am using the power of Great Red to address all those who Dream.

Eren ignored those who bowed and genuflected, just as he ignored those who raged and fought for liberation from this strange mental prison. God or human. Angel or devil. Old or young. He ignored them all as he spoke into their very being.

From the flesh of the Dream, Titans were born.

Enormous humanoid figures, each hundreds of meters tall, these beings were even slightly larger than Trihexa.

I am from a world beyond yours.

For Eren could not see them. He was in his Path, that single line linking past, present and future. This moment was one he'd lived for thirteen years, no different from any other except the knowledge of what he was doing to the people he could not see but knew were watching.

These were not Titans as this world, or any world, had ever seen before. There were only two types, each fashioned after the Colossal Titan.

Each was larger than a regular Colossal, but they were still the giants of muscle and exposed bone. These two Titans duplicated hundreds of times, flowed forth from the flesh of the Dragon of Dreams.

And I have seen this world end.

Eren showed them a fraction of his experience. A few of the countless scenes of possible futures he experienced. They were but a tiny piece of various probabilities. The ones in which he survived long enough to witness their end.

In countless others, Eren Yeager died before the apocalypse, not strong enough to see it through to a 'finale.'

Everyone had seen images of Eren's Colossal Titan, the first form he took when destroying Agreas, and recognized one of these models as him by its long dark hair, green eyes, and pointed ears.

Only Mikasa Ackerman would recognize the second. Its bald head, lack of ears, more prominent ribcage, and stockier frame were as familiar to her as Eren's.

When shown pictures, her eyes would mist, and when her niece would ask what was wrong, she'd answer simply.

'Nothing. Just... glad to see Armin and Eren fighting side by side again.'

Countless times. In countless ways.

Eren did not show them the world the slow deaths. The ones that would stretch over years, decades, and centuries. He had not seen anything beyond his meagre nineteen years.

That still gave him plenty to show.

On the fists of those two Titans, red gauntlets cried out every ten seconds with an empty, emotionless voice:

[Boost!]

The army of Titans, created by Great Red's memory of Issei Hyoudou and the Boosted Gear, with the aid of the Holy Grail and Ophis' Infinite power, rose on Crimson Scale Mail wings to battle Trihexa on that tenth second.

Sometimes, it is from the inhabitants of this world. You inflict it upon yourself.

Eren first showed them the bombs falling. The searing heat and rumbling earth. Great mushroom clouds blocked out the sun and choked the sky with their poison. The earth shattered under their unsurpassed power, and nothing remained.

The supernatural side, hidden in their pocket worlds or Underworld, survived, but only for a bit longer. Without humans, they withered away, or their societies collapsed upon themselves.

The Beast of the Apocalypse did not care about the new arrivals.

It sought only destruction and saw these Titans as an extension of the Dream and the Infinite based on the power coursing through them.

Its entire focus was on destroying the Titans that rose against it, completely ignoring all the lesser beings around.

Wars of humans against the supernatural, those beings who have lived beside you for thousands of years.

Eren showed them the genocides. The persecution of beings that were different. That were inhuman. Angel. Devil. Yokai. Spirit. Dragon. It didn't matter.

In this future, humanity achieved power. They were gifted power, and they used to exterminate all other life. Or humanity lost and were exterminated in turn by those beings who were so much stronger than them.

666 did not care for collateral or long-term plans.

It simply attacked.

Always attacking.

Always advancing.

Wars of gods against gods. Angel against devils.

The Great War restarted, the skies were blanketed by Light, and blood fell as rain. Devils rose up behind twelve beings, each wielding a weapon of unsurpassed power and evil.

A coalition of Evil Gods, Hades at their lead, laid waste to all who would oppose them.

Indra and Shiva, at the peak of their power and preparations, battled across reality, and their war's aftereffects rippling through to all life that could flourish.

Some bodies attacked in tides of power, blasts of magic, and beams of destructive energy. Others physically launched themselves at the Titans, tearing into flesh with claw, fang, and bone. Tails lashed, and wings beat against the Colossal Titans.

You drown in the oceans of blood you make.

Time after time, Eren showed them possible futures. Ones of death, destruction, and war.

They cried out for mercy. For forgiveness.

Nobody could escape Eren's tyrannical grip, no matter how they tried to close their eyes, turn their sight or tune him out.

They could not ignore reality.

Eren... did not fight back.

Heroes have risen against the greatest threats to the peace of this world, buying you a little more time.

Visions swam of Jeanne, leading an army of spirits to swarm the dark monsters of the Underworld across Olympus's mountain.

Visions of Siegfried destroying inhuman facilitates of research, human and otherwise.

Of Heracles detonating himself in the middle of the battle between gods and dragons.

Of Cao Cao slaying Loki and Hades.

For a moment, spirits were buoyed by hope as they watched from the eyes of tiny white birds. The smallest Titans ever created.

Both forms of Eren's Titans continued to fly at the Beasts, unmindful of the damage they received.

I am not one of them.

Only to come crashing down.

Touki. Senjutsu. Amour. Flesh.

Trihexa tore through it all.

I destroyed my world.

The visions turned, and everyone felt it. The fear of the red tide. The pain of being crushed. The heat of steaming flesh.

Their insignificance as enormous feet trampled them and their world flat.

Yet... The Titans didn't fall.

I have watched others like me, from beyond your world, destroy this one. Those futures are the most likely. If you do not destroy your world, they will.

From beyond time and space, they came. Innumerable, uncountable creatures. Other in a way most brains simply couldn't comprehend. Some were humanoid, but most were too alien to understand. Masses of shapes and forms and sounds and concepts.

With bodies stronger than any before, crafted from the flesh of Great Red, buoyed by the Ki manipulation of the greatest sage to ever live and the most significant portion of Ophis' power, not even the Beast of the Apocalypse could destroy these Titans quickly.

The Beast you've witnessed is just the first.

Eren showed them a future where he did nothing, sitting back and hidden. Even without his presence to direct him, Rizevim's boredom, ego, and nihilism led him to unseal Trihexa.

In that future, the son of the devil caught everyone unprepared, and 666 laid waste to the world before organized opposition could form. It rendered all to rubble, then destroyed the rubble as well. Until there was nothing left, and it departed this reality in search of more to destroy.

Three of this universe's top four strongest beings were contained in these bodies...

...That had been Boosting, doubling their power, without end for four months!

It will not be the last.

In the next future, Trihexa was resealed by a coalition of gods, Buddhas, and other beings of power. They sacrificed themselves to hold off the end.

It left the world defenceless when the armies from other worlds came.

No sooner had a Titan been injured than it healed. Endlessly, Trihexa tore, rent, obliterated, and destroyed these giants. Endlessly, they continued to advance, drawing closer.

Others will find you. They will tear your idyllic peace and ignorant violence apart.

From Eren's eyes, they watched the invasions. The systematic destruction of the world as they knew it. Not annihilation, like the Beast wished, but assimilation.

This world would just become one of countless others. Another factory world, where inhabitants, materials, and workers were all indistinguishable from one another.

As the forty-nine bodies of the Beast destroyed and destroyed and destroyed and destroyed to its heart's content, Eren surrounded them in Titans.

They will take from you what they wish and destroy the rest.

Sometimes, the invaders, who were never of the same race or people, wanted one thing in particular.

They'd destroy everything else to gain what they wished, leaving the rest of the world to struggle in the aftermath, helplessly waiting for the next time someone wished to take something from them.

Layers and layers deep, Trihexa was tightly pressed by the endlessly regenerating flesh of Titans.

And, once the Beast's bodies were contained, packed so tightly with so many bodies that the blood it was drunk on could not fall through, the Titans took flight once more on their crimson-scaled wings.

Your defenders will be slain by the attackers waiting outside your universe.

In this future, Great Red was slain by great machine gods, rendered into parts, and rebuilt as the newest weapon of their ever-expanding multiversal wars.

The Titans pierced the veil between reality and the Dimensional Gap quickly.

The worlds collectively let out a breath of relief, feeling that power and malice leave them unmolested. It was an almost unconscious thing, as they were still trapped in the Dream.

Or by those they protected.

Loki, alive and enhanced by complicated magical machinery, turned upon his home world in exchange for power. Or survival. He wasn't the only one. In every future, there were those who would choose to turn against this world for their own interests. Maybe for love. Or survival. Or simple greed. Or vengence.

The Titans continued to multiply as they carried their forty-nine bundles through the psychedelic nothing of the Gap. They did not try to battle the Beast, for its regeneration matched their own.

Instead, they simply fed it a never-ending buffet of flesh and bodies upon which its endless appetite for destruction could feast as they carried it toward the End of the World.

Perhaps the Beast would have won at the end of this limitless battle of endurance had every ten seconds not brought another multiplication in power, always keeping the Titans' regeneration just a bit ahead of Trihexa's destruction.

Not once, in any future I witnessed, have I ever seen you unify to fight off this threat.

Even as the invasions, apocalypses, and wars played out in front of their eyes.

Even as they heard the screams of the dying and smelled the stench of the dead.

In no future was there ever unity of purpose. Any attempt to gain it, even from those with the best intentions and methods, was always met with opposition.

The Titans skirted around the pocked dimension, which still contained those few souls who had made this all possible, and placed themselves and their apocalyptic contents right where this World met the chaotic void that separated it from other Worlds.

There, where the rules of reality ceased, the Titans linked.

Arms grasped arms.

Scaled wings spread and overlapped with scaled wings.

Titans spread all along that great boundary, that sole ingress and egress to this World.

So I took the choice from you.

Finally, blessedly, the visions of the possible futures ended. In their place was a simple sight.

Had the misty walls of Dimension Lost parted, Mikasa, Team Vali, and the Gremory Group would have witnessed what they saw in the Dream with their bare eyes.

I do this knowing I am cursing you to a slow demise.

A wall.

A wall.

I do this knowing the chaos that will follow this day.

The Wall.

Issei would have cried out in surprise at its resemblance to his technique, wondering how Eren had done it. He might have even lamented that his Senpai had upstaged him.

I do this knowing most of you will fight each other rather than face your predators.

An enormous creation, forged from the bodies of countless Titans and trapping the Beast of the Apocalypse within itself.

Mikasa would have instantly recognized the differences between Issei's Crimson World Wall and this creation.

She had spent her entire youth living in the shadows of this wall.

I do this knowing I am leaving behind a legacy of hatred and fear.

It was half real, half Dream. It stretched endlessly around their World.

It had no beginning or end, a constant of their reality, fuelled by their Dreams and the constant doubling of power to maintain itself.

The Red Dragon Emperor's technique was created to empower those it protected.

This wall went both ways.

I do this knowing the intoxication of vengeance and war.

It was there, an obstacle at the End of the World. A barrier against the predations from other worlds.

Made from the endlessly regrowing flesh of Titans, with the shades of fallen heroes patrolling its battlements and containing the Beast of the Apocalypse within, it was a monument to the World's helplessness.

To their fear and shame.

This was a prison.

I do this because I can.

A cage to keep them confined.

Unless they were stronger than Trihexa, they had no hope of destroying this barrier and going beyond it to the worlds outside.

I do this knowing that all Walls fall.

No matter what they'd try, where they'd go, or when it would be, the Wall will always be there to stop them from leaving this world.

They were trapped.

The second of two fates Eren would consider worse than the Rumbling.

An impassible, unbreakable, and endless wall.

Whether something stronger than these Walls finds your pen while you squabble like braying livestock.

Eren could not show them a future where beings from beyond their world destroyed the Wall, for he had not seen such a future before his death.

Instead, he showed them his perspective of That Day.

Seeing the Colossal Titan looming over what was once considered an impenetrable bastion of safety and knowing it was all a lie. Eren let them feel his fear and shame of living as an animal in a cage.

Yet... As her gaze shifted from the Wall, Mikasa would see the look in Rias Gremory's eyes.

Whether someone who yearns for the worlds beyond these Walls grows strong enough to tear them down.

Eren showed them that moment, let them feel his joy, resignation, and determination as he tore down the walls that once entrapped him, beginning the Rumbling.

That hungry yearning.

That rampant desire.

That heat that swelled from a beating heart.

'We will be free.'

Success or failure. Predator or prey. Death or survival.

Eren's words, the futures he showed the world, the terror of forcing the world to confront itself and the horrors that lurked beyond.

It all served one single purpose.

And Mikasa Ackerman would finally understand everything.

All Walls must fall.

A warning and a plea.

The world could not, would not, continue as it had been. In ignorance and where old power prevented new growth that yearned for freedom from the yoke of the past.

Why he could smile at the end, even as he recreated the one thing he hated most in the world.

My name is Eren Yeager.

Either the world shaped up, grew up, came to understand itself and found a path forward, or it would be destroyed- by others or by itself.

Eren destroyed the world and saved it, bringing both terror and hope.

The chaos that would follow this day was unimaginable, but Eren had bought them time by sacrificing the last of his values he could afford to throw away.

Eren had given up on his greatest desire, the one that had shaped him since he was a boy, all for a world that was not his own. A people that were not his own.

I have stolen your freedom.

Yet, one tragedy was inflicted solely on the boy who cried as he imprisoned a world.

He, Eren Yeager, who had experienced this moment his entire life...

Yet, that desire, that wish, was not destroyed when Eren threw it away.

It had been picked up.

Scattered and fragmented between many people, that wish, that heart he had shared on the bench would remain. The lessons he taught would be carried.

Mikasa could see it now, the future Eren wished for, in the young devils that surrounded her.

She could imagine the look on Sona's face back in Kuoh.

The realization of hope.

Please.

... Could not hear the voices or see the faces of those desperately running, flying, or chasing toward him through those infinite dunes. Even as they tried to reach him, to convey their feelings, promises, and understanding to him...

In dedicating his heart to a world Eren would never see, a freedom he'd never experience, and a hope he could never truly bring himself to fully believe in...

In giving up his life, his ideals, his freedom...

Take it back.

Eren, as he had been for thirteen years, was blind to those he loved and the ones he was truly entrusting this world's future to.

Eren Yeager could smile because he was finally free of the chains he had placed on himself.

********

"Here," Eren gasped out through laboured breath.

Without Great Red sustaining him anymore, with Ophis' power run its course, not even the reinforcement from the Grail and his Senjutsu could hold his body entirely together.

Wounds were opening along his flesh, gashes and tears from parts of his body that were missing were steaming as they tried to heal.

It was too slow. Too weak.

Eren had given everything he had accumulated, thirteen years of work, planning, and power growth.

And given it to that Wall.

Eren's stubbornness was keeping him alive just a little longer, but this was it.

His time was up.

They both knew it.

"Are you sure?" Georg asked, looking around the park and hefting his leader over his shoulder. "This is Kuoh. They'll find you and-"

"It has to be here," Eren interrupted, nodding toward the bench that rested in that little clearing. "I am meeting someone."

"... All right," Georg swallowed his worry as he half carried Eren toward the wooden bench.

It was evident by the wards that this area was protected by the Gremory and Sitri heiresses.

Judging by the min-fridge, hammocks, and other quality-of-life items, the devils frequently used this area. Georg was worried that if... once Eren died, they'd deface his body, parading it around or something equally horrid.

They didn't seem like bad people, but after everything Eren had done, Georg feared the worst.

As always, though, Georg followed his leader's orders.

With little effort, Georg set down the weak man on the wooden bench.

Eren collapsed, leaning against the backrest as his body failed to support himself.

Georg looked down at the man who had changed the world, who had accomplished so much and irreversibly left his mark.

He looked weak. Tired. Gaunt. Even as Georg watched, pieces of Eren's cheek flaked off, falling in a bloody lump. The wound started to steam, healing, but it was one of many.

The last few months, trapped within the corpse of the Dream without food, water, and focusing solely on growing strong enough had taken their toll on a body already at its limit.

Georg could not save him.

All he could do was give his comrade one last gift, an action he took wholly without instruction.

"Here." A cane appeared in Georg's hand, and he pressed it into Eren's hands. They tightened around the familiar handle on instinct. "I picked it up during the battle in the Underworld."

Eren used the cane to push himself upright slightly. Enough that he could look Georg in the eyes.

"Thank you," he said softly, fingers running fondly over the white and blue wings carved into the pommel. "It means a lot to me."

With a shaky hand, Eren reached into the clothes that hung on his thin frame and withdrew the last Grail.

"I've taken too much already... It can't help me anymore," Eren said, holding out the cup. "Give it to them."

Georg took the holy artifact, and his hands trembled just as much as Eren's, if for different reasons.

Both young men looked at each other.

Georg knew it was time.

Knew Eren wanted to be alone, here at the end.

There was so much said and unsaid between them. Words of trust, camaraderie, thanks, and so many more that would forever go unspoken.

But there was one thing Georg needed to say, no matter what.

"Boss... Eren," Georg drew in a breath, swallowing his tears as he stood up straight.

He spoke with full force and pride, not letting a hint of sadness or loss enter his tone.

Here, at the end, he needed to say these words.

For dead heroes and those not yet born who would follow in their footsteps.

For those comrades who had dedicated themselves to a future they would never see.

And for the boy who had helped them accomplish their dreams.

"No matter what you or the world think."

Georg saluted the boy on the bench, his back straight and chest held proudly.

"It was an honour to fight beside you. You were a true hero!"

Eren's face twitched, but Georg couldn't read it.

It didn't matter.

The fact that Eren felt something at all at Georg's words, even if he disagreed, meant his feelings had been conveyed.

Yet Eren did not recriminate the final survivor of the Hero Faction.

He just gave one last command.

"Georg...Live a long and happy life."

"Yes sir!"

Georg turned sharply, setting out to fulfill his final orders.

The tears started to flow once the last member of the Hero Faction was embraced in that familiar mist.

Eren watched the mist dissipate.

Here he was, alone on the bench at the end of the Path.

Eren took a few moments just to breathe.

To recover what little strength he could for this final meeting.

The others would be here soon, and he had a meeting to finish first.

Thirteen years... Or nineteen, depending on how one looked at it.

His birthday had been yesterday.

Koneko would be a junior now. Issei and Yuuto would be seniors. Rias, Akeno, and Sona would all be in college now.

Had they celebrated the milestone?

Had they done it here?

Had Kuroka been with them?

And Mikasa?

...Eren wished he could see them again, one last time.

But he couldn't.

That was not how his Path ended.

In many ways, it had ended that night on the beach.

Now, he was just going through the final motions.

And confronting the truth of his time in this world.

Eren had done it.

He'd forced the horrors of the Titans on this world. He'd trapped everyone in a cage, walls greater than ever created before. This world had become cattle waiting for the slaughter.

Until something broke those damn walls.

From the outside, seeking the prey within...

Or from the inside, seeking the freedom without.

Eren had kept moving forward, one step at a time, to this end.

He finally had the answers he had searched for.

Or at least most of them.

One last meeting...

Then he could smile.

"Are you going to remain silent until the end?"

For a long moment, nobody answered.

Then a voice answered Eren, seeming to originate from nowhere at all.

"How'd you know I was here?"

"I need to know if you plan to do anything else with Mikasa and the others. If you intend to hurt them..."

"... Did you know it was me?"

"It was clear someone was behind everything. Someone with knowledge of other worlds and power enough to move between them."

"I can think of a few other suspects. Ones who aren't dead."

"...The futures where Rizevim touches my spine all end instantly."

"You could have just died. All your futures end with your death."

"It was just the confirmation. I had my suspicions about who you were for a while. Stop trying to distract me."

"...Apologies. I've waited for... a long time to talk to you. This is my first and last conversation. I'll answer your questions. I just need to know if I missed something. An old man's curiosity, if nothing else."

"You should know even more than me."

"I do, and I don't. This bench... I created it to block my power. I am as blind to your time on it as you are. This conversation included. Like you, I am not a mind reader... Never was."

"...I can survive after my spine is severed for long enough to heal. But Rizevim still kills me? I had a theory, one I tested after I left this bench."

"But not before?"

"After meeting Mikasa again and learning that our presence was deliberate, I wondered who could be behind it. Then I remembered Michael."

"Ah."

"Months with the Satan's siblings, but they never sat with me on the bench. Neither did Azazel, even though he was only a hundred meters away for weeks. They had plenty of opportunities. But they never did."

"They are busy people and thought you were only human. It's not really suspicious."

"Michael was in Kuoh for one day and sat with me. He, the strongest fighter of Heaven, was as protected from the Paths as Mikasa. I couldn't attack Heaven and predict the results accurately enough to guarantee a favourable result."

"...You'll have to forgive a father's desire to protect his children."

"I can. I answered your question. Now answer mine."

Eren asked the most important question to the dead God beside him on the bench.

"Why?"

********

...For one final time, I will meet you all on Sunday on the bench.

 

[ReadingDangerously]

It had not been a special seed.

"'Why?'"

The tree it grew into was not unique or special in any way.

"I should probably start at the beginning if you want to know 'why.'"

The house it became a part of was not remarkable when cut down.

"I was not a strong God, originally. I was a god of a small tribe, one not focused on destruction, war, the dead, or such glorious things. Compared to the Hindus, the Greeks, or other significant pantheons, I wasn't worth mentioning."

Like the rest of the wood and stone that made the house, it was thrown onto the pile of scraps when the construction collapsed.

"I was a craftsman. A god of Creation."

The hands of the carpenter that pulled that beam from the pile, those that fashioned it into a cross, and carried it toward the sight of crucifixion, though. Those were special.

"So I Created. I Created beings to aid me, as I had no other gods to work with. I Created tools to work with and a framework on which to build. That was the initial version of the System that Michael still maintains to this day. Of all my Creations, except my children, I am most proud of the System. It was the very first thing I ever built."

As was the blood that soaked into the wood and nails for those six hours.

"You should understand, right? The things we build that will outlast us are what define us."

The wood and metal were not born special, but they became something more by being placed in extraordinary circumstances.

"..Apologies. I know this is not your ideal solution, but you know how precarious this world's existence is as well as I do."

But unlike the cup that caught the blood or the spear that pierced the flesh, these were not collected by the Creator.

"Don't worry too much on time. I'll have faded long before you die. I'm just a memory of a dead God. An echo in a bit of blood-stained wood."

Humans, those faithful and not, held the wood and Nails for years, passing them from one heir to another as sacred relics. Holy items.

"Anyway, where was I? My System. With it in place, I used it to give me the one thing that would allow me and my people to survive in this world."

Yet the march of time is ever fickle.

"Knowledge. I wasn't originally a clairvoyant, but I created a tool that would alert me of danger and give me awareness of my domain. My first true Creation. 'Let there be Light' and all that."

The wood, the crucifix upon which blood had soaked, was lost at sea in one of the Mediterranean's flights of passion.

"...I had built it to grow with me as I gained more followers and power, but I never predicted the extent it would reach. Ah! That was a pun, wasn't it? I always enjoyed the power of a Word... Or at least, the 'me' that lived did. I'm his memory, so does that make 'me' him? Or am I a different 'me.'"

The Nails fared slightly better.

"I suppose it doesn't matter. We all play our parts."

One was claimed by the Supernatural, a devil killing the possessor and claiming it as a trophy, only to be killed in turn. A holy relic, particularly one as powerful as the Nail, had many uses for those who recognized its significance.

"It didn't work like yours, you know? I didn't see an 'end' and worked my way back. I started at the 'now' and worked my way forward. At some point, my power grew to the extent that I was looking centuries into the future... And I saw it. The future. And it was in humanity."

From hand to hand, the Nail passed through the world. Even as the faithful chased it, it remained out of their reach until the Creator stepped in to claim it back from a God of War.

"I... can't explain it to a human. Not in a way that makes sense. Gods are... purpose with power. We have desires and ambitions, but, at the end of the day, we cannot really change. An evil god might do good but will always be evil. A god of war might enjoy peace but will always prepare for the next war. I could no sooner stop Creating than a human could stop their heart."

This was mere days before the Great War's final climax, where the Creator would die with his foes after sacrificing most of His power to seal a Beast from beyond their world.

"Dragons are the opposite. Power without purpose. They do whatever they wish, irrespective of consequences... I really hate dragons. Just... the worst."

And so that Nail was lost, speculated to exist in some Sacred Gear that would forever remain unfinished.

"But humans? I saw them create things I had never dreamed of. I saw them accomplish acts no god would ever conceive of. It was... beautiful. I would watch them for centuries in futures that would never be. Their variations and permutations... I loved them instantly."

At least the faithful and those angelic children who had lost just lost their father and Creator retained the other Nail, now fashioned into an iron crown.

"Don't look at me like that. I am fully aware that humans could be as whimsical as any dragon, as cruel as any evil god. Perhaps I am the only being in this world to have witnessed more cruelty than you, even if I did not experience it as you did."

Only... they didn't.

"It was their potential I loved. The capacity to be. These, the weakest race, would dominate this planet with or without my intervention. But I intended to help. To protect them. Guide them. And I used my other Creations to help me."

At some point in the past, when the circumstances were just right, a thief had exchanged the genuine Crown of Lombardy with a fake due to simple greed.

"...I was not a good father. When I directed my children, my Creations, to act for the betterment of mortals, I did not explain myself to them. Why would I? They were my Creations. They, like me, could only fulfill their purposes... But some had purposes that conflicted with my order."

While transporting their ill-gotten goods, the thief would be waylayed by bandits and slain. The highwaymen, unaware of the significance of the Crown, tore the jewels from their casing for ease of sale. The important part, the iron, was broken and sold. Melted and turned to horseshoes.

"I cannot describe how it hurt when Lucifer betrayed me. You must have felt something similar once upon a time. That rage... That pain... It's blinding. And when he severed our connection when he took Lilith and created devils... It was adding insult to injury. Others fell, and every single one of them hurt... But you never forget your first betrayal. That wound never heals."

No matter how the powerful hunted and searched for centuries, no one would find the nails or the wood of the cross.

"...I won't go into the details of war I waged in my rage and pain. I won't tell you of the pain every day brought. I will just let you know that every single being that died in the Great War was my children or their descendants... Even the devils. I saw them as extensions of my son, just as he had once been an extension of me. I hated them. I still hate them. They, who came from me but turned from me, who was their source of life! ...Yet they were still my Creations."

But they still existed.

"But I continued to grow stronger. My Creations grew more powerful, and so did the reach of my sight. My visions were my refuge. I drowned myself in futures where there was peace even as I was soaked in the blood of my children."

Washing ashore amidst other debris, the two boards would be used to build another house. Then, when the building was torched and destroyed during a war, the oddly pristine pieces of wood would make the central frame of a carriage.

"Then, one day, I had an idea. A simple one based on idle curiosity. 'What if I die?'"

Time and time again, these two pieces of wood would wander the world from place to place. Unnoticed of any oddity, except for their durability.

"Unlike your power, mine was based on my System. It would survive after I died. So, I looked into those futures. Most of them were what I expected. Chaos. Destruction. My angels slaughtered, and the world drowned in blood, sin, and vice."

The pieces of the blood-soaked wood would be separated and rejoined countless times. They were Damaged repeatedly, yet would always return to their natural state when none were the wiser.

"But, in a future where I took the Satans with me, I saw something else. Something I had believed impossible."

No harm remained on these planks for longer than a year.

"Devils acting as humans did. Loving. Growing. Creating."

Until that is, they were part of the lumber sent to a construction company in the early twenty-first century.

"In the futures I had seen before, ones where I won, I had slaughtered them all. A mercy, I had believed. For both themselves and the world."

The two planks of wood, which were always near each other, were judged to match the weight, length, and width needed for one of the ongoing projects. They were sent to join other planks in the pile before being placed on an assembly line.

"But outside the yoke of my son and his brood, they displayed the characteristic I so admired in humans. I hadn't thought it possible."

When the blood-soaked wood was sawed into boards this time, they would not regrow and regenerate ever again.

"That led to another question, one that terrified me."

For parts of the iron that bound it were also seeped in that same special blood.

"If devils could become like this, could others?"

The metal of the Iron Crown of Lombardy, having followed a similarly circuitous route, had also arrived in the form of iron bands and nails.

"...I watched my Fallen children drown in vice and sin, yet they were even quicker than the devils to move forward. Under Azazel, they unified. They worked with humans, creating wonders that matched even my greatest Creations. My angels, those who remained with me until the end, hurt the most, though."

It had passed from plow to scythe. From bullets to lids.

"Without me... They grew. Grew! Michael might not have my power or ability to Create, but he has become so much more than I ever Created him to be. They made peace! With devils and fallen! Even other factions!"

The metal that was once a blood-soaked nail came to the Land of Eight Million Gods on black ships.

"I... I couldn't make peace, not after the betrayals and the pain. Not when I hate them so much. But they could. They could end the Great War without complete genocide. I... I had never looked for a future like that. I hadn't even thought to."

When the weapon it was a part of was stolen and melted down, it moved through Japan's changing land until it, too, reached its final destination.

"I looked for other ways, of course. I quickly found that if I simply won and spared the defeated, my presence would prevent one side or the other from developing, and my faithful children would never grow... And I couldn't spare them. Not when just looking at them reminded me of the pain and anger."

Until it was reunited with that blood-soaked wood.

"So, I looked into faking my death. But so long as I existed, my System would remain bound to me, and that would act as a bastion for my children. A reassurance that would halt their own development. They'd wait for me, eternally, and never become what I knew they could be."

Though undamaged, iron and wood had been marked through the passage of years. They were always in just the right place at just the right time to be affected by the occasional spell, the odd battle between gods, devils or angels. And that left them changed in a way nobody could see or sense.

"No. For the future I wanted, for my faithful, loyal, beloved children, God needed to die."

The bench they formed was in no way different from every other that rolled off the line that day.

"That still left me with the problem of other worlds, though. The Beast was just the first that would find us, but others would come eventually, and, for all my contemporaries' powers, they remained as set in their ways as ever. The moment something stronger than them appeared, it would be over."

It was not special.

"I knew mortals, with their ability to grow without limits, would be the solution, thus I created Sacred Gears... They'd hold out for a while, but none of the futures I saw reassured me for the long term. And in most cases, my children paid too much for me to accept. I constantly searched for the best future. The perfect future... I failed."

But, by proximity to those that were, by the manipulations of the greatest Creator in this world who had planned a future where wood and iron would meet in just such a way to cancel His power...

"So, I looked beyond my world for the solution."

...It would become special to the boy who found happiness on the simple bench of wood and iron.

********

"Divine intervention?" Armin asked doubtfully, arm pausing mid-throw. "Really?"

"That world is absolutely insane," Eren simply said, throwing his own stone into the waves that lapped on the shore of the Gremory's private island.

Six bounces, a respectable result against the lapping waves.

"I couldn't go a block without running into a god, a dragon, or something like it."

"With population numbers that high," Armin mused thoughtfully, launching his stone. Seven bounces. "I guess it would make sense that many cultures would have many gods. Do you know if the gods came first and created humans, or did humans create gods?"

"No idea," Eren admitted, bringing them to a new location.

They wandered through the Underworld, devils living their lives in the light of a fake sun. This was Lilith before Eren attacked.

He didn't know what it looked like now, four months later.

"They... look like us," Armin said with some wonder. "I suppose the old propaganda was right."

"They act like us, too. All of them. Humans... devils... all the rest... They're just as bad as each other."

"And just as good."

Eren didn't reply, just weaving through the streets beside his friend.

"So... Aliens?"

"Insane," Eren repeated with emphasis, trying to convey his exasperation. "One of the most common beings that invade from another world is a... breast goddess."

Armin stopped in place.

"You cannot be serious."

Eren let the world fade around them. Suddenly, they were floating in the Dimensional Gap.

In front of them was a... woman, though calling her such was a bit of a misnomer.

"Meet Chimune Chipaoti," Eren said blandly. "Also known as the Chichigami."

"Just..." Armin gaped. Disbelief? Awe? Horror? Fascination? "...Why?"

"Insane."

"There's insane, and there's... That!"

"It's Issei's fault," Eren said casually, and Armin looked at him in disbelief. Eren sighed and explained. "In a future where I do nothing... A coalition of powers seals Trihexa, but an alien machine god race invades the weakened world and wipes out the world. In that future, Issei Hyoudou, as the Red Dragon Emperor, will be one of the main defenders. He teams up with this one, an opposing faction to the invaders, but they fail in the end."

"How can you predict that?" Armin asked, still goggling at the... woman. "Isn't that Issei kid as protected as the others?"

"No. He was the exception. I met him in person before I met him on the bench. It was my past, his future, though... I never saw any of the others. Not once. I can only see things I was there for, even in other futures, so it's not like I saw everything. Even if I know where to look for them now, they are still holes in the tapestry, as is everything they do. But not Issei."

"And he's responsible for this?

"Issei is... a character," Eren tried to defend his junior. "A good heart, if nothing else. Honest to a fault. I trust him to protect the others till they're ready. But... yes. He's just as insane as the rest of that world."

They didn't dwell on the... breast goddess for long, and Eren brought Armin to see one of his favourite sights.

"Woah," Armin let out a sound of wonder as he gazed down at the planet Earth.

"I don't know if you guys ever got here," Eren said, taking in the view. "But humans in this world managed to land on their moon... By the end, I was strong enough to come here by myself."

"There are theories, and such," Armin said, not tearing his eyes from the blue and green sphere that dominated their vision. "Probably not for a few years, though. Even now, we are still focusing on rebuilding."

"...Sorry."

Armin didn't accept his apology but didn't reject it either.

They both knew the horrors of the Rumbling, and they both knew it had accomplished precisely what Eren had set out to do.

Eren wasn't sorry for his actions.

Even now, even after all he'd been through and had time to confront everything he'd done.

Eren had time to come to terms, yet he'd do it all again.

He regretted his actions, but he wasn't apologizing for them.

He was apologizing for leaving everything to Armin.

"Thank you for showing me this," Armin said instead. "There are plans for a satellite, but I wouldn't get to see it before I die."

Eren sombrely stared up at the planet.

"...I'm already dead, aren't I?"

"No. Not yet."

"Are you?"

"I will be soon. After this vision is done, I'll have only about a minute. It's why the White God cut himself off. He rambled too long. But..." Eren trailed off.

"You never make things easy, do you?" Armin said, collapsing onto the moon's dusty ground and reclining to look up at the spinning planet. "I'm long dead from your perspective, aren't I?"

"Yes. For centuries." Eren said bluntly, not looking at his friend. "You are talking to a memory of the future, and I am talking to a memory of the past. His Creation, the one in my neck, it is linking my new Path with the remnants of the old one."

"...We destroyed the Paths."

"We destroyed the Founder, the source of Ymir's Paths and the source of the Titans," Eren corrected, collapsing beside his friends. "But... where there was one, there might be more. Maybe in another few thousand years, there will be another Ymir."

They were both silent for a long moment.

"...That would be awful," Armin eventually sighed. "Everything we did, everything we went through, and no finality? It makes it all seem... pointless, doesn't it?"

"No," Eren denied.

They were no longer on the moon.

They were at the End of the World, staring at an impossibly vast Wall.

"We might never eradicate Titans, war, hatred, or violence, but you did have peace. Even if it was only for our fleeting lifetime, we proved it wasn't pointless." Eren shrugged, looking up at his Creation. "To us, at least. "

The two friends stared up at the crimson Wall that trapped an entire world, just as they had done as kids.

"Why'd you do it?" Armin asked.

"...I wasn't going to," Eren admitted. "I would have chosen a future that lasted as long as my life—probably one where I alerted the great powers and convinced them of the threat. Most of the time, they don't believe me, or something goes wrong, and the world is worse off, not better. But there were a few where things turned out decent enough when I died. After that..."

Eren shrugged as if to say, 'Who knew.'

"Even if that world was destroyed after I was gone, I thought it might be better off than doing this to it. All this does is buy a bit of time until something stronger finds it, or they drive themselves to extinction. The entire time, they'll be living in fear and shame. It's... a terrible fate."

"But you decided to do it anyway. Why?"

Eren pulled up his knees, crossing his arms and mumbling his answer into them.

"Sorry? Didn't catch that?"

"...I didn't want them to die..."

Armin stared at his friend, whose ears were turning red, and was looking away so as not to meet his eyes.

He laughed.

"Shut up!"

Eren's face burned, and he splashed sea water at Armin to get him to stop.

Armin laughed harder.

They were back there.

On the beach.

The one where they had first seen the ocean together.

When Eren dunked the last Commander of the Scouts in the surf, Armin retaliated, tripping the sage and knocking Eren down.

They wrestled for a bit, each trying to be the one to drive the other under.

Soaking, panting and covered in drying salt and sand, Eren eventually continued his explanation.

"Like I said, there were other futures. Ones where Trihexa wasn't released, or I got the Top Ten, Ophis, and Great Red to act as defenders. But none of them were as certain as this one. I couldn't know if any alliance would survive after I died. This way, anything that wants into this world has to get through one side of the Wall, then Trihexa, then the other."

"As does anyone who wants to get out," Armin, also panting, pointed out. "All you had to do to start the Rumbling was take control of the Wall Titans. They won't be able to. When you die, there will be no more Eldians who can inherit your Founder. Unless..." Armin squinted at his friend. "Tell me the truth. Is Mikasa pregnant? Or... that cat girl... Kuroka, right?"

Eren splashed his friend again, but it was half-hearted.

"No," Eren answered. "God explained that all he did was take the traces of the Founder to copy its abilities like his other Sacred Gears. Only, it's not part of his System. It's linked to me. My bloodline. If they were children, I'd have seen them on my Path."

"And no one else could be?" Armin asked, and when Eren glared at him, he held up his hands. "I'm just asking. It sounds like you had a lot of female company."

"Nobody is pregnant," Eren bit out. "And even if they were when I die, this new Founder will die with me without someone to transfer to through my Path. I will be the only Titan this world ever has."

"...Are you alright with that?"

"With being the only Titan? Yes. With not having kids? Of course, I'm not!" Eren snapped angrily. "Of course, I want to have kids, live with them, and have a future! Of course, I feel terrible at the thought of Mikasa and Kuroka moving on and finding other people to love! It sucks, and I hate it! A second life, a second chance, and I still hate it!"

"...Wow..." Armin stared at his fuming friend. "You're even more of a pathetic scumbag than I remember. You two timed them and now want them to what... 'be loyal to your memory for the rest of their life?' And they're practically immortal, right? Thousands of years alone? You're just the worst. Or will you say something like, 'Just mourn me for a century?' The worst."

Eren punched his friend in the cheek.

Hard.

Armin went down into the surf again, and Eren gave the man a kick to the ribs for good measure, though it was nowhere near as hard.

"That was for telling everyone what I said last time!"

Armin had the decency to look slightly ashamed and decided to change the subject back to safer territory quickly.

"Do you think it will ever fall?" Armin said, sitting up slightly. "Your Wall?"

"It will," Eren answered with a sigh, sitting beside him in the shallow water. "They have thousands of years to try. They'll get there, eventually."

"...I'd like to have met them."

"You'd have liked Sona," Eren nodded. "She reminds me of you. Rias... She's too much like me. She needs Sona to hold her back. Mikasa will help. She was always reliable and strong. Stronger than either of us. Together... I think together they can do it. Tear down the Wall."

"And if they succeed?" Armin asked, leaning back in the water, his fingers digging into the wet sand behind him as he enjoyed the warm sun. "What then? By then, they'll be stronger than you ever were and have access to all the worlds that might have destroyed them."

"...It's one of the reasons I didn't want to do it," Eren admitted. "Even in the best case, when someone tears down the Wall, kills Trihexa, and frees this world, they'll become another Elidia. Another Marley. Another World that invades more Worlds. Another me. It will be the Rumbling, only worse, across who knows how many Worlds."

"But you did it anyway."

"I did."

Eren's fingers dug into the watery sand beside him.

Then they were somewhere else, warm and dry, as they sat on a bench in a small park.

"I think... I think I understood you," Eren said softly. "At least a little bit."

Eren looked at his cupped hand.

"In our world... I didn't see any other choice. Not one that could get me everything. Kill the Titans, get my revenge, and give you a chance for a future. I am... too selfish to give up any of them," Eren admitted quietly. "But in this one, I had so many choices. Yet I chose to do it all again. Because I think... they can do it better. They can avoid our mistakes... My mistakes."

Eren held out his cupped hand to the boy who sat beside him on the bench, showing Armin the small sea shell he held.

"I still dream of the sea," Eren said softly, handing over the shell. "But... I've started to dream of what lies beyond the sea."

Armin stared at the small, familiar shell in his hands.

"I'm-" The old man in a young man's body swallowed as his voice cracked. "I'm glad. You're finally free."

Linked between past and present, across the bounds of Worlds, the two childhood friends sat together in that timeless moment on the bench.

"...What now?" Armin eventually asked.

"Now?" Eren said, closing his eyes. "Now I get to fix my last mistake. The only regret I wished to undo."

Eren looked over at his friend.

"Now we say goodbye."

Armin's throat swelled.

"I don't know how much of this you'll remember," Eren admitted, looking back towards the sky. "It might just be a dream to you. But... This is it. The end. We... won't see each other again."

"No!" Armin denied. "We promised."

"You're not going to hell, Armin," Eren said softly.

"I am!" Armin denied it again. "The people I killed, the things I did... We helped push you toward the Rumbling. We couldn't give you another way. We were as much to blame as you. We'll shoulder it together!"

"No. You won't."

Eren looked as regretful as he was incredibly relieved as he spoke, and Armin's tears finally started to fall.

"Our world doesn't work like the new one. The afterlife here is... automated, according to him. There are no gods here. What matters in this world isn't a judgment on what you do... It's about how you live and how you die. And you've lived long enough, good enough, that you aren't going to hell. You'll be joining Annie and the others that helped you."

Armin hated the relief he felt at his first friend's words.

He hated himself for not begging Eren to ask the God he met to take his soul with him.

"What about you?" Armin asked softly, voice thick with sadness. "I promised. You shouldn't be alone. Not after everything. I promised."

"I don't know," Eren shrugged, looking away and attempting to be cavalier. "I'm not really part of that world. Just a temporary invader. I'm not part of his System. I can't get to heaven, but I'm also not part of any other pantheon. I can't reincarnate in that world, and I can't even return here. I put a Wall between us. Nobody is strong enough to bring me back, except for maybe Great Red, but I had enough trouble getting that delinquent to work with me. He would have healed me already if he wanted to save me."

Eren trailed off, and his own voice started to shake.

"Maybe... If- Once the Wall is destroyed, my soul will find another world. Be reborn naturally. Maybe I'll see the others again when they find that world... I think I'd like that. Maybe next time, I'll get it right."

The pair lapsed into a moment of silence.

"...But that's not what you want."

"...No...I..."

Eren's hands started to shake, and his following words came out in a hoarse whisper.

"...I don't want to die."

Eren looked at Armin, and the tears flowed from both their eyes.

Armin pulled his friend into a hug and each held the other tightly.

"I'm not like Cao Cao and the others," Eren confessed guiltily, holding his brother with all his strength. "I... don't want to die and be remembered. I want to live. For the first time in... so long... I want to live."

Armin just held Eren tighter.

"I've died once already. I've lived two lifetimes. More than most get. I still have regrets but I've met you and Mikasa again... I've gotten luckier than a Devil like me deserves... This second life... It's been terrible... And wonderful... And I want more... I want a long, happy life..."

The two brothers just sat there, holding each other as they wept their final tears.

But even those tears ran dry.

"...It's why I used your Titan to help build the Wall," Eren eventually said, releasing Armin, rubbing his eyes and standing from the bench. "Even if we can't meet in hell... I wanted to do my best to fulfill our promise."

As he stood, Eren seemed to shrink, not in height, but in body.

He thinned, shifter marks deepening and skin splitting from the numerous open wounds that wept blood and steam.

As he leaned on his cane, Eren had once more become the Titan, the boy who had brought another World to its knees.

The monster who had traumatized a generation, killed thousands, and trapped an entire world in a never-ending Wall.

The Eldian Devil who had killed eighty percent of his world to save the lives of a handful of people.

"...Thank you."

Armin stood as well, an old man once more. One who'd lived through the age of Titans, the Rumbling, The Battle of Heaven and Earth, and the decades that came after.

The last surviving Titan Shifter and the man believed to be the hero who had slain the Attack Titan and kept the peace in the following years.

The Hero and Devil shared one last hug.

"And goodbye, Eren."

"Goodbye, Armin."

********

"Are you in a better mood? I cannot overstate how little I want this conversation to end. Once it does, we both die."

"...Just...Get on with it," Eren bit out, swallowing his annoyance. His every word sounded like it came from out of clenched teeth. "I'm... grateful... to get to say... goodbye... But that doesn't answer my questions. Why me? Why them? And what now?"

"...Do you still want to see it?" God asked as Eren regained control over himself.

Taking a deep breath, Eren answered with a resolute nod.

"Show me." They were still in the vision, but Eren leaned on his cane anyway. "I need to know what you did."

The memory of the dead God sighed.

"It's not that complicated," He said. "The hardest part was manipulating events in my world so the bench would come to be long after I died. Ensuring it was in place at certain events and times to get certain cuts and dings took decades of planning and vision. It was needed, though. My memory has been trapped in the blood on the wood while the Nail would nullify my powers trapping it... and my Creation in your spine while you were in contact."

"Show me."

"Fine."

As with Armin, Eren's world flowed around him.

The first sight they stopped at was near a... funeral home?

"I actually found your world about three or so years after you died," the dead God started to ramble again. "What we're watching is decades later, after I made the plan."

It looked high class, certainly the type of place for those with money or influence.

"Once I learned of the nature of your powers, I had the idea of resurrecting you to protect the world in my stead. But with the Founder dead and destroyed, you wouldn't be clairvoyant. You couldn't even use your Attack or Warhammer Titans without the Paths to build the bodies."

As they watched, a white bird flew down and turned into another version of the God that watched beside Eren.

"I had an answer for that. It was the easy part. One of the current Longinus, Innovate Clear, already does something similar. It is an idealized combination of Annihilation Maker and Dimension Lost. I didn't need anything that powerful, just something to mimic the Paths. A container of the power without the actual creature that joined Ymir."

"I don't care about how you did what you did," Eren grunted. "Just tell me what you did and why."

They watched as the God of the past, invisible to all the Eldians who worked at the establishment, wandered through the funeral home until he came to stand beside a large wooden coffin. It was one of many, though a nicer one.

"I care, though. I might be a memory, but I have my pride as a Creator."

Eren gave the memory a flat look as the God of the past waived his hand, and the nails that held the coffin together disappeared.

"... Why are you so impatient for this to end? You know what will happen."

"Because I need to be sure you have nothing else planned for them after I am gone. This is their world, not ours. They need to be free of futures they haven't lived yet."

A Nail appeared in the God's hands before it split into dozens of smaller nails, each piercing the coffin's wood where the mundane Nail had dissipated.

"I could lie to you, you know?"

"Why lie to a man about to die?" Eren said bluntly before gesturing to the funeral home around them. The memory had paused as the Nails entered the coffin. "What was that?"

"That was me making sure the Evil Pieces could bring back Mikasa," the God sighed. "That particular Nail, I enchanted to keep things fresh. Essentially freezing the coffin and its contents in time, not dissimilar to that dhampir's Gear, only much weaker. Holy Relics are some of my strongest materials, and I invested three of them into this plan. Both Nails and my Crusifix. Do you have any idea what I had planned as a Gear with those? One would be a Longinus, and the other could become the equivalent of one with the right Balance Breaker! They'd be really cool."

The image shifted again as the memory continued to ramble.

Eren's heart clenched as he beheld the familiar tree on the hill.

A small, old, worn tombstone was at its base. Though the lettering was faded weather and wear, Eren still recognized his own name.

Beside that small grave was a second tombstone. Fresher. Brand new.

The hole in front of it was open, as was the coffin.

The funeral preceded, and Eren could recognize an older Armin crying as the coffin was lowered into it.

A middle-aged man... Grisha... Mikasa's son... was speaking, but Eren didn't hear it.

Eren looked down at an older Mikasa as she was buried, wrapped in a red scarf and surrounded with countless flowers.

She looked... at peace.

The wrinkles around her face spoke of a long, happy life.

Eren knew he was looking at her past.

That in the future, they would meet once more.

The knowledge couldn't stop the pain at seeing the woman he loved be lowered into the Earth.

"...Do you want to say something?" The memory asked delicately, its rant on Sacred Gears done.

"No..." Eren said, stepping back. "We've already said what we needed to say to each other. She's still alive. She'll take care of them."

"Alright."

The scene started to fly by, time speeding up as figures came and went from the grave.

The tree on the hill was near a city now, Eren realized, in a park not unlike the one with the bench.

He saw Armin come by a day after the funeral, and Eren closed his eyes.

He'd already said goodbye to his brother.

Eventually, the scene returned to regular time a few weeks after the funeral.

It was a sunny but cold day when the white bird landed in front of the tree on the hill, turning back into the White God.

"It took a while for me to have a moment when nobody was nearby," the memory explained. "A local writer liked to come here at night to drink and contemplate story ideas. Believe it or not, she ended up writing an alternative history story centred on Historia's rise to power. One where everyone seemed to fall in love with her, and it was her rejection of him that drove 'Eren Yeager' to do what he did. While controversial, to say the least, it was very popular. Especially among those inclined to... tragic... romance... and... smut..."

The memory trailed off at Eren's completely unimpressed look.

The God of the past waived his hands, and the fresh grave opened, Mikasa's coffin rising before him.

"What did you do?" Eren asked as the Past God took out a note and tapped it onto the coffin.

One more wave of His hand, and it was gone, disappearing into nothing.

"Essentially just a very delayed teleportation," the memory said with an amused smile. "I sent it to the Underworld where, in a few centuries, Serafall Leviathan will build her mansion around where it will appear. The trick is to have it appear at just the right time so that I can take credit for her sister's birth. A perk of being clairvoyant, I'm sure you appreciate, is being able to claim, 'I planned this all along' even when I didn't do anything special. It was one of my favourite ways to mess with other gods."

"Why Serafall? Why Sona? They're devils," Eren pressed.

"...Would you have been able to connect with Angels like you do with devils?"

Eren didn't answer.

"When I started all this, I had no idea what my solution would be," the memory explained as they watched the Past God pull up another bundle from underground. "I just needed... something. Something that would protect my world and my children after I was gone. I searched dozens of Worlds before finding yours. When I saw what had happened in this one and how your powers work, I knew I had the key to a solution."

It was the remains of what had once been a small box, long ruined by time and the life underground.

"But I couldn't just bring you back. No, in every future, I do that, we end up fighting. We're just too incompatible. And if you have the Founder, you win. But I needed you to win, to find a solution I couldn't."

Inside the ratty box was a skull, all flesh and hair decomposed, leaving it the off-white of bone.

"So, I set you up to 'win' around when you could do the most good. When the Peace Treaty is signed and the Beast would be freed. But even then! All you do is the bare minimum. 'Save the world' for only as long as you are alive. So, I sent Mikasa to be reincarnated, trying to get you to care. And you spend your entire life with her, then die after bringing her to a new world. I cannot tell you how infuriating you are to try to work with. It's maddening."

Eren looked at his severed head as the memory ranted.

It looked just like every other skull.

No different from everyone he'd killed.

"So, I had to set things up in a way where you'd come to care about my world. Where you'd want to protect it, even after I died. And here is where I faced the problem with your power. You cannot connect with people, or truly come to care for them while you have the Founder. But without it, you are useless to me. So, I had to create the bench. A temporary reprieve from your powers."

The God of the past picked up the skull, placing a glowing white bone right where the spine was severed.

"Everything after that was just... optimization. Ensuring certain people were in certain places at certain times. It kind of all fell into place, honestly. You did most of the work on the actual solution. I was honestly impressed. All I did was choose the time and place, and you chose the future."

As the spine glowed, the Past God's hands glowed to match it.

Eren's skull warped and twisted, bone flowing and shrinking.

In seconds, the deity was holding a sleeping baby.

"Why the nineteen years?" Eren asked as he watched his past version disappear like the coffin before him. Another delayed teleportation. "If I had more time, I might have come up with something better."

"To be honest, I have no clue."

At Eren's look, the memory shrugged.

"Like you, I see things happen, but I don't always know why they happen. If I was omniscient, I wouldn't be fighting in a Great War for centuries, would I? It could be some remnant of the Curse of Ymir or your own version. A 'Curse of Eren' that prevents you from living longer than your original life. It could be the power just burns through you, and you die. It's not a Sacred Gear and not part of my System, so there will be no one after you to compare it to."

Eren accepted the answer, even if it didn't make him happy.

Still, at least there wouldn't be more people who'd received the cursed power of the Founder after him.

That had been one of his greatest fears once he started to believe the God of the Bible was behind his presence in this world.

The God of the Past looked out over the graves one more time, making sure they were exactly as they had been when he arrived before disappearing as dawn's light started to peak over the horizon.

"Is that why the Evil Pieces didn't work? Because it's not a Sacred Gear?"

"No. It's your body itself. Evil Pieces cannot work on my Angels, not without them Falling. You aren't an angel, so you cannot fall, but I still made your body directly, unlike Mikasa's. You cannot become a devil."

Eren couldn't deny the conflicted emotions that brought.

He still wanted to live, but... Even if he could stomach being brought back by Mikasa, Kuroka, or Rias, he thought a part of him would always resent them for it. For being his 'King.'

It was probably better this way.

"Do you have anything else planned after this?" Eren asked. "With them?"

"There are a few other, vague plans that will pay off in the coming years, like letting my faithful have children easier now that they are at peace and don't have the Brave Saints to rely on, but that isn't what you want to know," the memory sighed.

"No. I don't."

"I had to spend so much effort making sure all the lines met up simultaneously during your life that planning something intricate after that is just... I didn't have time for it before the Beast arrived, and I needed to end things with my son. I don't envy your power, but I do admire its convenience. This meeting is the product of centuries of work and countless attempts. So no, I have no great plans for your friends or lovers. They will live on, at least beyond where my visions stopped, without my interference."

"Good."

The pair stood there on that hill with the tree, watching the sunrise over a land without walls for a long minute.

"I could take your confession if you'd like."

Eren snorted.

"No. You can't. I do not repent. I regret. But I'll stand by my actions, my choices, to the very end. They were not the right ones, but they were mine."

"That's probably for the best. You couldn't get into heaven anyway. The amount of atonement you'd have to do... Let's just say that your Wall will fall long before you'd finish. Still, the option is there for anyone to take."

"You're just trying to delay the end."

"...I am. Once this memory fades... There'll be nothing left of me. God will truly be gone."

"There needs to be an end. To all things. Good... and bad."

"My world... It will need to stand on its own, and I won't be there to guide and protect it."

"...That's what it means to be free."

The pair were silent again.

God took a deep breath of the morning air.

"Goodbye, Eren Yeager. If we ever met, we'd hate each other. But... Thank you for saving my home."

The memory held out a hand for Eren.

Eren shook it.

"I don't like you, but... Thank you for the opportunity to see them again. To say goodbye. For this second life."

"You're welco- What?" Eren's fist tightened around the memories, and his face distorted as he looked behind him. "What are you looking at?"

Even when the memory looked around, he couldn't see a reason for Eren to look like that.

"You didn't do this?"

"Do what?"

"...No..." Eren said in realization.

He let go of the memory's hand and stepped beyond the dead God, staring out toward the horizon.

"This might be your memory, but... The Paths were always ours alone."

They were... everywhere.

Every inch of ground was occupied, as was every branch of every tree. They covered the buildings in the distance. They hung from walls and windows.

A sea of green, grey, and black that covered the horizon.

And they were all looking at him.

Eren knew them all. Knew them because he'd been there, looking through their eyes for their entire lives. He'd felt their pain. He'd inflicted it.

But... It was those closest to the tree on the hill that had his eyes captured.

Floch was off to the side with the other Yeagerists like Sam, Daz, and Louise.

Falco and Gabi were with their friends and family while Marcel and Porco hovered nearby, side by side.

Zeke was even further away, standing beside an older man in glasses as an old couple looked on.

Further back yet were Grisha, Dina and... Carla... Mom.

Shadis stood next to Erwin, severe looks on faces gazing up at him.

Nearby, Hange stood in front of Moblit and beside them, Captain Levi stood among Gunther, Oluo, Eld and Petra.

Bertolt, Reiner and Annie were also near the front, while Jean and Thomas waited not too far away.

Closer still, Connie and Sasha gazed up at Eren, their eyes not showing their usual exuberance.

Near the foot of the hill, Ymir looked reluctant to be there but was enduring it for Historia, who stood, arm in arm, with her.

And, in front of everyone else, Armin gazed up at Eren.

For close to a minute, they just... looked at each other in the silence of the dawn.

No words needed to be said.

Eren knew that they knew.

Knew of his time in the Paths. Of what he had done, why he had done it, and what it had cost.

Knew of his time in the new world, of his refusal to repent and his conviction to stand by his actions to the very end.

Between past, present, and future...

Across the boundary of two worlds...

They were all connected through broken Paths.

And, as one, they turned their backs on Eren.

They could not forgive him.

Eren had betrayed them all for his selfish desires.

He'd killed them.

He'd thrown away the humanity they'd fought for.

He'd thrown away the Yeagerists and Eldia just so his friends could be heroes.

He'd killed so many of them and countless more.

They all turned from Eren, from his comrades, to his friends, to his parents.

Except for two.

Historia, the worst girl in the world, looked up at the boy on the hill with the same smile as ever, even as Ymir turned from him.

Armin stood straight, eyes not leaving Eren's until the very end.

Eren stood before the tree on the hill and faced a sea of turned backs and two faces.

Armin Artlet, the last Commander of the Survey Corps, raised his hands...

...And spoke in the silence of the dawn.

"Shinzou wo Sasageyo!"

Millions of fists clenched over millions of hearts.

SHINZOU WO SASAGEYO!!

Their voice shook the world with the familiar words carved into Eren's heart since he was a boy.

They, who could not forgive the Devil, could understand Eren Yeager.

The boy who had accomplished their long-held dream of ridding the world of the terror of the Titans.

They had dedicated their hearts to a future.

Even if they could not accept Eren or forgive him for betraying that hope...

A single fist rose over a heart that was soon to stop beating.

From one heart to another...

Eren's voice was thick as he looked out over the memories of people he would never meet again.

"Sinzou wo..."

Eren Yeager had, one last time, dedicated his heart.

"...Sasageyo!!"

********

He was back on the bench.

The memory of the dead God had faded, slowly taking with it the ability to stop his power from passing to his past self.

According to the memory, he barely had a minute before someone would be here.

That was fine.

He'd had nineteen years more than he ever deserved.

Eren... still didn't want to die.

He wanted to live.

But... wanting to live...

That desire was something he'd lost when he'd come to accept the inevitability of the future that night with Mikasa in Marley.

To have it back, with everything else...

It was a gift he hadn't expected.

Eren wished he could give Rias her answer in person, but...

She'd just have to take his smile as the answer.

He wished he could see them all one more time, really.

Would Kuroka and Shirone reconcile?

Would Yuuto open his bakery?

Would Issei get his harem?

...Would Akeno come to forgive herself?

...Would Rias tear down his Wall?

...Would Sona teach the world of him? Of his reasons and mistakes so that they did not repeat?

...Would Mikasa move on again? Find someone else that could make her happy?

...Would Kuroka find someone who could give her the kittens she always wanted?

Eren wanted to see it all. Wanted to be there with them.

He wanted to see Issei and Asia married.

He wanted to be there when Koneko accepted her sister back.

He wanted to be there for the grand opening of Isaiah's Bakery.

He wanted to hear Akeno tease everyone again.

He wanted to finish that manga with Rias.

Eren wanted to finish learning Japanese with Sona, which was the only thing he'd learned without using the Paths to cheat.

He wanted to hold Kuroka.

He wanted to wrap Mikasa in that scarf one more time.

But, what Eren wanted... It wasn't what mattered.

What mattered were actions.

He could sense Sona now, in the school only a few hundred meters away.

He could sense the panic and confusion around him as the world was brutally confronted with the truth of their new reality.

Eren wished he could have come up with a better solution. There'd be wars. There's be panic, and fear, and shame, and trauma.

Eren knew he might have created another 'Eren Yeager' today. Another monster who would do whatever it took to be free.

But... He believed he hadn't.

He wasn't smiling because he wanted to die or because he had no regrets. He'd always have regrets. The blood at his feet would never drain. It could only grow.

No, that was not why he was smiling.

Eren Yeager was smiling because he had been freed.

Freed of a future that shackled him.

Freed of the certainty that things would always turn out in the worst way.

Freed of the duty to drown the world in blood just so those he loved could have a long, happy life.

War. Violence.

They would never disappear.

War followed peace, and peace followed war.

But... For the first time in his life... Eren Yeager was free to believe in others.

That they'd achieve his dreams, even without him and without making his mistakes.

They'd pick up the heart he dedicated.

The bench's power waned enough and suddenly, Eren was back in the familiar blue and white Path.

He didn't do anything, just resting as his body tried vainly to mend itself.

The pain could not wipe the small, content smile from his face.

It was not a smile of joy as he had when he flew.

It was not a smile of love as when he was with those he came to care about.

It was a smile of relief. Of hope. Of contentment and fulfilled dreams that had not happened yet.

And it was the most hateful and beautiful thing the six-year-old boy beside him on the bench would ever see.

"This bench is the meeting place."

"Who am I meeting?"

A dead god. A lost kitten. A vengeance-driven young man. An honest pervert. A girl who hates herself. A Japanophile longing for freedom. A girl dedicating herself to her dream. Kuroka. Mikasa.

But Eren did not tell the boy anything about that.

To tell him would be to ruin it.

"Where is this? When is this?"

"Thirteen years in the future."

Thirteen years. Eleven years of hell.

Half a year of resolution.

A year and a half of relief. Of growing hope. Of friends found, words spoken, and comfort given.

"Why are you smiling?"

Because he was relieved.

Because he got to wrap that scarf around Mikasa's neck one more time.

Because he got to say goodbye to Armin.

Because the Wall would eventually fall.

Because Eren was happy.

"Can you do it again?"

Can you face it all again? The pain. The fear. The heartbreak. Can you live eleven years that stretch for eternity while confronting your actions?

"Why would I? I do not know why or how I was reborn in this world. My friends are not here. Historia is not here. Armin is not here. Mikasa is not here. There are no Titans, no Marley. No walls."

"Can you do it again?"

Can you step forward one last time in this mad, cruel world if it means finding this bench and the beauty it can bring you?

"I can."

"Then you'll know why I'm smiling."

Because this was still a cruel world, happiness only came to those who'd fight for it.

Unless you push through the pain and loss and betrayal, you could never have the ending you wished.

But if you did fight for it... You can seize that happiness with your own hands.

"I suppose I will."

"Remember, you only have thirteen years."

Don't waste it. Don't let the pain hold you back.

Take what time you have, short as it may be, and move forward.

Though you are choked with regret, drowning in guilt, and moving toward further cruelties, continue to put one foot in front of the other.

Until you are happy.

Until you are free.

"Then I should get started," the six-year-old Eren said, standing from his seat.

In his eyes, the trees disappeared with the azure sky as his feet met the sand.

All that remained were the dunes of The Path, the countless stars above and the bench.

And a six-year-old Eren saw it all.

The Path.

The Enemy.

The Walls.

And the cost of it all.

"I see," a young Eren said, eyes gazing at the future he would build.

"Not yet," Eren corrected with a long, weary sigh of relief.

The boy saw the Path but not who'd push him forward.

The boy saw the Enemy, a world that preyed upon itself in an endless cycle, but not those who lived in it.

The boy saw the Walls, but not those he'd trust to tear them down.

The boy saw the cost of it all, but...

He didn't see the tree Vali would put him through for disappearing for a year.

He didn't see the hammocks behind the bench where Issei and Asia would cuddle.

He didn't see the minifridge under the bench, which held Yuuto's baking attempts and Akeno's meals that Koneko would steal.

He didn't see the box containing Rias' blanket, manga, or his Japanese homework that would forever go unfinished.

He didn't see the retracted covering Sona had installed to protect the bench from the elements.

He didn't see all the moments he and Kuroka would share on this bench, enough that even without the Path, their combined power and union would push her to her seventh tail on their last day together.

He didn't see the white flowers Mikasa had planted blooming in the warm spring air.

The boy could not see a reason to smile.

"But you will."

...

Returned from the End of the World, with Sona rushing to join them, they'd reach him only a few seconds later.

Like he'd always known it would be, he had died alone on the bench.

Battered. Broken. With blood and steam no longer pouring out of him as he leaned heavily back on the bench, he stared up at an azure sky he could no longer see.

With a familiar cane in his hand, Eren Yeager had died with a small, content smile.

********

All that is left is an epilogue on Friday.

...Our Path together has ended.

We've returned to the bench where it all began.

Thank you for sitting with me all this time.

It is time to say goodbye to the boy on the bench.

 

[ReadingDangerously]

It was a serene sight.

Picturesque in a way that was as beautiful as it was haunting.

The warm light, the lost cane, the small, content smile.

Eren looked happy.

""EREN!!""

Dozens of feet rushed toward the boy on the bench.

Rias Gremory was not one of them.

She stood there, rooted in place, as she looked at the boy who had died on the bench.

Even before anyone reached him to check, Rias knew the truth.

Eren was dead.

There would be no miracle. No clever trick or grand plan this time.

Eren was dead.

And he looked... happy...

Rias' heart was in her throat.

When she'd thought he'd killed Issei, she'd chosen not to use the mutated Rook to bring Eren back if he died.

When he'd seemed poised to destroy her home, threatening the lives of all her loved ones, she'd fought him with everything she had.

When he'd disappeared for months, Rias fought against the remnants of his Chaos Brigade while constantly fearing another Titan attack.

When Eren had set them up to unleash Trihexa only a few minutes ago, Rias had feared for her entire world.

And then he'd called them into that world of white sand and blue light to show them what he'd done.

Rias Gremory had stared up at that crimson wall.

She'd known, vaguely, of other worlds for most of her life, thanks to Aunty Mikasa. They'd been more relevant since the discovery that Eren was also from one, but Rias hadn't given them much consideration.

To know that they were filled with alien beings, some so powerful and hostile that her world couldn't survive their attention. To know that all it would take was the wrong extra-dimensional monster finding them by chance, and all her family would die.

To discover that she had been free to leave her world to go to another where she'd be 'Rias' instead of 'Rias Gremory' instead of having to fake it in the human world...

Rias wasn't the same girl she had been when she first fled to Earth in her little rebellion, but to discover that there had been a real option for freedom out there all along?

And to have it stolen from her?

Rias Gremory had stared up at that crimson wall and hated it.

Hated it for the fear it brought her of what could be waiting on the other side.

Hated it for the hope it gave her for what amazing things lay beyond her reach now.

Rias Gremory had stared up at that crimson wall and swore to be the one to tear it down.

To destroy it so utterly and completely that Trihexa would be nothing but a distant memory, and the Titans that built it would never be able to heal.

But...

...That was what Eren wanted, wasn't it?

Please. Take it back.

Rias had heard the words and knew he was talking to her.

Begging her to regain the freedom he had stolen from her.

He had entrusted this world's future to them.

To see Eren here again, after months, after everything she'd learned about who he truly was and what he'd done...

To know him as the man who killed thousands, people she knew and many she liked...

Rias Gremory looked at the smiling form of Eren Yeager's corpse and saw the Devil.

The man who'd killed a billion and a half people for his revenge and freedom.

The man who'd terrorized her world and destroyed her society.

The man who'd trapped them all in a cage, waiting for some passing god to come by and swat like flies.

Rias Gremory looked at the smiling Devil, and she...

Mikasa cried as she reached Eren first, holding the limp body to her chest.

"Move!" Kuroka, also crying, ordered as she tried to pull the Pawn away from the corpse.

In her hand was a chess piece, a Queen that glowed with demonic energy.

Everyone held their breath as Mikasa let herself be removed, her eyes locked on the Evil Piece.

With trembling hands, Kuroka pressed the piece against Eren's unmoving chest.

There was a beat of silence.

Then another.

"...why?" Kuroka croaked, staring at the glowing piece that remained in her hand. Her tails hung limply behind her.

Eren continued to smile.

"Damnit, Senpai," Rias heard Yuuto mutter under his breath.

"Onee-sama..." Koneko approached her sister, still holding onto the smiling body.

"Why!!" Kuroka shouted at the body, causing them all to flinch. "Why this future!? Why couldn't you have stayed with me? With us!"

"...Kuroka..."

"Anwer me, you stupid, suicidal idiot!"

Eren continued to smile down at the nekoshou.

In the silence, Kuroka's sobs were especially loud.

"Ophis!" Issei suddenly shouted, and all eyes turned to look at the boy.

Then she was there, the small girl appearing amidst the gathered group.

"Yes?"

Wordlessly, Issei pointed toward the bench.

Ophis turned and saw Eren.

"...oh..."

She was suddenly there, standing on the bench beside the body.

Kuroka looked up at the Dragon God with wet eyes filled with hope.

"Please, Ophis," she begged. "Please bring him back."

Ophis continued to stare down at the smiling Eren.

"Please," Issei begged as well. "You brought me back! Bring Senpai back as well!"

Ophis' face was completely blank, but her eyes were wide.

"...I..."

The entire clearing was quiet as the Dragon God spoke slowly.

"...I...am...weak..."

"You're stronger than everyone here," Arthur argued, though not unkindly. He wasn't crying like most of them, but his knuckles were white as they held his sword.

"...Eren...Took... Baka Red... Into... Dream..."

Ophis turned her blank eyes toward the group.

She looked small. Lost. Confused.

"I, didn't want this." Ophis declared vehemently before it petered out once more as she looked back at Eren. "I... wanted... Silence... Not... this..."

Kuroka rose slowly, scooping the diminutive girl into her arms and holding her tightly.

"I know," Kuroka whispered hoarsely. "I know. It's not your fault. Eren chose this. He chose his end. It's not your fault."

Whether she was speaking to Ophis, to anyone else, or herself was unclear.

"...Hurts..." Ophis muttered, pressing her face into Kuroka's chest.

"I know," Kuroka repeated. "It hurts. Loving him hurts."

Mikasa, her little hope now squashed, stepped forward to Eren's side again.

"We need to hide him," she muttered despondently. "A place to bury him. Everyone will be looking for him now."

It was a sobering reminder of what Eren had done only minutes ago.

Everyone in the world now knew about the supernatural, about them, and about him.

Even among fellow devils, there'd be countless that Rias knew who would parade around Eren's corpse as some sort of monument.

...Less now, she guessed. Sona and Eren had killed most of them.

"...We know a place," Vali said softly, looking at the smiling boy with trembling eyes. "A valley. Our home."

"He'd like it there," Bikou tried to lighten the mood slightly, but nobody missed how his smile was forced. "We used so much Senjutsu to repair it from training that it's practically a paradise."

Akeno touched Rias' arm, and the Gremory started in surprise.

She'd been staring at Eren without blinking for minutes.

Looking at her Queen, Rias saw in Akeno's eyes her own grief mirrored, but they were also tinged by concern for Rias.

Rias wondered what she looked like for Akeno to be looking at her like that.

She didn't have time to ask because Sona, who had also been silent until now, spoke up.

"It might be for the best," the Sitri muttered, and when her aunt turned to look at her, she elaborated. "That we can't bring Eren back."

There was a harsh intake of air.

"How can you-"

"Asia," Xenovia interrupted her friend gently with an arm on her shoulder. "Kaichou has a point."

"Are you saying that because you don't like him?" Issei asked and winced at the hurt look Xenovia gave him.

"I don't like the Child of Evil," the former exorcist pushed on. "But... I don't hate him, either. He gave Ise back." The Red Dragon Emperor bit his lip and looked away. "But, his power... If he came back, what would he do with it this time? He lamed one of the greatest exorcists at nine without using supernatural abilities. At nineteen, he's done... this. If he had thousands of years of life? Would any of us be able to do anything? He'd be unmatched. An immortal, all-powerful ruler. A tyrant."

"Eren would never do that," Kuroka snapped.

"Just like he hated walls but built an indestructible one around us?"

Nobody really could argue with that. Eren had his principles and beliefs, but in the face of a future he wished for, he'd throw them all away, no matter how much he hated to.

"He'd lose his Titan powers if he became a devil," Mikasa argued in a different direction. "They're tied to his Eldian race."

"Just like he shouldn't be able to use the Founder without a Royal Bloodline?" Xenovia rejoined instantly. "No. We've made too many mistakes on how his powers work. If he comes back with his powers, we've already lost."

"Xenovia has a point," Rossweiss added but pointed at the Student Council President, who hadn't taken her eyes off Eren. "But I do not think that is what Sona was talking about."

All eyes turned back to the Sitri.

"I don't want him dead," Sona declared with a shaking voice, looking around the clearing as if daring anyone to contradict her. Her eyes landed on Mikasa. "I... Want him here with us. With me. But... he might be better off this way."

"Sona..." Mikasa started to say but trailed off as she realized what her niece was discussing.

"...We all saw him," Sona choked out the words. "He... wasn't happy. How could he be? With the Founder and the world and the futures and everything..." Sona hiccuped. "...I saw my sister die. Everyone died. My world was destroyed. I only saw it for a few minutes. He lived with that for thirteen years. Death... might be the only freedom he has. The only peace."

"That's what this bench does!" Kuroka argued. "It nullifies the Founder! He doesn't have to live like that anymore."

"Then why isn't your Piece working," Sona asked despondently. "If Eren's connection to the Founder was severed, he could be brought back. But he isn't. If it was cut, how would he have memories of this... smile?"

"Even if he came back like that," Vali sighed, leaning against a nearby tree and looking toward the sky. "He'd forever be trapped here, on the bench. Unable to leave without fear of his powers coming back and trapping him again. A prison if he stayed and a prison if he left. He'd hate that."

"Senpai..." Issei said, looking at the still-smiling boy. Issei wiped his eyes and stood up straighter. "...He looks happy."

Was he happy because he was at peace? Because he was finally free of his power? Because he'd accomplished all his goals?

Or was there another reason?

Why was Eren Yeager smiling?

"Eren would hate to be trapped," Akeno said into the silence. "He'd hate to live in this world, trapped in a wall he built. He'd hate to be dependent on the bench. He'd hate to be trapped in the Paths again. He'd hate to be under anyone's control, no matter who brought him back. But... So long as he was alive... Eren would keep going. He'd keep fighting, no matter how much he hated it until he reached where he wanted to go. No matter how much it hurt. That's the Eren Yeager I knew."

Rias Gremory looked at the smiling Devil, and she...

"But now he doesn't have to fight anymore," Sona sighed sadly. "Now, he's at peace. We should-"

"I don't care."

All eyes turned to the crimson-haired devil.

Rias was still staring at the corpse.

Eren continued to smile.

"I don't care if he's better off dead. I don't care if he's a threat. I don't care that he might end up trapped on this bench, in the paths, or with us in this cage."

"Rias-" Mikasa tried to speak, but Rias bulldozed over her.

"I don't care that the world will look for him. I don't care that he's made an enemy of everyone, killed thousands, and practically destroyed his own homeworld. I. Don't. Care!"

Rias was huffing mad, glaring at the smile that was taunting her.

"I never cared about any of that crap. And it doesn't matter. If he decides he's better off dead, that's his choice, not ours."

"What are you saying?" Kuroka asked, a spark of hope in her. "We can't bring him back. We tried. Unless you have another way?"

"I don't," Rias said simply.

She wasn't more intelligent or more knowledgeable than everyone here.

Just more stubborn.

"But Just cause we can't bring him back now doesn't mean we can't find a way in the future." The Gremory saw when it clicked with them. "If Ophis is too weak now, we need to strengthen her. Or I'll become strong enough. Or I'll ask Valerie to use the Grail on him once she's better. Or we'll find another way. I don't care if it takes a thousand or ten thousand years."

Rias saw it in them: hesitation, fear, and hope.

Eren was dead. There was no denying that.

But even death wouldn't stop a rampaging Rias Gremory from getting her family back!

"I care about the dream Eren stole from me. I care about my friend. I care about the future I will make," Rias stared into Mikasa's, willing her to understand the lengths Rias would go to for this. "Eren entrusted this world to us, and I will fight for it. Even if I fail, I will fight again and again until I get my ending."

Wordlessly, Mikasa gave a slow, shallow nod.

As Rias looked at the smiling Devil as he was lowered into the coffin that was slightly too small for her, she turned all her grief, fear, and sadness into an angry determination.

Eren still owed her an answer, and she would get it, no matter what it took.

Eren Yeager might be determined to die like some tragic Seinen protagonist, but he forgot that Rias Gremory was a Shonen protagonist.

A greedy one at that.

Rias would never let her story end on anything less than a perfectly happy ending.

As the coffin lid closed, ending a part of their lives they would never forget, Rias spoke one last time to the smiling boy.

"See you later, Eren."

********

Three Years Later

The murmuring and clamouring grew in intensity as Sona ascended the stage.

Sona ignored the gleaming of camera lenses, the flash of lights, and the murmured insults and praises as she marched steadily toward the podium at the center of the massive amphitheatre.

She passed her Peerage, who gave her smiles of encouragement. They looked professional in their uniforms. Most were still in college and wouldn't officially take positions till they had their degrees, but they were still part of the staff, in a more clerical sense, until then.

Sona had blown through her degree as quickly as she could, unwilling to waste time. She needed to strike while the iron was hot if she wanted her school to help shape this new age.

Sona gave the tiniest of nods to her Aunt as Mikasa stood beside Georg with her back straight and arms crossed behind her back.

Mikasa looked... good, Sona decided. It was approaching the anniversary day, and she tended to get down around this time of year. Sona didn't blame her; she was the same, but it looked like she wasn't too maudlin.

Sona was glad.

Other members of the staff, professors, lecturers, custodians, instructors, and many more were also on stage with them.

They were opening with just the university division first, but there were plans to expand to younger years as the decades passed, and if this experiment succeeded.

The first institution which employed devils, fallen, angels, humans, dragons, gods, yokai, and any other race, being, or member who had something to teach.

It wasn't like they would run out of space any time soon. This basin, formed from the psychedelic material of Eren and Great Red's clash, would be large enough to house her school, no matter how much it grew, with room to spare.

And Sona owned it all, thanks to selling out her race.

Sona walked by beings that could crush her flat with a thought, by former enemies and allies. People she had fought against and beside.

She held her head high through it all until she reached the podium.

Looking out over the enormous area packed with people, Sona didn't say anything at first.

She just surveyed the beginning of her dream.

There were all sorts of people here. Of course, the first batch of students, but so many others.

Glares were aimed her way, and Sona bore them. They were hardly the only ones to dislike her for her actions during the Battle of Broken Worlds.

Some revered her, rejecting the rumours and only looking at her actions of helping lead the defence of Lilith.

Others... didn't.

To put it kindly, at least.

And it only got more complicated as the world learned more about devils.

As humanity learned of the Supernatural world, rumours were aplenty about Sona Sitri, the most devilish of devils who sold out her race for money and power.

The wealthiest woman in the world.

Sona had inherited so much wealth from the dead that she could claim to be worth more than most countries.

Other races were part of the crowd, though, not just devils. Even with the school being created in the Underworld, regular transportation between realms had already been established and maintained.

Sona passed one final gaze over the crowd as the noise started dying.

Rich and poor.

Strong and weak.

Gods and humans.

Devils and angels.

From scouts of human colleges to eager students, Sona's heart swelled at seeing them all.

A school that would teach anything to those willing to learn.

She'd dedicated everything to this moment.

And, when silence finally fell, Sona Sitri took a deep breath and spoke to the whole world.

"My name is Sona Sitri and I knew Eren Yeager."

Wide eyes.

Shocked silence.

Then the explosion of noise, yelled questions, cries of fear and disbelief.

She could even hear some of the staff behind her shuffle unconsciously, as surprised as everyone else.

Sona weathered it all unmoved.

Even when some people tried to get violent, she didn't move, trusting her security to handle it.

She'd known this would happen when she planned this speech.

She'd deliberated on not saying anything about Eren for a long time. About keeping their relationship a secret.

It wouldn't help the rumours about her after all.

But Sona couldn't claim to be dedicating herself fully to her dream if she didn't do this.

She had promised, after all.

With Mikasa's permission, Sona would push on.

It took minutes for peace to return.

Once silence had fallen again, with tension thick in the air, Sona continued.

"To me, he was not Eren Yeager the Titan. The Sage. The Wall Builder."

As expected, everyone wanted to know everything about 'Eren Yeager' after his proclamation in the Unified Dream.

His appearance on a church's steps, his time at the orphanage and his time as a mercenary had been easy to find. Eventually, the wider world learned of the Chaos Brigade and his role with them, culminating in his attack on the rest of the world.

Opinion on him was torn. Some venerated him as a hero, while others saw him as a terrorist.

Some went so far as to have him be a Christ-like figure, using his lack of attack on heaven as proof and basing religious sects around him.

His motivations, goals, and history were endlessly puzzled over by people. Either to try and understand him, to imitate him, or in fear of another like him.

"No. To me, he was simply Eren Yeager. The boy on the bench."

They were all wrong, of course.

They knew nothing of his world, of the fear of the Titans and the struggles of the people called 'Island Devils.'

Sona could feel her aunt's gaze behind her and let it bolster her.

Nobody truly knew Eren. Not even Eren.

But Sona would teach them what she knew of the boy on the bench.

So there would never be another 'Eren Yeager' in the world. Never another 'Rumbling.'

After all, Sona had promised the boy on the bench.

"He didn't know I was a devil or who I was. I didn't know who he was, either. Just a coincidental meeting."

Not strictly true, but not a lie either.

Sona had thought long and hard about her time with Eren over the last few years. She'd debated back and forth with herself whether the actions she had taken were really hers or the product of some unseen force that had been around since before her birth.

In the end, it had been solved with a simple question.

If given the chance, would Sona do it all again?

"He was my first student. I did not teach him magic or combat or politics or history."

She would.

Sona would not trade the memories of her time with the boy on the bench for anything.

"I taught him Japanese. A language he never used. It wasn't needed in any of the futures he saw."

The worst student she'd ever have.

He hadn't been wrong about that.

You can't top a man who kills the Dream, traps Great Red in the Path, and turns them into a Wall that imprisons all of reality.

"He knew he only had a few years left, knew the exact time and place of his death, yet he decided to spend those few precious years learning a pointless skill."

...Though Great Red still seemed to have fun. Last Sona had heard, the red dragon had grown himself a body the size of a car and was using the various shades of the Hero Faction that manned the Wall as aides in his stunts.

Ophis, when she decided she wanted silence, was very put out when they occasionally interrupted her naps. Still, she couldn't do anything bout it, even with her slowly returning powers.

"Yet, as I taught him, I also learned. I learned about my dream. I learned about my world. I learned about myself."

Now that she had the crowd hooked on mentions of Eren, now that they would salivate at the chance to attend her academy and learn about him and his history, it was time to turn the subject.

She would teach about the boy born within walls and beset by Titans and his world so that his mistakes weren't repeated, but they were only one subject she'd teach.

This was not a speech about Eren Yeager.

This was a speech about a girl's dream.

And the future they'd build.

"I always dreamed of a place where anyone with the will to learn would be welcomed. Of a school that would teach all that could be taught, irrespective of race, religion, status, or belief."

Sona's voice sobered and gained a grim undertone as she continued her speech.

"And I learned of the cost of knowledge. Of the price of every piece of wisdom."

To read about events in history books was one thing.

To talk to the survivors was another.

"We all stand atop the shoulders of titans. Everything I can teach was learned by someone who bought that information with time, pain, and lives."

Sona never forgot the emotions, hidden and tremulous as they were at the time, as Eren spoke about his world.

The boy who talked about millions of tries to find the perfect future, yet never finding one where everyone can be happy.

Of making the hard call.

"I am but the most recent peak of a mountain of corpses. I can feel them below me. They, who groped blindly in the darkness for the simplest answers, now prop me up."

And then Sona had been there. Making that call that cost hundreds of lives.

Sona's eyes flitted over her sister's banner, proclaiming her greatness to the remnants of the Underworld's nobility.

Eighteen.

That was how many of the Pillar houses remained after her actions. Only eighteen of the original seventy-two.

They were a dying breed.

And they knew it.

"They look up at me, begging me to carry their hearts and dreams. To pass them onward."

Sona would not try and deny her responsibility. To herself, at least.

She didn't know if what she had done was the right thing, the best choice.

She didn't even know if, in a future where she didn't lure hundreds to their deaths, more people might have survived Eren's attack.

"So their sacrifices weren't for nothing. So their lessons aren't forgotten to the annals of eons."

She had made more calls like that in the following years.

Assassins sent after her. Families of the deceased that tried to gain revenge. Even just the greedy and duplicitous.

These three years had been brutal and bloody as they all lived in the footprints of the Titan.

"To ignore those wishes, to ignore their mistakes and their suffering, is to topple this mountain."

Civil wars. International wars. Religious persecutions. Racial extermination. Terrorism. Public uncertainty and political upheaval.

The world was still changing, still warping into something new, and it wasn't doing so peacefully.

Eren had been right about the chaos and pain his actions would lead to.

"I am not a good woman. By devil standards or others. Most I stand astride weren't good people either."

But it could have been so much worse.

Most of the moves and changes were happening to humanity and the supernatural races' relationship with it.

"I am not a strong woman. Neither were they."

Those with power, whose every move could have destroyed a country, were locked in place by the deadlock Eren had forced with his last attack.

The three factions were probably the best off, but even they couldn't be reckless and push an advantage for another few decades. Especially with most of their war-mongering belligerents dead.

"But, like them, I wish to dedicate everything I am to the future I wish to see."

The Peace Treaty had survived and was still going strong, even if there was a little discontent on the angel's side. They had only gotten a few Brave Saint decks before the material was lost, only enough for the highest ranks of angels, and it was nowhere near the promised total.

There were even slight pushes for a restart of the Great War with the broken promise as justification. A large portion of humanity, now aware of the conflict, would side with them on racial prejudice alone and those who argued for it counted on humans to swell the ranks.

"Even should I join them one day, so long as my lessons and mistakes are not forgotten, so long as someone, somewhere, learns from them, then I will serve as another step in this path we are all paving together."

Thankfully, they were in a minority and easily suppressed by Michael and the other Seraph.

Quantity only mattered when your opposition couldn't kill millions as quickly as one kills an ant.

"We are all on this mountain. We are all grasping blindly for a sky we will never reach."

The world had become a much larger and smaller place simultaneously.

Tension and fear seemed omnipresent.

But Sona knew that this was where education would come in, where she could accomplish her dream.

"But, with every lesson learned, every moment of the past and future acknowledged, we climb just a little higher."

It wouldn't be perfect. It wouldn't solve all problems, cure hate and eradicate violence.

But it was the unknown people feared.

The unknown of tomorrow and yesterday. Of what might be lurking over that mountain or beyond that wall.

When the 'unknown' becomes the 'known,' that is when they can have peace.

"One day, our mountain will be so high there will be no Wall that can block our vision."

Sona took a deep breath, calming her racing heart, and once the cheers died down, she continued in a calmer, more welcoming tone.

"Standing here, in front of you all, at the dawn of a new age, I fondly look back at those lessons with the boy on the bench."

She dreamed of a future where an angel could sit beside a devil in a classroom and learn about why they fought and how similar they were.

Because that was the one truth she had learned in her short life.

A human could be more of a devil than even Lucifer.

A dragon could be slain by a boy with a plan.

And everyone, without exception, had something to learn.

"Not just because of nostalgia for a simpler, easier time. Not just for the peaceful days with friends and family before we all learned so much."

As she drew her speech to a close, Sona turned her gaze toward the front of the crowd.

"I look back on those days and smile because, when times are hardest, when the world seems to end, and I feel the Walls close around me, those precocious memories push me forward. I put one foot in front of the other."

A bit to the side, Bikou and Arthur were chuckling at Vali's sake as he rubbed his ear. His mother had lectured the White Dragon Emperor about something, and he was grouching.

Sona took a good look at the woman for the first time. She hadn't seen her in person since Vali had found her. Supposedly, Eren had put the two right next together when he brought them to the Path, and the young Lucifer had been able to track her down in Italy only a few weeks later.

"Because, even after all the pain, the betrayal, the loss, and the heartbreak, I know that if I keep moving forward, keep learning, I will one day reach another bench. "

She did appreciate that Valerie had managed to get Gasper to attend without his cardboard box, though Sona didn't think a paper bag was appropriate headwear.

"Another student that will teach me more than I will teach them. And when I meet them on that bench, I will smile once more."

Yuuto gave Akeno a wry smile as the half fallen's eyes were alight with mischief.

Sona didn't want to know what Rias' Queen was up to now.

She hoped Akeno wouldn't be trying to set Yuuto up with a harem like Issei. He and Tosca were cute together and didn't want that disgusting wholesomeness ruined by a woman addicted to matchmaking.

"For those who wish to move forward, to find your own path... "

Rias was here with her Peerage, which Sona appreciated. She knew her one-time rival was incredibly busy between her own education and organizing the 'The Scouts,' the team she was putting together of freedom seekers looking for ways of tearing down the Eren's Wall and exploring the other worlds beyond.

Everything Sona had heard told her that Rias was swamped with applicants from all races.

"For those who desperately yearn for freedom, a better future..."

Not too far away, Kuroka and Shirone Toujou sat side by side. Leviathan's Bishop was feeding a banana to Ophis, who was on her lap, while something she had whispered to her sister had the younger girl blushing.

Sona... still felt conflicted over the former stray. Their relationship was further complicated by her and Mikasa's part rivalry, part friendship, with Kuroka.

Serafall's pieces were just too different, yet too similar to truly be friends, to say nothing of the contentious topic of 'Eren.'

Yet, they had an odd closeness.

Sona didn't know how to act around the nekoshou and hadn't had the time to lay out their relationship, so she moved on.

"For those willing to face the world's cruelty and push through..."

At the very front, Issei sat between Asia and a heavily pregnant Xenovia while the rest of his harem filled the surrounding seats.

Eren Hyoudou bounced on his father's lap in an Oppai Dragon shirt, green eyes lighting up at the sight of Sona, and the toddler waved chubby arms at his aunt in excitement.

"For those who are dedicating your hearts to your beautiful dreams..."

For just a moment, Sona would swear she saw a boy look up at her from a seat, one hand over his heart.

That boy was smiling.

"I welcome you all to Atlas Academy."

********

"Senior!" Oppai Dragon cried in a panic.

The Breast Dragon Emperor dove at full speed to catch the figure that fell from the grotesque monster's neck.

As befitting the protagonist, Ise Gremory caught the man before he crashed into the ground.

The young devil quickly carried his charge toward his girlfriend, the saintly Asia Hyoudou.

Yet, no matter how Oppai Dragon powered up the Saint with his mysterious Oppai Dragon Energy, she could not fully heal the thin, emaciated figure in his arms.

Their allies surrounded them as the battle was won, yet the mood was sombre as they looked at what victory had cost.

The frail man in Oppai Dragon's arms weakly opened his eyes, seeing the crying faces around him.

"...Why are you crying?..." He sighed out tiredly. "...You won... Evil... Lost..."

"Because you gave us the chance, senior," Hellcat-chan muttered despondently.

"If you hadn't taken my curse..." Darkness Knight Fang cried regretfully, his fists tightening on his giant sword.

"...Don't... fall... back...to... darkness..." the older man chastised through raspy breath. "...Revenge...It's not... worth it..."

"But-!"

"Are you going to ignore your teacher's final lesson?" Mistress Night said scathingly, but the heat was lost by how her hands wringing her whip in worry.

"...Don't... be... sad... I... was... a... villain..."

"No!" The Butt Dragon Emperor wailed as he landed, his sidekick Monkey not far behind. "Senior!"

"Hold on!" Oppai Dragon ignored his rival to plead with the man, his arms as his eyes drooped. "Miracle Girl Levi-tan is almost here! So are Mi-tan and Ku-chan! I can sense their Oppai! Don't you want to see them again!?!"

"They... deserve... better..."

"...Please..." Oppai Dragon cried. "Please, senior. What... what are we going to do without you?"

"...Be free... Be happy...Be the hero I know you can be..."

Shakily, the weak man held an arm toward the crimson-armoured figure.

"...Be Oppai Dragon..."

"I promise. So trust me."

One last time, Ise Gremory bumped fists with the older boy.

"I am the Oppai Dragon Emperor!"

The leitmotif swelled as the credits started to roll.

Miracle Girl Levi-tan landed amongst the group with her two comrades as the first names danced across the sky.

No words were spoken, though lips moved as the sounds of the world were drowned out by the sombre music.

"What-"

"Wait!" Sirzechs Lucifer held out his hand to stop any talking. "This is the best part."

As the music continued to play, the scene shifted forward in time.

Tears were shed, goodbyes were said, and the city began to rebuild.

The music started to shift, the low notes of melancholy giving way to a more hopeful and upbeat tune.

Finally, the credits finished scrolling, and the music paused.

All the screen showed was Oppai Dragon standing before a small grave.

"See you later, Senpai."

On crimson wings, Oppai Dragon took flight toward the distant horizon.

Leaving the tree on the hill, bathing in the warm sun as a familiar tune started to play once more.

ZOOM ZOOM IYAAN!

"Gah!" Serafall wailed, blowing her nose in a handkerchief as she cried. "Gets me every time! Season 4 was the best!"

"First supernatural show to win a human award," Sirzechs said, puffing his chest proudly. "Three, actually. I personally accepted the 'Best Theme Song' Award. A dream come true. I had always wanted to be a musician way before I became Lucifer. I think we can aim higher, though."

"We can get an Emmy," Serafall said seriously, still drying her eyes. "I'm sure of it."

"I already have the lyrics for the next season ready," Azazel said distractedly, examining his findings.

"Wonderful," Sirzechs beamed. "Can you send them over? I'm considering a more 'Rock and Roll' beat this time. The kids are getting older, and I want the music to grow with them."

"No, no, no!" Serafall argued fiercely, jumping from her seat with all the ferocity of a dog that smells the mailman. "A children's show should always remain timeless! Season twenty needs to evoke the same feelings as season one! Only then can it remain truly pure!"

"I do believe that he just wishes to change the music for his amusement," Michael sighed in exasperation, putting down his cup of tea. "'The Devil's Music' and such."

"I resent the accusation," Sirzechs Lucifer said with a truly awful attempt at a show of wounded pride. "I would never lead a child into temptation."

"Last week, you tried to get Eren to say your name in exchange for a stuffed animal," Adjuka deadpanned at his friend, looking up from his own tablet.

"...'Eren?'..."

"Issei and Asia's son," Serafall cheered, hurrying to pull up a picture of a chubby baby on her phone. "He's soooo cute! Has his father's hair and his mother's eyes."

The explanation given, Sirzechs went back to defending his wounded honor.

"All I'm saying is good music is not a sin," the devil spoke with a forked tongue. "It's not like I want to play a fiddle."

"...Why am I alive?"

The room went silent momentarily, except for the continued noises of Azazel and Adjuka working with the lab's machinery.

And Falbium's snores from the corner of the room.

"To answer that question," Sirzechs said, far more severe than he'd been for the last half hour. "Let me ask you the same. You could have killed us. Had Cao Cao slay us with Truth Idea or done it yourself. Nobody in this room could have stopped you. You've made no secret how much you dislike our society, and you have no way of knowing if Adjuka will create another version of the Evil Pieces."

All eyes had moved from the television against the wall to lock onto him.

"So, Eren Yeager. Why are we alive?"

Eren, still sitting up in the open coffin, looked at the gathered leaders with blank eyes.

"...In every future where I do not force another Great War or kill you, almost everyone here will sacrifice themselves to seal Trihexa with them. Potentially forever. I wanted insurance if it broke out of the Wall after I was gone."

"Don't lie!" Serafall accused, standing before the young man and pointing a finger imperiously at Eren's nose. "You just didn't want to hurt Ria-tan, So-tan, and Mi-tan!"

Eren uncrossed his eyes on the finger before his nose to look at the Magical Girl.

"I do not hate you. Any of you. You've never hurt me. " His eyes bore into hers. "You were simply another step in my Path. Everyone was just a tool I used along the way."

"Don't try the 'cool' look with me, mister! Miracle Girl Levi-tan is immune to all 'Dere' tropes! Even Kuudere! You shall not seduce me!"

Eren's eyebrow twitched, and his fist clenched.

"Our answer is the same as yours," Sirzechs said smoothly, bringing them back on track. "Why wouldn't we use every tool we have for our goals? What would you do if you knew someone was out there with information on hundreds, possibly thousands of extra-dimensional threats? Who knew of possible futures? Wouldn't you do everything in your power to get that information?"

"Don't lie," Azazel said with a mischievous smile, repeating Serafall's earlier line. "You just don't want to see Mi-tan, So-tan, and Ria-tan sad anymore."

Sirzechs threw his teacup at the fallen without looking, and the former Governor General dodged out of the way with a laugh.

"I can't help you," Eren said simply. "Whatever you did to bring me back has cut me off from the Path. Without it, I can't see anything and can't turn into a Titan. I am just a human... If I am still human."

"Still the greatest Sage to ever live with your memories of the futures you saw before," Adjuka pointed out. "Hardly weak or useless."

"...So I am a devil now?" Eren asked, his voice carefully neutral. "Which one of you is my 'King?'"

Anyone who heard the question would have to be an idiot to miss the implications.

Just because Eren had spared their lives before and didn't hate their race on principle didn't mean he'd accept someone as his 'owner.'

Even if he couldn't beat them without the Path and all his other powers, it didn't mean Eren still wouldn't fight to the death until he was free.

Thankfully, for everyone involved, that didn't need to happen.

"No. You're not a devil. And you don't have a King," Michael said, putting his tea aside. He leaned forward and held Eren's eyes. "My Father. That's how you came to be in our world, right? He brought you here?"

All the devils looked serious at the mention of the White God, and Azazel tried to act like he didn't care.

He failed.

"...Why do you say that?"

"Because you can't be a devil," Adjuka answered instead of the angel. "We tried everything to bring you back, but even when we used a splinter from the bench to mutate one of Sirzechs pieces, the strongest devil ever born, you wouldn't turn. Evil Pieces worked on Mikasa, so it wasn't because you were from another world or your Eldian bloodline. You aren't divine. Just strong. So, once the bench nullifies your powers, any sufficiently strong devil should be able to bring you back. It baffled me for years. It didn't help that you destroyed my lab."

"Agreas was too perfect a target. You shouldn't have had it out in the open for anyone to destroy."

"Be that as it may," Adjuka continued, his own brow twitching while Michael tried to conceal a smile behind his cup.

Azazel didn't bother, and his smirk was out in full force.

"I had a breakthrough once I realized the metal of the bench nullified your power, not the wood. Its similarities to the coffin had me going in the wrong direction. After I inserted a few needles of it in your upper spine, you should only be a stronger than usual human."

Eren hesitantly raised a hand to the back of his neck. It didn't feel any different than usual, though he probably wouldn't be able to use human airports to sneak around the world anymore.

"But we still couldn't bring you back!" Adjuka exclaimed. He didn't sound angry. In fact, he sounded thrilled, as if the puzzle had been the most fun he'd had in years. His eyes were wild as they roamed over Eren. "I was forced to confront the truth that it wasn't your power preventing you from being reincarnated. Over and over, I thought about it. Only two races cannot be brought back by the Evil Pieces. Gods and Angels. Yet, you weren't one of either. So what were you!?"

"Easy there, Adjuka-chan," Serafall laughed nervously as the Beelzebub pressed close enough to Eren that he had to lean away.

"Erm," Adjuka coughed awkwardly, stepping away.

It didn't escape anyone's notice that Eren raised his hand closer to his mouth.

He might have sat still to get answers, but he was like a wild animal. Ready to fight or flee at the slightest provocation.

Nobody wanted that.

Particularly Adjuka. He hadn't yet finished setting up this lab to his desired specifications.

If he had to start all over again, he'd be pissed.

"I actually found the answer," Azazel said smugly. "When I heard of the curious properties of the bench, I wanted to see if I could create an Artificial Sacred Gear with it. And it..." The fallen trailed off with a rueful chuckle and a head shake. "To think the Holy Cross was so close to me for so long, and I couldn't tell. He always was a tricky bastard."

"I would ask you not to insult Father in front of me," Micheal said, but his words lacked heat. Then he focused back on Eren, and his voice gained a tone of... longing? Desperation? "Did He ask you to do everything? Did He leave you a message? Is He still alive?"

Everyone went very quiet and still.

Eren hesitated for a moment before explaining.

"He's dead," the shifter said plainly, and he could see how hope had fled from the angel. Still, the truth needed to be said. "He left a memory fragment in the wood of the bench to talk to me."

"...What did he say?"

"He didn't give me a message. I don't think he expected me to return," Eren admitted. "The bench interfered with both our powers. He mentioned something about helping you have children, but I don't know what that is."

"Probably the bench itself," Azazel muttered. "If it nullified His powers, we could repurpose parts of it to allow His restrictions on His angels to lessen slightly within a certain range. A 'sex room' perhaps?"

Eren gave the fallen a blank look, then turned back to the angel.

"He didn't want you all to be dependent on him. From here on, you're on your own."

"...I see," Michael said, gently rubbing his closed eyes. "That does sound like Him. He works in mysterious ways that I never could understand."

Maybe he did it as a favour for the dead God who reunited him with Mikasa and gave him a second chance.

Perhaps it was thanks given to a man who had sat with him on the bench and offered absolution to a regular human who neither wanted nor deserved it.

Maybe Eren just wished a father's feelings would be conveyed to his son.

Either way, Eren continued.

"...He loved you. We only talked for a short time, but that was clear. He loved his children dearly. He was very proud of who you've become and what you've done."

"...Thank you..." Michael gave Eren a smile that was mournful, loving, and grateful. "I would have traded my entire deck to hear those words, let alone my Queen."

Feeling uncomfortable with the situation, Eren looked around at the others who were studiously looking away.

Azazel's lips were set into a line while Serafall pretended to whistle.

Falbium was still asleep.

"So... What now? I'm an angel?"

"No," Azazel said, bouncing back eagerly. "You are the first devil-made angel to fall. Pretty much as soon as you were reincarnated. Do you feel any different? Any existential loss of the meaning of your existence? Any weakness? Any desire to tear down heaven and all His works and fornicate in the rubble?"

"...No?" Eren said. "Should I?"

"Possibly because he never experienced His presence?" Adjuka hypothesized. "Or were you an angel for too short a time for it to matter?"

"It could be that Brave Saint angels don't fall the regular way," Azazel added, scribbling furiously. At Eren's look, he grimaced. "When we Fall... It's traumatic. The worst experience you can imagine. Like all good in the world is torn from you."

"I don't really feel any different," Eren shrugged. "Weak, compared to the end, but also more... stable? My body isn't tearing itself apart anymore."

"Hmm," Adjuka hummed in thought, evaluating some graphs on a tablet. "We'll want to keep an eye on you for any possible side effects. Normally, a new devil needs to stay near their King for a year to stabilize their transformation, but you fell right away, and we'll want to make sure your body doesn't start to warp like a Stray. The Brave Saints are more optimized than the Evil Pieces, but we'll want to be sure."

"So, I need to stay near you?" Eren asked suspiciously.

"Hm? No. We'll need you to spend about thirty minutes with Michael every week for the next few months. You can do that when we debrief you on possible threats you saw in the various futures. You're free to go."

Eren stared at the Beelzebub with disbelief.

His gaze panned around the room, looking at everyone else. Searching for the trap.

"That's it? 'I'm free to go?'"

"Yes?" Serafall asked with a tilt of her head. Then, she put a fist in her palm in realization. "Ah! Right! You might want to keep your survival on the hush-hush. You're a... controversial topic these days. Thankfully, you looked like a shota in that Dream and didn't have those cool markers on your eyes. You should be able to live pretty normally if you don't give your full name."

"What's to stop me from ripping out the metal in my spine and regrowing it? Once I do that, nobody will be able to stop me."

"Nothing," Sirzechs shrugged. "But, if we killed everyone because of the threat they could pose, nobody would be alive."

"Although," Azazel rubbed his chin thoughtfully. "It might be interesting to see if you can even use your Titan powers now that you are no longer human. I might be able to create an Artificial Sacred Gear that would allow you to turn it on and off. Doing that for the first Reincarnated Fallen wouldn't be seen as too biased."

"I killed so many of your people," Eren stressed.

He wasn't trying to be locked up or anything, but he couldn't understand their point of view. Until he did, he couldn't be sure whatever he did wasn't some sort of trap.

"I locked you in a cage with no key! I revealed your existence to the whole world! There's probably been wars or genocide because of what I've done!"

"We've managed to keep things largely peaceful. Though that might be because humanity is still trying to find its feet in this new world," Adjuka said casually. "A few organizations and groups have opposed the peace but aren't strong enough to do anything too consequential. Because you eliminated all the real threats with the Chaos Brigade."

"As for the dead," Sirzechs sighed. "You do realize that everyone in this room has killed more than you, right?"

When Eren frowned, the devil elaborated.

"Oh, I'm not counting your time in your world. In this world alone, I have killed more devils than you have killed people at all." The Lucifer tilted his head in thought, then snorted out a laugh. "Hells, I've killed more relatives of mine than you have. We all have."

"If we can work with one another for a greater peace, why would we not work with you for the same?" Michael asked rhetorically. "Everyone here has slain those I love. Brothers and sisters that I shall never see again. I shall never forgive them for that."

There were grim faces all around, and Eren realized that it wasn't that he was being 'forgiven.'

Just as he couldn't forgive those who hurt him.

"But I will live with those feelings," Michael declared. "I will do what I must to ensure that those I protect have the peace and safety I can provide. Reviving you, even without the knowledge you gave me of my Father, was simply another way I could protect them."

More than anything that reassured Eren that this was not a trap.

If they had claimed no resentment for what he had done, he'd have broken free of them as soon as possible.

But swallowing bitter feelings for a future you wished for?

He understood that feeling all too well.

"If you had killed us or wiped out devils like you claimed to want to," Sirzechs Lucifer said, standing and holding out a hand for the boy still sitting in the coffin. "Or if you had used your power to allow the Chaos Brigade to win, we wouldn't be here. But you didn't. You killed people, yes. There will be people who won't forgive you for that. But you also saved our world from threats we had no idea were out there."

Eren stared at the hand for a long second.

"With ultimate power in your hand, you chose to use it for this world," Micheal prompted gently. "Words and desires don't matter. Only actions. And your actions have given us enough confidence in you that we wished to bring you back."

Eren took the hand, and the devil pulled the boy from the coffin.

Eren took a second to stand on unsteady feet.

Without his powers killing him, he felt... good.

Sturdy in a way he hadn't in years.

"Damnit!" Serafall cursed as she looked at the boy, biting her thumb.

"What?" Eren asked in confusion at the sudden curse.

"Nothing," Serafall bit out with a pout and crossed her arm.

Under her breath, she muttered petulantly.

"Stupid abs. How am I going to protect So-tan from them? Should I freeze him? Then Mi-chan and Ku-chan will be mad. Grrrrr."

Everyone there could hear her, and Eren looked at the others for an explanation... or help.

Azazel looked like his favourite show had just announced a new season, while Michael's face was one of awkward exasperation.

Sirzechs though...

"Stay away from Ria-tan!"

...Was also glaring at Eren.

The shift from serious to silly was disconcerting to the new fallen, and he desperately wanted to be somewhere else than in this lab with the six leaders of the Three Factions.

Thankfully(?) Serafall seemed to know his thoughts.

"Just go," she pouted, waving her hand and a magic circle formed under his feet. "They're waiting for you."

Eren didn't have time to ask what the Magical Girl Leviathan was talking about before he was teleported away.

Eren appeared in the sky and immediately started falling from the sky.

Serafall wasn't above playing a few pranks on the boy who had caused her such a headache.

For a moment, Eren panicked at the sudden displacement and fall.

The wind rushed past him, as did the clouds, and the ground was approaching quickly.

He wouldn't be hurt, even without his Titan powers. He was still a sage, after all. A very good sage.

But the surprise threw him for a loop.

Only for an instant, though.

Instincts took over as he remembered a warm autumn day that seemed like a dream from a different world.

Eren stopped falling.

And finally saw where he was.

Below him, in a clearing with a bench and various amenities, a group of young devils were gathered.

They were looking up at him with wide, wet eyes and smiles.

Seven black tails swished in excitement.

A hand clutched a red scarf.

Hands waved in welcome, and voices rose into the air.

...There was still so much to say and do.

Apologies to give.

Conversations to have.

Brutal, hard truths to confront.

...Relationships that would be made or broken...

There would be no undoing what Eren had done. Blood would forever stain his feet and would never be washed off.

They were still trapped in a wall that would never end, a cage where they needed to suffer the fear and shame of being prey.

There would be no escaping responsibility with death this time.

Through violence and blood, Eren had built this beautiful world, and now he needed to learn to live in its cruelty.

...But nothing lasted forever.

His Path had ended, and now he faced an uncertain and scary future.

There was no guarantee of a happy end.

But so long as you are alive...

So long as you hold tightly to that one singular birthright we all hold...

You can always fight for that future.

So long as you live, there is always hope to reach that shore beyond the sea.

Black feathered wings carried a gently smiling Eren toward the bench in that park.

********

...And so it ends.

Like much of my story, I'm sure this epilogue will be controversial. I'll post my thoughts on the end, the fic as a whole and everything else when I get the chance, but this will be the last regular post on this story.

So, for the last time:

Thank you for sitting with me and listening to my story.
See you later,
-From the boy on the bench.

 

[ReadingDangerously]

So... this was supposed to be out weeks ago, but I've been laid up with Pneumonia, so... that sucked. Badly.

I still consider myself lucky that I only caught it after I finished On The Bench, preventing a delay in the conclusion.

It can even be considered a good thing since this won't spoil things for those who finished OTB and wanted to give it a reread in its complete state. Silver linings and all that.

Now that the story is finished, I can give my thoughts on it as a whole.

For those who haven't read my other work, Rapturous Rhapsody, I like to put my thoughts into words when I finish a project, and since I published this one, I will publish these as well.

Still, this can be considered on long AN, and if that doesn't interest you and you just want to know my plans going forward, feel free to scroll to the bottom.

If you are interested in 19K words of a two-bit fanfiction author's semi-coherent thoughts with too much ambition and too little skill, read on.

Before anything else, I will say this: As far as I am aware at the time of writing this, On The Bench is in complete compliance with Attack on Titan canon, up to and including the epilogue. It is also in canon with High School DxD.

The caveat is that the exception is a single incident: God finding the AOT world. Every change after that is a direct result of that one difference and is still in accordance with canon as it is now.

(I am leaving wiggle room for Ishibumi to once again pull something out of his ass that will completely retcon everything.)

Why is sticking so close to canon important when going against it would probably make for a better story?

Because, as much as I want On The Bench to be a good story, that was a secondary goal. I'll get to my other goals later, but one of my most desired outcomes was to have it act as a 'This could happen.'

Unlikely to happen? Definitely. But other timelines/worlds are both canon in AOT and DxD (one of the main reasons for the crossover). I wanted that slim, infinitesimal possibility to be just that: A possibility.

And, I suppose, that leads to the first thing I will say about On The Bench:

I wrote On The Bench for me.

I'm glad others have enjoyed it. Really glad. I also hope that it has provided not only an enjoyable story but also given some of you the same catharsis I wanted out of it.

But, at the end of the day, I wrote On The Bench because I wanted to read it.

Just as I am writing this reflection for myself to put my thoughts in order and improve as a writer through self-reflection. If you get something out of it, all the better.

Fair warning, these thoughts are all very meta-textual and completely rambling, with barely a coherent throughline. A stream of consciousness almost. They are also completely unedited, except for some basic typo corrections.

On The Bench is more of a meta-heavy fanfiction than most. This doesn't make it better or worse than other Fanfiction works; I just had a very deliberate plan for what I wanted out of this story.

I wanted to do a few things with OTB.

From a writer's standpoint, I wanted to practice with tone. RR was focused on getting better at character writing, but OTB was an attempt to merge two fandom's wildly different tones, AOT and DxD.

The grave, gritty, almost grim reality of Attack on Titan is entirely opposite to Highschool DxD's trope-heavy, whimsical, and absurdist nature. That's not to say that AOT doesn't have a few silly moments here and there, and DxD has some incredibly dark undertones for those who look for them, but I wanted to tackle these two together because it would be a fun challenge.

Those were my 'writer goals.'

My 'personal goals' were slightly different.

Like I said, I wanted to write a story I would like to read myself. I think every writer should only work on things they want to read themselves, and I haven't found too many AOT fanfictions I like, which is a crime, and DxD fanfictions are overstuffed with 'collect them all harem-fics' that don't really hold my interest.

My bigger goal was for OTB to act as a... reconciliation of AOT's end.

It's no secret that the end of AOT is controversial and almost wholly dependent on one's personal views/beliefs, especially if you took it in by manga or anime.

I liked the ending, and I didn't as well.

I wanted a happy end, like many did, but the end we received fits. Fit the story, the world, the characters, and even the fandom. It was satisfying, in one way and not in another.

The discourse around the end of AOT, however, I found almost wholly incomprehensible. So much so that I wondered if others had read/watched the same story as I had.

A big part of that disconnect is whether you were an anime-only fan or a manga reader.

The manga has better character character growth depictions, better pacing as a whole, and better foreshadowing.

The anime, on the other hand, the ending is portrayed better, has more hard-hitting moments, and the plot twists are all the more impactful. Also, it has an amazing soundtrack. Seriously. It's one of the best anime OSTs I've ever heard. Many of the songs I've added to my day-to-day playlists.

I think, from my point of view, the best way to experience AOT is to read the manga (only 139 chapters, so it's pretty quick), then watch the anime, taking the Anime ending changes as the 'canon' because the changes, slight as they were, are important to understanding Isayama's intentions for the ending.

I say this because I consumed both the Manga and Anime in one go (spread out over days, of course) without the serialization aspect over the course of years. I also did it without engaging any of the talk about the story, allowing me to just absorb it as one whole narrative, from start to finish, and form my own impressions on the 'whole' rather than 'parts' that most manga and anime consumers get.

That being said, AOT isn't without problems.

AOT is not the best story ever told. In fact, there are numerous plot holes and conveniences that I am not fond of. Some of the characters are obviously created just to fill a specific role and the story, and near the end, much of the vaunted foreshadowing/tightness of the story is lost in favour of plot progression. I have my own issues with many of them.

But, when I finished both the manga and anime and went to see what other people took from it, I was utterly baffled by the discourse many were engaging in. Things I thought were obvious or well done were derided as OOC characters and ass pulls. Characters I liked and thought were well-developed were hated and considered boring/ruined/hated/misunderstood.

I seriously considered starting a YouTube channel just to put out my own thoughts out there. Even if others didn't agree with my interpretations, I felt the difference between them and the common ideas were so different that I needed to at least get my thoughts out there.

I decided not to.

Instead, I sat back and contemplated the ending of AOT for a long time.

Then, I decided to use my own meagre talent at writing to try and make a story to really put my thoughts into perspective. If others enjoyed it, it would be all the better.

Thus, On The Bench.

I wanted to confront AOT as a whole, using an original story as a framework. In the process, come to terms with not only the ending but also my personal feelings and thoughts on it.

Now, before anything else, I will say this:

These are my thoughts/theories/beliefs/perspectives. All art is subjective and interpretive, whether books, games, TV, pictures, manga, anime, Fanfiction, etc... Everything is up to our own interpretation. What I like, you might not. What I consider good writing, you might not. What I consider an interesting character/arc can be tedious to you. That is not wrong.

You are not wrong for liking what you like, and anybody who tells you differently is the only wrong party involved.

All that being said on the high-level topics, what about On The Bench specifically?

Where to begin?

I suppose it has to be the end.

Any AOT fanfiction that uses the Founder/Attack Titan combo (whether with Eren or somebody else) has to begin at the end. At least if you want to use it as canon portrayed. Just from the mechanics of the power, you need to see the 'end of the path' and work your way back. I chose to show that end in chapter one, but that isn't necessary. You just need to know the Path and its end and stick with it, no matter what.

Since I wished this fic to directly tackle the end of AOT, the revelations it brought, my feelings on it, and come to terms with it, I couldn't escape that power, no more than Eren or Iseyama could, and needed to face it directly, no matter where it led.

This meant if I wished to stick as closely to canon as I wanted, the story had an end already set:

Eren needed to die.

The simple truth of the Paths is that they are a self-contained time loop by their very nature. The end leads to the beginning, leads to the end leads to the beginning.

More than that, I think Eren needed to confront the mental state he was in after he gained the power of the Founder. He was, essentially, trapped in an eternal hell where he experienced everything anyone ever connected to the Paths would ever experience. Even if he couldn't see their thoughts, he still knew their entire life.

In a way, death is his only release in AOT. Not just death but the destruction of the Paths completely and the removal of Titans with it.

It was fundamentally impossible for Eren to ever be free.

He needed to accept that.

And we, as the audience, needed to as well.

No matter how much we wish to change the past/future (the ending), we need to accept what actually happened.

No matter whether you are the type of fan who wished the Rumbling wiped everyone out, or someone who thinks Eren should have died before it started, taking the Titans with him without the Rumbling, the simple truth is that Eren needed to die.

So, like in canon, Eren needed to die here.

That actually helped me.

I am on record and stand by my belief that one shouldn't release a story unless one knows how it will end. This prevents things from going on infinitely without a conclusion, leads to a more cohesive story, and allows for proper setup.

So, knowing Eren needed to die, I asked myself how should he die?

Eren needed to do 'something,' I knew that much.

Not only to provide an entertaining story but also because his character is not one that can sit back and do nothing.

Even in a crossover situation, where a world hasn't hurt him, and he isn't invested in it, Eren Yeager cannot sit back and let things just 'happen.' He is defined by his search for 'freedom,' 'autonomy,' and 'self-determination.'

Even if it is fruitless.

Not only that, but he does have a sense of 'justice' (even if it warped differently than most).

So, Eren needed to die after doing 'something.' He'd also be the one who chose the end.

Which meant he had to want that end.

And what would Eren want more than anything?

To be free, to be with his friends/Mikasa, or to get revenge/destroy Titans.

With no titans to kill and no revenge to get, Eren would only choose a future where he is free and, if possible, would ensure he lives as long as possible with his friends.

This leads to a conundrum:

Eren cannot be free while he has the Founder's power.

Eren needs to have the Founder's power and use it if he (and I) are to confront it.

So, I needed to give him the Founder, have him choose a future, and then remove it.

Enter God, stage right.

Specifically, Truth Idea gave me the idea to use the dead God as a character. (Pun intended.)

It is explicitly stated that God left a portion of his Will in the True Longinus and that Will sided with Issei, a devil and a pervert trying to defend the Underworld, against Cao Cao, a human and 'hero' who was trying to kill God's historic enemies.

So, I didn't think it was impossible for him to have left a greater portion than just a vague Will behind. That is the Watsonian reason, at least.

There is also a Doylist reason for my decision.

I am the type of person who likes crossovers with actual reasons for their crossover status. Not just vague 'rebirth' or 'suddenly in another world without reason, and it is never brought up.' DxD canonically has other worlds, so it was a great fit for this, and having God be the one to have brought Eren and Mikasa over in the past allowed for the story to be completely canon-compliant to AOT's epilogue, which was important for my desire for this story to be a 'possible continuation.'

God, as the creator of Sacred Gears, could also be the reason why Eren could use the Founder when he explicitly should not have been able to if it were the same rules of AOT.

It also sidestepped the problem of Eren killing all the Titans in his world. Eren achieved his aim of wiping them out, canonically, even if there is a hint they will come back in the end. I wasn't about undoing what happened. Just adding to it.

I am very thankful for the literal Deus Ex Machina that Ishibumi left me, even if I suspect he did it for himself to get out of writing himself into a corner. I just had to be careful how I used it.

A Deus Ex Machina is usually a sign of a poor story, so if I didn't want quality to go down the drain, I had to have 'God' be a fully realized character and for his presence to be hinted at throughout the entire story. I hope I left not only enough hints but also made his motivation consistent.

Either way, once I decided to use God as a character, he solved many of my issues. He creates the Founder-equivalent in this world, which means he can also create the counter.

Thus, the Bench was born.

God in DxD is an... interesting character. He is dead. Full on, no doubts, deader than dead. Yet his ghost haunts the entire story.

Even if you ignore the fact that the MC, Issei, has a Sacred Gear, there is not an Arc that goes by without some new facet of God's past that is relevant. Whether it is the after-effects of the Great War, the revelation of a new Sacred Gear, the 'deterioration' of the church and angels without him, his actions with Trihexa, his creations of Lilith/Samael/etc...

Not only that, but he is not an omnipowerful, omnipresent 'good' or 'benevolent' God. He is the Old Testament God. Wrathful, jealous, vengeful. He fully cursed Sameal for eternity rather than just killing him because he hates dragons so much. He is a Lawful Good (aka Lawful Stupid) God that goes completely by the book. There is no moral grey with him. If you step a toe out of line, even for a good reason or to do something good, you Fall, are an enemy or are banished.

Yet his teachings are very New Testament. Love thy neighbour. Forgiveness. The 'Died for Our Sins' kind of God.

In the end, after reviewing everything I could about God (the character in DxD), I came away thinking of him as a complex and deeply flawed type of character, but one who grew... better or kinder as the years moved on.

Now, as I mentioned during the Michael chapter, I never wish to target any particular religion or belief system with my stories. All I am trying to do is have the characters act as I believe they would from the media they inhabit. Michael is portrayed as kind in DxD but also a warrior who's killed hundreds of thousands of sapient beings over the course of his long life.

God started a war of genocide but also led to characters like Asia believing his teachings. Sirzechs is a devil, THE devil, who has also killed hundreds of thousands in the Civil War, yet he also does everything he can for his family, helped end the Great War with the Peace Treaty and sacrificed himself to seal Trihexa.

And, I think all this duality in character in DxD that is often overlooked ended up tying into the overarching themes I wanted On The Bench to touch upon.

Iseyama has stated on numerous occasions that he never set out for AOT to have any particular messages, but if he had to choose one, it would be: 'Anyone can become an Aggressor. A victim. The protagonist. The love interest. Everyone, in the right situation, can become an aggressor.'

You see this in the way AOT is set up.

In the first half, Eren, his friends, the Eldians, and Paradis are all victims of Titans, the government, and the world. They are struggling to survive in a world out to not only trap and kill them but to keep them ignorant of the true nature of the world. Marley and the Warriors are the aggressors who've killed countless innocent people.

It is easy to sympathize with them. Not only are they victims of a cruel world, but they are also our protagonists. We've grown to know them and like them. We want them to 'win.'

In the second half, that all changes. The world and AOT as a whole undergo a fundamental shift in perspective.

Marley is still an aggressive nation, but their fear and hatred of Eldians is given a reason. It's only been a century since Eldia was an empire. There would still be people alive today who had parents who would have lived under the yoke of the Titan family. Maybe they even had grandparents they knew who were part of the forced 'breeding' programs to spread Eldian blood.

We also get a better look at the individuals trapped in that culture.

A race trapped in slums. Child soldiers were forced into the military and brainwashed to hate themselves. Their entire existence is on sacrificing themselves to make up for the 'sins' of ancestors they've never met. The entire way they view the world is fundamentally opposed to everything we've seen so far.

Eren is no longer a freedom fighter but a man who launches a war by attacking a civilian target. One filled with Eldians, not Marleyans. He's become every bit the monster Marlyan propaganda says he is.

The Scouts have become elite operatives that, while still able to kill titans, now focus on killing humans. They, irrespective of their own values, help in the attack on innocent lives, just like the Warriors did on Maria, only without the excuse of being children.

Our protagonists have become the aggressors, our antagonists have become the victims, and we are confronted with the truth.

There are no heroes. There are no good guys. There are only victims and aggressors, and anyone can be either of these at any time.

I wanted that duality in On The Bench, but I wanted to add my own spin to it.

Fundamentally, like AOT, On The Bench is written to be read twice.

The first is to read from chapter 1 to chapter 74. You go into the book from the perspective of Sona/Rias/Mikasa, etc. You experience the story in linear time. Its plot twists, its moments of fear, sadness, excitement, buildup and payoff.

The second read is after having read chapters 44 to 74, and you reread chapters 1 to 43. (Or, having finished a full read, just read the whole story again. I won't stop you.) This is the Eren/God/Author perspective. No linear in time, but in the story. You catch the buildup, the reasons why certain things happen.

I got quite a few reviews/comments about Eren's motivation being unclear or not having any around the latter chapters and how his character isn't properly defined. They were valid comments, but I always wanted Eren to only be understandable to those who had his 'eyes.' Who've seen the Path, the end, and can follow his footsteps.

Whether I succeeded or not is up to readers who decide on the reread (which will not be everyone, which is fair).

Through the use of these two read-throughs, I wanted to give my own spin on the duality of AOTs story.

Not reject it.

I am not one of the fanfiction authors who go, 'I didn't like that ending. I can do better.'

No, I wanted to take the 'Victims to Aggressors' message and expand it.

Because I agree that anyone can be a victim and an aggressor, but I think that duality oversimplifies things a bit.

So, taking from my experience with my other story, Rapturous Rhapsody, I expanded that message a bit.

Anyone, in the right framework, can be anything. Victim/Aggressor. Good guy/Bad guy. Hero/Villain. Human/Monster.

What you think of someone is inherently based on the viewpoints of who you are focusing on and when. Wholy human, flawed, and subjective viewpoints.

Marley is a victim of the Eldian Empire, the fear of living in a world of Titans, and of the Rumbling. They are the aggressors who released Pure Titans to terrorize Paradis, seek to exploit the Shifters for their own aims, and conquer other countries because of their military dominance. They are the heroes of the world who overthrew the empire.

Eldia/Paradis is the victim of King Fritz's isolation and vow, Marley's aggression, and the Titans just outside their cage. They are the aggressors who built an Empire on rape and conquest, destroyed Liberio, and wished to unleash the Rumbling. Either to wipe away all other life or to instill fear into the world for generations to come that they will do so at the slightest provocation(That is essentially the plan Hange, the scouts, and the rest of the military wanted to do). They are the heroes to a population who has been forced to live in a cage, to an entire bloodline of people who have never done anything wrong except being born.

Eren Yeager is a victim to the Titans, the government that seeks to keep him ignorant and contained, and a world that wants him and everything he loves dead.

(Before the argument comes that Eren 'did it to himself,' I will remind people that all Eren used the Founder for, time travel-wise, was direct to the Smiling Titan towards his mother and away from Bertdholt.

Carla's death might be on him in order to set him on his Path, but the events that led to it are not. The Warriors were sent anyway, the gates were knocked down, and Titans were pouring in. All that happened without him.

Unless Eren was willing to mind-control a bunch of people (which wouldn't include the Marlian high command since they were all non-Eldian), that still would have happened.)

Eren Yeager is an aggressor to the entire world, not only because he did unleash the Rumbling but also because he cannot let go of his hatred, his revenge against the rest of the world. He represents every reason why Titans and Eldians are feared and hated by the rest of the world. He has become The Devil, and he did it of his own choice.

Now, one of my goals with On The Bench was to complete Eren's trifecta.

Attack on Titan can be described as the story of Eren Yeager, our protagonist, transformation from Victim to Aggressor.

I needed to come up with a story where I turned that Aggressor into a 'Hero' without devaluing the journey he and we went through.

Enter DxD.

High School DxD is a story in which race is a key component while simultaneously having race not matter at all. If AOT's message is 'any victim can become an aggressor,' then DxDs would be 'people are people, irrespective of race.'

(Well, the second message, at least. The first message would probably be something like 'Hot women and sex are awesome' or something like that.)

I've seen it a lot in DxD fanfiction, where devils get this expanded lore where they secretly are all evil or 'creatures of sin' of some sort. Not as a culture but as a race. That Evil Pieces are irredeemable, that all Kings are manipulative, monstrous, evil, yadda yadda.

Now, before anything else, the benefit of Fanfiction is to be able to play with a setting/characters to tell a new story. I don't think there is anything wrong with trying to tell such a story, and I am even a fan of a few like that, but I think what has happened is that the fanfiction 'lore' has replaced what is actually shown in canon.

Again, nothing wrong with 'fanon' lore for a good story, I even give a few nods to fanon here and there through the story, but we should never accept it as 'fact.'

Now: races in DxD.

Let's just get this out here: It's all kinds of fucked up and inconsistent... which, I think, is the greatest show that it doesn't matter.

I will use devils as an example since they are the main focus of DxD.

First is the actual differences. Lifespan and power.

I do not believe a devil has ever died of old age, seeing as Zekram Bael, one of the first devils born, is still alive. Power wise... while devils are stronger than humans on average, the simple truth is that it is devils, not humans, that almost went extinct. On top of that, there are people like Tobio, Griselda Quarta, Arthur, Vasco Strada, and Cao Cao who prove race isn't really a limiting factor to how powerful one can become.

Canonically, devils were created by Lucifer with Lilith after the former Fell from heaven. The original 72 Pillars, with the four Satans at the top and miscellaneous houses here and there. From there, the race expanded as one usually would, breeding, growing, and spreading across the Underworld.

These are the quintessential 'devils' that we see in other media. Soul stealing, full of Sin (Capital S), and evil creatures who act against God and all that is good. I believe it was mentioned as a one-off joke early in DxD that devils used to take souls as payment, but they don't anymore.

But that comment epitomizes what I believe DxD's devils. Race doesn't determine their 'goodness or evil,' but their culture.

In the early days, under the lead of heaven's biggest tantrum thrower, Lucifer, of course, the culture he built would be entirely shaped by his rejection of God and what he saw as 'good.' He and the other Satans would pass those beliefs on to their children.

Let's not forget not long ago, humans thought owning other humans was not only not a sin but a moral virtue. Even today, no matter what society you are reading this from, I am sure there is another society out there with completely different values from your own that you believe is 'wrong.' We all do it, even though we are the same race.

But back to devils.

As soon as the people in charge no longer hold those beliefs, the race is free to explore new cultures. Ones not based on being cartoonishly evil.

Devils, in this new culture, are wholly different from those that were born before the Civil War. They worry about schools, romance, Rating games, day-to-day life, and the future. They don't really care about angels or fallen, except in situations that could lead to a fight.

There are exceptions, of course. We see plenty. While most of them are from the 'old guard,' devils from before the Civil War, there are a few like Diodora who are the exceptions that prove the rule.

In every society there are those who use their power/wealth/influence to prey on the weak. If you think your society is the exception, boy, do I have news for you.

In this manner, DxD is very similar to AOT in a way most don't think about. Race, which is a focus of both, simply doesn't matter in anything except powers.

People are just people, for good or bad, irrespective of race.

Both of them have a very grounded view of race that lines up to reality.

On The Bench is a story about a Devil who is more devilish than actual devils, learning to be human again with the help of actual devils.

Being human doesn't mean being 'good.'

It means confronting reality as it is, not as we wish it to be.

Eren recreates the nightmare of his world.

He terrorizes this world with Titans.

He unleashes the equivalent of the Rumbling (even if the death toll was much less.)

He traps people in his nightmare reality as livestock in a cage, forced to live in fear and shame of the predators lurking beyond.

Fundamentally, Eren is no better or worse of a person between the beginning of On The Bench and its end.

All that has changed is that he is free.

...This was my biggest hurdle in writing this fic.

Before I even began putting my finger on the keyboard, I had to ask myself: How can Eren be free?

The simple truth is that the freedom Eren dreams of throughout AOT is fundamentally impossible.

He imagines a world beyond the wall without war, violence, titans... 'evil' in a sense.

Eren's ideal of freedom is that of a child.

When he is confronted with the truth that beyond the sea are more enemies, he is 'disappointed' because the bitter truth of the world is that 'freedom' is impossible. That 'humanity' is not the good guys he thought them to be.

There will always be more enemies, more 'others,' more walls, more titans out there.

So long as there are two humans alive, neither will be free.

So, with his ideals betrayed, with his hope dashed, and his faith in humanity completely shattered, what does Eren do? He gives up on almost everything. His ideal. His love. His vengeance. His freedom.

Not immediately, of course. He spends years looking for another way out. He's frantic for another answer. But in the end, he gives up his last holdout.

Hope.

Eren Yeager is the first and last victim of the Rumbling.

Eren, at the end of Attack on Titan, has given up on ever being free. Of being a hero. Of any sort of morality to guide him. Of a future where he can live a long, happy life.

Only a few things he never gave up on. His desire to remove Titans from the world, his revenge, and a few people he loves that he refuses to lose.

So, taking an Eren with that mindset in mind, how do I... rebuild him. Force him to confront what happened and let him grow from it.

Not 'fix him.' Not 'forgive him.' Not 'blame him.'

How do I 'accept him' so he can be free?

The first thing I had to do was, paradoxically, trap him.

The Bench is Eren's prison, one Eren chooses.

At any second through the fic, Eren can leave the Bench and never return. But he also can't.

To leave the Bench is to trap himself in another prison of his own making, the Paths.

Even if Eren didn't have the Founder, there would always be enemies, people who would take his freedom. Devil Kings that wish to make him theirs. Gods looking for followers. Humans looking for soldiers for their wars. Even other worlds, looking to seize this one.

Even death is no longer freedom since Eren might be reborn in another world again.

No matter what Eren Yeager does, he will always be trapped.

Confronted with irrefutable proof that his idea of 'freedom' is wrong, Eren needs to redefine it if he wants to be happy.

He doesn't do this consciously, but he does do it.

He does it by trying to learn from the other person he knows who yearned for freedom, but in a 'better' way: Armin.

Eren's freedom is one that can be 'taken.'

Armin's freedom is one that can be 'gained.'

I won't bore you all with the philosophical distinctions of 'freedoms,' if you are interested in the subject, you can google 'Positive Freedom' and 'Negative Freedom.'

The point is that for Eren to be happy and thus provide motivation for him throughout the story, he needs to be free.

For him to be free, I needed to have his Path be one that shifted his view of freedom from 'the sea' to 'what lies beyond the sea.'

Here is where I get a bit meta again.

I deliberately had On The Bench retrace the steps of AOT's story, if loosely. We hit a lot of the same beats, similar characters, and plots.

This was not only due to my desire to use OTB as a confrontation of AOT as a whole but also because I like to use themes in my work.

Themes like revenge and its cost.

Themes like freedom and its subjective/unattainability.

Themes like love and what people are willing to do for it.

Themes like humanity and what it means in a world with different races/powers that regular humans cannot have.

Themes like the inherent contradiction in using violence for 'good' causes.

All of these themes also matched with the ones AOT touched on, so retracing the steps would not only allow me to revisit these themes but also either expand on them or use them to delve into character plots and motivations.

To do that, I created a little extra challenge for myself that would help me stay on task without meandering: Every single chapter had to correspond to a similar AOT manga chapter, never repeating one.

It's not really a secret, and many of you have caught on, but every title of every chapter of On The Bench is based on one of AOT's manga chapters. Specifically, I used synonyms or antonyms of chapters that corresponded to manga chapters whose themes/characters/plot I wanted to either reinforce, elaborate on, or serve as a contrast.

For those curious, here is the full list with the corresponding volume numbers:

1. To You, 2000 Years From Now (1)
2. That Day (2)
3. First Battle (4)
4. Wish (66)
5. Trust (60)
6. From One Hand to Another (97)
7. The Easy Path (26)
8. Guilty Shadow (99)
9. Island Devils (123)
10. Choices and Consequences (28)
11. What Should I Do Now? (18)
12. The Easy Path (26)
13. Wound (13)
14. Delusions of Strength (17)
15. In the Depths of Despair (134)
16. A Dull Glow in the Midst of Despair (5)
17. Marley's Soldiers (92)
18. The Nameless Soldiers (80)
19. A Dream I Once Had (70)
20. Where's the Left Arm (10)
21. Strike, Throw, Submit (44)
22. Still Can't See (19)
23. Declaration of War (100)
24. Two Brothers (119)
25. See You Later (Itterashai)
26. Icon (12)
27. Midnight Sun (84)
28. Night of the Disbanding Ceremony (3)
29. Actors (56)
30. The Beating of a Heart Can Be Heard (9)
31. Small Blade (7)
32. The Dawn of Humanity (130)
33. The Basement (85)
34. Good To See (98)
35. Borderline (87)
36. Pride (126)
37. Wall (33)
38. Guides (109)
39. The Thunder Spears (76)
40. Chains (63)
41. Meeting (89)
42. A Long Dream (138)
43. The World that the Girl Saw (6)
44. Memories of the Future (121)
45. Traitor (128)
46. A Sound Argument (108)
47. The Hunters (45)
48. I'm Home (36)
49. Ruler of the Walls (68)
50. Welcome Party (64)
51. Dreams and Curses (65)
52. Sin (62)
53. Sinners (133)
54. Ignorance (112)
55. Children of the Forest (111)
56. Liar (95)
57. Retrospective (129)
58. Assassin's Bullet (105)
59. Sunset (125)
60. Night of the End (127)
61. The Rumbling (131)
62. Too Little, Too Late (102)
63. Assault (103)
64. The Wings of Freedom (132)
65. Victors (105)
66. The Battle of Heaven and Earth (135)
67. Roar (8)
68. Hero (82)
69. Perfect Game (79)
70. Losers (30)
71. Dedicate Your Heart (136)
72. Thaw (124)
73. The Boy Inside the Walls (94)
74. From You, 2000 Years Ago (122)
75. Epilogue- Toward the Tree on That Hill (139)

Right away, some of you will notice the odd man out.

Chapter 25 is not named after a manga chapter but rather a song. This is because it is not part of the 'progression' of the story but rather a simple part of the epilogue. Thus, while I included it to provide some insight to readers and hint at eventual plot points, I can't, in good consciousness, take credit for much of it.

I won't be going in and breaking down every chapter, why I chose that manga volume, and what each change of words represents in what I am trying to say. If you are interested, really that curious, and have an afternoon to kill, it's not that hard to figure out. I am not that clever. I also won't be going through and pointing out all the foreshadowing, hints, or clues I left behind from chapter one. There are plenty that nobody has commented on, so they will remain there for those who want to look for them.

More than that, I want to reward those who put in the effort. Whatever conclusions you come to, they are just as valid as everyone else's. Once a story becomes public, it is no longer the sole property of the author. It now belongs to all who read it as well.

Any takeaways you have from Attack on Titan, High School DxD, and On The Bench are just as valid as my own.

This is not about 'Oh, look how good a writer I am.' This is about readers getting out of a story exactly as much as they want.

You can read AOT as a simple action story with good worldbuilding, a few surprising twists, and decent characters. Or you can read it as a deeply philosophical, hard-hitting reflection on human nature, war and violence with deed characters who develop through actions, not words.

You can read DxD as a silly ecchi series wholly dedicated to boobs, sex, and with little plot or meaning besides a 'collect them all' style harem and inconsistent worldbuilding. Or you can read it as a reflection on the meaning of humanity through the lens of race, power, and societies with different values (and boobs.)

You can read OTB as a slightly above-average Fanfiction from an author too full of themselves, with plot hole ass pulls, wish fulfillment, and who uses controversial and traumatic topics as a misery farm for engagement. Or you can read it as an imperfect attempt of a fan of a story trying to use that same story that had an impact on them as a tool to come to terms with the end of said story.

No matter how you consume a work of art, as good or bad as it is, or what you take away from it, it is as equally valid as everything else.

...I Got a bit off-topic. Like I said, stream of consciousness.

I suppose the next thing I wanted to think about, now that I had the broad strokes of the story set up, I had to think of the characters.

Early on, I knew I wanted to keep the cast relatively small. Rapturous Rapsody suffered from its character bloat, and I didn't want to repeat that mistake here.

So, keeping the cast light, who did I want to be 'Primary characters,' 'Secondary Characters,' and 'Teterary Characters.'

I should probably just go through them one by one to make sure I get my thoughts on all of them.

I won't talk about Eren and God here since I already did, though I will say God was always going to be a primary character in impact, even if he was secondary at best in presence and screen time.

So, let's start with the other Primary characters:

Mikasa.

To say Mikasa Ackerman is a controversial figure is an understatement. To this day, any chapter that features her significantly gets more engagement just from the hate she seems to generate. For the longest time, I didn't really understand where it was coming from.

Then I realized it came from the fact that she is, fundamentally, a character that differs from every other 'female protagonist' in anime. Specifically, Mikasa Ackerman was the first character Iseyama ever designed, and he deliberately made her different from every other female protagonist (at least at the time he was designing her, which was decades ago).

Mikasa is, fundamentally, a silent character. Her story is not one that comes from her words but from her actions, her body language, and the actions she does and doesn't take. This leads a lot of people to think she is boring or doesn't have an arc. Because of this lack of connection throughout the series, her actions at the end of AOT generate a lot of hate from those who haven't tracked her story through AOT because it is much less... loud for a better word than Eren or Armin's. It doesn't help that the anime (which is famous for its production troubles throughout every season) cut many of those moments that were pivotal to her growth.

I'll use an example: Mikasa is every bit the hothead Eren is. When Eren is in danger from the Female Titan, Mikasa disobeys direct orders to try and rescue him. This leads to Levi having to save her. Eren gets rescued anyway, but Levi twists his ankle while rescuing her. Mikasa, in the manga panel, clearly notices this, and Levi is injured for a while after this.

Her actions have cost humanity its strongest soldier.

It is never mentioned verbally once. But, when Eren is in danger again, she has orders that go against her desire to save him as soon as possible. This time, she follows those orders.

Through not one word spoken, Mikasa has shown a compassionate side to someone who isn't Eren, a willingness to learn from mistakes, and a sense of responsibility. All this has built on her existing character. All this without Eren even being present.

If this were something like Fairy Tail or Naruto, there'd be whole chapters dedicated to explaining the guilt Lucy felt and having to go through dramatic scenes of self-recrimination and cheering up for Sakura.

And this entire sequence I just told you about? Completely missing from the Anime. Just... not there at all. It's not the only time these non-verbal, body language-type moments are missing, either. Hell, manga readers who don't pay attention might miss it as well.

I get it.

From an animator's point of view, with limited time and every frame costing money, there is a need to focus on impressive moments or those with a strong impact. From an anime watcher's point of view, if you don't read the manga, you have no idea you are missing anything, so how would you know?

...I've digressed again, back to OTB.

As I mentioned, Mikasa is a silent character. Most of her story is told through body language, context, and actions. Which makes her a bitch to write in a book. She was easily the hardest to write of all the characters. Unless I wanted her to be the POV character and have her internal monologue be present every time she's part of a scene, I needed to come up with a way to have her participate in the story through more dialogue than she'd usually use.

There was also the fact that, of everyone in OTB, Mikasa is the only character who I consider to have completed their arc. Not only had she overcome her demons at the end of AOT by being able to fight and kill Eren, but she also had decades after that to come to terms with what happened in her youth. She started a family. Lived a long life. Died of old age. She... doesn't really have anywhere left to go.

Yet, I could not leave Mikasa out of OTB. Like her or hate her, Mikasa Ackerman is so intertwined with Eren Yeager's character that, fundamentally, I don't think Eren could have the closure I wanted him to have if she wasn't part of the story. Whether you want to pair him with Historia or someone else, there is no denying how important Mikasa is to him unless you want to completely reject canon.

So, I used both problems to solve the other. Mikasa's older age allowed her to grow more outgoing (not unlikely. We see this in AOT as her circle grows beyond just Eren and Armin.) This allows her to be more verbose, if only slightly, and having this expanded social circle also gives me more ways for her to grow.

Specifically, I wanted to confront an aspect that never really gets resolved verbally in AOT. Mikasa is so used to being the strong, dependable one that she has control issues. It was the primary source of contention between her and Eren. I wanted to use OTB as a chance to reinforce the lessons she learned from her relationship with Sona.

There is also the issue of the complex nature of her love for Eren that I wanted to tackle for both of them.

I might be in the minority, but I actually think AOT's depiction of love is one of the better ones in media. And I tried to bring that over to On The Bench.

Before everyone grabs their torches and pitchforks, I'll explain what I mean.

First off, I will point out that there is this habit in fandoms, and media in general, to go either of two ways with romance. The 'Pairing' way and the 'Drama' way.

'Drama' is basically what we see in long-running media about romance, for the most part. The idea that romance or love is just there changes on a dime to make a story interesting, or that it only exists to further the plot. Think of your standard long-running TV shows, comics, or movie series where nobody ever stays with anyone long-term because that would make the story stale. 'Something' always comes along to shake things up right when, in reality, the romantically involved parties would be settling down into a long-term relationship. For the drama.

Yet, going the opposite way is almost more dangerous.

'Pairing' is, as the name suggests, the idea that these people 'belong together.' It doesn't have to be monogamous, though it usually is, but it is the inherent idea that two (or more) characters should be together. Thus, if romance is a part of a story, naturally, one cannot be romantically involved with just themselves. (Well, they can. It's just not an interesting story if one is a Narcissus equivalent.) A second character is needed to interact with, and thus, a 'pairing' is a natural conclusion. This isn't necessarily a bad thing. If a story is going to have romantic aspects, then obviously, it will involve characters getting romantically involved. Some of these characters we, as the audience of the story, believe are better for each other than others.

Here is where it becomes a problem: the idea that two characters HAVE to end up together. It is not just that two characters being together is the natural state; anything different than that state is absolutely wrong. Morally or the like. And any character that violates this assumed status quo is indefensible, whether they are an outside party or even a member of the ideal 'pairing.' Because we, the audience, demand it to be so... even if it doesn't make sense.

Anime is absolutely terrible at this. Not really a surprise. This is from the culture where Idols regularly receive death threats, and their careers are ruined if the public gets the idea they are romantically involved. So, people build up the mental... shrine, for lack of a better word of these people and any time anything happens that clashes with how they believe this character (real or fictional) should act, they feel like it's a personal attack.

Fanfiction, as a product of a fan, in a fandom, is inherently rife with this sort of thing. The OTP (one true pairing) is born.

Again, this is not a bad thing, per se. At least, not the idea that two characters being together makes more sense than others. I've read plenty of great Fanfiction where two characters are together through the whole thing. Even the cliches like soulmates or soul bonds or the like can tell decent stories.

It is the extremism, the waifuism (husbandoism?) that sometimes accompanies this idea that is wrong. Because it's not realistic in the slightest.

I think AOT is a good example of romance because it shows romance in various forms it can take. The character's feelings grow and change over the story.

Ymir and Historia might have a romantic history (I think this was confirmed canonically, but even if it's not, it is hinted very heavily.) It doesn't stop Historia from using her marriage as a tool to get the future she wants. This isn't a change of character. This is the same woman who was willing to abandon Paradis for Ymir if it meant saving her. Or rejecting her (manipulative) father, even if it meant leaving the fate of her people in Eren's hands. She chose to save the people she cared about, even at the cost of herself.

Jean gets a lot of shit throughout the story because he's the foil to Eren, the regular Joe to Eren's shonen protagonist attitude. But, despite his crush on Mikasa throughout the entire series, not once does he make unwanted advances on her. He is, quite literally, a teenager with a crush. If this was some shonen shit, he'd be stalking her or sniffing her panties or something equally creepy. In the epilogue, Mikasa is shown holding a baby and accompanied by a man with the same hairstyle, but only after ten years have passed. Meaning that he gave her time to grieve. Jean, from the start to the end of AOT, remains the same down-to-earth, 'human' character. Not great, not evil, just... a man. Who has the unfortunate misfortune of ending up with the primary female character in a popular anime.

(Come on, guys. Take a hint. I get the idea of a woman loyal to a man's memory can be romantic, but to deny reality just because Mikasa was buried in white flowers is... absurd. To demand that someone remain alone for their entire lives just so they remain 'loyal' to someone they never even dated is... psychotic.

That being said, the ending is loose enough that an argument can be made... if you squint really hard and ignore all the signs against it.)

Mikasa is probably the perfect example of why I think AOT has a good depiction of romance. It is clear from the get-go that she has romantic feelings for Eren. Anime has conditioned us to believe that it means they will end up together. But... they don't. Because they are 'destined' for each other. Relationships only happen when both parties work for it. Both Eren and Mikasa's choices led to the fact that, even if they loved each other, they wouldn't be together.

The simple truth is that both of them had been, up until roughly the reclamation of Shinganshima, terrible to/for each other. Eren was, quite simply, an edgy teenager absorbed in his own angst in drama. He simply did not have the self-awareness to be in a healthy relationship, no matter who it was with. Mikasa, on the other hand, simply didn't listen to the target of her affection. She was controlling, smothering, and never let him fight his own battles when she could help it. If they had gotten together when they were younger, Eren would have grown to resent her, simple as that.

The simple truth is that they were teenagers and were not ready for any sort of long-term romance. (Which, again, is a better portrayal than most anime. Why do we assume that teenagers (magical powers or not) will have the emotional stability to maintain a long-term relationship just because they like each other? That rarely happens in real life. Childhood sweethearts happen. But it takes a lot of growing pain, and it is nowhere near as common as media would like us to believe.)

There was, however, a point where both of them were in the proper place (as characters) to actually get that future. But, here again, AOT takes the opportunity to tell us that love isn't so easy. You are responsible for your own happiness.

Mikasa chose to not tell Eren how she felt when he asked. Shyness, teenage angst, or whatever reason you want to give her, she made that choice. Eren chose to start the Rumbling, knowing he'd die. He chose that future, knowing it would cost him the four years he could have with her. Did both choices mean they loved each other less? No, but it acknowledged the reality of the setting.

And I wanted that 'reality' to carry over to On The Bench.

On The Bench is not a story about love and romance, but a story that contains love and romance. And, as the author, I am declaring this now:

There is no canon pairing in On The Bench.

Because there is no canon pairing in real life. I will touch on the epilogue after I (finally) move on from the characters, but I will say this right now. This is not me trying to dodge the waifu wars or trying to avoid controversy (god knows it's too late for that). This has been my intention since I first started this story.

Can Eren and Mikasa have their happy ending? There's a chance. But Mikasa is a very jealous woman, just as Eren is a very jealous man. Maybe they can't overcome their respective pasts, either romantic or otherwise. (Loving Eren is to suffer after all. Mikasa did kill him.)

Will Kuroka get her domestic dream? Maybe. Maybe she gets that family and safety she always wanted. Or maybe she will back off so Mikasa can be with Eren. Or she can't accept not being first in his heart.

Will Sona's first love be returned? Will Rias' romantic dreams come true? Will Akeno successfully become a mistress and live out her deprived fantasies? Will Shirone marry the man who creates the world's greatest cookie despite her sister's teasing? Will Ophis get her banana dimension?

All of it is possible. Maybe even all of them. You can believe Eren somehow ends up with a super harem that makes Issei weep with envy. (I might as well go after Serafall, too. And Yasaka. And why not Gabriel? She's female and attractive, so let's throw her on there too. She can bring Griselda with her or something.)

But none of that definitely will happen.

Eren is not destined to end up with anyone. Does this mean that he will die alone? Maybe, maybe not.

The only thing I will say is that if anyone wants to 'end up' with someone else, they have to work for it. They have to commit. They have to pursue it. And even then, it might not work out in the end. But absolutely nothing will happen if they do not try.

The romantic aspect might end on an unsatisfactory note, but that is because I wanted On The Bench to not give that resolution.

Like us, the audience, Sona, Rias, Akeno, and Kuroka all went into this with certain ideas and expectations about love, Eren, and the future. I hope On The Bench has shown how those expectations meet reality.

I suppose, after that massive tangent on romance depictions in anime, I should finally move on to the next character.

Kuroka honestly surprised me a bit.

Not in the sense that I pulled her out of my ass to fit a certain role. I had always planned from the start to have her act as senjustu teacher for Eren, and once I had the idea of bouchujustu linking her to the Path, I rolled with it. She'd always been intended to have a romantic incline toward Eren, that's simply the type of character Kuroka is in canon.

Rather, I was surprised at how perfectly things fell in line for her to not only have those feelings reciprocated from Eren but also how she became a kind of counterpoint to Mikasa. Outgoing, where Mikasa was reserved in almost every way. Sexually. Vocally. Emotionally. Hell, even Kuroka's arc ended up somewhat mirroring Mikasa's, though in a different way.

Kuroka is one of those characters that tend to pop up often in Fanfiction. It's no surprise, really. Ishibumi leaves a lot about her up to interpretation, allowing fanfic writers to write into the margins of what goes unsaid in canon. (There is also not the inconsiderable aspect that she is an older, busty, teasing cat girl. The smut practically writes itself.) That being said, I wanted all my characters to have the depth that is usually lacking in Fanfiction, so I struggled a bit with how to fold her into the overall narrative and themes.

Kuroka, as far as I can consider her, is a character defined by two aspects. The shallower one is, of course, her search for a 'mate.' I mean this in the literal sense, not the 'destined one' sense. In canon she is, explicitly, looking for strong genes to have children with.

Her sexuality and teasing are almost just a tool for that goal. One gets the feeling that she wouldn't really care about the father of said children so long as their traits were desirable and they weren't complete assholes like her dad. She easily propositions Vali and then jumps to Issei pretty quickly, seeing one Heavenly Dragon as just as good as another. Eren's Titan abilities and their combination with Senjutsu would no doubt lead her to consider him just as good as a match for this purpose. So you have the start of an interest there. But true feelings take a long time to develop. It is only in 'thanks' for Issei's effort to reunite her with Shirone that she really decides to stick with him long term. Same with Eren. Idle thoughts of 'The children would be strong' become 'I've come to care for him.'

This leads to what I think is the true core of Kuroka's character: her love for Shirone.

Kuroka is a flawed character. Impulsive to a degree that can only mirror a cat's own capriciousness. Her flight from killing her master is one example, but not even the greatest one. Our first introduction to her in canon is when she tries to kidnap Koneko. Not explaining the situation, just acting like a vilain because it 'seemed like the thing to do.' (I blame Ishibumi and narrative contrivance for this, especially in Japanese media, but we work with the characters we have, not the ones that make sense.)

But, throughout the entirety of DxD canon there is one throughline to Kuroka that never wavers or changes. How much she cares for Shirone.

So, to give her depth and such, I decided to lean more into this aspect. Taking that love for her sister, her memories of her mother, her father's apathy, and their time on the streets, as well as her explicit desire for children and expand it into a 'family' focused woman. Not in the traditional sense but in the 'Hestia' concept of family. Love. Warmth. Affection. But also safety and power.

In an almost coincidental way, this ended up mirroring Mikasa as well.

Mikasa is also a very family-focused woman. Almost matronly. While this is primarily directed at Eren, we see it in how she treats Armin and her other friends. She fits a strong matriarch type, where they take on burdens for others because they feel they should. It's no coincidence that while Armin and the rest are rebuilding after the Rumbling, Mikasa builds a life for herself away from all that. She never wanted to join the military or fight like Eren, just doing it to keep those she loved safe.

Kuroka is not a matron, for all her physical maturity. She's too unmotivated, capricious, and whimsical. But what she is is affectionate. Loving. Warm in a way, Mikasa, for all her strength, cannot be.

Yet she's also self-sacrificing, with a bottom line that she won't cross, not even for Eren.

I knew from the get-go that if Eren were to have any chance of reciprocating Kuroka's feelings, she needed to prove to him that she could stand up to him. That she was not a slave to love as she thought she was.

I think, of all the lies he told Mikasa and Armin when he told her he hated her, that was the closest to his true feelings. Not that he hated Mikasa for always being there, but that he did not wish her to be dependent on him. That she needed to be a person in her own right. Only in that way could she be free of him. And I don't believe Eren could come to feel for someone who was dependent on him like that.

All the time in the world in the Paths, it wouldn't matter if the emotions weren't there. Since I already knew the ending and Eren's plan, I knew it would put Shirone at risk, even if he didn't want it to. It was just putting Kuroka in a position to make that choice. Shirone or Eren. And, unless I wanted to completely change who she was, it would always be Shirone.

Again, there's this idea in fiction where the 'waifu' should only care about her lover. As if everything else before and after cease to matter as soon as they are romantically involved. Or, if they do matter, they are completely secondary. It can happen in certain characters, especially those without other tethers like family or goals, but I always found the most interesting relationships to be between those who do not solely exist for their partner. It keeps them 3D in a way other characters often lack. I think this would also mirror Eren's own interests.

Eren knew Kuroka would stand up to him if he crossed her lines before ever meeting her. The perils of dating a clairvoyant. Paradoxically, it is because he knew she was not wholly dependent on him (even if her actions since they started 'dating' seem to indicate differently) that he could come to care for her in a real way instead of just using her.

And that's something I'll get to soon. The characters Eren 'uses.' It should go without saying, but pretty much every single character that Eren could see through the Path was a piece on his board. Someone he 'used' to one degree or another. Some he cared about. Others, he didn't. But they all played their parts, and he couldn't help but see them that way because of his power. Corpses for his Path.

However, some characters, even if they had a role, were invisible to him, allowing him to form genuine connections with them because he didn't know their roles.

Sona Sitri is, in many ways, the key to this entire story.

Before anything else, I will say this was not due to any 'waifu' or 'harem' shenanigans that often come up in Fanfiction. You know the type where a key character is only a focus because the author likes them, and they're their 'type.' They get screen time just because the writer wants the protagonist to sleep with them. DxD fanfiction is especially bad at this since there are so many 'types' for all desires.

I was able to completely ignore that temptation in this story because of my desire to stick to canon and my desire for there not to be an 'official' pairing. (If I didn't, Sona would not be the character I'd have focused on. I won't name names, but let's just say a certain maid or fluffy fox milf would have been much more prominent... or show up at all.)

No, Sona Sitri is the key factor in this story for two reasons:

The first is that she is a linchpin of characters that often goes underutilized. She is connected to Rias, and her peerage (the main cast), through their long friendship and rivalry. She's also Serafall's sister, which gives her a connection to the Satans.

If that were all, why not just use Rias? Her brother is Lucifer, after all. Why not just have him be the one to bring back Mikasa? Because of the second reason Sona is key.

Sona Sitri's dream is seriously underrated in Fanfiction... and in canon in DxD as well.

When Sona first declares her dream to build a school for Rating Games for all classes in the light novels, it is treated increadibly seriously. It goes against everything devils have stood for for centuries. She gets laughed out of the chamber yet continues to pursue that goal despite all that. Baring Saji, she doesn't really have any noteworthy peerage members, nor does she have the strength of Rias' Power of Destruction. Yet her dream is the only one that actually has ambition.

Rias just wants to never lose a Rating Game, which is... underwhelming and an example of how her character kind of disappeared after getting together with Issei. Sairaorg's ambition to be a Satan is impressive, but again, nothing that hasn't been done before. No, Sona is the only member of the young devils who really wants to change something in her world instead of just becoming a piece in it. And she works for that dream.

Only... it doesn't really go anywhere, does it? Oh, sure, she builds Aurora Academy in canon but... it doesn't have an impact, does it? She doesn't even really lead it since her father gets the devil's sleeping sickness (cause... why not?) and has to become Lady Sitri instead.

So, with a bit of an inadvertent push from Mikasa when she's young, Sona is in a perfect position to expand on her already radical dream. Instead of just Rating Games, why not have a school that teaches... everything? Or at least one that teaches subjects people are interested in without discrimination.

This leads me to another theme of AOT that I wanted OTB to tackle: Knowledge and Ignorance.

One could argue that the entire story of Attack on Titan is based on a quest for knowledge and wisdom. A battle, not against monsters, but against ignorance itself. Ignorance of Titans and how to fight them, how they work, and their true nature. Ignorance of what the world beyond the walls is truly like. The ignorance of racism, classifying others as monsters or demons just because they are different.

One can quite easily track the story of AOT by how much the main cast (and us, the audience) know. And that knowledge is power. From starting the series where Titans were unkillable treats, to the knowledge of their weaknesses, to the knowledge of shifters and intelligent Titans, to the knowledge of the reality of the world beyond the sea. At the end, Eren literally has ALL the knowledge in the world. (To a degree, at least. He's limited to Eldians and only within a two-thousand-year timespan.)

If the world knew about the vow of peace, they wouldn't have feared the Rumbling for a century. If the warriors knew of the humanity of the 'island devils,' they wouldn't have started the chain reaction that led to Eren becoming the thing they feared. If Eren had known about his powers from the start, could he have found a better way? Or at least one that didn't cost the lives of so many friends and family? If Gabi hadn't been brainwashed and knew what she did at the end of the show vs when she was first introduced, would she have still shot Sasha? (Now that I think of that, I think that might be a good idea for a fic... probably won't write it though. I'm not really interested in 'fix it' fics, so anyone is free to take it.)

By the same nature, OTB can be reduced to a story about Sona Sitri's journey from ignorance to knowledge... or perhaps wisdom is a better choice of words.

From the start, though she wishes to be a teacher and is increadibly intelligent, Sona is making assumptions and judgement calls that are fundamentally wrong because she is working off of false information. In many ways, she mirrors Armin, thus giving a basis for Eren's initial connection with her.

And knowledge isn't always a good thing. The more she learns, the less clear the answers become. People are complicated. Love is complicated. The world is complicated. Like in AOT, as OTB progresses, Sona and the audience can no longer keep making assumptions. This ceases to be a world with 'good vs. evil' or where knowledge=happiness. Instead, the power that knowledge brings also brings with it terrible choices, ones we wouldn't have to make if we remained ignorant.

For all that knowledge is power, ignorance is bliss. Yet knowledge has to be chased, even if it hurts if one wants to see the world as it really is and make the changes you want to make. The ignorant are happy. The wise rarely are.

Piece by piece, Sona unveils not only the true nature of her world, the story being told, and Eren but also about herself. Her faults, her limits, her dreams, and her own biases. She never knows everything, for nobody ever can, but by the end of her time on the Bench, Sona Sitri is wiser than when she first sat on it. Not just because of talking to Eren but because of her own choices and experiences.

From the get-go, I wanted Sona to be a focal point because her arc, her connections, and the themes she engages with match almost 1 to 1 the overall narrative of On The Bench.

Rias fulfills an almost diametric opposite to Sona in this way. Not that she's wiser or doesn't have an arc, but rather instead of her arc being from 'ignorance to dreams to knowledge of reality,' it is 'ignorance of dreams to the reality of dreams.'

I wanted everyone Eren spent time with on the Bench to reflect some aspect of his own journey back at him, both for his own realizations and for my intentions to confront AOT in the story. Rias is, unsurprisingly, his childish belief and desire for freedom. A naive way of viewing the world.

Beyond her role as 'main waifu' in DxD, Rias Gremory is another one of those matronly figures, like Kuroka or Mikasa. The difference is the position she is coming from. One of privilege, shelter, and naivety. A lot of Fanfiction has come to depict her as some sort of shadowy manipulator who controls Issei and others. Or they go the opposite way and have her be a lazy do-nothing with everything handed to her by her brother. While both can be interesting character studies in their own way, the simple truth is that Rias Gremory is exactly what she is in DxD canon.

For better or worse, Rias is just a teenage girl born into a wealthy and powerful family.

Compared to other noble devils, she's practically a saint. Compared to Sona, she's a moron. Compared to Sairaorg, she's a bum. Compared to her brother, she's a weakling. But... those are all comparisons. Valid, but they only look at 'what could be' not what 'she is.'

In many ways, her depiction in Fanfiction has become exactly what she feared in canon. She is 'Rias of the Gremory,' not 'Rias Gremory.'

'Rias Gremory' is a teenage devil, a rich ojou-sama type, a Japanophile who prefers an anime montage to long-term training, and a girl who, from an early age, was using her evil pieces, a limited resource she probably would not ever get back, to save people.

People seem to think that because things work out in the end, mostly through Ishibumi's continual power creep, Rias reincarnated everyone she did, knowing they'd grow into powerhouses or that Sirzechs knew they would. No. It's explicitly stated that her reincarnations (except probably Akeno) were against her family's wishes. She spent her most valuable resource not for power but to save the dead/dying/abandoned children. Then, when they were broken and couldn't be 'useful' (Akeno's holy lightning, Gasper's entire situation, Koneko's senjustu, etc...), did she abandon them? No. She continued to support them and showered them with affection.

Rias is opportunistic, don't get me wrong. She swept up both Asia (that one is probably half opportunity and half kindness for Issei), Xenovia, and Rossweiss when she got the chance. But Rias is also... kind of a sucker. Someone who reincarnated Issei just because he summoned her. She only knew about Boosted Gear once she saw him summon the 'twice critical' and knew he cost eight Pawns.

Rias is, again, a teenage girl. A kind one at that. One that is a romantic at heart, in both the 'love' sense and in the naive sense. Things will work out in the end because they always have for her.

I wanted her to reflect Eren's own inherent idealist nature and how it conflicts with reality.

Kindness has costs.

Freedom is subjective.

Someone you love might be the bad guy.

Rias' struggle for freedom from her own identity mirrors Eren's struggle for freedom in a world with 'enemies' because, inherently, they are both absolutely pointless. Naive conceptions of freedom that cannot ever be achieved because they fundamentally ignore reality.

Yet, Rias never stops dreaming.

From the start to the end of OTB, her dreams, her kindness, and her freedoms are challenged. Yet she never stops wanting to be free. No longer free of her identity as 'Rias of the Gremory' but rather a more refined version of freedom. The freedom to be happy.

When Rias looks at the Wall Eren builds at the end of the fic, she does not see it like Eren saw the walls of Maria. Rias probably never even considered going to other universes, even knowing they exist. Instead, Rias simply sees the Wall as something that prevents someone she cares about from being happy, thus taking away their 'freedom' to live a happy life.

From start to end, even when she was fighting him, even when she thought she helped kill him, Rias never once removed Eren from the 'we' in 'We will be free.'

Rias' dreams had been challenged, and they'd been damaged, but they never broke.

Unlike Eren's.

I will talk about the epilogue at the end, but it is no coincidence that Rias is the one who refuses Eren's death. Because, at her core, Rias' freedom is a selfish one.

If Eren goes from 'dreaming of the sea' to 'dreaming of what's beyond the sea' to achieve his freedom, then Rias goes from 'freedom from negative consequences' to 'accepting the consequences of freedom.'

Which, I think, leads us to the final 'primary character' as I think of them.

Issei Hyoudou is, I think, one of the most hated protagonists in a popular series. Not without reason, of course, though I will point out anime only watchers tend to hate him more. At least in the light novel, he has an arc, and his trauma is depicted relatively well. (Relatively. It's DxD, after all.) That trauma goes a long way in explaining his actions throughout the series. (Again, relatively. DxD is famous for the disagreements between Ishibumi and his editor about how to handle it.)

Still, Issei is a really fun character to write. He's just so... fun. And I think that epitomizes the best characteristics of 'Issei Hyoudou.' Unapologetically who he is without shame. Relentlessly upbeat. A dreamer with an absurd dream.

I have problems with Issei Hyoudou as a sympathetic character, just because of what I like in my protagonists, but from a purely storytelling perspective, Issei Hyoudou is the perfect protagonist for high school DxD. He is the key factor in the tone, the message, and the overall story that DxD is trying to be.

I like stories like AOT, with themes, deep characters, tight plots, and grounded worldviews.

But High School DxD is not a story like that.

DxD is THE ecchi anime. Not the first, but the one everyone thinks of when they think of the genre. The brain off, boobs good, pretty colours, yay harems, hot women, good vs. evil story. Just like Issei, it's dumb fun. Give it any sort of deep thought, and you will see Ishibumi's horror roots, but you aren't really supposed to think. Like Issei is DxD in a nutshell. A bit of depth if you want it, but mostly there to enjoy the ride.

There is a reason DxD is so popular. Like him or hate him, Issei Hyoudou is the lens through which we see the DxD world. It is because of him we see it as a magical world of boobs, magic, and magic boobs. If the protagonist was some serious, no-nonsense type or even just grounded in some sort of realism, then DxD wouldn't work.

We see this in Slash Dog, where the protagonist is a much more 'mature' teenager like many fanfictions have, and it's... grim, frankly. It has similar jokes and some recurring characters, and it is even set in a school setting, but the overall tone is one of death, horror, and, quite frankly, enough EDGE to cut yourself on.

No. DxD is at its best when it goes the full Issei-tard root. Head empty, no thoughts, boobs make brain go BRRRRRRRR. Just dumb, ecchi fun.

So, naturally, I had to go into the oft-unexplored depths of Issei's character.

What can I say? I wasn't writing DxD. I was writing On The Bench.

And there was a lot there for those who cared to look for it. This is not just because he's the protagonist and gets a lot of screen time but also because Issei just has some unironically really good character moments.

There's obviously the trauma of Raynare's killing him and its long-term impact. Hard to have a harem when you don't believe a woman can love you because you've, quite literally, been stabbed in the back by your first girlfriend. (I just wish this depiction of trauma and its long-term effects were also shown in other characters rather than them 'getting over it' so quickly. Makes other characters feel shallow.)

But, apart from the romantic aspect, Issei also has a surprisingly heroic side to him.

Many harem anime/stories have these milk toast protagonists, those whose greatest traits are basic human decency in some supernatural setting. This is so the audience can use them as a self-insert 'this could be me' type of person. A reader-insert story that isn't even Fanfiction. But it leads to this twisted idea that basic kindness is all that is needed to have multiple women throw themselves at your feet.

Does Issei 'deserve' to have all the romantic interest that gets thrown his way? Probably not. But is he one of those basic bitch protags that just does the bare minimum to get it? Also no.

Perhaps the biggest example of this is when you remove the romantic aspect entirely.

Look at how Issei treats those he's not attracted to, particularly those younger than him. His relationship with Gasper is an example of this, as is his actions of trying to save Ophis from Cao Cao (by this point, she didn't have an 'adult' version.) However, the greatest example is Issei's relationship with the children of the supernatural world. It starts with just devil kids, but it expands to wider races like Yokai and others as the story goes on.

Unironically, the best example of this is volume 10 of the light novels: Lion Heart of the School Festival. Whether it is his brief conversation with a fan of Oppai Dragon who didn't get to see the show, his respect/rivalry with Sairaorg, or his final push to ask Rias out despite his trauma, I am of the opinion that this is Issei Hyoudou at his best.

Issei is an idiot, a pervert, and an idiotic pervert, but time and time again, when he sees some injustice happening, he doesn't stand by and watch, even if it's the 'wrong' thing to do and gets him in shit later.

Which dovetails quite nicely with Eren Yeager. (I swear, the fact they have the same voice actor is just a coincidence.)

Both Eren and Issei are very honest with their feelings, or at least Eren is when he's not trying to manipulate you. Both had a dream they were chasing, even if everyone else called them crazy. Both have that 'heroic' trait, that intolerance for injustice that many protagonists have.

The difference?

Eren's world was one where there were no heroes, and he was betrayed by his dreams and ideals.

Issei's world is one where he is rewarded for heroics, where his dreams are a direct result of his 'good deeds.'

And when the two worlds mix?

That, my friends, is what you call a story worth telling.

And Oppai Dragon was the perfect medium to tell it.

I never wanted to change Issei, just like I didn't want to really change any of the other characters. Instead, I just want to challenge him, to peel away the superficial layers to get to his core. To force him to look into a mirror.

What happens when you look into the mirror is up to you? You can change, or you can double down on who you are. Neither is a wrong answer.

Issei Hyoudou was too dumb to change and too honest to look away. So, he simply decided to double down (pun intended.)

Like all things in his life, Issei chose to face it head-on.

Besides being the first domino that led to that change, Eren really didn't have too much to do with who Issei was.

All Eren did was make sure that Issei knew the risks and what might be at the end of the path. Apart from that, all Eren did was make sure Issei didn't make the same mistake he did. Everything else was all on Issei.

Because Eren knew his future, unlike the others. Everything Issei did have to be his own choice, even if his role on the stage would fit the play Eren was laying out.

I guess that ends the 'primary character' category. The 'secondary characters' will go by faster since there is less to say.

Akeno straddles the line of secondary and primary characters pretty well. (Something I'm sure she'd appreciate.) She was an interesting dichotomy to write. At once, the most 'honest' and 'dishonest' character with herself. Self-aware of her desires and problems in a way most teenagers never are, yet also filled with a self-hatred and hatred of her own race, which is wholly irrational.

Her arc is one I didn't think is possible to ever finish. There's this idea people have of... I guess 'original sin' is a way to put it, but it's not only a thing that pops up in religion. It has its ties in racism, in ideology, in cultures across the world. This idea that one is guilty as soon as they are born, either for the very act of being born who/what/where/when they are born, or because of the actions of their ancestor/culture/country/religion/race.

This idea permeates both AOT and DxD, though the former obviously takes it more seriously. The idea that one's own existence is something to be ashamed of for a myriad of reasons. Reiner and Gabi internalized it due to the propaganda they were fed, and Akeno has, as well, through the guilt over her mother's death. And it's something that is very real, even in the modern age, and very fucked up. It's also not something one ever really wholly gets over. You struggle with it all your life. But it's worth it to keep going.

I think it is one of my favourite themes of AOT as a whole. That, irrespective of who you are or where you come from, nobody is inherently 'guilty,' no matter what their ancestors did. Because our ancestors are separate people. We can choose to inherit their hearts and wills, for good or ill, but that is something we choose.

If Sona's arc is about the struggle for knowledge, Issei's about the struggle for heroism, and Rias's about the struggle for dreams and ideals, then Akeno's is about the struggle for self-acceptance.

And Yuuto Kiba's is about revenge.

Duh.

It's always a bit of a shame when solid male characters fall to the wayside in harem stories to focus on the waifu of the season. Make no mistake, Kiba isn't the greatest character ever written or anything, but he often gets shafted in Fanfiction just because he doesn't have a pair of boobs.

With how much revenge is a focus in AOT, I couldn't not include Kiba. More than just because I think he is the most similar to Eren, I think Eren needed Kiba as much as Kiba needed Eren. He needed to reflect on the Rumbling, his ultimate vengeance against the world. Because, quite frankly, he never had time to.

While in the Paths, he was trapped by the Founder's power, and after that, he died. Eren never really came to terms with what he did, why he did it, or what he felt for it. Would he do it again? Yes. But that doesn't mean it was easy, right, or even understandable at the time. Eren explicitly says his head was messed up, and even if dying to Mikasa didn't get him what he wanted, he might have unleashed the Rumbling anyway. Whether he would or not, we'll never know, but I wanted to capture not just that rage but the cooling embers of it after the fact.

Eren, for all that he acted out of revenge often in AOT, wasn't just a two-dimensional character. He moved out of fear, ideals, love, pride, and betrayal as well. I don't disagree with the common trope that someone who lives only for revenge will destroy themselves in the search. But those kinds of pure 'avengers' are rare. Most people don't just feel one emotion at a time, even one as strong as rage. They have other things they care about and desire. Even the quintessential tale of revenge, the Count of Monte Cristo, ends with the Count sparing the main target of his revenge and sailing away with his lover, having left a considerable fortune to the son of an old friend.

Kiba is Eren's junior, not just in the pursuit of vengeance but also in the fact that there was something else. Something that pushes them on more than revenge.

Koneko/Shirone was... difficult. Like Mikasa, she's not really expressive and relies more on body language than verbal speech. Not only that, but so much of her story is tied in with Kuroka's, and there is so much overlap. In the end, I feel like I didn't really get to go very far with her despite her own small growth.

I guess the most relevant thing I wanted to connect with her was the inherent chaos of any sort of self-sacrificial behaviour. Even if one does something for a good reason, by the very nature of the act, the one that sacrifices themselves will have no clue of the long-term effects of their actions. Kuroka did what she did to save her sister, but that doesn't make her happy, does it?

Eren kills off all the Titans, but that doesn't mean the future is 'good.' He has no way of knowing if it will turn out for the better or worse than before. All he could do was trust the future to those he left behind.

Vali and his team are stranding the line of secondary and tertiary characters.

Again, this is a case where so much of their characterization is laid out later in the light novels that the anime hasn't reached. Vali is a try-hard edge lord with a huge dorky side and a soft, gooey center. Bikou is like a shoulder monkey, more along for the ride and the fun than any sort of grand ambition. Arthur is pretty much a gender-bent Saber from Fate (I know what I said.)

All three are battle maniacs but all three also have the sort of 'rogue with a heart of gold' trope going for them. Le Fay (because she gets the harem treatment) gets more screen time than them in DxD, but I really didn't have time to dive into her characterization without slowing the story down.

Asia and Xenovia: Despite having a bunch of ideas for these two, Eren's general disposition towards religion and its adherents kind of prevented them from having too much prominence in this story. Asia's power is seriously underrated; one doesn't mess with the white mage for a reason, and it pairs so well with Issei's that it astounds me that she doesn't get much exposure for anything more than being the 'kind, naive, ditzy nun.' Xenovia also often gets reduced to the token haremite because of her straightforward approach. I hope I at least gave them some decent moments despite their tertiary nature.

Xenovia, in particular, even without the whole Griselda incident, I think is a good voice of opposition. Those close to Eren who consider him a friend/loved one might be able to understand his reasons (even if they don't agree with them), but she is able to just look at the facts. Eren is, unapologetically, a monster. If one ignores all justifications and reasons and just looks at his actions, Eren Yeager is the worst monster ever born. Even if I like to understand the 'why' and 'how,' to look at the world through a nuanced lens, every once in a while, we need to step back and see the whole picture, not just the pieces.

Serafall and the Satans: They, as a group, are another example of fanon and nomenclature getting away from the root of the story. Yes, they undoubtedly killed a bunch of people in the civil war, and Adjuka's Evil Pieces directly enabled the likes of Diodora and other Pillar Devils abusing the system. I am not saying they were heroes or perfect or anything, but one can't ignore what actions they do take. Time and time again, they bend over backward for their family, for peace, and for their people. When Trihexa is unsealed, they sacrifice themselves to seal it back. This is very different from the shadowy devil masterminds many Fanfiction portray them as. (Again, I've read plenty of great stories where they are satanic in their actions. Just that one shouldn't mistake that as the canon version.)

The Hero Faction: I didn't want to change them, and I don't think I did. Fundamentally, baring Herc's Balance Breaker, I didn't even add anything to them. Instead, I wanted to show the different ways 'heroism' is interpreted. In canon, they are antagonists because they are, essentially, humanist terrorists. They don't care about anything but killing non-humans. Any valid points their ideology might have is drowned out by the fact they are willing to genocide entire races for the actions of the few.

In OTB, they aren't any different. All that changed was that they had Eren to point them in a direction that actually benefits the world and allows them to attain their potential. Anyone has the potential to be a 'hero,' so long as the circumstances put them in that position. Nobody is 'inherently' one.

Rizevim: In a story full of complex characters with deep motivations and a wealth of depth, it's always nice to have a root of simplicity somewhere. Rizevim is that simple. He is the rich and powerful being who had everything he ever wanted and grew bored of it. He would rather destroy the world than let anyone else 'have' it. Is he powerful? Sure. But power is not an interesting character make.

For all that, the world is a complicated, messy place; sometimes people are really just assholes. They have their reasons, even if not good ones, but that doesn't change the fact that these 'animals,' as Eren would put it, exist.

There are a whole bunch of other characters that only appear once or twice, but this is already 15k words, so I'll leave this part done and get to the last major section I want to talk about.

The epilogue.

A brief side step before that. On The Bench was designed to have three endings. Not as in different endings, but as in different parts of the story where one can theoretically cut it off and consider it 'done.'

The first is Perfect End: This is the ending the cast and the audience, to a degree, expect. This isn't a 'bad end,' but rather the type of thing we commonly see in most stories. Eren, having achieved his goals, slain Great Red and dies at the hand of Rizevim, who stabs him in the back. Filled with righteous grief, the cast hunts down Rizevim, putting a stop to his plans and internalizing Eren's memory. A good vs. evil sort of story, with Eren faking his death so he can pass peacefully on the Bench, safe in the knowledge the cast can handle the rest.

I wanted this possible end to be the equivalent of how we all thought AOT would end, either in some great reveal that Eren was playing Zeke and Marley all along, that there was some way to establish peace between the nations, or even that the Rumbling would succeed. No matter who you were, we all had expectations of how AOT would end. Expectations that ran contrary to the reality of the world and the characters.

The second ending, and probably the easiest to accept, is From You, A World Away.

This is the 'True Ending' in a way. The one set up in chapter one answers most of every question, ties everything in a neat bow, and gives an ending most would be able to accept. Is it a happy ending? Maybe, maybe not, depending on how you look at it. Bittersweet but an ending that fits the narrative and the characters.

This is obviously the equivalent of the actual ending of AOTs. Messy, morally complex, with nobody really happy but also the world able to finally move on. This ending was the one I had imagined when I first thought about a story that confronted AOT's ending. And, if I had just wanted to recreate AOT in On The Bench, I would have ended things here.

But I didn't just want to do that. I wanted to go beyond Attack On Titan, not necessarily to make a 'better ending.' In fact, from a literary standpoint, I do think the last part of the epilogue harms the story overall. But... that's kind of the point.

To be meta once more, if chapters 1 to 74 take on the role of AOT's story, then chapter 75 takes on the role of 'On The Bench,' this Fanfiction, in that metaphor.

Toward the Bench in That Park is, in essence, a fanfiction of a fanfiction.

That it is my own Fanfiction makes it all the more egotistical and nonsensical. That being said, I still stand by the epilogue. I still consider it my canon continuation. But I wrote OTB for my own selfish whims, so I fully understand if someone thought it was unnecessary/ruined the story for them/invalidated what came before/hated it.

So, what about the contents of the epilogue itself?

Taking it from top to bottom, the first scene where they find his body, I wanted to really capture the conflicting feelings the cast would be feeling at Eren's death. Yes, he messed up the world, but he also saved it. He killed a bunch of people, but nowhere near what he threatened to do, and they thought he would (and had done in the past.) He was their enemy, but he was also their friend.

Remember, the time between Eren leaving and his attack on the Underworld is only a few weeks. If you are able to unequivocally declare a close friend a foe in that short a time, based only on the words of others without them actually hurting you, then you probably weren't close friends in the first place.

The time after Issei's 'death' and the end of the Battle of Broken Worlds is only a few hours. This was probably when they were most able to see Eren as a foe, as he had 'killed' Issei (or at least tried to, they'd think, after Issei came back.) Here, they are able to fight him because they don't think he'll stop, but even then, they don't like it.

But then they discover that Eren has the Founder, thus knew Issei wouldn't die and could have killed them all, yet he chose to not go through with his threat of destroying the Underworld. He spared them their loved ones (the Satans/family/civilians). So, is he the good guy? Not really. A bunch of people still died. So what should they feel? Those conflicting emotions, ups and downs, are only left to fester after he disappears for months, and they spend time hunting down his 'killer.'

Then they discover his full plan, as well as experience a fraction of the terrible effects of the Founders' power. Is Eren a hero? He saved the world. Is Eren a villain? He's killed thousands (in this world, at least) and essentially put them in a cage. Is Eren their friend? ...Probably. Certainly, while he hurt them, he also helped them. Their entire time together, he hadn't manipulated them when he could have, and every sign points to him caring about them... but he did hurt them.

And then, in the end, they don't get the answers they want. We, the audience, see his meeting with God and Armin. We get some closure. They do not. They just find him smiling on the Bench.

So yeah, I really wanted to capture the complex feelings I think we all felt toward Eren at the end of AOT. He's the protagonist and antagonist. The hero and the villain. The genocidal madman and the boy who wanted to be free whose journey we've followed this entire time.

And, in many ways, Eren's death is a relief. With him dead, he doesn't have to confront the world he's built. We don't have to deal with complex emotions when the subject of them is no longer there. We, and they, can move on, even if sad.

Enter one, Rias Gremory.

As I mentioned in the character section, Rias's arc was always one where she, over and over, has her dreams blocked by the realities of the world. Her kindness leads to pain. Her freedom is stolen. Her family is torn apart from within. Her crush, her first love, is the source of it all, even 'killing' one of her loved ones.

Rias is able to confront Eren. She's able to fight him. She's even able to help kill him for those she loves... But she doesn't want to.

Rias Gremory is, at her heart, a selfish dreamer who wants the world to go her way and will do everything in her power to make that happen, even if it goes against what the rest of the world considers 'right.'

In many ways, Eren has slowly been sapping the freedom she so craved from the get-go by (sometimes inadvertently) forcing her to face the truth of a cruel world. Then, he tops it all off by destroying her society and literally putting her in a cage.

And, in the end, Rias steals Eren's freedom to die alone and at peace.

Even if the final part of the epilogue never happened, Eren's presence in the coffin means something, sometime in the future, 'could happen.' Maybe in decades, centuries, or millennia, but just by the existence of the coffin that keeps him 'fresh,' Eren becomes the equivalent of the idea that Titans will never really die.

The time skip after that is more about a 'where are they now' sort of thing.

I had always intended for Sona's school to bookend the story, and it worked as not only a great framework to show the 'post-Eren-world,' but I also wanted to show how different people/factions took the events.

For most of humanity, Eren can generally be considered a heroic figure since he didn't really do anything against them and saved them. That being said, he pretty much traumatized the whole world and declared he destroyed his own, so only small subsets of the population can really consider him messianic in any way, to say nothing of the chaos and confusion that happened in the years that followed.

For most supernatural factions, Eren is... probably the equivalent of the heavenly dragons. Powerful. Destructive. World Changing. He isn't a hero in any way, but he's not really different from what they're used to dealing with in anything but the scope of his abilities. He's not the guy who set off the equivalent of the Rumbling, even if he showed what he did. He's pretty much no different than the biblical god in their eyes. Not better, not worse than any other godlike being in this setting.

Also, I wanted to address what seems to be a point of confusion for many. Most of the world has absolutely no idea about anything that happened on the Bench. They don't know Eren spent a lot of time in Kuoh. They don't know he was friends with Rias/Sona/et al. l. They don't know that Mikasa is also from the same world or that she is connected to Eren. They can find out about Kuroka, Team Vali, and Ophis, but there's a reason Kuroka decided to become Serafall's bishop, and nobody wants to fuck with the others.

That's why it was a big deal for Sona to declare that she knew Eren. Because, as far as the rest of the world was concerned, he came out of nowhere and disappeared. So much of his past/motivations/abilities were unknown. Sona needed to do it if she wanted to be able to teach about his past, but the other's connection to him remained largely unknown. 99.999999% of the people who watch Oppai Dragon have no idea that the 'senpai' character is based on Eren, or that he and Issei have any relationship outside of being enemies.

As for the school itself and its success? Who knows. Whether it succeeds or not will be up to the effort of those involved. Another story for another time that might not ever get told.

I will say that I struggled really hard with what to name it, not wanting to use the cannon 'Aurora Academy' or anything trite like 'Eldia Academy,' which wouldn't mean anything to most people. I actually didn't come up with Atlas Academy until I was writing it, and I am very proud of myself for it. Not its originality (god no. I'm not that good) but rather because anyone who reads RR knows my fondness for wordplay and 'Atlas' works on, like, five different levels.

As for the last part of the epilogue, and possibly the most controversial part of the fic?

As I said, the existence of the coffin always ensured 'something' could happen in the future. DxD is simply a setting where resurrection is too easy and common. I complained about it with the Issei resurrection, and with Eren, I was actively jumping through hoops, so it wasn't easy to just go, 'You died? So what?'

Realistically, unless Eren's death was something that completely destroyed him and his soul, then there was always going to be a chance of resurrection in DxD, and that runs into the problem of why Eren would choose a future like that in the first place.

If Rias' actions guarantee that 'something' could happen, then I wanted an outside force to be the ones to actually do it. Make no mistake, the Satans/Michael/Azazel are fully aware of the threat Eren poses, but they also aren't blind to the benefit he can bring. Even beyond the Satans' desire to make their sisters happy, there is a very realpolitik thought process behind their actions.

Because, at the end of the day, in this world Eren is not the man who unleashed the Rumbling. He is the man who didn't. The man who has knowledge of threats nobody else does. The man who could have killed them all (or directed Cao Cao to do so) but chose not to. Eren's actions, more than the threat of what he could do, are why they decided to pursue his revival.

Let's also not forget that these are the same people who worked with Cao Cao and the hero faction in canon after they attacked the Underworld in a manner similar to Eren's. While Eren's attack had a greater impact due to who died, the death toll is probably lower in total due to his control of the situation.

All that being said, if I wanted to stick close to canon, I couldn't really see why they wouldn't want the information and military power Eren might bring to the table. Especially since they knew his weakness (the Bench).

Finally, I will say this about the epilogue. It is not a 'happy ending.'

Just as Eren has no official paring in this fic, so too is there no guarantee that he is welcomed back with open arms by his friends. I saw a lot of comments wondering why Sona/Rias/etc... would still hold affection for Eren after all he did. As I mentioned earlier, their emotions toward him are in no way simple.

The state of the world is also in no way 'good.' The three faction leaders think it is manageable, at least right now, but there is no denying the death, confusion, trauma, and chaos Eren caused with his actions. Wars began because of him, to say nothing of individual tragedies.

But, at the same time, all his sacrifices gave both worlds something that wasn't there before: hope.

Eren, in the end, gave up on pretty much everything. The future. His values. His morals. His dreams. His ideals. He gave it all up for a few people he wanted to live a long, happy life.

Make no mistake, this fic is not about pardoning or excusing Eren's actions with the Rumbling. It's just about giving perspective. He literally gave up his freedom, the thing he'd been chasing his entire life, to experience a literal hell, essentially forever, just so he could end Titans, get revenge, and give his loved ones a small chance at a long and happy future.

He isn't a saint, and I don't think 'redemption' is really possible for that kind of willful death and destruction. That being said, if anyone had been punished for that kind of genocide, it is Eren Yeager. He essentially existed in a never-ending hell of his own making, all without the escape of death.

Yet, he never had the possibility to confront his actions. He built the world, but he had never been forced to live in it.

More than that, Eren never really had a chance to live in it. From the very first chapter of AOT, his end had been set. Even if Iseyama (or myself in this fic) changed the course of the Path, the destination would always be the same.

No matter what he did, Eren never had the chance at a long, happy life.

This epilogue, and On The Bench as a whole, was never about creating a 'happy ending' where everything turns out well. It was about creating a 'possibility' where happiness is, theoretically, achievable. Eren and everyone else still need to work for their happiness. Still need to live in a cruel world. But now, they have the chance to find the beauty in it.

Eren, as he falls from the sky, does not smile because everything is good.

Eren is smiling because, for the first time, he is free to chase a long, happy life... even if it takes two thousand years or more.

********

Whew!

18K words of rambling! The delay in this release definitely allowed me to go into much more detail than my post about RR. Still, I'm glad I got these thoughts out there. They are nowhere near everything, and there are still little things sprinkled throughout the fic that I didn't talk about for the eagle-eyed reader, but they are probably the most relevant.

Now for some crunchy, crunchy numbers.

I posted On The Bench across eight websites, and all this information is based on my best approximation. Depending on the site and the tools it provides, these numbers might be more or less accurate. (There might be some overlap, but there also might be some lurkers, so I feel they even out.)

FF dot Net: 1254 Followers
AO3: 365 Kudos
Webnovel: 2910 Collections (closest I can get to total readers)
Scribblehub: 204 Readers
RoyalRoad: 200~ lowest chapter reads
Questionable Questing SFW: 733 watchers
QQ NSFW: 1258 watchers
SufficientVelocity: 211 watchers
SpaceBattles: 966 watchers

That totals to *Drum roll* 8101 readers at the time of writing!

Holy shit!

Why on earth would 8k people waste time on my stuff!?

Specifically, if we assume an average reading time of 300 wpm (higher-end speeds, but you're all awesome) and a final word count of 355101 words (also HOLY SHIT! This was supposed to be a 50 to 75k short story! Why do I do this to myself!?) not counting Author notes we get to a total of *Gun Salut* 9,588,910.67 minutes spent reading On the Bench.

Or 159,815.18 hours.

Or 6,658.97 days.

Or 18.23 years!

Holy fucking shit Batman!

I have sucked 18.23 years collectively from the human race! My evil plan is working!

In all seriousness, words cannot describe how thrilled, humbled, and thankful I am for all the support, encouragement, and engagement I have received throughout these last few months. I might have written On The Bench for me, but I am really glad so many of you have been able to get something out of it, even if you disagree with some of my decisions.

In particular, I would like to thank Safely Hijinks, Netra, and OrangeMaster on Spacebattles, as well as an anonymous fellow on AO3 for their Omakes. I would also like to thank Old Man of the Mountain for his help in the early chapters, both for his beta help as well as having someone to bounce ideas off of.

For the omakes, I highly recommend anyone interested in going to the websites to read them. In particular, Netra has published a new Omake after the end of the fic, a wholesome 'what if' situation focusing on Sona and Eren's possible relationship.

I will, in the coming days, release a chapter with these omakes on all sites. I will give credit where it is due, of course, and will remove any that the writers do not want me to share on the other sites.

So, what next for Ol' ReadingDangerously?

First off, a bit of a break.

I've been writing pretty much nonstop since June of 2022. Totalling about 1,132,712 words, averaging around 1400 words a day, not counting editing time or rewrites. All while working a full-time job, moving a few times, and not making even a penny for the work.

I'm planning on not writing anything until November and just relaxing.

After that? I haven't decided yet.

Probably a few omakes/side stories for Rapturous Rhapsody that I never had time to do while writing On The Bench, but apart from that, it's really up in the air.

I have ideas, both for fanfiction and for original stories, but I will have to see what really interests me. I might do a few one-shots here and there, too. Once I settle on what I want to write, I would like to get a good chunk of it done before I start publishing. I like having that buffer of extra chapters for when real life rears its ugly head. I might even start a Patreon/kofi/whatever the current trend is to try and make writing a full-time thing.

It's all undecided except for one thing.

I'm not done writing. I don't think I'll ever be 'done' writing. So, if you've enjoyed my work, I hope you will continue to do so as I improve.

Until next time, I would like to thank everyone for sitting here with me and listening to the rambling stories of a stranger beside you on the bench.

 

[ReadingDangerously]

After a long absence, and to celebrate the year anniversary of On The Bench, here are those fan-made omakes I promised... ages ago.

Stick around to the AN at the end for a little surprise I have cooked up.

********

Omake: But at what cost? by

Sagely Hijinks

over on Spacebattles.​

Eren Yeager died his second death with a smile on his face.

He had accomplished what he set out to do.

The devils had lost their ability to use Evil Pieces - and thus, their ability to recruit humans. The angels would never be able to make Brave Saints.

The Fallen had lost Azazel, and with him, all of their research on extracting Sacred Gears.

The system set up by the Christian God would work once again as intended; humans with extraordinary power, either through reincarnation or Sacred Gear, would be able to fight back against the supernatural.

The other mythological factions were similarly neutered through Eren's careful orchestration of the evil gods.

Ophis had beat back the Great Red and returned to the dimensional gap, with no further earthly attachments left alive.

Finally... humans were free once more.

Well. For a time.

A few years afterwards, well after Eren had passed and his tenuous equilibrium had been established, everything once more fell into chaos.

Invaders from a foreign dimension, calling themselves Evie, had come to conquer the Earth - which they referred to as "Draconic Deus".

They came holding the severed heads of the Dragons that had lived in the Gap. They arrived to a world with nobody strong enough to contest them.

In another timeline, the gods of Evie would have been stopped by a heroic Oppai dragon.

In this one, the world was quickly subjugated.

Humanity once again lost control of its own fate, but in a different way. Previously, humanity had been mostly autonomous, with any of the less subtle control happening in the background. Now, humanity was well aware of the fact that it was little more than cattle living on borrowed time.

The End.

********

Semi Cannon Omake: Future's Recipe by

Netra

over on Spacebattles​

"Verdict?"

Crunch.

"Kuroka?"

Crunch.

"Kuroka."

"If you already know what I'm going to say, why even bother asking?" the Nekoshou continued munching as she stared at a boy who was barely taller than the table counter he was peeking over.

"I need to know if the cookies are good. They're important," his voice, flat and empty, felt wrong coming out of the mouth of a child his age.

"You didn't answer my question, Eren."

"…"

Predictably, he didn't respond. He never did. Whenever she tried to pry further into how his future sight worked, the boy known as Eren Yeager simply ignored her. Her words would always fall on deaf ea—

"I want to hear you say it."

Kuroka paused mid-chew, her ears twitching at the boy's insistence. She swallowed the bite of cookie, the crunching noise stopping as she placed the remaining half on the tray.

"Alright, Partnyaa," she relented, her golden eyes narrowing playfully. "They're good."

Really good. She wasn't even lying. The cookies tasted amazing. Crisp on the outside, but soft and chewy on the inside. Just the right amount of sweetness without being overpowering.

After seeing the boy raze an entire devil estate to the ground (not to mention transforming into a colossal monstrosity), baking quality cookies wasn't even in the top one-hundred of things she'd thought Eren would do next. So imagine her surprise when he told her they'd be sneaking into a café past its closing time.

A café that coincidentally had all the ingredients he needed readily stocked.

The stray watched him work as he preheated the oven, mixed eggs and flour into a bowl, molded the dough into small, even circles, and meticulously placed them on the baking sheet before shoving it in. She wasn't in any way experienced in the culinary arts, but she could tell there was barely any wasted movement in his actions.

Eren had clearly done this before. His small hands effortlessly cracked open the eggs, he skipped using measuring cups for the flour, and he twisted the oven timer's dial without even glancing at the numbers. His movements were precise and swift, yet carried a nonchalance that spoke of experience, as if he had performed this same routine dozens of times.

It would've been even more impressive if he didn't need to stand on a wooden stool to reach the kitchen countertop (it was adorable!).

Eren's expression didn't change, but there was a brief glimmer in his eyes that hinted at satisfaction after hearing her compliment his work. He carefully picked up one of the cookies, examining it closely before taking a bite. His chewing was methodical, as if he was analyzing every aspect of the flavor and texture.

Kuroka watched him with a mix of curiosity and amusement. "So, what's the big deal with these cookies?" she asked, leaning on the counter.

Eren finished his bite and swallowed before responding. "They're for someone important. I need them to be perfect."

Kuroka's ears twitched again, this time in genuine curiosity. "Important, nyaa? More important than little old me?" she teased.

Eren didn't rise to the bait. "Yes," he said simply.

The nekoshou's playful expression softened slightly. Despite Eren's cold demeanor, she had grown fond of the boy. He was mysterious and often frustratingly silent, but there was a depth to him that she couldn't ignore.

Not to mention, he was her only chance to reunite with Shirone. Kuroka tolerated his antics solely because he promised he would clear her name and bring her back to her beloved little sister. All she had to do was train him in Senjutsu and play as his secretary cat, even though she doubted he could become better than her in the sage arts, much less become one of the top ten.

Though deep down, the stray hoped he would. Because if he did become one of the strongest beings in this world like his "clairvoyance" told him, that meant he was also right about Shirone.

Kuroka pried another hot cookie off the tray.

"Haven't you already perfected them?"

He didn't respond.

She took a bite of her cookie. "I doubt a boy your age could be that powerful and simultaneously be a cooking prodigy, so I'm assuming the reason you bake so well is because you've already done it in the future. Just like how you knew about Shirone because I eventually tell you about her. Did I get that right, nyaa?"

Eren simply stared at her.

"Here's what I don't understand though, if you've already found the exact way to bake a perfect batch of cookies, why even go through the trial and error of trying to perfect them in the first place?"

"Our steps toward the outcome are what shape the outcome itself."

Oooohhh ominous. But….. it didn't really tell her anything. At least, anything related to how his power worked.

Eren glanced at the tray of cookies with an unreadable expression. "They're for someone who's going to help us. Someone crucial to our plans."

Kuroka's interest piqued. "And what kind of person needs cookies to be convinced nyaa?"

"Someone with a sweet tooth and a lot of influence. Trust me, it'll make sense when we meet her."

Her? A woman? So they weren't in the top ten then.

He took another bite. "This batch isn't even close to perfect, the ones I'll make won't even be comparable. That's why I need you to teach me Senjutsu as soon as possible."

"Hmmm? What does Senjustsu have to do wi–"

Pause. Just like that, her mind needed a moment to connect the dots. Eren could almost see the gears turning inside her head. "Y-You want to use Senjutsu. To bake cookies….?"

"Yes. I'm going to use it to grow perfect ingredients and then bake cookies with the–"

"WHY!?!?!? What happened to becoming the fourth strongest being on the planet? I thought you'd use it to train and get stronger, nyaa!"

Eren met her incredulous gaze with calm determination. "I will become the fourth strongest being on the planet. But to get there, I need allies, resources, and influence. These cookies are just a part of that plan."

Kuroka laughed. Laughed at the sheer absurdity of it all. Her laughter echoed through the empty café, a stark contrast to Eren's stoic demeanor. She shook her head, her golden eyes sparkling with amusement.

For a long moment, the pair lapsed into silence, the crunching of cookies the only sound hanging in the air between them. The tension was palpable, but neither seemed willing to break it. The room was dimly lit, casting soft shadows on the walls, and the scent of freshly baked cookies mingled with the faint aroma of coffee beans.

After what felt like an eternity, one of them finally spoke.

"Do you think she'll forgive me?"

"I already told you. I don't know. All I can do is give you the chance. The rest is up to you."

That's what bothered her. He knew about her past. He knew they would take over an entire faction led by the wielder of the True Longinus. He knew he would eventually become powerful enough to rival the current Lucifers. He even knew he would rank among the top ten, fourth no less. He had a detailed ten-year roadmap of how the future would unfold. Yet, he didn't know if her cute little Shirone would forgive her?

In eleven I will be dead.

The words he had spoken beneath the Dantalion manor echoed in her mind. Eren had uttered them with such certainty, and it sent a shiver down her spine every time she recalled it. But they were just the words she needed to piece the puzzle. A hypothesis began to take shape, one she planned to explore further at a later time.

"I don't even know if I can face her after everything I put her through," she murmured, her voice barely above a whisper.

Eren, as always, remained silent. His expression was unreadable, but Kuroka could sense his unwavering attention on her. She felt a bitter chuckle escape her lips again, this time devoid of any humor.

"I failed her, you know?" Kuroka continued, her voice trembling slightly. "Shirone was just a child, and I was supposed to protect her. Instead, I dragged her into this mess, into my mess. I thought I was strong enough to shield her from the consequences, but I was wrong. I wasn't strong enough. I couldn't keep her safe."

The memories flooded back, each one more painful than the last. She remembered the fear in Shirone's eyes when their parents died, the way her sister clung to her, seeking comfort and protection. She recalled the look of hesitant joy on Shirone's face when they both became reincarnated devils for the Naberius clan, believing they could once again have a home—a family. Only for it all to come crashing down.

She recalled the sheer terror on Shirone's face as she stood over the bloody corpse of their former master. An expression she never thought her cute little sister would ever level at her.

Kuroka had promised to keep her safe, to always be there for her no matter what. But those promises had been broken, shattered by the harsh beating stick of reality.

"I hate it. I hate how weak I am. I should have been stronger," she admitted.

She clenched her fists, her nails digging into her palms, the pain a welcome distraction. "I don't even know why I'm following you, Eren. Maybe I was just desperate enough to believe your promises, to cling to any hope that came my way."

The stray stared at the crumbs in her hands, a smile playing on her lips. She didn't expect Eren to say anything, and he didn't. Silence fell between them again, a silence heavy with unspoken words. She didn't know what he thought about her confession, but she knew that he understood. In his own way, he was carrying a weight just as heavy as hers.

She let out a hearty laugh. "Don't get me wrong nyaa. That little display you gave me in the Naberius manor wasn't anything to scoff at. It was more than enough to put the fear of Go-(ow!)-Satan in me. So don't worry Partnyaa! I'll fulfill my end of the dea–

"It's enough."

"Nyaa?"

"Your regrets. Your sins. They're more than enough," a boy who barely reached her chest stared at her with a maturity and depth far beyond his years.

"If it's what keeps you going, keeps you moving forward, then hold on to them. Hold on to them with the hopes of finding redemption. Use them as fuel to become stronger, become better."

Kuroka blinked, taken aback by his words. Despite his age, there was something almost sage-like about him. She had never met anyone like Eren before, and though she was wary of his mysterious knowledge and cold demeanor, she couldn't help but feel a flicker of hope.

"Redemption, huh?" she murmured, looking down at the half-eaten cookie in her hand. "You really think she'll take me back?"

"Like I said, I don't know. I never meet her, so I can't see her. I don't know if she'll accept you with open arms or reject you completely. All I can do is give you the chance.

"And if the latter happens?"

"Then that's on you."

Kuroka mulled over Eren's words, her eyes narrowing thoughtfully. The idea of redemption was foreign to her; it had always seemed like a luxury she couldn't afford. If she was in Shirone's shoes, she wouldn't forgive herself either. But Eren's calm certainty, even in the face of unknowns, stirred something in her. Maybe, just maybe, there was a way for her to find peace.

The silence stretched, filled only with the occasional clinking of the café's equipment and the faint hum of the air conditioner. Kuroka finished her cookie, savoring the last crumbs, and then pushed the tray towards Eren.

"You're a strange one, Eren Yeager," she said, her voice softer now. "But you've given me a lot to think about. I'll make sure not to mess it up when I finally arrive at the opportunity."

Eren looked at her, his expression as impassive as ever, but there was a glint in his eyes—a hint of understanding, perhaps even empathy. "Everyone has their own path to walk Kuroka," he said quietly. "It's up to you how you choose to walk it."

Kuroka nodded slowly, a faint smile playing on her lips. "Yeah, I suppose you're right. But enough of the heavy stuff." She stood up, stretching her arms above her head, her ears flicking playfully. "We've got work to do if you want to become the best cookie-baking future-seeing powerhouse around, Partnyaa!"

After tidying up, a flash of light enveloped the pair, and they vanished, leaving behind only the lingering scent of freshly baked cookies and the faint echoes of their conversation in the empty café.

The next day, the café owner arrived to find everything just as she had left it, save for five cookies sealed inside a tupperware on the counter with a note that read:

"Thank you for the ingredients. The cookies were delicious. We cleaned up after ourselves. - E."

The owner blinked at the note, puzzled, but shrugged it off as she sampled one of the cookies.

She couldn't deny they were indeed delicious.

********

Semi Cannon Omake: Of Simpler Times by

Netra

over on Spacebattles​

Inhale.

Exhale.

It was peaceful.

So very peaceful.

Free from the future. Free from the past. Living only in the present. He had almost forgotten the feeling. The feeling of existing in the moment on its lonesome.

Ever since he turned six, for as long as he could remember—or rather, for as long as memory had meaning—his new life had been a swirling maelstrom of moments. Past, present, and future coiled together in an endless loop, impossible to separate, like tangled threads of a tapestry too intricate to unravel. To him, time was not a linear path but an all-encompassing ocean in which he drifted, pulled in every direction at once.

But here, on this simple wooden bench, beneath the canopy of rustling leaves, he was free. The chaos subsided. The waves stilled. He could breathe.

It felt alien….and familiar. He could feel the rough grain of the wood beneath his fingers, the coolness of the late afternoon breeze on his face, and the warmth of the sun high above. These were not echoes of moments from countless different lifetimes, but singular experiences—sharp, vivid, and real.

No future. No past. Just….this.

In his heart of hearts, he wished it could last forever. To have the weight of the future lifted from his shoulders, and the echoes of the past quiet to a distant hum. But he knew it wouldn't be, that it would never be. He would keep moving forward and inevitably die with this power. This was his burden to carry. He could not escape it, no matter how desperately he might wish otherwise.

Which was why he endeavored to enjoy this brief respite as much as possible.

He closed his eyes and let himself sink deeper into the calm. For a fleeting moment, he was just Eren, a young man sitting on a bench, with no weight of destiny on his shoulders, no curse of knowledge. His thoughts were not a tangle of decisions and repercussions, but simple things—on the feel of the wind, the rustle of leaves, the way the–the–


" 『ZA WARUDO』 TOKI O TOMARE! "


….the way the red-haired devil girl beside him yelled at the top of her lungs.

Eren sobered up.

Rias Gremory. The heiress of the Gremory clan, one of the highest ranking devil families of the remaining 72 pillars of hell. One of the few inheritors of the Power of Destruction, the very power the original Lucifer had wielded to erase his enemies.

Someone Eren had never expected to befriend.

Someone Eren had never even expected to meet.

Someone who did not know what he planned to do to her home and people.

Someone who thought of him as naught but a dying blind boy to be pitied and looked after.

Someone—who was now raising his arms laterally, facing his palms forward.

"Remember! THIS is the pose he strikes as he says it. And don't forget, he's floating in the air using his Stand powers the whole time," her excitement was palpable as she lifted his arms into position.

"Now say it with me, Eren. To-ki-Wo-To-ma-re. It means 'stop time.'"

Eren cleared his throat. He knew better than to argue whenever she got this excited.

"Toh. Kee. Yo. Tow. Ma. Rhe," he repeated slowly, carefully enunciating each syllable.

Rias giggled at his awkward attempt, her eyes lighting up with amusement. "Close enough," she said, still holding his arms in place. "But you've got to put some oomph into it! It's like you're commanding the universe itself to come to a halt."

She yelled again, but this time in a deeper, more masculine voice, and he couldn't help but be amused at the absurdity of it all.

"You need to channel the raw charisma of a blonde man with serious daddy issues into your voice!"

For a moment, his mind wandered to someone—an erstwhile ally, one that thought of him as a brother, someone who truly cared for him despite the circumstances that had placed them on opposing sides. Someone he had used for convenience. Someone he had betrayed in the end to further his goals. The thought vanished as quickly as it had appeared.

Eren said it again, this time louder and deeper than before, making the respective pose all the while. He must have looked and sounded utterly ridiculous, judging by the way he could hear Rias struggling to stifle her mirth.

Rias's laughter finally broke through, a bright, unrestrained sound that filled the quiet noon air. Eren couldn't help but be somewhat amused (though it didn't show on his face), the absurdity of the situation momentarily lifting the weight that always seemed to hang over him. For a few brief seconds, it was easy to forget everything else—his mission, his burden, his fate—and just be present in the moment, sharing a laugh with someone who had become an unexpected friend.

Rias let go of his arms (finally) and clapped her hands together. "Not bad, Eren! If we keep this up you'll be nihongo jouzu in no time at all. Sona will be impressed."

He could feel the aura of smugness radiating off of her at the thought of beating her long time rival at her own game.

Eren raised an eyebrow, only catching the gist of what she said. "N-Ni–Ni"

"Nihongo jouzu," Rias chuckled, a playful glint in her eyes. "It means you'll be fluent in Japanese. At least, enough to get by with some anime catchphrases."

Eren shook his head, finding her enthusiasm pleasing despite himself. "I'm not sure how useful that'll be."

"Maybe not," Rias admitted, "but it's fun, isn't it?"

Fun. It was such a simple word, yet it carried a weight Eren had almost forgotten. In a life dictated by duty, sacrifice, and the relentless pursuit of his goals, the concept of fun had slipped through the cracks. But here, with Rias, in this fleeting moment, he allowed himself to indulge in it. It stirred memories of better days, of racing to a tree on a hill with two others—names he wouldn't dare speak or think of, lest the pain resurface.

"Yes. Yes I guess it is."

"Exactly! Now let's continue with the story," Rias said as she flipped another page of her manga.

Their dynamic would go as follows: Rias would read in Japanese while Eren listened. Occasionally, she'd challenge him to translate passages into English, testing the knowledge he'd gained from his lessons with Sona. However, Rias often ended up translating most of it herself since Eren's lessons with Sona had only recently advanced beyond basic Japanese.

She had taken it upon herself to teach him the language through manga, a method that combined her love for otaku culture with his desire to learn something new—though he wasn't sure how much of it he was retaining. She would often pause to explain certain phrases or expressions, her voice animated with excitement as she described the scenes on the page.


"ORA! ORA! ORA! ORA! ORA!…."


"MUDA! MUDA! MUDA! MUDA!…."


Each syllable that left her lips was punctuated by Rias playfully tapping his good arm with her fist, mimicking the 'fight' unfolding in the story.

"Remember Eren, 'Ora' means 'come on!' while 'Muda' means 'useless'."

He recalled that little tidbit of information as he listened.

As Rias continued reading, her voice animated and full of enthusiasm, Eren found himself immersed in the story despite the oddity of it all. He allowed himself to be swept along by her passion, to let go of the relentless weight on his shoulders. Her excitement was infectious, and despite his initial reservations, he found himself intrigued by the strange picture she was painting.

Despite struggling to keep up, Eren managed to get a rough understanding of the story so far. JoJo's Bizarre Adventure: Stardust Crusaders followed three men and a teenager (though Rias insisted he was the biggest 'man' of the group despite being only seventeen years old) on a journey to save Holy Joestar, said tennager's mother, by defeating Dio Brando, a returning antagonist from Part One.

"He survived by decapitating Jonathan and replacing his head with his own! Can you believe that!?!? It's f*cking insane!"

She had pointed out that the key difference between this part and the previous two was the introduction of Stands: manifestations of a person's soul. These Stands typically appeared as various humanoid figures, which Rias found challenging to describe to the blind boy due to their unique appearances. In essence, these Stands could interact with the physical world, but the reverse was not true. In short, Stands could interact with the physical world, but the reverse wasn't possible. To top it off, each Stand possessed a unique ability tied to its user.

"Think of them as superpowered ghosts."

Bizarre indeed.

"Why do they say it in English?"

"Huh?"

"These 'Stands'—they use English for the names but then switch right back to Japanese. Why?"

Rias didn't respond immediately. It seemed his question had caught her off guard. He could almost picture the gears turning in her head as she tried to come up with an answer.

"W-Well…"

Rias paused, a rare moment of hesitation crossing her usually confident demeanor. Now that she thought about it, she didn't have a solid answer. It was something she had always accepted without question, part of the charm that made the series what it was.

"Well," she began slowly, clearly thinking it through as she spoke, "I think it's just part of the style, you know? It's like… when characters in manga or anime say something in English, it adds a certain flair or emphasis to what they're saying. It makes it stand out more. Plus, English words can sound cool or exotic in Japanese media."

"So they just say it to sound… intimidating?" Eren asked.

Rias snapped her fingers. "Bingo! Kind of like how you….well, never mind."

"How I what?" he pressed.

How your dead voice sends chills down my spine, even though you're only a human who's a few years older than me, was what she wanted to say.

But instead, Rias shook her head. "Forget it! We were just getting to the good part before you interrupted," she said, her voice filled with eager anticipation.

She continued. Her story progressed where they left off before Eren interrupted. Dio drank the recently deceased Joseph's blood and could now stop time for nine seconds. Jotaro gets angry at him. They fight. Jotaro gets a road roller dropped on him. They fight and talk some more. Until finally, Jotaro catches Dio off guard and incapacitates him long enough for the sun to set, killing him in the process. He made it sound dull, but Rias's colorful narration painted a picture of a battle of life and death that'd have the reader at the edge of their seat.

The sun was almost below the horizon. They'd spent the entire afternoon lost in the fantastical world of JoJo's Bizarre Adventure, with Rias enthusiastically guiding Eren through the narrative. The warm, golden light of the setting sun cast long shadows across the ground, bathing the park in a serene glow. The air had cooled considerably, the gentle breeze carrying the scent of leaves and earth, signaling the end of a peaceful day.

Rias closed the manga with a satisfied sigh, a wide smile still plastered on her face. "And that's the end of Part 3! There's an epilogue I'll read to you next time, but that pretty much wraps it up." she said, turning to face Eren.

"So they can just tell time to stop? Just like that?"

"For five seconds! Though after Dio consumes Joseph's blood, he extends it to nine, but Jotaro's limit is still five," Rias explained, her enthusiasm lingering even after the finale. "What would you do if you had The World as a stand?"

"I don't know. If I had the power to stop time, I think I would just leave."

There it was again—that weary, hollow tone that made him sound far older than his years. Eren usually kept it in check around Rias and her peerage, but when that voice did slip through, it never failed to unsettle her.

Rias's smile faltered slightly as Eren's words hung in the air. She didn't miss the shift in his tone, the sudden heaviness that seemed to weigh down the moment. It was like a shadow passing over the sun, brief but undeniable. The carefree mood they'd shared just moments ago, filled with laughter and animated storytelling, now felt distant.

She had grown accustomed to Eren's occasional detachment, the way he would sometimes withdraw into himself, even in the middle of a conversation. But every time it happened, it still caught her off guard. It was a reminder that beneath the calm exterior he presented, there was a deep well of sorrow and burden that he carried alone.

"...the fighting, I mean. I would just leave the fighting."

Rias hesitated, unsure of how to respond. The silence stretched between them, broken only by the rustling of leaves and the distant chirping of birds. She wanted to say something, anything, to bring back the lightness they had shared. But she knew that prying or pushing too hard wouldn't do any good.

Instead, Rias gently placed her hand on Eren's. "That's… understandable," she said softly. "I think a lot of people would feel the same way if they had the power to just… escape. To get away from all the fighting and the pain."

Eren didn't respond immediately. He sat there, still as a statue, absorbing the quiet comfort of her touch.

"But it's never really that simple is it? Sometimes you can't help but stand your ground, even when you know you shouldn't" he added after a moment, his voice firmer. "Sometimes all you can do is face it. Grit your teeth, dig your heels and push forward, no matter how hard it gets."

Rias squeezed his hand gently. She knew there was more to Eren than he let on, a hidden world of struggle and determination that he rarely shared with others. His words, though simple, carried a weight that resonated with her own experiences. As a devil, she understood the burdens of responsibility, the relentless pursuit of duty, and the sacrifices that came with it.

Not a day went by without the looming threat of her arranged marriage hanging over her like the Sword of Damocles, a constant reminder that her days of freedom were numbered.

She smiled softly, her grip on Eren's hand tightening just a fraction. "You're right," she said quietly, her voice steady. "It's not simple. But... moments like these, they make it a little easier, don't they?"

Eren nodded, though the gesture was small, almost imperceptible. He could feel the warmth of her hand in his, the simple connection grounding him in the present. Despite the swirling chaos of his life, despite the fate he knew awaited him, this moment was something he could hold onto.

They sat in silence for a while, the golden light of the setting sun bathing them in a gentle glow. The world around them seemed to slow, the worries of the past and future fading into the background. For now, they were just two people sharing a quiet moment on a bench, finding solace in each other's presence.

The last rays of sunlight dipped below the horizon. Rias finally broke the silence. "I should head back," she said, her voice tinged with reluctance. "But... thank you, Eren. For today."

Eren turned his head slightly toward her, giving her an expressionless nod. "I should be the one thanking you for giving me the time of day Rias."

She laughed as she gave him a quick hug goodbye.

It was warm.

With that, she stood up, the spell of the moment slowly breaking as reality beckoned Eren back. But even as Rias walked away, the echoes of their conversation lingered, a quiet reminder that moments like these, fleeting as they were, could be cherished, held onto even when everything else seemed to fade away into a blur of duty.

He closed his eyes once more, letting the peace of the evening wash over him. The past and future were still there, seared into his memory, but for now, they were distant, muted. For now, he could simply be.

Inhale.

Exhale.

He was close. Just a little more, and he'd find his answer.

And so, he sat there, letting the world fade into the background, finding a rare and precious solace in the silence.

No future. No past. Just the chirping of crickets, the cool evening wind and the light breathing of a dying boy on the bench.

********

Omake: Another branch by Anonymous over on AO3​

"Kuroka, Shirone, it's time to wake up and come to breakfast." A firm yet monotone voice cut through the stillness of their room, accompanied by a gentle knocking on the door. "And Shirone, remember to brush your teeth before you come down." The voice added, carrying a tone of practiced patience.

The two nekoshou siblings, nestled together in their shared bed, slowly stirred from their slumber. Their eyes fluttered open, squinting against the piercing brightness of the morning sun that streamed through the window. The comforting aroma of breakfast began to waft into their room, coaxing them from their groggy state. With a collective yawn, Kuroka, the elder sister, was the first to move, her limbs heavy with sleep as she shuffled towards the bathroom. Shirone, the younger, followed suit, her movements still sluggish but eager.

Upon entering the kitchen, they were immediately enveloped by the irresistible scents of freshly made pancakes, crispy bacon, and warm, fragrant bread. The kitchen was a visual feast, with the breakfast table laid out with an impressive spread of their favorite morning treats. Behind this culinary display stood their caretaker, Eren Yeager. Despite his young age, he maintained an air of serene composure.

"Good morning, Eren," Kuroka mumbled, her voice still thick with the remnants of sleep. Her greeting was accompanied by a half-hearted stretch.

Eren Yeager looked up from where he was arranging a few last items on the table. His expression remained unchanged, revealing nothing but calm stoicism. "Good morning, Kuroka, Shirone. I trust you both slept well through the night?"

Shirone, her eyes still heavy but brightening at the sight of the breakfast spread, managed a shy smile. "Good morning, onii-chan."

Eren gestured towards the table with a casual wave of his hand. "I've prepared your favorites today. There are fluffy pancakes dripping with syrup, crispy bacon just the way you like it, and fresh, warm bread. Feel free to help yourselves, but do remember to leave some of the cookies for me." He indicated a plate stacked with tempting cookies, the aroma of which mingled with the other scents in the kitchen.

Without further ado, Kuroka and Shirone took their seats at the table, their previous grogginess quickly dissipating in the face of such a delectable breakfast. They dug in eagerly, savoring each bite of the Senjutsu-enhanced cuisine that seemed to elevate their morning routine to an extraordinary level.

---

As they enjoyed their meal, Eren, now sipping from a steaming cup of coffee, casually dropped a new piece of information into the conversation. "Oh, I should have mentioned this earlier, but in a few days, we'll be welcoming another resident into the house."

The announcement was met with a brief moment of confusion. Kuroka, with her fork halfway to her mouth, looked up with an expression of surprise and curiosity. Shirone, who was in the midst of slicing her pancakes, paused and glanced at Eren, her eyes wide with a mix of intrigue and concern.

Eren's face remained as impassive as ever, his gaze steady as he continued. "Yes, a new resident will be joining us shortly. I thought it prudent to inform you now so you're not caught off guard."

Kuroka furrowed her brow, her confusion evident. "A new guest? Who exactly are we expecting?"

Eren's response was succinct and direct. "Ophis."

"Oh, she is here already. That was fast." He remarked, looking at the entrance of the kitchen.

Kuroka's eyes widened, her fork momentarily forgotten. "Ophis? The Dragon God of Infinity? That's—wait, what?"

Eren seemed unperturbed by Kuroka's reaction. "Oh, it appears she's already here. That was rather quick."

---

"I, came for the cookies." At that moment, Ophis, the Dragon God of Infinity, manifested at the entrance of the kitchen. Her presence was both awe-inspiring and oddly serene, a striking contrast to her legendary status. Her gaze swept over the breakfast spread with a detached curiosity before settling on Eren.

Eren didn't even flinch at the appearance of the Dragon God of Infinity. Instead, he continued calmly sipping his coffee, his eyes flicking briefly to acknowledge her arrival. "Good morning, Ophis. I trust you found your way here without issue?"

Ophis gave a small nod, her attention already diverted to the array of breakfast foods laid out before her. "Yes. I'm here for the cookies. Where are they?"

Kuroka and Shirone exchanged bewildered glances, their earlier drowsiness now replaced by a mix of shock and apprehension. Kuroka managed to muster the courage to speak, her voice trembling slightly. "Eren, is this really...?"

Eren placed his cup down with deliberate care and rested his hands on the table. "Yes, Ophis has joined us for breakfast. I had anticipated her arrival would be tomorrow or later, but it seems she's arrived sooner than expected."

Shirone's voice quivered as she asked, "Is she... staying with us?"

Eren's tone remained detached as he responded, "Indefinitely. Ophis will be residing here for the foreseeable future."

Ophis, still by the entrance, seemed unaffected by the ongoing conversation. She walked over to the table, her gaze lingering on the breakfast spread as if she were inspecting an object of mild interest.

Kuroka, trying to wrap her mind around the sudden development, broke the silence. "Eren, why didn't you mention this sooner? I mean, having the Dragon God of Infinity here is... quite significant."

Eren's gaze met Kuroka's with the same impassive expression. "It was a recent development, and I deemed it unnecessary to alarm you until all details were confirmed. Besides, Ophis's presence should not disrupt your daily routine."

At that moment, Ophis, having located the cookies, began to indulge in them with remarkable enthusiasm. She picked up a plate and proceeded to devour the cookies, leaving a trail of crumbs around her and on the table. Her eyes briefly met Shirone's, and though her expression remained neutral, there was a fleeting hint of curiosity in her gaze. A tendril, composed of a substance reminiscent of bone, Eren's true ability, extended toward Ophis, wiping her face clean with a napkin and towel.

Ophis, engrossed in her cookie feast, did not even notice the tendril's efforts to tidy her up. The scene in the kitchen was nothing short of surreal—a juxtaposition of an ordinary breakfast against the backdrop of extraordinary company. Kuroka and Shirone continued to process the bizarre turn of events, their feelings a tumultuous mix of confusion and awe.

The scene in the kitchen was surreal, a striking contrast between ordinary breakfast and extraordinary company. Kuroka and Shirone continued to process the bizarre turn of events with a mix of confusion and awe.

Kuroka finally cleared her throat, striving to regain her composure amidst the chaos. "Eren, I still don't understand. Why does she need to stay here indefinitely? What's the purpose of her visit?"

Ophis, with her mouth full of cookies, managed to answer in between bites. "Great Red, is noisy. Gap, don't have a cookie."

Kuroka and Shirone exchanged incredulous looks, their mouths hanging open as they tried to reconcile Ophis's cryptic statement with the gravity of their new houseguest. The atmosphere in the kitchen was thick with tension and confusion, the weight of the unexpected visitor settling heavily upon them.

Kuroka, always the one to seek clarity, finally spoke up. "So... Great Red is causing noise, and that's why Ophis is here?"

Eren's response was simple and direct. "Yes."

---

The conversation was abruptly interrupted as Eren, carrying the used plates and glasses to the sink, casually added, "By the way, the current White Dragon Emperor will be arriving here tomorrow as another new resident."

Kuroka's eyes widened in disbelief, and she stared at Eren, her mouth forming the words, "Eren, what the fu—"

********

What-if Omake: Of Simpler Times by

Netra

over on Spacebattles​

Principal Sona Sitri sat prim in her white button-up blouse and pencil skirt, reviewing several documents neatly stacked on her desk.

A black fountain pen with a tasteful gold tip moved smoothly and accurately between her fingers, signing documents and initialing others.

She looked every bit the professional she was. Even if her looks were what any would call beautiful, she was very much a real woman with real responsibilities, and that included running her academy.

"Thank you, Tsubaki," Sona nodded to her queen and vice-principal as she placed a hot cup of tea on her mahogany desk.

She gave a short bow and stepped back, taking up position at the corner of her well furnished office.

The Sitri heiress let out a silent sigh as she sipped at the warm drink, the steam warming her face before it was swept away by the slight breeze from the open window. She looked outside to see the newly remade artificial sun dip below the horizon, the sky lit up by beautiful shades of oranges and reds.

Her phone buzzed as she received a message that she wasn't in the mood to read. Instead, she took a quick glance at the time.

Friday, June 7

5:50 PM

A few more minutes and she'd be off, but before that….
Sona allowed herself a brief moment to savor the peace. The warm tea, the gentle breeze, and the picturesque view of the artificial sunset all served as a welcome respite from the responsibilities that weighed heavily on her shoulders.
Even now, her mind was already calculating, planning the next steps she would need to take to ensure the smooth running of Atlas Academy.

Four Years.

Four Years since she stood on that center podium in the massive amphitheater and finally fulfilled her lifelong dream of opening her school.

She could still recall the thunderous applause that echoed through the amphitheater, the faces of countless beings—Angels, Devils, Fallen, Yokai, humans, and many others—looking up at her with a mixture of hope and curiosity. It had been a monumental moment, not just for her, but for all those who believed in the vision she had fought so hard to bring to life.

A place where knowledge transcended the boundaries of race, where history was taught not through the lens of victors or the defeated but with impartiality and a commitment to truth.

She had expected the complexities of managing such a diverse and powerful student body to be no easy task, as each race brought with it centuries of history, conflicts, and prejudices.

But….to her surprise, it turned out to be more manageable than she had initially feared. While the challenges were certainly there, they were often outweighed by the remarkable willingness of the students and faculty to adapt and learn from one another.

It wasn't that there were no conflicts—there were plenty, as could be expected when bringing together beings from realms that had often been at odds for millennia and had only recently seen peace. Yet, the environment Sona had painstakingly cultivated within the academy seemed to encourage a different approach to these old rivalries. Rather than allowing grudges and prejudices to fester, the academy's culture promoted dialogue and mutual understanding.

The curriculum, carefully designed to challenge preconceived notions and encourage critical thinking, had played a significant role in this.

Courses like "Comparative Mythology" and "Inter-realm Diplomacy" required students to step outside their comfort zones and consider perspectives vastly different from their own. History classes were transformative, offering unbiased accounts of events that many students had only ever heard through the biased narratives of their own cultures.

Sona had watched as Fallen and Devils, who once could barely sit in the same room without tension, began to engage in thoughtful discussions about the wars of their predecessors.

What had surprised her the most was the genuine friendships that had formed across racial lines. Students who might have been sworn enemies outside the academy walls found themselves working together on projects, sharing meals, and even forming study groups. It was a testament to the power of education and the environment Sona had created—one where knowledge and understanding were valued above all else.

Her peerage, too, had risen to the occasion, each member embracing their roles with a dedication that exceeded her expectations.

The faculty had proven to be more adaptable and open-minded than she had anticipated. Teachers from various realms had come together, sharing their unique expertise and learning from one another. This enriched the academic environment, making it a true melting pot of knowledge and cultures.

Sona knew that the success of Atlas Academy wasn't solely due to her efforts. It was the result of a collective commitment—students, faculty, and staff all working towards a common goal. The vision she had nurtured for so long had resonated with others, and they had made it their own.

Her dream, her school, was a resounding success.

And that terrified her.

Everything was going too well.

Her last assassination attempt had been... two years and six—no, seven months ago. It was by a member of one of the pillar families she had consigned to the grave in Agreas. House Paimon, she remembered—the last of his line, and the last to meet his end.

Though Sona knew it wasn't her place to question her sister's security detail, she still couldn't help but feel a little uneasy.

Call it a force of habit, but when everything seemed fine, it usually meant something was definitely not fine. Maybe they were disguised as students? Teachers? Maybe all the previous ones were just sent to test the waters, while the real assassin waits for the most opportune time to strike? Maybe….maybe….

"Kaichou?" her queen cleared her throat.

….maybe she needed a break. Again.

The 25-year-old Devil sighed.

"Please get on with it, Tsubaki."

Said vice-principal adjusted her glasses and opened the small notebook she always carried, expression calm and composed as ever.

"Academy operations continue to run smoothly," Tsubaki began, her voice steady and professional. "Attendance is at an all-time high, with enrollment numbers exceeding projections by 8% for the current semester. The new Cultural Anthropology of the Supernatural course is receiving positive feedback from both students and faculty. There have been no major incidents reported within the last week, and disciplinary actions are down by 12% compared to the previous month."

Good.

She paused briefly to let the information sink in before continuing. "Security protocols remain effective. We've had no breaches, and our monitoring systems show no signs of suspicious activity. Patrols have been increased in key areas, particularly around the dormitories and the central courtyard, in line with the upcoming end-of-year examinations. Additionally, the newly installed magical barriers have been tested and are functioning as expected. They are set to replace Lord Beelzebub's earlier prototype within the week."

Wonderful.

Tsubaki's gaze met Sona's as she continued, "The faculty has requested more resources for the expanded curriculum, specifically for the Human Integration into the Supernatural World (HISW) department. There's also a proposal from the student council to host an inter-realm debate next month, which they believe will further promote unity among the diverse student body."

Splendid.

She flipped to the next page of her notebook, her tone becoming slightly more somber. "On a less positive note, there have been minor tensions between certain student groups, particularly among the junior members of the Chinese and Japanese magician associations. Nothing alarming, but it may require a proactive approach to prevent escalation."

Ugh….she'd have to set them straight come tomorrow.

"Finally, young Millicas is currently at the top of his batch," Tsubaki continued, her tone reflecting a hint of pride. "He's demonstrated exceptional aptitude in his studies and is well-regarded among his peers. His scores for the midterm examinations across all subjects have not fallen below his consistent 98% average. If he maintains it, he'll have a 4.0 GPA by the end of the semester. "

"I'm sure Rias will be more than pleased with her nephew," Sona said, her tone softening as she thought of her best friend and rival.

Tsubaki closed the notebook and looked at Sona, her expression softening just a bit. "Overall, everything is under control, Kaichou. But as always, we remain vigilant."

Sona leaned back slightly in her chair, her fingers tracing the rim of her teacup as she absorbed the report.

"Thank you, Tsubaki," Sona said, her voice measured and calm, though a trace of that underlying anxiety seeped through. "As always, your thoroughness is appreciated."

Tsubaki inclined her head slightly in acknowledgment, the ever-efficient vice-principal already preparing to address whatever task Sona might assign next.

The Bell rang. Sona eyed her phone.

6:30 PM

Night classes should be starting soon.

Her eyes met her Queen's with a nod as an unspoken message was communicated between them.

"I'll leave everything to you."

She rose from her seat, put on her tailored blazer and approached the teleportation circle leading to her destination. The circle glowed faintly as she stepped into it, the familiar hum of magical energy resonating in the air.

With a final glance at Tsubaki, who stood ready to oversee the academy in her absence, Sona activated the teleportation spell.

In an instant, the world around her shifted, the office fading away as she was enveloped in a soft blue light.

********

After waiting a few seconds for good measure, the vice-president gave the secret listeners the green light.

"She's in."

********

The scent of saltwater and the sound of waves greeted her senses.

Her work flats sank slightly into the warm white sand.
She took a moment to steady herself, the gentle breeze tugging at the hem of her top and playing with the strands of her dark hair.

The ground was bathed in the soft glow of twilight, the sky above her painted in hues of deep blue and orange. The sun had just set, leaving behind a trail of colors that reflected off the calm ocean that stretched endlessly before her.

Ahead, nestled amidst the greenery and facing the pristine beach, was a 'small home'. It stood tall and elegant, its windows illuminated from within, casting a warm, inviting light that beckoned her inside.

She walked slowly, the familiar path guiding her steps. The sand beneath her feet transitioned to the smooth stone of the pathway, and the soothing sounds of the ocean dimmed as she approached the entrance.

The wooden door creaked open as a relieved Sona Sitri finally entered.

"I'm home!"

Silence.

Was she too early?

Aunty or Kuroka should've already been here by now.

A faint smile tugged at her lips as she placed her footwear beside a nearby chair and shrugged off her blazer, draping it over the back.

She stepped further inside, her feet thudding lightly against the polished wooden floor.

The cozy interior was a stark contrast to the grand, imposing halls of Atlas Academy. Here, everything felt intimate, personal. With walls adorned with framed photographs that captured moments of joy and serenity.

Her eyes swept across her home, noting the dining table elegantly set for two, with a crisp white tablecloth draped over it. She noticed the faint hum of the oven coming from the kitchen.

Her eyebrow twitched. So they wanted to play it like this then? Which room was it this time? The bedroom? The study? bathroom? Or was it the attic? Didn't matter. Once she'd find them she would—

Sona yelped as arms wrapped around her waist and pulled her into an embrace.

The suddenness of it caught her off guard, but before she could even think of resisting, she felt familiar lips press against her own.

Her heart leaped in her chest, and the rest of the world fell away.

Her arms instinctively wrapped around his neck, pulling him close as she eagerly returned the kiss.

When the need for air became too great, they broke apart, gasping for breath as their eyes locked on each other.

Violet orbs gazed into green.

Her face flushed as he smiled.

Eren Yeager, smiled.

"Happy Birthday Sona."

The woman sighed as she rested her head against his shoulder.

Her worries were a distant memory.

"Mhhhhmm."

"What was that?"

"I said I missed you," she mumbled.

Eren chuckled, his voice a low, pleasant rumble.

It took her the good part of four years to get used to this side of the once dour and taciturn boy.

"So how was work today?"

"Fine," the woman murmured, breathing in his scent.

"Just fine?"

"Mhmmm."

"Hmmm, that's it?"

"It's fine, Eren."

"If you say so."

He gently rubbed her back, the sensation sending a pleasant shiver down her spine.

They stayed like that for a while, content to simply be in each other's presence, cuddling on the plush velvet sofa all the while. Her glasses sat forgotten on a nearby coffee table.

"You smell good," she breathed.

"I don't."

"Yes, you do."

"No, I really don't."

"Yes, you do."

"Okay maybe I kind of do."

"You do."

"Alright, fine."

Sona chuckled, her fingers tracing lazy patterns across his chest. She felt the steady rhythm of his heartbeat beneath her ear, its sound was always soothing, reassuring to her.

There was a time when she believed that making small talk with Eren was nothing more than a distant fantasy. His circumstances had made it clear that he couldn't, wouldn't ever be able to smile and laugh like this.

It took her some time to adjust to the fact that he no longer spoke in that lifeless, hollow tone he used to have before being reincarnated.

RIIIIING

"That's the oven," her husband said, giving her a quick peck on the cheek before sitting up and heading to the kitchen. He smiled, "You should go take a bath and get changed, everything will be ready when you're done."

Sona wanted to argue and help him set the table, but she just wasn't up to it today. Besides, there was something comforting about relying on him that she didn't want to let go of.

After taking a quick shower and getting changed, Sona descended from the master bedroom, her hair still damp.

In front of her was a table for two, lit by the gentle glow of the house's dim lighting. The rich aroma of food wafted through the air, and her stomach rumbled in anticipation.

Sona wiped her damp hair as she watched Eren work. Even after all this time, she was still stunned by how different he looked. Gone was the physique of a nursing patient. Instead, a toned body and broad shoulders greeted her. He was lean, but not overly muscular, the kind that would draw the attention of anyone who saw him.

She felt a blush rise to her cheeks as her thoughts went back to the present. The heiress took a good look at the array of food displayed before her.

"Pizza Margherita, Korean Fried Chicken, and French Fries?"

"There's a salad too."

Sona playfully rolled her eyes before taking a seat.

Her husband served the pizza first, placing a slice on her plate before getting his own. He then poured them each a glass of lemon iced tea, the rich, brown liquid flowing smoothly from the bottle.

They ate in comfortable silence, the only sound being the clinking of silverware against china.

Sona was no stranger to luxury, but even she had to admit that Eren had a way of making even the simplest meals seem special.

The pizza was nothing short of divine. The Italian dish, though simple in nature, was elevated to a level that even the finest chefs would envy. The crust was perfectly thin and crispy, with just the right balance of chewiness. Each bite exploded in her mouth with tomatoes that were bursting with flavor, paired with the creamy melted mozzarella.

The Fried chicken was crisp on the outside with a glaze that shimmered like liquid gold. The first bite was an explosion of flavor—crunchy, sweet, and spicy. The chicken was impossibly tender, each piece seemingly infused with the perfect balance of seasoning. The skin crackled with each bite while the meat remained succulent and juicy, practically melting in the mouth.

Paired with the kimchi fried rice, the combination was a match made in culinary heaven. The tangy, slightly fermented flavor of the rice complimented the chicken perfectly. Crispy chicken skin crackling between her teeth, followed by the soft, piping hot rice.

Even the fries were unexpectedly delicious. Crisp on the outside, fluffy on the inside, and seasoned with just the right amount of salt, they tasted as if each potato had been individually coaxed into reaching its fullest potential.

Oh, and the salad was great too.

Sona swallowed another bite of pizza and sighed in contentment.

Senjutsu really was wonderful.

"Verdict?"

She wiped her mouth with a napkin, "Delicious."

Eren smiled, his green eyes shining with pride, and rightfully so. Three years of working as the sous chef for Kiba's cafe/restaurant was paying back in dividends.

Sharpening his culinary skills took a lot of trial and error in the kitchen, with Rias and Kiba helping him unlearn some of the outdated techniques from his time with the Scouts, while simultaneously introducing him to new methods.

Knowing him, Sona wasn't surprised to see that he'd gotten this far with a mere three years of training. Eren was a surprisingly quick learner, when he'd put his mind to it.

Of course, his ability to grow perfect ingredients didn't hurt either.

As Eren began to clear the plates, Sona finished off the last few bites of her pizza, washing it down with a gulp of iced tea. This is the life... she mused contentedly as she sat back, her stomach full.

She slumped onto the couch, lazily flicking on their 65-inch OLED TV. Any sense of satisfaction she felt vanished the moment the screen lit up.

The TV flickered to life, and the image of a grim-faced news anchor filled the screen. His voice, steady but laced with tension, echoed through the room.

"—radical extremist group that has been linked to a series of coordinated attacks across multiple realms, with authorities confirming at least twenty-two fatalities and over a hundred injured. The group, which claims to deify the boy of the Unified Dream, Eren Yea—"

She switched it off.

Sona gripped the remote tightly, her knuckles turning white. Eren, who had just finished stacking the dishes, paused mid-step, his expression hardening as he glanced at the screen.

For a split second, Sona thought she saw a glimmer of nihilism return to his eyes.

"Maybe I should pay them a visit one of these days."

"Eren…."

"I'm kidding. I know your sister and the others can handle it," he said, giving her a quick peck on the forehead before settling down beside her.

Sona shifted closer, resting her head on his shoulder, the weight of the day finally melting away in his presence. For a moment, neither of them spoke, letting the silence between them stretch out like a comforting blanket.

"I hate it," she murmured, her voice barely above a whisper. "It feels like no matter how much progress we make, there's always someone trying to drag us back."

Eren's arm wrapped around her, pulling her closer. "It's how the world works, Sona. Some people just can't help but fight."

She sighed, knowing he was right, but it didn't make it any easier. The academy, her dream, was meant to be a place of unity, but even now, there were forces determined to break that fragile peace.

"Enough of the dreary stuff," her husband said, his voice lightening as he gently nudged her. "What movie do you wanna watch?"

Sona smiled mischievously.

There was a reason she never asked him where Mikasa and Kuroka were at this time. In this polygamous relationship of theirs, it was an unspoken understanding that Sona was considered the least assertive of the three women.

"Well…."

She ought to fix that.

"Well….what?" her husband raised an eyebrow, no doubt knowing where this was leading to.

"....I actually had something else in mind," she couldn't help herself from blushing despite her best efforts to appear as confident as either of the two aforementioned women.

Sona followed his gaze as he broke eye contact and stared at a nearby clock.

9:34 PM

"Bit early isn't it?"

"If you're not in the mood, we can always just—Eep!"

Sona couldn't contain her giggles as Eren lifted her off the couch and started planting kisses on her neck. She instinctively held on to his shoulders for support, her laughter bubbling up.

Whatever she was about to say next was silenced by a kiss that continued as they ascended the stairs and entered the master bedroom.

********

Back in the Underworld, within the Sitri manor, the current Leviathan bumped fists with her Bishop, the latter's seven tails swished happily as she nursed an infant with a bottle of milk.

The pawn, however, seemed content to simply observe the scrying spell, a satisfied expression and a visible smile on her face.

********

AN by Netra:

Thought I'd write this since I'm stuck on a really looooong plane ride so I thought ah screw it why not, and pulled out the pc and started typing since the idea just wouldn't leave my head.

This omake is set four years after the epilogue, where (in my headcanon) Eren has settled down with Mikasa, Kuroka, and Sona in a mansion on Rias's private island, after the Gremory gladly gave it to them. After being reincarnated, he got a job at Isaiah's bakery where he honed his culinary skills with the help of Rias and Kiba.

Present day, everyone knows who Eren is: Human, Devil, Angel, Fallen, Yokai, God, etc. The human's especially, venerate him for revealing the existence of the supernatural, which makes sense. I mean imagine it, you're doing your thing and suddenly your consciousness gets pulled into another dimension where some guy tells you the likes of God, Satan, Zeus, Odin, and every possible pantheon of gods actually exist and aren't just stories. Yeah I'd prolly be singing his praises too. Man leaked the entire group chat.

So…..Eren as a husband. I am of the opinion that Eren without his burdens would be unrecognizable. He's been defined by them for so long that without them, I could only picture him as a himbo. Eren, at his core, is an overly-emotional person. When he hates, he hates with every fiber of his being. When he cries, he cries like a baby. When he loves….well the closest we have is the cabin scene from the show, but even there he's just acting and playing house. So I kinda bounced a couple ideas here and there to see what'd work, and this is the conclusion I reached. Love it or hate it, it's how I picture a retired Eren to be.

Anyway that's about it. See ya and thank you to ReadingDangerously for writing this wonderful story.
********

I would like to thank every single person who took the time and effort to make these wonderful Omakes and hope any readers will as well.

Now, what was my surprise?

I have created my own Omake as thanks... or at least I intended to. In classic ReadingDangerously fashion, it grew to be over 10k words and still isn't finished. I wanted to get it out today, but since I only started on Nov 1st, it won't be ready until Friday... and I might split it into two parts.

It's no secret it's been quiet around here, and it's because I decided to take a bit of time off from writing to relax. I disconnected from almost everything on the internet and just took the time to catch up on a few hobbies I've let go of in the last few years since I started writing.

Naturally, this made me want to write something.

After my omake for On The Bench is done this weekend, I will be working full time on an original story, interspersed with Omakes for Rapturous Rhapsody and a (long) one-shot fanfiction I have planned. The original story will start to be released when the first volume is roughly done to give me some breathing room, but once that happens, I will begin releasing it weekly on Fridays.
Essentially, after this weekend OTB will officially receive no more postings, and I will move on to my next work.

I hope you enjoyed these wonderful omakes by some talented writers and I will see you all on Friday.

 

[ReadingDangerously]

"Welcome!

It was a shock to all of them.

To the Danger Room!

The room was cavernous, and none recognized its equivalent or how they got there.

You have been gathered here to receive the most dangerous gift in existence.

Divided into four parts, the middle of the room was divided in half while the north and south parts bordered them horizontally.

Knowledge!

In the top area, on an elevated stage and bounded by a wooden railing from the rest of the room, there was nothing but a short podium, a book atop it, a figure clad in shadows...

...And a bean bag chair on which they sat.

In this room, only three actions are allowed. To read, to talk, and to think.

They were tall but not too tall, with indistinct features that could be male or female as the lights, emanating from no source, seemed to flicker around them, making any feature of theirs indistinct. This wasn't helped by the fact that their face was shrouded in shadows of hood...

...Or the fact that the shadowed face seemed to be wearing large plastic glasses with a plastic nose and fake moustache attached.

Laugh and weep. Avail yourselves of the comforts provided, knowing it is but an illusion and all that will remain when you leave will be Knowledge.

They reclined in their comfy chair, the tiny dias right in front of them holding the simple book slightly below their head height as they spoke to their captive audience.

Yet will that precious, dangerous gift remain when the tale is done? Or will you choose the sweet relief of ignorance?

Below the stage, where the room was split in half, twenty-eight... 'people' sat in chairs of various sizes and models.

Mayhap nothing will come of this meeting of two worlds. Perhaps all that passes in this room of pain, sorrow, and 'what ifs' shall vanish with the morning's light, as effervescent as dew and as fragile as a bubble.

On the left, fourteen individuals, all dressed in similar tight uniforms of brown, grey, and green, sat captive and unmoving. Eleven of them were teenagers, roughly fifteen years of age, while three were older yet still far from what one would consider middle-aged. All bore signs of training and discipline.

Or, a sliver of possibility might be born in this tale of woe. That this Knowledge, so painfully gained and held in trembling hands, might lead to a new path. One that winds its way along that infinitesimal hope born where the sky meets the Earth in the glow of a horizon's edge.

Opposite them, on the right, was an eclectic mess of people. Most were similarly young, or at least seemed so, but their appearances varied wildly. Brightly coloured hair and luxurious clothes, almost all of them were beautiful in a way that spoke of privilege, healthy living, and the lack of struggle. Yet keen eyes would catch the dense muscles hidden under the mask of beauty... for a few of them, at least.

Two worlds, so different yet so similar.

These twenty-eight people, all eyes captured and unmoving on the figure on the stage, were as still as statues, seeming to not even breathe.

Twenty-eight people drowning in lies and pain, unknowing of the beasts that lay beyond your narrow walls, waiting to swallow you whole.

They couldn't look behind them to see the bottom part of the room, frozen as they were. They couldn't see the tables laden with food and drink of all sorts.

I am the Dangerous Reader. Call me what you wish. I am but a dream of a dream of dream of two dreams.

Nor could they see the doors on the back wall as the sole point of ingress and egress from this enormous chamber. A pair of towering pieces of metal and hardwood, they loomed from floor to ceiling. Each seemed to carry an air of ominous finality as if declaring that stepping beyond them was an irreversible decision.

At this moment, where time has no meaning and the past and future are so uncertain, I shall read you a story. It is not a good story. It is not a happy story. It is but the ramblings of a hapless storyteller trying to convey their thoughts, their understanding of the worlds you yet dwell in. It is not a truth they tell, but a possibility of a possibility.

To those few prisoners of their own bodies, this situation might as well be a nightmare. Their last memories being of going to bed, sleep claiming them, and then appearing here in this room of Danger and incomprehension.

Yet, in their pathetic flailings, there is Knowledge to be gained for those desperate enough to read, those accepting enough to talk, and those wise enough to think.

The figure on the stage, this 'Dangerous Reader,' was a figure of apprehension, no matter their silly appearance. For even if this was a dream, the unknown of a nightmare is no less terrifying than the unknown which lurks beyond the horizon.

Now, my dear readers, we shall begin shortly. I see the confusion and fear in your eyes. Good. To learn, you must face both. But to ensure the smooth flow, I shall provide a foundation on which you may build.

So they sat and listened, for they had no choice.

The rules are as follows: Once I begin reading, I shall only continue when all else is silent and only speak the words on the page. You may interrupt without consequence, but the story shall not continue until everyone is ready to listen. You may leave our room of dangerous Knowledge at any point, but if you do, this shall be a forgotten dream. You will continue your life with the blissful ignorance you chose. Finally, only Knowledge can affect this world in which we temporarily dwell. Violence, no matter its power, shall have no consequence.

All while plotting their first moves when they got the chance.

You have each been chosen because of the roles you played, play, or will play in this story. Know that if you are here, it is for a reason, even if you yet remain ignorant of it. This story may tell you of a future and a past, yet it is not yours yet.

All while asking questions in their minds.

Your Paths remains undecided should you choose to face the pain it takes to walk beyond the known and into the uncertainty of possibility.

All while looking at the book on the dias.

Yet only by reading, talking, and thinking will that hope of a better future remain.

All while their hearts beat fiercely in their chests.

Our preface and introduction is done. We shall begin our tale momentarily. Before we do, I shall allow three questions from each world. They shall be answered on a first-come, first-served basis. Fear no reprisals. Simply ask those questions which burn your tongue, for once I begin reading, the only words which leave my mouth will be those written on the page and, should the story not answer them, you shall forever go ignorant.

Waiting for freedom.

Let us begin."

In a moment shorter than an eye blink, the situation changed.

Before anyone could really comprehend their freedom as whatever power held them trapped released them, some...one had already taken action.

"Disappear."

The voice was monotone, coming from the tiniest of beings in this room, yet the fear of those on the right side of the room did not even have time to manifest at its sound.

Power.

A purplish blackness tide of power poured from this little girl in an overwhelming tide that blotted out all sight and sound in a tide of destruction that sought to end everything.

There was no pain, no sorrow, no fear.

For all were helpless in front of the Infinite.

... Or such should be the case.

The tide of power, as quick as it had come... disappeared.

In a few moments, in the time between the beats of a heart, a tide of Infinite power rolled over all of them and then vanished without any effect.

Naturally, everyone freaked the fuck out.

The older people on the right side of the room were the quickest to respond, who quickly moved to surround the small girl.

They didn't take any action to fight her; they merely put themselves between her and the rest of the room.

As if fighting her wasn't even possible.

Those on the left side of the room, moving slower than most on the right, had also reacted. They had spread out, each taking defensive stances of various forms, though most had drawn pairs of long, flat blades.

Three of the teenagers, however, had a bit of an odd reaction; not that many noticed the way the blonde flicked a spike up on her ring, how the tall one had brought a fingertip close to his mouth, or how the stocky blond seemed to wrap his hand around his blade.

Next to act were the younger members from the right side. They drew back, pressing themselves against the wall to put as much distance between themselves and the tiny girl.

One, a slightly older young woman with dark hair and... cat ears? And a tail? Did so by placing herself in front of a much shorter girl with white hair, making the younger girl flinch back in fear.

The absolute last person to react was a teenage boy in a school uniform on the right side of the room, who let out a scream of fright and fell out of his chair in shock.

There was a tense heartbeat of silence for a moment, the small girl continuing to stare at the figure in the bean bag chair who hadn't even twitched throughout it all.

"Why?" She asked in the same monotone, breaking the silence.

The figure, the Reader, finally moved.

"This is your side's first answer: I took your power because you used it to disrupt the others in the room. Whether the Infinite or the Dream, both are but characters to a Reader. So long as you are in the Danger Room, that is all we are. Characters. When you leave, either stepping through those doors or when the story is done, all will be as it was before you entered here."

The small girl did not move or do anything, simply standing in place and staring at the indistinct figure on the stage for a long second.

Then...

"Help me beat up Great Red."

The Reader did not so much as flinch.

Nor did he answer.

"Ophis," the red-headed man who stood before the girl with the other adults said, a charming smile on his face as he stepped forward. "Why don't you let us deal with this? We'll... try and get you some help after we get the answers."

The way his smile seemed to twitch and the tenseness in his body, as he made sure to keep both the small girl and the figure on the stage in his sight at all times, detracted a bit from the charisma of his usual smile.

The little girl, Ophis, spared the redhead the barest of impassive glances.

Then she turned to face a teenage boy half protected by a man with blond and black hair.

"Albion. Help me beat up Great Red."

The grey-haired boy let out a grin.

"Sure."

"Vali!" The man before him said sharply, then addressed the little girl again. "He'll only help if you don't attack anyone here again."

Ophis wasn't listening, already having turned toward a new direction, facing the most unlikely of people.

The poor student who had fallen out of his chair had scrambled to his feet and was staring around the room with eyes wide with fear and apprehension.

"Draig. Help me beat up Great Red."

The boy didn't notice the way eyes shifted to him from those on his side of the room.

His eyes had fallen on a pair tits and stayed there.

The woman in the pink magical girl outfit didn't seem to mind, if she noticed at all, with her focus on Ophis.

In fact, it took the boy a moment to even realize he was being addressed at all.

"Huh," he uttered a noise of confusion as his eyes snapped from the Glorious Oppai to look at the loli who had terrified him. Seeing her blank eyes staring at him, he stumbled away in fright. "Wa? Um. I, um, think you have the wrong guy? Ma'am? Miss? Um... My name is Hyoudou Issei not... Duraigu?"

The grey-haired boy, Vali, suddenly looked increadibly disappointed.

"Ddraig. Wake up."

It seemed the Reader had not taken all the girl's powers, as her voice seemed to have some sort of magical effect.

No sooner had she spoken than a sizeable red gauntlet appeared on Issei's hand, causing the boy to let out another squeak of fright, and he began frantically trying to take the crimson armour off.

[Ophis? Lucifer? What's is happening?] A deep voice rang out from the green gem that pulsed on the back of the red hand.

Then it paused for a second, ignoring the boy trying to yank it free, muttering something about his 'useful hand,' its following words came out in a low, hateful growl.

[Albion.]

[Ddraig.] This voice rang from a pair of white wings that had appeared on Vali's back. While it was also filled with anger, there was also a note of schadenfreude in it. [This is your newest host? How... amusing. Vali is the greatest possible host, and yours is... not. I will be claiming victory this generation. And every generation after it.]

There was an inarticulate growl from the gauntlet, but before it could respond, there was a call out from the left side of the room.

"I have our first question."

The uniformed soldiers had not been idle as this drama unfolded near them. They had grouped up, whispering between each other in the distraction provided to both introduce themselves and establish a basic plan.

The oldest man, the one in command, had stepped forward to speak. The other two adults were beside him but slightly behind, while the younger recruits stood at attention behind his back.

It was as if they were trying to present a united front in contrast to the mess on the right.

"Who, exactly, are those on that side of the room?"

The Reader looked at the commander and answered simply and concisely.

"Ophis, the Dragon of the Infinite." They pointed to the little girl who had tried to kill them all.

"Sirzechs Lucifer, Satan in charge of Internal Affairs." They pointed toward the red-haired man.

"Michael the Seraph, Leader of Heaven." The blond-haired man in an armoured robe.

"Azazel the Fallen, Governor General of the Grigori." The man standing in front of Vali with the dual-toned hair.

"Serafall Leviathan, Satan in charge of Foreign Affairs." The twin-tailed woman in the pink magical girl outfit.

"Vali Lucifer, the White Dragon Emperor." The grey-haired boy with the white wings crossed his arms over his chest and gave the room a smirk.

"Cao Cao, wielder of the True Longinus." This time, the Reader pointed toward a tall young man who had stepped away from the rest of the group to observe everything carefully.

"Black Cat Kuroka, SS-Class Stray Devil." It was the dark-haired woman in a loose kimono with cat ears and tails.

The white-haired girl seemed to shrink further away from her.

"Rias Gremory, heiress to the Gremory Pillar family." The buxom redhead had stepped between Kuroka and the white-haired girl and glared at the criminal.

Ignoring the by-play, the Reader continued.

"Akeno Himejima, Queen of the Gremory Peerage." A dark-haired woman, possibly even more buxom, stood beside Rias and held her hand on the white-haired girl's shoulder in comfort.

"Sona Sitri, heiress to the Sitri Pillar family." Another dark-haired girl, though noticeably less... endowed than the others, stared back at the Reader through her glasses.

"Yuuto Kiba, Knight of the Gremory Peerage." A blond boy who was flanking the white-haired girl, a sword in his hand.

"Koneko Toujou, Rook of the Gremory Peerage." The small white-haired girl is surrounded by her fellow Peerage members.

"Nyaa~" Kuroka singsonged in denial, but her body was tense as she interrupted. "That's not her name. She's Shirone."

The Reader did not miss a beat, not even giving Rias time to get her own interruption out.

"As she is now, she is Koneko Toujou."

No further explanation or elaboration was given, nor was the tension addressed; the blurry figure continued to the last member.

"Finally, Issei Hyoudou, the Red Dragon Emperor." The boy, who had ceased trying to pull off the gauntlet, was now staring around his side of the room, eyes growing increasingly wide with every name called.

He even started inching toward the left half as if trying to avoid being associated with those around him.

Whether the commander from the left side got what they wanted from such succinct descriptions or not was hard to tell as he studiously kept his face as blank as possible. Still, it was clear he had gotten something.

Even if most of the terms and titles meant nothing, a few keywords were familiar enough to tell him how alien these people were, even ignoring their foreign-sounding names.

Words like dragon, heaven, devil, and emperor were familiar even within the safety of the Walls, even if others like 'Satan,' 'Rook,' 'Longinus,' or 'Grigori' were not.

More than the names, the reaction of those on the right gave the most information.

Many names had evoked specific reactions, and by evaluating who reacted to what, the commander got a much better grasp on the dynamics and importance of those involved than he did from just their names.

Those on the right were also not ignorant of their lost advantage, and many were not fools.

"Now I'm curious," Azazel said with a loose smile that didn't reach his eyes. "Same question. Who, exactly, are those on that side of the room?"

The same words, the same cadence, for the same question.

And the Reader answered with the same perfunctory and concise answers.

"Eren Yeager, graduate from the 109th Training Corps." The Reader pointed to a teenage boy standing at attention with the rest with dark hair and grey eyes.

"Mikasa Ackerman, graduate from the 109th Training Corps." The Reader pointed to the dark-haired girl with the red scarf beside him, who had made a slight movement to stand between Eren and the finger pointed their way.

"Armin Artlet, graduate from the 109th Training Corps." A slightly shorter blond boy stood beside the pair, nerves barely concealed at the situation by his rigid stance.

"Historia Reiss, graduate from the 109th Training Corps." When the Reader pointed to a blonde girl amongst the younger recruits, there was the first real sign of surprise from the left side. Even the girl's eyes widened, and the commander shot her an unreadable look.

"Levi Ackerman, Humanity's Strongest Soldier." A few more looks of surprise shot toward the short, dark-haired man standing beside the commander.

Those who were more observant noticed it was only when Levi's last name was mentioned, unlike Historia's, where it began immediately. They also noticed the word choice of the title and how nobody seemed surprised at it.

"Bertolt Hoover, Warrior." There wasn't really surprise this time as the Reader pointed toward a tall teen with freckles, just confusion...

...Except from the boy himself, who paled dramatically as the others looked at him, and the two other teens who stood beside him who grimaced and tensed.

The Reader continued without caring.

"Annie Leonhart, Warrior." The short blonde teen beside Bertolt subtly fingered her ring as she tried to keep her face blank.

"Reiner Braun, Warrior and graduate from the 109th Training Corps." The third of the trio looked confused for a moment but also seemed to sag slightly as a few of the suspicious looks faded.

Not all of them, though.

"Ymir, graduate from the 109th Training Corps." The tall young woman beside Historia hadn't ceased looking at the 'warriors' even as she was pointed out.

"Erwin Smith, Commander of the Survey Corps." Finally, the Reader pointed toward the blond man who took the lead. If he was bothered by coming so late in the introductions, he didn't show it, but his eyes never ceased roaming everyone in the chamber.

On both sides.

"Hange Zoe, Squad Leader of the Survey Corps." The Reader pointed toward the only other adult on the left side of the room, the androgynous figure in glasses beside Erwin.

"Jean Kirstein, graduate from the 109th Training Corps." Another teen, this one with short blond hair, stood near the middle of the group just behind Mikasa.

"Connie Springer, graduate from the 109th Training Corps." A short teen with a plain face stood beside Jean and gave the Reader a nervous smile as he was pointed at.

"Finally, Sasha Blouse, graduate from the 109th Training Corps." The girl he pointed at barely paid attention to the Reader's introductions.

Her entire attention was focused on the veritable banquet laid out behind them and the delicious smells wafting from it.

There was a brief moment of silence as the introductions finished.

Then Michael stepped toward the group on the left, his face set in a gentle, welcoming smile.

"While I understand your general suspicion and distrust, we are just as lost and confused as you. As you can no doubt tell, we are not all aligned on our side, yet there is precedent in our world for setting aside even the most hateful of grievances in the face of overwhelming enemies, and I do not believe we have any of such problems." Michael shot a slight look of disapproval at Azazel. "We do not need to be enemies."

"What do you have in mind," Erwin said simply, face set in a blank mask.

"Just a general sharing of information and an effort to not hinder the other parties. I know trust is slow to grow, but if even Ophis can't hurt those here, then we can at least be relatively certain of our safety."

"What is she?" Hange butted in, eyes wide as they looked at the small girl who was poking Issei's gauntlet repeatedly as he tried to fend her away. "A dragon? What did she try to do?"

"Ophis is..." Michael's smile was wooden as he hesitated. "Ophis is probably the second strongest being in our world. One of the Divine Dragons, Ophis and Great Red, are more... concepts than people. In particular, Ophis is the Infinite Void made manifest and holds unlimited power. Do not let their appearance fool you. They can look however they want. The most recent sighting of Ophis a few decades ago had them appearing as an old man. They are older than our planet."

Ophis poked Issei in the glove again.

"I see."

No, Erwin did not see or understand very much. It wasn't that he was dumb, the opposite in fact, but he just had no frame of reference for the absurdity that was the Ouroboros Dragon.

"Tell you what," Azazel said, sauntering over with a sly smile with Vali behind him. Michael stepped away slightly. "I figured I stepped on a few toes, so let me make it up to you."

"How so?"

"The introduction order," Azazel said bluntly, looking to the silent Reader. "You might not have caught on to this, but our host introduced us in order of power... or danger, depending on how you look at it. Specifically, how dangerous we are now."

"...Why do you say that?" Hange asked with narrowed eyes.

"You see that boy," Azazel grinned as he pointed toward where Ophis was now holding the crimson gauntlet in her hands. Her small size meant Issei had to bend over more than ninety degrees, and he looked like he was in pain. "A Red Dragon Emperor has the possibility to be anywhere in our little rankings after Ophis, but because he has no idea what's going on, he's the current weakest."

"A waste," Vali muttered under his breath in disappointment.

"You all are human, right?" Azazel continued as if he hadn't heard his charge's words. "

"You're not?" Levi asked bluntly.

"Me and the Red Dragon Emperor are the only humans on this side," Cao Cao interrupted, eying the midget up and down with appraisal. "Everyone else here is a monster who preys on humanity."

He'd remained back, seeing the forces arrayed in the room, but there was no way he could miss this chance now that he had some guarantee of safety. Especially if humanity's supposed 'Strongest Soldier' was at risk of being swayed due to ignorance of the actual situation.

With any luck, this group gathered could join his budding Hero Faction.

At Cao Cao's words, the entire left side of the room tensed, their bodies preparing for a fight once more, and the slight relaxation faded as they looked at the other side with renewed wariness.

Erwing didn't draw his blades like Levi, but his mouth turned down in a grim frown.

"While I am sorry you feel that way," Michael said to Cao Cao, not reacting to the blades drawn at his face. "I do believe you are operating with false information. Heaven has always acted with humanity's best interest at heart."

There was a noise from the younger members behind the group on the right, and Michael turned to look.

The blond boy, Yuuto, was scowling at him.

Sirzechs, who had been with Serafall talking to the group of young devils and making sure they were all right, stepped forward to explain.

"You'll have to forgive Yuuto. He was formally human," the devil told the room. "My sister reincarnated him after he escaped from the Holy Sword Project."

Michael visibly wilted, and it seemed like the light in the chamber dimmed slightly with his sadness.

"You have my deepest apologies," the Seraph said as he bowed to the Knight. "What happened to you was a tragedy that should never have happened. As soon as we in heaven learned of it, the Project was shut down, and the culprits were branded heretics and punished. I know this will not make up for your pain and loss, but know that we have taken steps to ensure something like it never happens again."

Yuuto didn't seem mollified. In fact, he just looked angrier, but Rias tugged him backward, whispering soothingly into his ear.

This really wasn't a place where she wanted her Peerage to be involved. Even with her brother and Serafal here, they were all in incredible danger.

"Reincarnate?" Hange asked, that part standing out the most to them.

"You can bring people back from the dead?" One of the graduates interrupted, breaking formation to step forward.

Eren Yeager looked a cross between desperate and hopeful as his comrades tried to pull him back.

"They kill humans and turn them into devils," Cao Cao said simply. "Slaves to do their new master's bidding."

"Man," Serafall deadpanned at the reincarnated hero as the Eren stepped back again, face set in a glare. "You are so uncute. And obviously biased. Are you a season 1 villain with a cool name that gets defeated in the first act because you job too hard and underestimate everyone?"

"Sister!" Sona hissed under her breath.

"What?" Serafall said innocently, twirling her pink wand and striking a pose. "Miracle Girl Levi-tan knows a mook when she sees one."

"While my colleague does have a point about your obvious bias," Sirzechs said diplomatically. "You also are not wrong that a few devils use their Pieces in such a way, which is against our laws. But just as many humans voluntarily join a Peerage, they are comrades and friends of their Kings. I see my Peerage as family, and I know my sister is the same."

He then turned to address the left side of the room.

"The simple truth is that my race would have gone extinct without humans. Since then, humanity has had a great deal of influence on us in elements like culture or technology. Like all people have our bad apples, we are not the predators he claims we are." Sirzechs looked at Eren and gave him a commiserating look. "I am sorry for whoever you lost, but our ability is limited to those who recently passed, and they have to be relatively whole. Unless you have their body here and they died in the last hour, I am afraid we cannot bring them back."

"Fascinating," Hange said, breathing deeply and excitedly leaning forward. Levi grabbed the back of their jacket to keep them in place. "So you do not need to consume human flesh? And what qualifies as 'whole?' Dismemberment? Disembowelment? Decapitation? Do you need the head or the torso?"

Hange's... Hange-ness put off the group from the right side and the graduates behind them.

"Human. Devil. Angel. Taste bad." Ophis added 'helpfully.' "Squish or blast."

She said it all as she dangled Issei upside down by his hand without looking at the group.

"...meat," Sasha muttered, drooling at the smells coming from the tables. She'd subtly inched her way closer and was now out of formation.

Connie tried to pull her back, but she struggled free.

"Is no one going to help me!?" Issei begged but was summarily ignored.

He hit his head on the ground again.

"I think we need more answers before anything else," Erwin said eventually, gesturing for the soldiers to put down their weapons, except for Levi's, which he took and ran the blade across his hand.

Not his palm, as that was an excellent way to get permanent damage and blood loss, but rather across his knuckles.

Despite being a sword made to cut Titan's flesh, the blade did not so much as scratch his skin.

"Not like we can do anything to each other at the moment," he said as he looked at his unblemished skin.

"Then how about I use our last question to get some information we can all use," Sirzechs suggested. "Once we use them all, we will begin this 'reading,' which I believe was the original reason we were brought here and will give us the most information."

Nobody seemed to disagree, so the Lucifer turned to the figure on the stage.

Erwin did note the blase way most on the right side of the room were handling the situation. They were still wary and cautious, but they seemed to adapt quickly to this absurdity. In fact, many seemed even eager.

The Reader was still seated in their bean bag, the silly disguise over a face of shadow, and was now drinking a colourful drink out of a swirly straw.

"You said we would understand why we were chosen to attend this as the story progressed. Why was this... event set up in the first place?"

"Curiosity. A whim of a capricious being to ask a question: When presented with Knowledge, what will you do? There are no wrong answers. Just choices. Knowledge? Or ignorance? They simply wanted to explore a possibility of a possibility of a possibility."

The figure took another sip from their fruity drink as they finished speaking.

The answer was... helpful in a way. It told them the being behind this, for all their power, didn't wish them harm. It was also so vague as to be almost useless.

Erwin frowned slightly as Sirzechs looked at him. Almost everyone was looking at him, and he took a long time to speak.

"Of the beings in this room," he said slowly, choosing his words carefully. "Who are the greatest threats to humanity?"

There were raised eyebrows, but the Reader paused for the first time before answering.

"Due to the complex nature of the question and the possible answers, I will allow you to make a clarification. Do you wish to know who is an existential threat to humanity leading to extinction or who is most likely to cause significant loss of human life? You may use both your remaining questions to get both answers."

Erwin's frown deepened, and he thought some more.

There was a trap there.

Strictly speaking, anyone who was a risk of leading humanity to extinction should be the one also most likely to kill a bunch of humanity.

On the surface, the first question should be the one answered.

But Erwin had also placed his own trap in his question. He needed to know who was more trustworthy among not only the people from the right side of the room but also the Reader and even those with suspicious points on his own side.

He hadn't ignored the odd descriptors of 'Warrior' or that four new graduates were placed above Levi as threats if that was how the Reader chose the order of introductions.

... Even if someone could not pose a threat of extinction due to weakness or inability, that didn't mean they could be trusted.

"The second question only."

"Everyone here poses a risk to large numbers of humanity, on purpose or on accident. Some just have more power. But, in order of likelihood of causing a significant loss of life to humanity deliberately, the most probable ones are thus: Eren Yeager. Cao Cao. Bertolt Hoover. Reiner Braun. Annie Leonhart."

There were cries of denial and outrage.

"Why?" Eren cried. "There's no way that's true!"

"I don't know, nyaa~" Kuroka giggled teasingly. "Humanity is pretty good at killing each other. Most devils and monsters don't really care about humans. Why would we kill a bunch of you?"

Perhaps only a few noticed how she subtly shifted, so she stood between Eren and Koneko.

"Aren't you a devil?" Reiner frowned, crossing his arms. "Why should we believe you? Nobody on your side seems to like you."

"It doesn't make sense," Annie agreed, her face blank as she pointed at Ophis. "None of us can do what she did."

Ophis had given up trying to get Ddraig to talk to her and was now just standing in place, staring blankly into space.

"Like I said, Ophis is... unique," Sirzechs shrugged. "Would you care about the ants that build their home on another continent? Would you go out of your way to kill them? And each of our factions needs humanity in one way or another. The only reason a lot would die because of us is if the Great War broke out again, and none of us want that."

"Or if someone caused an incident out of bias," Serafall said, sticking her tongue out at Cao Cao, who had narrowed his eyes at the Reader.

"What's a continent?"

The voice, one who hadn't spoken until now, stopped any argument before it could start.

Koneko asked the question as everyone stared at the boy who had spoken.

"...What?" the Rook deadpanned.

Armin Arlet flushed in embarrassment as even Eren and Mikasa looked at him curiously.

"It's just... the words..." he mumbled, voice getting quieter and quieter under all the attention until it was unintelligible.

"What do you mean, Armin," Mikasa asked gently, trying to encourage her friend.

"...You've been using a lot of words I don't know. I thought... why? It may be important. Like, where are you from?"

"But how do you not know what a continent is?" Issei asked, trying to rearrange his clothes. "I'm an idiot, and I know what they are."

"Hey!" Eren growled, stepping up to the other teen. "Armin's smarter than you'll ever be."

"I think this is a lack of education, not intelligence," Sona said in agreement, her glasses glittering. Then she answered Armin's question. "A continent is a large landmass, usually above a tectonic plate, surrounded by the ocean. There are seven or six continents on Earth, depending on how you wish to count Eurasia, including Africa, Oceania, North America, South America, and Antarctica."

If she thought her description would help, she was mistaken.

"What's 'the ocean?'" Hange asked, looking at the younger woman glasses to glasses.

That... got some befuddled looks.

Sona, confused but always willing to teach, answered.

"An ocean is... well, oceans are generally subdivided, but essentially, it is a massive body of saltwater containing a wide variety of aquatic and semi-aquatic life forms, both plant and animal. They cover roughly seventy percent of the Earth's surface."

It barely took a moment for their words to sink in, but Armin lept on them, now confident of his guess.

"You're from beyond the walls!"

His words, in turn, led to a more visceral reaction from those on his side.

"Nah, can't be. There's nothing beyond the walls but Titans," Jean instantly denied.

"Everyone knows that," Annie said bluntly, crossing her arms and looking at the other side. "They're strange, but they're not Titans. Probably from one of the northern districts. Or from inside Wall Sheena."

"No." Erwin denied, his words and tone of voice instantly silencing the cadets. Levi's glare probably helped. "They are from beyond the Walls."

He had guessed as much as soon as he had gotten a look around. Their names were utterly foreign, as were their 'races' and looks. That woman clearly had inhuman traits. Being the commander, he had seen the King and the higher-ups of the kingdom and travelled to every part of the walls. Nobody like them existed in the interior.

Hange had perhaps guessed the same as Erwin but hadn't brought it up. Levi was just Levi.

Erwen hadn't brought it up because he didn't want to give away the fact that they were from inside the Walls.

Walls served two purposes. To keep things out...

... Or to keep things in.

If people existed beyond the Walls...

Erwin hadn't expected the cadets, still young and in shock about this situation, to piece it together based on a few words.

Still, those on the right hadn't reacted negatively to the knowledge they were from inside the Walls. In fact, they seemed confused and curious.

"I take it that you are from a rather... isolated community?" Michael hedged politically. "If you are dealing with Titans... probably in Greece. They have been confined there since the Olympians overthrew them. I was unaware that there were still humans in their prison with them. I shall talk to Zeus about extracting you."

"You... can get us out of the walls?" Eren asked, almost disbelieving. His side also looked at the angel in suspicion, disbelief, or hope.

"Nobody should be forced to endure Kronos and his ilk." Michael gave a soft head nod.

"Pardon me, Michal," another new voice spoke up hesitantly, holding no small amount of wariness. The Seraph turned to the Queen, and Akeno gave a polite but shaky smile. "I do not believe you are not speaking of the same 'Titan.'"

Far from being offended, the blond gave the half-devil a nod for her to explain.

"A... quirk of our Language ability is that it translates other languages to the one we are most familiar with. Japanese, in my case. When you say 'Titan,' I hear 'Taitan,' the word usually written in katakana to represent the predecessor of the Olympians. When they say 'Titan,' I hear 'Kyojin.' Literally 'Giant Man.'"

"I hear 'Juren' from them." Cao Cao nodded in agreement. He looked at the group on the left. "Describe these Titans."

(Issei's confused mutter of 'They aren't speaking Japanese?' was ignored.)

Hange needed no excuse.

"They are a fascinating lifeform," they began eagerly. "Humanoid in appearance, they range in height from two to twenty-five meters tall on average, though we have seen exceptions. The largest was the Colossal Titan, which appeared only once and stood at an estimated sixty meters. There are several fascinating aspects of their biology. First, they seem to operate solely on sunlight, having no need to eat at all. During the night, most shut down completely unless disturbed. Similarly, they have neither an anus for waste nor a urethra for urine expulsion, suggesting they do not even need water. In fact, they are completely lacking in any form of sexual characteristics. Despite their discrepancies in size and appearance, no Titan has ever been observed with genitalia or secondary sexual characteristics of any sort. Neither breasts nor buttocks. They also have a variety of other oddities. Their ability to heal from almost any wound. Their disproportionately light bodies for their size. The odd behaviour of Abnormals. Their focus on humans when they can't digest anything. Why do they ignore other animals, like horses? Where do they come from? Why do some seem intelligent? What happened to-"

"Excuse me," Sirzechs interrupted Hange's quick spew of words with a raised hand. His face was set in a severe look that pierced the captain. "Do you mean to say that these... Kyojin eat humans?"

"Yes," Hange nodded eagerly, their smile undiminished. "But why? It's not for survival. As far as we can tell, no Titan has ever died of starvation. And why just living humans? They do not target the dead. It makes no sense, especially considering that it is actively detrimental to them. Without a digestive system, they regurgitate the bodies when their stomachs are full, and their stomach acid is nowhere near powerful enough to melt them fully to make such a task easy. When a Titan is spitting up their victims, it is one of their most vulnerable moments, so it makes no sense. Unless there is something-"

"Hange," Erwin said simply. "That's enough."

Through it all, he'd been watching everyone closely. Those on his side had the usual reaction to Hange's exuberance. Disgust. Fear. Rage. A grim, fatalistic look in their eyes.

Especially those who'd survived the fall of Maria and been in Shinganshima. Their eyes held the shadow Erwin was used to seeing in his soldiers.

But the expressions on the other side of the room told him what he needed to know.

Baring Ophis, who was clearly inhuman in mindset and didn't care, the older member listened grimly. Just quiet disgust and grim acceptance.

The teens, however, were the real prize.

The boy, Issei, looked like he was going to vomit. He was the worst off, but none of the others could keep the horror or shock off their face. Even the slightly older members, Vali, Kuroka, and Cao Cao, held looks of disgust and revulsion.

Unless everyone here was a superb actor, this was the first time anyone had heard of Titans.

"And these walls were created to keep Titans out?" Azazel guessed. "That's how you survived without magic?"

Magic. There was a whole other topic that needed to be explored.

"They're a cage," Eren spat. "Once we kill them all, we won't need them anymore."

Erwin side-eyed the boy.

'The most likely to cause a significant loss of life.'

He hadn't forgotten that... or that four of the five mentioned were not only on his side but were part of this year's graduating cadets.

In the end, he needed to prioritize. If these... warriors had remained inactive for this long, combined with their inability to do harm in this place, then gathering more information was his priority.

"You have an idea." Sirzech's said. It was not a question.

"Our host mentioned something in their speech," Azazel waived at the Reader.

They were eating popcorn.

"'Two worlds, so different yet so similar.' It could have been hyperbole or even a reference to Earth and the Underworld, but I don't think so. I think they were being literal."

"You believe them to be from beyond the Gap?" Michael raised a brow, looking over the humans in interest.

"It's never been proven, but the theory for other worlds is sound," Azazel nodded. "And if the Reader is stronger than Ophis..."

The fallen didn't need to explain further.

If this being was so much stronger than Ophis, they could at least rival Great Red, the most significant impediment to exploring the Dimensional Gap.

"Other worlds?" Hange asked.

"A different reality," Azazel explained. "With different rules, planets, peoples, and even monsters. Our side has always believed that other worlds are theoretically possible, but we've never been able to prove it."

Erwin couldn't help the disappointment welling up in his chest.

Of everyone there, he'd been the most excited in this situation.

He'd controlled it, but the dream in his heart, nurtured in secret since his time as a boy who'd inadvertently asked the wrong question and gotten his father killed, had stirred when he'd deduced these beings weren't from within the walls.

He'd been right, but they were from so far away that they couldn't answer the burning question in his heart.

Was his father right?

Erwin's gaze turned toward their... 'host.'

If these others did not have his answer, then the 'Reader' might.

They had one question left.

Did Erwin risk the possibility of the answer not being in that book? He'd regret it for the rest of his life if it wasn't.

But this being, this Dangerous Reader, seemed to be all-knowing. And powerful.

One question.

Knowledge.

Or ignorance.

"Erwin."

Erwin looked at Levi as his name was called out. Then he looked to Hange. To the graduates. To the possible traitors.

Erwin felt all eyes on him. Those present and those whose corpses he stood atop as commander of the survey corps.

They all looked at him.

One question left.

Erwin had sent men and women out to die. Made decisions that cost tens of lives.

Never had he felt so torn.

Only one question.

His dream...

...Or the hearts humanity had dedicated to a future that might be impossible.

"What is the best way to destroy every titan in the world so they will never bother humanity again?"

Erwin Smith made the choice and hated it.

It was the wise one, he knew. The fact that he was here, according to the Reader, meant he had something to learn from this book. If that was the information he'd chased his entire life, then wasting this question to get that answer would be unforgivable.

Actionable information, one that probably wasn't in that book, was the best gain. More than theoretical knowledge that Hange could gain through experimentation, a plan to eliminate the threat entirely was what humanity needed.

Not once had they ever reclaimed anything from the Titans, and this was their chance.

Erwin asked the question as the weight of the dead hung on his shoulders.

The Dangerous Reader's features were still concealed by the shadows, yet when they answered, one could almost imagine the smile in their voice.

"The best method available to you, at this moment, to guarantee the extermination of all Titans is to ensure that Eren Yeager listens to this story all the way to the end."

All eyes fell on the boy once more. Some in curiosity, some in confusion, many in suspicion.

For his part, Eren looked befuddled as Mikasa stepped between him and the rest of the room. She didn't say anything, but her stance was clear.

If they wanted Eren, they needed to get through her first.

Eren, of course, ignored it and stepped toward the Reader.

"What's your problem with me? What do you mean with all this crap?"

The Dangerous Reader didn't answer. They just put down their popcorn, wiped their hand on the bean bag, and reached toward the small dias.

Eren tried to approach but couldn't move beyond the small barrier separating the stage from the rest of the room.

As the Reader pulled the book closer, leaning back in their seat to get comfortable and opening the cover, the room occupants also took their seats.

Well, most of them.

Many still grouped together, either for safety or to talk in hushed whispers. A few, such as Cao Cao, Vali, or Levi, remained standing to keep their guard up.

Issei just stood there awkwardly, unsure what to do.

Ophis was as animated as a statue and just as engaged as one.

Once the murmurs of conversation died down (and Armin and Mikasa managed to wrangle Eren into a seat), The Dangerous Reader adjusted their novelty glasses and mustache, cleared their throat dramatically, and began to read.

"On The Bench-"

Unfortunately, this was too much. The torture had been going on for too long, and a question that went unanswered spilled out from desperate lips.

"When can we eat!?"

The Dangerous Reader paused mid-sentence, leaned forward slightly over the book, and, though nobody could see their face, everyone knew they were giving Sasha Blouse The Look that all teachers gave to disruptive students.

Sasha didn't look repentant in the slightest, glaring back at the powerful being even as Connie tried to cover her mouth and Jean smacked her on the back of her head.

The Reader didn't answer. It would only speak the words on the page.

But they did waive dismissively toward the back of the room as they resettled in.

Sasha whooped in joy and burst from her friend's grasp, running toward the food and drink behind them.

She immediately began stuffing her face.

Connie and Jean shared a long-suffering look.

Then they went to join her, afraid nothing would be left for them.

Most of the other graduates trickled over with a bit more decorum and began eating the best meal of their lives.

Those on the right side of the room watched them in fascination and disbelief as they descended on the food like a pack of starving hyenas.

After a moment, Kuroka let out a throaty chuckle and sauntered over to pour herself a cup of sake.

"Aren't you a lively lot, nyaa~"

"Meat~" Sasha... moaned... through a mouthful of steak, tears streaming down her eyes in rapturous joy.

Kuroka's eyes softened the tiniest bit, and she left them to eat their meal, retaking her seat in the corner with her drink in hand.

Once she was gone, Koneko snuck over to the food table, accompanied by others enticed by the delicious smells or the prospect of something to drink while they listened.

After a moment of no one else speaking and under the sound of ravenous feasting, the Reader began once more.

"On The Bench."

And so began the tale, in that dream that might disappear at any moment.

A possibility of a possibility of a possibility.

"Chapter One."

Would anything come of its telling?

Possibly not.

"To You, A World Away."

But the hope that something better might arise from painfully gained Knowledge was enough justification to tell it.

********

ReadingDangerously, WTF is this?

This, my dear readers, is part 1 of two of an omake for On The Bench.

I wanted to do something as a thanks to everyone who wrote their own and celebrate the anniversary of On The Bench. I was thinking about various ideas and, by chance, came across a 'Reading Fic.'

The pun called to me.

Reading fics aren't really my cup of tea. Too often, they add nothing to the story and don't really capitalize on what might be their greatest hope. The character development of the 'canon' characters exploring their future/past/possibility.

Since OTB is a fanfiction, and the epilogue can be considered a fanfiction of a fanfiction, I thought it would be funny to make a fanfiction of a fanfiction of a fanfiction.

Since it's my fanfiction all the way down, I have created the ultimate form of masturbatory writing!

Then I hit a snag.

I took it too seriously and created a (roughly) 15k monstrosity!

Who could have expected this from me, ReadingDangerously, who created a 150k word 'prologue' for Rapturous Rapsody and turned my 75k word fic, On The Bench, into a 350k monstrosity?! It's unthinkable. Inconceivable!

Honestly, it's been fun to write again after a month and a half off. I will not be doing a whole 'Reading Fic' for OTB.

Not only would that cut off time from other stories I'm working on, but it would also be too masturbatory for even me.

So, you'll have to settle for this, the intro, and chapter 1 on Sunday. That will be the last posting for On The Bench. A sad farewell, but one that has to come at some point.

I will see you all on Sunday.

 

[ReadingDangerously]

It was a desolate wasteland.

Towering dunes of sand as far as the eye could see, with only the bright blue of the stars to serve as a light in this cold, lonely world.

No great tree of light towered in the distance, its innumerable branches reaching out in billions of Paths, linking past, present and future together.

There was but one Path in this world of blue radiance. One line of light at the center of the world.

No young girl wandered these dunes, building the bodies of Titans, tens of metres tall, one pail of sand at a time.-

"Wait!" Hange shouted, shooting to their feet.

The Reader paused. They didn't seem annoyed or inconvenienced, like when Sasha interrupted to ask for food.

Then again, this entire setup was designed to encourage spreading knowledge through listening, talking, and thinking. To discourage talking about the story itself would be counterproductive.

Still... they weren't even five whole paragraphs in and already the story had shocked half the room.

This was going to be a looooooog reading.

"Titans are built! By sand! By a child!" Hange declared, trembling in excitement with every word.

"So there is magic in your world," Azazel hummed, rubbing his chin in thought.

"It explains so much," Hange rambled, their thoughts flying a mile a minute. "Their bulbous proportions, their idiosyncracies in appearance and behaviour. If they're sand, then they can be formed easily, but each will be different. And a child wouldn't have the skill or knowledge to create actual human forms. Eye to face ratios. Limb length or torso size. They're all a child's drawings!"

"You seem really invested in these man-eating monsters," Cao Cao stated, giving Hange a measuring look.

"Because they are fascinating! Did you know that-"

"Keep it quiet for now," Levi grunted, pushing Hange back into their seat. He knew that if they were going to get anywhere, he needed to keep the squad leader on a tight leash.

Hange looked affronted momentarily, but Erwin's look turned a complaint into a deep breath.

Once they had silence, the Reader continued as if they hadn't been interrupted.

-No Eldian ("Eldian?") goddess dwelled in this eternal prison, eternally trapped to her bloodline and the power that dwelled inside it.

("Are titans created to help break someone out of somewhere? Why?"

Levi smacked Hange to shut them up.

This time, it stuck... for a while.)

In this desolate wasteland, all existence was naught but sand and stars.

And a bench.

It wasn't a large bench. Long enough to support three adults if they were close enough to touch.

The bench's design was simplistic, with no extra flourishes or stylized embellishments, but it was well cared for despite clear signs of wear and tear. No splinters or frayed edges, despite signs of weather wear.

Its materials also were nothing special. Made of wood with iron fastenings, it wouldn't look out of place in a public park or on a sidewalk in an upper-class neighbourhood.

The bench, so at odds with the baren world around it, drew the eyes of the sole inhabitant of this wasteland like a moth to a flame. It lay thousands of kilometres away and yet so close. The only thing that existed in the empty world.

Eren Yaeger's tiny feet brought him to that bench.

All eyes turned to the boy again. A few looked down. Eren's brows were furrowed, and he glared at the Reader as if in a challenge.

His feet weren't tiny!

It didn't matter if his strides were short. He just had to put one foot in front of the other. Step after step.

Eren would reach it so long as he kept moving forward.

It took him years, decades, to travel to that bench in less than a second.

There were furrowed brows and confusion, but Azazel explained it easily... for most people.

"If it's the domain of a goddess, it could be relativistic time. One moment inside could be years outside."

Issei still looked confused, but nobody cared, and the story moved on.

Eren stared at the bench with blank eyes. Its top was eye level with his six-year-old body.

"That never happened." Eren declared with confidence. He might not have remembered everything from childhood, but he was confident he'd remember something like what was being described.

"'A possibility of a possibility.'" Michael quoted. "We should not take the story as actual fact but rather as fiction. A story of 'what could be.'"

"It's a fanfiction!" Serafall cheered.

Rias shook Akeno's shoulder in excitement, and the Queen gave her King a smile that spoke of long-suffering.

"Does this mean the origins of the Titans are false?" Hange looked devastated at the thought.

"Unlikely," Sirzechs shook his head. "You said it fit with what you've already observed. And the purpose of this... event is for us to gain knowledge, is it not? So, we should treat the 'story' as fiction but the 'Knowledge' as real. At least until proven otherwise."

That seemed to mollify the squad captain, and the room quieted down again.

The Reader continued.

Then he hoisted himself up and sat down.

The view before his eyes shifted.

The sky lightened from dark blue to a clear azure as the endless dunes of the Path were replaced with trees and a well-paved trail. In the distance, he could hear vehicles passing and spy hints of the tops of buildings peeking above the green foliage.

This was no forest, despite the denseness of the trees. This was a park, a slice of wilderness in a world of steel and cement.

It was a cozy little spot, drawing a yawn from Eren's young body.

"This bench is the meeting place," an older, tired voice told the young boy.

"Who am I meeting," Eren asked.

The man remained silent.

"Where is this? When is this?"

"Thirteen years in the future," the man answered the last question but ignored the first.

"Clairvoyance?" Michael asked seriously, and the entire right side of the room suddenly looked more alert.

That was an ability that changed everything.

After all, the only known clairvoyant was...

Eren looked at him then, understanding the importance of that number.

Most of those in the gathering room didn't understand the importance of thirteen years, except that thirteen was sometimes significant in some magical schools.

In the middle of the room, however, three graduates... three warriors suddenly looked at Eren with an intense focus.

They understood the importance of thirteen years.

Had this been why they had been called with the others? Had they found the coordinate? Or somehow wound up with the Jaw Titan they had lost. Those were the only possibilities.

...Unless he was the long-lost Attack Titan.

But why did Eren not seem to know about anything?

The man slumped, exhausted, against the bench's backrest. He collapsed in on himself as if he could not support the weight of his torso or head. His head rested against the wood, the seat frame supporting him so he could stare at the sky, where white clouds drifted lazily by.

His clothes were in tatters, torn and shredded and covered in blood. Small chunks of flesh were missing from his body, weeping red ichor openly. Slight wafts of steam rose from his injuries, but it was too weak to heal the numerous wounds.

That drew numerous looks from those on the left. Why would this man have steam coming from his injuries? That was how Titans healed.

The man's body was emaciated, skin sunken over what might have been a muscular form once, now nothing more than a husk.

A walking cane leaned against his legs, a pair of stylized wings the only ornament on an otherwise plain stick.

Grey eyes stared upward at the sky, ringed by deep Shifter Marks. More dotted his face along sunken cheeks like teeth. Still more covered every inch of exposed skin.

He looked weak. Battered. Injured. Sick.

He was minutes from death.

"Why are you smiling," the six-year-old Eren asked his nineteen-year-old self.

"What do you mean?!" Mikasa demanded. "What happened to him? Who did that?"

Thinking this mysterious dying man was a possible enemy or Titan was one thing.

It was a whole other thing to hear that it was Eren. A nineteen-year-old dying Eren.

Mikasa refused to allow something like that to happen.

Not to Eren.

Not ever.

"A story," Armin hurried to remind her, grabbing her arm to try and hold her back before she attempted to launch herself across the barrier. "Remember, just a story. This hasn't happened and won't happen."

"I'm fine," Eren grunted, also holding his sister back. "I never did... whatever this is. Whoever wrote this story made it all up. I'm not gonna die. Not until every Titan is dead."

Barely mollified, Misaka sat back down, but one hand held Eren's in place while the other clutched at her scarf.

Jean sat back down, no longer hungry.

The older Eren didn't answer, gazing up at the blue sky with a contented, fulfilled smile on his sallow face.

It didn't matter that he would die in thirteen years. He had already died once.

"He's a reincarnation," Cao Cao's smile was vulpine. When eyes turned to him, he grinned at Eren. "When a Hero's soul is strong enough, it stays whole after death and returns. My comrades in my faction are also reincarnations. This story is not the past. It is the future."

"No, it's not." Mikasa denied it, and Eren winced instinctively when her hand tightened on his wrist. Then he realized it didn't hurt.

"Reincarnated souls do not remember their past lives," Michael pointed out. "Unless your comrades also remember their past lives, he shouldn't if this were real."

Cao Cao shrugged, his smile undiminished.

What mattered was that smile.

The young boy was envious of that smile.

That pure expression of joy was the most hateful and beautiful thing Eren had seen in a long time.

When was the last time he had smiled?

"Can you do it again?"

The question was asked quietly. Softly.

There was a finality, a sense of encroaching doom and resolution in the voice.

Yet the older boy still smiled.

"Why would I?" Eren asked his older self. "I do not know why or how I was reborn in this world. My friends are not here. Historia is not here. Armin is not here. Mikasa is not here. There are no Titans, no Marley. No walls."

"Well, that proves it." Cao Cao said smugly.

Mikasa looked like she would have strangled him if she could.

"He knew Kris- um, Historia's name," Armin muttered, looking at the girl behind them. She tried to smile at the blond, and Ymir glared as if daring him to say something. Armin turned away quickly. "But what's Marley?"

"More interesting is that if it is the future, and he crossed over somehow, that would explain why we are all here?" Azazel asked, rubbing his chin.

Erwin listened but didn't say anything.

There was another point of note, one nobody wanted to bring up.

Why was a smile so hateful that the boy couldn't remember the last time he had done so?

"Can you do it again?"

Eren looked up at the azure sky, thinking about the question.

Could he go through it all again?

All the pain, tragedy, heartbreak, betrayal, guilt, and loss?

Mikasa's hand tightened on Eren's wrist again, but he barely noticed, too engrossed in his 'future.'

All the crimes he had committed for which there was no redemption?

'Crimes?' Many thought in curiosity.

Could he repeat it, become the enemy of the world despite knowing what lay at the end?

Cao Cao's smile only grew larger and larger as almost all eyes remained fixed on Eren.

This story was not painting him in a good light at all.

For one last time, could Eren Yeager, the Devil, dedicate his heart to something?

Sirzechs suddenly looked a lot more intrigued.

"I can."

"Then you'll know why I'm smiling."

"I suppose I will," Eren murmured as a nonexistent breeze brushed past the pair sitting on the bench.

"Remember, you only have thirteen years," the older Eren said softly, his voice fading.

As if whatever tiny glowing ember had kept him going for so long was finally sputtering out.

"Then I should get started," Eren said, standing from his seat.

The trees disappeared with the azure sky as his feet met the sand.

All that remained were the dunes of The Path, the countless stars above and the bench.

And a six-year-old Eren saw it all.

The Path.

The Enemy.

The Walls.

And the cost of it all.

"I see," Eren said, eyes gazing at the future he would build.

"So it is clairvoyance," Michael sighed, looking at the... boy who seemed to be the center of it all. "Have you always possessed this ability? Do you occasionally get flashes? Insights that you couldn't explain?"

"No," Eren growled, well and truly fed up with everyone either looking at him like he was a monster or as if he was made of glass. "This is all crap! None of this happened! None of this is gonna happen!"

"Yeah," Jean 'agreed.' "The suicidal idiot's not some great 'Devil.' He can barely use ODM gear. More than likely, he will end up in a Titan's mouth."

"You-"

"Be quiet." Levi's glare panned from Eren, before he could answer, to Jean.

They might be physically safe, but both decided not to push it.

They'd both heard of Levi before, and even if this 'Reader' considered Eren more dangerous, the boy was very aware of the power of an Ackerman.

"Not yet," his older self corrected with a long, weary sigh of relief. "But you will."

The man on the bench, Eren from thirteen years in the future, died with a smile.

The bench faded from the Path.

Though Eren could see his future memories passed back to him by himself, there were gaps. Holes in a tapestry. Voids of darkness in an otherwise clearly illuminated Path.

He could not see the bench, who he would meet there or when it would be.

He could not see a reason to smile.

But he could see the end.

So Eren walked forward, gathering sand to build.

Even if he did not have a reason to advance now, Eren knew he would one day.

That was enough.

Eren Yeager would continue to push ever forward.

And, on a bench thirteen years away, Eren Yeager died alone with a small, content smile.

"Spoilers~" Serafall muttered under her breath with a pout, trying to break up the heavy atmosphere that had settled on the room.

It did have some slight effect, as her sister sighed and rubbed her eyes.

Before she could admonish her sister, though, the brief pause ended, and the story continued.

********

"Sir, please wake up," Sona Sitri shook the man's shoulder gently but firmly.

"Eh!?" Sona barely had time to mutter something in surprise at the sound of her name before she was pulled into her sister's chest.

"You stay away from So-tan!" Serafall threatened, her pink wand brandished toward the Dangerous Reader.

Sona struggled for freedom.

Fruitlessly.

Issei burned with envy.

The shift in focus of the story brought the right side of the room more into focus. They now actually had something they could grasp onto.

Sona Sitri was known to all of them (even Issei, if only as the Student Council President.)

Until now, it was all talk of other worlds and people they were meeting for the first time.

But now, one of 'theirs' was in the story. That made it more real.

Would they be next?

And... was this story also going to predict their deaths?

"Mm...?" He murmured groggily as he awoke.

"Are you alright, sir?" She asked, stepping away slightly as he grasped his cane tightly and used it as leverage to sit up on the bench.

"Hm?"

"You were crying," she pointed out.

The man raised a hand to his cheeks, feeling the two liquid streams. His hand followed the trail of tears up to the wet bandages that wrapped from the tip of his nose to his forehead.

"Huh," he murmured softly, as if surprised.

"Is everything alright, sir?" Sona asked. "Do you need medical attention? Shall I call an ambulance?"

"No, I am fine," he shook his head as he wiped his cheeks. "A long dream. That is all."

"If you are certain," Sona asked dubiously, eyeing his skinny frame. "What are you doing here this late? Are you a student of Kuoh University?"

This park separated the high school from the university campus, and while not private property per se, it was hardly used by anyone besides Rias' Peerage.

(Rias practically vibrated from excitement at the sound of her name in the story.)

The only reason Sona had even found the blind (Blind? More than one mind asked themselves.) young man on the bench was because she was patrolling the school grounds.

Well, it was less of a patrol and more of a victory lap.

Her election as student council president might have been an almost forgone conclusion, but it was still another step toward her dream coming true.

"Wait!!" Sona said, finally pulling herself from the 'Sister Trap' as she thought of it. "That's not right."

"Yeah, how come you never mentioned meeting a blind boy?" Rias asked.

"Because I didn't," Sona shook her head. "I did... hem," Sona gave a slight cough as her cheek flushed. "Patrol... after I was elected Student Council President. But I didn't meet anybody! And no benches are set up through that area of the school."

"Because it's not the future," Eren nodded in agreement with the heiress. "It's just a fantasy."

While that certainly seemed the case, there was a nugget that was starting to worm its way into Eren's heart.

If... Just if... this wasn't the future but a 'possibility of a possibility...'

Then what was his future that being the 'Devil' and 'enemy of the world' was such a possibility.

It might be prideful to want to inspect her 'spoils of victory,' but she was a devil. She was all about pride.

That inspection had found the young man sleeping on the bench in the park, well inside the wards they had over this park area. Which is why she had approached in the first place.

"No, I am not smart enough for university," he denied with a sigh as he leaned more heavily on his cane. His voice was... off, Sona realized. Dead. Empty. Like all emotion had been drained from him.

"Intelligence is not a requirement for school," Sona insisted, the comment pushing her buttons. "Only a willingness to learn. To claim stupidity as an excuse is nothing but cowardice and laziness. There is no one too stupid to learn. There are only those who refuse to."

There was a beat of silence.

"You're right. Ignorance is no crime," the young man gave a tired nod. "It is only a crime if you refuse to change after learning. Only a genuinely thick blockhead would do that."

"That's Eren," Connie said confidently, sitting back in his chair with a drink, well and truly stuffed.

Sasha was still eating.

"Nah," Jean surprisingly disagreed. "He's too much of a thick blockhead to realize he's one."

Their laughter died under Levi's glare.

For some reason, Sona was sure the young man was talking about himself.

Sona realized she might have said too much.

The man on the bench, blind and weak, definitely had his own circumstances. He probably had a good reason for not going to school. Perhaps he had difficulty with brail, or his goal was something his physical condition prevented.

Either way, if Sona wanted to accomplish her dream of building a school for everyone, she would need to stop passing judgment so quickly.

Especially with how young she realized the man truly was. He was only a few years older than her at most.

Sitting on the opposite side of the bench, Sona looked out through the thick throng of trees. Some hundreds of meters away, hidden from view, was the old clubhouse where Rias lived and met with her Peerage.

"So long as you know that, it is never too late to learn."

"Sometimes it is too late," he rejected firmly. "Too late to travel the world, even if you want to. To visit the poles, a volcano, or a desert. To see the ocean. Sometimes, you don't have the time or the ability anymore."

Eren's fists clenched so hard that his knuckles went white, and Armin looked down.

He sounded so tired.

So worn down by the beatings of the world that all he wanted to do was sleep.

Sona wondered what he had gone through to sound so exhausted despite only being a teenager. It was a voice she had only heard a few times. When her family talked about times before her birth or on the few occasions her aunt spoke of home.

"We don't have an aunt," Serafall pointed out triumphantly. "You'll need to get up really early if you want to pull one over on Miracle Girl Levi-tan!"

The Reader continued, ignoring the wand directed their way.

"You never answered my question," Sona pointed out. "If you aren't a part of the university, what are you doing here? You are not part of the high school either, or I would recognize you."

"No, I am not a student at all. I was just passing by when I found this bench. It seemed like the best place for a nap. No memories to bother me." Though he did not smile, the way he spoke made her think that the ability to forget was the greatest gift in the world. "Just the wind, the sky, and the trees. I'm moving into the area. There are no rules against me being here, right?"

"There aren't," Sona answered the question.

Technically speaking, this wasn't school grounds but a public park. There was no rule or law preventing anyone from wandering in. That was why there were benches in the first place.

But there was also a ward around the area that prevented people from coming in or noticing anything from inside. A ward designed to keep the practice of the young Peerages unnoticed by the city's populace.

A ward that might have been bypassed by pure accident by a blind man because it was intent and sight-based. He had no magic, no supernatural power that she could feel, so it may have been purely accidental.

"That..." Azazel started to say... then paused and gave the matter some thought. "That might work. If someone didn't intend harm, was completely ignorant, and blind, they would be able to get through most non-physical wards. It's highly circumstantial, but it could actually work."

"Or you could just sneak in, nyaa," Kuroka pointed out, casually sipping her sake.

Unlike everyone else here, she didn't care about this 'Eren' kid.

She was just using this opportunity to look at her sister and ensure she was doing all right.

Being able to flaunt it under the Satan's gaze just made it all the better.

"Not everyone is a crazy criminal," Rias said, once more placing herself between Koneko and Kuroka.

Kuroka's smile was all teeth.

Sona considered having her family servants change the ward to be more complete when a thought entered her head.

"How old are you?"

"Seventeen," he answered with a tilt of his head in her direction. "Why?"

"Why aren't you in school? Are you transferring in?"

"No, I am not going to school. I haven't for years since... this," he vaguely waived an arm over his body.

"When was the last time you had the chance?" Sona felt a pit in her stomach as he answered.

"In this country? I believe it would be the equivalent of... Elementary?" The way he half asked his answer filled the young heiress with horror.

Sona looked over at the left side of the room with profound pity.

"Do you know Japanese?" She asked the question desperately, though it didn't come across in her voice. Sona always maintained a professional demeanour when she could.

"Sasuga So-tan."

They had been speaking in English this entire time, which she had no trouble with, thanks to being a devil. Devils had an inherent ability to speak all languages fluently, but that was different for everyone else.

Kuoh was more metropolitan than most parts of Japan and thus had a higher percentage of people who were fluent in the lingua franca of the world. But a blind man should definitely speak the local language.

"I don't."

"What about your family? Are they familiar with the area or Japanese?"

"No family," he shook his head. "No friends. Just me. I'm all alone."

He didn't sound sad. Just a matter of fact.

The sky was blue, fire was hot, and he was alone.

Sona could only stare at the absurd existence before her for a second.

"If you don't speak the language, go to school or have family bringing you here, why are you moving to Kuoh?"

"I am here to meet someone," he shrugged softly.

"Who?"

"Don't know."

"Where then? And when?" Sona asked sternly.

Her wariness against the boy was starting to be replaced with genuine worry. There had to be someone out there who cared for him. He wouldn't have been able to survive otherwise.

"Here, on this bench," he said, patting the wooden seat between them. Then he paused as if searching for the right words. "As for when? I don't know exactly. Within two years. I know that much."

Sona mulled over the situation. Something had to be going on here that she wasn't getting.

"Do you have a place to stay?"

"A hotel nearby until I get a permanent address," he nodded, and the young devil sighed.

That was something, at least.

For a moment, Sona considered offering the young man a place at Kuoh Academy to keep an eye on him. Considering that Sitri and Gremory owned the school, it was well within her power, to say nothing of hypnosis. The gender restriction was to be removed this year to allow the heiress' Peerage to attend with them and widen the pool of potential recruits.

Eventually, Sona shook the thought away.

No, even if the boy wasn't years behind his peers, which he was, Kuoh was simply unequipped to handle a blind student on top of not knowing the local language.

A failing she would address in the future, but one that was relevant now.

Sona decided to bring that up at the next opportunity now that it had been pointed out to her.

Just because they didn't currently have a blind student didn't mean they wouldn't in the future.

Still, letting him go while he was so helpless in a foreign environment did not sit right with her. Rias might be a closet Otaku, but Sona knew that the Japanese were not kind to foreigners as a general rule. It was one of the reasons she was using the pseudonym of Souna Shitori rather than her actual name. Unlike Rias, with her red hair and outrageous... proportions, Sona could pass for Japanese, which made things easier for her.

This boy, on top of being foreign and not speaking the language, was clearly disabled. Sona could hardly think of an appearance more likely to ostracize someone in Japan. Sona might be a devil, but she still had a conscience.

"Are you still there?" The boy asked, his head facing the forest. "You are being quiet."

"I am still here," Sona answered seriously. "I am just trying to think about what to do with you."

"Do with me?" He repeated. Something in his voice made the young heiress hurry to explain.

"It wouldn't be right to let you leave when I can do something to help."

"You do not need to do anything," he insisted with a frown. It was the first show of emotion Sona had seen since waking him up. "I do not need help or a minder. I do not need to be babied."

"Definitely Eren," Armin muttered under his breath, and Mikasa gave a single nod of agreement and shot Sona a look that was commiserating to those who knew her.

To Sona, it looked blank... or even threatening.

"I am sure you don't," Sona agreed, though not in a patronizing way. She was well used to dealing with the pride of young men. If nothing else, he had moved to a foreign country alone in his condition. If that didn't speak about his ability, nothing did. "I was just wondering if you would like me to teach you Japanese?"

His frown lessened as he gave it some thought.

"It would be more convenient to be able to talk to people," he admitted grudgingly before suspicion entered his voice. "But why are you offering? You do not know me, and I don't know you. I can't pay you. I can give you nothing but my thanks."

"I want to be a teacher," Sona said resolutely. "One who will accept anyone. If you are willing to learn, then I will teach. As simple as that. Will you let me teach you?"

It would cut into her time as co-owner of the land, King of her Peerage and the new student council president.

But this was a chance.

She didn't know his circumstances, his goals, his history, or even his name. He was blind, claimed to be stupid, and was missing a decade of education. He also had a stubborn streak, a clear measure of pride, or he wouldn't be out here all alone.

Teaching him would be incredibly challenging.

But that was precisely why she wanted to teach him.

Sona Sitri did not dream of being a normal teacher.

Sona Sitri dreamt of a school for everyone. Her school would not discriminate on age, ability, race, status, or creed. Her dream school only had one requirement.

All who were willing to learn would be taught.

No exceptions.

Sona flushed slightly under the approving looks she was receiving from Michael and Azazel.

Serafall waived her two 'So-tan GO' flags.

It was a dream that flew in the face of thousands of years of tradition, a complete rebellion against her society and how the world worked.

It was a dream that only a handful supported and billions derided.

But it was Sona's dream.

One she would accomplish no matter what.

This blind, sick boy would be her first student.

First, she would teach him Japanese, then catch him up to his age group. Her job would only be done when he aced the university entrance exam.

If he was willing to learn.

"A teacher that accepts everyone, huh," he said softly. "That's an admirable goal. A good dream."

"I am dedicating everything to achieving it," Sona declared passionately, even if her voice remained as serious as ever.

There was a bit of a reaction from the left side of the room at the word choice, but nobody interrupted.

For a long moment, neither said anything.

"I will be a terrible student. I am no one special. I have no talent or genius. Things others grasp after one try will take me ten."

"It doesn't matter if it takes a hundred. A good teacher never gives up on their students. So long as you put forth the effort to learn, I will never abandon you."

"That's all I've ever been good for," he said. Another hint of emotion. Derision. "Blindly putting forth an effort, no matter the consequences. I suppose I will have to one more time."

"Then here is your first lesson," Sona said with a smile as she stood from the bench. "In Japan, when giving greetings, you are supposed to bow and address your teachers with the suffix 'sensei.' My name is Shitori Souna. Last name, then first name. You can call me Shitori-sensei when I am teaching."

While she taught him, she would look into him. There was no way he was all alone. Someone had to care for him, care that he was here. Maybe not family, but at least friends? Maybe whoever he was supposed to meet here.

He couldn't be all alone.

Nobody was born alone in the world.

"You'll have to forgive the lack of a bow," the young man said as he slowly rose to his feet, leaning heavily on his cane and holding out his hand to shake. "I am afraid I will not be able to get back up again. It is nice to meet you, Souna. My name is Eren. Yaeger Eren, if we go by this country's customs. I will be the worst student you will ever have."

Sona stepped in front of the young man who had faced the wrong direction and shook his hand.

"I will be the judge of that."

And so, a devil shook hands with The Devil.

It was the first meeting on the bench.

There was a pause as the first chapter ended, and the Reader reached for their drink before continuing.

"Did you realize?" Hange asked under their breath.

Erwin nodded.

"No point whispering," Vali interrupted. "We all have better senses than humans... Well, except for him."

The way the half-devil casually pointed his thumb over his shoulder at Issei made it clear that he didn't particularly care about the boy's feelings.

Rather than feel embarrassed, Erwin decided to share since they'd been caught.

"He's not blind," he noted simply. "The Eren of the story is simply using bandages to cover his eyes. He's pretending to be weak and letting the 'Sona' of the story make assumptions."

"What are your intentions for So-tan?" Serafall demanded, this time of Eren.

He just looked confused at the wand pointed at him.

"There was also something about 'shifter marks,'" Hange continued from Erwin. "If, as we suspect, this Eren has Titan-esque powers, he'd be healing from pretty much anything. It's possible these 'shifter marks' are a by-product."

"Maybe he gets Titan powers after this point in the story," Yuuto suggested. "He's waiting for someone. Maybe he's waiting for others from your world to give him powers."

"A possibility," Azazel acknowledged but shook his head. "But the nature of his clairvoyance is suspect. 'Holes in the tapestry.' It's a prophecy condition. He was only told enough to ensure that the future happens. If he knew who he was meeting and when then the future would change."

"Ms. Sitri may be who he was waiting for," Michael pointed out. "The framework of the story is suspect. One moment, he is six. The next he is on the bench, is probably years in the future and meets someone right away? Under the belief that this is all by design, whether his or someone else's, then any and every 'meeting' on the bench should be considered as 'the meeting.'"

While the older members were discussing framing and potential implications, Eren grappled with his own issues.

Such as Sasha trying to cheer him up by shoving a chicken leg in his mouth.

"Come'on," she laughed as Eren dodged out of the way. "When was the last time we had meat!? I was gonna steal some from the brass when we graduated, but this is even better. Ya gotta try this stuff."

"I'm not hungry," Eren said, pushing himself away and storming off in a huff.

Mikasa made to follow him as he started pacing, but Armin held her back.

"Give him some space," he advised. "It seems like this story, whatever it is, he's going to have a big part in it."

"...You don't think it's real, do you," Mikasa murmured, pulling her scarf up and watching Eren pace with worry.

"I... don't know," Armin admitted helplessly. "You heard the Reader. A possibility of a possibility. So... it probably isn't real in the sense that it will definitely happen, but... He... She... IT also said that this wouldn't be a happy story."

"We should leave," Mikasa said, looking from Eren to the large doors in the back wall. "Staying here is dangerous."

"Even if the commander let us, Eren wouldn't," Armin denied firmly. "That thing is crafty. The way it answered the last question... it ensured everyone on our side would stay till the end. Eren will not leave until he knows how to get rid of the Titans... and neither will anyone else on our side."

"I just want to know why it's focused on Eren," Mikasa grumbled.

"The way I see it," Sasha said, chewing on the chicken drumstick. "We can't do anything here but talk and listen, right? So treat it like one of those stories during survival training. Enjoy the food, have something to drink, and decide what to do when it's all done."

"Aren't you worried?" Armin asked.

"'Course I am," Sasha admitted. "But the whole point is that even if this is the future, we're here to find a better one, right? So, if it predicts my death next, then I just gotta not do what it predicted, right? Until then, you really have to try this stuff."

"What is it?" Mikasa asked as she received a cup of a... black liquid.

It bubbled ominously in her hand.

"No idea!" Sasha cheered, downing her own cup. "But it's soooo sweet. And tingly. I've had five cups already."

Cautiously, Mikasa took a tentative sip. She made a face right away but didn't put it down and took another sip.

"...Coke," a quiet voice said.

The three scouts turned to see the small, white-haired girl from the other side walk by them.

In her hands, she carried a large tray absolutely covered in food and drinks, rivalling her own size.

If she felt any strain from the weight, she didn't show it.

"You're... Koneko, right?" Armin asked, and the girl nodded. "What do you mean?"

"That's coke," Koneko nodded at the drink in Mikasa's hand. "'s a type of soda. Pepsi's better."

"Can you tell me what everything is?" Sasha asked eagerly.

Koneko nodded again.

"How come you're on this side?" Armin asked, then flushed as he realized how that sounded. "Not that you can't come over or anything, just... that looks heavy..." He trailed off awkwardly.

"Strong," Koneko said simply, releasing one hand holding the tray of food and drink and balancing it on the other without any apparent effort.

It was an impressive feat since she barely came up to their chests.

While that might have been part of the reason, Armin also noticed the yellow eyes of the black-haired woman with cat ears watching the girl.

Perhaps she had taken the long way around to avoid that one.

Armin, wisely, decided not to put his foot in his mouth again.

He was saved by the Reader finishing their fruity drink with a loud SLURP of their bendy straw, drawing the attention of the room once more.

People hurried back to their seats as the Dangerous Reader took up the book once more, Sasha following Koneko to the other side, plying the girl with questions rapid fire before the story resumed.

Eren, having vented a bit by pacing, was a bit calmer as he rejoined his friends.

Now that the shock had worn off and he knew what to expect, there was a glint of steel in his eyes that hadn't been there before.

Whatever came next, he needed to see this through to the end if he wanted to end the Titans.

He'd kill every single one of them.

********

There we go, the last update for On The Bench.

This two-part Omake is a bit more of a proof of concept that I wrote partly out of thanks and partly for my own amusement. As I mentioned before, I will not be continuing this, so if anyone wants to, they are free to do so.

I think it's only fitting I leave On The Bench right where I started it and on an open-ended note. So much of what On The Bench is is left to the reader to interpret, most notably where the characters go from here.

The past might have been written already, in tragedy or glory, but our Paths toward the future still lay before us.

So, for one final time.

Goodbye from the boy on the bench.