AN: Special thanks to Notorious T for writing the scene where the squad goes inside the prison.


Chapter 28: Final Clash

(Underground)

As Eren traveled with Levi Squad and Hanji, he couldn't help but look around. He had heard rumors about the horrible conditions of the Underground, but they paled in comparison to what he saw. "I can't believe how many of them are so..."

"Sick? Dying? Starving?" Eld finished, looking over his shoulder. "Trust me, Eren. You're lucky that you didn't grow up here."

"And the King does nothing about it?" he questioned angrily.

"Not a thing," Hanji replied in a serious tone. "It may be a struggle to survive on the surface, but down here... there's even less hope."

And Captain Levi grew up here? Eren asked himself. What did he have to do to make it out of here alive? I don't think I want to know.

"Petra, you look worried," Gunther noted.

"Everything's been insane lately," she said. "I mean, getting another Titan Shifter on our side was one thing, but... it's been hard to process everything else. A psychopathic Psion, Titans being humans, an entire country that wants to kill us..." She let out a sigh. "It's funny that things were simple when it was just us against the Titans."

"Well, at least we know who we're fighting," Eld pointed out. "Whatever we feel about Leonhart, she is giving us the opportunity to fight back."

"Don't expect me to be inviting her to our social gatherings," Gunter said with a snort.

Eren sighed, but he didn't address it. Last night, watching Annie and Dillon get thrashed by that sadist made him feel conflicted about those two. It was so easy to label them as enemies, but now, he wasn't sure what to think of them. For once, he decided to put it on his to-do list to talk with her. It was a long time coming, and it needed to be done.

"There it is!" Hanji announced, pointing ahead.

Before them seemingly attached to the wall of the Underground was a massive prison. The cracks in the building itself was a dead giveaway that it was old and rundown, but it still carried an ominous look, almost as if it was haunted. There weren't many windows in the stone prison, making them wonder if what little light the Underground had was barred off for the inmates.

"Is it just me or is anyone else getting a little nervous?" Eld asked.

"Hate to say it, but it's not just you," Gunther said.

"We'll need to be careful, then," Hanji stated. "From what I've seen of Elise, she doesn't seem like the type of person to leave behind Carolyn without leaving behind any surprises along with her."

"We'll get her out of there," Eren swore.

The others sounded off their agreement as they continued towards their destination.


(Stohess; 4:56 PM)

Returning to the scene of a battle was always difficult, especially if that someone witnessed firsthand the destruction that occurred. While the district was no longer on fire and surrounded by smoke and screams, the tragedy still remained. It made it far more difficult to come to terms that the people of Stohess would watch their world shake once more.

"Dillon?" Matthew asked in a concerned tone.

Snapping out of his thoughts, Dillon replied, "Sorry. I just... there's a lot of bad memories here."

He nodded in understanding. "I know this is difficult for you, but Stohess is a district we all know, and it's easier to evacuate areas because of the state it's in. We have to seize any advantage we can get at this point."

The teen let out a sigh as he stared at the caved in houses near the Underground entrance. Elise's words came back to haunt him when she asked Annie how many families she killed trying to reach Eren during their first meeting. It wouldn't leave him alone as he began to wonder if she was desperate and angry enough to kill innocent civilians to complete her task. However, he couldn't bring it up. He didn't want to upset her.

"Dillon, I know what you're thinking and I'm not upset at you," a familiar voice reminded him in a sympathetic tone. "For what it's worth, I didn't kill anyone in those houses. I avoided the populated ones and broke through the ones that were empty."

Dillon massaged his forehead in frustration. "Damn it, I don't want to be here."

"Neither do I, but we have a job to do. Once Elise is dead, we can get out of this place."

"I know," he replied.

For the first and only time, he was glad when Elise stepped out of one of the houses. Gave him something else to focus on. This time, he was well-rested and ready for her.

"You're early," she stated before staring at the teen. "Guess you weren't as injured as I thought. I'll have to rectify that next time."

"There's never going to be a next time," Matthew swore, immediately getting into a fighting stance along with his son.

"You sound so confident," Elise noted with a smirk. "I'm going to-!"

Their eyes flashed simultaneously and the Psion was sent flying into one of the destroyed homes, crashing into the rubble. Taking a deep breath, both men targeted the walls next and caved them in, burying her.

"I think we just lost one advantage," Dillon said.

"What advantage?" Matthew wondered.

"Her tendency to talk too much."

On cue, there was a psychic blast that sent the debris flying off her in various directions. The two managed to dodge the pieces that headed towards them, though the houses behind them weren't so lucky. She stalked out of the house, looking a little pissed.

"Okay, then," she said in a clipped tone.

She launched a large piece of debris at the them which Matthew deflected while Dillon ran at her, launching a mental attack in the process. Elise gritted her teeth and met his charge, backing up and moving in sync, blocking his attacks. She moved around him to evade a punch and slammed her elbow into the back his head, making him stumble. However, Matthew came at her, kicking her in the gut, which was followed by a spin kick from Dillon. The two tried to get her while she was on the ground, but she blasted them back, causing them to crash into the house behind them.

Let's see how you handle this. Elise thought as she began to literally bring down the house.

The wall of the house blasted out thanks to Matthew, which Elise forced to jump out of the way of. The two Psions barely made it out of the crumbling house, though there was some cuts and bruises for their efforts. Matthew's eyes continued to glow as Elise got pulled towards him. However, she was prepared for that and she launched a quick mental attack, throwing off his concentration. She thrust her foot out and caught him in the head, sending him sprawling to the ground. Dillon re-engaged her, grabbing her by shoulders and kneeing her in the gut as hard as he could. She doubled over, but she blocked his the second knee and slammed her fist into his jaw. Before she could do more, she was thrown to the side via Matthew's powers.

Damn it. He thought as he began to feel lightheaded. It's too soon.

Dillon spared a brief glance at his father, noticing his pained expression. He hoped that they could last a little longer so the others could get into position.

Elise had to give credit where credit was due. She underestimated how powerful Matthew was. However, she could tell his brief victories were short lived. The moment she took notice of his weakening state, she acted accordingly.

She launched another, more intense mental attack on his mind. He let out a cry of pain, but Dillon telekinetically slammed a brick into the side of her head. She wasn't knocked out, but it hurt. A lot. He attempted to capitalize on an advantage, going on the offense once more and managing to kick her back. Unfortunately, that advantage was short-lived as Elise performed an uppercut filled with Psion energy that sent Dillon into the air before crashing on the ground. To further beat him, she launched another blast, causing Dillon to be launched into the canal.

"Enough of this!" Matthew demanded, punching her into the wall of another house. "It's me you want! It's all you ever wanted since you started this!"

Growling, Elise rose to her feet. "I thought you were dead, Matthew, but not only were you alive, but you married the woman responsible for the project!"

"She didn't start it, Elise," he shot back.

"It makes no difference, you bastard!" she yelled, smashing him into the ground with her powers. "You heard those screams..." She slammed his head into the ground. "... you saw those people..." Another smash. "... and now you're screwing with that bitch!"

Nearby, Dillon reached the edge of the canal, pulling himself onto dry land. His swimming skills were rusty, and he was getting tired, but he pressed on.

A psychic blast emitted from him, making Elise crash into a window. "She changed, Elise," Matthew told her weakly as he got up, "but I doubt that matters to you anymore."

"You're right. It doesn't matter," she grunted as she brushed the glass off hair. "What matters is that I'm going to do what I should have done months ago."

"Why wait so long?" he questioned.

"I'll let you wonder," she stated, charging at him. He intercepted her, grabbing her and tossing her to the ground, though she was able to roll to her feet using the momentum. Her blue eyes glowed once more as she punched him in the gut, but he retaliated by bring his head up sharply, catching her in the chin. She staggered back before being blasted into the wall. Elise let out a groan of pain, but Matthew wasn't faring well either. His lightheadedness was getting worse to the point where he was getting dizzy. She let out a pained yell as Dillon launched a mind attack while running at her, delivering a kick the stomach once he got close enough. Her response was to levitate a piece of rubble that hit him in the head.

With the teen staggering back, she telekinetically pulled Matthew to her and kneed him in the stomach once more. Quickly, Dillon tackled her to the ground, punching her in the face before getting psychically thrown off. Hoping to her feet, she met a harsh punch that impacted her jaw, causing blood to pour from her mouth. He threw another punch, but her eyes glowed. Pieces of glass flew from the broken window and cut his arm, making him retract it. Before he could do anything, she impaled two large shards right into his gut. He gasped in pain as Elise launched a spin kick that knocked him head first into the wall of the house, downing him. Enraged, Dillon kicked Elise away from his dad, going back on the offensive. Unfortunately, the teen received a hard smash to the stomach thanks to levitating debris, making him fall as well.

Matthew was in excruciating pain. Not only was his head trying to kill him for overdoing it, but the shards of glass punctured his organs. He was going to be choking on his own blood soon.

Elise stared at the two wounded men, pleased that they were defeated. And yet... "You know, I thought I would be enjoying this by now, but I'm not." She walked over to Matthew, staring down at him. "You were my friend, Matthew, but you chose this path, and now you have to suffer the consequences."

The Eldian glared up at her. "So... will you."

Her eyes glowed as she began choking Dillon with her abilities. "Say goodbye to your son."

Matthew attempted to launch a mental attack, but a kick to the face stopped him.

"No more delays, Matthew," she stated coldly. "I'll at least make it quick for old times' sake."

She was completely focused on breaking Dillon's neck that she failed to pay attention to the sound of ODM gear heading in her direction. Once it got close enough, however, her eyes widened and looked left just in time to see a boot smash right in her face, sending her tumbling across the ground.

"Leg's better now, bitch," Levi informed her, drawing out his swords.

Getting to her feet, Elise smirked. "Well, if isn't my favorite midget. Mind waiting a few minutes? I'm kind of in the middle of something."

"No, you're not," another voice stated as a haymaker slammed into her face courtesy of Mikasa.

Staggering back and massaging her cheek, the Psion asked, "Who's this, Captain? Your daughter?"

"Just a distraction," Levi said.

Prepared this time, Elise moved just as Annie came at her with a knife from the alley, dodging a stab that was meant for her spine. However, the blonde followed through with a kick to the stomach that sent her back a couple yards.

"You," Elise growled.

"Me," Annie replied darkly.

While the three were confronting the Psion, Jean zoomed over to Matthew. "Oh, this is bad!"

"Just get me... to hospital," Matthew grunted, pulling out the shards. "I can... hold out."

Grimacing at the sight, Jean complied regardless, hoisting him up. Matthew's eyes glowed and he used his powers to stop the bleeding, though if the teen didn't get him to the hospital soon, he would start choking.

"Get him out of here!" Levi ordered.

"Don't worry, Matthew," Elise assured. "I'll pay you a visit soon. Do you like flowers?"

Matthew didn't even dignify that with a reply.

"Thanks, Jean," Dillon said as he got to his feet.

"Don't let her get away this time," Jean warned as he took off.

"I won't," he swore, getting into a fighting stance. My dad and Elise were evenly matched. Maybe we can overwhelm her, but if I was stronger, we could have this in the—wait, a minute. That's it!

Elise held out her arms, grinning. Now, she was having fun again. "All right, everyone! Who wants to go first?"

Levi and Mikasa met the call as they propelled himself upwards. However, instead of attacking, they let loose a large amount of gas from their tanks, shrouding Elise with it. The two Ackermans plunged into the cloud cover and went for her. Levitating a blade from Mikasa's equipment, Elise blocked Levi's attack, pushing him back. Mikasa went to strike her from behind only to be blasted back with a simple gesture. However, a knife thrown by Annie flew towards Elise's head, though she knocked it out of the way (barely), but it gave Levi the chance to make his move. Quickly, he pinned her against the wall and attempted to gut her, though she blasted him back as well. Deciding to put a stop to this, she levitated three blades and pointed them at her respective attackers, causing them to halt.

"None of you saw this coming?" Elise asked, panting a bit.

Suddenly, she felt a familiar presence attack her mind. She looked at Dillon, who's eyes were glowing brighter than usual, and was about to attack him when something in her mind was punctured. Realizing what he was going after, she attempted to shore up her mental defenses, but combined with her constant usage of her abilities and the fact that she was trying to keep the three at bay, he was easily able to snake past them and target what he was going for: her blocks. She felt her main block shatter in her mind along with the two others she had in quick succession.

Elise fell, screaming in agony as she clutched her head, the swords aimed at the three clattering to the ground. She began to hear voices slowly trickle in her brain, thoughts from not only the four people in front of her, but from the civilians within Stohess. Within seconds, it became a cacophony of voices, blood starting to pour from her face. Before anyone could make another move against her, she released a psychic blast that was five times more powerful than her previous ones. They were sent flying across the road, though Annie was pulled towards her violently. She quickly relieved her of her ODM gear before gutting her with the knife she had thrown. Kicking her aside, Elise strapped on the equipment and took to the skies.

"Annie!" Dillon exclaimed as he was about to run towards his girlfriend.

"After her!" Levi ordered, pursuing her along with Mikasa. "Amsdale, start talking!"

"Dillon, stay back!" Annie warned, pulling the knife out of her stomach with a pained gasp. "I'm going to shift!"

"I targeted the blocks in her mind," Dillon explained to all of them, panting. "She can't blot out the voices she's hearing unless she can focus long enough to repair the blocks. She's at her weakest, but she's also at her strongest!"

"Then we kill her now," Levi stated. "There's a spare gear in the alley at your 7:00. If you're not gonna be a liability, put it on."

"Just give me a minute to recover," Dillon requested just as a lightning bolt came down on Annie. I will never understand how that works.


(Underground)

Hanji opened the old door slowly, the scent of ancient dust and mold hitting their noses. The Squad Leader went inside carefully, the rest following her with unease, a bit queasy at what they might find within. Their lanterns were the only defense against the suffocating darkness that awaited. They descended the worn stone steps cautiously, eyes alert for danger.

"This place gives me the chills," Petra muttered, voicing her dread. Her honey eyes glanced around nervously, wary of what might be lurking.

"You're not the only one," a tense Eld commented, looking as paranoid as he felt.

"I'm not surprised," Hanji replied thoughtfully from the front. "Many prisoners have died here in the past. Perhaps their spirits still haunt the place?" She laughed a little, trying to lighten the mood.

"You're not helping!" Gunther groaned.

Eren shared the feeling as well, but for other reasons. He couldn't transform in this confined space, and that made him feel trapped and helpless. But he steeled his mind and followed the others deeper within the dungeon. Carolyn's life was on the line, and he wanted to repay the debt he owed her.

As the time passed, they were soon greeted by a foul stench that made them sick to their stomachs.

"Gah! What's that smell?" Eren complained as he held his nose shut in disgust.

Hanji said nothing, a serious look on her face as she brought her lantern to a silent cell. The light revealed the skeletal remains of a prisoner inside, a look of torment on its face. "Rotting corpses," she explained with narrow eyes. "The former inhabitants were treated very poorly indeed."

"Makes me wonder if we'll find Carolyn's body next," Eld muttered with a grimace.

She shook her head. "I seriously doubt it."

"What makes you say that?"

Hanji turned her head to face him with a dark look. "Because Elise is a sadist. She can't torture someone that's dead."

Unfortunately, that moment of turning around cost her. She took another step and the ground gave in. Hanji let out a frightened yelp as she started to fall, but Gunther and Petra quickly grabbed her and pulled her away from the edge. A sizeable hole was revealed as the pieces of the floor took a couple of seconds to hit the bottom. If she had fallen, it was highly likely she would've broken her leg.

"That was too close!" Gunther exclaimed.

Hanji let out a nervous chuckle as she got her bearings. "She's clever, that woman."

Petra stared at the gap for a brief moment, sizing it up. "We should be able clear it."

Taking a few steps back, Hanji took a running start and jumped over the hole. "Should be good." She said, dusting herself off

Nodding, Gunther was the next one to go, and was quickly followed by Petra. Eren made the next leap, but when he landed, he almost fell backwards into the pit were it not for Petra grabbing him by the shirt.

"Thanks," he said, trying to shake it off after she pulled him up.

"Couldn't let Humanity's Last Hope have a pitiful death," Petra teased.

Eren let out an embarrassed chuckle as Eld made it to the other side easily.

"Eyes on the floor," Hanji warned as she pressed forwards. "Could be more traps."

"Are you telling us or yourself?" Gunther wondered with a smirk.

"Don't make me come over there."

The squad shared a brief laugh, but the time for levity was short-lived as the darkness once more engulfed them. For what seemed like hours (though in truth it was only a few minutes) they continued to go deeper into the prison. The next, and final, trap was a simple trip wire that they easily stepped over. Once they were on the other side, they saw that the wire was attached to a rifle that Hanji simply detached.

"Maybe not as clever as I thought," she muttered.

"Over there!" Eld announced, pointing ahead down a corridor that led to a barely lit room.

Carefully, the squad walked as quickly as they could while keeping an eye out for more traps. When they reached the other side, the sight before them made them drop their jaws in horror.

"Carolyn!" Hanji gasped, running towards her friend.

Suspended in the air by four chains that were attached to four corners of the room was Carolyn Amsdale. But she was a completely different from the woman they remembered. Her body was covered in blood due to the shallow cuts made on her arms, legs, and her back. Her face was swollen, covered in bruises that was clearly made from fists, and there was dried up blood there as well.

"What did that bitch do to her?" Eld snarled, his fist shaking with barely contained rage.

Hanji didn't answer as she checked her pulse. "She's still alive, but her pulse is weak."

This is sickening. Eren thought darkly. If Elise somehow survives, I will hunt her down myself and tear her apart!

"Let's get her out of here," Gunther said as he and the others drew their swords.

"No, wait!" the squad leader exclaimed. "There's no way Elise would make it so easy. Check the chains."

Though they were anxious to get Carolyn down, they followed Hanji's advice. Looking more carefully, the chains led to holes in each corner of the room, the holes seeming to lead upwards into the supports.

Hanji walked over to take a closer look, eye's widening as she recognized the design of the trap. "Clever…" Hanji said grimly. "It's a weighted trap. The supports are weakened, off balance by just enough to be dangerous. Her weight is the only thing keeping them from collapsing." We free Carolyn, and this entire place collapses upon us."

"Damn that bitch!" Eld swore in anger. "Hasn't she done enough harm already?"

"But we can't leave Carolyn here! What do we do?" Eren urged Hanji in panic.

"Shut up and let me think," she ordered, walking up to a room corner to study the trap while the others did what they could to tend to Carolyn's brutal wounds.

"We'll get you out, Carolyn. Don't worry." Petra's voice shook as she cleaned a section of skin for gauze.

"It's sick how cruel some people can be," Gunther commented darkly, which the others silently agreed with.

After what felt like an eternity, Hanji walked up to them with determination. "I have a plan, but it needs all of us to work," she spoke with authority.

"Let's hear it then, we don't have time to waste." Eld urged her.

"These chains are each held in tension by a spring of some kind. The spring snaps back, the force is going to be just enough to knock the supports loose. We have to remove the chains one at a time, and keep them from reeling back inwards. If we fail, the supports collapse, and all of us die."

"Hey, we already risk our lives against the Titans. This is nothing in comparison." Eld encouraged.

Hanji let out a small laugh at that statement. "That's the spirit! Now, let's get Carolyn out of this hell."

"But how are we going to remove these chains?" Gunther pointed out.

"With this!" Hanji exclaimed as she held up a set of bolt cutters with a smug grin. "Luckily, I came prepared. Gunther, grab this chain and don't let it move. Eren, you support Carolyn's body."

The two nodded and did so. They waited tensely as Hanji squeezed the tool tightly to snap the metal. Two halves of a chain link clattered to the ground loudly.

To their relief, Hanji's plan had worked so far. So, they repeated the process twice more, Eld and Petra grabbing another chain each. Eren and Hanji worked together for the last one. With the final chain cut and grabbed by Eren, Hanji was able to lower Carolyn to the ground.

"Well, now what? My arms are getting tired," Gunther groaned.

"One of us has to get Carolyn to safety first." To Eren's surprise, Hanji set Carolyn down on the stone floor and grabbed the chain he held. "That person is you, Eren. Carry her away from this room and back the way we came."

"What? Why does it have to be me?" the teen asked in confusion.

Hanji looked him in the eyes with utter seriousness. "Because you're far more valuable than us, Eren. We can't afford to lose you. You have to get Carolyn out of here, no matter what happens to us. Do you understand?"

"Y-yes," Eren managed to get out. With a hesitant look to the rest of them, Eren lifted the broken Carolyn into his arms and carried her slowly out of the sadist's room.

Hanji looked at the others. "Well... anything you all want to say?"

"This is a shitty way to die," Eld stated bluntly.

They all shared a chuckle, completely agreeing with that statement.

"When I say now, run," Hanji stated. "Ready? One... two... three... NOW!"

The squad quickly released the chains.

They wasted no time and ran like hell, making it halfway out when thunderous crashes occurred and cracks began forming in the walls around them. They just barely made it out as stone rubble from the ceiling crashed loudly into the room, the hallway behind them soon following. They didn't stop until they caught up with Eren and Carolyn on the 'ground' floor, the brunette teen filled with relief at their survival as the corridor they had just escaped came crashing down, bringing most of that section of the building with it.

"Well, that was fun!" Hanji laughed madly.

"Hanji... you're insane," Petra said, panting heavily.

"Just figure that out?" Eld snarked.

"…. You know, I just realized something." Hanji said, tapping her chin.

"What, that you're crazy?" Eren snarked.

"No. We could have avoided that."

"…. What?" Gunther asked, cocking his head to the side.

"Well, we could have walked the springs back in so they didn't snap. That'd disable the trap."

They each stared at her as if she had grown a second head.

"Or we could have bound the chains together with rope or tied them in a knot together. Might not have held, but would have given us more time."

"So, in other words…. You chose the thrill over the safety?" Eld clarified.

"Doesn't surprise me… she IS Hanji Zoe."

The squad leader in question simply rolled her eyes. "You four get Carolyn to a hospital the moment you get above ground. I'm heading straight to Stohess to update our illustrious captain."

"Good luck out there," Eren replied.

Nodding, Hanji dashed towards the exit. She knew that there was an opening in the Underground that immediately led to the surface. She would use that to save hours of time she would've spent on foot and travel through the city as fast as she could. Worst came to worst, she would take on Elise. Carolyn just got liberated and she refused to let her get captured again.


(Stohess)

Elise could not remember the last time she had been humiliated like that. She cursed herself for underestimating the brat and swore to not only kill him, but make it at painful as humanly possible. No more holding back. Right now, however, her top priority was repairing her blocks and evading her pursuers. Currently, Levi and Mikasa were right on her tail, and if the lightning bolt was any indicator, the Female Titan was rearing her ugly head.

Despite the constant stream of voices in her mind, Elise began feeling her power growing at a surprising rate. Pure energy flowed through it, and it felt undeniably good. Sure, her mind was being wrecked, but pain was only a problem for her if she let it. Her grin steadily returned as the blood on her face continued to fall. She had never felt more alive. In a way, she had Dillon to thank. Because of him, so many possibilities were open.

She looked around at the buildings. To the humans, they were strongholds, but to her, they were made of glass. Perhaps she could break one... or two... or more. No, not yet. First, she would humiliate the Ackermans, especially Levi. Then, she would use her powers to destroy the Female Titan once and for all. Oh, the look on the little girl's face would be perfect. Finally, Dillon would watch as she kills the woman he loves before succumbing to her fate... after a few days of fun, of course.

She grit her teeth as the voices continued shouting in her mind, her smile fading as they spiked from people reacting to the situation around them. She could barely think now, and she felt like she was being inflicted by the mother of all migraines. Her focus was so off from the sudden jolt that she unceremoniously crashed on top of a flat roof, prompting Levi and Mikasa to attempt to go in for the kill. The key word being "attempt" because a large blast promptly threw them off, though they managed to grapple onto the house in time.

"Damn leg," Levi muttered with a grimace as he was forced to put weight on it.

"Captain?" Mikasa asked, concerned.

"Don't worry about me," he stated. "We have a job to do."

The ground shook violently as the Female Titan passed by them, going straight for the Psion. Elise leapt off the roof, barely dodging a giant hand that swiped at her. A punch would've been faster, but unless she could get her into a flat landscape, going all out was out of the question. The civilians were running and screaming at the sight of her once again, but she just ignored them and moved on, making sure not to accidentally crush someone. Last thing she needed was more innocent blood on her hands.

With Annie holding herself back and the Ackermans struggling to catch up, Elise should have had a clear shot out of Stohess. However, she was continuously losing focus, which was evident by the way she nearly hit the ground after screaming in pain. That gave Annie time to catch up and grab the cable, pulling her back towards her. Before she could turn Elise into a blood splatter, the Psion launched two blasts. One hit Annie's face and caused her to stagger back. The other broke off her fingers, freeing her.

The momentum of the pull, however, carried her towards a rooftop which she fell onto rather harshly. Seizing the advantage, Annie lunged at her, putting all her strength into her punch. Elise held it back with her powers, which pushed her far beyond her normal limits, collapsing to her knees as she focused all her energy into keeping herself alive. With her abilities fluctuating, her bleeding as constant as ever, and the roof starting to cave under the weight, Elise realized that if she didn't do something fast, she would die.

Then, an idea came to her. Glancing to her right, she saw a huge cluster of civilians watching the fight behind a five-story tall statue of the King. It was perfect. Concentrating as best as she could, Elise targeted the base and caused it to explode, scattering the screaming civilians and making the statue start to collapse.

"Me or them, little girl!" Elise taunted as the first nearly reached her.

Seeing what she had done, Annie snarled and released her, running towards the falling sculpture. Pieces of the structure plummeted towards the civilians, further injuring and even killing those who were unable to escape due to their injuries. However, the Female Titan soon arrived and grabbed hold of the statue, hardening her hands to get a better grip on it. She planted her feet, doing her damndest to keep it from collapsing. Most of the civilians continued to run to a safe distance, but a few idiots just stood there watching. She glared at them and let out a brief roar, making them dash off in terror, helping their fellows as best they could. Once the last of them were gone, she carefully lowered the statue to the ground, parts of it breaking off. She made a mental note to help fix it later, but she had a psycho to kill first.

Elise managed to make it to the Wall itself. She was running low on gas, but she was confident that she had enough to climb it. She looked back and saw the Ackermans hot on her trail again. Irritated, she broke off pieces of the Wall, surprised at her own strength, and started lobbing them at the duo. Levi and Mikasa split off, dodging the debris that crashed into various buildings. Thinking fast, Levi pulled out his flare gun and fired a delayed acoustic round next to her head, the round detonating right in front of her. Elise cried out in agony, her focus completely thrown off as the pieces she was holding in her mental grip crashed to the ground. That one action gave Mikasa enough time to get close enough to sever both her lines, causing the psychopath to fall. As she plummeted to the ground, she launched yet another blast that helped slow her descent, making the lander smoother than it would have been, though still painful.

Levi was on her in an instant, slashing out her. A quick flash of the eyes caused his blades to detach from the hilts, but before she could do anything with the blades, Levi quickly slammed her headfirst into the Wall. Her powers prevented the attack from doing that much damage. She kicked his fractured leg, causing him to stumble, and delivered a sharp hook to his face. Mikasa landed shortly thereafter only to be blasted into a house alongside Levi. For now, the two were out of the fight.

The ground began shaking once more, and Elise was ready and practically drooling as Annie rounded a corner that finally put Elise back in her line of sight.

"You won't leave here alive, Titan," the Psion snarled, looking completely deranged.

"Yet, I'm still more human than you," the shifter growled back, taking her stance.

Eyes narrowing in rage, Elise charged at Annie and launched a blast that sent her back several meters, but she hardened her feet to keep herself from stumbling. Deciding to throw off her concentration, Annie swiped the roof with a hardened arm, turning it into debris that plummeted towards the woman. Elise barely dodged the pieces while levitating four blades to her side thanks to the Ackermans' ODM gear. Annie covered her nape quickly and stomped the ground, making her stumble. With a roar, she curled her hand into a fist and brought it down towards her. Ever the athlete, Elise dove forward, getting under Annie before moving agilely behind her, and made two of the blades cut open her Achilles' heels. The Female Titan cried out in pain as she crashed to the ground.

Then, Elise started to laugh. This was it. This was the moment where she would finally kill this freak of nature. The Psion jumped on Annie's back and moved the four blades to her spine, repeatedly cutting into it as she walked up her back. More screams came from the Shifter as felt herself unable to move. However, she was still able to crystallize her nape and protect herself.

"You think that pathetic diamond will save you from me!?" Elise cackled as she approached the nape. "I'm a Psion, and you beasts were meant to die by my hand!"

Her eyes glowed as she targeted Annie herself. The blonde gasped as she felt the nape starting to tear away from her. She concentrated on trying to keep it from shattering, but her strength was waning.

"Come on out, little girl!" Elise taunted as the crystal began to crack. "Come out and play!"

Almost as if by providence, an invisible force threw the Psion off of Annie and onto the ground in front of her. Elise looked up and saw Dillon jump from the roof of a house and land between Annie and Elise. He tossed the ODM gear aside and glared directly at her, stalking forward. He didn't say anything, not even a threat, but there was murder in his eyes.

Usually, this would be the moment where Elise would deliver some sort of taunt or insult, but not today. Her eyes began glowing as she began to levitate Dillon in the air while choking him. It would take a few seconds, but she would kill him. However, he didn't give her the chance as he launched a mental attack directly onto the damaged blocks, causing her to let out a pained shout. Her focus lost, Dillon landed safely on the ground. Growling, Elise prepared for another attack, but Dillon was too quick, striking her internal wounds like a snake. She couldn't concentrate, which was exactly the advantage that Dillon needed, and he capitalized on it in a heartbeat.

He landed a haymaker that made her stagger back. She tried to punch him, but he grabbed her wrist and spun his body, causing his elbow to smash into her face. As she clutched her fractured nose, Dillon performed a high kick that caught her right in the jaw. She continued to stumble back as he punched her in the face over and over and over and refused to let up. He grabbed her by the shoulders and kneed her in the gut three times, breaking her ribs on the third. Elise had the wind knocked out of her as a result and started gasping for air just as his fist collided with her cheek. She fell to her knees, and yet, she still stood back up, ready to launch the most powerful attack she could. However, Dillon's eyes glowed as he lifted his leg. With great speed, he thrust it out and hit Elise's knee, resulting in a sickening snap.

Elise let out a bloodcurdling scream as she fell to the ground. Her leg was bent at an odd angle, and was already beginning to swell. Her scream was short lived as she began coughing harshly, blood pouring from her mouth, though her pained groans remained.

As the adrenaline rush started dying down, Dillon stalked over to her fallen form and pulled her up by her collar, glaring into her eyes. "You brought this upon yourself, Elise," he finally growled. "I don't mean just tormenting and torturing me and the people I love to piss me and everyone else off, but you couldn't bring yourself to finish it. You could've killed us at any time, yet you chose to treat us as your toys. Sure, we'll break, but we'll always get fixed and ready to go for another round with you. You fought to have fun... but I fight to win, and that's why you're lying here choking on your own blood. In hindsight, it's pathetic, isn't it?"

For once, she gave him the reaction he wanted her to have: fear. He could see it in her eyes. He didn't know what she was afraid of. Maybe she was afraid of him, or maybe she was afraid to die, but the reason didn't matter. Not anymore.

He let her go and his eyes started glowing as he raised a piece of debris over her head. It was time to finish it.

"Dillon, stop!"

He froze in his place as he slowly turned to Annie, whose wounds were almost healed. She stared at him, shocked at how brutal he was and worried about what he might do next. "What did you say?" he asked.

"Stop," she repeatedly softly.

Dillon couldn't understand it. Elise had taken so much from them, and Annie wanted her to be spared after all that? He looked down at the Psion, who was still looking at him weakly. It would be so easy to kill her. With the power he held, he could punch a hole right in her head. He wanted to kill her so badly…

"Dillon... I don't want you ending up like her... or me."

That plea slowly, but surely, brought him out of his rage. He stared down at the woman, remembering why she came here: revenge. So many people had died in pursuit of it, and even then, she still wasn't satisfied. Revenge would feel so good for a moment, but it would only be for a moment.

Heaving a sigh, he tossed the debris, letting it hit the ground.

"Thank you," Annie said, relieved.

He would've responded to her, but gargled, raspy laughing sounded from Elise, which quickly turned to coughing. Despite the serious injuries she obtained, she still had the strength to laugh.

"After... all this time... you don't even have the guts..." She chuckled, even managing a grin and showing her teeth stained with blood.

Letting out a low growl, Annie gently pushed Dillon out of the way as she rose to her full fourteen-meter height, easily towering over her.

"Oh... you want the honor... yourself?" Elise realized.

She shook her head, crystalizing her sole. "Don't flatter yourself."

"I see. Killing me so he doesn't have to. How romantic." Still grinning, Elise turned her head to the young Psion. "Enjoy the show, Dillon."

"Dillon, look away," Annie ordered.

Backing up, he turned around and closed his eyes, waiting for the inevitable. Satisfied, Annie raised her foot over Elise' body.

Naturally, Elise faced her impending demise with a taunt. "I'll say hi to Mommy for-."

She cut her off with a single, swift stomp, the enormous weight turning Elise into crushed slab of meat and blood. Moving her foot to grind it into the now dented ground, Annie let out an exhausted sigh. "It's over."

Slowly, Dillon faced Annie, doing whatever he could to not stare at the bloodstain that was once Elise. "Are you... all right?" he asked hesitantly.

She nodded. "I'm fine, but the better question is if you're all right."

"I'm tired, need to get patched up in a few places, and my head's killing me, but I'll live."

"You know that's not what I meant," Annie stated, giving him a pointed look.

Panting from tiredness, he stared at his hands, thinking about how close he was to doing something so gruesome to Elise. He wanted to do it so badly and if he did, he would've... enjoyed it. He was enjoying the thrashing he delivered unto her. He stared at the reflection in a shard of glass, seeing the blood on his face and finally noticing how animalistic he looked. "I... I wanted to make her pay for what she did, and I... I..." He couldn't even finish.

"I know." Annie kneeled down and took him into her hands before gently pressing him against her cheek. "I know you did... but it's over now."

He wrapped his arms around her in the best hug he could manage and rested his cheek against hers, closing his eyes. She could feel his immense relief through their bond that it had finally ended, that Elise was gone.

The people of Stohess slowly started to return to the streets, staring at the Female Titan with shock. Last time, she and Eren leveled the city with their fight, but now, she made a conscious effort to save lives. The majority was still fearful of her presence, but some began to feel a bit conflicted. After all, she prevented a lot of civilians from getting killed by that falling statue.

Slowly, Mikasa and Levi stepped out of the house they crashed into, the former helping Levi walk. His leg was aggravated by the all the action, and he was paying for it.

"Decent job cutting the lines," Levi complemented.

"Thank you, Captain," Mikasa replied. "I'm impressed you were able to hold out as long as you did."

"I'm an Ackerman, Mikasa," he stated. "It's in our blood to persevere."

She nodded in agreement, looking over at the tender moment Annie and Dillon were sharing. "They're really something, aren't they?"

"... I'm not gonna tell you how to live your life, but if I were you... I would tell Eren how you really feel," he advised.

She gave him a surprised look, a faint blush crossing her face. "What?"

"No one lives forever," he told her. "Especially if you're a Scout."

"Captain!" a familiar voice called out.

Levi looked over and saw a worried Hanji landing close to them. "Did you get her out?"

She nodded grimly. "We did, and your Squad is currently escorting her to the hospital here by carriage."

"How bad is it?"

"... She's in a coma."

"Damn it," Levi swore.

"What about Elise?" she wondered.

"She's currently decorating the cobblestone with her blood," he stated bluntly. "Unless she has regeneration abilities greater than the Titans, she won't be coming back."

"All things considered, let's not tempt fate," Hanji advised.

He glanced over at her. "Who are you, and what have you done with the real Hanji?"

He promptly earned a swift, soft knee to his wounded leg, a gentle reminder of what the 'real' Hanji would normally do.

Up ahead, Jean made his return and landed on a house across from Annie. "Hope I'm not interrupting anything," he said, looking undeniably smug.

Dillon let out an annoyed sigh before turning to face his best friend. "The irony is not lost on me, Jean."

"Whatever happened to 'it was a one-time thing?'" he questioned, not letting this chance of giving Dillon a hard time slip away. "Couldn't resist the only good-looking Titan in the world, could you?"

"Jean, before I bury you next to Elise, why don't you bring us up to speed on Matthew?" Annie suggested.

"He's stable," Jean assured. "It'll take a bit for him to recover, but he'll live."

Dillon breathed a sigh of relief. "Thank God. I'm gonna go check... on..." His eyes widened in horror. "What the hell!?"

Annie was confused by his reaction until she followed his gaze towards the Wall and her jaw dropped. "Somehow… they completely slipped my mind…"


AN: At long last, this arc has come to an end, and we are finally following the main storyline once more in the next chapter. Special thanks to Steel, my hardworking editor who had to deal with a huge amount of rewrites during this segment.

If there was a theme that was central to this arc, it would be closure. The three things Dillon needed to put behind him were his fear of the Female Titan, dealing with the revelation of who his parents are, and his guilt for what happened in Stohess. I was worried that I was riding the angst train a little too long at certain points, but considering all the stuff he had gone through, I believed it was necessary.

So, about Elise… I had a blast writing her. It was like writing a genderbent Joker. I received a few complaints as to the fact that she was a bit overpowered, and I'll respond with this: that was the point. What you saw is how powerful a Psion can become. After all, they were meant to replace the Titans. Because of Elise, so many possibilities have opened as to what Dillon could do in the future and how strong he could become. I'm hoping her defeat was a smart defeat and not a cop-out or a deus ex machina.

All in all, I enjoyed writing this arc tremendously, and I hope you all enjoyed reading it. As always, please leave your thoughts in the reviews, and I look forward to seeing you guys in… the Clash of the Titans Arc!