Chapter 2: Into Battle
Kousei's brow dripped with sweat that stained his shirt and shorts as his fingers danced along the keys of the Bosendorfer grand piano. He squinted his eyes behind the lens of his glasses and frowned in concentration. So far, so good. He'd made it through about five pages without a mistake. A time signature change was coming up…
His fingers slipped and botched the broken chord progression that ascended from the bass clef back into the treble.
Kousei cursed himself. "All these years of playing and I still mess up every time a composer throws one of those in there!"
The Watcher, however, was less critical of the young pianist, and just smiled.
"You play most wonderfully, Arima," the celestial being praised. "It's no mystery how you won Kaori's heart at only five years old, even if by accident."
Kousei chuckled, gazing at the precious photo he'd perched by the sheet music of five-year-old him photobombing Kaori at the piano competition all those years ago. "Yeah…thanks."
"So, what piece did you select?" The Watcher inquired.
"Piano Sonata H.160 by Frank Bridge," Kousei answered. "Apparently he was a British pacifist composer that wrote this piece in response to his country entering World War I."
"I'm sure Captain Carter will approve," The Watcher joked.
"I've never played a piece from this composer before, believe it or not," Kousei recalled. "My mother mostly had Classical and Romantic repertoire. Rachmaninoff, Schumann, Handel, Pachelbel…but not many Modern era pieces."
Though The Watcher had been a witness to this very history Arima enthusiastically described—across multiple timelines at that—he did not chide nor interrupt Kousei as he happily recounted details of what he loved most.
"He's been through enough pain and sorrow," The Watcher thought to himself. "It's good to see him in high spirits before the next phase of the mission begins."
"I hope you don't mind having to listen to this multiple times…it's going to end up being about thirty minutes long!" Kousei told The Watcher sheepishly.
The Watcher laughed. "Don't worry my friend. I've heard this song played across multiple universes sure, but no one plays it nearly as authentically as you."
Kousei smiled shyly. This alien had come out of nowhere, enlisted his help in a mission to foil the plans of a would-be inter-dimensional conqueror, and now The Watcher claimed no one across the entire multiverse played the piano like him?
Yeesh. If only his mother could be here now to see the fruits of what she'd taught him during their time together…
"Is everyone else doing okay?" Kousei asked, changing the subject.
"They'll do their part just fine," The Watcher assured him. "In the meantime, you best keep practicing."
…
"This may hurt a little," Doctor Strange warned.
"Would you just get it over with already?" Captain Levi wheezed, clutching his broken ribs.
Doctor Strange did just that, waving the Healing Spell all over the battered captain's body. In an instant, Levi's lost fingers were back, his bones were healed, and his bandages and stiches fell off.
This wonderful change, however, did not come without some side effects.
"GAAAAHHHHH!" Levi growled, clenching his newly completed fists. He gritted his teeth and breathed in and out evenly, controlling his urge to scream. Soon enough, the pain ebbed, and the mighty Ackerman was returned to full strength.
"Wait!" Jean spoke up. "There were still a bunch of Pure Titans in Shiganshina when you transported us here! What about our comrades still over there?"
To put the Scout's mind at ease, Doctor Strange waved his hands and formed a window in midair that provided Jean with a view of what was presently occurring in Shiganshina. Jean was relieved to see that Commandant Shadis had emerged from his cell and was currently leading the troops to a victory over the brutes that were once their friends.
Around Levi, the newly formed Guardians assembled by the Watcher stood and watched as the sorcerer worked his magic. Armin, Jean, Connie, Hange, Gabi, Falco (now the Jaw Titan), General Magath and Annie Leonhart had been pulled onto the team as well by Doctor Strange per Mikasa's request. The Guardians such as alternate Eren and Reiner, Omni Man, Captain Carter and the others were grateful to have more allies on their mission.
The six Scouts and the four Marleyans, though, were a different story.
"So, you're the mighty Levi Ackerman, huh?" Theo Magath growled. "Enough speed, strength and agility to rival just one of the Nine all by yourself. Tell me, do you suppose you can dodge the bullet I'll shoot once this battle is over?"
"Want to find out?" Levi glared back.
"Alright, enough!" Hange snapped. "An army of Colossal Titans and mechanical soldiers we've never seen before are about to commit the bloodiest genocide our world has ever seen! There won't be any ore left to make more bullets if we can't even unite against this in the first place!"
"I don't understand," Zola's Ultron drone said. "I'm sensing quite a lot of tension from the eight of you, but why should there be an ounce of disagreement over a blatantly common goal?"
"You trying to broker peace? That's rich," Widow muttered under her breath.
"Is there a Burger Mart in this universe?" Invincible offered. "We could maybe talk our differences out over a meal? Then again, the Burger Mart in this universe might also have rats in the mayonnaise."
The group was silent for a while as Hange's modest campfire flickered.
"Well, who wants to talk first?" Jean dared. "You were just trying to save the world from devils, right Annie and Magath? Surely these strangers pulled from other universes are just dying to know!"
"Oh don't you DARE try and be magnanimous victims, you island swine!" Magath retorted. "You can't claim to not be devils when the very fears of the world have come true!"
"And you can't claim to not be a devil when it was under your leadership the Warriors and I were sent here in the first place," Annie's voice spoke.
Magath was taken aback. This was the first time any personnel under his command had talked back to him. He locked eyes with Annie, wanting to reprimand her, but as he looked into her bitter, resentful, colorless gaze his face went pale.
The fact that she held up her already bloodied hand threatening to transform didn't help.
"Hey, take it easy Annie!" Reiner said. "If you transform now, you'll—!"
"Kill almost everyone here?" Annie glared. "Yeah, I know."
"Actually, my dad and I would probably be just fine," Invincible shrugged. Omni Man gently but firmly elbowed his son.
"Not the time to brag about that, Mark," he whispered from the corner of his mouth.
"You may be from another universe, but don't assume I'll just trust you instantly!" Annie spat at Reiner bitterly. "It was YOU who pushed us to breach the wall after Marcel perished! It was YOU who breached the Inner Gate of Wall Maria and ordered Bertholdt to breach Wall Rose! It was YOU who insisted we kill Marco to ensure our cover was not blown! It was YOU who—!"
Her voice trailed off as she forced herself to maintain composure lest she ignite an already tense situation. However, Connie had more than a few things to say and made sure they did not go unheard.
"Eren wouldn't even be in the state he is right now if you pieces of garbage hadn't breached the wall so a Titan ate his mom!" Connie argued. "You spent a century trying to extinguish us with your Titans, our own people, and somehow we're in the wrong because we fought back?!"
"Yup. That's exactly right," Magath said stoically. "And now you devils will get the whole entire world to yourselves."
"Guys, please! Stop fighting!" Falco begged. "We're lucky enough to all even be here in one piece as it is!"
Star Lord T'Challa cringed. "Good gracious, my own universe had its share of prejudice, but this? This is really bad."
"Calm down now, Connie and Jean," Hange said peacefully. "The General is just confused because we're actively trying to stand against Eren, instead of rejoicing. Saving the lives of people who shouted for our blood only months ago? What kind of devil does such a preposterous thing?"
"Well, our guests from the other worlds probably aren't helping much either," Armin said lightheartedly.
"And that's another thing!" Gabi interjected. "Who even are all these people? Where did you all come from and why are you here?!"
"I'll explain!" Doctor Strange said, stepping forward and motioning for the other fighters to be quiet les they drown out and interrupt one another with their own explanations. Looking at Annie and Magath, he conjured up a diagram with his magic so they could follow along.
"I am Doctor Stephen Strange, Sorcerer Supreme," he began. "Annie, Magath, Gabi, Falco, Armin, Jean, Connie, Levi, Hange, and Mikasa: you are all on this timeline."
As the sorcerer spoke, he drew one singular orange line that hovered in midair.
"The other people you see here, myself included, come from different timelines throughout the multiverse." Doctor Strange revealed, drawing separate orange lines that split off from the first. "That is why the Eren and Reiner you see here are confused and know nothing of the events you speak of. In their timeline, their world didn't fall under threat of this Rumbling let alone Dr. Doom."
He paused and gestured to Black Widow and Arnim Zola.
"Dr. Doom is an enemy from their timeline who discovered how to gain access to the multiverse and came here to your world when he saw the power of Eren Yeager. Or another version of him, that is."
The four Marleyans and six Scouts were silent, processing this information as best they could.
"So…beyond the walls, there isn't just a whole world, but even universes beyond our own?" Hange said in amazement. Her eyes possessed a mischievous glint, as she recalled her simpler past as a researcher. "I could spend an eternity studying this."
"It's not a fun as it sounds," Doctor Strange laughed.
"Hmph. Turns out the Marleyans kept more than just the world from us," Jean muttered under his breath.
"We knew nothing of this so-called multiverse either, Jean," Annie said.
"Guess there must be an alternate world somewhere where you devils are allowed to rule and breed as much as you please," Magath said scornfully.
T'Challa scowled at the Marleyan General. "Where I come from, history has not dealt kindly with those who deemed people less than human simply because of their race."
"Alright, ENOUGH!" Avatar Aang shouted, stepping forward into the circle. His eyes momentarily glowing white and his fists burning with fire. Everyone jumped back, startled, Magath most of all. Was this man a titan shifter with different abilities, able to fight in human form via control of the elements?
But no; Aang stood still for a moment as he let his Avatar State calm down, and looked all eight of the bickering, squabbling natives of this world in the eye.
"Want me to silence your bickering for good?!" Avatar Korra threatened, breathing in deeply to ready a combustion bending blast.
"Please, Korra. Let me handle this." Aang said. Folding his hands together, he took a deep breath and did what he did best.
Be a voice of reason and peace in the midst of turmoil.
"All eight of you have wronged the other party in some way or another," Aang said. "Scouts, you've taken the lives of not just some of the nine, but also many of the troops under Magath's command." He then turned to Magath. "But General, those troops under your command, such as Gabi and Annie, claimed the lives of multiple of their comrades. Captain Levi's first squad, slain at the hands of Annie! Levi and Hange's senior commander, Commander Erwin, slaughtered with his men by Zeke as they gave their last gasp for their nation! Their ancestors may have been devils in the past, but you are all devils of the present! Can you honestly claim you are innocent?!"
Annie, Gabi, and Falco simply took in those hard truths with silence, their faces bearing shame and guilt. Magath, for his part, found he stared the ugly reality in the face as he stared at this man with blue arrow tattoos and maroon robe. Though his face didn't show it, Magath was a penitent man on the inside.
Aang was simply stating what he'd been ignoring in his conscience for too long.
"Both of you keep trying to pin the blame for Eren's actions on the other side, but you must realize that both of you are equally guilty!" Aang declared. "You both chose to continue the wars and hatred from the past without even attempting diplomacy! Armin, did you and your friends try to extract your friend before his assassination attempt on Marley's leader? Or did you want him to at least succeed in that first so you'd have an advantage over your enemy?"
Armin and his compatriots were silent. They didn't have a rebuttal after all. Aang then turned to Gabi, Falco, Annie and Magath. Seeing the faces of the two children full of sorrow pained his heart. The Avatar knelt down to talk with Gabi on her level and placed a consoling hand on her shoulder.
"Gabi, how did you respond when Eren's now former comrades came to save him, defending him against lawful enemy combatants?" Aang said gently but firmly. "What course of action did you take even after the fighting was over?"
Gabi was silent, the tears beginning to flow as she remembered the horrified faces of Sasha's comrades upon seeing her bullet pierce the armor on her chest.
"I…I killed their friend in revenge," she said softly.
"But…I didn't do enough to stop her!" Falco said, trying to come to the aid of the girl he loved.
"Stop it. Both of you." Magath chimed in. Aang stood up and looked the contrite General in the eye. Magath steeled his expression, which, though still quite stoic, was beginning to soften and show grief for his actions. Straightening his shoulders, he looked the group in the face and told them the truth.
"Gabi, Annie, and others in their position only did what they did because people at my level repeatedly told them they had to," he announced. "We told them that the only way they could ever hope to be more than a devil was to be a subservient slave. And in so doing, we've brought about our well-deserved destruction."
Avatar Korra didn't admit it, but she was having trouble processing this course Aang had taken. Peace with one's enemy? Forming an alliance from those who used to be enemies? Zaheer and the Red Lotus had never taught her as such. Had her mentors been here, they'd most likely be siding with this Eren Yeager in favor of his Rumbling destroying all borders and oppressive governments.
Then again, they'd also never told her details about her hometown in the Southern Water Tribe let alone what really happened to her parents…so in the moment she was beginning to reconsider her trust in them.
"Hange, Captain Levi, Jean, Connie, Armin, Mikasa," Magath continued. "I ignored my conscience for too long and refused to admit the truth that I was just as wretched as Marley was for their prejudice against you. It's wrong for you to experience unnecessary hatred for the actions of those who lived millennia ago, just because your blood is the same as theirs."
He then turned to Annie, Falco, and Gabi.
"Annie, Falco, Gabi," he said. "I made all of you feel as though the approval of myself and this godforsaken world was all that mattered. I never stood up on your behalf and stole your childhoods from you by pushing all of Marley's self-righteous bulls**t onto you. You've been forced to shoulder the burden of a debt you can't pay. And that's beyond inexcusable. Now, Eren and this new Dr. Doom fellow have made themselves a common menace to all. If they erase all of civilization, no one will be left to pass down the lessons of our bloodstained history."
Magath looked at Hange, Levi, and the other Scouts. And this time, instead of spouting some callous insults or slurs, he did something that surprised the entire group.
He bowed.
"I know it's too little too late," Magath said with his face to the ground. "And I know you I'm the last person you want to fight alongside. If you refuse, I understand. But please, I ask, look away while we use one last continuation of violence to put an end to Eren's madness. I beg you!"
There was a shocked, empathetic silence in the group for a moment before it was broken by Armin.
"I refuse, General," Armin said. "I will not sit back comfortably while someone else dirties their hands."
Magath rose from his bow, the burden on his conscience alleviated and his guilt lessened. Though he did not say it, the General was more than grateful for Armin's nobility and willingness to fight with one who was a foe less than an hour ago.
"Please stop with the groveling over past sins already," Levi said in mock disgust. "Good grief."
"Great! So, I think we can all handle this situation like good chaps and ladies now?" Captain Carter said cheerfully.
"Wait," Mikasa spoke up. All heads turned to her. She eyed Doctor Strange with an understanding yet desperate look.
"We're actually going to kill Eren, right?" she said. "There's no way around that is there?"
Armin put his hand on her shoulder. "Mikasa…I'm sorry, but the Eren we knew, in this timeline at least, is gone. Even I don't see any way how we can persuade him. And you'll just have to—"
"Then fine," Mikasa cut him off. "Just put me on the other front of battle where Eren is not. That way I won't be the reason one of you hesitates."
Captain Carter sympathized with the Ackerman warrior. After all, if she herself had ever been in a position where she needed to kill Steve Rogers, would she be willing to do it so easily?
"Guess she loves you even in this timeline, ay Eren?" Reiner whispered to the other Eren, teasing him.
"Oh lay off, you knucklehead," Eren hissed angrily. "Not like that helps our situation."
"Dr. Doom will no doubt send ahead his legion of Doombots ahead to Marley once you two stall the Colossal Titans," Strange predicted, pointing to Avatars Korra and Aang. "That being said: Omni Man, Invincible, Korra, Aang, Captain Carter, Eren, Annie, Levi and Reiner: you're with me. Black Widow, Zola, T'Challa, Armin, Mikasa, Jean, Connie, Falco, Magath, Hange: you'll all be on Marley's coast, rallying the defense against Doom's mechanical hordes. Gabi, I'll put you in Liberio: try to help with the evacuation as best you can."
"Wait, why am I in the fighting group?" Falco asked.
"Um, kid?" Connie said. "You're the Jaw Titan now."
"Oh…so I guess Galliard was the one who gave himself up for me after Zeke screamed." Falco said sadly.
"Wait," Annie spoke up. "We're just going to throw Falco into battle with no experience using his Titan powers? With the exception of Bertholdt, the first transformation is always disastrous."
"Give us a moment," Strange Supreme replied. Opening a portal with his sling ring, he beckoned for Falco to follow him through. The sorcerer and the new Marleyan warrior disappeared for a few moments, then reemerged from another orange portal. To Annie's surprise, Falco was not unconscious despite having just transformed the first time. Then, she noticed the glowing green gem on the sorcerer's necklace.
"The Time Stone has come in handy more than once," Strange Supreme said lightheartedly.
"Alright, now are we good to go?" Black Widow said somewhat impatiently.
Doctor Strange began waving his arms and shot weird orange hieroglyphs at everyone in the group. A strange, warm sensation covered their bodies as a transparent glowing layer of orange appeared over them then disappeared.
"Protection spell. Thank me later." Strange said as he began moving his sling ring. "Now everyone get ready."
Meanwhile, Dr. Doom still sat on his comfortable perch atop the Founding Titan's left shoulder, his dark green cape flapping behind him and his armor glistening from the sunset. The power of the Infinity Stones surged through his body, and the Latverian despot reveled in his victory. Once the Founder had annihilated all other resistance in this world, the island would become Doom's main base of operations as he conquered the multiverse. Granted, he'd still need the Founder for a time to control this army of Colossal Titans…but that was a small price to pay for a new army that could flatten everything in its path.
Then, Dr. Doom heard another layer of quacking on top the quaking already happening and was confused. How was it possible to be hearing a separate rumbling on top of the one already happening?
"Are these Colossal Titans really just that loud?" Dr. Doom wondered.
As Dr. Doom looked behind him to survey their surroundings, he saw the endless line of Colossal Titans stretching behind him and Eren, who had also ceased his walking by now. Doom breathed a sigh of relief; his ears had just been playing tricks on him. Nothing more.
Suddenly, an enormous ravine opened up…right under the feet of at least a fifth of the Colossal Titans! A pool of lava formed simultaneously with the ravine's formation, and a huge chunk of Dr. Doom's prospective army disappeared in a fiery blaze of steaming Colossal limbs, heads, and torsos. A small figure that in the distance that looked to be a dark-skinned girl with glowing white eyes flew alongside the now defeated beasts, waving her hands in frantic motions that Doom guessed was her controlling the elements. Dr. Doom's heart filled with fury; what kind of treachery was this?!
As if that wasn't bad enough, he heard the same sound coming from the right side and turned to see the same thing occur to another fifth of Colossal Titans! The cloud of vapor that ensued from the steaming giants being disintegrated in lava engulfed the entire battlefield in seconds. Dr. Doom would not be outsmarted so easily; he clenched his fist and used the power of the Reality Stone to clear the steam. Doom and the Founder still had three fifths of their army left. This unexpected occurrence was merely a setback, nothing more.
But then, he heard a loud growling in from in front, and looked to see a man with dark hair dressed in a red cloak flying equal to the height of Eren's eyes! Only two hundred meters away from them! Before Doom could react, three huge dragon heads materialized from the man's body and extended their long necks towards the legions of Colossal Titans. The trio of dragon heads screamed out with a mighty rage as they spewed forth fire from their mouths that consumed the napes of thousands upon thousands of Colossal Titans. By now, Doom was starting to get nervous.
"This must be the Sorcerer Supreme!" Doom deduced. "But…how?! In my timeline he hadn't even shown up yet!"
Doom was not about to let this lone wizard mess up his plans and shot his clenched fist forward to channel the Power Stone's energy. A powerful bolt of purple lightning sped towards Doctor Strange, and the sorcerer scarcely had time to increase his protection spell as the energy blast struck his magic shield at full force. Though Strange's shield took most of the attack, the blow sent him flying backwards another eight hundred meters, and he lost control for a moment before the Cloak of Levitation restabilized his flight.
The Founder was equally furious; what enemy of Paradis dared to stand in his way now?! And how did they possibly think they could take on all of his Colossal Titans and win?!
As if on cue to his question, Yeager heard more loud booms and looked down to see what looked to be like two wasps darting in between the remaining Colossal Titans faster than his eyes could see. One insect appeared to be leaving a red and white trail, while the other left a blue and gold trail plus had a slightly sloppier flight pattern.
It was the two Viltrumites—Invincible and his father Omni Man—finishing off the last few ranks of titans.
Both Dr. Doom and the Founding Titan were frozen by a mix of fear, anger, and malice. In just a matter of seconds, their living Standing still, the tyrannical duo watched as Strange Supreme descended to the ground and opened up five more orange circles behind him. From out of those circles came Captain Carter, Captain Levi, and then…
Inside the Founding Titan, Yeager's face contorted into an expression of furious confusion.
What the hell was Reiner Braun doing standing in front of him alive and whole?!
And another version of himself?! Both of whom wore the signature uniforms of the Survey Corps? And Annie Leonhart was somehow with them?!
What on earth was this?!
Doom was equally befuddled. He gathered that the two in the fancy-colored costumes were also heroes, but why had he never seen them before in his universe?
Strange Supreme stood boldly in the center, with the two Viltrumite heroes on his right and the two Avatars on his left. Captains Levi and Carter stood behind the elemental masters while Reiner, Annie and (other) Eren backed up the Viltrumites.
Strange Supreme looked Dr. Doom directly in his mask.
"Victor von Doom!" his voice boomed. "You have violated the boundaries of space, time, and reality itself! You have committed an unforgivable act in trying to destroy The Watcher, and now you must face the just punishment for your crimes against the multiverse! If you surrender now, we will not take your life! This will be my only offer of mercy!"
Dr. Doom said nothing for a moment. Then he just laughed.
"You pitiful little fools!" Doom howled back. "Thinking I will just yield to you without a fight! Did you not think I would not persist if the army of Colossal Titans was taken from me?!"
Reaching out his left hand this time, Dr. Doom activated the Reality Stone and suddenly created a new army of the fiendish Doom Bots. Hundreds of thousands of them rose from the still steaming remains of the Colossal Titans, their dark green eyes glowing and their weapons already primed. Then, Dr. Doom gave his fateful order.
"Fly forth, my army!" he commanded in his loud, arrogant voice. "Destroy Marley and the neighboring nations! The Founder and I will deal with these insects ourselves!"
A smile flickered across Strange Supreme's face. Good; exactly what he'd hoped.
He keyed the small extra earpiece T'Challa had given him earlier.
"Yup. They're coming for ya, Star Lord," the sorcerer warned.
…
"There you have it!" General Magath barked to the guards in Liberio as T'Challa broadcasted the warning with his data pad. "Now get these people evacuated and send an alert to the coastal defenses! NOW!"
The two four Marleyan guards were beyond stunned by now, but they knew better than to disobey an order from their Commanding General. An order he'd now had to repeat no less.
"Sir, yes sir!" they said in unison, frantically unlocking the internment zone's heavy metal gate.
"Everyone, stay in your designated groups!" Gabi screamed behind him. "Wait for the rest of the Marleyan escorts before you start moving out! If there's something you absolutely need that you forgot to grab, get it now!"
Meanwhile at the coast, Black Widow, Zola, Armin, Mikasa, Jean, Connie, Falco, and Hange were busy trying to explain the appearance of these new strangers from other universes plus warn about the Rumbling that was on its way right now.
"You lying devil!" the insolent Marleyan Major growled at Hange. "Why should I believe a single word that comes out of your mouths?! It was all of you who let your precious Eren Yeager destroy Liberio not too long ago!"
Connie facepalmed. "Doctor Strange literally used his powers to show you the very events we're telling you about. Good grief, and I thought I was an idiot."
"What reason do we have to lie?!" Mikasa yelled. "The Founder's new ally Dr. Doom is a threat to us as well as you! Why would we come here to warn you about him if we wanted you gone?!"
"I myself can vouch for them!" Falco added. "I was turned into a titan when the Beast screamed during the battle, and now I'm the Jaw due to Galliard's sacrifice! The Founder and Dr. Doom will destroy us all if we don't stop them here!"
"Warrior or not, you're still a devil you brat!" the Major retorted.
Just then, the radio in the shack beeped and crackled. The soldiers sitting at the radio nodded, gasped, then promised the sender of the alert they would notify the Major immediately.
The impatient officer swung around. "What is it now, blast it?!"
The soldiers manning the radio looked at their superior with a fearful stare.
"It's General Magath, sir," the soldier said. "He says to ready the land defenses immediately and notify the global fleet that Dr. Doom's army is on its way. He also said anyone who disobeys this order will face court martial and the same treatment Marley gives to Eldians, sir."
The Major stood there for a second, a look of frustration and wounded pride frozen on his face. Visual confirmation from a powerful sorcerer, the vouching of a Marleyan candidate turned warrior, and the backing of his own Commanding General?
Perhaps there was indeed some merit to the story of these Eldian Scouts after all.
"Put the batteries at full alert!" the Major barked. "Send the call out to the Admiral of the global fleet to put all hands at battle stations! If the five airships that returned are fixed, get them in the air!"
"Yes sir!" the soldiers chorused, frantically punching buttons and turning dials.
The Major sighed. "Very well then. I supposed I have no choice but to trust what all of you have said. I'm sure you're quite reluctant to come bring us the alert in the first place…so I guess I owe you thanks."
"Yeah, no kidding," Jean scoffed.
Zola was amused. "Seems the petty squabbling between humans in this world is not too different from that of our own, is it Romanoff?"
"I find this world's perils and villains a bit less daunting, but yes," Widow agreed.
As the soldiers in the Marleyan artillery units scurried to ready their cannons, T'Challa flew in carrying Magath on his back. Hange gave them the report on the situation, and Magath was relieved.
"Well, seems that Yeager eliminating the incompetent brass during his raid in Liberio worked in our favor," Magath said. "Otherwise you never would have ended up with my backing."
"What? Eren didn't do any of that," Connie said. "He and Reiner are friends, remember?"
Everyone looked at Connie, completely dumbfounded by his ridiculous assertion. Then, they understood the joke and collectively groaned.
Connie burst out laughing. "Oh man, I'm sorry, but that was just too good!"
"I'm sure your jokes in the universe that Eren and Reiner came from are just as bad," Jean sighed.
"Be thankful we're not on one of those ships, or I would've had you thrown overboard," Magath added in agreement. "And not because you're an Eldian. Just because."
"Um, everyone?" Widow chimed in. "Can we maybe focus on the mission now?"
"Right," Hange agreed. "If what the Sorcerer Supreme told us about the Infinity Stones possessed by this Dr. Doom is true, it's fair to assume that the Founder's new ally can create as many troops as he needs whenever he wishes."
"That is correct," Zola's distorted Ultron voice verified. "Widow witnessed Dr. Doom doing exactly that some time before she found my Ultron body."
"If that's true, then how the hell are we supposed to hold the line against infinite waves of Doom bots?" Widow asked.
"As long as Strange Supreme and the others are keeping Doom and the Founder occupied, I don't think we'll be dealing with infinite waves," Armin deduced. "Regardless, we need a way to try and neutralize as many of those bots as we can before they descend upon the naval and coastal defenses. "
"Didn't you say your Titan's transformation alone can wipe out an entire battalion of troops?" T'Challa asked.
"Yes, why?" Armin replied.
T'Challa's signature mischievous grin spread across his face.
"I think I have an idea."
….
"Are you sure they're going to be alright?!" Kousei shouted at The Watcher. "Can't you do something to help end the battle before they get hurt?!"
"I swore an oath, many years ago, young one," The Watcher said solemnly. "I cannot intervene with the natural order of the universe."
Kousei watched as the interdimensional alliance traded blows with Dr. Doom and the Founding Titan. Though he saw they were holding their own quite well, especially the Viltrumites, he couldn't help but be nervous.
"It will be fine, my friend," The Watcher promised. "Don't worry."
…
Inside her Titan, Annie was getting the strangest sense of Déjà vu…hadn't this moment happened before?
Then, a weird green energy field washed over the battlefield, and she suddenly felt her body speed forward back to the position it was with her left foot crushing Dr. Doom.
She shook her head back and forth, then looked at Strange Supreme. That odd pendant of his was glowing green again; it must be some magic time altering device.
"Sorry!" he shouted at her. "I know that was disorienting! Dr. Doom used one of his time-shift bombs and I had to counter! Keep him pinned!"
Stretching his arms to the sky, Strange Supreme summoned a raging inferno that erupted beneath the left foot of Annie's titan, scalding the Latverian despot while miraculously leaving her unharmed. The victory was short-lived though, as Dr. Doom burst out from underneath her using the Power Stone, flailing his arms and screaming in wild rage. Annie stepped back in awe; those stones were more powerful than she thought! This man had taken so many hits already but was somehow still alive!
Meanwhile, Reiner was busy helping Eren take down his evil copy that was menacing this universe. His older form having been too big to fight smaller foes, the Founder had exited his eighty-meter titan and re-transformed into his fifteen-meter height to meet these unexpected adversaries head-on. Reiner was struggling to block the evil Eren's blows in time…this one fought with a feral tenacity Reiner had only seen from people like Commander Erwin and Levi in his universe! Still, him and the good Eren's sparring in their universe had come in handy. This manic that sought to punch his head off had similar fight patterns, so it hopefully wouldn't be too difficult of a fight.
Behind the Founder, the good Eren managed to get in a solid kick to the back that sent the Founder tumbling down. Reiner and Eren saw their chance and attempted to wrestle the Founding Titan to the ground. However, the Eren in this universe was just as stubborn in a fight as his benevolent alter ego, and kicked the other Eren away while trapping Reiner between his muscular legs.
Dr. Doom shot a volley of electric blasts from his wrist cannons at Strange Supreme, who dodged most while letting his protection spell catch the stragglers that got through. Before Dr. Doom could ready another blast, he was suddenly sent flying through the air by a powerful punch Invincible had landed from behind. The world spun around as Dr. Doom tried to activate his rocket boots and stabilize his flight. For a split second, he saw the mustached face of Omni Man fly in front of him before he was forcefully sucker-punched back into the ground at high speed.
Aang and Korra saw their opening; Aang sent a volley of boulders towards the foe while Korra fiercely peppered Doom with combustion bending blasts. That turned out to be a mistake, though, as Doom sent back the power in those blasts flying back at her with the help of the Power Stone.
But by concentrating on the Red Lotus mentored Avatar, Dr. Doom neglected to protect himself from Captain Carter and Levi. His body jerked violently as Carter's shield impacted into his ribcage, and he felt a sharp pang of pain in his right shoulder as Levi's ODM gear stuck into his armor plate. Following the cable, Doom saw the face of the Scout veteran filled with rage as Levi zipped toward him brandishing his twin swords. Dr. Doom crossed his arms, but to not avail as the captain sliced in, over, and around every crack and crevice in his armor. Doom was not about to let an ordinary man break through his enchanted armor, and sent Levi flying backward with a right hook and jab. Then, he looked at his wrists which sparked, fizzed, and smoked.
Captain Levi had cut through his armor plates and hit the power sources for his wrist cannons?! How?!
A few meters away, Levi smiled in satisfaction. The enchantment Strang Supreme had given his swords hadn't been for nothing after all.
Dr. Doom had had enough, and rose from the ground as his rocket boots burned with green fire.
"If I cannot have this universe," he yelled. "Then neither can any of you!"
Doom clenched his fists over his chest and brought his knees to his stomach, unfurling them in a repulse that sent out a galaxy-destroying blast of energy from the Soul Stone. The energy shot out across the world, then the solar system, then the galaxy at thousands of times the speed of light.
Then suddenly retracted back into the galaxy, the world, and then…
Into the palm of Strange Supreme.
The Sorcerer Supreme's eyes glowed with orange fire as he, quite literally, ate the gargantuan amount of power Doom had attempted to release. The Latverian conqueror was confused more than anything…
How?!
…..
"GO!" T'Challa yelled as he released Armin into the midst of the Doom bots that berated his protection spell with their laser blasts. Armin looked behind him, saw T'Challa rocket away to a safe distance, then bit his hand.
The resulting explosion from his Colossal Titan dissolved at least a fourth of the Doom bots that were flying towards Marley's coastline.
Ashore, the soldiers cheered. The frankly suicidal yet brilliant maneuver had worked! Magath and Hange just stared stoically into the oncoming tide. They had gained a favorable momentum, yes, but the real battle was far from over.
"Here they come!" Magath barked to his troops manning the cannons. "Pick your targets after the fleet fires!"
As if on cue to his words, the global fleet that had formerly been assembled to destroy Paradis now opened fire on a common threat to both Paradis and their own nations. The shells from the enormous ship mounted cannons impacted, exploded, and blew apart even more hordes of Doom bots as they continued their push to Marley's defenses.
"All batteries, fire at will!" Magath howled, covering his ears as the anxious artillery troops opened fire on the Doom bots that had flown past the ships. Once again, hundreds more of the mechanical fiends were blown to bits by the expert aim of the Marleyan troops.
However, those that had not been destroyed by Armin, the ships, or the cannons had made it to the shore.
And there were easily more than 100,000 of them.
"Jean, Connie, on the right!" Hange alerted them, firing her rifle at the head of a nearby Doom bot. "Mikasa, protect our left flank! Falco, if you want to transform, now is the time!"
Still having several Thunder Spears from the earlier battle, Mikasa, Jean and Connie unleashed two Thunder Spears each into the tide of Doom bots as they pressed forward. The trio of Scouts pulled the strings for the fuses in nigh perfect unison, incinerating the Doom bots in a ball of fire and shrapnel.
Behind the cover of some storage crates containing spare parts, Zola hurriedly calculated an algorithm to hack the Doom bots with the Central Processing Unit of his Ultron body.
"Keep them busy!" he told Black Widow as she fended off a team of Doom bots with her electro staffs and dual pistols.
"You're very lucky the situation calls for me to help you, otherwise I would've let them have you by now!" she shouted back.
It only took a few seconds, but in Zola's computer mind, a few seconds felt like hours. Then finally, he worked out a favorable algorithm and targeted the nearest horde of Doom bots.
The Marleyan soldiers struggling against the Doom bots suddenly watched in wonder as at least two hundred of them froze, seized up, crackled with green lightning, then dropped dead. Now, a large part of the coastline was clear of enemy forces.
"That's as much as I can do!" Zola shouted at Widow. "Otherwise my own circuits will collapse!"
"Doesn't seem so bad to me!" Widow yelled back, head-shotting two Doom bots at once.
By now, Falco had transformed, and he and Star Lord T'Challa were both flying among the navy ships and keeping the Doom bots off the backs of the crew members as best they could. T'Challa had used up all his EMP grenades by now, but his dual blasters plus Strange Supreme's protection spell were more than enough to counter Doom's hordes. Falco, for his part, was amazed at his newfound ability.
"A Titan with wings?! This is unheard of within history!" he thought proudly as his Jaw Titan's beak decimated five Doom bots. His titan's battle roar apparently worked wonders as well, overloading the audio receptors of the Doom bots and singing their mechanical brains.
Just then, Armin's Colossal Titan resurfaced between the warships and the Marleyan artillery. Standing up to his full height, Armin surveyed the battle below and moved to squash a formation of about twenty Doom bots with his right foot. General Magath, seeing Armin's success, immediately directed all remaining artillery to fire on any Doom bots trying to make for Armin's nape.
"That's quite literally the biggest advantage we have right now, soldiers!" he growled. "Keep him alive, and the rest of us can go home!"
….
That was the moment Doom understood.
"It's you…it's YOU!" he shouted in realization, looking at Dr. Strange. "If I get rid of you…the rest will fall!"
Not giving his adversaries a chance, Dr. Doom suddenly flew to a great height and once again unleashed a titanic burst of power with the combined might of all six Infinity Stones. One the ground, the two captains and three titan shifters dug their heels and knuckles into the ground, desperately trying to hold on, while Strange Supreme, the Avatars, and the Viltrumites resisted Doom's push in the air.
The Founding Titan struggled to get up and crush his foes while they were down, but even he was having trouble handling the power of all six stones at once.
"Ignorant fool!" the Founder cursed Doom. "You don't care if I die as long as they do!"
Doom set his sights on Strange Supreme, channeling more and more power into the blast in an attempt to overwhelm Strange's protection spell. So far, it seemed to be working; Strange was going to falter soon enough! And the multiverse would be Doom's!
That is, until Doom felt a living torpedo slam into him and knock him hundreds of meters below into the ground.
Omni Man panted, his breath raspy, his uniform charred and his skin badly singed. He'd done training runs with the Guardians of the Globe and Cecil's defense satellites yes, but…this was a whole new level of power!
"Dad!" Invincible screamed, flying over to him.
"Don't worry about me son!" Omni Man yelled back.
Not wanting to risk another galaxy ending blast, Strange took a deep breath, felt his magic rejuvenate his body, and summoned another fearsome creature from his arsenal: the leviathan tentacles. The ginormous cluster of arms engulfed Dr. Doom in a matter of seconds, containing him and preventing him from firing the stones even if just for a moment.
Captain Carter squinted at the tentacles; they looked familiar. Then, she realized: it was the same monster she and Steve had fought back in 1945 before she got transported to the future!
"Mark! Korra! Aang!" Omni Man shouted. "Now!"
As Doom wrestled free from the tentacles, he looked up to see both Viltrumites and both Avatars come crashing down on him as Strange simultaneously wrapped him up in the Crimson Bands of Cyttorak. Omni Man and Invincible each held down an arm, while Korra and Aang firmly held down his legs. Captain Carter hurried over and pinned Doom's midsection down with her shield, though it took much effort even with six of them. The Founder tried once again to run to Doom's aid but was thoroughly tackled and pinned to the ground by Annie, Reiner, and his copy from another universe.
"Nice try you maniac!" the good Eren screamed. "We're not letting you get away that easy!"
"Captain Levi!" Strange shouted. "Use your swords to cut the stones from his armor! HURRY!"
"No, no, NOOOOOO!" Doom screamed defiantly.
Captain Levi didn't need to be told twice. Latching his ODM cable into Doom's right hip, he zipped like a lightning bolt over to the malevolent conqueror's pinned body. Doom writhed and screamed, but to no avail as Levi's enchanted blades swung around and around like a whirlwind, slicing at the cavities where the stones sat in the armor. At first, it seemed Doom's armor would hold against even Strange's enchantments.
But then…
PSSSSSSHHHHHHHHHHH!
The thick chest plate on Doom's armor shattered as all six stones departed his body and flew in multiple directions. The power that was surging through the dictator's body only a second before suddenly left all at once, and Doom's eyes grew wide as he realized how powerless he now was.
And for the first time, ever, Doom felt…fear.
"No…no….NOOOOOOO!" he cried again.
"Oh yes," Omni Man said. "I think we've had quite enough of you."
He raised his iron fist, positioning it right over Doom's skull. The others saw what was coming, and averted their eyes.
"You blundering fool!" Doom spat. "No man can defy me for long!"
Omni Man's fist jabbed downward, effortlessly piercing through Doom's face mask…and his actual face…like Swiss cheese.
"I'm not a man," Omni Man said. "I'm a Viltrumite."
As the others let go of Doom's now severely mangled body, the Founder screamed in rage and they suddenly had to cover their ears. Omni Man and Invincible especially…Viltrumite ears were highly sensitive.
"NO!" the Founder Eren Yeager thought in disbelief. "How could our plan have been foiled so quickly?!"
Just then, Yeager felt himself being ripped out of his titan's nape, not by the Armored Titan's jaw, not a sword, but enchanted chains. The dark surroundings of his titan body suddenly went away as the last of the day's sunlight washed over his body, and he found himself staring into the glowing orange and white eyes of Strange Supreme, Avatar Korra and Avatar Aang.
Yeager struggled to break free so he could bite his hand and re-transform, but the Crimson Bands of Cyttorak held him firmly. Yeager looked the trio of masters in the eye, readying himself for whatever beating they had planned for him.
But instead, he suddenly felt a soothing, calm sensation come over his body. His eyelids grew heavy, his body filled with drowsiness, and then finally his head drooped as he fell asleep.
As Strange lowered the now defeated Founding Titan to the ground, Annie emerged from her titan and looked at the sorcerer dubiously.
"Why don't we just kill him now before he tries to scream again and turn the remaining people of Paradis into Titans?" Annie asked. "The Founder's power over Eldians knows no limits as far as we know."
"He'll be okay for now," Strange promised. "First, let me take care of something."
Waving his fingers, Doctor Strange summoned the Infinity Stones from the battlefield and made sure to count them—all six—in his palm. He waited a couple seconds, then a bright blue portal opened behind him. He stepped inside, was gone for about five seconds, then stepped out again.
"There we go, stones secure," Strange announced. "Now, let's go join our comrades in Marley shall me?"
….
"I don't believe it…they did it!" Kousei said excitedly.
"I told you it would be fine, didn't I?" The Watcher teased as he closed the portal to Kousei's old universe where he'd found a place to store the Infinity Stones. "Your universe is empty by now thanks to Doom's mindless conquest, so no one will come to obtain those stones in the Nidavellir star. I'll still keep an eye on them of course, but the crisis is averted."
"So…what now?" Kousei asked.
The Watcher smiled at the young prodigy.
"Now you, quite literally…will play your part."