Chapter 72: Last Stand of the Ripper
Hanji gritted her teeth as she dodged a volley of gunshots. For one, brief moment, the Scout Regiment was able to move forward. Success seemed almost inevitable. Now, they were either at a standstill or on the retreat after a calculated move from the opposition. With Annie trapped and Levi and Mikasa missing, they had lost their most powerful players. Those that tried to cut the cables were rewarded with gaping holes for their troubles. To make matters worse, the MPs brought out a couple of catapults and were launching explosive barrels at them. Any Scout unlucky enough to be too close was burned alive, dying a slow and painful death. This mission was being sent to Hell on a silver platter.
She shook off the negative feelings that threatened to consume her and focused on the task at hand. Giving in to despair was something she couldn't afford to do. Not with the fate of the country and their lives on the line. But how were they going to break through the line of seemingly never-ending gunfire? If only they had their own set of explosives to even the odds.
Wait a minute. Hanji's eyes drifted down to the floor. Military Police and Scouts alike coated the ground with their bodies. However, her gaze was more focused on the guns and the barrels used to reload them. It was a crazy idea, but when had that ever stopped them? Of course, relaying the plan would be difficult. She didn't want the MPs to know what they were up to. Thankfully, the mental link between her and Annie was still working. "Can you still hear me?"
"Yeah," she answered, sounding pained. Losing her foot, getting trapped, and having her eyes gouged out did the trick. "You have a plan?"
"Tell Connie, Jean, Sasha, Armin, and Moblit to gather the ammo from the dead MPs and try to find some oil," Hanji explained, narrowly dodging some rounds.
If the Female Titan could have smirked, she would have. "I see where you're going with this."
Out loud, Hanji yelled, "Soldiers, stand your ground! The fate of humanity rests on our shoulders! Don't give a fucking inch!" Inwardly, she hoped this plan would work. If it didn't, then everything they worked so hard for would be for nothing.
Mikasa wasn't sure what to think as she followed Levi into the tunnel. She was grateful that the captain saved her life, but she also felt shame for not anticipating Kenny's intervention. Because of her weakness, a Scout was shot to death and Eren was no closer to being rescued. On top of that, she couldn't go back the way she came without getting blasted for her troubles. The only move left was to kill Kenny.
Seeing that man in the flesh made her skin crawl. Like everyone else, she had heard the infamous tales of Kenny the Ripper, a serial killer that terrorized the Districts. Sure, she was no stranger to monsters in human skin, but he was… different. He was someone who took pride in his atrocities, revelled in them. Mike's corpse was strung up for the world to see, and Kenny treated it as a work of art. There was no place in the world for a creature like that.
The two pursued him into a larger space that was quite different from the rest of the caves. Whereas blue, reflective crystal was the norm, this area had many colors in the form of crystalized canvases. All had one thing in common: a beautiful woman whose hair was almost as bright as the sun. From child to adult, they told a story. They reminded Levi of the stained-glass windows he saw from the churches of the Wall Worshippers. What completed the scene was a blue statue on the far side of the area. It was about three to four meters tall, and it was the same woman from the pictures. Some would interpret her expression as a maternal one. Others, like Levi, could only see it as her looking down at them.
This was a shrine to Ymir Fritz, the so-called goddess of all Eldians and Titans. Considering the friends they've lost thanks to the Titans, Levi and Mikasa felt no reverence for her. Besides, they had a bastard to kill. They only had a moment to see him take aim towards the one object in the shrine that didn't belong: a barrel.
"Move!" Levi shouted, diving away just as Kenny unloaded the last shot he had.
With precise aim, the round hit the barrel and caused it to go up in flames. The explosion that followed resulted in the entrance caving in, heavy chunks of crystal piling up in the tunnel. With no other exit to be seen, all three of them were trapped in the shrine just like Kenny wanted. If they didn't kill each other soon, the lack of oxygen would suffocate them.
Levi groaned in pain as he investigated his body. Aside from bruises and cuts from the fall, he wasn't worse for wear. The ODM gear took the brunt of the explosion, collapsing from his back into a broken heap on the floor. Mikasa suffered the same results, though some of her blades were still intact, thankfully.
"Well, that should buy the King some time," Kenny stated, shrugging off his now-useless equipment. "He'll probably give me shit about 'desecrating the Holy Shrine.'"
In a fit of rage, Mikasa lobbed one of her blades at the man. Unfortunately, her aim was off and it hit the picture behind Kenny. He barely had to move a muscle to dodge it.
"Blood, but no talent," Kenny tsked, shaking his head with disappointment. "What a shame."
Slowly, Levi rose to his feet while he fixed the man with a menacing gaze. "Enough talking, you son of a bitch."
That did nothing to deter him. "I haven't seen that look on your face in a long time. You must really want to kill me. Good. That'll make things more interesting." As he withdrew his curved-bladed knife, his eyes fell on the teenager and gave her an unsettling grin. "And you, little Mikasa… you're afraid. Maybe for the first time in your life."
She tried to hide it behind a determined glower, but somehow, he was able to see right through to her. Last time she felt this way was when she went up against Elise, a woman that could hurt her without touching her. Now, here was a man with her strength but with so much more training than she had. "What I feel is irrelevant," she spoke. "The only thing that matters is killing you and saving Eren."
Kenny rolled his eyes at her declaration. "Still a slave to him, aren't you?"
Mikasa's eyes twitched slightly. "What did you call me?"
"Hey, don't feel bad. Everyone's a slave to something." He gestured to Levi. "The runt here has always been a slave to survival. That's the reason for his continued existence. It's really pathetic when you think about it. Or maybe… you just want to know if I'm your deadbeat daddy. That why you're here, Levi?"
The captain faltered. That question had haunted him since he was child. Ever since he was abandoned by this man in the Underground to fend for himself, he would lie awake at night and wonder. For a brief moment, he closed his eyes in thought. All he had to do… was ask him. That's all it would take.
"For what it's worth, I'm glad you're here."
"Petra!"
BOOM!
Levi's eyes shot open just as the knife reached out for his neck in a slash. Barely, he backpedalled, avoiding certain death by the skin of his teeth. Of course, Kenny had reached, and he used it to kick Levi in the chest, sending him against the wall. Mikasa charged at the man, but he thrust his other foot out. She hit the ground hard, clutching her stomach in pain. The distraction she provided was enough for Levi to grab hold of the wrist that held the knife. With his other hand, he punched Kenny in the face twice while they wrestled for control of the weapon. Quickly, he dropped the knife and caught it with his other hand. A slash left a shallow cut across Levi's chest, making the man recoil with a pained cry, but he was just getting started. Kenny grabbed hold of the wound and squeezed hard while pushing Levi against the wall again. Despite the physical agony he was going through, Levi managed to grab his wrist again before it could do any lethal damage.
"That's it. Struggle more," Kenny taunted with a wide grin. "It'll make your death faster."
Once again, Mikasa ran towards the duo, but this time, she was armed with an empty, gas canister. She swung it at Kenny like a club, and though he was forced to release Levi, he blocked it with his arm. A grunt indicated the blow still hurt. Wisely, she kept her distance. The last thing she wanted was for him to gut her like a fish. He stabbed forward with a feint, but she didn't fall for it. Unfortunately, she wasn't fast enough to dodge his tackle. He slammed her into the ground and would have stabbed her were it not for Levi throwing a chunk of crystal dislodged by the explosion at his head. His interference paid off as Mikasa whacked Kenny's wrist with the tank and he staggered back. The knife flew out of his hand as a result.
With their quarry unarmed, Levi and Mikasa felt their confidence rise, which was followed by them attacking him at once. Kenny blocked the initial hits that came his way, including the makeshift club and retaliated with a high kick that impacted Mikasa's face. However, as she went down, Levi ducked down and performed a leg sweep. Kenny was off-balance enough for the tactic to work and he fell onto his back. The damage he suffered wasn't severe enough if him hopping back to his feet was any indication. They traded blows for a moment, though Kenny gained the upper hand by tossing him against the statue. Hard. As for Mikasa, when she tried to get in his way, he yanked the canister out of her hand and proceeded to bash her in the skull with it twice. She crumpled to the ground with blood pouring from her head.
Kenny was unarmed, but they learned the hard way that only made him more brutal. The worst part about this whole situation: he was having the time of his life. "Come on. Up and at 'em, Levi," he crowed, hoisting him to his feet. "I taught you better than that."
Snarling, Levi responded with two punches to the man's stomach. He was getting really sick of the bastard's taunting. Kenny doubled over, giving Levi the opportunity to kick him right in the chin. Finally, he held the advantage for a change, and he used it to pin him down with an arm against his throat.
The more Kenny smiled, the more rage coursed through Levi's body. This creature was responsible for so much pain in his life, and he was ready to give it back. One punch for abandoning him in the hellish underground without so much as a warning or a goodbye. Another punch for trying to destroy any hope the Eldians had of surviving the war. The third punch for killing one of his closest friends and practically dancing on her grave. The fourth punch for trying to kill the only family he had left in this godforsaken world. And every punch that followed was because he wouldn't. Stop. Smiling!
Then, something hard struck the side of Levi's temple, knocking him to the floor with a groan.
"You haven't learned a damn thing, have you?" Dropping the chunk of crystal, Kenny rose to his feet with disappointment etched on his face. "What did I tell you about anger?" Without hesitation, he swung his foot up and hit Levi between the legs.
The captain's eyes bulged out as he sunk to his knees in agony. He could barely move except for gritting his teeth in pain.
"It makes you stupid," he continued, dragging the man by the back of his collar. "And it makes you weak." He threw him against the statue and proceeded to kick him in the gut repeatedly until he heard the sound of something crack. To Kenny, that was music to his ears. The fight was over.
"Hurry it up!" Moblit demanded while he kept watching. "We're running out of time."
Frantically, Jean, Connie, and Armin scoured the bodies of MPs in the search for their ammo. Whenever they found some, they would take the round apart and pour the gunpowder into a bag. Hopefully, they would get enough to destroy the cables holding Annie down. There would only be one shot at this.
A zipping sound caught their attention and they looked to see Sasha arrive with a few medium-sized jars. "Ah found some oil back in the chapel," she stated once she landed next to them. "Prob'ly for some religious thing."
"Nice job, Sasha," Moblit complimented. "Go ahead and start adding it to the gunpowder."
"Anyone else nervous being around things that can catch on fire?" Connie wondered.
"We're all nervous, Connie," Jean retorted as he dumped in his share of the gunpowder. "We should consider ourselves lucky if we end up killed."
Connie's eyes widened at that statement. "What the hell is that supposed to mean?"
"Simple: when you're dead, there's nothing to worry about anymore."
"Enough, Jean," Moblit chastised with a stern look. "You need to hold it together long enough to get Eren out of here."
"Yes, sir. Sorry." Such dark thoughts stayed within Jean's mind. So much was going wrong lately, and he couldn't help but wonder if this was the day he would be killed. Is that what he wanted? Sometimes…
Once the bag was filled up enough, even though there was more oil than gunpowder, Armin proceeded to tie it up using a cable from one of the broken ODM gears. "There's one thing that's been bothering me," he said. "Getting this bag to the cannon is going to be difficult. A shot fired too soon or too late will end any chance of freeing Annie."
"Throw the bag at the cannon," Sasha suggested. "Ah can shoot a fire arrow at it."
Jean shook his head. "You saw how well the MPs can aim. They'll shoot it out of the sky before it reaches it."
"Then there's only one choice." Moblit deftly snatched the bag from them once it was properly tied up. "Someone has to take this straight to the cannon, and someone is gonna be me."
Immediately, the quartet of cadets burst into protests.
"That's suicide!"
"Sir, there has to be another way!"
"Are ya outta your mind!?"
"You'll die!"
Moblit, grimly, raised his hand to signal for silence. "This isn't up for debate or discussion. Every second spent discussing this is another second we lose in saving Eren. This is the only way."
Jean stepped forward in a last-ditch effort to stop him. "Sir, my ODM gear scores were exemplary. I could—."
"I have been in the Scouts for years, Jean," he interrupted. "We don't have the luxury to find out if you can pull something like this off." His eyes drifted to Sasha. "But I am going to need your help."
She staggered back. "What are you talkin'...?" Then, her eyes widened in horror. "No. No, ya can't tell me to—"
"Sasha Braus, I hereby order you to shoot a fire arrow into this bag once I'm close enough to the cannon regardless of if I'm alive or not. I'll wear it on my back so you'll be able to hit it."
The hunter couldn't believe this was happening, that was she was being forced to kill a fellow Scout. The poor girl was reduced to a stuttering wreck. "I—I—I—"
"What the hell gives you the right to make her kill you?" Connie questioned angrily. "We already killed other humans. Now you want us to kill Scouts?"
"Have you all forgotten why we're here!?" Moblit had finally lost his temper. "Stop letting your emotions get in the way and focus on what needs to be done! All of you chose to follow Levi and Hanji straight into Hell if need be. We do whatever it takes to ensure the continued survival of humanity no matter how ugly it gets. Either you kill me so others can live, or give up Eren, Annie, and everyone in this country for some honorable bullshit! Are you cowards, or soldiers!? CHOOSE!"
Sasha was stunned to silence like the others were. This was the crossroads that would seal her fate forever. No matter what choice she made, there was no going back.
Then, it hit her like a ton of bricks. Here was a man that was literally giving his life to make sure Annie would be free. She could only imagine how terrifying this whole situation was for him, and she had the audacity to stand in his way. If he was going to die for their sakes, then it needed to count. "I won't miss," she promised.
Moblit's expression softened slightly thanks to those three words. He could understand the difficult decision she had made. "Thank you, Sasha." With a slight grunt, he hooked the bag to his back using some spare ODM gear cables.
Armin heaved a sigh. "There are no flares left, sir. You'll be exposed to the MPs."
"High risk, high reward, Armin," Moblit replied with a sad smile. "It's just another day for the Scout Regiment."
It had been a long time since Levi took a beating of this magnitude. Sure, Elise took him down with her telekinetic bullshit, but that was more mental than physical. In this fight, Kenny's sole purpose was to wear him down until there wasn't an iota of the captain that could fight back. Hell, at least one of his ribs was broken. As for Mikasa, she was busy struggling to stand. The odds of her having a concussion were high. In other words, things were looking very bleak for them. So much for being Humanity's Strongest Soldier.
"Alright, kids, I think it's time to wrap things up," Kenny declared, scanning the floor for the proper weapon. Shards of the broken blades were scattered throughout the shrine, but they were too small for him. Not to mention that his knife was on the wrong end of the room. An ODM gear cable, on the other hand…
Knowing what was about to happen, Levi crawled towards one of the blade shards only for him to be pulled back to the cable around his neck.
"No, you don't," Kenny hissed in his ear. To compensate for their height difference, the man had his knees bent just enough to reach his level.
Levi struggled against the tight grip around his neck to no avail. The lack of oxygen was getting to him fast.
Mikasa was finally back on her feet, though she nearly fell down again. The concussion was wearing her down, making her lose her balance.
"I told you before: this isn't personal," Kenny went on, sounding almost… sad. "It's just the way things are, Levi. At least it was me that killed you and not a Titan."
If it wasn't for the fact he was being strangled to death, Levi would have found a small amount of comfort in that. Only a few more seconds and he would pass out.
Suddenly, Mikasa made a run towards the two men and leapt into the air. She shot both feet out in a dropkick, hitting both Levi and Kenny. The force of the blow caused them to hit the ground with Mikasa following suit. However, she accomplished what needed to be done: the cable was loosened. Levi squirmed out of Kenny's grip and managed to take hold of a shard. Without hesitation, he jammed it directly into his gut.
Kenny's eyes bulged from the sudden stab, but after grabbing hold of Levi's hair, he hoisted him up just enough to deliver a hard right hook. With the midget out of the way, he could spend the time needed to pull the shard out of his abdomen. He followed up by kicking Mikasa in the face again to keep her down. "Fucking bitch," he growled, covering the wound with his hand.
Levi got back up, wielding two shards the same way he would hold his blades. Kenny was done having the advantage. It was time to demonstrate what exactly he did to Titans on a regular basis. And given that his opponent had a stab wound, it would only be a matter of time. Kenny even backed up at the sight. So, after planting his feet and ignoring how much his broken body protested, Levi took off towards his opponent.
Impalements weren't going to be effective enough given how short the blade length was, so slashes were his best bet. He dodged a kick and dug his weapon into the leg, running up towards the abdomen. The wound was shallow, but for Kenny, it hurt like hell. He swung his arm around to clothesline Levi, though the captain ducked until it in the nick of time, slashing open his side. Sadly, the advantage was short-lived when Kenny tackled him to the ground hard enough to dislodge one of the blades. Adrenaline was the only thing keeping Kenny going in the face of the wounds he suffered. Every punch delivered to his face had Levi seeing spots. If he couldn't strangle him like he wanted to, then Kenny would just beat the poor bastard to death.
With all the strength she had left, Mikasa attempted to pull Kenny off, but the only thing she succeeded in was getting his attention. Kenny proceeded to elbow her in the chest and toss her aside like she was nothing. Levi used this distraction to jam his remaining blade right into his hand and pulled up. The webbing keeping the ring finger and middle finger together was severed, gushing up blood. As Kenny cried out in pain from his mutilated hand, Mikasa picked up the knife he had dropped earlier. It was time to end this.
She charged for the psychopath once more and cut across his chest. To her horror, he refused to fall and, with a manic, bloody snarl, grabbed her by the throat. She sliced his arm repeatedly, but he just wouldn't let go. It was like the wounds meant nothing to him. The only thing that seemed to keep him going was sheer determination. Despite this, Mikasa managed to toss the knife to Levi, who used it to cut open the Achilles' heel. Kenny sunk to his knees as a result and could do nothing as Levi placed the knife against his neck and sliced it open.
Blood splattered Mikasa's face as the man crumpled to the ground in a heap. She could hear him choking on his own fluids for nearly a minute. The entire time, his eyes were fixed on Levi's and, despite everything that happened, he gave the captain one final, grin. With a gargle, Kenny Ackerman's life faded away just the way he wanted to go out: smiling.
"Are you alright, Mikasa?" Levi asked in a raspy voice, panting heavily.
Before she could answer, a massive wave of dizziness overtook her, causing her to stumble.
Immediately, he rushed over and helped her into a sitting position against the wall. "Easy. You took a hell of a beating."
Trying to catch her breath, Mikasa managed out, "I'll live, Captain."
"That depends on if we get out of here." Despite the superhuman strength they had, there was no way they could move the crystal rocks out of the way. Until Annie or Eren could get involved, the two were stuck in a shrine with a decomposing body. For all intents and purposes, they were helpless. The only thing Levi could do was join Mikasa on the floor, wincing in pain. "Shit, that hurts."
For a while, they just sat there and allowed the adrenaline rush to dissipate, leaving two exhausted soldiers in its wake. Levi looked at Kenny's corpse and felt a strange sense of relief. Sure, the truth about who he was died with him, but in its place, Mikasa would live. In the end, it was a price worth paying.
"Thank you… for saving me," she finally said.
"You saved my life as well," he responded, turning his head to her. "I won't forget that." With as much strength as he could muster, Levi patted her on the shoulder. "Good job."
Mikasa was no stranger to praise. Every one of her superiors always talked about how she was worth ten, twenty, even a hundred soldiers. It was like she was some sort of god or freak to them, but to receive it from Levi? For once, she felt like she earned it. And that, despite how small it was, brought a smile to her face.
Moblit gritted his teeth while he made a mad dash over to the fight with Sasha not far behind him. He knew that this was a one-way trip, but the worst part of the situation was that he wouldn't live to find out if this suicidal plan worked. The only thing he could rely on was faith, something that had been in short supply for a long time. Perhaps he was one of the idealistic ones, the people that, despite all the friends and comrades he lost over the years, still believed in a better tomorrow. Whatever fueled him then gave him the strength now to send a mental statement to Hanji. "Explosive is on the way. Give the MPs hell!"
"We got it covered, Moblit," the Section Commander assured him. She didn't ask how or who was going to deliver the package, and he was relieved she didn't.
The closer he drew to the battle, the louder the gunshots and dying screams were. So many Scouts were dead in these caves alone. Maybe only a quarter of the forces that went in here were left. That being said, at least they gave as good as they got. Not many MPs remained on the other side. If he could just get Annie free, then the victory would be theirs.
Moblit's eyes drifted to a few familiar faces among the Scout ranks. Nifa was one such person. She had the potential to be a great Scout, maybe even a Squad Leader if she worked hard enough. Abel, or as he was christened "Goggles," was the same way. Working under Hanji gave those two a lot of experience in dealing with Titans in strange, unique ways. They could give the next generation of Scouts a better chance at survival.
There was only one person he couldn't find the courage to look at, the woman who helped shaped him into the man he was today. Out of every soldier in the Scouting Regiment, she picked him to be her assistant. Every crazy shenanigan concerning her obsession with Titans, he tolerated, especially when he visited the bar afterwards. Then again, maybe like Hanji, he, too, was crazy. Because he was willing to die for her without a second thought.
The first round impacted his stomach without exiting the back. Blood began to quickly fill his lungs and pour out of his mouth, but he maintained his course. The second shot blasted open his shoulder just as his cable was severed. Now, he was in free fall, heading straight for the cannon. A piercing scream erupted from Hanji when she cried out his name. She… she really did care about him. With the world submerging into darkness, there was only one thing left to do.
"Bye, Zoë."
And then, the world turned to flames.
AN: Yeah, this chapter is shorter than the last one, but sadly, there was too much stuff going on as it was. Adding the "Historia, Rod, and Eren" scene would have been too much. But let's talk about what is here.
It took a lot of work, but I'm really satisfied with how the Ackerman fight scene turned out. This was something I had been wanting to do for a long time. To bring it to life after so long really makes me happy. I hope you all enjoyed it.
So... Moblit is dead a lot sooner than in canon. My original intent was for Nifa to make the sacrifice, but considering that she didn't have a mental link with Annie, she would not have known the plan. Moblit did, so, unfortunately he was the one to die. I hope I did his sacrifice justice.
Also, I know some of you have been asking where Dillon is. Do not worry. I have special plans for him.
I hope you all enjoyed this chapter, I look forward to your reviews, please consider contributing to the TV Tropes page, and I will see you all in the next one.
