Chapter 46: The Final Battle

The air rushed by Eren, the familiar feeling of zooming through the sky was a fun yet terrifying experience. No matter how many times he trained or fought in ODM gear, Eren always had that adrenalin associated with freefalling.

Eren had to use more gas than he intended. The brightly lit buildings were much further and more spread out than the buildings in Paradis. The gas propelling the lines forward had to be on for longer in order to reach them.

For a moment, Eren felt the line go slack and began to freefall. The buildings were primarily made of glass so he'd have to re-anchor the ODM gear occasionally since it would fail to stay connected to the glass. It was a difficult thing to do at first, but he quickly adapted.

Eren flew past another construction crane, angling himself so he flew forward feet first. He tucked his legs together and his arms in front of him so he could go through the gaps in the structural pipes, mostly just to save gas instead of going around.

Eren had ten minutes of gas to play with, but that's only if he was conservative with it. He remembered Jean's advice on using his momentum while he moved. The idea was that you use less gas by pulling yourself with the line than using the thruster to go up. By utilizing this, you can maintain your height and gain more momentum, which reduces the gas used.

It was difficult to master, Jean was arguably the best at this, a true genius in the use of ODM. Even Captain Levi and Mikasa, with their Akerman blood, still couldn't use ODM the way Jean did. If anything, their unique fighting style burned through gas quick.

When Eren got close to the ship, he started to try and identify Yoshida's men. He was quick to discover them, they all were patrolling the ship with those portable electric lights and looking for anyone to sneak on board. They were expecting him.

However, they were looking for him to sneak on board. They never expected Eren to attack from the sky.

He identified his first target. A man at the very front of the ship who was looking over it towards the dock. He was vigilant, and prepared for Eren, his Aykem at the ready in case Eren showed up. Eren smirked to himself, knowing he'd be easy to kill.

There were other guards behind him, also looking around. They will probably see Eren attack him, but they won't be able to react in time.

Eren drew both of his swords as he descended, the anchors were loose, and he began to freefall to the deck of the ship. He used some gas to slow his descent, enough for him to land without breaking or spraining his ankle.

With a swipe from both swords, the man was nearly cleaved in half. His body hitting the ground from the impact at the same time that Eren hit the deck. Eren slid forward a few feet, his incredibly sharp blades easily cut through with only the tips breaking so he didn't get stuck while going so fast.

Predictably, the others saw and didn't react. They were so surprised at how sudden Eren attacked that they couldn't move. They stood there as Eren slowed to a halt.

As fast as he arrived, Eren shot a line up towards a loading crane and propelled himself away, giving them no time to react.

Using the momentum he gained, he took a page out of Captain Levi's book. He flew around the group of three, each of them struggling to keep up with Eren's speed as his silhouette melted into the brightness of the surrounding buildings.

Eren anchored in the center of all three men who were next to each other and flew between them. He angled the gas to his left, causing him to spin to the right. He extended his arms and let the swords spin and cut the three men down. While he wasn't as good as the Akerman's, it served its purpose well enough.

Men on the upper structure of the ship took notice and were finally able to react. They started yelling what Eren assumed were orders and prepared their weapons to shoot Eren. Eren didn't give them the time.

Eren put the ODM handles away and took out one of his Ar-Peegee's. He took it in a reverse grip and fired it at the upper structure of the ship, right around where the wheel was.

With a massive explosion, the men were disoriented, and the ship was disabled. Regardless of what happened now, the combination of the ship being disabled, and the explosion would ensure the police arrive and save Ai, even if Eren died in the attempt.

Eren threw the spent tube away and got out his ODM controls again, using the shock of the men to propel himself directly at the remaining men on the upper structure.

Eren drew his swords again and flew right into the center of the gathering group, who were still shaking their heads in order to stop the ringing from the explosion. They had no chance as Eren started to cut them all down.

Eren started swiping at them, treating each man as if he was the weak spot of a Titan. The men screamed in agony as the sharp blades easily cut through them.

One man tried to shoot him, but Eren used the thruster to jump over him and land behind him. With a thruster assisted spin, Eren decapitated the man before he could turn around.

Another man shot at Eren, but his aim was off. Eren shot a line forward and imbedded itself into the man's chest and reeled him in. Eren trusted his swords forward, now the size of knives as they were widdled down to nubs, and dethatched them while they were inside the man he reeled in.

Eren released the line and pulled out another set, intending to kill more men before they could properly react.

A few fired widely at Eren, trying desperately to hit him, but with Eren's enhanced agility, he was able to move out of the way, causing their bullets to cross each other and making them hit their comrades.

Eren threw some explosives into the wheelhouse, ensuring there was no way it could be used. Once he did, he jumped over the edge and used some gas to fly higher up and over the upper structure.

He took out a remote and pressed the button, causing the room to explode.

Eren wasn't done yet, he had more men to kill. He quickly switched to his Ar-Peegee while in the air and punched it forward, firing a round into a group of men who were exiting one of the doors leading into the ship. They were close enough together that the molten copper turned them into a pile of limbs and burnt flesh.

Eren checked his remaining gas... he had only one last good use before he ran out. The trip here burned more gas than intended and the fighting caused him to get a bit more liberal with his gas. He had to bring the fight to the ground and start going into the ship.

Eren used the upper structure to latch onto and propel himself to the rear of the ship and up into the air. He heard his phone ring with a text from Aqua.

While in the air, he took his phone out and hit the read out loud button as he fell, putting it up to his ear in order to hear it over the rushing wind.

"Taken forward to the Bow. Same floor. Maybe center of ship, in Yoshida's room."

Eren closed the phone. It was time to go inside and deal with Yoshida.

Eren used the last of his fast to propel himself to one of the doors in the center of the ship. One unfortunate man took that time to come out of the ship but was impaled by Eren's swords as he used the momentum to fling them into the ship, killing him instantly.

"Damn it all." Yoshida said in annoyance.

The small family was brought into his personal room, which wasn't as decorated as his other areas since it was a quick makeshift decision for him to personally see this transfer. It was little more than a small cargo room with some of his furniture and tables for his comfort.

However, right now it was used as a way to barricade himself from Eren.

Ai sat in the center of the room on a carpet, right near Yoshida's chair as he watched the camera monitors as Eren came onto the ship. Ai was on her knees and held her children in her arms, terrified of the Yakuza boss.

Aqua was slightly limp, grunting every so often from the beating he took. His nose was bleeding, and he was already starting to bruise again. Ai was so terrified at having her son hurt again but she couldn't do anything to protect him.

However, Eren could deal with them.

Ai looked at the camera monitors in complete shock. She could see the complete fear and uneasy look on Yoshida's face as Eren literally FLEW around with swords like some kind of weird magical samurai. The film was grainy, and they only caught glimpses of Eren as he flew, but it was clear that he was completely massacring Yoshida's men.

The kind of precision and speed he displayed look uncanny, as if no one should be able to move with such speed. No one could react in time to stop Eren and they quickly died when he closed distance.

"What the hell am I fighting?" Yoshida asked himself. "What the actual hell is he?"

"P-please." Ai tried to say. "J-just let us go and Eren will stop."

Ai hoped he would listen. Ai knew nothing of ships, but even she knew that if the bridge was destroyed, the ship was useless. There was no way they were leaving Japan. If Yoshida let them go, maybe Ai could convince Eren to walk away, and it would prevent more death.

However, it had the opposite effect. Yoshida got made as he turned his gaze on Ai, glaring at her as if she was Eren. Ai held her children close to her as he walked towards them, his breathing ragged from rage.

"Don't you dare think I am the weak one in this!" He yelled at Ai, causing her to yelp and look away, tightening her hold on her children.

Yoshida grabbed Ai's hair, causing her to scream and pulled her away. She let go of Aqua in the surprise, but Ruby held onto her, getting dragged away just like her mother. Ai pleaded with Yoshida, but it did nothing.

"I figured a punishment with just selling you would be enough, but now I see I need to be more drastic!" He yelled. "I don't need the three of you to bargain, so he's about to see how serious I am!"

"Please stop!" Ai yelled as Ruby was ripped out of her arms.

Yoshida threw Ruby to the ground away from Ai. Yoshida took out a revolver and cocked the hammer back, ready to shoot her daughter.

"Mama!" Ruby yelled, terrified at dying again.

"Please stop! Not my daughter!" Ai tried to move, but she couldn't do anything.

The entire time, Aqua could hear what was going on. He barely got out a text to Eren, letting him know the change in locations. He felt too weak to move. His injuries from not only that Yakuza boss from the attack on the show, but Hikaru as well, were reopened and causing so much pain.

However, Ruby was in danger. He didn't care if she technically wasn't his sister, she was family and he loved her just as much as Ai. But he was too weak to fight.

Even as Goro, Aqua was still weak. He died because some idiot fan with a knife killed him. Goro couldn't even fight back properly. Even as Aqua, he could do nothing every time that Ai was in danger.

But he thought back to Eren's words, that day he was in the hospital. How Eren said it didn't matter who he was. Was he Goro, Aqua, or both? Who cared. Just because Goro died, doesn't mean Aqua can't fight.

So, in that moment, Aqua decided who he was. He stood against one Yakuza boss to save Ai, killed his own father, and snuck onto a ship full of criminals to protect his family. That's who he wants to be.

So... get up.

Move damn it.

To hell with his battered body... he needed to get up.

He needed to fight.

Fight.

"Tatakae." Aqua whispered out loud.

"Tatakae."

"Tatakae."

Aqua grabbed a baseball that was on the ground near him, probably one of Yoshida's personal ones. It even had a signature from some player Aqua didn't recognize.

Aqua used his good arm and threw it at Yoshida's head as hard as he could, hoping to do some damage. Hoping that he could maybe knock him out and buy Eren time to arrive.

"Ow." Yoshida said in minor annoyance as a baseball hit him in the side of his head.

He was about to shoot Ruby when the baseball hit him, making him rub the area it hit, and he knew it would give him a bump.

"Damn this four-year-old body..." Aqua said to himself. No matter how determined he was, he was still four.

"Brave little man wants to save his sister, right?" Yoshida glared at Aqua.

Ai rushed at Yoshida, hoping to physically stop him from hurting either of her children. His shock was enough for her to react; however, Yoshida easily overpowered her and threw her to the ground.

Aqua reacted by grabbing a nearby object, which was a small pocketknife. He held it out in front of him, ready for a fight. He didn't need to win, just buy Eren time.

"Fine, little man wants to be a sacrifice, let's see what you have." Yoshida laughed.

Aqua knew he was enjoying this. He was going to kill one of the kids to punish Eren, all logic was gone.

Aqua took the initiative, charging at Yoshida to hopefully surprise him. Yoshida reacted by stepping away and kicking Aqua in his slung arm.

Aqua yelled in pain as that happened, knowing that his injury was probably getting worse. Why do they always aim for that? They know he can't fight, so why hit his weak spot? Yoshida was just as much of a damned sadist as Hikaru.

Aqua slashed at Yoshida's legs, the only part of him that he could reach. Yoshida laughed as he stepped away, easily able to dodge the weak and slow attacks of an angry four-year old.

Ai watched in shock as her son tried desperately to fight. She felt like a failure, unable to protect her son and being forced to watch him defend her and Ruby. Why did he never understand that it was her job?

She had to fight. She had to protect both of them. She loved them both too much to let either of them die. Even if it cost her life, she would fight for her children.

Ai ran up to Yoshida and grabbed a nearby lamp, trying to hit him. Yoshida saw her and kicked Aqua down before turning to her and blocking her weak attack.

He reached out and slapped her in the face, hard, causing Ai to fall again. However, Ai reached out and grabbed his legs, trying desperately to hold him so he would focus on her and not her children.

Yoshida easily freed himself and grabbed her by the hair and lifted her up.

"So, the mother wants to die? No luck for you, I need you for bargai-"

BOOM!

"Die." Eren said in a growl.

He stabbed the Yakuza guard multiple times with his sword, killing the man instantly.

The hallway was tight and hard to maneuver, but he was basically out of gas anyway, he had some, but not enough to actually maneuver.

He shot a line at one guard down the hallway, preventing him from drawing his gun, and pulled him over to Eren. Eren slashed with his sword and beheaded the man in one strike. His momentum carried him past Eren, who stepped out of the way as he flew past.

Eren lost his left blade since it was now too dull to fight with and took out his Marleyan pistol. He reacted quick and shot any guard in the hallway, taking care to identify his targets so as to not accidently shoot Ai or the kids.

He pinned one guard to the wall and stabbed him in the lower abdomen, causing him to scream in pain.

"English!?" Eren yelled.

"H-hai." The guard said.

"Yoshida, Where!?" Eren yelled.

"D-down there." He pointed to a stairwell.

Eren shot the guard in the face and made his way to the stairs. As he reached it, bullets flew up from below him, almost killing him. Eren took some grenades and pulled the pins, letting them drop downstairs and exploding, killing the guards as they tried to walk up the stairs.

After a while, the guards started to run as they saw him, knowing that they had no chance. Eren was a force of nature and no number of threats or payments from Yoshida was worth fighting Eren.

Eren saw the door that was likely Yoshida's. He took out an Ar-Peegee and readied it to blow open the door. He made sure it was at an angle so it wouldn't kill the people inside.

With a thrust of his hand, he pulled the trigger and caused it to fire.

BOOM!

The door to the room blew open with a massive explosion. Thankfully, RPGs are shape charges, which means their force is directed forward and not in a sphere like most explosives. At the angle Eren shot, the force bypassed everyone in the room while also blowing a hole in the door.

Yoshida turned to the new hole, terrified as Eren stepped through.

He had a sword in his left hand, with the tip broken off, and a freshly loaded RPG in his other hand. He glared at Yoshida as he entered.

Eren was covered in blood, no doubt from the men he easily killed. His face was full of silent rage as he glared at Yoshida who had the woman he loved in his grip.

Aqua got slightly annoyed, that blast could have killed them. Eren really meant what he said in how much he was willing to gamble to save them.

"E-eren..." Yoshida said. "You're here." He switched to English.

Ruby and Aqua took this time to run over to Eren, hiding behind him for safety. He didn't move, only allowed them to take refuge behind him.

The only person who couldn't was Ai, who was held by her hair between Eren and Yoshida as a human shield. Eren wouldn't dare risk hurting her.

"Now Eren... let's talk. We can come to an arrangement." Yoshida tried to bargain.

With his plan ruined and only having Ai to bargain with, Yoshida resorted to hopefully appealing to Eren's mercy. As long as he had Ai, he was safe.

However, Eren was blocking his only exit. He didn't expect Eren to risk blowing a hole through the door.

"Clearly, you won, so there's no need to continue." Yoshida said. "But there is no reason for us to continue bloodshed. You've proven how strong you are, so I can release Ai and you can leave with her. I won't come after you, I promise."

Ai wondered why Eren was silent. But then she remembered what that Yakuza guy that Eren captured said.

"You're not important e-enough" The Yakuza guy said.

Eren still didn't give Yoshida the respect to even speak. Yoshida caught onto this but was not in a position of strength anymore. Eren's posture and silence said one thing.

It said, there will be no bargaining and you will release Ai.

"Fine, I'll let them go." Yoshida said, knowing that he was completely at Eren's mercy. "But I want your word that you will let me go. I promise I will never go after you or them again."

Eren remained silent.

"I-I'm letting her go." Yoshida said.

He released Ai's hair, causing her to sprint as fast as she could behind Eren. She fell to her knees and embraced her children, tears flowing from the experience.

They were safe.

"There, they're safe and free. Now let me go." Yoshida said.

Eren dropped the rocket launcher, implying that he would let Yoshida go.

"Go into the hallway and cover their eyes." Eren said to Ai.

Ai was on autopilot and did as she was told.

Once they were gone, Eren took out his Marleyan pistol, and before Yoshida could react, his shot him three times. Once in the head and twice in the chest, killing him instantly.

Eren had no intention of letting him live. Sergei needed Yoshida dead in order to replace him, which means that Sergei can ensure that no one would dare come after Ai. Even if Yoshida promised he'd stay away, Eren trusted Sergei more.

Now, it was time to escape.

Eren came into the hallway. Ai was covering her children's eyes and tried not to look at the ground that was covered in bodies. She noticed the weird contraption on Eren and chose to focus on that instead of the bodies.

"We'll go out this way, away from the bodies." Eren said as he sheathed his sword and got his gun ready.

Thankfully, no one was left to attack them as they reached the dock. Whoever was left decided that they didn't want to die to Eren and ran off, especially as they heard sirens in the distance and police arriving on the scene. They waited and set up a perimeter so no one could escape.

"Now what?" Ai asked Eren as she held her children.

"I didn't understand that." Eren said.

"I mean, what happens now?" She asked.

It was a logical question. What was Eren's plan now? They knew they needed to talk, but Eren needed to escape as well. So, they had very little time to talk.

"I'm turning myself in." Eren said.

"What!?" Ai yelled out. "W-why?"

"You and your children were in danger because of me." Eren said. "If I'm out of the picture, you and they will be safe. As well as..." Eren looked down at her stomach.

So, he knew.

"B-but that's not right. You can't be taken in." Ai said.

"Ai." Eren tried to argue.

"I talked to your Russian friend, to Sergei." Ai said. "He told me to come to a decision about us. And I came to my decision. I don't want to give you up Eren. I know you were desperate, but I can't let you get arrested."

"There's no way we can be together. Not after what I've done." Eren said, thinking back to not only his time in Japan, but in his world as well. He didn't deserve a happy ending.

"We can run away!" Ai tried to say. "We can escape to a different country together. Sergei said he was going to smuggle you out, we can go together."

Ai didn't know what she was saying. She was so emotional from the experience and felt like she was losing Eren now that he's back with her again.

"Ai, we can't do that to them." Eren said, motioning to the kids.

Eren knew Aqua was able to understand the conversation, while Ruby was confused. She could only see their emotions but couldn't follow the conversation since they spoke too quickly.

"Please Eren... I love you." Ai said as she started to cry.

She said it. Maybe it was the emotions speaking, or the fact that she was terrified of losing him again, but she said it.

"I know." Eren said as he got closer and gently hugged her and the kids, trying hard not to let the blood on him touch them.

Ai sobbed as he held her. Eren was a good man, but the legal system won't see it that way. He could even face the death penalty for what he did.

"I kept making mistakes, ever since I got to Japan." Eren said. "But I am so grateful to have met you. You made me very happy Ai; I am glad you forced me to spend time with you."

Ai giggled a bit at that.

"But I need to face the consequences of my actions. For so long I just kept moving forward without thinking of the consequences of my actions. It put you and the children in danger. So I have to face this. I have to let them take me. that way, no one will use you to force me to join them."

"Please, let's run away." Ai begged.

"And what? Let the kids live on the run? Robbed of the chance to go to school, something that's reserved for only a few people in my w-country." Eren caught himself. "They deserve their freedom."

"But what about you." Ai asked.

"I'll accept what happens to me and accept the consequences. For the first time in my life, I want to act with a clear and rational head." Eren said. "So please, don't cry. Live a long and happy life for me."

"I-I will." Ai said.

"Papa?" Ruby asked, still confused.

"Papa has to go to jail Ruby." Eren said.

"No!" Ruby yelled, able to understand that. "No! No! No!" She shook her head.

"I have to." Eren said.

Eren patted her head, causing Ruby to cry as she refused to accept Eren going to prison.

Eren shared a look with Aqua and nodded. Eren obviously knew that Aqua was an adult and there was a moment of respect shared between them. Eren knew Aqua fought hard to protect his family, and he was glad and felt like the family would be safe.

"I have to go Ai." Eren said.

Eren shared one last hug before he turned around. Ai walked with him as they approached the police blockade. Eren threw his weapons on the ground and raised his hands, showing his intention to surrender.

The police were quick and decisive in their arrest of Eren. They placed his hands behind his back and handcuffed him, before moving him to a squad care. Ai and the children were taken away by paramedics, who treated her and told her that she was safe.

Predictably, they assumed that Ai was kidnapped by Eren and was released when Eren turned himself in. So, Ai and the children would only be questioned and likely released.

Eren was placed in a small room with what looked like a mirror on one side. His hands were cuffed in front of him and on the table that was in the center of the room. Eren sat on one chair and saw a chair on the other side of the room. No doubt he was about to be interrogated.

Eren expected this, though he was more comfortable. He expected to already be tortured. He wondered how Japan tortured criminals, did they use machines or simply cut fingers off like Marley or Paradis?

Suddenly, the door opened.

"Mr. Yeager, it's nice to meet you." A man in a suit walked in, carrying what looked like red cans.

Eren nodded as he walked in the door.

"I have some soda, I wanted to know if you wanted some?" He man asked.

Soda, he had that drink with Ai before. But why offer him a drink, was it some kind of drug like truth serum? Eren decided he would tell the truth, no matter how unbelievable it was. But he didn't feel like being high from a truth serum.

"No thank you." Eren said.

"Well, it's here if you want it." The man said. "My name is Detective Yanada, I was assigned to speak with you."

"Ok." Eren said.

"How are the handcuffs, they're not too uncomfortable, right?" He asked.

What was he playing at? Why would he care? This is an interrogation, yet this man was acting friendly.

"I will admit, that's some impressive agility you showed. It probably explains your physique. Do you work out often?" Yanada asked.

Detective Yanada was employing a classic trick to get Eren to talk. By talking about Eren and starting the conversation by offering him a drink and complimenting him, it should compel Eren to talk more, which would cause Eren to likely slip and mention something they could use in court.

What they wanted to avoid, was Eren to request a lawyer or to shut down, both options would cause the questioning to end. So far, Eren seemed cooperative.

"Sure." Eren shrugged.

Not much of a talker.

"We heard you're from a rural area, did you work out a lot in your home country?" Yanada asked.

"Yea, I was a Soldier." Eren said.

"What was the name of your Army?" Yanada asked.

"At first, we didn't really have an official name. Just either the Military or Soldiers of humanity since we believed the world was overrun by Titans." Eren said, causing Yanada to raise his eyebrow. "Though now, we're called the Eldian Military."

"Eldian, is that your countries name in your language?" Yanada asked.

"Yes." Eren said.

"Can you point it on a map?" Yanada asked.

"I can't." Eren said.

"Really, why not?"

"It's in another world." Eren said.

There was a pause as Yanada considered Eren's response. Another world?

"Like a reverse Isesaki?" He asked.

"I know that word." Eren said, resembling Aqua's explanation. "Yes, that's accurate."

"Well, why don't you tell me about your world." Yanada said.

Eren began to explain everything about the world he grew up in. How he grew up in the walls that protected them from the Titans, explained what Titans were, and that he joined the Military in order to fight them.

He went into detail about learning the truth of his world, how humanity thrived beyond the walls. Explained the shifters and how they worked, as well as his own powers. He went into detail about the war with the global alliance and the final battle of Shiganshina.

Eren knew he wouldn't be believed, but he wanted to tell the truth anyway.

Predictably, Yanada didn't believe him. He let Eren talk, for no other reason than to let Eren hopefully say something that would sound like a confession. However, he had no idea why Eren was lying like this.

Did he hope to plead insanity? If so, it wouldn't work. Insanity only works if you kill without emotion. Hearing demons or voices in your head or outlandish tales isn't what makes you insane. Even then, being diagnosed with insanity will not reduce your prison sentence.

But Eren kept talking, and Yanada listened.

"After I was shot in the head I... woke up in Japan." Eren said, not wanting to go into detail about the Rumbling.

Detective Yanada heard a lot of stories and excuses. This was new though. The most common one was voices or demons in the criminals head.

"Is that why you decided to join the Yakuza?" Yanada asked.

He played along, since it would hopefully get more evidence for Eren to incriminate himself.

"Well, I-"

"Yanada, we need to cut this short." Another detective walked into the room.

"Why?" Yanada asked.

"We have a VIP who wants to speak to Yeager, so we need to let him." The man said.

"He didn't request a lawyer." Yanada said.

"We need to stop, just let's go." He said.

Eren was confused on what was said but watched as they walked out.

Eren assumed they were tired of his story and were probably just going to execute him. It would make sense, since no one would believe. Oh well, at least Ai and the children were safe.

His own child would grow up free and safe in a world that was comparatively much better than his own. Ruby no doubt would grow to become an idol just like her mother, Eren knew she had the drive to do it.

Aqua, he had no idea. But Aqua was a man, so he'd figure it out.

Eren did wonder how he would be executed. Did they do beheadings here or simply hang criminals? Would be broken on a wheel or skinned alive. Maybe even burned alive.

He didn't envy his position, but he experienced worse pain. At least this time, the mutilation will stick and actually let him die.

The door opened and an unfamiliar face walked in.

A bit shorter than I wanted it to be, but I hope you guys like it.

I was planning to end it with Eren just getting arrested, but I feel like this will add more tension and mystery. Maybe.

Hope you guys enjoyed, as always.