Final Clash

"Alright, body, just hold on a little longer..." Eren murmured, suppressing the pain clawing at him as he slipped back into the nape of his Titan. A spark of defiance ignited in his mind, a single, reckless idea that could end it all.

Reiner was already advancing, his frustration carved into his armored face as a heavy mantle of azure crystals coated his skin, obscuring the familiar plates beneath.

He was wary now, unwilling to face another unexpected strike from Eren's berserk form. But Eren, gathering his waning strength, rose unsteadily to his feet, his breath steady as he harnessed a blend of Ackerman instincts and the raw, wild power of the Attack Titan.

His tangled hair cast shadows across his face, a faint, furious green glimmer shining through.

Both Titans lurched forward, their footsteps quaking the soaked earth, each impact pressing down, sending cracks into the ground beneath. They left a chaotic trail of splintered trees and deep pits of churned mud in their wake.

"Alright, Reiner," Eren growled, his voice a low snarl, "let's end this."

Reiner's fist, armored and massive, sliced through the stormy air, casting dark, twisting shadows across Eren's face. "Eren, watch out!" Levi's voice cut through the heavy atmosphere, but Eren had already anticipated the move.

"Hngh..." Eren grunted, slipping to the side with blinding speed, evading the punch by mere inches. He locked his arm around Reiner's neck, shattering a thin layer of crystal as he twisted, the strain blazing across his exhausted body.

Suddenly, a crackle of crimson lightning ignited along his Titan form, drawing out a haunting, azure glow from his eyes as he channeled what remained of his berserk strength.

Reiner struggled, desperate, but Eren's grip only tightened. With a bone-jarring snap, he fractured the crystals across Reiner's neck, momentarily stunning him as the berserk form flickered and died away, leaving both of them exposed, vulnerable—and yet unrelenting.

"What is he...?" Reiner hissed, feeling Eren's iron hold dig deeper. Eren's gaze was relentless, bloodshot with pain and resolve, as he drove his knee up, slamming into Reiner's plated calf with a sickening crunch. Reiner's balance wavered, and both Titans crashed to the ground, locked together in a storm of rage and resolve.

Reiner, reeling, tried to twist free, attempting to reverse their positions, but Eren's movement was calculated, a trap set for his enemy. With a brutal twist, he wrenched Reiner's arm to the side, coiling around it like a predator closing in.

He slammed Reiner's vulnerable, fractured neck into a vicious armbar, pouring every ounce of his strength into the hold.

Eren's vision blurred as crimson trails dripped from his mouth, yet he didn't let up. He pulled harder, feeling Reiner's armor begin to crack under his relentless assault. Just a little more... he could end this, end it all.

But his strength was fading faster than he anticipated, and the berserk transformation eluded him, hovering just out of reach. "Why... Why can't I change..." he whispered, his voice hoarse and broken as the rain and storm bore down, merging his blood with the earth beneath them.

"I should help him…" Mikasa muttered, her gaze fixed, unwavering, on Eren as he struggled. She made to move, but Hange's firm grip on her arm held her back. "Not yet,"

Hange commanded, voice low, eyes sharp, though Mikasa's jaw clenched in frustration. Across the field, Levi stood poised, blades gleaming, every fiber of him ready to strike the moment an opening showed itself.

"You bastard… let go!" Reiner grunted, his voice raw, struggling to lift both himself and Eren from the ground. But Eren was relentless, shifting his grip and converting the triangle hold into a belly-down armbar, forcing Reiner to the ground again.

"ARGHHH…!" Eren roared, drawing on every ounce of his strength. Another crack of scarlet lightning split the clouds as he surged back into his berserk form barely, ripping Reiner's arm clean from its socket. Without hesitation, Eren's fist smashed into Reiner's neck in a brutal, thunderous blow.

In one swift motion, Eren yanked Reiner from the Titan's nape, his grip crushing with unforgiving force. "AHHHHHHHHH!" Reiner's strangled scream tore through the field, blood streaking from his mouth in defiance.

"SCOUTS, NOW!" Hange's voice rang out, the command sending everyone into motion, advancing toward the fierce scene. But even with only a few yards left to cross, the distance felt insurmountable as a massive bolt of thunder flashed, illuminating the entire battlefield.

"Watch out!" Hange's warning boomed over the storm, and the scouts froze, instinctively falling back. As the lightning dimmed, Reiner's Armored Titan reformed—his third and final transformation.

"EREN YEAGER!" his voice like rolling thunder, and charged forward with explosive fury, severing his own arm down to the shoulder to break free of Eren's grasp. The sheer impact hurled Eren's Titan backward, skidding across the ground, struggling to regain balance.

"I… I can't… I can't do this anymore…" Eren's body screamed in protest, the relentless agony of the fight ravaging him. Every inch of him was battered and torn, but his resolve was somehow still holding. Just barely.

Seeing his chance, Reiner let out a guttural roar and charged, closing the gap with terrifying speed. For the first time, his armored fist connected fully with Eren's Titan, landing a crushing blow against his torso.

The force of the hit rippled through Eren's form, sending him skidding back across the ground, his Titan's body lurching from the shock.

"EREN!" Mikasa's scream pierced the air as Reiner unleashed a ruthless barrage, each blow shaking Eren's body further, pushing him closer to the edge. However, a merciless grin spread over Eren's face making Reiner realize....

Out of nowhere, Levi shot forward, his presence a sudden, electrifying blur. "Hngh…" he grunted as his blades tore through the air, striking with ruthless precision.

"What—?" Reiner's words barely formed before Levi had decimated his vulnerable joints, severing the bones beneath the armored plates where no crystal fortifications existed.

Blood poured from Reiner's shredded legs, streaming down to his thighs, even his underarms left unprotected for movement.

"How…?" Reiner stammered, disoriented, but his shock was short-lived as Eren stepped forward, his Attack Titan's eyes narrowed, an unyielding crimson glow radiating from his fists like molten magma.

"I… I thought I could… pull this off," Eren muttered through gritted teeth, his body trembling from exhaustion, yet his instincts sharpened to a deadly edge.

Summoning the last remnants of his strength, he let the features of his berserk form flood his fists, though he remained in his Attack Titan.

"Damn it…" Reiner could only mutter, his knees buckling. But Eren wouldn't allow him to fall.

"Die… for every life you've taken, you bastard…" A fierce grin spread across Eren's face, and he unleashed a storm of punches, each one a hammerfall of red, leaving searing trails across Reiner's armor.

Reiner staggered back, sliding through the mud under the force of each blow, but Eren pressed on, advancing step by step, every punch a merciless sentence.

"I won't give up… not yet!" Reiner, at his own breaking point, poured all his strength into a desperate legs healing them, lunging forward to meet Eren head-on.

"What the—" Eren snapped, eyes sharpening as he pivoted, narrowly slipping to Reiner's left, his arms maneuvering into a tight guillotine choke around Reiner's hulking form.

"You're mine!" Eren roared, tightening his hold, bending Reiner backward until cracks began forming in the massive plates shielding Reiner's back, exposing the vulnerable flesh beneath.

"Eren!" Mikasa's voice cut through the storm, her gaze locking onto Reiner's partially healed calf muscles. No longer waiting for Hange's signal, she launched forward, blades drawn, the cold steel gleaming in the chaotic flashes of lightning above.

"What the hell is that shorty doing? Where's he?" Mikasa muttered, frustration flaring as she caught sight of Levi. He was already positioned for a strike, the task she'd come all this way to handle herself.

"Oi, idiot, get away!" Levi barked, his voice cutting through the chaos. But Mikasa ignored him, closing in on Eren, her blades tight in her grip, eyes locked on the blood streaming from Reiner's nape.

She could feel it—the armor was cracking, shattering, any moment now she'd strike him down, end this nightmare, and cradle Eren in her arms.

She'd hold him close, and this time, no matter what, she'd keep him safe—even if it meant forcing him to rest. And…finally, she'd hear the words she longed for him to say.

But then…

"AHHHHHHH!!!" Reiner's agonized scream tore through the battlefield, shrill and violent, chilling every soldier to their core. "Idiot, get back!" Levi warned again.

But Mikasa was already there, digging her blades repeatedly into the Armored Titan's exposed nape. "Shut up… I've almost got him!" she shouted, her voice fierce as she felt the armor crumbling.

"MIKASA! EREN! RUN, GET OUT OF THERE!" Armin's voice rang out, a cry of desperate warning. He'd seen it—the colossal shadow shifting, Bertholdt's form beginning to tilt as his ribs broke from the wall, his monstrous frame collapsing sideways.

Though barely conscious, Eren's grip on Reiner slackened as Armin's plea hit him, and he glanced up to see Bertholdt's massive, fiery descent and then his gaze shifted on..... Mikasa.

"What? What's she doing here?" But there was no time. In an instant, he reached out, clutching her close, shoving Reiner aside. Their eyes met—hers wide with tears, hands clinging desperately to him—but Eren didn't hesitate. He quickly yet carefully pushed her into his mouth, teeth clenched, shielding her from the impending inferno.

"Eren…!" Levi's voice called out, strained with rare fear as he watched the colossal titan plummet, triggering a devastating explosion.

The world became a vision of hell.

The blast rippled outward, vaporizing trees and scorching earth, forming a vast, charred crater that swallowed the field whole.

The heat was suffocating, searing through the air as distant scouts gasped, some collapsing from lack of oxygen, others caught in the scorching wave of flames.

As the burning light consumed the sky, the battlefield fell silent, swallowed by the blinding heat.