Hate 39

The Great Bat, the Enemy of the Sun, growled as he crept menacingly towards his foe.

["You have fallen far, One Who Is Many."]

Eren narrowed his six eyes as he heard the Great Bat speak for the first time. It was a scratchy voice filled with mockery and loathing. He stood his ground, which only made the Great Bat let out something approaching a chuckle of derision.

["I have grown beyond you and your rule! While you have returned from death only as a hollow husk!"]

{{{{.....}}}}

The Bat froze.

His wings trembled.

He took a step back.

And then he glared. ["You are too weak to even face me! You send forth this parasite to defend your throne over the storms!"]

Eren's eyes dilated and his spines bristled at the insult, of being called a parasite.

{{{{.....Pray this boy kills you, foolish upstart. I will not be so generous.}}}}

It seemed Eren wasn't the only one getting pissed off.

As the wind and rain billowed about them, with humans and monsters watching on, the two monsters starred one another.

The thick tension was cut by a lightning strike. 

Dragon and bat both roared over the thunder as they charged one another.

The Bat was larger than Eren, it was without question.

But Eren was not without his tricks.

As the Bat lunged at him with an open maw, Eren turned to the side and swung his tails into his foe's head. One of the spiked ends collided into the Bat's face, making him roar in pain as his terrible visage was scarred and bloodied. The other tail missed, and in retaliation the Bat bit at the tail below the spikes. Eren howled in pain as the Bat tried to yank and drag him off his feet, but even the Bat could not do that with ease.

Instead, he bit through the tail, taking it off.

There was an instance of white-hot pain, and Eren saw a flash of some creature- no, various creatures all trying and failing to bite through these same golden sales.

He pushed the mental image away as his necks began to glow and he could taste the lightning in his throat.

The Bat snarled before leaping to the air with flapping wings, barely avoiding Eren's breath attack. The bright, zig-zagging beams impacted the wall of Trost, dust and smoke rising from it.

Eren ended his attack as the Bat circled above and around to dive at him. 

He couldn't dodge this attack.

And letting this thing get claws on him seemed like a bad idea.

So, he decided to try something potentially stupid.

The Bat blinked as, right as he was upon his enemy, Eren leaped up as much as he could. He latched onto one wing of the Bat, mouths biting into the forearm with his teeth meeting armored flesh while his feet scratched into the membrane and side.

But it was not enough, the pained bat slamming himself and Eren down with enough force to dislodge and stun the golden dragon. Before Eren could avoid it, the talons of the Bat's feet had grabbed him and took to the air once more. Eren struggled as his enemy flew up, higher and higher above the walls.

Eren's friends and allies could only watch on helplessly as the Bat began to dive down and drop him like a bomb back into Trost.

The impact revibrated through the city as Eren groaned. 

"Eren!" Mikasa yelled, body already tense to leap to his aid.

"Don't!" Jean called out over the rain, looking back up at the swarm of smaller giant bats. "If we make a move, they will too!"

"We can't just do nothing!" Mikasa called back with a glare.

"We're not!" Armin called up, looking north along the walls.

Mikasa followed his gaze and saw soldiers running down the wall, each with a pack strapped to their back.

"You're part of the Resienwache, right?" one of the soldiers said as he stopped at them, turning his back to him. "Here, each of you take some acoustic rounds for your flare guns.

"Acoustic?" Jean murmured skeptically, taking some nonetheless. "I know we all talked about this idea, but it still seems kind of crazy."

"We saw it work," Armin reminded.

"You might have, I was too busy trying not to get eaten," Jean said with a snort.

"Thank you," Mikasa said to the soldier. "I'm guessing the plan is to sit tight while these are all passed out."

"Yeah, that's about the long and short of it," the scout said, his expression grim as he looked down at the battle.

The Bat flew above Eren, eyeing the body and knowing that would not be enough to slay the three-headed beast.

["Surrender, Parasite, and I will allow you to live as my servant."]

Eren barely heard the insulting offer as he began to get back up.

This body was weaker than it should be.

No, that wasn't right. 

It was getting stronger, bigger, just "more" in every way.

He slowly looked up just in time to see the Bat swoop down and strike his claws into his body, drawing black blood.

Eren growled, but even the pain felt distant to him.

He merely gazed up at the Bat.

No, not the Bat, but the Bat's wings.

He recalled a memory that wasn't his own, of flying through the skies of worlds he had never seen.

His eyes drifted to the side, to the wall of Trost where his lightning had struck.

He could faintly see the massive leg of a Wall Titan, exposed for the first time in a century.

"Eren."

He blinked at the voice.

It felt like time had slowed, or even stopped. He could barely feel the rain or the wind.

He slowly turned around to where he heard the voice and-

He wasn't in Trost anymore.

He was in that desert again, the stars glowing brightly above him.

The great glowing tree was before him, an entity he both dwarfed and was dwarfed by.

And at the base of the tree was a woman.

Frieda.

The Queen of the Walls smiled up at him, her expression worn and tired, apologetic and knowing.

"You know what you have to do."

Thunder rumbled behind him impatiently.

All at once, Eren recalled a great many things.

And these memories were his own.

Every time he fought a titan Shifter and his necks started glowing.

Every time a titan couldn't heal from his attacks.

Every time he made a titan feel pain.

Every time he killed a titan.

Frieda's scars.

'But he only had two heads.'

'Didn't you only have two heads before?'

'Did he get bigger?'

'Parasite.'

{{{{Maggots.}}}}

The Voice echoed loudly in his ears, no, his very mind.

Everything began to click into place.

Just like that, he was back in Trost with the wind and rain about him, and the Great Bat looming in the sky.

And where Frieda once stood in his vision, another figure now stood in the streets of Trost.

That guard of hers, the man called Kenny, and he was pulling something behind him.

"Hey, Brat," he greeted casually, not even bothering to raise his voice. "Frieda said you might need this."

With that, he tossed his luggage in front of him, towards Eren.

It was a person.

Bertholdt.

The holder of Colossal Titan was without hand or feet, and he was groaning with a dazed and drugged look about him. He was unaware of where he was or what was going on.

Eren knew what had to do

["Do you surrender, Fallen King?!"]

Eren ignored the Bat, his focus solely and utterly on the traitor before him. A man he had called a friend and trusted comrad, who had been responsible for this hell they had all endured for years, who served those that hated their shared people.

Eren felt his hate growing.

"What's he doing?" Historia asked with a frown.

"There's someone down there," Nanaba said, handing Erwin a spyglass.

The commander scowled as he saw who she meant. "Bertolt Hoover."

"What?" Miche said in surprise. "How did he get free...?"

"I don't believe he did," Erwin said simply.

Before anyone could question or speculate, Eren suddenly lounged down and snatched the shifter into his mouth.

"What the hell is he doing?!" Connie called out in surprise. "I get being hungry, but still!"

["A final meal, you foolish...?"] 

The Bat stopped his mockery as he saw the glow emitting from his foe, lightning beginning to dance across Eren's many scales.

"W-what?! No! Eren! Eren, don't! Please, don't!" Bertholdt screamed from within Eren's mouth as his awareness returned at the worst possible time. "Someone save-!"

His pleading fell on deaf ears as lightning suddenly burst out from Eren in all directions. Buildings, pavement, the Walls, the hellspawn bats, and a few soldiers were hit by the many beams. Even the Great Bat himself found himself struck by the terrible storm of power., making him land with a pained screech.

For a moment, it was silent. 

Even the Heavens had gone quiet, the wind and rain dying as a heavy atmosphere covered the area.

Smoke obscured Eren's form as enemies and allies squinted their eyes for him, but all they could spy were stray beams of lightning within the cloud.

And then, Eren let loose a great and triumphant roar with his three heads.

A great gust of wind disburst the smoke, and all beheld what had happened.

Eren's tail had regenerated, and all his wounds healed.

He might have even gained a few more meters in height.

But all anyone truly noticed was his new limbs.

From each of his sides were now two massive wings.

"Oh, just when I was getting used to how amazing he looks," Hange swooned as she marveled at the transformation. "Those beauties have to be over twenty meters long each!"

"He has wings now!?" Ymir couldn't help but exclaim.

"Question is, can he actually fly?" Nanaba said with a frown.

Erwin, however, was noticing something else; their enemies.

Be it the swarm of hellspawn bats or the Enemy of the Sun himself, all of the invading monsters seemed to grow fearful at the mere sight of Eren now.

With feet and wings, Eren stalked forth toward his foe with renewed fury and focus.

It felt so much better, more natural than always balancing on just two limbs.

For the Great Bat, desperation eventually overshadowed fear, and he took to the air.

Eren merely glared up at his cowardly enemy.

With a great flap of his wings, his feet began to leave the earth.

His focus was singular and fixated as he flew up to reach the Great Bat, who snarled and steeled his resolve before charging at Eren as well.

They locked in midair, their heads and legs attacking one another as they spun and tried to remain airborne.

Where once the Bat's attacks drew blood with relative ease, now his claws and fangs found much greater resistance against the armor that was Eren's golden scales.

"My god," Rico whispered in terrified awe as they watched the two giants fight. It was like watching two gods, two forces of nature clash in the sky.

The Great Bat tried to tear Zwei's throat out, but his efforts were rewarded with the fangs of Einz latching onto his head, the teeth hitting bone.

With all his effort, the Bat managed to struggle free with a bleeding head and tried to make some distance between himself and the Golden Demise.

He roared out to his swarm, his army, his minions.

["KILL HIM! ATTACK! ALL OF YOU!"]

Eren narrowed his six eyes and looked sharply around for any attacks.

{{{{.....}}}}

Not one of the lesser bats moved from where they hovered.

The Great Bat looked around and realized that he was no longer the clear victor in this contest.

He looked forward again and found Eren already swooping upon him.

He dodged, flying under Eren, and barely missed being hit by the tails.

["You may have wings, but you are inexperienced, Parasite."]

Eren glared but didn't deny the claim. He wasn't sure if it was the foreign memories that allowed him to fly this well, but it only went so far without getting used to it.

He stopped as he felt something.

Something deeper than a memory.

An instinct.

He beat his wings and began to ascend higher.

"Where is he going?" Armin murmured to himself as he watched his friend fly towards the clouds.

"Eren," Mikasa whispered softly.

["No, no, NO!"]

The Enemy of the Sun screeched in defiance but also terror as he flew after Eren in a mad dash.

He was gaining on the dragon quickly, desperate to reach him, to stop him.

"Oh no you don't!" Boris yelled out as he flew up in the air. Despite his injured wing, he could still fly. 

"You idiot, don't!" Grice called up in alarm.

Boris ignored his friend and pushed himself as hard as he could to try and reach the greater monster. He didn't need to defeat this bat, just slow it down for Eren to finish this.

He ignored how his own inner beast was screaming at him to stop, to stay away from this dark king of the night.

Maybe it was stupid. Maybe Eren Didn't need the help. He didn't know anymore.

All he knew was that he was the only one who could fly, who could help.

The Great Bat noticed his approach.

There was a snarl.

Boris didn't really see what happened, just that he was suddenly falling. And his blood was filling the air.

[BORIS!]Eren

Just short of reaching the clouds, Eren had turned around to see Boris being struck down.

The Bat turned upwards again to go after Eren.

But it was already too late.

Eren opened his mouths.

His body glowed.

Lightning crackled through the clouds, the bolts converging towards him.

No, he realized subconsciously, they were converging on him. Striking him.

He felt no pain, just a rush of intense power and might.

He sensed the dread and defeat in his enemy's eye.

He saw him attempt to reverse course and flee.

With a terrible roar and a mighty flap of his wings, Eren let loose lightning now just from his maws but from every point of his body.

The attacks rained down and tore through the body of the Great Bat, each strike scorching and tormenting the dark beast. With holes torn in his wings and his body too in pain to stay aloft, the Enemy of the Sun fell like a smoking comet.

All watched his descent with awe and trepidation as he landed in the field outside Trost.

{{{{Fly higher.}}}}

[Shut up.]Eren

{{{{NOW!}}}}

[I SAID SHUT UP!]Eren

{{{{!!!!}}}}

He ignored the growling in his mind as he quickly swooped down to where Boris had fallen. The serpent laid upon a set of abandoned buildings he had crashed upon, just outside the sealed gate of Trost.

[Boris!]Drei

[Don't you dare die on us!]Einz

[How bad is it?]Zwei

Boris chuckled weakly, green blood dripping from his mouth. ["I guesssss I never will get usesssd to that,"] he jested with a cough. ["It'ssss a good thing you have wingssss now."]

[Don't talk like that!]Drei

Einz growled frustrated while Zwei remained solemn.

["H-hey, kid? If I don't make it? Look after Ellie for me. Sssomeone hasss to have her back when Griccce getsss too worked up,"] Boris requested.

[We will.]Zwei

The other two heads looked at him in frustration at his willingness to seemingly give up and accept this. Zwei said nothing more as Boris grew quiet and still.

"Boris," Grice whispered, hoping that his friend was not dead. But this world had little room for hope.

["Grice? What's going on? Is Boris okay?"] Ellie called up in a concerned whimper. Grice didn't have the heart to answer her yet.

Eren looked at the fallen comrade as helpless rage filled him.

A scratching sound reached his ears.

He suddenly had a target for that rage.

His heads turned sharply and looked out towards where the Great Bat had crashed.

The beast was still alive, trying to crawl away unnoticed.

Eren stalked forth with hate boiling through his blood.

The bleeding, wounded giant futility tried to leap up and fly away, only to come crashing down again.

The Great Bat tried ever harder to claw his way to safety as he felt the Golden Death coming to loom over him.

With no other choice, the Enemy of the Sun stopped and bowed his head to grovel.

[Almighty One Who Is Many, please! Mercy! Call off your parasite and let me live!]

Eren snarled as he used one clawed wing to flip Bat over onto his back, all three heads snarling at him.

[I] Einz

[Am]Zwei

[Not]Drei

[A PARASITE!]Eren

With ruthless savagery, Eren began to tear the Great Bat apart at the chest, tearing chunks of flesh away and breaking bones. Eventually, Eren's three heads latch onto the neck and torso.

Lightning charged in his throat.

{{{{.....}}}}

And with a final blast, he ended the reign of the would-be Lord of the Storms.

With blood still dripping from his mouths, Eren breathed deeply as he stood over the corpse of his foe while the wind and rain washed over him.

"Woah," Sasha said uneasily as she and many others watched on from atop the walls. "Makes you glad he's on our side."

Rico frowned to herself from nearby. "For now."

"The question is, what about the rest of them?" Jean murmured as he and many others watched the skies cautiously for any attack from the lesser bats above, holding their autistic flares at the ready.

After a moment, the entire swarm moved as one and flew.

Towards Eren.

"A suicide charge? To avenge their leader?" Hange speculated as she cupped her chin.

"I don't believe so," Erwin said with a narrowed gaze.

Eren slowly turned to see the horde of smaller enemies flying towards him.

He narrowed his eyes, ready for another battle, but...

Instead, they all landed on the ground in front of Eren, half encircling him as he eyed them all suspiciously.

They studied his glaring expression for a long moment.

And then, they bowed.

To the shock of all that bore witness, the swarm lowered their heads to the Golden Demise.

It was like an army kneeling before a leader.

Before their new king.