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"Empty handed. I'm disappointed, Levi." Said Springer softly, though Eren thought he didn't sound disappointed at all. There was an odd gleam in his eyes, as if he had anticipated this, and was even looking forward to it.
"They're long gone." Levi replied tonelessly. Beside him, Eren's bright green eyes rounded in surprise. The man was covering for them! Even when he had called Eren foolish, he had silently acknowledged the boy's doings, and was now helping Connie, the sick boy, and his mom! Eren had to furiously fight off the look of triumph on his face so as to not look so obvious.
"Pity." Springer said with a twisted little smile. "But luckily for you, I'm still in need of that win."
Levi did not answer.
"I trust you still remember the time and place?"
Stiffly, Levi gave a tiny nod. His lips had gone very thin.
"Then I shall see you both there."
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As Levi walked into the preparation room, flashes of his murky past hit him wave after wave. Trauma of beatings…the sound of knuckles hitting flesh…the cries of the wounded…and worst of all, the awful smell of the disgusting mixture of blood and saliva.
Nothing has changed in ten years.
The room was still filled with muck, blood stains, and the lingering desperation of fighters wishing to make a few extra bucks to survive.
From behind him, Eren was trembling. Levi had not explained to him what he would be doing instead as the "favor" to Springer, even though the boy had asked. The dread the man wore on his face was enough to ensure silence between them as they made their way to another foreign building in the Underground. This one was round and flat, as if it only had one floor, and looked very much abandoned from the outside. Yet the room they stepped into were filled with people doing what looked like warm-up exercises.
The men all looked bulky and incredibly mean. There were a few women as well, but they did not look any friendlier. Eren didn't know what Levi had to do here; he just hoped it would be over soon. This entire Underground frightened him. It was as if everything that was ever good was sucked from the air, leaving the people here to breathe in the stink of desolation.
"Good luck." Springer said evenly, his cold smile pressing on his thin face, "I've got a lot of money riding on you…Leviathan."
Levi's back tensed for a second as the foreign name sunk in once again. He stopped in front of a shabby corner of a wall. Mechanically, he took off his jacket and hung it loosely on the hook on the wall in silence. Eren peered at it; above the hook was a very faded "L" carved neatly into the cement.
As Levi rolled up the sleeves of his undershirt, Springer's hand came down upon Eren's shoulder, making the boy jump.
"I'll take sweet Eren up to the stands, shall I?" He asked pleasantly, though it didn't sound like a question at all. "Wouldn't want him down here or…in the ring with you."
Levi hesitated, but Springer seemed to read his mind.
"Don't worry. I'll make sure he's alright." He smiled. "I've taken a liking to him. He reminds me of my son."
"One fight." Repeated Levi coolly.
Springer's smile stretched wider. "One win, Levi." He corrected. And he turned away to guide the boy towards the exit, where they would be watching in the stands.
Eren turned his head around, mouthing wordlessly at the man they were leaving behind. He didn't want to be separated with Levi, but knew he had no choice. Somewhere deep inside, he knew that he had caused a lot more trouble for Levi by stubbornly tagging along and making emotional decisions along the way, and he blamed himself for it. He wished he had never come. He even hated himself a little. How was it possible to not have regrets? How could he not look back?
The stands weren't much more comforting. Crude men jeered loudly at the empty ring, crumpled money held high in their hands. The smell of sweat and cheap alcohol haunted the air, and Eren withdrew further back into his seat.
Finally, as the bellowing reached its maximum, the host descended into the middle of the ring on a small manually handled platform.
"Welcome! Welcome back to our 178th battle!" He boomed, beaming around at them all, "And do we have a surprise for us today! Not only is the King himself ready to take another head for his win, we also have a very special guest…"
He paused for effect, looking around the hushed stands, "He has been here before, an alumni if you will, and tonight he returns again in hope of prevailing against our all-time champion! I give you…LEVIATHAN!"
The small iron gate on the west side of the ring shot open, and Levi walked out slowly into the dirt pit, greeted with more boos than cheers from the crowd.
He had hated that name the first time it had been forced upon him, and he hated it now even more so. The screams did not throw him, even though it had grown considerably more intense since the last time he had been here. Cold gray eyes searched the stands until they saw the boy, sitting quite self-consciously among the first row, face filled with fear.
"And of course," The host continued, gesturing to the rusty gate opposite from Levi, "Let's welcome back…THE KING HIMSELF!"
Shrieks and screams followed this as the crowd stomped their feet, cheering for their champion. The gates swung open, and the fighter known as the King sluggishly stepped out from the shadows.
It was a face like no other: scarred so badly that it was hard to tell if it was even a face anymore. He had very little hair, and bared a deep wound to the side of his scalp that made it seem as if his head had been split open. As he straightened up, the top of his head almost reached the host on the platform. He was almost two times the height of an average man, and also two times as wide.
Most of all, he was carrying a spear.
Springer leaned against the stands to get closer to Levi, who had watched the King with nothing but cool nonchalance.
"Quick note, Levi." Springer grinned wickedly, "There's been a few rule-changes since you've been gone. For one thing, weapons are allowed."
Levi narrowed his eyes at him, but Springer merely folded his fingers gracefully.
"…For another, it's fight to the death now."
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"Let the fight…BEGIN!" Yelled the host as his platform ascended out of sight by the trolley.
The King charged immediately. The host's last word barely left his mouth before the spear from his hand was aimed directly at Levi.
Levi jumped back, and the spear shot into the dirt where his foot was a second ago.
Though large and bulky, the King was swifter than his size suggested. He turned in seconds, and lunged for his second attack. Levi jumped back again and again as he dodged the oncoming encounters, and the crowd booed in discontent at his retreat.
"What's he doing? Fight already!" A man behind Eren grumbled loudly.
"He hasn't got a weapon, the damn fool!" Shouted another in glee.
Eren's brows furrowed together. He knew Levi was stronger than he looked, but he couldn't see how he could win against that giant with nothing but his bare hands.
The King roared in frustration as another sharp poke missed Levi. He stomped down hard and picked up his speed, sweeping at Levi's legs with another mighty swing.
Levi leapt out of the way, but that had been the trojan horse to distract him. The King's left fist, as big as a small child's head, came from above. Levi ducked, but the fist caught him on the side of the face anyway.
The force was unimaginable. The sheer power behind the punch knocked Levi into the air. He adjusted himself swiftly and managed to land on his feet, although barely. Sliding back into the dirt, Levi wiped the corner of his mouth with the back of his hand. The King did not give him a moment to recompose. Before Levi could stand up straight, he had made another deadly jab with the spear. Levi withdrew quickly, but not quickly enough. The blade of the spear scraped the side of his cheek sharply, leaving a nasty cut along the side of his face. He had underestimated his opponent.
The crowd cheered at the hit, bellowing for more.
The King obliged and charged again; spear held high.
Levi un-buckled his belt in an instance and lashed it out like a whip. Several scattered laughter sounded from the crowd, perhaps to watch him make a fool of himself.
Yet Levi's face remained calm. As the King raised the spear, Levi whipped the belt with amazing precision: it swung across the weapon and tightened around it. With a sharp pull, the spear was pulled out the King's hand altogether. Levi caught it with his uninjured hand, turned it around, and pointed it straight at the King's heart.
Everything happened in a blur.
The King himself stood frozen, fazed by the turn of events.
The crowd was hushed.
For an eternity, the pair stood in the middle of the ring, the only sound was the slow dripping of blood down Levi's chin.
Then the host laughed awkwardly from above, "Ah, well, you'll have to kill your opponent for the win, Leviathan."
"I've already won." Replied Levi coolly.
"FINISH HIM!" Yelled someone from the stands, but Levi ignored him.
"Er – well, not until you finish him." The host agreed.
Levi raised his eyes coldly at the pathetic figure twitching on his platform, then at the stands where the boy sat fretfully, his eyes round with worry.
He wasn't about to let the kid witness yet another murder.
Whipping the spear aside so it fell with a loud clang, Levi made for Eren. The crowd watched confusedly as the man picked up speed and raced for the side of the wall. The ring had built half underground as to not harm anyone in the stands during the fight, no way was he going to make that jump onto the stands.
Yet Levi continued advancing until he reached the edge of the wall. Horizontally, he stepped onto perpendicular wall and raced across the wall in a spiral path. His speed allowed him to stay midair for several seconds before he pushed off, defying the laws of gravity. Years and years of slaying titans had experienced him: the height of his jump was incredible, and he managed to grab hold of the railings with one hand.
Pulling himself up, he came to eye level with the cowering child.
"I'm done here." He addressed Springer coldly, "And I'm taking the kid."
There was no smile on Springer's face anymore. In fact, he looked as cold as Levi did. "You think you can play me? You're not going anywhere until you finish the fight."
As the pair stared at each other in hatred, the King picked up his spear.
"Levi!" Squealed Eren.
Yet it was too late. The King had thrown the spear with all his might towards the back of the man, and the accuracy of his aim was dead on. For a millisecond, Springer seemed to know what was going to happen. His eyes narrowed ever so slightly in anticipation, hoping to see Levi skewed by the long weapon coming from behind.
The gray eyes remained focused on the Springer's face. At the last possible moment, Levi swiftly moved to the side. The spear seemed to zoom by in slow motion, and it had been so forceful that it whipped Levi's hair away. It came so exceedingly close, and a few strings of jet-black hair was cut off by the blade running through them. Next, the spear came to a dead stop as it rammed through Springer's shoulder.
Springer grunted in agony and shock. He lost his balance and fell face first into the ring below – where the last champion stood menacingly.
One hand on the railing, Levi's other hand grabbed Springer's collar as he fell, dangling him ten feet off the ground, but saving him from a far more gruesome fate.
"Are we done here now?" He asked coldly.
Springer grunted in pain again. His collar was cutting into his windpipe.
Levi lacked his grip purposely, letting Springer slide down another few inches.
"Yes, goddammit, yes!" Springer quipped frantically.
"And the supplements?"
"I'll get them! Please!" Springer grimaced.
Levi said no more and swung Springer back and forth a few times before getting the momentum to swing him back into the stands. Springer landed painfully and cried out as the spear lodged deeper into his flesh. Levi pulled himself over the stands as well and picked up the boy protectively.
"By the end of the day, Springer." He threatened at the whimpering heap of a man at his feet. And tightening his grasp on the child, he made for the door.
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Again, I wanted to thank everyone who took the time to read this. I loved your input on the story, and hope you'll stick with me as it unfolds. Keep safe, guys!