Freedom Fighters League of the Exiled

Blaze of Glory

I told that not just to Levi but to everyone, no one was forcing anyone to stay, they all had every right to retreat, but they all one by one agreed to see this through no matter the consequences. Everyone was trying their best to evacuate. I'm sure Levi and I weren't the only ones close to our limits. Everyone was fighting their hardest, overworking their abilities to the point we would all surely face the backlashes whether they are temporary or permanent.

Looking around Pixis's hands were shaking, I could see that even from here. Berthold looked like he could barely hold himself together from stretching too much. Not to mention fighting through the pain of being shot. Shadis looked like he could barely stand every time he affected another person. I could see his face twist in agony. Hanna looked like her own mind might explode any moment she looked disoriented and was trying not to fall over despite already sitting on the ground.

Erwin looked like he could barely hold the portal open, not only had he held that one, but he had been using his portals to portal in a few wounded people that Berthold couldn't manage to grab. Annie looked like she was going to pass out. There were already new crystal patches forming on her body. The ones I could see from here looked like they were on her face. I could tell they weren't there intentionally. She can't keep that up much longer without those becoming permanent.

Hitch looked just as out of it. She looked very confused and disoriented. I could tell she couldn't remember where she was, her own illusions backlashing onto her and affecting her. Connie and Sasha were both behind the barrier. Connie would disappear for a few seconds at a time but when he came back he would be stumbling trying to fight blacking out. Sasha's doubles were moving a lot slower and I noticed there were more than 20 of them. Her head must be exploding right now.

I took a deep breath pulling my attention back to the guards in front of me. I had to keep going. Kept fighting. There's no way I haven't hit my limit by now. My adrenaline, my anger, were the only things keeping me going. Tomorrow I'm sure there will be hell to pay, that is if we make it that far. In all honesty, I don't see myself making it out of this. It didn't scare me as much as I thought it would. I mean what better way to go out than a blaze of glory going down saving people. I made my peace with dying, I just hope if I go down no one else comes with me.

My whole body was numb. I couldn't feel anything, which only scared me more. By now my wrists would be burning and screaming at me to stop, or my power would cut off altogether, but here I am not only am I able to keep Levi and myself afloat, but I'm still able to create gravity fields, big ones at that.

I half expected Levi to yell at me to tell me not to overdo it, or at least make my gravity fields smaller, but he never did. He just stayed silent by my side, keeping the gunfire from hitting us and the others.

In fact, I think he was over his limit too. Meaning we are both going to be fucked up if we live through this. I definitely have a ton of backlash coming my way. Whether it's permanent or not, that is the only question about it. "Almost everyone is out just a little longer," Pixis said, giving me a heads up. Thank god. I don't think any of us can keep this up for much longer.

Do you hear that? I mentally asked Levi. I didn't hear an answer and I turned to look at him. "Shit." His nose was dripping blood and his eyes looked like they were about to roll back into his head. He looked at me for a split second and I saw blood start to roll down his cheeks like crimson tears. Shit shit shit he's way past his limit. I'm surprised he's still conscious. The last few times this has happened he fell unconscious immediately after, but he was still standing still fighting. Still trying to use his powers. Still trying to protect us.

"Stop, you're going too far," I told him but he shook his head.

"So are you," he said, nodding towards me. Apparently, my nose was bleeding too. I hadn't even noticed. "Until every last person gets out, remember," he said, throwing my words back at me. I hate when he does that.

"Can you even see where the bullets are coming from to stop them?" I asked.

"Sorta, things are a little red and blurry but I can manag-" his voice cut off as he started coughing.

He's coughing up blood. This isn't good. "I know what I said, but you are clearly in a worse position," I tried to reason with him.

"So your stubbornness is allowed and mine isn't? You know damn well I made my peace with dying years ago, this was all extra time and it was damn well worth it, but if this is how I go out then so be it. It's a hell of a way to go, a blaze of glory." He repeated my thoughts back at me, "Besides did you really think I would let you die out here alone? I'll be by your side until the end. That's why we always agreed to go on dangerous missions together. Well, I guess this is our last dangerous mission together."

As much as I wanted to argue he was right, I was ready to risk my life for this and I wasn't going to stop no matter what, so how can I stop him from doing the same. "Well it was a hell of a last mission," I said, my voice breaking a little as I forced back any tears that threatened to spill. Now isn't the time to tear up. Now is the time to fight harder than I ever have before.

"Besides, everyone is almost out. I just need to hold them off a little longer." Levi said, clearing his throat. I could tell he was fighting to just stay conscious not to mention to stop his powers from giving out.

He only has to hold them off because they are shooting, so all I have to do is get them to stop shooting. Well, if I wasn't well over my limit before I will be after this.

"Don't be stupid."

"You knew from the beginning I was always an idiot," I said before taking a deep breath. I made one of the biggest gravity fields I have ever made over a hundred feet away. It took mere seconds for all of the guards in front of us to get swept off their feet and thrown into it. Yes, it worked! Oh shit.

That definitely did it. My powers gave out. The field disappeared after they were all swept into it, but it wasn't the only thing that disappeared. We started falling from the sky. I guess my body couldn't handle that big of a gravity field and keeping us in the air.

"Pyro, Cryo, Catch them!" I heard Shadis's voice yell out, apparently, someone was watching us back there.

Even if they did catch us it wouldn't help, I mean we are like 20 maybe 30 feet in the air. We're going to die, or at the very least get very badly hurt. Jean and Marco weren't going to be able to protect us from that, if anything we will just hurt them by landing on them. That didn't stop them from running up underneath us to try.

Right before we collided with them we stopped. I thought my powers had kicked back in until I realized that this wasn't me. It felt different from my power. Shit, Levi caught us. I tried to make things easier on him but I just made things worse. Instead of bullets, he had to catch us which takes a lot more energy.

We fell the last five feet after Levi inevitably blacked out. Jean and Marco caught us and I knew we were all exposed now. The second those guards get back up we're toast.

Pixis I need a shield over all of us now! I called out through the telepathic link. I didn't even know if Pixis could. I mean he had used his power too much already. Even if he did make a force field I doubt it could handle that many bullets raining down on us.

The force field appeared around us and it looked thin. It could maybe stop one or two bullets, but anything after that it would surely break. I had to face it; we were going to die. I just looked around. It seems the last few people were entering the portal. Well at least in the end we succeeded. We protected them.

I pulled Levi into my arms and Jean and Marco wrapped their arms around us. They too had realized that this was a death sentence. In the end, I can't think of a better way to go out. Levi in my arms, and Jean and Marco right here by my side. In the end, I just wish I could have saved them too.

"I never knew how it was going to end, but now that I do, I'm glad you're here with us," Jean said and when I looked at him I saw tears in his eyes as he gave us a smile.

"I love you guys," was all I could force out before closing my eyes. I know it's selfish, but I hope I get shot first, I don't want to see them die.