บท 440: Rumble

"RAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!"

As the ear shattering roar echoed throughout Zanarkand from within the massive cloud of steam, almost everyone had to cover their ears to keep from being deafened by it. Only after an entire minute did the scream start letting up, which was also when the steam surrounding the Titan also began to clear to reveal its true form to them.

The first thing everyone noted was just how massive the Titan was. While the Colossal Titan was the one known for its size at sixty meters(just under two hundred feet), this one towered over it at over seventy five meters(two hundred and fifty feet). Unlike the Colossal Titan though, which didn't even have skin covering it's body, this one was covered in a layer of armor that seemed to move around as a liquid instead of a solid.

Even more curious was that this Titan had the same protruding jaw as the Jaw Titan, while fingers were covered in the same armor that was a liquid on its body, but as hardened blades along their length. The strangest thing about it though was the long bony tail that was protruding from the Titan's backside, which was tipped with a long and lethal looking scythe-like blade.

"This....is.....true....power...! Taste.....it.....and.....DESPAIR!" The mad Titan roared while billowing out a massive cloud of steam from its mouth, and glaring down at Alex who didn't even reach its waist in height.

In the face of such a sight, Alex lips curled back as he began to hoot,

"HOO HOO HAA! HOO HOO HAA!" With monkey-like laughter echoing around them, the massive Titan appeared to grow even angrier at how he wasn't being taken seriously. Before he could do anything though, there was a flash of light as two figures suddenly appeared between them.

"LADIES AND GENTLEMAN, LETS GET READY TO RUUUUUUUUUUUMBLE!" Shia roared out like an announcer before a fight, while Mirajane posed next to her in a revealing and attractive bunny-girl outfit.

While everyone was gaping at them and what they were doing, Shia gestured to the Titan and declared,

"ON THIS SIDE WE HAVE THE CHALLENGER! HE'S BIG, CRAZY, PATHETIC, AND DICKLESS! PRESENTING, THE RANDOM LOSER!" As Shia cried out his introduction a disembodied chorus of boos and jeering rang out, while Mirajane even made a face like she smelled something bad.

"RAAAAAAAAAAAAA!" The Titan roared at her as it's massive tail swung around to slice her into two, only for Shia to grab the blade right before it impacted her and shatter it with her bare hand. Her expression then morphed into one resembling a thug's as she declared to the Titan,

"Haaaaaa?! What was that you bastard!? Ya want me to fucking smash you and your entire fucking army up here and now?! Haaaaaaa???????" With Shia being more than strong enough to do just that, as well as destroying most of Spira in the process, Mirajane struggled to hold her back as she also tried to pacify the rabid rabbit.

"Wait, calm down Shia!" For several minutes Mirajane worked to calm Shia down, which also included her gently massaging her fluffy rabbit ears, until Shia took a deep breath and resumed her earlier antics.

"Anywho....AND ON THIS SIDE WE HAVE THE REIGNING CHAMPION! HE'S A BIG AND HAIRY HUNK OF A MAN, WITH A MASSIVE SHLONG TO BOOT! PRESENTING, THE SUUUUUUUUUPER SADIST!" Contrasting the boos and jeering the Titan had gotten, Alex received a deafening chorus of cheers and applause, to which he put his great ape hands together and waved them around excitedly.

Needless to say the spectators were all more than a little stunned at the antics of Alex, Shia, and Mirajane, while the members of Alex's peerage all had varied reactions. The most stunned of all though was the mad Titan, who could scarcely believe the mockery he was being made of along with the strength Shia showed. But, before he could recover himself, she continued,

"NOW THEN, LET THE MATCH BEGIN!" As she declared the start of Alex and the Titan's fight, the sound of a bell rang out that echoed throughout the seas and Zanarkand.

The moment the bell sounded both Alex and the Titan moved as they lunged at each other, with the blade at the tip of the Titan's tail having already regenerated. What surprised Alex though was that, while much larger than the sluggish Colossal Titan, this Titan was much faster as it brought down a massive fist upon him.

Looking up at the descending fist as layers of armor formed upon it, Alex reached up with his own hands to stop the attack in its tracks before it could crush him, right as the Titan's tail suddenly lunged at him. Instead of paying it any mind though, Alex tightened his grip on the Titan's hand, his fingers fracturing the armor as they dug into it, before he then pulled the Titan's entire mass.

Normally a Titan body was lighter and fairly easier to damage than the body of a similarly sized creature, due to the lack of density, however this Titan form was the result of the mad man's years of research and modifications on his own transformation. It was, in his eyes, the perfect Titan transformation.

That was why when Alex began to flip him over his head, the man's eyes widened in shock as he easily threw several hundred tons of flesh and bone right into the oncoming horde of Titans. All of Zanarkand shuddered as the Titan impacted the ground beneath the waves, after crushing a hundred of his own Titan's beneath his weight before rolling over a few hundred more with his momentum.

Those that didn't get crushed however continued pushing through the increasingly turbulent waves as hundreds of thousands of Titans tried to get at Alex. They had been slow going due to the ocean limiting their movements, but now Alex was being steadily surrounded by Titans as the large one crawled to its feet.

"KILL.......HIM....!" The Titan roared at all of those surrounding them, which led to a seemingly endless swarm of Titans trying to get at Alex all at once.

Alex however snorted at the coming hordes, as it was obvious that the mad man just wanted to use them to try and wear him down to make it easier on himself. Unfortunately for him though, now that Alex had his eyes on a big fish he had no intention of playing around with the small fries.

Opening his mouth widely, light began to gather within Alex's jaws.

"Get down!" Some of the girls yelled when they realized what Alex was doing, right before he unleashed a powerful blast of energy that annihilated every single thing that touched it.

Sweeping it in a wide arc, tens of thousands of Titans were obliterated in seconds as Alex's attack tore straight through the bodies of the hordes in front and around him. Also caught up in the attack was the mad Titan, which had its entire lower body destroyed right after it got back onto its feet, sending it crashing down to the ground once again.

When Alex finally closed his mouth and ended his attack, there was an entire ocean before him filled with bloody gore as steam filled the air from all of the still evaporating Titan bodies. Before he could fully take in the devastation he caused to the enemy forces though, a blade lunged at Alex from within the clouds of steam that began to settle around him.

"I......will.......destroy........YOU......!" A low and guttural voice snarled at him from within the thick clouds of steam after Alex avoided the attack, before the tail retracted back into the mists.

Realizing that the mad Titan wanted to use the steam to hide from him, Alex's monkey lips curled back in amusement. Not only was he still able to watch every single movement his opponent made, but Alex had also spent years worth of time honing his instincts and skills.

Simply hiding within the clouds of mist wouldn't do anything to help his opponent.

Instead of drawing things out even more though, Alex decided it was time to bring things to an end as the blade attacked him once more. Grabbing it, Alex tightened his grip on the bladed tail before he began pull the body on the other end closer.

With its legs till not fully regenerated, the mad Titan could only struggle as Alex pulled its giant body closer and closer to himself through the water. The most he was able to do to fight back was when the tip of the tail was freed from Alex's grip as he worked his way towards the base, but when it swung around to try and attack him once again Alex responded by ripping that entire section off before throwing it away.

'If only Alec were here to see the big 'fish' I caught this time.' Alex thought wistfully to himself as he proceeded to step down onto the back of the mad Titan once it got close enough. Then, as a last ditch effort to escape his clutches, the Titan body exploded into burning steam that bubbled up from under the waves, covering Alex and completely eliminating any visibility whatsoever.

However, as someone who was able to drift around aimlessly in a lake of molten lava like it was a spa day, Alex was completely unaffected by the burning steam as he reached down to where he knew the mad man was. Ripping him out of the rapidly disappearing Titan body, Alex clenched his fist around the mad man before bringing him up so that they were face-to-face for the first time.

'Hey Lauren.' Alex thought suddenly, getting his 'Angel's' attention as she asked,

'What is it?'

'If I kill him now will the other Titans disappear or turn back?' For a moment there was no reply, before Lauren said,

'You shouldn't have to worry, all the Titan serums he used were bought from the shop instead of being descended from him. The only actual link between him and them is the control of the Founding Titan over all the others, so they won't immediately disappear or be cured.'

'Got it, and thank you.' Alex said to her, before immediately crushing the man in his hand to turn him into nothing more than a red splatter.

Once he was dead, Alex decided to call it quits since the rest of the Titans wouldn't even provide the slightest bit of a challenge for him, and began making his way back to the city. Once he got close enough to the docks Alex began to shrink down as he canceled the Oozaru transformation, and he saw quite the crowd waiting for him as they moved from the top of the building to meet him.

"Yo." Alex said as he transitioned entirely back into his SSJ4 form, though the response he got was quite strained. It took a moment before Alex realized that was because his transformation left him completely naked, as Alex never used the Oozaru form enough that he'd bother making clothes to change with him.

"Sorry about that." He said without any embarrassment after equipping a pair of shorts, before looking at the rest of his peerage and saying,

"You guys can go do some clean up if you want." The words were barely out of Alex's mouth before several of the girls took off to take care of the remaining Titans, which were now moving indiscriminately since they were no longer under someone's control.

Soon Zanarkand began to shudder once again under the barrage of powerful hits, kicks, and blasts of magic as the girls began to go full force in wiping out the Titans. In fact, Alex was almost sure he heard them keeping count of how many they individually eliminated.

Shaking his head at their antics, Alex turned his back on the destruction as he faced the leaders of Spira once more, before asking them,

"So, where were we?"

***

That night, within the privacy of the space-time orb, Alex was showing a very different image than the powerful and domineering Dragon Emperor he showed the leaders of Spira. Now he was kneeling on his knees before Yuna as she stared down angrily at him.

"How come I didn't know about the keys?" She asked in a calm voice, while Lucy flinched nearby. Looking up at her though, Alex's expression was completely calm as he replied,

"It wasn't necessarily that we were keeping it a secret. If we hadn't been attacked then I planned on telling you tonight anyways since they were just finished." In the face of Alex's calm answer, a hurricane of emotions that Yuna wasn't used to feeling filled her chest until she felt like she was being overwhelmed by the situation.

"Just... Stay like that until I can calm down!" Unable to actually act on her rare anger, Yuna said that as she stormed away with Rikku and Paine following her worriedly. Alex then looked at Lucy and said,

"Go with them please." Though she wasn't sure if Yuna would be ok with being around her for the moment, Lucy reluctantly followed the trio as she felt like she should at least apologize for using the keys since it was so personal to Yuna.

Once he was alone, Alex didn't budge a single inch from his kneeling position on the uncomfortable stone floor as he closed his eyes, and asked Lauren,

'So I got more levels from him?'

'Yes, twenty of them to be exact. That's a pretty good amount for where you're at.' Alex's lips curled upward with humor as he asked her,

'Oh? And how high exactly am I now? It stopped going up at three hundred to me since I never got anything from the shop at that point.' The bell-like sound of a chuckle echoed within Alex's mind as Lauren replied,

'If you want to know then buy something and see.' Alex however just shrugged his shoulders, even though this was a mental conversation, and replied,

'Eh, there's not a whole lot I think I even really need at this point. I'd much rather focus my attention mastering the abilities and weapons I already have at my disposal than just getting new ones. Or do you want me to end up like that copycat loser?'

As Hyato's image appeared within her mind, Lauren couldn't help but to agree with Alex since the main reason why the guy wasn't a threat was because he focused on gathering as many abilities as he could instead of mastering what he had. Though there were other things Alex could get that would only strengthen the abilities he already possessed, Lauren knew he wouldn't get those because he preferred to earn his strength himself over taking shortcuts like some of the cheats offered.

Though Alex could also acquire things he could give to those around him, like he gave the Magu-Magu no Mi and Canis Lykaon to Bova and Shizuku, she also thought it would be a good idea for him to keep the shop open if he needed a sudden power up. Then again, the three purchases he had immediately available were probably overkill to obtain all at once.

...

"I'm sorry about the keys..." Lucy said a while after they left Alex.

The four of them were now relaxing on the beach of Yuna's personal island within the space-time orb. Though she had the option of having a floating island like the majority of the other girls, Yuna opted for the regular tropical style island since it reminded her of Besaid...without all the fiends.

A short way from the beach, tucked within the shade of the palm trees, was a small villa that was open to the elements with a few hammocks hanging within. The only space that was enclosed was, of course, the bathroom, but even then there was a small hot spring nearby with a tiny waterfall feeding into it.

For a moment after Lucy's apology nothing was said, as the girls simply listened to the sound of the crashing waves and trickle of the streams, before Yuna finally said,

"I'm not really mad at you for using them..... Well, I am kinda mad, but also kinda not... It's just so confusing!" Groaning in frustration, Yuna stood suddenly as she walked a little ways down the beach to try and sort through her conflicting feelings.

To her everything was just changing so rapidly. Though Yuna knew that change was inevitable, she felt that things were changing too quickly while everything she knew was being left behind. A part of her wanted Zanarkand to remain untouched and 'unspoiled' by the people of Spira, leaving her memories in tact; but as she beheld the ancient city in its restored glory Yuna couldn't help but to feel somewhat happy as she wondered if Tidus could see it from wherever he was.

During their travels together Tidus would tell her everything he could about the city he called home, and would promise her that he'd show her every little bit of it once the pilgrimage was over. Though Yuna secretly knew it wouldn't come to pass due to the sacrifice of the Final Summoning, and later the fact that Tidus and the Dream Zanarkand he was from disappeared, she was now able to walk the streets of Zanarkand herself to see the places he once told her about.

That alone had been overwhelming enough, but now she also had to take in the fact that Aeons that were supposed to finally be resting were active once more, making her feel like the sacrifice they made two years prior had been for nothing.

Like Lucy with her spirits, Yuna had formed true bonds of companionship with the Aeons she would summon two years prior, as it was the only way to get them to lend their strength to the summoner so on their pilgrimage. She then had to bid farewell to those Aeons when they fought Sin, during which she had to personally destroy each and every one as the one behind Sin possessed them.

With the creations of Lucy's new keys though, Yuna felt as if the Aeons who were finally able to rest were being disturbed and forced to fight once again, something that didn't sit well with her at all.

It was when she was pacing that Yuna noticed a sudden change come over the three who were watching her silently, as their eyes widened and they looked at something behind her.

Whirling around suddenly, Yuna found herself face-to-face with a young looking boy who's features were obscured by a hood.

"Hello Yuna." The boy said calmly, to which Yuna hesitantly replied,

"H-hello." For a moment neither said anything, prompting the boy to walk forward as he approached Lucy, and said while looking at her curiously,

"Interesting. So you're the one borrowing our power."

"Eh!?!" Lucy declared while standing up suddenly, confusion filling her before Yuna explained,

"This is the true spirit of Bahamut. I'm not sure if I ever explained it to you Lucy, but each Aeon is created by the spirits residing within their specific Fayth. Bahamut usually acts as their representative." Though trying to explain the spirit before them, Yuna was also visibly nervous as she carefully watched Bahamut's child-like spirit.

Instead of being mad or anything though, he simply asked Lucy,

"May I see the key you used?" Anxiety filling her at the thought she might have accidentally upset the spirits of the Aeons, Lucy quickly produced Bahamut's key for him to examine.

"Hmmmm, interesting." Bahamut said as he looked over the key, while Lucy was anxiously looking between them. Eventually she said,

"Um, I'm sorry if I upset you. It wasn't my intention." Looking at her once again, Bahamut surprised them by saying,

"Actually, if anything we should be thanking you." Her nervousness replaced with confusion, Lucy cocked her head cutely, making her two ponytails bob as she did so, and asked,

"Thanking us? For what?" Though his features were obscured by his hood, Bahamut's barely visible lips flashed a small smile as he explained,

"You used our power to help defend Spira from those invaders earlier, that alone is worthy of thanks. But also for everything you and your comrades have done for the people of Spira since arriving, restoring Macalania Temple, Home, and Zanarkand, as well as putting a stop to the wars that were about to break out all over Spira." As he listed off the things they had done since arriving, Lucy shook her head as she explained,

"No, we only did those things because we felt like it. Besides, I also feel like we did something bad by using your power..." As she spoke Lucy glanced at Yuna, making the former summoner feel a pang of regret for reacting the way she did earlier. Surprising even her though, Bahamut slowly said,

"It was surprising to feel my powers stirring after finally being able to rest, but after looking at the key you have I'm positive that you can continue using them without disturbing us now that we know what it is. After everything you've done for the people of Spira, as well as the fact that key wouldn't bother our rest since we know what it is now, I see no problem with you using them. Besides, I can tell that you are a wonderful summoner."

Flushing at the praise, Lucy bowed her head to Bahamut and declared to him,

"Thank you, I'll try my best to live up to the expectations you've placed in me." Nodding his head back in affirmation of Lucy's declaration, he then looked to Yuna one last time and said,

"Farewell Yuna, and thank you too for everything." His piece said, Bahamut then faded into thin air as he returned to the Farplane to rejoin the other Aeons, where he presumably told them about Lucy and the keys.

"Haaaaaa." With his departure though, Yuna let loose a sigh as some of the tension in her body began to fade as relief took its place. Meanwhile Lucy was taking each and every one of her new keys, and thanking each and every one for agreeing to stay with her.

"Do you think I was too hard on Alex earlier?" Yuna asked her suddenly, to which Lucy replied without even looking up,

"Nah, he didn't really know if the Aeons would approve or not. As far as I can guess, he just went ahead with the idea and hoped for the best. It may have ended well, but what if it hadn't?" Finishing what she had to say, Lucy then stood and dusted herself off, before grabbing both of Yuna's hands and saying excitedly,

"Instead of worrying about that, I want to learn more about Bahamut and the rest!" Then, before Yuna could even begin to protest, Lucy dragged her to the hot spring on the other side of the villa, while Paine and Rikku silently followed along after watching the entire exchange.

The next morning they returned to the main villa within the space-time orb, where the four girls found Alex in the same kneeling posture he was in when they left, as he patiently waited for Yuna to forgive him.