Chapter Text
A/N Here's the next chapter and with everything happening right now, please stay safe everyone!
Regarding this chapter, I honestly had quite a bit of trouble trying to write this. Especially the fight. I'm not sure if I'm 100% happy with it, but I don't think I will ever be without spending years on it!
But I'm satisfied with how it went. It's not a super well-written masterpiece by any means, but I hope you enjoy!
Also, did you know Zeke is able to throw objects at supersonic speeds according to the wikia? Madness.
Edit 28/03/2020 - Added an extra piece of dialogue.
Chapter 7: The Battle for Wall Maria
Night fell as the Survey Corps continued their journey towards Shiganshina. Despite being nearly two hundred strong, the only sound you could hear were footsteps and the hooves of the horses. The air was tense. No one knew who will be alive once the next cycle of light ends. It affected everyone, including Eren.
Despite his experience and all the training he had done to prepare for this, he could not shake the feeling of absolute dread that crept along his skin in the cold night. His eyes were open, but they were not really seeing. He observed his surroundings, but his brain processed nothing that he had seen. What will happen? Will this time be better than before? Will it be worse? What was Zeke planning? What could have changed? All these questions plagued his mind as the time ticked by.
Eren took a shaky breath, trying to clear his mind.'What's wrong with me? Get a hold of yourself dammit!'he looked towards his friends, who walked slightly ahead of him; alive and well. He gripped the leash on his horse tight, his knuckles turning white.'I won't let anything happen to them. I can't let anything happen to them, not again…'
"Are you okay?"
Startled, Eren jumped slightly as his head whipped towards the intruding voice but calmed down when he recognised who it was.
"Oh, Marlowe…" replied Eren. "I'm fine, thanks."
Marlowe looked at Eren in confusion. "How did you know who I was? I don't think we've met," he replied.
'Ah, right… I wasn't there for the feast.'
Eren smiled sheepishly and scratched the back of his head as he replied. "I just overheard Jean talking about someone with your hair," he gestured to the bowl cut. "While muttering Marlowe."
Marlowe nodded in acceptance, wincing slightly as he remembered that incident. "Ah… Yeah, I did have a bit of an argument with him back at the feast," he took a closer look at Eren, his eyes widening in recognition. "You're Eren Yeager right?"
"The one and only," joked Eren, bowing.
"You're incredible, you know," stated Marlowe, his face taking a faraway look. "You're here making such a difference to this world, only months after graduating."
Stunned by the compliment, Eren was at a loss for words.
"That's what I wanted to do, that's why I joined the Military Police in the first place; to make a difference but then… I realised I was not that person, I was never meant to be that person who made the difference, I wasn't like you," he admitted.
Eren shook his head. "That's not true," he started. "You're making a difference now, the fact that you're here now is proof of that. The fact that you're here, putting your life on the line without any abilities, unlike me, makes you braver. Every single one of you here is important and most importantly, every single one of you here is making a difference," he looked at Marlowe. "And nevereverunderestimate that."
"Thank you," he replied, a bit choked up after listening to Eren.
Eren shrugged. "I'm only telling you the truth," he answered honestly.
Marlowe looked ahead for a moment, noticing that Eren's squad seem to be waiting for him, he turned to Eren. "Your friends seem to want to talk to you, so I'll drop back but good luck tomorrow. I hope to see you on the other side," he gave Eren a pat on the back, Eren returned the action, before falling back.
Eren continued to walk until he caught up with his group.
"What was that?" asked Jean.
"Just having a little chat with a comrade," replied Eren.
"He looked pretty happy after that talk," Jean commented, turning his head around to glance at Marlowe before turning back.
Armin chuckled. "Must be that powerful speech skill that Eren seems to have."
"Yeah, he's as good with Speeches as Sasha is at eating all the food," added Connie, laughing.
"Oi!" protested Sasha. "Well… I do love my food…"
"And we wouldn't have it any other way," said Jean.
Eren's eyes lit up at the light-hearted conversation between his friends, a smile tugged at his lips while he watched and listened.'This is what I'm fighting for.'
Mikasa stayed silent while everyone else talked, deep in thought. Her eyes were open, yet they were blind. Her legs were moving, yet she couldn't feel them. Her hand held tightly around the leash of her horse, yet she felt no strength. Her mind raced, the haunting thoughts causing her heart to drop.
Eren noticed her silence and silently shifted closer to her until they were nearly touching shoulder to shoulder.
"Mikasa?"
It was like she was waking up when her eyes finally regained their light and she was able to see. She didn't even notice Eren right beside her, too lost in her own thoughts.
Mikasa turned to look at Eren. "Eren…" she replied, a little startled from the sudden intrusion.
"How are you feeling?" asked Eren, his brows scrunched up a little in concern.
Mikasa turned her eyes away from him. "I'm fine," she replied, her voice barely loud enough for him to hear.
He nudged her shoulder gently, making her look back at him. "Come on, you know you can tell me anything Mikasa."
"I'm just… I'm just scared," she admitted.
"Well, so am I," replied Eren.
Mikasa looked at him, surprised.
"What? Why do you look so surprised? Am I really that angry looking?"
Mikasa stared wide-eyed and opened her mouth for a moment but closed them shortly after, speechless.
Eren chuckled. "I'm just messing with you," he said.
He extended his free hand and grabbed hers, squeezing them gently as they walked side by side.
"Of course, I'm scared," he admitted. "I'm scared of losing Sasha, I'm scared of losing Connie, I'm scared of losing Jean, I'm scared of losing Armin and I'm scared of losing you," emotion crept into his voice as he continued, his memories of their demise at the forefront of his mind. "I think if I lost any of you, a piece of me will die too and that makes me scared…terrified…but that fear is what keeps me going, it's what makes me train harder, hit harder, run faster."
He stopped and turned to look at Mikasa properly, her eyes still trained on him. "What I'm saying is; there's nothing wrong with being scared. It only makes us stronger."
Mikasa stared wide-eyed, speechless yet again.'Eren's right, it's okay to be scared… That's why I should tell him…'
"Eren?" she said, her voice a bit hesitant.
"Yes-" he started replying.
"Eren!"
Eren and Mikasa both turned to the voice, who turned out to be a teary-eyed Connie.
"Huh?" was all that came out of Eren's mouth.
Connie sniffled. "I never knew you cared so much about us- Ow!" he started rubbing his head. "What was that for Sasha?"
Sasha crossed her arms. "You're so stupid! They were having-" she looked at Eren and Mikasa before leaning close to Connie's ear and lowering her voice. "They were having amoment."
Connie looked at Eren and Mikasa in confusion. "A moment?" he whispered to himself. Eventually, realisation dawned on him and a grin spread across his face. "Ah! Amoooment."
"What? I'm not getting it at all," said Jean.
Sasha patted him on the back, believing it would comfort him. "It's okay Jean, it's okay."
Jean looked even more confused now. "What?"
Armin shook his head in amusem*nt, making his way past Jean and closer to Eren and Mikasa.
"Come on, let's keep moving," said Armin, now side by side with Eren and Mikasa.
After a moment of comfortable silence, Armin spoke. "You've changed Eren," he commented.
"I know," replied Eren, he already expected Armin to bring it up at some point. "And you're wondering what caused it? Aren't you?" he said, glancing at Armin.
Armin nodded.
Eren looked thoughtful, trying to gather his thoughts. "It's simple really… I finally opened my eyes," he said.
Armin looked at Eren in confusion. "Opened your eyes?" he asked, urging Eren to continue.
"Opened my eyes to what's important to me. I've always strove for freedom with complete disregard to everything else, but now…" he trailed off.
The memories of his past hurt. Eren never realised how deep he had buried his pain. He felt so happy seeing all his friends again, he just naturally stopped thinking about what happened in his own reality but that did not change the fact that theyhappened. Theydiedbecause of him and that can never be changed, and ithurt.
"Eren?" said Armin worriedly.
Broken out of his trance, Eren inhaled sharply. "S-sorry, I'm not sure what came over me."
Mikasa grabbed Eren's arm, bringing the trio to a stop. "Eren… you're crying," she said, worry evident in her voice.
Eren touched the skin under his eye and sure enough, his fingers were wet when he looked at them. Hastily, he wiped his eyes with the sleeve of his uniform. He never meant to lose control like that, he didn't want to look weak in front of them.
"I…" started Eren.
'Oh, f*ck it!'
Eren pulled them both into a crushing hug, inhaling deeply, trying to remember their scent, their feel.
Armin chuckled into Eren's shoulder. "Not that I'm complaining but what brought this on?"
"Just shut up, Armin," Eren growled.
"Okay, okay," Armin continued to chuckle but kept quiet.
Mikasa just gripped Eren tighter.
Erwin's heart pounded against his chest when he saw Shiganshina. The truth, his father's theory, everything he had wanted to know was so close and he will do anything to get there. He leaned forward, determined, and pushed his horse to go faster, his soldiers doing the same.
Once he was close to the destroyed entrance that leads into Shiganshina, he slowed down and shouted, "Soldiers! Wewillretake Wall Maria, whatever it takes! Scale the walls! Keep your hoods up! Check for any weak points within the walls and donothesitate to eliminate any threats!" he hit his chest with his right fist. "Dedicate your hearts!"
Cries of battle rang out as the Survey Corps soldiers sped towards the wall and zipped over Wall Maria and into Shiganshina.
The plan was simple, half the soldiers will check, in pairs, for weak spots in the wall surrounding Shiganshina. The other half will stay on top of the wall, surrounding Shiganshina, supporting their comrades who are checking the walls, ready to rush in if needed.
The two openings in Shiganshina will be left as it is, this provided them extra options of escape if the need arises.
While the soldiers began checking the walls, a select few elite squads will head straight for the basem*nt, with Erwin.
"Squad Levi and Squad Hange! With me!" commanded Erwin. "Squad Dirk, Squad Marlene, and Squad Klaus, keep watch of the situation above ground, fire the red smoke when the time is right, is that understood?"
"Yes sir!" came the voices of various squad leaders as they, along with their squad, jumped off their horse and zipped over the wall.
Erwin charged forward, towards the inner opening of Shiganshina. Squad Levi and Squad Hange following closely behind.
When they were close to the entrance, Erwin jumped off his horse and zipped through the opening and towards the closest building, the accompanying squads not far behind.
As silently as they could, they all landed and pressed their backs against the building.
Erwin raised his right hand up, drawing everyone's attention. "Remember, we go in and out of every building silently as possible. We follow Eren, Mikasa, and Armin. They know the way. Do not show yourself unless I say so, now let's go," said Erwin, keeping his voice quiet. He nodded towards the trio, giving the signal to start moving.
At Erwin's signal, Eren began moving. He kept his head low and his footsteps quiet as he made his way into the closest building, the others following closely behind. From building to building, they moved silently. Slipping in and out.
The further they moved, the more familiar each road and building looked. They were getting close. Eren raised his hand, bringing the group to a stop.
Quietly, he said, "We're close now. Commander, we go at your signal."
"Have your thunder spears ready," instructed Erwin. As he was about to give the signal to move out, he looked out of the window and saw red smoke fired up in the sky, followed by screams of soldiers, explosions of thunder spears, and the sound of rubble crashing against the ground.
Unknown to them, they were being watched.
Reiner crouched low as he spotted the heads of Survey Corps soldiers. Zeke was right, they would not expect Marleyan to take control of these buildings. He spotted the head of Eren Yeager, his hands clenched into fists. Then, a glimpse of smooth blonde touched the corner of his vision, his eyes widened when he recognised the signature hairstyle.
'… Annie? What are you doing there?'
His eyes hardened.'Did you betray us? After all we have been through? This is what you do!? Don't you know what happened to Bertolt?!'his nose flared in anger.'It doesn't matter now; you will pay for this betrayal…'
He saw red smoke fired up in the sky, the screams of soldiers filled the air as the Marleyan soldiers who hid inside the walls were discovered. He looked out of the window and saw Porco furiously dispatching the Survey Corps soldiers as he used his Titan's hardened claws to crawl around the wall like a spider.
The attack has started. Reiner raised his hand and gave the signal to his own squad and just like that, they started moving towards Eren.
Reiner pulled out his knife and sliced across his palm. With blood dripping, his face hardened in determination as he took a step forward. Today, his fate will be decided.
Armin's heart rate spiked as the sound of glass breaking reached his ears. He whipped his head around and his eyes widened in shock. There was a squad of soldiers, wearing an unfamiliar uniform, and holding guns, running straight towards them. Then he saw the last soldier step out of the building and he couldn't stop when his hands grabbed Eren's arm in a death grip.
"Reiner…" said Armin, his voice quivered as he spoke. "Behind us! We're under attack!"
Eren turned around just as the windows shattered, a bullet whizzed past his head.
"Everybody down!" Eren shouted as he dropped to the ground. Others were not so lucky as cries of pain rang out around him before the thuds of bodies dropping to the ground reached his ringing ears. Guns, they were not prepared to counterguns. Just how many soldiers had Marley brought to this island?
'f*ck.'
"They've got guns! Keep your head down and ready your thunder spears!" Erwin shouted over the barrage of bullets. They needed a way out of the building and onto the roofs, getting trapped would be a death sentence.
Erwin looked at his own thunder spears and a thought crossed his mind. His eyes targeted the edges of the window, where the bullets had penetrated, and he aimed one of his thunder spears at it.
"Erwin, what are you doing?!" shouted Levi.
"Giving us time," he replied, before letting loose his spear, which stuck itself right underneath the window's edge before exploding, creating a smokescreen of debris, temporarily blinding the advancing Marleyan soldiers.
"Out! Get up on the roof!" commanded Erwin.
They busted out of the building in whatever way they could, some busted down the door, while others jumped right through the window.
Once they were on the roof, Armin saw a Titan dispatching survey soldiers on the walls. He urgently told Erwin, "Commander! On the walls, there's another Titan shifter! And Reiner is down there! The Armoured Titan! "
Upon this information, Erwin ordered Eren and Annie, "You two! Transform!" he turned to the others, about to give another command when the sound of gunshots rang through the air as another barrage hit them from a different direction.
"Commander! Another three enemy squads shooting from the buildings be-" the soldier's cries were cut short as a bullet speared straight through his head, his blood splattered the solders around him.
In an instant, many lives were extinguished, and their numbers were diminishing quickly.
Eren's eyes lit up, like a fire was behind them, his nose flared in anger. He ran and jumped off the building. While mid-air, he brought his hand to his mouth and the last thought that ran through his head was'No more!'before the crack of lightning, temporarily deafening the people nearby, struck Eren and the ground beneath him, creating a cloud of smoke that covered the surrounding area.
Shortly after, another two cracks of lightning rang through the air. One struck the area next to the first and the other landed the other side of the building, which the squads that accompanied Erwin currently resided on top of.
Before the smoke cleared, a blur shot towards the buildings that housed the other Marleyan soldiers, who had shot them in the back. The soldiers were crushed as the debris from the building flew in all directions as the Female Titan bombarded them with heavy strikes with her hardened fists.
Behind her, stood the Attack Titan.
Steam seeped out of Eren's mouth. With his fists clenched, he had eyes for only one person – Reiner. When Marleyan soldiers tried to stop him, Eren did not even hesitate as he stomped the life out of the offending soldiers. Their bodies lay broken around him.
He stood directly in front of Reiner; his hands raised and left leg forward, nearly a replica of Annie's fighting stance.
Dirk was an average man in a physical sense, but he was a trusted subordinate of Erwin Smith, hence why he led a squad of soldiers on this mission. When he landed on top of the wall and looked out into the grassy fields, his eyes widened when he saw the reported Beast Titan in the distance. Next to the Beast Titan was another Titan, an unusual Titan who, unlike the others, did not stand on its two feet but rather had a quadrupedal form, where it walked on all fours. On its back, it carried large rocks and…'Is that a little girl?'
Above the two Titan shifters, there were four large floating objects; easily the size of the Colossal Titan, in terms of length and they were heading towards them.
Then, suddenly the Titan shifters on the ground started running and Dirk's hand shook as he scrambled to pull out his flare gun and loaded it with the red flare. He pointed at the sky and shot. The flare signaled to the Survey Corps soldiers within the town of the imminent danger that was coming their way. This was not a mission to retrieve information any longer, now it was a mission of survival.
Dirk did not even have time to react when he took another look at the large floating objects as an explosion sounded from the object and the spot, where he stood, was nothing but rubble. Many other Survey Corps soldiers suffered the same fate as they too stood and watched the incoming floating objects in confusion and fear.
Zeke looked on, emotionless, as the soldiers that watched them from atop the wall were all decimated until nothing remained except smoke and rubble, of which trickled down from the wall and crashed into the ground beneath.
He looked to the person, who stood atop of Pieck, and asked, "Are you ready Ms. Tybur?"
Willy Tybur's younger sister nodded, her eyes were showing no fear. "I'm ready to fulfill my duty," she replied curtly.
It was not normal for such a young girl to have no fear in the face of battle.'Perhaps the memories of her predecessors had dampened emotional reaction to this?'thought Zeke.'Just how much can the inherited memories affect our emotions?'he was genuinely curious but quickly put that thought back into his mind.
He had a mission today; he can be curious later.
Zeke turned towards the towering walls.
'I can stop this Eren, I can stop this hell, but you must first see the true horror of our ancestry and our father!'
Eren wasted no time and went on the offensive. Using his powerful legs, he pushed off the ground, leaving a dent on the ground, and launched himself at Reiner. A strong body kick slams against Reiner's body. Caught off guard, Reiner stumbled backward. Frustrated, Reiner swung his fist at Eren, who easily ducks out of the way and lands a swift hook with his leading hand, quickly followed by a straight right which stuns Reiner as his head snaps back from the impact.
Reiner growled in frustration as he stumbled back once again. Straight away, from the first few hits, Reiner knew he was outmatched. It seemed like Eren had improved since his cadet days, but he hadarmour.So, what was he doing? He could withstand these strikes. He spotted Porco at the corner of his eyes, prowling his way towards them. If only he could hold Eren until Porco gets here.
He planted his feet into the ground and tightened his core. He raised both hands once again.'Bring it!'he screamed in his head.
And Eren did just that. He propelled himself at Reiner and landed a body shot straight away, but Reiner's armour held strong, if just barely. Eren struck Reiner's body again and again until the armour cracked. What was Reiner doing?'Why is he not attacking?'he thought confusedly. Unexpectedly, Eren grabbed both the arms that were protecting Reiner's face and forcibly pried them apart and roared.
It didn't take long for Armin to figure out what Eren wanted. Eren just gave them an opening and was holding it open – an opening for a thunder spear.
They had a limited supply, with the selected only being able to carry two thunder spears each.
With his mind made up, Armin jumped and latched onto Eren with his ODM gear. He jumped and shot forwards, faintly hearing the shout of his name from Mikasa. Once he was close enough, he took his chance and shot.
They struggled for dominance as they battled in the clinch. Reiner spotted the incoming spear and resigned to the fact he would not be able to escape Eren's grasp but there was one thing he could do,'I'll use it against him!'he grabbed Eren's arms in return and swung him with all his strength, now using him like a shield, just like how Eren used him in Trost.
Armin watched in horror as his thunder spear stuck itself on Eren's right shoulder blade and his heart dropped to the pits of his stomach as he was pulled roughly towards Eren when Reiner kicked Eren away.
His life flashed before his eyes. Was this the end for him? All those dreams? The ocean? Seeing the world? Was this the day all of it was extinguished like a fire? He saw Eren's Titan eyes flick towards him and even in that form, he noticed the slight widening of the eyes and the way they seem to show the despair Eren was feeling.
"I'm sorry, Ere-" he started mouthing but ended with a loud grunt as he was roughly pulled off course just as his spear exploded, obliterating Eren's right arm and part of his chest. He managed to catch a glimpse of familiar black hair as he was roughly thrown towards the nearest roof.
He scrambled back up just in time to see Mikasa twist away from him, her motions were smooth and calculated as she launches her own thunder spear straight towards Reiner.
Caught off guard, Reiner only had enough time to bring his arms up to protect his face, but it didn't matter. The thunder spear still latched onto him.'Oh sh*t,'was the last thought that went through Reiner's mind as the thunder spear exploded, dismembering both his arms and sending him crashing into a building.
Eren grunted as he gingerly got back up on his feet and breathed a sigh of relief, but that moment of relief was cut short when the sounds of feet and hands slamming against the ground reached his ears. His senses spiked and he twisted his body around just in time to see the Jaw Titan launch himself, jaws open, at him.
Tired, weary, and missing the right side of his body, Eren could only raise his remaining arm to protect his face, bracing for impact.
But it never came.
Porco was violently struck, the force sending him hurtling into a building, which collapsed on top of him. Once he was able to pry off the debris that was blocking his vision, what he saw filled him with shock and unimaginable anger.
Annie stood in front of Eren, her eyes trained on Porco; emotionless, lazy, and cold.
Then suddenly, everyone froze as a large shadow cast over them.
Annie looked up and couldn't believe her eyes. Unadulterated fear flowed through her body.'Blimps? Zeke and Pieck…'she hadn't seen a blimp in years but if Marley had something in the sky at this moment… how will they get out of this? They were not trained for combat in the air. With Zeke and Pieck now joining the fight, along with the blimps, surely the tides have turned to Marley's side.
Annie's eyes widened as a flash of lightning struck the ground in front of her, instigating the start of another Titan transformation. She watched as another Titan was built, this time from theground up. Where the hell did it come from?'There was no one in front of me!'
She took a step back and couldn't help but admire the new Titan. Its entire body covered in hardened Titan flesh. Its face covered with the same material, except there were strips of openings on its eyes and mouth. Her observations were cut short as the Titan seemingly created a War Hammer out of the flesh that covered its body and swung it down at her but she managed to scramble away just in time as the War Hammer slammed against the ground.
Annie had no time to recover. She saw a glimpse of rock before it slammed into her at supersonic speeds. The damage was instant. Chunks of flesh flew off her Titan body as she was sent flying backward, skidding across the ground.
Eren fared no better as he was struck the same way moments after.
The Survey Corps had their own battle as the Titan shifters fought. More Marleyan soldiers came out of various buildings, while the soldiers within the walls parachuted down after decimating the Survey Corps soldiers who went to check.
Explosions of thunder spears and the bangs of gunshots deafened the area that surrounded the epicentre of the battle.
Erwin cast his eyes over to the main battle, through the window of the building he was currently taking cover in and noticed their Titan shifters were down. His focus switched back to the battle that was in front of him. What could they do? The Survey Corps were forced to spread out, scattered around the area. It was chaos, there was no more organisation, no command, no plan. They had thunder spears, which were limited and only a few remained. Their Titan killing swords were no match for guns, all hope seemed lost.
'Think Erwin. Think!'he thought to himself. He just neededsomething.
Then it clicked.
The plan that he made with Eren if everything goes south. It was when everyone was off at the feast. It could work.
The last resort.
Flashback
"Commander," greeted Eren.
Erwin nodded in acknowledgment. "Eren, you wanted to speak?"
"Yes, I needed to discuss with you a 'Last resort' plan," stated Eren.
"Last resort?"
Eren nodded. "Yes. In case it goes all wrong. It will be our final option, something that will get us out."
"I had that in mind too, but battle is unpredictable. Even the current plan we have in place will be thrown off course, I'm certain of it. I trust in my own intuition and I trust that my subordinates will follow my command, I think that would be the best option. We don't have the resources to have another plan," Erwin replied.
"I understand Commander," Eren started saying. "But there is something that I can do. Something that will be high risk, but it will get us out and that's what counts. I'm sure of it."
"Okay, I'm listening. What do you have in mind?" asked Erwin.
"I'm sure you've read the reports. I have the power of the Colossal Titan within me," Eren said.
Erwin nodded in confirmation. "Yes, I'm aware of that fact."
"What you don't know is that one of the Colossal Titan's abilities is their control over their transformation," said Eren.
"Transformation? What do you mean by that?" asked Erwin.
Eren made an exploding motion with his hand to emphasise his words, "Big bang."
"The explosion? The Colossal can control the explosion when it transforms?"
Eren nodded.
"But why couldn't we do that straight away? Unless…" started Erwin. "The explosive damage is so great that it would level everything around you. Meaning… if we're not far away enough, we would be killed…"
"That's right. I imagine it will take a heavy toll on me, possibly making me useless," replied Eren. "So, we need to go in assuming it's one use only."
Eren remembered the first time he had tried in his own reality. It seems like while he gained the explosive transformation ability of the Colossal Titan, he did not gain its body. So when he tried the transformation, his 15 metre form could not hold up and he was hospitalised for days after. It was after that was when Jean decided the transformation should only ever be used as a last resort.
"I'll keep it in the back of my mind. We will only use it if there is truly no way out," said Erwin. "Why have you decided to keep this ability away from us until now?"
Eren smiled softly. "Because… if it fails, we will pay a heavy price. We may find ourselves in a situation where our numbers are too low to fight back, and I am too weak. So, if it comes to it. I must do it alone. You must retreat before I unleash such an explosion. I must be the only one to suffer the consequence of failure. Otherwise, we will be finished," he said. "And because of that, I know my friends will fight against me for choosing such an option but for their safety and the future of our people; I'm willing to make that sacrifice. I just don't want them to fight against me for choosing it if it does come to that."
Erwin's expression softened. "I can understand that."
"Thank you, Commander," replied Eren.
Flashback end
Erwin looked around. He needed to get the message to Eren.
At that moment, Levi crashed through the door, taking cover next to Erwin. His breathing was heavy, blood dripped from the head, his hands were blood-soaked and the blades of his swords were covered in crimson red.
"Erwin, what's the plan?!" he shouted over the gunfire.
"I need you to send a message to Eren!" Erwin shouted in return.
"What message?!"
"Big bang! Tell him these words then head to the basem*nt! I will gather anyone that is still alive, and we'll be there, in the basem*nt!" said Erwin.
"Why?!" Levi looked confusedly at Erwin.
"Just do it! Just trust me!"
Levi paused for a moment before replying, "Fine! Give me your remaining thunder spear!" As soon as he got the thunder spear from Erwin, he shot out of the window using his ODM gear, swerving and weaving around the battlefield and towards the Titan shifters.
Levi saw Eren trying to stand up. He shot towards Eren's nape at a blistering speed and with two precise slices, he cut Eren out and swung behind the closest building just before a barrage of Anti-Titan shells struck Eren's Titan, decimating it in an instant.
Eren grunted as he was slammed against a wall.
Levi wasted no time as he began to speak, "Eren, the Commander told me to tell you these two words, 'Big bang'."
Eren's eyes widened before nodding. He hastily took the basem*nt key off his neck and gave it to Levi. "Take this and get Mikasa and Armin," he said, nearly pleading. "Mikasa and Armin is over there, on that roof," he pointed towards them. "Get Annie to help you retreat, she will listen."
Levi nodded. "I will," he said. "But what is it? What's 'Big bang'?"
"Last resort plan. Big explosion. No time to explain. Just go!" shouted Eren.
Eren wasted no time as he turned away from Levi and ran towards the Titan shifters. He faintly heard the noise of three ODM gear zipping away behind him and he let out a breath in relief.'At least Mikasa and Armin are out.'
Eren saw Levi briefly landing on Annie's shoulder, launching his remaining thunder spear at the ground in front of them, which were closely followed by another two from Mikasa and Armin, it created a screen of smoke. Once it was cleared, Annie's Titan body fell forward and started disintegrating.
It was clear where she went as a crack of lightning lit up the sky, this time landing a good distance away from the Titan shifters.
It was time.
"Brother!"
That got their attention.
Zeke raised one of his long arms, signaling a stop to the other shifters and the soldiers on the Blimps above, who had now trained their Anti-Titan guns at Eren. The other shifters slowly surrounded him, each of them was still twitchy and wary of Eren.
Eren raised his hands in surrender and dropped to his knees. "I give up, no more… I want no more."
Zeke walked forward. "Brother… I do not wish to kill you. You can join me, let me save you…"
'You always had a soft spot for me and that will be your downfall, Zeke… you're my brother only in blood but my family is here and will always be here,'thought Eren.
Eren bowed his head. "Our father, he made me into this… save me… please,"
Zeke's eyes softened as he got closer. He understood all too well what kind of man their father was. It was no surprise to him that Grisha would do the same thing to Eren. It was no surprise that he would neglect Eren and force him to believe in his ideals.
'Please be safe Mikasa… Armin…'
"Brother, come with us, we can help you," Zeke said.
He was met with silence.
Confused, Zeke cautiously said, "Eren?"
Lightning started to crackle around Eren as his body lit up. Eren raised his head and looked Zeke straight in the eye.
For Zeke, at that moment, it truly felt like looking into the eyes of the Devil himself.
"War-Chief!" shouted Pieck as she sprinted towards Zeke.
"I willneverbe on your side!" growled Eren.
The last thing that Zeke saw, before he was bitten out of the nape, was a huge bolt of lightning striking Eren, which was followed by a thunderous boom as an explosion of an unimaginable magnitude produced a huge mushroom cloud that covered Shiganshina in a sheet of darkness. Nearly all buildings were destroyed, debris flew away from the epicentre of the explosion at frightening speeds. And then…
Silence.
A/N – I hope you enjoyed reading! Please leave review! Any criticism or praise let me know! I'm always looking to improve!Thank you for reading and stay safe everyone!
