Leo meets with the heads of the revolutionaries inside an abandoned building. He leans over the map plotting how to take down the Warhammer. The Tybur's mansion was surrounded by hidden fortifications and guards. Inside the forest there were artificial hills which in reality were bunkers with machine-guns inside. Even some of the trees, the larger ones are actually made of metal on top of which snipers are hidden. The only weakness the structure had, was that after the outermost walls there were no more fortifications as to not bother the Tyburs themselves. That being said, they didn't really needed fortifications since an empty field is the perfect battleground for the Warhammer titan.
The revolutionaries had enough men to man an assault on the whole forest. They have been busy getting more recruits from Marley as they've travelled the land as well as more volunteers from the mid-east. Some if not the vast majority however were not very experienced and their role in a full frontal assault would be as cannon fodder.
"I will not be afraid to spend your lives! A good general cares about his men, a better general knows how not to waste their deaths. I'm neither good nor great though so I'll take most of the responsibility with me!" Leo shows the revolutionaries the things he has been working on. First, the bombs. They were short range explosives that dealt massive damage, enough to destroy even the limbs of a titan. The second thing he showed them were the old design for 3DM gear. In a forest that is the perfect place to use them. The 3DM gear was not for everyone though, only the most capable of soldiers who will be capable of mastering it in less than a week shall use it.
And that's where he placed all of his trust on them. The revolutionaries and volunteers had at most ten days to build and learn now to use both of those items together to attack the Tybur's mansion.
The orders were given and time simply had to pass by until they would attack the mansion.
"Commander Erwin, did you ever felt like throwing yourself between a titan's jaw and your soldiers? I don't feel like I have the strength to send so many people to die. We're fighting evil but throughout this time I can't help but think of them as humans too. I wish I could come home, tell you everything and sit at a table with everyone. I wish we could simply tell them 'stop treating Eldians like monsters' and they would do it." Leo's expression changed again. "But no, I cannot do this because of the enemy behind those mountains. The Tyburs, they are fanning the flames of war, they forced Eren's hand to either chose the world or Paradise and he saw what happens in both situations. Chose, how could one chose between living life with the people he loves knowing that will lead to their inevitable downfall or choosing to die to have his friends live. They've forced this cruel choice on Eren and now I'll repay his generosity giving him a third option." Leo looks at the top of the mountains imagining the fight he is going to have with the Warhammer titan, reinforcing his beliefs and confidence.
"I will become the devil that will take down the Warhammer titan!" Before the final battle Leo had some time and not knowing how to take his mind off what was going to happen next he decided to just wonder the city until his legs would give in.
"Just for one last time I should infiltrate the state archives and write everyone down as Eldian. That would create a perfect mess!" Leo thinks walking past the city centre. It was a huge plaza with a titan sized statue of Helos holding the devil of all earth's head under his foot.
"Man became bigger than titans..." Leo looks at the giant statue imagining it to be the Warhammer. He had to take a few steps back just to see the head properly. It would be so easy for the statue to make a simple step forward and squash him underfoot.
"Are you channelling your inner Helos?"
"Why? Please, tell me I'm hearing voices again, no, not here!" "Pieck! What are you doing here?" Leo says trying to hide his expression of absolute disbelief.
"The Warriors were no longer needed on the western continent so we've been given a few days of leave as well. I wouldn't have made it to Liberio and back in time so I thought about stopping by and seeing how you're doing."
"What have you done you witch? A second titan shifter will absolutely get all my allies killed in an assault on the Tyburs."
"You look displeased to see me." Pieck says disappointed. Leo bites the bullet and starts thinking about the worst thing he could say to push her out of the city. Looking at the ground to make it even worse.
"Pieck... there are no Eldians in the capital."
"What?"
"You couldn't have given me a moment of happiness! I had two weeks, two weeks without you leashed dogs around me, two weeks not looking over my shoulder afraid that I would see a titan, but no, you're like every single Eldian, infesting all of our Marleyans' lives!"
"It doesn't change at all that I'm an honorary..."
"A doge with a different collar is still a dog! You can be friends with animals but you can never lower yourself to their level!"
"Animals, is that how you see us?"
"What else are Eldians than animals?"
"We're humans like everyone else!"
"No, you are not. Now tell me this Pieck and I want you to think really carefully about it. What's the difference between Eldians and the rest of the world?"
"Eldians can turn into titans."
"And why can't the rest of the world?"
"What do you mean why, because they are not Eldians."
"And why aren't they Eldians? Isn't your kind the one that genocided nations? Haven't your people force Marleyans, mid-easterners, westerners and so forth to bear their children? Has Marley really been that effective at whipping out what was left of continental Eldians in the one hundred or so years they've lost power? There are two billion people on this planet and Eldians are such a minority they exist only on paradise island in numbers so small they can't even deal with the titans we send there as criminals."
"What do you want to say with all this? I don't understand you."
"I'm saying you're both shackled and blind." Leo says before turning on his heels and leaving. "I'm done here. Are you?"
"I'm not!" Pieck says with a broken voice. "Turn around and face me!"
"You don't deserve it slave." Leo leaves hoping that was enough to break Pieck and make her leave. "Now don't be stupid, leave and don't make me kill you too. I swore I'll make every Eldian happy one day, the only Eldians not included are the Tyburs."
Leo rushes to the mid-eastern camp knowing all to well the plans had to be hurried up. If Pieck was in the capital then there was a huge possibility either the rest of the army will follow, Zeke and the Marley defense unit included.
"We have to take the Warhammer down tonight, there's no other choice. The more we wait, more likely is for Zeke and his pure titans to show up. We are one Cart titan ride away from the Tybur's mansion. I'm sure if the capital hears gunshots, explosions or sees the Warhammer's lightning they'll send reinforcements. We absolutely cannot win against an army of pure titans so we must do it now!"
The revolutionary commanders disagreed however their hand was pushed by the circumstances. The operation will start at sunset. Leo and his allies surround the edge of the forest in positions where the guard cannot discover them. With the danger of more troops and the Cart titan arriving on the battlefield the plan slightly changed. Leo alone will attempt to infiltrate the mansion, knock everyone out with his sedative then consume every member of the Tybur family until he finds the titan shifter. In case he fails, well, the revolutionaries will hear gunshots and explosions in that case.
Returning to his origins as a smuggler and spy, Leo starts alone on the path that will take him to the Tybur's mansion. While scouting from the top of the mountains the mid-eastern soldiers mapped out some potential spots where machine-guns and snipers are located for Leo to avoid. Crawling on the ground with only one working hand is harder than one could expect but Leo never entered this mission thinking it was going to be easy. One terribly easy obstacle however was when the guards stationed inside the forest masked a moat as a river passing through the forest. They left it unguarded thinking it would be impossible for someone to pass through the razor-wire-filled water however Leo had the secret weapon of his 3DM gear with him. One simple jump was enough to pass the most difficult line of defense and entering the last lap before entering the mansion's walls. He quickly climbs the outer walls and enters through the garden. From what he knew, the bedrooms were on the second floor and that is where he started working. First the children were sedated and all gathered inside the biggest room he could find. He chose to place them in the same location in order to have easier access to them once he transforms.
Unfortunately the adults were still awake and on the exact opposite side of the mansion, inside a grand glass dome peering into the garden. Leo looks at them from the roof, through the glass ceiling using his 3DM gear to hand off the upper floor.
"Just three adults left inside the mansion and a maid. If I swoop down from the ceiling I can take the three out immediately and then sedate the maid." Leo was trembling with anticipation. The mansion was completely empty besides these last four people. There were no guards so he won't be stopped from gathering and devouring all the Tyburs. It was perfect.
Leo breaks through the ceiling and immediately knocks out the three Tyburs sitting at the table before heading for the maid. She however didn't budged an inch looking with great disgust at Leo. Crystal bursts from under her feet and in a second there was a wall between Leo and the three Tybur family members.
"It was her! That was the Warhammer's user!" Leo shouts throwing a bomb at her. It was too late however as Lara Tybur already encased herself behind a huge wall of crystal and started transforming.
Leo jumps out through the window into the garden.
"Everyone, carry me on your shoulders as I carried you on mine! Lend me your rage, your power and all of your sorrows!" Leo begs the memories of the scouts to come to his aid in this impossible fight.
Being inspired by Eren's fight with the titan Leo jumps at its neck before it fully got covered in hardened skin. He starts cutting with his sword not allowing the titan to fully transform. Crystal starts creeping in around the wounds he created inside the titan's neck and skull forcing him to jump back and around the titan's body. Before he jumps he leaves two bombs inside the titan's neck to make sure the head gets blown up.
"I know you're hiding, I know you're not inside the nape!" Leo says trying to figure out where Lara was as the Warhammer's body is still recovering. As he looks at the ground a second Warhammer crawls out of the carcass of the first one.
"She used the carcass as a link to summon a second one!" Leo tries to fly out of the way but he cannot do it in time. A crystal cage is about to catch up with him but out of nowhere the second titan's body falls to the ground as well. An explosive severed the link between the titan's body and Lara Tybur! As he looks around for where that explosive came from Leo suddenly feels as sharp pain in his gut. As it was falling the Warhammer titan created a human sized crossbow on its body and shot it at Leo hitting him in the stomach.
"Damn it all!" Leo shouts heading head first towards where Lara was crystallised. Mid air he rips the arrow out of his body and bites his hand before revealing enough explosive on his body to destroy the whole mansion.
"I'm taking you down with me!" He shouts slamming into the crystal ready to turn into a titan and at the same time to explode. Lara Tybur crystallises around the fuses of most of the bombs but some manage to explode damaging her crystal as well as Leo's transforming body. Steam, bone and flesh were growing out of the mess that was Leo's destroyed body creating a titan with a skinless right arm fifteen metres tall. The new titan shouts and rages drunk with anger. At the very least it was an abnormal, at best it was the same as when Eren first turned into a titan, his mind clouded and dominated by the sole desire to kill other titans.
Leo punches the Warhammer's last transformation making it fall on the side of the mansion. The Warhammer creates a giant pole which first hits Leo through the stomach before rising it into the air and above the Warhammer's body. Leo punches the crystal pole with both hands, his left breaking in the process but his right surprisingly sturdy enough to crack the lance that was holding him in mid air and fall to the ground. While still with the pole in his torso Leo charges the Warhammer forcing it into a piercing embrace. The crystal pole now impales both titans forcing them into the closest of combats. There isn't even room to move their limbs. Leo bites at the neck of the Warhammer breaking his teeth in the process. He wasn't a titan shifter though, his titan body didn't tired and it kept regenerating at an alarming rate for the Warhammer. His body was also burning brighter and hotter releasing steam strong enough to break the windows of the mansion.
The Warhammer creates something akin to a wall between its body and Leo's before pushing him back and away from the pole that united them.
Pushed away Leo recoils and leans forward to maintain balance before letting out a monstrous roar.
"Fight!" He somehow managed to shout as the Warhammer created a giant maul to hit him over the head with. The Warhammer lowers its weapon towards Leo but reliving those moments all over again he dodges it to the left at the last possible moment. Leo saw when Eren's titan had its head smashed by the Warhammer and managed, in his insanity to come up with a counter for that move. Dodging the attack, the hammer hits straight down into the ground. Leo hits the shaft of the weapon breaking it before picking it up and hitting the Warhammer straight in the upper torso with it. The hit breaks through the clavicles, spine and some of Lara's crystal creating a straight path to her body. Seeing her defenceless Leo lunges at Lara's body and bits it in half before falling over the Warhammer and finishing her off.
His final scream brings both him and the whole capital back to reason. Leo finally wakes up from his drunken rage inside the new Warhammer's body. He could hear gunfire inside the forest, there were voices all around the mansion, there were sirens going out in the distance. His whole body was covered up in hardened titan skin bar for his right hand which was covered in stripes from the tips of the fingers all the way to the shoulder.
"No, this body is not whole yet." He says and only once he crystallised the wings of freedom on a cape covering his right arm he was content. Before finishing the mission and running away Leo uses his powers and plants a giant crystal flag with the wings of freedom over the Tybur's mansion.