Chapter 27

Author's Note: The chapter name refers to "If I Had a Heart" by Fever Ray (which I do not own either).

Disclaimer: I do not own Attack on Titan

Rated M for gore violence, language, and sexuality

Enjoy

Outside Shiganshina District, Wall Maria, 850...

Erwin gasped as a rock struck through his horse's head and nailed his left side. The pain was instant. Time seemed to slow as his horse buckled, and he fell. So many memories flashed before his eyes. His father, his children, his dream...Katya. He could see her clearly. Her smile. The curls of her hair. The love in her eyes. He could even recall the softness of her skin. The smell of her perfume on their wedding day. Every moment with her rushed through his mind. Farewell...my love...

Levi let his rage fuel him. Every kill made him stronger. He didn't care that the titans offered no resistance. They submitted so easily. With each passing moment, the screams of the Scouts grew quieter and quieter. He flew through a cloud of green smoke and fired his anchor, latching onto the Beast Titan's shoulder. He gazed up just as Levi burst through the smoke. The monster roared, raising his hand to swat him out of the sky. But, Levi was too furious and too fast. He danced along the Beast's arm, slicing it to pieces. "Huh?"

The Beast Titan covered his nape as Levi swung back down, slicing through his eyes with ease. The titan growled in confusion, unable to react. Levi zoomed down, slicing the titan's feet clean off. He roared in shock as he fell to the ground. Levi zipped up above him. "What's wrong?! Not enjoying yourself so much anymore?!"

He dove back down, carving his other hand to pieces. Levi landed on the titan's upper back and raised his swords high. "Come on, let's have some fun!"

The titan screamed, mixing in with Levi's roars of rage as he struck over and over again. He tore through the beast's nape. He kept going until his human body finally sprung out. The blond man screamed as Levi hacked off both his arms. He turned to face Levi, but he stuck the end of the sword into the man's mouth. The man could do nothing as Levi stepped onto his lower stomach. "After transforming, if your body's severely damaged, it's too busy healing to let you resume your titan form. Isn't that right?"

He pushed the sword in deeper, tearing through the man's cheek. "Hey. I asked you a question. It's only polite to answer."

Hanging off the wall, Cassandra watched everything. She tried to remain strong, but tears still escaped. It was horrifying to watch. To see so many soldiers wiped out. So much death. Cassandra gasped. The quadruped titan rushed Levi, it's jaws open wide. He managed to duck, but the titan escape with the Beast Titan shifter. A second later, the remaining 13-15 meter titans all turned their heads and sprinted towards Levi. Cassandra felt a natural reflex to help. Her hands hovering over her blades. No. I have to trust that he'll make it out alive. My mission is to get to Eren.

Inside the District...

"That bastard!" Jean spat. The Armored Titan was advancing at the same leisure pace as the Colossal Titan. "What'll take to put him down for good? Why don't he stay dead? What the hell do we do against something like that?"

Raisa took a deep breath. Fuck. It's getting harder to focus. I'm running on fumes. Adrenaline is all that's keeping me going at this point. She glanced at the despairing kids, noting who still had a Thunder Spear. "Our plans haven't changed. We need to take down them both down. But Eren and Princess Cassandra are still the priorities."

"He's thinner."

Raisa flicked her gaze to Armin. "What?"

"The Colossal Titan. He's gotten a little thinner." Armin suddenly gasped and whirled around. "Commander! I know what to do! I know how to beat the Colossal. You remember her experiments with Eren? He could only transform up to three times. If that's the case for a fifteen-meter titan, a sixty-meter might be even less efficient! And then there's his steam. I think he might be burning through flesh and muscle tissue to produce it. Everything except for his skeleton."

Raisa processed his implications, and she frowned. "Okay. I get what you're saying. You stay here to command the others in taking down the Armored. Jean, you're coming with me to stop the Colossal."

"No, that won't work," Armin urged. "I have a plan. A good, solid plan like you asked. You need to take the others and draw Reiner away. Eren and I will defeat the Colossal Titan ourselves. The two of us can do it. Trust me on this."

Raisa studied his sincerity, seeing the determination and confidence in his bright eyes. She sighed. "All right. We'll take care of Reiner. Get going."

Armin nodded. "Yes, ma'am."

Atop the wall...

Cassandra landed in a crouch. Her back ached in defiance as she stood up. Damn it. Not now. She turned to examine Eren. He was lying on his back, his head hanging off the edge and his eyes were closed. "Hey, Eren." She walked over to his side. "Eren, wake up. Eren!"

"Cassandra?" She looked farther up. Armin appeared, landing on Eren's chest. "I mean, Princess. What're you doing up here? Where is everyone?"

"Erwin ordered me to wake Eren. To standby."

Armin hopped down to stand beside her. "Okay, but...I have a plan that'll allow Eren and I to take Bertholdt down."

"Only the two of you?"

"Yeah. Everyone else is busy with Reiner."

"Reiner?" Cassandra craned her head to look past him. She saw Reiner down below, jogging through the streets. "I thought he was..."

"He survived. But that's not the mission right now." Armin attached a blade to his handle, unaware of Cassandra's shocked state. "Help me wake Eren. Everything is riding on him. Come on!"

He's alive. He's alive. No...he can't be. Cassandra couldn't comprehend it. She was sure he had perished in Bertholdt's explosive transformation. Armin shoved his sword into Eren's neck, trying to force his best friend awake. But it did nothing. Eren showed no signs of reacting. "Damn it. Hey, help me wake him up!"

Cassandra snapped out of her trance. "Huh? Oh, right." She hopped up onto his chest. She went to his face and slapped his giant cheek. "Eren! Wake up!"

Eren's eyes shot open. He made a sound like a mixture of a groan and a growl. Armin pulled his sword out. "Whoa. Who'd a thought a little slap would do it?"

Eren slowly pushed himself up. Cassandra and Armin moved to stand on his shoulders, and they grabbed onto his hair. He sat up. Armin sighed in relief. "Okay. Now that you're awake. Let me tell you my plan."

As Armin explained, Cassandra couldn't believe her ears. Every word sounded more and more impossible to her. "Are you serious? That won't work Armin."

"It will...more or less. If we can succeed in tricking Bertholdt then...we'll win. The real question is, how long can I hold out?"

"No one could hold on that long, Armin. Even the veterans had a hard time," she reminded. "It's better to use me as your bait. They want me almost as much as they want Eren. So they wouldn't risk attacking if I act as your shield."

"No. You're Historia's heir. We can't risk it," he insisted. "This is on me. I know what you're worried about, but I can't die." He paused to meet Eren's gaze. "I won't die...not until I see the ocean for myself."

"Armin," Cassandra breathed.

"You need to get out of here. Keep a safe distance, and stay out of sight," he ordered. "Don't worry about us. We'll be okay. No matter what happens, stick to my plan till the end. So, please...go."

Cassandra furred her brows. She wanted to argue. But seeing Eren's gaze took any fight she had away. She sighed in defeat. "Okay. I trust you, Armin." She touched Eren's cheek. "Don't lose."

With that, she jumped off his shoulder. She didn't stop. She obeyed Armin's orders. Stay safe. No unnecessary risks. Cassandra stopped some couple hundred yards away. I thought with becoming a princess meant I would have more freedom. Do more for my people, for the Scouts. She clenched her fists. A loud boom drew her attention back to the wall. Eren was no longer sitting atop the wall. He was on the ground. Cassandra gasped. "Eren!"

Down below...

Raisa led the remainder of Levi Squad through the streets. She was careful in picking their route. They needed to intercept the Armored. They couldn't let him get anywhere near the walls. "Focus on keeping him back," she ordered. "Fly close enough to get his attention."

"Yes, ma'am!" the kids shouted in unison.

The Armored began to pick up speed. His footsteps boomed as he took off in full sprint. He ducked down, slipping right past all of them. Jean slid along a rooftop. "He ignored us?!"

"Damn it. Looks like he's focused on Eren," Conny noted.

Raisa growled in frustration. "We don't have time for this shit!"

"Section Commander!"

Raisa pushed her tank to full speed. She was thankful she was able to snag more Thunder Spears. Raisa turned the corner sharply, having caught up with Reiner. She dove down and slipped through his legs. She fired both in her hands, each one digging into his knee caps. With a hard yank on both, she swerved out of his path and safely away as his knees exploded. The Armored grunted as he lost strength in his legs and crashed onto the ground. The kids finally got up with her. "Commander!"

"We can't waste any time!" she snapped, startling them. "We have to finish this. End the Armored Titan!"

"But...how?" Conny asked. "We've only got three Thunder Spears left."

"Jean, give your spear to Mikasa." Raisa drew her swords. "Right here, right now. We'll settle this once and for all."

Mikasa stood up, feeling determined once more. "What's the plan?"

She told them. It was simple, and fool-proof. Or so, Raisa hoped. She gave the order to scatter. Time wasn't on their side. But luckily, Bertholdt suddenly erupted into a blast furnace, distracting Reiner. He was trying to get up, grunting from the uselessness of his knees. Jean spun around his head, his swords raised. "Reiner!"

Sasha and Conny sprung up out of his field of vision, their Thunder Spears aimed. Reiner swiped at Jean, tearing through the house on his right. Wood and shingles went everywhere. Jean cried out as something nailed his chest. Sasha fired her Thunder Spear, but was struck in the gut. Her Thunder Spear exploded over Reiner's head while Conny's found it's mark, blowing the left side of Reiner's jaw. "Sasha!"

Conny reacted quickly, catching Sasha mid-air. Raisa halted before she took off, realizing Reiner's jaw was still partially closed. "Goddammit!"

"I'm going in!" Mikasa announced.

"No, don't do it!" Raisa warned. "It's too risky!"

"No, it's perfect!"

Raisa froze. Hange swooped down and jabbed her Thunder Spear into the right side of Reiner's jaw. She swerved out of the way just as it exploded. Reiner grunted in surprise as his mouth hung wide open. "Now's your chance! Get him!"

Mikasa didn't hesitate. She rushed in, flying into his mouth and landing on his tongue. "Reiner! It's over!"

She threw her Thunder Spear into his throat, and flew back just as it exploded. Reiner cried out as he was blasted out of his body. As he soared through the air, Raisa appeared. He met her furious glare as she brought down her swords. "No!" he cried. "Wait a-!"

By the wall...

Cassandra shielded her face from the immense heat Bertholdt was outputting. She heard a faint explosion and tried to peer through the bright light. Was that...Reiner? Did they take him down? Finally, the heat began to die down. She lowered her arms. Even from far away, she could see Eren fly up behind Bertholdt. He attacked the Colossal's nape, tearing Bertholdt out. He did it. He actually did it.

Something crept at the back of her mind. Followed by that same, damn familiar ache in her gut. She turned towards the direction of the smoke behind her. This could be my only chance. I failed the first time. Maybe...if he's not dead then he can know about... Her hands shook, but then she steadied herself. No, I have to see for myself. If he's not dead, I will end him for good.

Center of the city...

Reiner sat helplessly against the side of the building. Everyone was resting on the roof of a two-story saloon. Conny was tending to Sasha while Mikasa was tending to Jean. Hange, with her face half-wrapped up, rummaged through Reiner's shirt. Raisa stood guard over Reiner, her sword at the ready and watching his healing limbs. Hange found a thin, metal case. "Hm? What's this?"

Raisa glanced at it. "Huh...that's the thing he was clawing at before I chomped off his limbs."

"Interesting. Maybe it's suicide pills?" She opened up the case. "And...it's just paper."

Raisa raised an eyebrow. "Paper?"

"It's a letter," Reiner whispered. His voice was hoarse. In addition to his limbs, his head was still healing.

Hange knelt down in front of him, but he wouldn't meet her gaze. "What does the letter say?"

"It's for Christa. Ymir wrote it." He closed his eyes. "Whatever you do with me, just make sure she gets to read it."

"Only after we've inspected it." Hange stuffed the case into her jacket, and stood up. "Raisa, why don't you use your special interrogation method on him? We have a lot of questions, and I bet you he's got plenty of answers."

Raisa frowned in annoyance. "I work best at night. Something about darkness or whatever. Besides, this motherfucker is much too dangerous and unpredictable to be kept alive. Considering everything we've put him through...and he's still breathing?"

"You don't even wanna try?"

Raisa stepped closer to Reiner, gently touching the edge of her blade against his throat. "He doesn't need to be alive to get answers. Unless he's willing to cooperate."

Reiner raised his head to meet her gaze. "I won't."

"Very well."

She began digging the blade into his neck. "Raisa, wait!" Jean called. "We...need him alive! So we can steal his power."

Raisa stopped and withdrew the blade a little, allowing Reiner to breathe. Hange turned to Jean. "We don't know the situation with Levi on the other side. The conditions haven't necessarily been met as no one is seriously injured. Sasha's wounds are serious, yes, but...it's not enough to warrant turning her."

Jean blinked through his panic. "What about...Cassandra? She...she's of royal blood. It could give us an advantage. She could use his power to unknown limits."

Raisa and Hange exchanged glances, silently considering his suggestion. Reiner glanced at Jean in slight confusion. Cassandra?

"If we have the chance, we should try, right?" Jean continued. "We don't have to worry about her mind getting taken over. We'll have the Armored Titan on our side. Just...think about it. Letting Cassandra eat him is a better option."

"Except I can't."

Everyone turned to the owner of the voice. Hange whirled around. Cassandra had just landed on the roof, and she stood up. As she approached, she met Reiner's hateful glare. She began to walk towards him, but Hange stepped in-between them. "Explain yourself. Jean has a point. Your blood is special, and having another titan shifter on our side will turn the tides against our enemies."

"I can't." Cassandra opened her cloak, and pressed her hands around her belly. Following the curves of the small bump. "I'm pregnant."

Everyone widened their eyes in surprise. Cassandra rubbed her belly as she held Reiner's shocked gaze. "We don't know what would happen if I turned into a titan."

The more Raisa stared, the more furious she became. Her whole body was shaking with rage. "How far along are you?"

"Twenty weeks," she answered. "Which means Reiner's the father."

"I can't believe you," Hange scolded. "This kind of deception is...Historia doesn't know, does she?"

Cassandra shook her head. "No. Only a doctor I had ordered to keep quiet. I knew I'd get left behind if everyone knew about this, so I kept a secret. I needed to."

"It's quite convenient that Reiner is the father," Hange noted, her voice dripping with anger. "And what does that fact have to do with whether he gets eaten or not? You think you can convince us to keep him alive for the sake of your unborn child?"

"I assure you. Reiner is the father." Cassandra frowned, meeting their glares. "Don't misunderstand my intentions. I didn't even really want him to know about my baby. All I want...is to be the one to end his life. It has to be me."

Raisa widened her eyes. "Are you fucking kidding me? You put your unborn child at risk all for a stupid vendetta? Do you have any idea how many have died today?! They came here to reclaim Wall Maria and all you cared about was being able to kill your baby daddy yourself?!"

"Stop yelling at me like I'm a child," she snapped. "You have no idea what I've seen on the other side of the Wall. No idea! And it's his fault!" She pointed to Reiner. "We wouldn't be in this mess at all if it wasn't for him! So he has to die! By my hand, he has to die!"

"Stop it," Jean interjected. "You're not thinking clearly. We need Reiner's power. If you can't do it, then somebody else can eat him."

Raisa gritted her teeth, trying to think through her anger. "Mikasa. How much gas do you have left?"

"Not enough to fight," she confessed. "I think...I could reach Eren and Armin, but then I'd be out."

"Well, that's definitely more than I have," Hange said. "I bet it's more than any of us have aside from her royal highness here."

Raisa kept her glare glued to Cassandra as she spoke. "Find them, Mikasa. Evaluate the situation. Retrieve the syringe and bring it back, if you can for Sasha. If you're unable to do so, regardless of the reason, fire a signal. We'll end Reiner then."

"Understood." Mikasa cast Cassandra a disappointing gaze before taking off towards the wall.

Cassandra ignored it. She ignored all of their judgement. A soft nudge inside her belly stirred her to action. She attached a blade to her handle and took a step towards Reiner. "Stop," Raisa ordered. "Get away from him, now."

"No," she replied darkly. "I am a Princess and the heir to the Queen of the Walls. None of you have any actual authority over me."

"You're still a Scout," Hange reminded.

"Fine. I hereby give my verbal resignation."

"We deny your verbal resignation."

"You can't do that," she snapped. Cassandra growled in frustration. "Look, I don't care what any of you think of me. I really don't. And Historia can give you all the power to punish me, but it doesn't matter. I'm carrying a traitor's child. A child that has refused to die despite the numerous battles I've been in! I've been swallowed by a titan...twice! He nearly crushed me in his hands!"

"You think that gives the right to his life?" Hange snapped back. "This isn't about you!"

"Of course it's not. But...that doesn't change the fact that I'm going to kill Reiner." She touched her belly again. "I promised myself I would do this. And I promised...if this child survives, I will raise it to fight against our enemies. To show no mercy."

Pop! The sound of the flare gun drew their attention south. A red smoke signal soared into the sky. Cassandra took a deep breath to steady herself. For some reason, she found herself disappointed in seeing the flare. "That settles it. He dies."

Raisa's ears perked up. "Wait, what's that sound?"

"Don't try to distract me," Cassandra ordered. "It's been decided, so you two might as well get out of my-!"

Reiner suddenly tackled Cassandra. An arm and leg having been fully healed. They fell off the roof, plummeting over the side. Raisa and Hange rushed to the edge to go after them. Then, the quadruped appeared out of nowhere. It opened it's mouth wide, swallowing Reiner and Cassandra whole. The titan continued with it's momentum, raising it's arm to swipe at them. Raisa grabbed Hange by her collar and dragged her out of the quadruped's path. They rolled away as the titan hopped up on the roof. Hange got up on her hands and knees. "What the fuck is that?! It swallowed them both!"

Raisa noticed the blond man sitting amongst the cargo on the titan's back. He had a strange device in his hand and he tossed it onto the roof. Raisa gasped. "Bomb!"

She grabbed Hange and Jean then rushed to escape. The device exploded, and the quadruped ran off. Raisa, Hange, and Jean landed on the roof where Conny and Sasha were. "Shit, are you guys okay?!" Conny noticed the quadruped rushing towards the wall. "They're getting away! What now?"

"Don't chase them," Hange advised, rubbing her head.

Raisa sat up, panting. "They got Cassandra, too. This is bad. This is really bad."

"We wouldn't be able to catch them anyway," Hange noted, watching the quadruped scale the wall. "We've hardly any gas left."

"Son of a bitch!" Jean slammed his fist down. "This is all my fault. If I hadn't opened my mouth, Reiner would be dead. Cassandra wouldn't be...damn it!"

Hange watched Jean lament then turned back to Raisa. "I'm surprised Reiner had in him. To attack his former lover who's carrying his child?"

Raisa tried to smooth back her hair, ignoring the burns and cuts on her scalp. "They were both swallowed whole, so I'm pretty sure she's still alive. This is really, really fucking bad." She groaned as she got to her feet. "Let's regroup with the others. We need to figure out a plan."

By the wall...

Levi struggled against Mikasa's strength. He hardly had any himself. She had a knee planted firmly against his diaphragm, and held her sword against his throat. His free hand was on her wrist, trying to keep her from pressing the blade against him any further. Mikasa's other hand was on his other wrist, trying to take the syringe case. Levi tried to summon more strength, but he couldn't. "Don't you realize? Humanity can't defeat the titans without Erwin."

"He's right, Mikasa," Floch urged. "Stop acting crazy!"

She shifted her furious glare to him, making him flinch. The sound of Eren's voice drew her attention to the edge of the roof. "Without...Armin...we can't...win."

Eren struggled to push himself up, spitting out blood from the teeth Levi had knocked out. "We need Armin to win...it's because of him. It was his idea to use the boulder in Trost. He was the one who figured out what Annie was. It was his idea to carry out the mission at night. Armin even figured out where Reiner was hiding, and it's only because of him we were able to take down Bertholdt!"

Eren raised his head. "It's not me or the Commander who's gonna save humanity! It's Armin! Tell him, Mikasa!"

Mikasa latched onto the syringe case, but Levi held on tight. "Please. Give it to me."

Floch stepped closer to them. "No. The one who will save us is Commander Erwin!"

"Shut up!" she snapped.

"Why should I?" he snapped back. "You think you're the only ones that suffered?"

"Shut! Up!"

"No! Not that you asked, but there's not a single soldier left alive on the other side!" He pointed to the top of the wall. "The Beast Titan killed them all. He threw crushed boulders and everyone was obliterated. We all lost all hope, but not the Commander. He figured out how to defeat the titan, and led the charge. We were all bait. All of us...so that Captain Levi could kill it."

Floch's voice began to crack. The memories of his fellow recruits being shredded by the rocks still fresh in his mind. "When I...realized the Commander was still alive, I almost ended him myself. To put him out of his misery."

Levi widened his eyes, unaware Mikasa was distracted by Floch, too. "That's when I realized...in order to defeat the titans, we need a devil! The Commander is that devil! My mission...is to make sure he comes back to fulfill that role. That's the only reason why a coward like me survived. So get out of the Captain's way right now!"

He rushed towards Mikasa, and she raised her sword to swat at him. Levi tried to grab her arm. "Don't do it!"

Raisa appeared. She wrapped her arms around Mikasa's waist and tossed her off Levi. Mikasa rolled across the roof, but managed to get back onto her feet. She zeroed in on Raisa who stood over Levi protectively. "Stand down!" she ordered. "Now!"

Mikasa growled and prepared to strike. But before she could take a step, Hange grabbed her from behind. Mikasa lost her balance and they fell back onto their rears. Jean landed on the roof, near the far edge. "No. Don't tell me..."

Conny arrived not a second later, carrying the unconscious Sasha on his back. "It can't be...Armin?"

"No," Hange breathed, holding onto Mikasa tightly. "It isn't fair."

Raisa helped Levi up. She stared at Erwin in sadness. As Levi opened the syringe case, Raisa knelt down beside Erwin, inspecting his wounds. No...not like this. He can't. Levi assembled the syringe and pulled out the little bottle. He turned to Raisa. "Hey, tell me how to inject this. I've never done it before."

Mikasa felt panic course through her veins, and she screamed. She tried to struggle out of Hange's grasp, but Hange held on tight. "I understand how you feel, but most of us are dead!" she argued. "We can't afford to lose our Commander, too! The Scouts must endure! If we lose our symbol of hope, we lose everything!"

"I know that, but Armin could help us, too!" Mikasa pleaded. "He's special!"

"You're right. He has an amazing mind. But Erwin is far more experienced, and he's our leader-!" Hange winced as Mikasa squeezed her wrist, trying to force Hange to let go. But Hange shook Mikasa off, and wrapped her arms around the crying girl. "Listen to me. There's people I wanna bring back, too. Hundreds at this point. Ever since I joined up with the scouts, every day brought a new farewell. But...you need to understand. Eventually, you'll have to let go of everyone you've ever met."

Mikasa began to calm, not even fighting Hange anymore. Hange rested her forehead on Mikasa's shoulder, seeking the comfort she was giving. "I know that's tough to accept. It's tough for me, too. It's hard to stay sane living like that. It hurts. It really hurts. I know. But even so...all of us just have to push forward."

Mikasa stared at Armin's burnt body. The memories of him smiling happily when they were children came to mind. She felt all her strength leave her, and she finally let go of her sword. Levi followed Raisa's instructions, and the serum was ready to go. Before he could move, a hand latched onto his ankle. Eren had crawled his way over. "Captain, do you...know about...the sea?"

He scooted closer, grabbing onto Levi's cloak. "It's like a lake, but enormous. So bit it stretches past the horizon...and it's full of salty water. Armin told me-"

"Eren, stop." Raisa pulled Eren off of Levi. He tried to continue crawling, but Raisa wrapped her arms around him.

"He told me there's a sea beyond the walls," Eren continued, no longer bothering to resist Raisa. "He said that we'd go there together! Thing is, that's been our dream since we were kids. Only I forgot a long time ago! The only thoughts left in my head are full of hate. And Armin's lost as much as I have, but he just isn't like me. He cares about more than fighting!"

Levi said nothing. He stood up and walked over to Bertholdt. "Everyone get out of here right now! I don't want Erwin to eat one of you instead of Bertholdt."

Floch was the first to fly away. Hange helped Mikasa stand. "C'mon. Let's go."

Jean shook his head, unable to process what was about to happen. Conny got up, tears running down his cheeks. "Bye, Armin. We'll miss you."

Raisa dragged Eren with her to the edge of the roof. She glanced back at Erwin then at Levi. Please...save him. With that, she flew away. Eren reached out, foolishly hoping for one last miracle to save Armin. They gathered on the roof of another building some 100 yards away. Mikasa begged Raisa to take Eren, assuring Raisa that she was fine and wouldn't try anything. The two Section Commanders moved to the next roof over where Floch was pacing. Raisa collapsed, but Hange caught her. "Hey. You all right?"

"Barely. I've been running on pure adrenaline...ever since Bertholdt transformed." Raisa rubbed her forehead as Hange helped her sit down. "Damn it. I think it's all starting to sink in."

The thunder of a titan transformation drew their attention. Lightning struck the roof Erwin was on. Raisa sighed. "But at least...Erwin's still alive."

"Uh...? Captain Levi?" Floch breathed in disbelief.

Hange and Raisa widened their eyes as Levi landed on their roof. And he was carrying Erwin. Raisa quickly got to her feet as Levi brought Erwin over. She and Hange helped Levi lay Erwin down. Raisa gently rested Erwin's head in her lap. She was so confused. So many emotions were running through her chest. Tears blurred her vision. "Levi...?"

The sound of Bertholdt screaming interrupted her. They turned and watched as the blond-haired, pure titan picked up the limbless Bertholdt. He screamed helplessly. "Guys, please! Help me! Save me! Annie! Reiner!"

His screams were cut off as the titan munched down on him. Floch furred his brows "I don't get it. Captain...why?"

Levi slumped his shoulders, lowering his gaze to his lap. "Do you think...you can forgive him someday? He became a devil cause he had to. We were the ones who put him up to it. And in the end, when he had finally been set free from this hell, we were about to bring him back for more. But I think...it's time we let him rest."

The pure titan collapsed onto the ground. It's body erupting into steam. Eren and the others flew down towards it. Raisa gently placed her hand on Erwin's chest, and she closed her eyes in realization. Levi watched the kids help pull Armin out of his titan body. "Erwin...I told you I would kill the Beast Titan...but that'll have to wait."

Raisa moved her hand to cover Erwin's eyes, closing them. "He's already dead."

Levi blinked, letting her words sink in. "Oh."

End of Chapter 27