Chapter 37
The Scout Regiment travels towards Wall Maria under the cover of night to begin their operation to reclaim the territory they lost five years ago. It is nighttime, and all of them are wearing cloaks.
Eren says, "Sorry, Aya. You're riding the same horse with me..."
"It's fine. You're supposed to be saving your energy." Aya says.
"I know." Eren says.
Along the way, they stumble across a Titan, but it appears to be asleep and does not react to their presence.
"It's alright," Hange says. "He's fast asleep. This lad must not be one of those new types that move at night. That's too bad. Let him be."
Peter says, "I can't believe we didn't see it until we were so close to it."
"Yeah, I'm with you there. This moonless night must be protecting us," Hange theorizes. "Light from the moon is reflected sunlight. The new type of Titan… We think they use that minuscule amount of reflected light to move. Using the new moon was the right move. There's no guarantee we won't have a repeat of before. That lad may be one of those 'Moonlight Titans' for all we know."
"Even if we encounter a Titan, Mother and Eren can chase them away with the power of the Founding Titan." Katrina says.
"Yeah..." Then everyone still feels the pressure, even Aya is shaking a little.
"Aya? Are you nervous?" Eren asks.
"Yeah... and the cold night isn't helping." Aya sighs.
"Eren, have you ever been afraid of Titans? Normally, everyone's terrified of them. Like me… The first time I faced a Titan, I couldn't move a muscle. But…there I was… And you pulled me right out of a Titan's mouth." Armin asks. "How were you able to do something like that?"
"We were scared at first, but after Dad told us everything, it just feels normal to me. And it comes to taking back freedom… Yes… Strength flows through me." Eren says.
"I bet, by this time next year, we'll be looking at the sea." Peter says.
"Yeah..." Armin smiles.
Aya and Mikasa look around and Mikasa says, "I recognize this area. I think…we came here for firewood."
"You're right..." Aya says.
Ahead of them, one of the Scouts calls out that they have found a trail, and the group of seven realize that they have finally come back to their hometown.
"Finally, we're back…" Armin says. "The first time…since we fled from here. Back to our hometown…"
As day breaks, the Scouts charge on horseback for the Walls of Shiganshina District. When they get close, they switch to ODM gear and scale the Wall.
"There are two gates we must seal - the inner and outer. With that, Shiganshina will be isolated. We'll exterminate any Titans left inside. If the enemy knows our plan, they'll go straight after Eren and Aya, but we'll have hoods covering the faces of all 100 of our soldiers. By the time they find out who Eren is, we'll have the outer gate plugged."
In the plan, Aya is going to the front lines with Odom and Katrina as baits, while the rest is going to stay at the gates.
Armin pauses, noticing a sooty residue on the top of the Wall; the remains of the fire. He raises his arm to grab Erwin's attention. "They're here... and close! Bertolt and Reiner." Armin thinks.
Around the outer Wall, Hange notices that there are no Titans around. Hange finds it strange, but Levi says they have to continue with the plan. Hange agrees and fires a green signal flare to announce that they have arrived at their destination.
"We can do this! Because we've all been special since the day we were born! We're free!" Eren yells, and Eren bites his hand and transforms, and he is hardening his body to plug the hole in Wall Maria.
At the same time, Katrina, Odom, and Aya are at the outer wall when they notice the lightning, they smirk as they know Eren has done it.
"Eren!" Dina rushes towards him and asks, "Okay?"
"I'm fine, mother." Eren says. "But my cloak is gone..."
Mikasa gives Eren her cloak and he wears it. "Thanks, Mikasa."
"No matter how much you plug it, they'll break the Wall as long as they live. Until we kill Reiner, Bertolt, and any other enemies, the operation to retake Wall Maria won't end." Levi says.
"Of course." Eren says. "And the other gate will be Mother's job."
"Yeah." Dina says as the four continue to head towards the outer gate.
"The outer gate was a success." Drik says to Erwin, "Still, it's odd… There's no attack coming. On the contrary, we've not seen a single Titan so far. Were they not prepared for our sudden assault?"
"We can only hope, but… Considering what Arlert discovered…" Erwin says.
Armin found signs of someone camping; cooking supplies and several lights were scattered on the ground below the Wall. From the cups, he could tell the campers were drinking something like black tea. Since there were three cups along with the pot, there had to have been at least three people on top of the Wall.
"Was the metal pot completely cool?" Erwin asks.
"Yes."
"We charged here at full speed using horses and ODM gear, had they noticed our approach by sound or by sight, they'd have two minutes to react. A pot in use wouldn't cool in just two minutes. They had to have known we were coming for five minutes or more, meaning they've had plenty of time to prepare for us."
"But…how?"
"Th-There must be a scout in addition to the three on the Wall…" Armin says. "No, we have to assume there're many more enemies in hiding."
Recognizing Armin's gift for insight, Erwin has him take as many soldiers as he needs to locate their enemies. The gathered soldiers acknowledge their new directive and ask an increasingly uneasy Armin for his orders.
After Armin and his impromptu squad depart, Dirk notices that Eren's group is approaching.
"Eren's coming to plug the inner gate. What now? Pause the operation until we find the enemy?"
Erwin opens his eyes and says, "We continue. We'll lose a prolonged battle in enemy territory. For us, our only chance is a decisive battle. Besides, if this is all according to the enemy's plan, we'll just have to live with it. In any case, they're not the only ones hiding something."
"And are you sure you're going to let our Female Titan lead her own squad?" Drik asks while watching the Female Titan approaching. "She just joined the Squad for 2 months and she is also royalty, which is also dangerous."
"However, she has the training outside of this island, she has the skills." Erwin says, "I trust her with everything."
Armin agonizes over why their enemies have yet to show themselves and why the Scouts have been unable to find them. While hanging from the Wall, he glances up and remembers the Wall Titan in Stohess District and has a flash of insight.
He fires a signal flare to recall the soldiers working with him. "Check inside the walls! There must be a spot where someone could stay inside for a long time!"
"How do you know that?!" One scout asks.
Hearing this and Armin's reasoning, Erwin fires a red signal flare to let Hange, Dina, and Levi's squads know to halt the operation.
"There are times to be strict and times to be flexible. Adhere to the principles you vowed while giving everything you've got. Obey the chain of command. The reason we are here is to claim victory!"
Taking charge, Armin begins directing the group. "Break into two groups again and search the surface! Especially above the gate! Commence the search!"
At the same time, Aya, Katrina, and Odom are looking around. "Where are the Beast and Cart? They should be somewhere here..."
"If Mother was right, our big brother is also smart and he should've been waiting for a moment..."
Armin believes that if their enemies are keeping tabs on them and are able to watch everything that Eren is doing, it has to be from a place within the Wall, particularly if their enemies have no idea that the Scouts are aware of the Wall Titans. Without that knowledge, they would not expect the Scouts to consider an attack from within the Wall.
The soldier fires off his acoustic shell. "Here! There's a cavity here!"
The wall opens as Reiner comes out and kills the soldier. "Reiner!"
Just then, Aya comes down with a speed and slices into his neck. On the other side, Levi stabs Reiner's torso as the three of them hurtle toward the ground.
"Dad!" Aya says.
"Damn it! So close! But I couldn't finish him!" Levi says.
Though grievously wounded, Reiner's body contorts and he transforms into the Armored Titan.
Erwin yells, "Keep your eyes open! We still need to find his allies!"
At the same time, the Beast Titan appears with some pure Titans. Aya says, "He's here!"
"The Beast Titan!" Katrina yells as he throws the boulder at the wall.
"Zeke..." Dina gasps as she sees her son in the distance.
The boulder plugs the hole in the inner gate, preventing the Scout Regiment from bringing their horses through. Erwin says, "We're both hoping for the same thing. To settle it here once and for all. Eldia or Marley?! Which side will live on? Which side will perish?"
Behind the Scouts, Reiner Braun hardens the fingers and toes of his Armored Titan to begin climbing the Wall. Levi says, "Erwin, he's gonna climb up."
"All troops!" Erwin says to the soldiers as the Armored Titan's clawed hand digs into the Wall. "Avoid clashing with the Armored Titan! Stay away from him!"
Eren is watching and he says, "There is the Cart Titan beside the Beast Titan...and it seems that it is carrying something. If I have to guess, Bertolt..."
Dina nods and says, "Zeke might be trying to throw him inside and create the explosion. In that case, we need Peter's water."
Just then, the Pure Titans start to charge toward them. Erwin thinks, "It's just like the raid at Utgard Castle… They'll go after the horses first. Their primary objective is to capture Eren, but… To achieve that, they'll take away our only escape option. With Wall Maria still being deep in Titan territory, we have no means to get back without horses. Just by killing our horses, it completely blocks our escape and severs our supply line. Whether it takes one week or a month, they can simply wait until there's nobody who can move. Without any of the risks of battle, they can waltz in and take Eren once he's too weak to resist. Right now, the fact that all those larger Titans are staying in formation is proof that their only purpose is to cage us in. At this point, what I fear most…is that Reiner and Bertolt slaughter our horses unchecked. Therefore…"
Levi asks, "Are you finally ready to say something? I could've had breakfast during the wait."
"Dirk Squad and Marlene Squad! Protect the horses at the gate with Klaus Squad! Levi Squad and Hange Squad! Take down the Armored Titan! Employ the Thunder Spears at your own discretion! And Dina Squad, stop the small Titans. This moment! This battle! The survival of Eldia Empire depends on it! Once more, for Eldians! Give your hearts!"
"Yes sir!"
"Wait, Levi, Aya, Katrina, and Odom. I need you four to stay. We need you four to strike them down when the chance comes." Erwin says as he points at the Beast Titan and Cart Titan."
"Understood. Since we failed to kill Reiner earlier, we'll make up for it by capturing the Beast Titan." Levi says.
Then the four of them leave, and Erwin then tells Armin his plan for the Armored Titan.
The Armored Titan reaches the top of the Wall and oversees the smaller Titans fighting with the Scout Regiment. Reiner notices that the horses are all tethered in one place, and figures it will be easy to kill them before making a break for it. The flesh inside his Titan removes Levi's blade from his neck and Reiner realizes if he had been any slower in moving his consciousness from his head to his body, he would have died. He then spots Erwin standing alone and vulnerable on the Wall, but tells himself not to get distracted.
Eren turns to Dina, who bites his hand and starts to transform into the female Titan. "Is that... the female Titan?" Reiner is surprised, that means they really use the Neumann's powers to take away Annie's. "But who is she?"
Just then, Eren touches the ankle of Dina's leg and it causes electricity to all the Titans. The Beast Titan also feels the electricity and asks, "What's going on..."
"Stop your movements." Eren's command causes all the pure Titans to stop. Zeke notices it and says, "Was that... the Founding Titan's powers?"
Then he remembers Aya and says, "They found a royal blood and made her a Female Titan?"
At the same time, Peter and Eren also transform at the same time as the three of them are running toward the wall, forcing Reiner to choose between Eren possibly escaping over the southern Wall of Shiganshina or taking out the horses.
However, Reiner figures out the plan and he starts to chase after the three Titans. "Good! They're chasing us." Peter says.
"I just hope Aya can stay alive. If she's done, then so am I..." Eren says.
At the same time, Katrina and Odom also transform as they start to kill the smaller pure titans, much to the Beast's surprise.
"Those two, so they are..." Pieck asks Zeke.
"Yeah... the Sky Titan and the Weather Titan..." Then the weather starts to change as it becomes rainy. "This is going to be bad for us..."
At the same time, Eren and Dina hardened their hands as they start to punch Reiner, but Reiner dodges and tries to tackle, but Eren punches Reiner and forces him to fall to the ground.
At the same time, Levi and Aya are moving together as they are also slashing the pure Titans who aren't moving.
"Clear the small ones already! Do it before the Beast Titan moves! And no causalties! Don't you dare die!" Levi says as he turns to Aya, "And the same goes for you!"
"I won't die. I promise Eren that we're going to stay alive together!" Aya says.
Erwin thinks back to when he was a cadet and told others about his father's theory. He thought that once he was a Scout, he would prove it, but after he joined the Scouts he stopped talking about it. Unlike the other Scouts, who were fighting for a greater purpose, he realized that he was only fighting for himself, for his specific dream. Before he knew it, he was in a leadership position where he had to give orders and inspire others, so he had to fool his comrades and fool himself into making sacrifices. But still, he finds himself drawn to the basement. Even if this plan fails, he might be able to reach it before he dies and learn the truth that Grisha Jaeger left behind.
Eren and Reiner continue to fight, with Peter and Dina working together, Reiner grits his teeth, "Damn it... why did it have to be a 3 on 1..."
Reiner gets back up and tries to attack, but he manages to grab Peter and slams him to the ground.
"You'll pay for that!" Dina says as she punches Reiner for the damage he did to Peter, Eren is also doing the same.
"Now's the time!" Peter yells, and all three of them quickly disperse as Hange and Levi squad approaches.
"They're making a move? I knew they'd been gradually surrounding me, but what can they even do to me with their blades? I've got hardened armor covering every inch of my body. They can't even scratch me!"
Using all three Titans as anchors, they fly toward Reiner, however, Mikasa and Hange fire two Thunder Spears, creating an explosion that damages Reiner.
"We did it?" Dina asks.
"No, not yet. The Thunder Spears are so destructive they're dangerous even to those who fire them. If you anchor to the Titan as if to slash it like normal with your blade, you'll get caught up in the explosion. A drawing of a soldier appeared as he was blown to pieces when the Thunder Spear connected with the nape of a Titan while still attached to the soldier. This means the only chance to use Thunder Spears…is when the target is surrounded by multiple standing objects." Hange says.
From behind, the rest of Hange and Levi Squads attack, firing their Thunder Spears into the Armored Titan's back and disengaging before they can get caught up in the explosion.
"Did we do it?" Eren asks.
"The armor on his nape is peeling off!" Jean cheers.
Hange calls for them to attack again to finish him off, but Conny Springer and Sasha Braus hesitate at the idea of killing Reiner, their former friend. Jean rallies them and the three move in to attack with the rest of the Scouts. Multiple Thunder Spears pierce the Armored Titan and Reiner panics just before they explode.
And here is a new chapter, I hope you like it and we're going to continue the fight in the next chapter.