Chapter 9 Ruler of the Walls
"How do you intend to evacuate the citizens in time?" Carsten asked Erwin.
"We won't evacuate." Erwin said. "We'll have the citizens remain in Orvud District just as they are."
"Still, I wonder how many people are going to die because of it..." Eren frowns.
"I just hope it won't be a big amount..." Armin says.
The scene zoomed out from the forest and landed outside the Orvud District, and eventually, the Titan Rod Reiss noticed the walls and got closer by crawling. The trees that he passed were also on fire. His eyes widened as he continued to get close to the walls.
"The way he crawls is terrifying..." Sasha says.
"Yeah... considering how tall it is, he won't be able to stand up, right?" Hange asks.
"Though the fire and the smoke might be a problem. Even though he's a Pure Titan, that abnormal is different from others." Levi comments.
Back at the meeting, Carsen grabbed Erwin's collar and demanded, "What the hell are you thinking, Erwin?! Keep the citizens in the city without evacuating?! By the time it's dawn, that Titan will be all over us!"
Hange said, "That Titan is an Abnormal."
"What the hell does that even mean?!" Carsen asked.
"Seriously? The Garrison didn't know what is an Abnormal?" Connie asks.
"They probably never met a Titan before." Eren grunts.
"The target Titan is strangely attracted to high concentrations of people. Hence, Abnormal. It means the fellow will turn a blind eye to a small village, ignoring it in favor of reaching this fortified city."
Just then, a picture of Captial Mitras and Orvud Districted was shown. A red arrow signaled the path where Rod was heading, and the blue human figures were in Orvud District.
"Wow... I can't believe you even show that, Ray." Hange says. "I wonder if we can pause a little so we can draw this?"
"Of course, you can." Ray says with a smile.
"If right now, you were to evacuate the citizens within Wall Sina, it would be drawn towards them, destroying the wall and all in its path." A blue arrow with the citizens was headed northwest, and the Red arrow with the Titan also changed direction, and it destroyed the wall.
"In the end, it would reach Mitras, with the greatest density of people..." A picture of Rod Reiss Titan destroying the wall was shown, and citizens were trying to run away. "...and deliver a devastating blow to humanity."
"Oh my god..." Historia frowns.
Eren, Mikasa, and Armin remembered the time when Bertolt broke Wall Maria, and they shiver a little and wonder if this will happen again.
The Garrison was terrified, and behind Hange, the Scouts were calm. "On our way back, we attempted to use Eren Yeager's power to control the Titans, but..." The scene showed Eren connected with the smiling Titan. "... Rod Reiss' Titan showed no reaction."
"Wait, what?" Jean asks, "Then how did Eren manage to control those Pure Titans?"
"I think there must be some sort of condition that needs to be met..." Armin says.
Ray says, "There actually is. But it is clearly impossible for now."
This causes everyone to look at Ray with confusion, but Eren seems to understand what she's implying.
Back at the time when the Scouts were on horses and wagons, Eren stood up and tried to punch forward. "Stop, Titan!"
He punched the air again, "Hey, stop! I'm talking to you!" And then again. "Can't you hear me, idiot?!" And then again, with Levi staring at him. "Rod Reiss, that means you! You tiny old man!"
"Dude, seriously?" Sasha asks.
"Yeah, you look like an idiot..." Jean says.
"What's that, horse face?" Eren glares at him.
"Maybe if you get in contact with the Titan, you can stop it?" Armin asks, "I mean...you tried to punch the Titan and that's how the Titans eat it?"
"That might make sense..." Hange says.
Back at the meeting, Erwin turned to Carsen, "If we are to stop that Titan, we must do so outside the walls of Orvud District. For that to happen, we must have the citizens act as bait."
The scene showed the citizens fleeing into the walls. "However, this does not change the fact that our first duty as soldiers is to protect the citizens."
The Garrisons were knocking on the doors of every house with fire torches in their hands, "Supposing we're unable to halt the target, we'll take measures so that not a single citizen is killed. We'll announce an emergency evacuation drill for Orvud District so that if needed, the citizens will be ready to evacuate at once."
"Though I feel awful for citizens having to act as bait..." Sasha frowns.
"Yeah... but that sure is a nice plan indeed." Armin says.
Erwin smiles and thinks, So I was right...
Carsen was sweating bullets, and Erwin just stared at him. "It seems there's no other choice..." Carsen finally replied.
"The body of our target is the largest we've seen. As such, it presents an easy target. Wall-mounted cannons should prove highly effective, but...if that's not enough to bring it down..." Erwin turned to the Scouts, which focused on Eren and Historia. "The Scout Regiment will throw everything we have at it."
Everyone was slightly nervous, and Eren also showed a fallen expression.
"Looks like everyone is nervous..." Historia says.
"It is something that we need to succeed." Levi sighs, "Another gamble from Erwin."
Dawn arrived, and everyone was on top of Wall Sina, with the Garrison preparing a lot of cannons on top. In front of them, Rod Reiss Titan was still approaching.
"As part of this drill, dummy Titans and cannons will be used!" A Garrison was standing in front of the crowd as she continued to speak. "It'll be a large-scale exercise like nothing you've seen before! However, we ask you not to panic! Remain calm and follow our-"
A citizen yelled, "Ma'am. I gotta get my store ready for the day, so can't you let us go home?"
"Customers won't be coming today." The Garrison said. "Take the day off."
"I don't think so, lady." "What's with the drills when we're so far north?" "The military outs the government, and now this?" "What do you mean?" "I'm saying this is all just a demonstration of their power, to prove that the fake King is gone, they're the ones in control." "So we're being dragged through this for no reason at all?" "Yeah." "At this rate, I think I prefer the fake King, even if he was incompetent."
Everyone is sad at how the citizens are reacting, they know for sure that they can't just tell them that a Titan is approaching and cause them to panic.
"I really wished we could just tell them everything..." Eren says.
"But according to the plan, we can't let them go anywhere because the Titan might just head to Mitras..." Armin says.
"H-hey! Look over there!" A citizen pointed at the giant smoke, it also caused everyone to look at it, including the Garrison and the old man who grabbed her shirt. "Smoke?"
On top of Wall Sina, Carsen yelled, "Fire!"
All the cannons were fired at the Rod Reiss Titans, creating a lot of giant explosions. Eventually, the Titan finally stopped.
The scouts were watching as Erwin asked, "Well, how's that...?"
"Don't jinx it...please..." Connie mutters.
The Titan emerges through it unscathed, and another commander yelled, "Fire!" The Garrison fires a second round of artillery from the ground at the base of the Wall.
"I know it won't work..." Armin frowns.
"If those cannons on top of the wall are useless, then there's no way the ground cannons will be able to do more damage." Hange says.
"The ground cannons seem even less effective." Erwin noted.
"Of course they are." Levi replied. "The wall cannons barely hit the nape, even with a better angle. What's the problem?"
"It's a mishmash of soldiers...Cannons they scraped together... Superficial leadership... To top it off, this is a northern region. Unlike troops on the front lines, they have no battle experience."
"Seriously..." Mikasa rolls her eyes.
"Just great..." Eren also shows the same annoyance.
"However, this is the best we're going to get, and that's a fact." Erwin said.
"Yeah, that much is painfully obvious." Levi said while continuing to watch the cannons firing at Rod Reiss Titan. "Yet again, your strategy for the Scouts boils down to another gamble. Just like everything else you conjure up."
"Erwin! I brought the goodies!" Hange and Moblit arrived with barrels of gunpowders, ropes, and some nets. "All the gunpowder, ropes, and netting I could find! We'll have to assemble it ourselves though."
"What are you thinking?" Connie asks Hange.
"If I guess it correct, we're about to do something really crazy." Hange says.
"For some reason, I don't like the thought of that." Levi mutters.
"Oh, and this! There's another on the opposite side." They showed two carts loaded with gunpowder with handles and triggers of omni-directional mobility gear strapped to either side. "The trigger's held in place so when it's fired, it'll wind itself back up, just like ODM gear."
"That sounds really amazing." Sasha says.
"Way to think of something like that." Armin says.
"So, is the artillery doing any damage?" Hange asked.
"Slightly more than a pissing insect." Levi replied.
"Then we're really planning on using this?" Hange asked.
Erwin turned to Jean, Sasha, and Connie. "Levi, Jean, Sasha, Connie... Take care of that side."
"Roger!" All four of them rushed away, while the others were helping Hange with the gunpowder.
Everyone is getting nervous, as this is what they're going to do in the future.
"How should we do this? Let's see..." Armin and Mikasa were carrying the barrels with Moblit and the rest of Hange Squad, while Eren and Historia were tying the barrels. Hange said, "Try to imagine we're wrapping up a nice gift for someone special..."
Erwin walked towards Historia and said, "I believe you've heard from Levi, Historia." Historia flinched a little. "Supposing we live through this, we'll have you become the Queen, ruling our world in the walls."
Historia stared at the rope as Erwin continued, "Naturally, having you on the front lines poses a problem."
Historia turned to Erwin. "I doubt it will work. You think the people so naive that they'd bow to a ruler in name only?"
Historia stood up and faced Erwin. "What is it that you're thinking?"
"Fire!" The scene changed back to the Garrisons firing the cannons, Rod Reiss' titans now having a lot of holes on its body, but it still continued to move forward.
"Are you kidding? This again?" Jean asks.
"Why is it that whenever we want to learn something, the scene changes into another one?" Hange asks.
Ray says, "Having secrets is what makes this interesting. But I'm sure Historia will answer your question."
Historia flinches and she says, "I... maybe we should continue first..."
Eren stared at Erwin and Historia as he thought, Historia...just look how strong she's become... For the longest time, I thought she was the weak one. I had it wrong. The weak one was me.
"This again?" Levi rolls his eyes in annoyance.
"Eren, how many times do we have to tell you that you're not weak?" Mikasa asks.
"Yeah, you have the Titan power and you can also do the Hardening. You also saved us a lot of times." Armin says.
"But..." Eren frowns.
The scene changed to Eren kneeling in front of the gravestones, Eren continued. Somewhere along the line, I thought myself special. Which is why, when other soldiers died for my sake... I accepted it like it was natural. The same goes for my Titan powers.
Then the scene showed Eren as a Titan. I hated Titans more than anything...but when I become one, I thought nothing of it. I wanted to believe that strength was all mine. That's exactly how a weakling thinks.
Everyone stares at Eren, who is still looking at the ground emotionless. Now they think of it, they finally understand what Eren is thinking and they feel sad for him.
Eren was continuing working with the ropes. What's the next step? So what if I'm able to plug up the wall? Is that enough to save humanity? I'm not special, I'm nobody.
Eren walked towards the edge of the wall and stared below it. But... it's all of humanity that got the short end of the stick... "...being stuck with me as their trump card."
He noticed three children down below, with one of the pointing outside the wall with the other two staring at them.
"Hey." Eren called. Armin turned to Eren and stared at the city.
"The kids in this city remind me of us on that day." The scene changed to the time when Eren, Mikasa, and Armin saw the Colossal Titan over the wall.
"So that's how you guys saw the Colossal Titan for the first time..." Hange says.
"That sure was really terrifying in your point of view like this..." Sasha says.
"Yeah..." Armin said. "Nobody thinks today is the day a Titan bigger than the wall attacks."
Eren stared at Armin. "They might end up seeing the same sight as we did that day. But there's one big difference." Armin was tying up the gunpowder. "Atop the walls, soldiers stand to face the Titan. And that would be us."
Eren blinked in surprise, while Hange and Mikasa were still working on the powder. "Yeah, stack it up on the edge." Hange commanded as Mikasa put the barrel on top of the other one.
Eren stared at Mikasa as he remembered the Smiling Titan walking toward the broken house where Eren and Mikasa trying to save Carla.
Everyone now feels sad and horrified for the two teens, and Eren and Mikasa flinch to see the scene again. Now everyone has been wondering what if their mother was the one who was eaten, except for Historia.
Mikasa called him. "Eren. There's no time to stop. Keep your hands busy."
Mikasa cursed herself for not seeing how Eren was feeling on the screen, but she can't blame herself, they have to stop the Titan as fast as possible.
Eren put down the ropes and started to punch himself. "Eren!" And then he punched again.
"Hey, what the hell are you doing?" Connie asks.
"Yeah, why suddenly punching yourself?" Jean asks.
Eren just stares at the screen before he says, "You're right, I think I have the urge to punch this useless piece of shit."
Mikasa widens her eyes as she quickly grabs Eren's arms. "You're not going to do this, please..."
"Wo-woah! What are you doing?!" Armin asked.
Mikasa also stopped Eren by grabbing his arms. Armin said, "Making a wound? It's too early for that!"
"No..." Eren had a bloody nose and he muttered, "Just beat the shit out of a useless brat. I hope he's dead and gone for good."
"If you think doing so will make you feel better, then do it." Levi says.
"Hey, Levi. You're not helping." Hange says.
"Calm down, Eren. If you kill yourself right now, what about our promise to see the ocean together?" Armin asks.
"Yeah... as much as I dislike you, if you think you can just die right now then you're wrong." Jean says.
"Adjust your aim for a moving target!" Back on another side of the wall, the Garrison continued to fire their cannons. "Focus all cannons on its nape!"
The Titan finally reached the wall, and the Cannons were aiming at the nape as they fire, breaking the Titan's flesh. "Good! That ripped off its flesh! Finish it off with a volley!"
Just then, the steam hits all the Garrison members and the scouts. "Argh, hot!" "Shit, not good..."
The memories of Bertolt emitting steam on them flashed their minds again, and Connie asks, "Seriously... we're going to get hit by the steam for the second time?"
"At least this time Jean and Captain Levi were with us..." Sasha says.
"The wind changed direction!" Levi said.
"Captain! I can't see a thing!" "Doesn't matter! The target is straight below! Fire away!" Carsen yelled at his Garrison troops.
The cannons continued to fire, but Rod Reiss Titan started to stand up. Erwin asked, "Are we too late?"
The hand managed to grab the wall, destroying parts of it and the citizens were panicking. Especially the three children who were watching.
"It's a Titan..."
Eren, Mikasa, and Armin flinch as the scene gives them a lot of nostalgia.
Just then, the Titan finally showed his face, which was being ripped off as brains and bones could be seen.
"Its face..." Historia gasps.
"And is that the brain?" Armin asks.
"Disgusting." Levi mutters.
And not just the face, but the body was also open as organs started to fall off its body, landing on the wall causing a lot of Garrison soldiers to fall.
Everyone feels sick after seeing this, and good thing Ray manages to prepare some buckets for them to vomit.
"I was thinking about kicking the walls, but really?" Jean asks.
"Titans!" "Wait! Don't go anywhere!" The citizens were running away at the sight as the Garrison was trying to calm them down. "Shut up!"
Now the Titan was standing still as Carsen yelled, "Retreat! Everyone, retreat!" The grip of the Titan hardened as more rocks fell from the top of the wall.
"Shit... It's breaking through..." Carsen muttered while watching the fleeing citizens. "The city I grew up in... is done for."
Levi put his hand on the shoulder and said, "Stand back, Captain. We'll take over from here."
Jean, Connie, and Sasha were pouring waters on their bodies, and the same went for Eren and the others.
Armin said while starting to run, "Eren! You're up!"
"Right!" Eren said. "Armin, another thing's different from then."
"Eh?" Armin stopped his footing. "It might not be all they hoped for, but now...humanity has an ace up its sleeve."
Seeing the confidence on Eren's face, everyone knows that it is about to happen.
"Go, Eren!" Connie says.
"Yeah, transform and kill the Titan!" Sasha says.
Eren smiles as he is now finally going to do something.
The children were running until they noticed the lightning behind them, revealing Eren's transforming. "Is that... a Titan?!"
Armin and the others were still pouring water on themselves, and he yelled, "We're good to go!"
Both Armin and Sasha rolled out the carts loaded with gunpowder and Erwin reached the signal flare. "Let the attack... commence!"
He fired the singal, and the ODM gears on the carts were shot at the Titan's hands, and the cart was now moving toward the Titan. "Take this!" Sasha yelled.
Everyone stared at the screen with intensity, they hope that this is going to work.
Once the two carts reach the arms, the heat caused the gunpowders to explode, this caused the massive Titan to lose its grip and slumped forward so its head rested just above the Wall.
"Yes! It's losing balance!" Armin yelled.
"Eren!" Erwin yelled, and Eren, in his Titan form, grabbed a sack woven out of netting and stuffed with barrels of gunpowder and spritted towards the Titan.
Please don't fail... please don't fail... Eren thinks while holding his grip tightly.
The Titan turned to him and Eren started to let out a scream. "You say that in order to defeat the Titan..."
The scene changed back to the night when they were planning. "...we'll stuff gunpowder into its throat and hope it's enough to blow up its nape?"
"Correct." Erwin replied. "With the heat that it's producing, I imagine it'll ignite without a detonator. So as long as it hangs its mouth wide open for us like an idiot...an explosion against its nape won't have the desired effect."
Eren started to draw on the paper. "Which is why the explosion must go off from the inside. But the target may be protecting itself by dragging its face along the ground. For all we know, it may not even have a mouth to open, that's the gamble this time."
Back in the daytime, Rod Reiss' Titan opened his mouth and Eren just charged. "Jackpot!"
He threw the sack into Rod's mouth, with the heat, the gunpowder did not need a detonator and combusted in a chain reaction that caused the entire top half of the Titan to explode, including the nape.
"Oh my goodness..." Sasha says.
"Look at how it goes!" Connie says.
Erwin smiles, as the plan is a success, but there is only another problem, which is the fallen pieces that are getting towards the district.
Erwin yelled, "All troops! Finish it off with ODM gear!"
Everyone used their ODM gears and attached them to the pieces of Rod's body as they cut into tiny pieces. "It may be gigantic, but its vitals are still one meter high and ten centimeters across. Unless we destroy the main body, it will regenerate and form another shield of heat. We've only got one shot."
"Where is the main body?" Armin asks.
"I would want to know that as well." Eren replies.
"Hot!" Connie gasped. "Shit! Which is it?" Jean looked around at the pieces.
Historia was also charging as Jean noticed her. "Historia?"
"I understand your reasons, but... I can't approve of you entering combat." Historia remembered the conversation she had with Erwin before the plan began.
"Commander, please! I've finally grasped the duty I was meant to fulfill! That's why I'm here right now!" Historia retorted.
"Well, in any case..." Erwin turned to the wall below them. "With my body as it is... I can't exactly stop you, can I?"
Back in the present, Historia noticed a large chunk of body. "I'm sorry for being so selfish. But this is the first time I've gone against my parents..."
Historia charged at the chunk. "This is my first fight... with my father."
She slashed at the chunk, which had Rod's body inside. The blades also slashed through Rod's neck.
Historia can only watch in horror, and the others are feeling pity for her.
"Historia..." Armin mutters.
"I'm fine... we have to do it otherwise." Historia says while wiping her tears. "For humanity."
Everyone gives her a nod.
When Historia slashed her father's body, she saw his memories. "Father?"
"Listen to me, Father!" Rod was inside some sort of prison as he yelled at his father, who was bound by the vow. "We can kill the Titans, once and for all! Why? Why don't you understand?!"
"Was that... Rod's memories?" Hange asks.
Everyone is also shocked, Historia's father really wants to eliminate the Titans.
"You know I'll be fine, Brother." A younger Uri said to Rod. "Pray for me."
"Alma, you're the only one who understands me..." Rod begged for Historia's mother.
"Leave it to me, Father." Frieda said to her father. "I won't lose to the ghosts of our ancestors!" Then it showed Frieda also being controlled.
"Oh, God..." Then the scene changed to Alma being killed.
"Ghosts of our ancestors..." Hange asks, "What does she mean by that?"
"Do you think maybe one of the past holders of the Founding Titan did something that caused them to be controlled?" Armin asks.
"If that's the case, what about me?" Eren asks. "Why I'm not controlled?"
"Maybe because you're not Royal blood?" Historia asks. "And that's why your father killed my family for the power..."
Historia gasped after seeing her father's memories as she fell, with the crowd watching. When she woke up, she found herself landing on the padded wagon, which cushions her landing, and the crowd was gathering around her.
"Were you the one who dealt the finishing blow?" A crowd asked.
Historia still covered her eyes with her arm, Was that all... my imagination? She removed the arm. Am I... really... And then she stood up ...acting on my own accord? I... don't know.
She turned to the crowd. The one always going with the flow is without a doubt, me. "I am Historia Reiss! The true ruler of the walls!"
"Nice! Historia!" Sasha says.
Everyone is also applauding Historia, who blushes at her bold actions on the screen. "It feels like a dream... I did that..."
"You landed the finishing kill after all." Erwin says. "If anything, the people acknowledge you as their queen."
Sunset fell, and not far from the Underground Chapel, a grievously wounded Kenny Ackermann walked away from the rubble toward the tree.
"Is that Kenny?" Armin asks.
Levi and Mikasa widened their eyes as they see how wounded Kenny is. They are not sure how to feel.
Kenny was breathing heavily as he remembered Uri. "I'm afraid... I cannot die right now."
A younger Kenny was aiming his gun at Uri, who bowed at him. "Please, forgive me."
"So we're going to see Kenny's past?" Connie asks.
"I guess so..." Hange says.
Levi is conflicted, Kenny seems like he won't be living longer, and he still has a lot of questions that he wants to know about him.
"Gimme a damn break..." Kenny stared at the young Levi in the Underground. "You hear me, don'tcha? Gotta name?"
"That's why I'm able to do any job asked of me." Sannes was talking to Kenny as they watched Uri and the Wall Church. "Are you any different?"
"Doesn't matter to me." Caven said to him. "It's all pointless."
Then the scene changed to Rod's transform. "Captain!" Caven yelled.
"Idiots! Get away!" Kenny yelled at the Interior Police.
In the present, Kenny finally slumped against a nearby tree, wheezing for breath. He remembered Levi in the underground fighting a thug as he was leaving him.
"Kenny." Kenny closed his eyes, but opened them again after hearing Levi's voice. A scout was aiming his gun at him.
"Oh, gee... It's you?" Kenny coughed.
"Your comrades we fought... They all ended up getting crushed. Are you the only survivor?" Levi asked.
"Seems that way." Kenny closed his eyes again and muttered.
Levi lowered his glaze, "Report back. I'm fine here alone."
"Understood." The scout lowered his gun and left. Levi stared at Kenny, "With those burns and that blood loss...there's no helping you now."
"Yeah?" Kenny muttered. "I wonder..."
Levi widened his eyes, and Kenny took out a box with the syringe inside.
As the screen faded out, Connie asks, "Is he going to inject the serum inside him?"
"But he's an Ackerman, and Ackermans can't turn into Titans...that means there is no use if he injected the Titan syringe in him." Armin says.
Hange looks at Levi and asks, "You okay? Levi?"
Levi sighs, "I'm just conflicted... I have a lot of questions I wanted to ask Kenny... why did he abandon me back in the underground? And why did he work with the Interior Police..."
"I'm also curious about it as well." Mikasa says, causing everyone to turn to her. "I also wanted to know about my family..."
Ray says, "You'll be given answers in the next episode. Right now you guys should take a rest after that hard battle."
"Yeah... but to think we managed to destroy the Titan giant than the Colossal Titan..." Eren says.
"Seems like you're starting to get back to normal." Connie says.
"Is that so?" Eren stares at him as everyone chuckles.
Here is a new chapter, and I hope you like it.