Chapter 22: Titans Unleashed

As Eren dashed down the stairs, he stopped for a moment, watching a transformation take place for the first time. As the bodies of all the people that tried to restrain Annie scattered, bones and flesh began to form where she was standing, growing at an accelerating rate. He saw her dive into the nape of the Female Titan as it stood to its full height. Something in his gut told him that this time, she would not hesitate, she would not show restraint, and she would never stop until she captured him.

"Oh, God," Eren whispered.

His eyes widened as the Female Titan's hand plunged into the broken corridor, missing Eren by inches. Mikasa quickly grabbed him and pulled him away as Armin quickly followed. Annie tried to reach in further, but her arm wasn't long enough. Realizing that her quarry had vanished, her arm snaked out of the corridor.

"Damn it!" Armin swore as they continued making a run for it. "That ring! She must've known I was lying to her from the very beginning. She knew we were leading her into a trap. I could've… I should've tried a different approach. We should've used Dillon to stop her!"

"Save the should haves until we get out of this," Mikasa ordered. "The question is what do we do next?"

Gritting his teeth, Armin nodded. "Okay. First, we rendezvous with Squad 3. Then, we get the hell above ground. We… we fight her out in the open." He looked at his best friend. "That means we're switching to Plan B. She's all yours, Eren. Got it?"

"Yeah," he answered, still reeling from what just happened.

"Over here!" someone up ahead shouted, waving his hand. It was Squad Three as the other members came into view. "What happened? Was Plan A a no-go?"

Oh, it went just wonderful. Armin thought sarcastically before addressing them. "Afraid so, yes. As of now, we're going with the backup option."

The trio slid to a halt, take a moment to catch their breath.

Suddenly, a giant foot crashed through the ceiling, stomping on the entire squad. The force of the blow was so strong, it caused a dust storm that briefly covered the trio. Coughing, Armin opened his eyes to see the Female Titan's foot slowly rise back up, leaving behind crushed bodies.

"She caved in the ceiling," Armin said, horrified.

"We've got to pull them out of there," Eren said, taking a step for them before Mikasa grabbed his hood and pulled him back.

"Eren, get back," she told him, dragging him away.

"What? No, wait!" The Shifter tried to break free, but Mikasa wouldn't let him. Even if they were still alive underneath the rubble, it didn't matter. Top priority was keeping Eren out of her hands.

"What was that?" Mikasa demanded, trying not to start raging… yet. "Does she not care if she kills you, too?"

"She took a chance," Armin answered gravely. "It was risky, but she gambled on Eren being able to survive. We're dealing with someone who's been backed into a corner." He began running with the two trailing behind him. "She's desperate, which makes her all the more dangerous!"

They backtracked as quickly as they could, but they soon realized that what was left led straight back to Annie. Knowing her, she would keep stomping her way into the Underground if it meant getting what she wanted, what she needed.

"Damn it, we're cut off," Armin said, panting heavily. "If we try to get airborne with our ODM gear, she'll swat us like flies. If we-." He was cut off by another crashing sound and saw that she was getting closer to them. His voice started trembling. "If we stay here, it's only a matter of time before we're crushed."

Determined, Eren stood up. "I know what I have to do. I'll change. I'll shield you guys like that time with the cannon fire! Get in close!"

"But-!" Armin protested before he pulled them close to him.

"All right, brace yourselves!"

Taking several breaths at a rate that people would think he was hyperventilating, he bit his hand as hard as he could, digging into his flesh and bone. Judging by his muffled screaming, it hurt like hell, but the worst part was that nothing was happening outside of receiving a self-inflicted wound.

"Oh, no," Eren said, his eyes widening in horror. "Not again! Why now?" He collapsed to the ground in pain. "We don't have time for this! Just work, damn it!"

"Don't try to force it," Armin advised over Eren's angry growling. "You have to have a clear goal in mind like Hanji said. Come on, you can do this. We know you can!"

"Believe me, I'm trying," he raged, sinking his teeth into his hand once more and succeeding in doing nothing but causing himself pain.

Mikasa knelt down to his level, but instead of offering him words of encouragement, she was pissed. "Really? Are you sure you're not having second thoughts? Doubts about Annie?"

He didn't respond as if confirming what she accused him of.

"Eren…" Armin said softly, wondering what was going through his mind at the moment.

"It's her," she stated coldly. "The Female Titan. No matter how much you don't want to believe it, that—"

"I know that she's the Female Titan, damn it!" Eren yelled, catching Mikasa off-guard. "Get off my back! I know what she is!"

"Then what is it?" Mikasa demanded. "What the hell is holding you back from doing your duty as a soldier, from fulfilling the oath you swore?"

Eren looked away, his voice dropping to a whisper. "She…she let me go."

Armin sighed in response before nodding. "She did."

"She spared the rear contingent," he continued, his voice shaking. "She spared Levi Squad. Oluo's death was an accident. She's… she's not evil!" He shut his eyes tightly. "Why couldn't we find the right words to say? I know she can be reasoned with! I know we don't have to-!"

Mikasa grabbed him by the collar and pulled him close to her face. She was furious. "Annie. Doesn't. Care. Anymore! Whatever actions she took back in that forest does not apply here. Did you not see what she just did? She stomped out those soldiers like they were nothing to her, and she'll keep killing people until she gets what she wants: you! She's a murderer, and a traitor. Get your head out of your protective shell and fight, damn it!" She glared right into his eyes. "Unless there's something deeper going on."

Eren didn't answer her, his mind a complete mess. It was so hard for him to rationalize Annie as this monster. Everything they went through, everything she had done for him, how could it all be just a lie?


Eren grunted as he rose to his feet, covered in scrapes and bruises, a little blood running from his lips. Thirty minutes he had been sparring with Annie, but it felt like hours. Despite his body begging him to stop, he refused to do so. He needed this. He needed to win.

"Still on your feet?" Annie observed, taking her stance yet again.

"I'm not giving up," he growled, charging at her again.

She backed up, blocking and dodging his blows. Usually, they were out of control at this point, but he managed to keep his cool. To his credit, he was pushing her back, keeping her on her toes, but eventually, he screwed up. He threw a wild punch, and Annie took advantage of that by using his momentum against him, tossing him to the ground. She even locked his arm behind his back.

"Damn it!" Eren swore, grunting in pain. "You always win."

"I've been trained to do this for most of my life, Eren," she reminded him.

He sighed, frustrated with himself. "Of course."

Annie raised her eyebrows, letting him go. "What's going on, Eren?"

"Nothing. Forget it. Let's just keep going."

She rolled her eyes, hoisting him to his feet. "Is it about that chokehold I put you in last week? I was trying to teach you a lesson."

"It's not that," Eren said defensively.

"Then what is it?"

He avoided her gaze. "I… I don't like wasting your time."

Annie blinked. "What?"

"You're trying so hard, and I keep getting tossed around," Eren explained, not wanting to admit it. "I'm trying so hard to use what you taught me, and I'm still failing."

Her cold eyes bore into him. "Is that what you really think?"

He nodded. "Yeah."

"Then you're one hell of an idiot."

Eren's head popped up, surprised. "What?"

Annie put a hand on her hip, giving him a stern look. "You came to me because you wanted to learn from me. If I thought you would waste my time, I would've said no, but I didn't. I didn't come out of the womb as good as I am now, so stop with the pity party." Her expression softened just a bit. "You shouldn't let Mikasa get to you."

"She never had to try," Eren said glumly. "She's always been… perfect. Always coming around to save my ass. I care about her, but it's difficult dealing with that."

"Mikasa's a special kind of beast," Annie replied. "You don't find people like that walking around this place. And, just for the record, you are learning, dumbass. You're more focused and concentrated, and you're starting to put me on the defensive. So, quit the pity party and open your eyes before I knock some sense into you the old-fashioned way."

Eren couldn't help but chuckle, looking at her. "You're something else, Annie."

She shrugged. "Thanks, I guess."

Eren felt a bit more at ease now, and honestly grateful for her. Annie was someone that pushed him into being better than what he was, someone that didn't hold his hand. Mikasa was very protective, and Annie wanted him to take care of himself. He always appreciated that about her. It also helped that he was seeing life in her normally cold eyes. She really did enjoy fighting despite commenting how useless it was, and she seemed to enjoy teaching him, too.

"Uh, Eren, is there something on my face?" Annie asked.

"Huh?" Eren shook his head as if snapping out of daze. "Sorry. I was…"

"You might have a concussion." She tossed him a canteen. "Take a few minutes. If you're too dizzy, we'll do this another time."

"Um, okay." Before she could walk away, Eren quickly stopped her with a, "Hey, Annie?"

She looked over her shoulder. "What?"

Whatever he was going to say died in his throat, so he settled for a simple, "Thanks for helping me."

A small smile appeared on Annie's face, if only for an instant. "I appreciate that, Eren. I really do."


"Say something!" Mikasa demanded, snapping him out of it.

"Mikasa, stop!" Armin interrupted, pulling her back. She was becoming too emotional about this if her accusations were anything to go by and she looked like she was gonna start throttling Eren. "This isn't getting us anywhere." Quickly, he drew his swords. "I know what we have to do. Mikasa will head for that opening, and at the same time, I'll make a run for the exit! I'm sure Annie will go for one of us." Armin put his hood on. "When she does, run in the opposite direction for all you're worth!"

"Are you out of your mind?" Eren objected. "What the hell kind of good is it gonna do if one of you gets killed!?"

"If we stay here, all three of us will," he shot back. "Mikasa, you ready?"

Putting her cloak back on, she nodded. "Yeah, good luck!"

Eren was stunned as both his friends ran in opposite directions, and possibly to their deaths. "Mikasa, Armin, don't do this! I'm not worth it, you hear me? You don't have to go!"

Finally, Mikasa stopped, turning around briefly. "What choice do we have?" She closed her eyes, remembering the one thing that she was taught all her life. "The world is a cruel place!" Throwing her hood up, Mikasa left the corridor, leaving him completely alone.

Eren bowed his head, quietly sobbing at how horrible things were going. His friends were going to die to try and save him, humanity was vulnerable to whatever the Female Titan had planned, and Annie…

Please stop. He begged inwardly.

It was the last thought he had as the ceiling caved in above him.


As Armin exited the Underground, his pupils shrank at the scene before him. Annie stomped into and through another house, but her foot was exactly where Eren was. If he wasn't dead, she just buried him alive.

"Oh, no. Eren!" he yelled in horror as he took to the skies.

The Female Titan paid him no heed as her eyes landed on Mikasa, who was coming at her full speed and swords drawn. Growling, she charged her, ready to bring her down. Once she got close enough, she trapped the Oriental in her hand, but Mikasa sliced her way through, dodging the falling fingers as she fell.

"I won't let you take him," she swore.

While Annie was preoccupied, Armin dived into the ruined house, searching for his friend. He found him lying face down with large pieces of rubble pinning him to the ground.

"Don't worry, Eren," he assured as he started lifting the large debris off of him. "Just stay with me!"

As Mikasa continued her deadly dance with Annie, she dodged an attempted swipe while leaving a tremendous gash on her arm. The swipe took out the rooftops of nearby houses including the hook Mikasa had embedded in one of them. Frantically, she tried to get out of there, but a large rock hit her square on the head, knocking her out as she plummeted to the ground.

Satisfied that the little irritant wasn't in her way anymore, Annie continued making her way towards Eren's position only for a squad of Scouts to start their attack.

"Detain her at all costs," the leader of the squad commanded. "Whatever it takes!"

Once her hand finished regenerating, the Female Titan glared at them. No one was getting in her way this time, especially not him. They made their choice, and they would die for it.


Further into Stohess, Nile Dok continued to walk with the wagons carrying Eren Yeager along with Erwin and Levi. Contrary to what they thought, he didn't like this any more than they did. For a while, he actually hoped the kid would be the key they so desperately needed to win this war against the Titans. However, the latest Expedition proved that the enemy was too strong, and Eren's powers were too unpredictable. Just because Nile was doing what had to be done didn't mean he felt good about it.

His silent musings were interrupted by the smell of smoke. He glanced up to see a large plume of it in the distance. "What the hell's going on?" he asked himself before giving an order to the nearby MPs. "Escort Squad, have a look! I'll hold this position!"

"Sir, yes, sir," Marlowe replied before grappling away with Hitch and Boris right behind him.

"This is bad," Nile said as he began planning his next move. "What the hell could be going on this far in?"

"Nile," Erwin called out, stepping out of the wagon with Levi. "Deploy all troops immediately! We should assume that a Titan has already appeared."

The commander of the Military Police was flabbergasted by his statement and his surprising calmness. "Are you out of your mind? This is Wall Sina. There's no way that a Titan would suddenly show up here!"

The situation started escalating when Eren quickly got out of the wagon he was held in.

"Who told you to move, Yeager?" the MP guarding him demanded, attempting to restrain him.

"How about this damn wig you should've noticed, moron?" Faux-Eren shot back, pulling off his black hair that revealed light-brown hair.

The MP staggered back in shock, realizing that he had been played.

"Call me Yeager again, and it's your ass! Got that?" Jean threatened as he grabbed his cloak and ran to Erwin's position. "Commander, what's the plan?"

"Ask Squad 4 for equipment," he answered.

"Sir," Jean quickly threw on his cloak and got to work.

"I like the brass balls but try not to swing them so hard you get yourself killed," Levi advised.

"Commander," another Scout called out, landing in front of him with a case containing the ODM gear.

Nile was too stunned to speak as the Scouts, Jean, and Erwin began putting on the gear quickly. He had been fooled, but for what purpose. This wasn't just an attempt to keep Eren out of the MP's hands. This was something else entirely.

Then, his suspicions began to rise as he remembered the mission report from the Scout Regiment, how a Female Titan displaying the same intelligence as the kid tore through their ranks with the intent of capturing him. The only explanation was that she was human like he was, and if that was the case….

She's here. Nile realized. The Female Titan is in Stohess right now!

Now, his anger began to bubble as he put it together. Erwin lured her out into the open, out in a city containing thousands upon thousands of civilians. With no prior warning. If she was the cause of the attack in the distance, so many people would be killed.

"All right," Erwin exclaimed as he prepared for departure. "All of you with me! We're rendezvousing with the capture squad."

"No," Nile yelled, pointing his rifle right at Erwin's chest. "The hell you will!"

The rest of the MPs took aim at Erwin and Levi, preparing to fire.

"This is outright treason," he snarled. "I am well within my rights to shoot you where you stand!"

"Think, Nile," Levi said in a drawl voice. "I find it hard to believe you're actually as thick-headed as you look. You're a hair-trigger away from making the worst mistake of your life."

"Take off the gear before I shoot you!" Nile ordered.

It was a standoff, and any sudden move could mean the difference between life and death.


The battle with the Female Titan was going about as expected: horribly. The Scouts were trying to disable her and take her alive, but she was too quick for them. She knocked a Scout into and through a building and crushed another one in the palm of her hand. Mikasa, regaining consciousness, let out a battle cry and sliced her Achilles' Heel, trying to bring her down, but the wound was too shallow. Fortunately, they were at least buying time for Armin to get Eren out of his predicament.

"Just hold on," Armin pleaded as he finally moved the large piece of rubble off of him. "I'm almost there, Eren!"

"What the hell is going on?" Jean demanded as he landed behind him.

"He's stuck in here," he explained frantically.

Jean's eyes widened. "Why didn't he just change into a Titan?"

"He couldn't transform," Armin admitted. "Annie's actions during the Expedition is holding him back from taking her on."

The brown-haired boy clenched his fist. "You've got to be kidding me."

Shaking his head, Armin continued digging him out. "We'll worry about that when he's safe. Help me out."

Growling, Jean stalked over to Eren. "Enough of this bullshit, Eren! It doesn't matter what Annie did. The reality is that she's not letting anything hold her back." He glared down at his fallen form. "Look at yourself. You're humanity's best chance of living. We're putting our lives on the line out there, and this is all we can expect from out last, best hope? Is this what Marco…?" He gritted his teeth so he wouldn't breakdown. "Damn it!"

He would've gone on, but there was a loud crash nearby. The two men looked to see large pieces of rubble coming for them and they moved quickly. The landing sent the two flying and buried Eren deeper into the ground. This time, there was a large, wooden stake impaled in his chest. At this rate, he was going to die.

"Eren…" Armin whispered, trying to contain his panic.

Jean growled, drawing his swords. "We can't do a damn thing until we deal with her!" With that, he charged into the fray.

Armin sighed, knowing what had to be done, but he spoke to Eren one last time. "Listen, I said something to Jean recently: to rise above monsters, we have to abandon our humanity. What we fight, we become. Fire with fire. Look at her. Annie can do it. I don't know why, but there it is. It's simple: you have to match her heartlessness to win!"

There was a way to keep Annie from continuing her path towards Eren. It was going to be the lowest blow he could strike, but it was necessary if he wanted to keep him alive. As Annie smashed another Scout into a building, Armin ran out and called out to her.

"Annie!" he yelled angrily. "Dillon would be so proud of you, wouldn't he?"

The Female Titan's eyes widened at those words before growling at him dangerously.

"You should be thankful he's dead, so he'll never see what you've become!"

Annie clenched her fists as she let out an animalistic snarl. Why you little….

Suddenly, there was a loud yell behind her and she quickly crystalized her hand as she blocked her nape. Jean cursed loudly as his swords shattered, but he took off. "Armin, follow me!"

Quickly, Armin grappled away just as her fist landed where he was. The two were heading deeper into the city as a livid Titan charged after them. Sometimes, emotional instability was a good thing to take advantage of, especially when making the target focus on the wrong thing.

As Annie passed by a building, her eyes widened as she fell into another trap. Once again, several cannons fired at her, impaling her skin with the hooks and barbs. Some of ropes actually tied her up. She pulled as hard as she could, but instead, she slipped and fell to the ground with a loud thump, shaking the whole District. With her on the ground, the Scouts tossed a large, spiked net onto Annie, keeping her pinned. And somehow, she managed to keep her hand on her nape after all that.

"Nice work," Hanji congratulated, the mastermind behind this plan. "And here I thought having a Plan C was nothing short of paranoid. Oh, Commander Erwin, you genius." The scientist grappled down to Annie's level, approaching her without a shred of fear. "Now, do us a favor: behave yourself."

Annie's pupil shrank when she put the tip of her sword inches from her eye.

"Oh, calling your cohorts to dinner isn't an option," Hanji taunted, a manic look appearing in her eyes and her voice becoming sinister. "So, let's not waste that lovely singing voice. In fact, let's not waste anything. No, no, I'm going to read your entrails. Every part of you has a story to tell."

Eyes widening, Annie stuck her leg out and did a ground swipe, taking out many of the cannons that were keeping her down. The Scouts were forced to retreat as she freed herself from the confines and took off down the street.

"She got away," Mikasa snarled.

"Damn it," Hanji swore. "We didn't have time to set enough traps. Don't let her get away!"

The Scouts were in full pursuit as the Female Titan tried to head back to the area where she believed Eren was at. She tossed pieces of debris at them, knocking several Scouts aside, but the majority of them continued after her. Mikasa was out of control as she tried desperately to cut her apart, but a kick sent her flying, crashing onto the ground harder than before. She didn't get up.

"Mikasa!" Armin screamed.


Weak. Useless. Pathetic. Bleeding. Dying.

Five words that described Eren's situation perfectly. He had no idea how much blood he lost, but he knew that it wouldn't be long now. It'd be so easy just to die right now. Let the world go on without him. The weight was just too much for him to handle. And now, a friend he trusted, someone he cared about, was a traitor. How could she do that to him? To Dillon? To humanity? His vision was turning blurry as he felt unconsciousness slowly start to take him. There was no point in fighting anymore. He just wanted to leave this wretched place. Who knew? Maybe there was life after death, and he would finally be reunited with… his…

Eren's eyes shot open, a new wave of energy coursing through him. He watched her die, get eaten by a Titan with a sickening smile. He promised that he would avenge her. He would kill all the Titans and take back the land that was taken by them. Taken by… Annie. No, Annie wasn't like those creatures. She wasn't going off mindless instinct. She chose to slaughter her own people. She chose to sadistically kill them. She chose to break the only person that ever loved her. She chose to betray them all. She was a monster. She was a snake, pretending to be human and pretending to care. She was the Female Titan, and he would kill her if it was the last thing he did!

He began pushing himself against the wooden stake, trying to pull himself out. It hurt unlike anything he ever felt before, his body making a disgusting, squelching sound, but pain didn't matter. It never did. Every time he was knocked down, he got back up again no matter how many times he lost. He had the power at his fingertips to end this once and for all. No one would get in his way because he would kill Annie. No, rip her apart. Make her wish she died the moment she was born. Make her feel all the pain that she caused him.

An inhuman scream erupted from his throat as fire consumed him.


A gigantic lightning bolt descended from the sky, causing a massive explosion in the distance. Annie slid to a stop as she waited for the inevitable. Eren had transformed, and he would be coming after her. She was prepared for that eventuality, and she would take him down like she did back in that forest. The ground began shaking its loudest as footsteps drew closer to her. He was running so fast that the windows he ran past shattered.

Annie turned around to meet him head-on but was too slow to react to him punching her dead in the face. It was so hard she was sent flying into a chapel, destroying it completely and killing the majority of the people inside. Her eyes widened at the carnage beneath her, but she had to brush it aside. Eren was playing by her rules now, and that meant he wouldn't hold back. Hearing him roar, she quickly got to her feet and took off with an angry Titan hot on her trail. Just because there would be collateral damage didn't mean she wantedit, so she led him away from the civilians.

Eren, however, didn't give a damn where they fought. He was going to rip her to shreds no matter what happened. She would die by his hand one way or the other. By running, she was only delaying the inevitable.

Hanji, Armin, and Jean quickly followed them, ready to aid Eren if things went south.

"Well, looks like our boy's finally in control," Hanji noted.

"Still, there's no guarantee that things will end in our favor this time," Armin said.

"Are you kidding me?" Jean asked. "He wouldn't have transformed if he didn't think that he's got this, okay?"

"I don't doubt that," Armin replied, "but determination alone isn't enough to win a fight. You of all people should know that. It'll take more than that to beat Annie. A lot more."

Eren roared angrily as he continued his pursuit of Annie. She was taking him to level ground, a place not only away from the civilian population, but a place where the Scouts would be useless. She turned around, grabbing onto a building to slow down and dislodging whoever was too close to the edge. The two stared each other down, ready to end this.

Annie, always so cynical! Eren snarled inwardly. Like everything around you was pointless! Nothing worth a second look. What you were to Dillon? Just another mask to hide behind as you used him for your own benefits. In the end, he means nothing to you just like we don't mean anything to you!

As if she could hear him, Annie got into her fighting stance, ready for the battle.

But every now and then, I could see through the act, especially when you were showing off your fighting skills. Maybe hand-to-hand combat didn't count for squat in our final grade at the Academy, but for you… it was a different story altogether. Yeah, about that much, at least, it was obvious you were a liar. Fighting's your whole world, but what exactly are you fighting for? What could possibly be worth all this death and destruction!?"

With the loudest roar he could muster, Eren charged. Annie hardened her elbow which she used to catch the punch. Unlike last time, though, his hand didn't break. He had gotten stronger. She tried to kick him, but he blocked it, grabbing her leg in the process. He lifted her into the air and tossed her into a building, dazing her. Her eyes widened as he charged through another building just to get to her. Nothing mattered except her, and if this kept up, the entire city would be leveled.

This was a far cry from every time she had fought with Eren. This wasn't even a person anymore. He had become nothing more than a rabid animal set on one goal: killing her. Before, she could've used that to her advantage, but this was different. He was faster, stronger, and barreling through every obstacle and person that got in his way. She could see glimpses of people being propelled out of buildings from their fight. For the first time in her entire life, Annie was afraid of Eren.


"You say there are two of them hashing it out in the streets?" Nile demanded, furious.

"Yes, sir," the MP who gave him the report answered. "The city's collapsing like a house of cards. It's just… it's horrifying. We can only guess how many casualties."

Growling, Nile pointed the rifle back to Erwin's chest. "Erwin, your arrogance has brought Hell to our door!"

"I know," the Scout commander replied as the screams of dying civilians filled the air. "I acted on my own authority, and I offer no excuses."

Lowering his gun, Nile grabbed him by the collar, speaking in a deadly tone. "You knew what this would do to us, you son of a bitch. You knew and our lives be damned! Why, damn you? Why?"

"For humanity," Erwin answered. "For victory."

"Don't give me that!" he yelled, pointing the gun at him again. "You're nothing but a traitor! I oughta kill you right here and now! None of the higher-ups would fault me."

He sighed. "Do as your conscious dictates. My post is yours."

That caught Nile off guard. "What?"

"The Female Titan must not escape," Erwin stated. "Deployment is through here and Byrer is in command of divisions. Work with them closely and do whatever is required to stop her."

"Shut up," Nile demanded, a look of panic appearing on his face. The last thing he wanted to do was deal with the situation alone. Despite how much he wanted Erwin's head on a pike for bringing death and destruction to his home, he knew that he couldn't handle the Scouts, not when they and the MPs were constantly at each other's throats. Maybe ten years ago, he could've, but now… "Do you… do you really believe that all this is for the good of us all!?"

"I have faith it's a step in the right direction," Erwin said, standing by his convictions.

Gritting his teeth, Nile lowered his gun. "Everyone, lower your rifles! Place this man under arrest. The rest of you, deploy immediately! As of now, focus on evacuation."

"Yes, sir," the MPs shouted, moving out.

Nile glared at him one final time. "Erwin, I wash my hands of you and leave you to the high court."

"I'll accept their judgement," Erwin promised as he was shackled. "Thank you, Nile." He turned to the captain. "Levi, for now, stay here. A pointless death wouldn't suit you."

Levi's eyes narrowed. "No, I doubt it would… any more than it would suit anyone else." He had to concede that if he tried anything, he would just get in the way. For now, he would wait. If his instincts told him to go help Eren, then he would do so in a heartbeat. He only hoped that things were going to come to an end.


The Scouts watched in horror as Stohess fell to ruins. Buildings were demolished, some of them were on fire. Corpses littered the streets, most of them being civilians. The two had been fighting for only ten minutes and already, they caused so much pain and suffering. Still, it needed to be done if Eren was going to take Annie down. Sacrifices had to be made for humanity's continued survival.

Eren roared and charged once again, but Annie hardened her leg and cut his off with a single swipe. He wasn't deterred as he continued the assault, punching her into another building. The two were getting exhausted, Eren more so than Annie. It was only a matter of time before someone gave out.

Annie… Annie…

Clenching her fist, Annie slammed her leg into Eren, pinning him to a building. She knew that she had a home to return to, a father that needed her. The Rogue Titan sunk his teeth into her crystallized leg, keeping her from pulling away. Furiously, Annie hardened her fist and started pounding Eren's head as hard as she could. She had to get out of here even if it meant failing her mission.

Annie, I've always believed in you. Her father had hugged her so tight, not wanting to let her go. I've always been on your side.

With an anguish-filled roar, Annie bashed Eren's head so hard, it actually caved in. His jaw was loosened, and she was able to get free. His body was practically torn apart, steam coming out from everywhere. She gave him a sorrowful look before she took off, running for the Wall. She could scale it if she moved fast enough. It was over. She was going home.

"ANNIE!"


Remastered Edits: A lot more than I expected. Before, this scene was another case of rushing to the finish line. The following chapter was so important to me that this one took a pretty big hit. So, I decided to focus a bit more on Eren. One of my biggest complaints in the entire series is the lack of character development… at least for Season 1. How could Eren be so unwilling to fight Annie when up until that point, they only shared ONE conversation? Just one. A flashback was definitely in order, and I hope you guys enjoyed it. I also added Eren's point of view as he transforms once again.

Hope you all enjoyed this chapter, I look forward to your reviews, and I shall see you all in the next one.