AN: I hope you all have a Merry Christmas! :)


Chapter 40: Full Pursuit

Never in his life had Jean been so determined to complete an objective. Usually, he was just acting out of desperation or fear to get the job done like the time he was a temporary leader in Trost. Now, he was more than ready to dive straight into Hell for the sake of his friends. He was going to make Reiner and Bertholdt pay for the humiliation that was brought upon them, and he was going to bring his real friends home.

He glanced over at Annie, who was riding next to him, and asked, "Got any tips on dealing with these guys?"

"Reiner can't stay in his Titan form for long periods of time like I can. He overheats too quickly," she responded, her voice rising over the sound of the galloping horses. "Reiner's armor is strong, but I should be able to break through it. Just concentrate on Bertholdt and leave him to me."

"Right." He set his eyes on the Forest of Giant Trees. "They won't get away this time."

"Jean, I need you to do me a favor," Annie requested. "Once I get Dillon, I need you to get him out of here and back inside Wall Rose."

He gave her a dumbfounded expression. "Are you kidding me, Annie? With his abilities and your Female Titan, we can take these guys down."

She glared at him. "Do I need to remind you of everything he's gone through in the last 24 hours? He's going to be more of a hindrance than an asset by this point. I can't focus on keeping him alive and keeping the other Shifters at bay."

"Why pick me?" Jean asked.

"Because I know you'll get him home whatever it takes. You may be a prick, but I trust you with Dillon's life more than anyone else," she said with complete sincerity.

Jean was in disbelief, but he quickly swallowed it, steeling himself. "I won't let either of you down."

"Thank you," she replied, sounding relieved. "Knock him out if you have to. Knowing him, Dillon's not going to want to leave me behind."

"Just make sure you do get back to him, okay?" Jean replied. "He needs a break from suffering for a while."

"I couldn't agree more."

On the right wing, red flares were shot into the sky as a couple of Titans began charging towards them. Erwin, however, commanded them to stay the course and merge with the center wing. If anyone got picked off, there would be nothing they could for them. The only thing that mattered was getting Eren, Ymir, and Dillon out of there.

"Mikasa," Hannes yelled as said Ackerman was riding faster than her group. "Hey, Mikasa. Hello?"

She snapped out of her hyper-focused state and looked back, slowing down a little.

"Stop pushing so hard," he rebuked. "You're drifting up into the vanguard. You wanna break the whole formation? Look, I know how you feel, but what did I tell you? Eren's not gonna let those assholes get the best of him without a fight. Agreed?"

Mikasa pursed her lips and gave a single nod.

"Kid just doesn't have it in him to give up," Hannes added. "All we gotta do is have a little faith he'll hold his own until the rest of us get there. Always has, always will."

Close to the vanguard, Erwin with two Scouts flanking him watched as several red flares pierced the skies to the right, signaling that the Titans were beginning to converge onto the Scout Regiment. Still, the plan was to keep moving forward and that's what they were going to do. He fired off a green flare to signal a directional change. Unfortunately, he was taken aback when he saw four red flares directly in front of him.

"The hell?" Erwin asked.

"Commander Erwin, we're surrounded," the Scout on his right exclaimed.

"There is a way around," the Scout on his left point out. "Should we head towards it?"

Eyes forward, the commander made another hard choice. "No, there's no time for a detour. We'll forge ahead. Soldiers, prepare to fight!"


"You're kidding me," Reiner growled as he watched the green and red flares soar into the sky.

"The Scouts are here?" Bertholdt asked. "Already?"

"Son of a bitch," he swore, turning to the others as he began formulating a quick escape plan.

Bertholdt grabbed him by the shoulders. "Do you really think it's wise to trust Ymir. She's the one that devoured Marcel." He threw her a glare for good measure.

"Don't you see?" Reiner asked. "We have a handle on her motives. When she turned human again, odds are she just wandered around aimlessly only giving a damn about herself."

"Such flatterers," Ymir commented, keeping her expression blank. "They think they've won me over. How cute."

Whatever doubts Dillon had about her vanished. "Good to know you're still on our side."

"And risk getting an earful from you about it? I don't want to give you the satisfaction."

Dillon rolled his eyes as he tuned out the Shifters. "The Scouts are getting close, so we'll need to act soon. Get ready."

"I still think this is insane," she pointed out.

"To his credit, he knows what he's doing," Eren cut in.

"Finally. I've been trying to tell you guys that for years," Dillon said.

"Of course, this is a rare occasion where he has a good plan for once," Eren added.

"Just had to pull the rug out, didn't you?"

"Boys, knock it off," Ymir interjected. "You're giving me a migraine. Dillon, what exactly is the plan?"

"Two things will happen, and I'm hoping for the second one: they'll either transform and take us all, or they'll carry us via ODM gear." He noticed Reiner zoom over to the tree Ymir and Eren was on. "Okay, second thing is happening right now."

"What are you two doing now?" Eren demanded, acting ignorant. "I thought we were waiting until dark."

"There's been a slight change in plans," Reiner explained as he used the gear to get to Eren's branch, preparing his sword to knock him out. "I'm gonna ask nicely for you to not put up a fight."

"Eren, keep him distracted. I'll be right there." Dillon looked at Bertholdt as he approached him. "So, how's that surrender speech coming along?"

"Keep talking, and I'll break your jaw," Bertholdt warned darkly.

Dillon let out a snort, but he didn't comment further. All he needed to do was wait.

Eren let out a nervous chuckle. "Easy. There's no need for us to get all violent. It's not like I can resist like this. I mean, take a look at me." He held up his stumps for good measure. "Just calm down, okay?"

Reiner stared at him and it seemed like he was relenting a little.

Eren took this moment to back up slowly before running straight at him, punching Reiner hard enough to knock him down.

Grinning, Dillon's eyes flashed as he busted out of his bonds. Catching Bertholdt off guard, he kicked him back a few yards before levitating one of the blades out of the gear. He lobbed it at him, but the Shifter knocked the blade aside in the nick of time, making it land near Ymir, who was trying to stay out of this.

Eren was going ballistic, screaming "Die!" over and over while pounding his elbow into Reiner's face. "You evil—"

Bringing his foot up, Reiner kicked Eren hard enough for him to crash against the tree.

Seeing Eren was in trouble, Dillon blasted Bertholdt off the branch as he jumped over to the branch they were on, using his powers to get there. He landed a haymaker on a surprised Reiner before delivering a swift kick to the gut powered by Psion energy, making him sink to his knees. These actions took a lot out of him, and he knew he wouldn't last forever especially because of the injuries he received, but the hard part was over.

"It's over," Dillon said darkly as he prepared to toss him off the side.

Suddenly, he felt a blade slice open the back of his knee, eliciting a scream of pain as he fell to one knee. He turned to his attacker, taken aback. "Ymir?"

Seizing the opportunity, Reiner slammed an elbow directly on Dillon's head, dazing him good before he went after Eren. The handless Shifter tried desperately to fight, but Reiner's arm wrapped around his neck as he started choking him into submission.

"You bastards!" Eren shouted. "I'll kill you! I'll kill all of you!"

"Sorry, Dillon," the traitorous Ymir said as she tossed the blade aside. "You picked a fight you can't win."

"Damn you," Dillon growled, trying to get up. His focus was completely thrown off, giving the enemy the advantage.

Bertholdt, having managed to escape the Titans below, made it to the tree branch, murder in his eyes. "What the hell are you?"

"Some sort of psychic freak," Ymir answered, kicking Dillon onto his back, making sure to aim for his head. "He's been communicating with the Scouts this whole time. Probably sending a distress call to Annie right now."

Dillon was trying to get up, but his exhaustion, and his internal and external injuries were making it difficult. Of course, the only thing he managed to get out was Annie's name before getting stomped on the face by Bertholdt, knocking him out cold.

"For her sake, I'll make this quick," he snarled, raising his blade to kill him.

"Wait," Ymir urged. "You still need a hostage to keep Annie in check, remember?"

Bertholdt glanced over at Reiner, who nodded in agreement as he almost finished bringing Eren into unconsciousness. The damn lunatic was biting frantically on his stump, trying to transform, but he was failing miserably. "Fine." He let out a sigh. "Ymir, when you changed back to a human, do you have any memory of the person you ate?"

"No, not really," she admitted, tearing off a piece of Dillon's cloak to tie up his wound. If he bled out, there would be hell to pay. "We're talking about something that happened five years ago, but the way you're asking, I'm guessing it was someone you knew?"

He didn't answer, but him turning away was more than enough of a response.

She let out a sigh, tightening the knot around his leg. "I see. Then, I'm sorry for not remembering."

"Hey, it's not your fault you don't," he assured. "It was the same for Reiner and I."

That perked her interest. "Yeah?"

"Eren doesn't remember either."

"Is that how it works? You hold that against me?"

No way he could give her a straight answer to that. "I don't think so. I mean, I don't know. Suppose I have to believe that you didn't want to eat anybody." Another sigh left him. "So, uh, how long were you wandering outside the Walls?"

"Oh, about sixty years," she answered offhandedly. "Hell on Earth. Every day it was like waking up into a nightmare." She shook her head, trying to ward those painful memories away. "I really don't want to talk about it."

"That's fine." He turned his back to her. "Climb on and hold tight. It's going to be a rough ride."

Rolling her eyes, Ymir clung onto his back, wrapping her arms around him. "You drop me, and I'll tear you a new one."

Quickly, Reiner attached both Eren and Dillon on his back, the latter lying on top of the former. Not quite as heavy as carrying that Titan from last night, but their combined weight was still a bit taxing. Once their passengers were secured, Reiner and Bertholdt began grappling deeper into the forest.

"For now, we find a place without Titans," Reiner said as the mindless beasts pursued them. "As far away as possible. I haven't recovered enough to outrun these guys. They surround us, there's jackshit my Titan form can do right now." He glared behind him as he saw the flares getting closer. "I know that formation. Commander Erwin's leading this."

Another green flare was fired, signaling their incoming approach.

Reiner was trying to keep his cool, but it was quite difficult. His explanation turned into rambling. "Damn, they're already that close? It's Eren and Dillon's fault for slowing us down. Bastards don't know when to quit."

Ymir didn't respond to any of that as she began to come to a realization. If the Scout Regiment was here, then that meant the cadets of the 104th would be here as well, including…

"Krista's here," she whispered before shouting at Reiner. "Reiner, we have to go back now. Krista's with them!"

"What?" he asked, confused.

"This is our best chance."

"You're full of it," Reiner shot back. "No way you can see that far."

"Look, I just know," Ymir swore. "Think about it, okay? She's a big softie, right? Stupid girl's come to rescue me. She had to."

Reiner couldn't deal with this right now. "Yeah, well, so what? I'm sorry, but it'll have to wait."

"What?" she yelled, eyes blazing with anger.

"We can't grab her the way things are now. There's no way to bust up that formation. Another time!"

"How long do you want me to wait?" Ymir asked, her voice starting to shake. "Maybe I should just hold off on that until I've been gobbled up by one of your Warrior pals? Oh, no. I don't think so!"

"Don't be that way," Reiner pleaded, trying to focus. "Nobody's trying to trick you. I swear it."

"Prove it, then," she demanded. "There's no time like the present, asshole

Get down there and bring her with us. I need to see her!" She was becoming desperate, her emotions going out of control. "You don't understand. The way things are going, I never will."

Bertholdt let out a sigh, finally deciding to intervene. "We can't. Let it go, Ymir. Who knows if we'll even manage to survive this? Sorry, but it's just too risky."

Reiner let out a grunt as he continued to adjust to make sure neither of his captives fell off. "Listen to me: you have my word. I want her out of this as much as you do. Bear with me. You have to trust us. This is what's best for Krista. Do you understand?"

Ymir let out a frustrated growl as she bowed her head. "Yes, I understand. Real question is do you?"

"Of course," he answered.

She let out a frustrated sigh. "All right, then."

"Thank you for that," Bertholdt replied.

It's happening again. She thought. I've come so far, done so much, and still wound up falling for my own bullshit. Shaking her head, she came to a decision. "Let's face it, guys. I'm the one best suited for this." Suddenly, she started covering up Bertholdt's face in an effort to blind him.

"What are you doing?" he cried out, trying to stay afloat and not crash.

"Hey, shut the hell up and use your head for a second," Ymir suggested coldly, turning his head so he could look at her. "In a forest like this, I'm the one who can shine, right?"

Panicking, Bertholdt nearly crashed into a tree and he spiraled in order to avoid it. He barely managed to pull himself up as Ymir managed to get her arms around his neck. "Ymir, knock it off. We'll fall!"

"Do you think that I give a damn?" she asked. "I have the advantage." She glared at Reiner, who looked like he wanted to strangle her. "Any other time, you two would outclass me, but my Titan form's more agile. I could leap through the trees, grab Eren and Dillon, and rendezvous with the Scouts before you knew what hit you. Wouldn't be that hard."

With a grunt, the two Shifters landed on the side of a tree, deciding to hear her demands. Not that they had much choice.

"Either you agree to take Krista with us today right now, or so help me, I will throw your whole plan out of whack."

"Are you completely insane?" Reiner yelled, losing his patience. "That doesn't help her. I thought that you genuinely cared!"

"I do," she confirmed. "In my way. If it robs her of a future, then life's a bitch, but by God, I will live to see her again! I've made my piece with what that says about me. You guys have no idea what it's like." Tears began streaming down her face. "She knows what a shitty person I am, but she still smiles at me. I can't."

"Damn it," Reiner growled.

Ymir barred her teeth at Bertholdt, freaking him out. "If you don't like it, we can always tear each other apart like animals!"

Reiner knew he was caught between a rock and a hard place. There were so many ways all of this could go wrong, but even more so if Ymir decided to screw them over. With great reluctance, he conceded. "Fine! Just make it quick."

A wave of relief passed over her. "I will, and I can also do you another favor."

"And what's that?"

"Give Dillon to me."

Reiner stared at her, surprised by that. "What for?"

"Simple: if your word isn't enough for the Marleyans, I'll have my own bargaining chip," Ymir explained. "A human with psychic abilities? He might as well be wearing a sign that says, 'Please, study me."'

Said Psion let out an unnoticeable groan as he slowly began to regain consciousness. He felt like shit, but what else was new?

"That's the reason you wanted him alive, isn't it?" Bertholdt accused.

"I'll do whatever it takes to survive."

The blonde let out a sigh as he lowered himself to the ground, wanting this to be done with already. "All right. Have it your way, but he's your responsibility. He ends up becoming more trouble than he's worth, I won't hesitate to kill him. Understand?"

Ymir nodded as Bertholdt followed his lead. "Fair enough. I know where to stash him until we're out of the woods… no pun intended."

"You really are a bitch, Ymir," Dillon growled, getting their attention.

"Damn it, I didn't hit him hard enough," Bertholdt muttered, clearly annoyed. He's like a constant thorn in our side.

"Nothing personal, Dillon," she said as she disembarked from her ride. She sounded sincere, but it was underneath her willingness to turn against him. "At least you get to stay alive."

"Until the Marleyans get me, that is," he shot back, trying to tell Annie what was going on, but he was too weak mentally. "All it took was a few choice words, and you turn your back on your friends and sentence them to die along with the rest of the Eldians here."

"You know what I hate the most about you and Eren?" she asked suddenly, giving him a cold look. "You two live in a fantasy world. A place where you think you have a chance to stand up to an entire country full of people who want everyone on this godforsaken island dead. Get this through your thick skull: you never had a chance. Even with Annie on your side, it won't matter because there's no hope for these people. You only delayed the inevitable, and I'm not about to die on a hopeless cause just because you refuse to face reality."

Dillon could tell that she wasn't going to be swayed by anything he had to say. Her mind was made up, but that also meant he didn't have to hold back any longer. "Then enjoy your blonde possession while you still can, Ymir, because you're about to lose everything."

With a snarl, Ymir punched him right in the face. "That's enough out of you."

Dillon retaliated by kicking her face, sending her directly into the ground with a bloody nose.

Before things could get out of hand, Bertholdt yanked Dillon free from Reiner and slammed him face first into the grass, keeping him pinned. "Ymir, hurry up. We've wasted too much time as it is."

Nodding, she took several steps back as she prepared to transform.

"I saved her life!" Dillon yelled, trying to wrestle the Shifter off of him. "Remember that? I risked my life to save hers."

"That's why you get to live." Choosing not to waste any more time, Ymir allowed the blood on her nose to initiate the shift.


Annie wasn't the type to panic, but her worry was gnawing at her. Abruptly, Dillon ceased contact with her a while ago and no matter how hard she tried, she couldn't reach them. Given the mental link was still on, that meant he was still alive, so he was definitely knocked out. Something told her that Dillon brought that on himself somehow, but she promised herself not to lecture or scold him. All that mattered was making sure he and the others were all right.

"Oh, great," Jean complained. "We've got company."

Up ahead at the Forest of Giant Trees, a horde of Titans eagerly awaited them. There was no avoiding it now. Combat was inevitable. With a battle cry, the soldiers were ready to fight.

Suddenly, the ground shook as there was an explosion in the distance.

"That light," Mikasa said, eyes wide.

"What are the chance that it's Eren?" Armin asked.

"Slim to none," Annie answered, getting ready to shift.

"We're out of time," Erwin realized. "Soldiers, disperse! The enemy has assumed Titan form. Find Eren and get him out of there."

The group split off, heading in two different directions as the Titans charged at them. One fifteen-meter managed to snatch an MP right off his horse. Some of the soldiers watched in horror as he began screaming in fear, frantically trying to escape. It wouldn't do any good as its mouth opened wide.

Miraculously, there was an explosion directly behind the Titan and, within seconds, its nape was torn out by the Female Titan. Quickly, she managed to catch the MP, who was staring at her with wide eyes before lowering him to the ground. A Scout slowed down and hoisted him on top of his steed and took off.

Like dogs in front of a juicy steak, the Titans set their eyes on Annie. She glanced over at Commander Erwin and gave him a single nod before running into the forest, leading quite a few Titans away.

"Is she crazy?" one of the Scouts asked, flabbergasted.

"She's making a call," Erwin explained before addressing his troops. "Battle is not our objective. Locate, recover, and retreat."

"Round up the horses!" Hannes ordered.

"Right away, sir," Phil replied.

Hannes fired his hooks into the trees with the cadets and the other soldiers following suite. "First thing we do is locate the enemy and tell the others. They're fleeing into the woods, so stay sharp."

Eren, where are you? Mikasa and Armin asked themselves, trying to find any sign of him.

Suddenly, a loud screech sounded far ahead of them. It definitely wasn't Annie, but there was something familiar about it.

"That's the scream of a Titan," one of the Scouts identified.

"It came from just up ahead," another Scout added.

As the group progressed further, they were caught off-guard by Ymir, in Titan form, hanging off a large branch while seemingly glaring at them.

"I can see you," the first Scout said, drawing his swords.

"No, wait a second," Connie protested as he landed right next to her. "It's actually Ymir. This is her Titan form. She's one of the people they took." Seeing that they weren't going to attack, he turned to her. "What the hell happened? Where is everybody else?"

Ymir didn't respond, looking away as she gazed at the soldiers.

"Is Eren okay?" Connie pressed. "What about Bertholdt and Reiner?"

There was still no answer from her.

"So, this is Ymir," Armin said, taken aback by her Titan form.

Mikasa, however, was running out of patience. "Damn it, Ymir, Where's Eren?"

"What's the deal?" Jean demanded. "Which way did they go?"

"Give us something we can go on," Sasha pleaded.

She still didn't say a word.

"Say something already," Connie snapped, jumping onto her arm and proceeding to kick her head repeatedly. "Come on, ugly. We're kind of in a rush!"

Ymir turned her head, letting out a growl of warning.

Not wanting to get his head bitten off, Connie stopped immediately.

"Something isn't right," Armin muttered. "Why is she looking at all of us?"

"Ymir," an excited voice squealed with delight.

Immediately, the Shifter fixed her eyes on Historia, who had a huge grin on her face.

"There you are. Thank goodness you're all right."

Ymir's response was to immediately lunge at her, jaw opened wide. Historia barely blinked before her jaw slammed shut on her.

The cadets were completely flabbergasted by the turn of events.

"What?" Sasha whispered.

"Did she just…" Connie raised his voice to Ymir, who was jumping from tree to tree to get away. "Ymir, what are you doing?"

"Don't just stand there," Jean exclaimed, pursuing her instantly. "Move your asses!"

Regaining their composure, the cadets followed him in the chase. However, Ymir was too fast as she nearly became unnoticeable in the distance.

"Damn, she's fast," Jean commented to himself. "We're losing her."

"Why would she do that?" Mikasa asked.

For the first time in his life, Jean glared at her. "What's wrong with you people? Am I seriously the only one who saw this coming?"

"Well, it's clear where her loyalties are now," Armin said grimly. "We were lured into a trap."

Letting out a growl, Jean knew they needed backup. "Annie, we've got a problem."


With a roar, Annie decapitated another Titan with a roundhouse kick. It was precise enough to cut at the nape, so it was dead as a result. She tossed the headless corpse into one of the pursuing Titans before making a mad dash away from them. "Talk to me, Jean. What happened?"

"Ymir betrayed us," he answered. "She captured Krista and she's making a run for it."

A growl emitted from her throat as she moved faster. "I know what she's doing. She's trying to save herself and Krista from the Marleyans. Have you seen Eren or Dillon?"

"Not yet, but-."

He was interrupted when there was another explosion that rumbled the forest.

"Damn it," Jean swore. "Armored Titan's making a break into open plains. Bertholdt's got Eren attached to his back. They're on Reiner and Ymir just joined them. At this rate, we'll lose them."

"I'm coming," Annie assured, "But where's Dillon? Is he there, too?"

"I don't see him," Jean responded. "Maybe they left him in the middle of the forest."

She shook her head. "No way in hell we'd ever be that lucky. Go after them. I'll try to contact Dillon again." Once again, Annie tried to get her boyfriend's attention. "Come on, you reckless idiot. You have to wake up."

At first, there was nothing, but then, there was a very weak response. "Annie…?"

The Female Titan felt relief course through her body. "Dillon, thank God you're alive. Where are you?"

"Help… me."

Her speed increased. "I will. Just tell me where you are."

With all of his strength, Dillon managed to tell her, and Annie saw red.


Since there was nowhere to grapple on to for the moment, the cadets, now joined by Hannes and some more soldiers, rode on horseback in full pursuit of the Shifters. To their astonishment, the horses managed to catch up to Reiner rather quickly. Seemed like the armor, while necessary, was impeding his speed.

"Reiner's too slow," Jean said. "We've got him!"

"I won't hesitate," Mikasa swore. "I'll kill them. If Ymir feels like getting in the way, so much the worst for her. This ends here and now. I swear it."

Armin let out a sigh, hoping that she wouldn't let her emotions get herself killed.

Up ahead, Ymir opened her mouth and pulled Historia out, who was now drenched saliva. She let out a harsh cough, expelling some of it out of her body.

"Krista," Bertholdt exclaimed in a worried tone.

Her coughing fit came to an end as she stared at the woman responsible. "Ymir…"

Steam emitted from Ymir's nape as she partially emerged from her Titan form, the red strands still attached to her body. She, too, succumbed to violent coughing and managed to wheeze out, "Krista." Once she got it out of her system, she corrected herself. "No, Historia. I'm sorry about eating you. You're, uh, probably pissed."

"What is this?" Historia asked, trying not to panic. "What's going on? Talk to me. We came to rescue you, Eren, and-"

"Shut up," Ymir yelled, stunning her into silence. "I don't need rescuing. Things have changed. I'm with Reiner and Bertholdt now. Like it or not, you're coming with us. There's no future inside the Walls."

Historia couldn't believe this was happening. After everything, Ymir was now siding with the enemy, and for what?

"Hear me out for a second, okay?" she requested. "Life outside isn't as bad as you think. Believe me. For starters, there's no one saying the world would've been a better place if you've never been born."

Historia stiffened, an old wound flaring up inside of her. "Yeah, I don't think Titans would say much either way. They'd be too busy trying to devour me."

"We've all got flaws!" Ymir snapped. "They're not so bad if you give them a break. It's complicated, all right? Get off your high horse."

"Ymir, I don't know what's going on in your mind, but you're not making any sense." Historia responded, begging for answers. "Come on, what did Reiner and Bertholdt say? You're doing this against your will. They threatened you."

There was no response she could give that would satisfy her, so Ymir stayed silent.

"It's the opposite, actually," Bertholdt said quietly.

Either Historia didn't hear him, or she just ignored him. "I'm right, aren't I? Let me go! Whatever they've got on you, I don't care. We can fight them. Put the past behind you. What matters is right now." Tears sprang to her eyes, threatening to fall. "I'm here. I will always be your ally!"

Those words impacted her far more than she could ever imagine. For a moment, she wanted to give the girl what she wanted. She was too innocent and didn't deserve this.

"Ymir," Bertholdt interjected. "Look, in case you haven't noticed, the Scouts are closing in. If we left earlier, there might have been a decent chance at outrunning them. Going back for Krista was your idea. You forced us. Remember that. We waited, and for what?" He stared directly at her. "Damn it, Ymir, what did we do this for? You can't have a change of heart. You want her to rot inside the Walls? Does that seem acceptable to you now? Don't be a fool. Think!"

Historia was having none of it as she tried to reach her. "Let go. Don't listen to him!"

"I can't!"

Silence passed between them, the sound of Reiner's footsteps being the only thing that broke it.

At long last, Ymir allowed herself to break, to be vulnerable as her head sank. "I wish I could. I'm sorry, sweetie. I know you think I did this for you, but at the end of the day, I did it for me." Seeing that she wasn't going to interrupt, she went on. "A long time ago, I stole the power of the Titans from one of their comrades. Not much I can do against them. Sooner or later, I'm screwed. But they said that if I cooperate, hand you over, maybe I've got a shot at leniency. Maybe my crime gets overlooked. You're crucial to the church. You know the truth about the Walls."

Historia gasped, remembering asking Ymir if everything she did for her was because of her namesake.

"When this world started going to Hell, I thought to myself, 'Couldn't hurt to have a bargaining chip in my back pocket.' The castle's closest to death I ever want to get. The whole experience traumatized me. Gave me perspective. If I have to play dirty to stay alive, then I have to play dirty." She let out a mirthless chuckle. "Pathetic, yeah. Doesn't make me the ideal friend. Like I said, though: I didn't do this for you. You deserve better, but there it is. I need you." Ymir turned to her, openly sobbing. "Please save me, Historia!"

She didn't speak for a long time, her hair covering up her face. When she finally faced her, she caught Ymir off guard with a tearful smile. "Well, it's like I said: I'm here, and I will always be your ally."

Now, it was Ymir's turn to stare in disbelief. Even after that, Historia wanted to remain by her side. Unable to take it anymore, she sank back down into her Titan, controlling it once more.

Finally, the Scouts managed to catch up, Hannes launching the first attack on Reiner's leg. It went about as well as one would expect. His blades shattered and he crashed to the ground. However, they noticed that Eren was finally awake, though he didn't have the strength to struggle against Bertholdt. Managing to sink his hook into one his exposed spots, a Scout zoomed up to save Eren, but Ymir quickly yanked it out, dropping him. He landed on his head, his skull cracking and dying instantly. Mikasa didn't take kindly to that as she slashed out one of her eyes. She divebombed towards Bertholdt only for the Shifter to jump up to the base of Reiner's neck.

"Reiner, protect us," he yelled as Mikasa was about to reach them.

Quickly, the Armored Titan covered up his neck, preventing her from getting to them. She gave a deadly glare that freaked the hell out of him, but at least he was safe. Enraged, Ymir tried swiping Mikasa off, but fortunately, she jumped out of the way.

Looks like Ymir goes first. She thought as she prepared to cut her apart with an angry yell sounding from her.

"Mikasa, no!" Historia shouted, getting in her way.

Taken aback, Mikasa was forced to fall back, landing on the back of Reiner's head.

"You're not going to kill Ymir," she stated.

"That all depends on her," she shot back angrily. "What'll it be? She can step aside, or she can die. It's her choice."

"It's not fair," Historia protested. "She'll die if she doesn't go with what Reiner and Bertholdt tell her to do. She's screwed either way."

Mikasa finally reached her endpoint, her tone dropping into a lower register. "Listen, there's only so many lives I can give a damn about. Cruel, but that's the world our enemies gave us six years ago. Sorry. I don't have any heartstrings left for you to tug on." The more she talked, the more disgusted she was at this situation. "You want compassion? Move on. You want fair? Tough shit. Time's wasting. Pick your side, Krista. Eren, or the bitch I'm gonna kill!"

Ymir raised her clawed hand, preparing to do battle with Ackerman.

Suddenly, the air was pierced by an ear-shattering shriek. It sounded like a banshee was emerging from the fires of Hell, ready to consume every soul around.

Looking back, the soldiers' eyes widened in horror as the saw the Female Titan making a beeline for the Shifters, dust kicking up from behind her as she gained on them fast. They couldn't see her eyes from that distance, but they knew she was far past anger. They could feel rage radiating off her in a way that gave Eren a run for his money.

Oh, no. Bertholdt thought, realizing they were screwed. All he could do was keep his head down and wait for an opening.

"About time," Jean said before addressing the others. "Clear a path! She's not gonna stop for anything or anyone."

"Get back on the horses and keep your distance." Hannes added, not wanting to be caught in the middle of this.

Quickly, the soldiers did as ordered save for Historia, who tried to plea for Ymir's life. "Annie, stay back. You can't do this."

Annie ignored her, making no efforts to slow down as she was nearly upon them.

"Get her out of there!" Hannes yelled.

Frustrated, Jean grappled up and grabbed her, taking her away despite her struggling.

"No, let me go. Don't!"

Once she got close enough, Annie hardened her leg and kicked Reiner's leg so hard, the armor shattered and his leg broke. With a pained roar, the Armored Titan fell, taking Bertholdt, Eren, and Ymir with him as he plummeted to the ground with a resounding thud. Even Annie toppled over due to how fast she was going, but she was far from done. She made her way over to Ymir and pinned her down, panting with rage. Without a second thought, she gave her a hard punch to the face, cracking her skull.

"Stop it!" Historia screamed, trying to get out of Jean's grip. "Leave her alone!"

Roaring at the top of her lungs, Annie plunged her hand into Ymir's stomach and pulled it out, taking a huge chunk of her abdomen, blood, and stomach fluids in the process. Ymir was sufficiently downed as Annie pulled something out of the gore into her other hand, causing several gasps from the soldiers as she tossed the disgusting remains aside.

From all that mess, they could see the motionless body of Dillon Amsdale.


Remastered Edits: Practically nothing. A few touch ups here and there, but nothing too serious. Good news is we're on the home stretch. One more chapter and then we can finally continue the story.

I hope you all enjoyed this chapter, I look forward to your reviews, and I'll see you all in the next one.