Chapter 41: Coordinate
Nothing prepared Historia for what she saw with wide eyes in Annie's hand. It was so hard for her to believe, yet the evidence was right in front of her. Ymir not only captured Dillon, but she ate him. Swallowed him whole.
"Dillon?" she asked quietly, finding it hard to form sentences. "But why would-how…?"
"His life for hers," Jean growled in disgust. "Still want to be on her side after that?"
Historia was at a loss for words as it continued to sink into her mind. Ymir.
"Holy shit," Hannes swore as he and the cavalry slowed to a halt, dumbfounded. "How the hell is he still alive?"
With a snarl, Annie kicked the motionless body of Ymir aside as her eyes went back to her boyfriend, her gaze softening to concern. "Dillon?"
Gasping for air, Dillon opened his eyes as he let out violent coughs. He rolled to his stomach, regurgitating the contents from his ordeal. His throat felt like it was on fire and his body ached as the injuries caught up with him. All in all, he was very fortunate to be alive… or unfortunate depending on one's point of view.
"You're okay," she assured gently before her eyes drifted to Bertholdt, who was getting up with Eren still attached to his back. As much as she wanted to take care of her lover, there were far more important things to do first.
"I've got him," Mikasa said darkly as she ran with her swords drawn, ready to finish the job.
However, the taller Shifter thought fast. Detaching Eren, he quickly zoomed away onto a tree just as Mikasa nearly took his head clean off. To make matters worse, Reiner thrust his head forward and trapped Eren inside his mouth, inches away from Mikasa.
"Eren!" she yelled, staggering back in horror.
The Armored Titan lifted his fist and brought it down towards her, but she managed to jump out of the way, a crater forming where she once stood. She grappled to a tree opposite of where Bertholdt was, glaring at him. She might not be able to kill Reiner yet, but the other traitor was wide open and exposed.
Annie's expression going back to cold and determined, she lowered him to Jean. "Get him out of here."
"Annie," Dillon said quietly, not wanting her to go.
"I'm coming back," she promised as Jean relieved her of him, standing up at the same time Reiner did. "Now go."
"Come on, Dillon," Jean grunted, carrying him to his horse. "We're getting out of here."
Knowing what was about to happen, Hannes took charge. "Soldiers, steer clear of the Armored and Female Titans unless you want to get flattened and keep an eye on the Colossal."
Taking the initiative, Mikasa catapulted from the tree straight for Bertholdt, though Reiner decided to try and swat her out of the sky. Fortunately, Annie pulled him away just in the nick of time as Mikasa was forced to get out of the way. The price for that intervention was an armored fist to the gut, causing Annie to roll across the ground in a heap.
"Damn it, Mikasa," she growled, steam emitting from her stomach. "Pay attention."
She's right. The impulsive woman realized, keeping her distance as Reiner stood between her and Bertholdt. All Bertholdt has to do is run to Reiner for help, and I'm finished.
Sure enough, the tall Shifter grappled onto Reiner's shoulder, looking like a kicked puppy as he stared at the Female Titan. "Annie, why? Why did you betray us?"
Annie's mind drifted back to that horrible Expedition when she was asked the same thing. She couldn't betray how she was feeling about this whole thing, so she kept her expression cold and determined as she slowly rose to her feet. Three years of training with the 104th made her a master at it.
"After everything we've been through, you stab us in the back, and for what?" Bertholdt demanded, his voice beginning to shake. "For that freakish bastard?"
There was a small crack in her mask, a twinge of regret showing its ugly head. She shook it off. If she let herself get compromised, then all this would have been pointless.
"H-he has to be controlling you!" Bertholdt pointed out desperately. "It's the only reason you would do this! Annie, you have to fight it!"
His words managed to strengthen Annie's resolve as she began circling the Armored Titan. She was a tool for the Scouts, but she was not a puppet. If I was, I wouldn't have made things so hard for Dillon. She thought to herself.
Reiner followed her movements carefully, ready for anything.
Bertholdt, on the other hand, didn't know when to quit. He couldn't comprehend what was happening. "What did he do to you, Annie? What the hell did that son of a bitch do to you?"
A deep, guttural sound came from Annie's throat as she attempted to do something she hadn't done in so long: try to speak. It was raspy and unpleasant, but she managed to pull it off. "He... saved… me."
Finally, he shut up, staring at her with horror in his eyes. She really believed the words coming out of her mouth. Dillon's brainwashing tactics ran too deep, and she couldn't escape from them. Not without help. As long as that monster lived, Annie would always be under his control.
Apparently, Reiner had the same thoughts, for when he spotted Jean galloping away with Dillon, he charged at them with full speed. Forced to abandon her attack plan once again, Annie tackled him, causing the both of them to crash. As the Titans went down, Bertholdt launched himself into the air, using a tree to propel himself towards the horse. Jean raised his sword to block the incoming attack, but the force sent both him and Dillon off the horse as it continued running away without stopping. Bertholdt made to stab the fallen Psion, though a well-placed kick from Jean interfered with that, knocking him aside.
"Sorry, pal," he said, getting up, "but you're not going anywhere near him."
"Get out of my way, Jean," Bertholdt demanded, pointing his sword at him. "I don't want to kill you, but I will if you don't step aside."
"Oh, now you care about lives being lost?" Jean shot back in a patronizing tone as he stood between Bertholdt and Dillon. "Could have fooled us."
Bertholdt's expression hardened as he charged.
Off to the side, Annie kicked Reiner off her, using her crystallization powers to do more damage. The armor cracked slightly, but it didn't shatter, indicating that she needed more force behind her attacks. Usually, she would target the head and go all out, but with Eren inside his mouth, it was likely that she would kill him in the process. Until she got him out, she was stuck in a handicap, unable to use her best techniques on her foe.
On Reiner's end, he wisely kept his distance. Annie was a far better fighter than him, and she could lay waste to him. That being said, not only did he have his armor going for him, but he also had Eren. He could see that she was pulling her punches, giving him the opportunity to do the exact opposite. Once they were both on their feet, he charged at her, aiming to tackle her into the ground, but she quickly sidestepped, launching a hardened kick right at the shin she broke earlier. The armor hadn't regenerated and it was strong enough to break once again. He fell to one knee, but he fought through the pain. When Annie went for a follow-up attack, he turned around sharply and punched her right in the face, sending her flying.
Off to the side, Bertholdt and Jean continued their fight, slashing away at each other. With Reiner in the way, no one else could help Jean or Dillon, so they were on their own for the time being. Jean wasn't a master swordsman, and neither was Bertholdt, but the latter was ranked Number 3 for a reason. He kept Jean on the defensive, striking rapidly with the hope of wearing him down. However, the brown-haired teen was not a slouch, for he managed to kick Bertholdt back the moment he found an opening.
"You pathetic piece of shit," Jean growled, going on the offensive. "We were friends. We trusted you. We believed in you. Makes me wonder how much you laughed at how clueless we were to your real intentions."
"Tell me something, Jean," Bertholdt replied, getting into a sword lock. "Do you think we wanted to come here and kill everyone? Who wants to slaughter people, huh?"
"Seems to me that you want to kill Dillon more than anything," Jean grunted, trying to push him back.
"He brainwashed Annie," he shot back, "and I'm going to save her."
"Or maybe you're just mad he got to bang Annie and you never will!"
Eyes blazing, he reeled back to cut him in half, but Jean clocked him in the chin with an upward motion from his elbow. Staggering back, Bertholdt watched as Jean charged at him before performing a precise spin kick that knocked Jean aside. With him out of the way, Bertholdt went straight for Dillon, who was slowly getting to his knees.
Dillon knew that he couldn't fight him in his condition, but he couldn't at least stall until Jean reached him. His eyes flashed briefly, a small, but precise, mental attack hitting him. Bertholdt's concentration was thrown as shown by his stumbling, which gave Dillon the opportunity to roll across the ground, making him trip over his body. Thanks to his actions, Dillon found himself panting heavily, drained further. Still, it gave Jean enough time to catch up and he immediately reengaged Bertholdt by kicking him in the face before he could get back up. Bertholdt responded in kind, kicking him back before managing to stand up with a glare on his face. Jean was in the way of saving Annie, and if he had to die, so be it.
Son of a bitch. Annie growled as she got reacquainted with the ground. Her face was caved in due to the attack, but at least she could still use her Titan form.
"If Annie can't beat him, what chance to we have?" Connie couldn't help but ask.
"She won't lose," Armin replied, staring at the fight intently while trying to figure out a way to help. "Not with everything that's at stake."
As the Female Titan rose up with her face healing, she began planning a new strategy. His head wasn't an option, but everything else was fair game. Her protective instincts screamed to get Dillon out of his current predicament, but she had to trust that Jean could handle it. Like she said before, she couldn't split her focus on two different objectives. Once she was back on her feet, she gestured Reiner, who managed to heal his leg again, to come at her.
Growling, Reiner took the bait, charging at Annie, expecting her to dance around his attacks like she usually did. However, just before he got too close, she raised her hardened foot and performed a dropkick on his gut. The blow not only put substantially more cracks in the armor, but it pushed it in, causing his stomach to bleed. Unless he ripped off the armor, it would continue to bleed. Reiner let out a pained grunt, but he didn't have time as Annie, with hardened fingers, got close and gripped his jaw, trying to unhinge it. She managed to rip off pieces of his armor from that area.
Unfortunately, she was completely focused on her task that she didn't notice a recently-regenerated Ymir until the small Shifter climbed up Reiner's body and gouged out Annie's eyes. She let out a cry of pain, covering her nape on instinct as Ymir attempted to reach it.
You ruined everything, you bitch! Ymir thought to herself as she tried clawing her way to Annie's nape.
"Ymir, stop!" Historia shouted, finally getting her bearings back.
Ymir didn't respond, focused on carving the Shifter out, but Annie managed to grab her and throw her into a large, rock formation. Reiner, however, used the distraction to slam Annie into the ground, pinning her with his body.
"Oh, this is bad," Sasha commented, worried for her friend.
Hannes took notice that the leg Annie broke earlier, while healed, was still missing the armor pieces that were once there. "Soldiers, go for the exposed spots and keep the other Titan away."
"Sir, that's suicide," one of the Garrison troops protested.
"We're expendable," he shot back. "They aren't."
Suddenly, the ground began to shake violently, catching the soldiers' attention.
"What the hell is Erwin doing?" Hannes asked, flabbergasted at the sight ahead. "He's off his rocker!"
(A few minutes earlier)
Erwin was no stranger to high-risk, high-reward plans. After all, as the commander of the Scouts, he came up with most of them. But when he saw the Armored Titan charging out of the forest with Eren, he knew he had to make the most insane call someone could make. With the hordes of Titans trying to kill him and his men, it gave him the opportunity to stop the Shifters from getting away. Much to the soldiers' fury, he ordered them to let the Titans follow them, essentially using them as bait once again. The horses could easily outrun Reiner and the Titans would be able to pursue them, which gave him the opportunity they needed. Once they were far enough ahead, he circled around straight towards the Shifters with the horde in tow. A few soldiers were picked off from the rear, but there could be no helping them. Not when the fate of the Eldians was at stake.
"This is insanity, Commander!" Eld shouted, watching the Titans feast on a few of their men. "At this rate, we're gonna lose half our forces."
"We don't have a choice," Erwin said grimly. "Under no circumstances can they take Eren to Marley. If they do, it will only be a matter of time before they wipe us out."
'"Give our hearts for humanity,"' Petra repeated quietly. "Looks like we get to fulfill that vow today."
"Hey, Eld," Gunther said. "This is your chance to raise your pitiful score."
Eld glared at him. "I have 46, dumbass. You have 47."
"And more than half those kills were team kills."
"In the meantime, I'll continue to be safely ahead of you both," Petra pointed out with a smirk. "58, if I recall."
Normally, Erwin would rebuke them for focusing on trying to one-up each other as opposed to rescuing Eren, but he knew what they were doing. It was a guarantee that many soldiers would die today, and this was how they were coping with it. Once the time came, they would get down to business like any good soldier would. Levi Squad, Mike, Nanaba, Gelgar, and everyone else… they were all good soldiers. He only hoped that many of them would be able to return home today no matter how bleak things turned out to be.
Seeing the imminent danger, Reiner released Annie and quickly stood up with Bertholdt grappling to his shoulder shortly thereafter. He covered Bertholdt with his hand and pinned him to his neck to keep him from getting hurt as he prepared for the Titans. He wished that he could send Erwin straight to hell for this, but there was no time for that. They had to leave.
Growling, he charged towards the Titans.
"Squadron, break," Erwin ordered. "Make the Titans scatter!"
The soldiers split off, letting the Titans converge onto the Armored Titan. The Shifter, however, managed to plow right into the horde, knocking aside four Titans in the 10-to-15-meter range. The victory was very short-lived as a small Titan grabbed his leg, tripping him up. His stumbling gave the Titans the opportunity to pile on top of him, bringing him to his knees. Reiner struggled desperately to break free of them, but there were too many. Now, he was trapped.
The soldiers retreated towards a hill where they could watch the Titans bring down the Armored Titan. One of the Scouts picked up Jean and Dillon, taking them to safety, while Annie managed to regenerate one eye and followed them. If it wasn't for the fact that Eren was still trapped in his jaw, this would have been a victory.
While everyone's eyes were on Reiner, Historia managed to spot Ymir. She was using her speed to her advantage, jumping on top of the Titans and biting out their napes, but she knew she wouldn't last long. No matter how much Ymir hurt her for everything that she did, Historia still loved her.
I'm going to help you, Ymir, and then we are going to have a very long talk. She swore inwardly.
"Is… is this Hell?" Jean wondered as he watched Reiner continue to get buried under the mindless monsters.
"Not yet," Erwin answered, "but it will be. Where exactly is Eren?"
"He's trapped in Reiner's mouth," Sasha pointed out bluntly. "He was trying to keep Annie from going all out on him."
If things gets too desperate, he might decide to eat Eren. Quickly, he drew his sword and pointed it to the sky. "All soldiers: charge!"
All the soldiers gave him a flabbergasted look. With all the Titans, they were being asked to go on a suicide run.
"We've come to the moment of truth," Erwin went on. "Mankind's fate is decided now! There is no future in which we can claim these lands without Eren, and there never will be. Go! Recover Eren from the Armored Titan and retreat." Saluting, the commander charged towards the horde. "Your heart and soul to the cause!"
Annie and Mikasa were next, the former easily outrunning everyone else. The rest of the soldiers let out a war cry and followed suite, ready to die for their land.
Jean, however, hung back for a moment, resting Dillon against the trunk of a tree. "You should be safe until we get Eren." He handed him his canteen. "Anything happens, tell us."
The nauseated teen nodded slowly. "Be careful."
He smirked. "Hey, don't worry. You can't get rid of me that easy." Jean looked over to some of the MPs that didn't charge into the fray and yelled, "Hey, jackasses! If something happens to him, I'm cutting your heads off." Without even waiting for a response, he mounted his horse and took off, swords drawn.
Once Annie, now fully regenerated, reached the Titans, she began by kicking one of the 15-meters into another one. She wouldn't waste her time killing them unless she could make it quick. Right now, she needed to clear a path for the soldiers and not get swarmed in the process. She noticed Ymir was trying to fight through the swarm, and she let her be. Unless Ymir interfered, there was no reason to fight her. She could see that Reiner's hands lowered so he could start punching the Titans off him. A necessary act, but one that not only left Bertholdt exposed, but the vulnerable spots in his jaw.
"It's working!" Jean announced once he caught with the others. "His hands are down."
"Now's our chance," Mikasa replied with a growl.
"Uh, Mikasa, you can see those Titans, right?" he asked, glancing over at her. "I mean, I get it. You're strong, but that's one hell of a mess. Getting through is not gonna be easy."
As per usual with things concerning Eren, Mikasa ignored everything unimportant and only on the only family she had left.
Erwin raised his sword as he was nearly upon the Titans. "Advance!"
The commander didn't even see it coming.
A Titan running on all fours lunged out of the trees and bit down on Erwin's arm, yanking him off his horse. The soldiers watched in horror as their commander was carried away.
"Commander!" Mike shouted.
That caught Annie's attention as she saw what happened. She wanted to go save him, but she knew that Eren was top priority. If she went to save him, more people would be killed.
Erwin had the same line of thought, for as he disappeared into the distance, he managed to yell despite the excruciating pain he was in. "I said 'advance,' damn it! Eren's right in front of you! Do not falter!"
Mike gritted his teeth, greatly angered by the turn of events, but they had to press onwards. Since he was the only Section Commander present, he took charge. "You heard the commander. Go!"
Steeling themselves, the soldiers pressed onwards as the Titans who weren't trying to eat Reiner met them head-on. The moment both sides clashed, pandemonium ensued. With precise movements, the Titans started snatching people off their horses, devouring them quickly. Despite Annie managing to get a good few of them out of the way, there were still casualties. The experienced Scouts managed to weave around the Titans, though a couple were picked off.
Mikasa was the first to break through the lines and saw Reiner only had five Titans left that were keeping him pinned. With a shout, she zoomed to the top, circling around his fist in the process. She tried to go for his jaw, but Bertholdt intervened by slashing at her. She was forced to block the attack which threw off her initial assault. Unfortunately, she realized that she was on a direct course for another Titan and had no room to evade. Its hand wrapped around her body and started tightening, breaking her ribs with a sickening crunch. It had been a long time since she screamed in agony.
"Mikasa!" Jean shouted as he grappled towards the Titan with murder in his eyes. "You piece of shit. Get your hands off her!" He impaled the Titan directly in the eyes, making it lose his grip on her. She was free, but badly wounded.
Annie made a beeline for Reiner, but he managed to toss one of the Titans into her knocking her down. The Titan managed to sink its teeth into her neck before she sliced open the nape with her fingers. Pushing the corpse off, she got back up and watched two Scouts attempt to go for Reiner's jaw only for him to dislodge their hooks, making them fall to their deaths. Sufficiently angered, she prepared for another charge, but then she heard a familiar voice in her head.
"Oh, shit."
Eyes widening, she turned her head towards the hill they left Dillon on and saw a twelve-meter Titan moving towards him. There was blood dripping from its mouth, indicating that the MPs met a gruesome demise. He was trying to stand, but there was no way he could dodge the Titan. If she ran fast enough, she could head the Titan off, but it would give Reiner the chance to escape and more soldiers could die in the process. If she stayed, she could save Eren but at the cost of losing Dillon.
"We can handle Reiner," Jean assured, seeing that Dillon was in danger. "Go!"
As if that statement vindicated her, she prepared to make a mad dash for him, but a couple of soldiers reached him before she did. Two Garrison troops swooped in and sliced through the Titan's nape. It wasn't a perfect cut, but it was enough to kill it. As the Titan fell dead, the two soldiers approached him.
"This isn't a great place to rest, you know," the male soldier snarked.
Dillon's eyes widened. He recognized that voice. Looking up, his jaw dropped. "Franz?" His eyes darted towards the female soldier. "Hannah?"
"Hey, Dillon," Hannah greeted with a smile. "Long time no see."
"How did-why are you-?"
"We'll talk later," Franz interrupted, hoisting him up. "Right now, we're getting you out of here,"
Dillon nodded as he used Franz's weight to support him, though the leg wound was still giving him trouble. He glanced over to where the Titans were and saw a green blur slice through Reiner's jaw, completely unhinging that. He squinted to see who it was, and he couldn't believe it. "Is that Commander Erwin?"
Annie thought she had seen it all. A country with Titans as living Walls, Psions that could their own against Titans, and many other things. She was proven wrong when she saw Erwin suddenly appear with only one arm and detached Reiner's jaw with a single swing of his sword before Bertholdt could even react. It was at this moment she understood why he was the commander of the Scouting Regiment.
Drenched in saliva, Eren fell out of his mouth, plummeting towards the ground, but Mikasa caught him and headed straight for her horse. At long last, he was free.
"All soldiers, retreat!" Erwin commanded as if he didn't have a bleeding stump for an arm.
Making sure that Mikasa and Eren got to the horse all right, Annie began to kill the Titans that were trying to eat the soldiers. She knew she couldn't save everyone, but she could at least try to get most of them.
"Those Titans don't stand a chance against her," Nanaba commented as the Shifter bit out the nape of a twelve-meter.
"Glad she's on our side," Gelgar replied.
That was something the soldiers could all agree on. Seeing the Female Titan fight tooth-and-nail to save them was truly a sight to behold. The questions and doubts about her allegiance slowly started to ebb away since, for the time being, she was fighting for them.
Nearby, Ymir was pinned to the ground by a nine-meter. She didn't have great, physical strength, and it showed as she desperately struggled to be free of the Titan. Fortunately, Historia arrived and sliced open the Titan's nape, saving her. She nearly crashed into a tree as a result, but she managed to land on the side of it just as the Titan fell lifelessly to the ground.
"I did it. I actually killed one," Historia said to herself once she got herself reacquainted with the ground. "You all right?"
Before she could get an answer, Connie and Sasha rode by, the former picking her up abruptly. "Get away from her."
Angered by that, Ymir roared and gave chase.
"What the hell were you trying to pull?" Connie demanded. "We're leaving!"
"Yeah, couldn't you go for some grub right now?" Sasha asked, trying to lighten mood a little.
"I was trying to save her, Connie," she shot back. "I'm not gonna let her die."
"Krista, she almost killed Dillon," he retaliated. "Or did you just forget that in the last five minutes?"
Historia glared at the bald-headed cadet. "Don't act like I'm an idiot. Of course I haven't forgotten what she did, but I know that this doesn't have to be the end. If Annie, of all people, could be accepted into the Scouts despite the blood on her hands, I know Ymir can, too. She's done more good than bad!"
"What makes you think Ymir wants to come back to us?" Sasha asked. "She was hellbent on taking you before, and it looks like she still is."
"I'll find a way," Historia swore. "I'm not going to lose her!"
Connie and Sasha exchanged a glance, wondering if it was at all possible. Historia was sounding too desperate, and it was likely she would act out of emotion instead of logic. They needed to make sure she didn't get herself killed.
Suddenly, they saw a large Titan being thrown towards them, narrowly missing them. It landed right in front of the retreating soldiers so hard that it exploded, sending a tidal wave of steam and debris at them. It was strong enough to knock Annie down as well as toss several soldiers off their mounts, but the majority managed to stay on as they tried to find their way out of the fog.
"He's tossing Titans at us now?" Jean asked, looking back at Reiner with a glare. "That son of a bitch has gone berserk!"
With a rage-filled roar, Reiner lobbed another Titan off him, cutting off another means of escape. Coincidentally, it happened to land near Franz, Hannah, and Dillon, knocking all three of them off their horses.
Coughing, Franz asked, "Is everyone okay?"
"I fell off a damn horse," Dillon answered nearby with a groan. "What do you think?"
"How are we gonna get out of here?" Hannah wondered, trying not to panic as more Titans landed around them.
"We'll figure it out," Franz replied, getting Dillon back up as he got a look at his face. "Good God, Dillon!"
It was incredible that the young Psion was still conscious, but his pale face exemplified him needing medical treatment. His eyes were bloodshot and exhausted, there was dried up blood covering his face, and he looked like he was going to faint. And yet, he managed to say in a very raspy voice, "I need ODM gear."
"Dillon, you look like you're about to die," Hannah protested. "You can't fight in that condition!"
"I'm not fighting," he corrected, struggling to stand on his own two feet. "I need to get somewhere safe. I can't ride a horse with the way I am, and I can't fight through all these Titans. At the same time, I'm not going to let you two drag me through this fog in Titan-infested territory until we suddenly discover a miracle. Now, help me get some damn gear!"
Adding to the list of people thrown off their horses was Eren and Mikasa. The horse they shared sped off the moment it was back on its four legs.
"Eren!" Mikasa cried out, trying to stand despite the excruciating pain she was in.
Groaning, Eren managed to get up, wiping the saliva off him. He could've lived without being inside another Titan, though he was thankful he wasn't swallowed that time.
Unfortunately, the ground began to shake as a Titan approached them. Getting to their knees, the two saw a skinny, but tall, Titan approach them through the evaporating fog. The moment they could see what the Titan looked like, they staggered back in absolute horror. It had yellow eyes that seemed to glisten, blonde hair that resembled the Female Titan's, and a permanent grin spread throughout its entire face. They had seen this Titan five years ago in Shiganshina. This was the same one that haunted their nightmares.
This was the same Titan that ate Eren's mother.
Eren was petrified to the spot, reliving his terrible memories of that day.
"Get down," Mikasa ordered, shielding him with her body.
The Smiling Titan swung its hand down towards them, either to slap them away or trap them in its fist. Before it could make impact, Hannes got in the way, pushing as hard as he could to keep its hand back.
"Are you insane?" Eren asked in disbelief. This was the same man who, five years ago, ran away from the same Titan like a coward, but managed to get Eren and Mikasa to safety. Now, it was like watching a completely different man.
With a loud snarl, Hannes sliced off its thumb, forcing the Titan to retract the hand. He turned to the cadets and let out an excited laugh. "Can you believe this luck?" He grinned manically at the monster. "Watch me. This is the least that I owe your mother. She'll finally have the vengeance she deserves!" He fired a hook into the Titan and went after it, dodging its attempt to knock him out of the sky.
"No, Hannes!" Eren yelled, knowing that the man was not really trained for this.
Seeing this from afar, both Armin and Jean quickly started galloping towards the scene.
"He needs backup," Jean stated, urging his horse to go faster.
Unfortunately, a Titan was thrown at the two, narrowly missing them as it skidded across the ground. It stopped them in their tracks, though Armin nearly freaked out as another Titan landed directly in front of him.
"Reiner," the blonde boy said, looking over at him in shock. "What the… doesn't he care if Eren gets eaten?"
"Move it or lose it, asshole," Jean shouted angrily despite knowing the Armored Titan couldn't hear him. "I'm tired of your shit."
He was not the only one.
With a loud roar, Annie charged directly towards Reiner, murder in her eyes. Reiner lobbed another Titan at her, but this time, she was ready for that. She sidestepped the flying Titan, hardened her foot, and delivered another dropkick to Reiner's gut. Combined with her speed, and the fact there were smaller Titans holding onto his legs, the Shifter tripped and fell on his back, yet Bertholdt managed to grapple away before he could get crushed. To keep him from getting ideas, Annie performed a spin kick that took down the tree he was perched on, forcing him to retreat.
Sensing new prey, four Titans that held Reiner down started approaching Annie, who simply hardened her fingers. When it came to mindless Titans, there was no need to use up all her energy. Just some quick precision.
The first Titan that came to bite her received a punch to the gut before getting its nape sliced over. She tossed the corpse into the second Titan before ripping the jaw off the third Titan. A quick slash with her fingers and the thing was dead. The last one was about to reach her, but a Scout flew by, slicing open the nape. She looked to see that it was Eld, who managed to land on the side of a tree.
"We've got your back," he assured as the other members of Levi Squad joined him.
Nodding, Annie punted a three meter that tried going for her legs before facing Reiner, who was back on his feet.
"More Titans heading this way!" Petra announced, pointing to the west.
"Bastards just keep coming," Gunther growled.
"Take them down hard and fast," Eld ordered, launching himself at the incoming wave.
The others followed suite, swords at the ready.
Ymir had no idea what to think anymore. It was all so simple earlier: get to Marley, trade Dillon in for her life, and keep Historia safe for as long as she could. Annie threw that plan out the window, and Erwin crushed it into a million pieces with the arrival of the Titans. Not to mention the fact that Historia was never gonna be on her side again after what she did to Dillon.
Suddenly, a hook penetrated her head and she saw Historia herself land on her head.
"Krista!" Connie shouted.
"No! No more," she replied. "Sorry, but from now on, I'm Historia." With that out of the way, she glared at Titan. "I can't believe I didn't figure it out sooner. Why would you hand me over to save yourself if you already had Dillon, and trust me, I'm still pissed off at you for that. He's worth so much more to these people than I ever will be, so that only means one thing: you were trying to protect me again. Everything you've ever done has been for my sake. You'd burn this country to the ground if it meant I would live!"
Ymir let out a sad sigh, confirming the accusations.
"Heads up," Connie warned as a fourteen-meter took interest in them.
"Listen to me," Historia urged, preparing for a fight. "You've been teaching me something ever since we met, and it's time for you to take your own advice. Do you understand me? Stop putting your life on the line. You need to live your own life. Live it with me!" A smile appeared on her face. "I've never told you this before, but however bad things get, as long as we're together, I'm not afraid!"
Without any hesitation, Historia launched herself into the air, performing a nice spin as she sliced open the nape of the Titan. Connie and Sasha soon followed in her footsteps, going after the other Titans in the area. Ymir let out a loud shriek, ready to tear through any Titan that got in her way. It was time to cut loose.
In terms of strength, Reiner had Annie beat, but he didn't have her combat prowess. Without Eren, there was nothing keeping her at that handicap anymore. Since his leg work was weak, Annie went for the unarmored leg once more, breaking it swiftly and efficiently. He tried to strike her, but she was too quick, dodging and returning the punch, striking his jaw as hard as she could. Immediately, his jaw was obliterated, like with Eren during their fight in that forest. He roared in pain and went to strike, but she didn't wait for it to land. She jumped into the air and brought her body down on top of him, driving her hardened elbow into his skull. Blood poured from the severe wound as he sunk to his knees.
With a grim look on her face, Annie raised her leg, preparing to sever his head. With the sides of his neck finally exposed, she'd be able to pull it off.
A hook impaled into her planted leg and before she could ward off the attack, she cried out in pain as two blades sliced open her Achilles Heel. Without the weight to support her, Annie fell to a sitting position. Covering her nape to be on the safe side, she spotted Bertholdt landing onto another tree, giving her an apologetic look. Her response was a roar as she stumbled towards him with the intent to kill. Reiner managed to get close enough to punch Annie away from them. She rolled across the ground, knocking over a few Titans and horses before skidding to a stop.
"Reiner, you all right?" Bertholdt asked, concerned.
The Armored Titan responded with a single nod, concentrating on healing his leg.
Annie, I'm so sorry. He thought as he went back to Reiner's shoulder. If he was faster, he could've killed Dillon and saved her. Maybe not now, but someday, he would be able to get her back
"Bastards," Annie growled, panting heavily as she concentrated on healing.
A ten-meter took an interest in her, running with frozen excitement. Sighing, she hardened her other leg in preparation, but then a hook latched onto the back of the Titan. Her eyes widened when she saw Dillon swoop in and kill the Titan. She rolled out of the way of the falling corpse just as he stumbled down, crashing against the trunk of a tree.
The ODM gear he got from a dead Scout was mostly intact, but Dillon was doing badly. He more than wore himself out after that stunt, and he felt like he was carrying a ton on his back that was going to crush him any second. "This wasn't… one of my best ideas," he admitted weakly as he detached the broken blades.
"What the hell are you doing here?" Annie demanded, falling onto her stomach.
"I was thrown off the horse when… I tried to get away," Dillon answered, coughing. "Oh, God, that hurts."
"And you decided to jump into the fray in your condition," she retorted, exasperated.
He shook his head. "No, Annie. Not this time. I came because I need your help."
She raised an eyebrow at that, confused. "What are you talking about?"
Dillon gestured to the soldiers that were being swarmed by the Titans. "Look at what's happening. They're stumbling around trying to get the hell out of here, and until we find Eren, we're stuck here. If they tried to protect me, they'd get eaten and so would I." He gritted his teeth in pain, trying to fight his body's instinct to give into unconsciousness. It was like his body was on fire, it hurt so bad. "I can't fight anymore. I don't think I can even stand. I'm in so much pain right now, but I know if I pass out, I'll die." Dillon looked up at her with pleading eyes. "Annie, I know you're busy. I know you have so much to deal with right now, but I feel less like a piece of shit asking you for help than I would if I asked them. I am so sorry for being so selfish and for putting you in this position, but I don't want to die."
There was no way she could be mad at him after that. Giving him a smile of assurance, she gently wrapped her hand around him as she began to stand, her regeneration nearly complete. "Don't apologize. I can handle fighting one-handed. It's something I've done before."
He let out a sigh of relief. "Thank you, Annie."
"Thank me when we find Eren and get out of here," she replied, holding him against her abdomen. Technically, the safest place was her jaw, but given the condition he was in and the fact he was just eaten, it would only make things far worse for him.
As the Titans approached, she hardened her expression. She only hoped she could reach Eren in time wherever he was.
"Mikasa, stop!" Eren shouted when she got up to fight. "You're in no shape to…" At this point, he realized what needed to be done. "My hands. Help me."
"What will you do?" Mikasa asked.
"Come on," he begged. "I have to be the one who kills that thing!"
Mikasa gritted her teeth in frustration and began cutting him loose.
"I ain't done with you yet!" Hannes shouted, leaving a deep gash in the Smiling Titan's heel. For a guy who never fought a Titan in his life, he was doing a really good job at not getting killed.
The moment his bonds were removed, Mikasa could see that his hands were nearly healed. His fingers were tiny stubs, but with the constant steam emitting from them, it wouldn't be long before he was back to normal.
"This one belongs to me," Eren growled, getting up. "Wait here."
"Eren," Mikasa protested, doubling over in pain. "Don't go. We have to get you out of here."
His thirst for vengeance clouded his judgement once again. "Not until I settle the score. Stand back!"
With that declaration and a clear goal in mind, he bit down on his hand.
Fate seemed to have it out for him because nothing happened aside from blood pouring out from his self-inflicted wound.
"What!?"
Jean and Armin rode with everything they had towards Eren and Mikasa's position, narrowly dodging the Titans that came their way. However, one of the monsters landed on its back, its foot tripping up Jean's horse. The brown-haired teen went flying, hitting his head hard enough to open the wound and knock him out.
"Jean!" Armin shouted, leaping off his horse and running to his aide. He began dragging him away from the battlefield, but an eight-meter Titan was coming for them both. Armin brought his sword out, though unless Annie or Eren's Titan form showed up, he'd be eaten for sure.
Hannes dived down towards the leg and delivered another gash on the same heal. One more should be enough to bring the it down. The Smiling Titan managed to dislodge his hook, but he quickly reattached it, continuing his attack.
"No!" Eren snarled, repeatedly biting down and ignoring how incredibly painful this was and how much blood he was losing. "Don't do this. Not now!" He was so angry, so desperate, that he ripped a large chunk off his hand, exposing the flesh.
"Eren, stop," Mikasa begged, not wanting to see him hurt himself anymore.
He ignored her, continuing his biting treatment as if he was a wild animal.
One final cut and the entire heel was torn off, forcing the Smiling Titan to its knees. Hannes gave a triumphant grin, ready to finish the job. Unfortunately, its aim was true this time as a giant hand wrapped around his body. The Titan didn't even wait as it brought Hannes to its mouth, who struggled to get out of its grasp.
Eren bit as hard as he could into his mutilated hand. Come on, transform, damn you. Don't let this be for nothing!
No matter how hard Eren bit down and no matter how hard he struggled, it didn't stop the Smiling Titan from biting down onto Hannes from the waist down, ripping it off.
Eren and Mikasa froze as his blood splattered on them. Hannes's eyes, which were wide open with terror, started to close as his life quickly ebbed away. One of the last links they had to their life in Shiganshina was dead because he tried to save them.
It finally hit him as he began to realize so many people had died today trying to save him. Scouts, Garrison troops, and even MPs all banded together to get him home. He could smell the putrid stench of the carnage all around him, making him wonder if any of his comrades, his friends, suffered the same fate for his sake. And when push came to shove, once again, he couldn't fulfill the duty he swore. Because he was weak. Because he was hopeless.
Unable to take it anymore, Eren sank to his hands and knees, shaking as steam emitted from his wounds. At first, the noises coming from him sounded like sobs, but then it quickly turned into broken laughter. After all this time, he had finally snapped.
"Eren?" Mikasa asked nervously. She had never seen him like this.
"Look at you!" he raged, tears streaming down his face. "You haven't changed one fucking bit! You're still as useless as you've ever been! Nothing's changed!" He began screaming in absolute agony, wanting nothing more than to die right here and now. When he was unable to keep going, his voice dropped to a near-whisper as he cried his heart out. "I'm sorry, Mother. I still can't do anything. No matter how hard I try, I'm just a worthless, little kid."
Eren couldn't count how many times he had to be rescued by Mikasa throughout his life. Armin was the one who always came up with the best plans. Dillon was the one who stopped Annie and delivered the Eldians exactly what they needed. Even Annie was a far, better Titan Shifter than he ever could be.
"Eren."
He looked over to Mikasa, who had tears in her eyes and… a smile on her face.
"Stop," she chided softly. "That isn't true."
His eyes widened in shock. It had been so long since he saw her smile. However, he couldn't help but look past her and see the chaos going on. Armin was desperately trying to keep a Titan from eating him and Jean, Annie was beating down every Titan that came near her despite being one-handed, Ymir was-.
"Hey," Mikasa said, getting his attention. She didn't want him to focus on that anymore. She needed him to hear this. "Thank you. I've been meaning to tell you that. For fighting, for always standing by me. Thank you for pushing through, for showing me how to live with purpose. I'm grateful." She tugged at her scarf that she always wore as her voice began to break. "My scarf… for always wrapping it around me. Thank you."
There was so much Eren wanted to say to her. He never truly understood why Mikasa valued him so much. He thought she felt indebted to him for life, that everything she did for him was because of that, but there was so much more than that. She found admirable qualities in him, qualities that he never saw himself as having.
Now tears were coming down both their faces as Mikasa began to lean in. If they were going to die, at least they could die together.
At that moment, Eren had an epiphany. For the past five years, he had one single drive: to kill every single Titan in existence. His thoughts had been nothing on revenge for the life that was taken from him, for the home that was destroyed, and for the mother he failed to save. However, because of that, he pushed away the people who stood by him away many times because he was unable to stop looking backwards. Now, though, he could finally see.
He stood up, facing the Smiling Titan as it finished devouring Hannes. "Mikasa." He turned his head towards her as he made her a vow. "I will always wrap your scarf. Always and forever. That's a promise."
Eren's hands finally finished regenerating as the Smiling Titan reached out for him. Titan or not, he was going to go down fighting. With the loudest yell he ever released from his body, Eren swung his fist and hit the palm of the Titan's hand.
Annie let out a gasp as she felt a surge of power course through her body for a brief moment. "What the hell?"
"Annie, what's wrong?" Dillon asked, feeling that shock through their bond.
She didn't answer him, her eyes being drawn to an open plain in the distance. Everything seemed to have stopped the moment she felt that energy. She quickly figured out that Eren was the cause of this, and if she felt this, then the other Shifters did too. "Is he-?"
The question died in her throat as the area shook from a roar that emitted from Eren. It wasn't a typical yell; this one was overlaid with the sounds of a million, Titan, war cries. A single Titan ran to where Eren was… and proceeded to tackle the Smiling Titan to the ground. The moment those Titans impacted the earth sparked a chain reaction. Every single Titan in the vicinity abandoned the people they were fighting in favor of going after the Smiling Titan. Soldiers and Shifters alike watched as these creatures proceeded to devour the Titan, quickly reducing it to nothing more than a skeleton.
"He really… he really is the Coordinate," Annie said, her eyes wide with shock as she held Dillon out so he could see.
"This is unbelievable," he replied, unable to comprehend this.
In the distance, she could see the small figures of Eren and Mikasa. Due to her injuries, Eren was carrying her on his back. Holding onto Dillon tight, she started running for them. Sadly, she wasn't the only one. To her right, despite being injured, Reiner was making a beeline for the Shifter as well. One could only imagine how pissed off he was at the moment.
Eren skidded to a stop, daring to glare at the Armored Titan. "Get away from us!"
Annie felt that same surge of energy go through her mind after that order.
"You bastards! I'll kill you where you stand!" he swore.
The Titans immediately stopped feasting on the Smiling Titan, their eyes turning bright red. Reiner froze in his tracks as the Titans charged for him and Bertholdt.
"What the hell is going on?" Eren asked, trying to make sense of things.
"Eren, Mikasa," Annie said, skidding to halt behind them as she lowered her hands. "Get on quick!"
Nodding, the two climbed on, Eren and Dillon lowering Mikasa down easy. Once secure, she held the three close to her body and ran like Hell as the Titans piled onto Reiner once more.
"All soldiers, retreat!" Erwin ordered, managing to get onto a horse.
As everyone began falling back towards the Walls they could hear the panicked screams of Bertholdt and the pained roars of Reiner. Part of Annie grieved a little for them, but she knew it had to be done. She only hoped that the next bearers of the Armored and Colossal Titans would survive long enough to be found.
"Hey, ugly, get with the program!" Connie shouted. "We were given an order."
Those words prompted Annie to stop as she turned around to see what the commotion was about.
Ymir stopped running, looking back at the two Shifters, considering something. She reached out to Historia and wrapped her hand around her, patting her on the head with her pointer finger. "Please forgive me," she said sadly.
"Ymir, don't you dare," Annie growled, wishing she was mentally linked to her.
"What?" was all Historia could say, not knowing what she was doing.
Without looking back, Ymir charged towards the Shifters to save them from the Titans.
"That idiotic bitch!" Annie snarled, wishing she could smash her head in again. That moron was actually saving them. The Female Titan hoped that she would be given the chance to kill Ymir if she ever saw her again.
"What the hell is she doing?" Eren demanded.
Dillon didn't say anything as he slumped over, falling flat on his back in her palm.
That snapped Annie back to reality as she began running faster. "Dillon!"
"Come on, man, stay with me," Eren urged, holding him up.
The Psion found himself unable to talk, verbally or mentally. The adrenaline wore off and his body couldn't take it anymore.
Mikasa moved over and felt his head, eyes widening. "He's burning up." Quickly, she pulled out her canteen and tore off a piece of her cloak. "It's not much, but it should help until we get back."
"Dillon, you have… conscious…"
Whatever they were all saying was lost as he began to succumb to his injuries, his vision going dark. He needed sleep. He needed to make the pain go away. In a matter of seconds, Dillon knew no more.
AN: I have got so much to say right now, so please, bear with me.
First off, I want to give a special thanks to my co-writer/editor Necromancy101 for getting me this far. None of this would have been possible without his help. He was truly a godsend when I needed someone like him. Bad news is that until further notice, he won't be able to assist me with editing this story. He's got a lot on his plate right now with a lot of commitments in his life. He's been a great friend, terrific writer, and helped me swallow a few reality pills when I needed them.
Second, I want to give all of you a huge thank you. From April of 2018 until now, I have accumulated 344 reviews, most of them positive, 314 favorites, 342 followers, this story is part of two communities (OC Archive and The Best of Naruto, Harry potter, and others), and 83,956 views as of right now. I have never gotten those numbers so quickly in my entire Fanfiction career. You all deserve the credit for that, especially since this is a rewrite. I won't let myself get caught up in the numbers again like last time because what's more important is putting out quality chapters for you all.
So, moving forward, I still plan to upload a chapter for Blacksmith's Tale every Monday if I can. I apologize if I'm late, but know that I'm trying to give you all a good story to read. It's going to be a while before we reach the Uprising Arc, but that means you all will be getting original content. The True Queen will still be uploaded every Tuesday, and I hope you guys will continue to enjoy that venture.
The rewrite is over. Now, it's time to continue the story.
