Chapter 21 (The Town Where All Began)
Wall Maria contained one third of humanity's remaining territory. Five years ago, when humanity lost this territory, from within the remaining two Walls, they realized: 'That we... are not meant to continue living.' After all, humanity cannot defeat the titans alone. That's why a hope ignited their hopes for freedom. Those new individuals called Heroes, they came into this cruel world to save humanity and reclaim Wall Maria.
Thanks to those supernatural allies, humanity will finally start believing that they deserves to live.
The Scouts were holding flashlights and walking through a forest at night, the three heroes were right next to them, Genos was using his glowing palm in a radius of 10 meters to light the way.
Saitama was trying not to sleep and Sasha helped him a lot with that, while Levi was asking Eren. "We're not at the foot yet? It's almost dawn." Eren holded an information document and read it.
"Once we're over this mountain, my hometown Shiganshina's right there." Levi shifted his head forward and kept walking.
"Good, I really wanna see how the reaction of those 2 fools will be when they see more than just Saitama." The Captain stated.
Meanwhile Connie, Jean and Genos were talking about Reiner and Bertholdt. "Yeah, these traitors will be ready for us."
"No they won't Jean, they are expecting to see Scouts, not powerful heroes!" Connie answered back to Jean with a happy face.
"So we'll go fight other people that have the ability to turn into titans?" Genos asked with particular interest and raised eyebrows.
"Yes, it's a long story but those 2 betrayed humanity from the start, way before your Sensei arrive." Jean retorted.
"Saitamaaaa, I have a little present for youuuu!" Sasha were joyful toward Saitama, she took his right hand and placed it on her breasts but the Caped hero gave her and everyone else a neutral expression and said.
"Oh, Look a titan." Jean shouted to his comrades.
"Saitama's right light up!" All the lights including Genos' fire aimed on a titan who was sleeping on a huge rock.
"False alarm everyone, he's asleep. This lad must not be one of those new types that moves at night. That's too bad. Let him be." Hanje stated and they walk pass him.
Eren's gaze focused on Saitama and thought. 'Saitama... ...What kind of eyesights you possess to see him from that far?! How can you see so well in this darkness...'
Genos came closer to Hanje and begun a conversation. "You asked us quite much questions when we first arrived in your world, do you mind explaining to me what is going on with those titans that doesn't moves at night?" Hanje smiled to the cyborg and explain.
"I'm glad you asked, you see the new type of titan... We think they use that minuscule amount of reflected light to move. Using the new moon was right to move. The old ones wasn't moving at night, you can say they got upgraded." She shifted her gaze to Saitama.
"Saitama, guarantee we won't have a repeat of before." "Oh? Okay." Hanje continue her explaining to Genos and everyone. "That lad may be one of those 'Moonlight Titans' for all we know. Please heroes, can you capture one for me someday?" Hanje gave a smirk and blushed moderately.
"Hmph! Why would we do that?! We're not your puppets!" "Terrible Tornado, you have a moment please?" Erwin said grabbing Tatsumaki's attention.
"What do you want?" The ESper questioned him "I know you have your own problems and deeds that need to be taken care of. But can you stop being so arrogant?" Erwin scratched his chin with a worried expression.
"I'm not arrogant, I'm just sick of being surrounded by weaklings." Erwin nodded his head "Understood, forgive me but for us it's impossible to thought people like you ever existed, however here you are. Please you gotta understand our situation Terrible Tornado." "Hmph! Whatever." They ended the conversation.
"Eren? Why are you shaking? You're scared?" Armin asked while Eren said loud back to him. "I'm not scared!" Armin didn't believe him "Huh?! You're kidding... Look at your hand."
"This is... It's cold! My hand's damn freezing!"Eren exclaimed to Armin and Mikasa.
"Really? My whole body's been shaking this whole time. See?" Armin extended his hand that was holding the flashlight, it was shaking a lot.
"Saitama, have you ever been afraid of titans?" The blond asked the hero.
"No, I have fought way more horrible and powerful monsters, I ain't afraid of those things." Saitama retorted and scratched his armpits.
"You saying that because society works different in your world right? And you was born with those awesome powers right? Cause in this cruel world, everyone's terrified of them." Armin said, forcing Saitama to talk back.
"Actually I trained a lot to become this strong." Levi was walking at the front with Hanje and Erwin but he was hearing Saitama's words.
"You heroes are not afraid of anything cause of your powers, you're not like us, like me... The first time I faced a titan, I couldn't move a muscle. But... there I was... And you wasn't there Saitama, it was way much before you come to us." Armin resume.
"It was you Eren, you pulled me right out of a titan's mouth. How were you able to do something like that?" Eren remembered what his childhood friend meant by that.
"I remembered... ...the time you showed me that book. Up until then, I never once thought about what was outside the Walls. I just spend every day staring at the clouds and sky. But then, I heared your story and looked into your eyes. You were seeing an awesome dream. But I had nothing. That's when I knew. I wasn't free. Trapped in a small cage in a huge world, my freedom stolen by those unthinkable fields. When I realized that, I couldn't forgive them. I don't know why, but when it comes to taking back freedom... Yes... Strength flows through me."
Eren holded his hand and turned his gaze to Armin, Mikasa and Saitama. "Thanks for that. I'm good now. I bet, by this time next year, we'll be looking at the sea all together, with you heroes too." He replied and finished the conversation.
Mikasa's eyes widen and stared at their surroundings. "I recognize this area. I think... we came here for firewood." Genos placed his hand on Mikasa's shoulder and reply with a serious expression.
"It's good to remember such lovely memories my allie, I doesn't know about your lifes and your pasts much but we as heroes will try our best to make you feel free again."
"Mmm." Mikasa mumbled at Genos next to her.
"Oi, trails... Move with caution." Levi said while they were reaching the Wall. "I can hear the river." Mikasa replied and Armin talk right after her.
"Finally, we're back... The first time... since we fled from here. Back to our hometown... But now... Things will be different with Saitama and the other heroes on our side!"
Armin whispered as they finally reached the open fields, they could see the abandoned Wall Maria.
"Oh? I see a hole on the Wall." Saitama stated while he was running next of the Scouts. "It's the Colossal titan. He did this, do you remember what I told you Saitama?" Erwin questioned the hero.
"Ehh a little bit." Saitama said while his gaze was on the Wall.
"Be on guard for titans hiding in the shadows! Our operation begins now! Levi Squad switch to ODM gears! Heroes don't hesitate to destroy any threats!" Erwin gave orders whilst he was riding his horse.
The Scous propelled themselfs on the Wall and made it to the other side, Saitama jumped all the way on top of the Wall whilst Tatsumaki used her power to levitate Genos and reach their teammates.
Erwin gave instructions about their goal. "There's two gates we must seal. The inner and outer. With that, Shiganshina will be isolated. We'll exterminate any titans left inside." Levi equipped his blades while he was standing still on top of his horse saddle like a badass.
"If the enemy knows our plan, they'll go straight for Eren, but... We'll have them a big surpriced by having all the three heroes guarding Eren. They doesn't know about Genos and Terrible Tornado, however Saitama is more than enough to keep them busy and give Eren time to plug the outer gate."
At long last Eren, Mikasa and Armin were standing on top of Wall Maria to see their hometown destroyed. Eren's hands were shaking tremendously.
"Don't stop!" Levi run past them and shouted "Head for the outer gate! Heroes be Eren's shield!" "Roger!" Eren said, making the three heroes to follow him. Genos shout determined.
"Count on us!" "Oh, Genos don't take it too seriously." "Hmph!"
Armin noticed something on the Wall. "This is... ...the remaining of a fire?" He raised his sword up and made Erwin stare at him.
'They're here... and close! Bertholdt and Reiner.' Armin thought nervously.
Eren and Mikasa were flying together with their ODM gears while Saitama was parkour running on the side of the Wall with ease. The titan shifter thought with a depressed expression.
'My house is right around there. That's where... we left everything behind.' He stare back to see Mikasa with a serious expression and Saitama having a blank expression next to her following without breaking a sweat, Genos were following them from underneath of the Wall with Tatsumaki.
'It's okay, I'll take it all back!' Eren though serious.
Hanje was with Levi on the Wall, she knew something was horribly off about this silence. "Not a single titan in sight?" "But we have to keep going." Levi reminded her.
She pull out a flare gun "Yeah, there's no reason to call it off." She shoot towards the sky and alerting everyone including the heroes. Eren thought with his determination being maximum.
'I can do this! No... We can do this! Because we've all been special since the day we were born! We're free!' Eren flew on top of the Wall and after he did a flip he bite himself and turned into a titan. He successfully plugged the outer gate of Wall Maria with his hardening ability. However it wasn't over.
"Heroes! Don't let your guard down! Keep on the lookout! That's for you too!" Hanje pointed Levi's Squad and the heroes.
Mikasa brought Eren back on the Wall with Hanje and the others. "How's your ODM gear?" Mikasa asked him "It's fine. But I did manage to lose my cloak." Mikasa wrapped her cloak around him. "Thanks." "Mmm."
"The hole?!" Captain Levi shouted "Success!" Genos said, firing a blast on the sky to inform the Scouts that the hole got plugged up. "We did it! Eren are you okay?" Hanje approached him.
"No problems here. I'm ready like we trained." Eren replied to Hanje "We'll head for the inner gate! While we're on the move, heroes remember to cover Eren at all costs!" She shouted. Everyone was running on the Wall, the three heroes right behind Eren.
Saitama was staring at the abandoned city. "And I thought my apartment was poor."
Erwin was from the other side of the Wall with Sasha, Jean and Connie. "The outer gate was a success. Still, it's odd... There's no attack coming. I don't understand, on the contrary, we've not seen a single titan so far." Erwin said cautiously.
"Maybe they are afraid of Saitama. Commander, maybe they gave up." Jean answered calmly.
"No it can't be that simple... something strange is going on here... be on caution." Erwin ordered them.
Armin came next to them and say. "I looked into it. I'm pretty sure someone was camping. The pot was cold and lights were scattered on the ground. They were drinking something like black tea. Also, there were three cups with drops of a black liquid in it. At the least, there were three people atop of the Wall."
Jean shouted confused. "Th-Three you say?!" Erwin remained calm and ask Armin "Was the metal pot completely cool?" "Yes." "I find that odd."
"Agreed. However I found this metal looking device too, it looks like some sort of a blade..." Armin gave to Erwin a ninja shuriken, it had some purple marks on it.
"What is that now?!" Connie screamed in frustration. "Connie, what I'm saying is that our enemies are hiding here somewhere!" Armin answered toward him.
"We don't know yet about this weird device but... Locate the hiding enemies is our priority now. Armin, with that brain of your, you've saved us from disaster countless times."
"Believe me Commander, I'm nothing compared to the heroes. I'm just a weak soldier and nothing more." Armin responded to Erwin.
Saitama came with Genos behind him. "Saitama?! Genos?! What are you two doing here?! You should be with Eren!" Jean shouted angry at them.
Genos walk forward and retorted serious. "I scanned the entire area for hostiles, I did found something... You can say someone."
The cyborg pointed the spot he found the human suspect, it was inside the Wall.
"Saitama, you go check it out!" Erwin ordered him and the hero did so.
"What the hell is a guy doing in the Wall anyway?" Saitama said and took off a huge stone piece from the Wall.
"Hello, Reiner. Now you live like cavemen?" "Tsk! Bald Bastard!" Reiner came out of the Wall furiously and pushed his sword on Saitama's chest, Saitama avoided the blade incredibly fast, it only got a little bit of his white cape.
"TSK?! WHERE ARE YOU?!" Saitama appeared behind him. "I'm right here."
The hero slammed Reiner and sended him down to the ground. A lot of his bones broke upon impact and forced him to transform into the Armored titan who was now laying on the ground.
"REINER!" Armin screamed angry and nervous. "Sensei!" Genos jumped down to come face to face with the Armored titan.