DILAN'S P.O.V.

Another 2 hours later and they had two more purple flares to go. Two more purple flares and this nightmare would end. Still it was getting harder for Dilan to ignore the screams. They were radiating around her in every direction. Safe to say the titans had invaded and the first flank was getting decimated. It wouldn't be long before the second flank had to step up and deal with the mess and Dilan was starting to shake. Not from fear. From fury.

Levi had kept her calm for a while, but she had left him again, too furious to be near anyone without ripping their heads off. She kept within the perimeter. If she was going to abandon her duty, then she might as well go help the front lines.

"ARGH! HELP SOMEONE SEND REINFORCE-" A spine chilling scream sounded from somewhere near the end of the forest before it was abruptly cut off. Dilan breathed out shakily, muscles twitching in anticipation.

"Chilling, isn't it?" Hanji's serious voice said beside her and she jumped. How the hell did this woman sneak up on her?

"Shit Hanji." Dilan breathed. Hanji offered an apologetic look. "How are you here? I thought your squad was in the third flank. It hasn't broken through already has it?!" Dilan spiralled quickly. Hanji put reassuring hands on her shoulders and shook her head. Dilan breathed out in relief.

"The first flank are still keeping them back. They're fighting tooth and nail but they're holding on." Hanji informed. Dilan swallowed both relieved and disturbed by the information. "I came to report to Erwin. Asked Levi where you were, and he directed me in this direction. Said you're 'pissed to fucking kingdom come' in his words." Hanji explained with a sad smiled. Dilan let out a small puff of amusement. It sounded like Levi.

"Yeah. We should be fighting. Not waiting around." Dilan replied. Hanji sighed, looking out.

"I don't disagree. And yet Erwin never does things without a reason. One day, you'll understand that." Hanji tried to comfort but Dilan wasn't really hearing her.

"HELP! PLEASE! FUCK! I DON'T WANT TO DIE! PLEASE SOMEONE! ANYONE!" A girl's voice screamed way in the distance and continued to scream. Dilan tensed, breathing heavily.

"Dilan don't." Hanji warned.

"HELP! PLEASE SOMEONE!" The voice continued and Dilan could stand it no longer.

"DILAN!" Hanji yelled as she ran to the edge of the branch and jumped off the tree, pushing her body and gear to the limits as she soared through the trees, wind slapping her in the face. She ignored the voices as she flew past the third flank like a bullet, plenty of squads dotted around asking where the hell she thought she was going. She zoomed past the second flank, sparing a quick glance for her squad but seeing nothing assumed they were on the other side of the formation.

Dilan gasped as she broke through the tree line at the scene. It was... it was a massacre...

Red.

Everything was heavily coated with red.

The grass was sprayed a deep crimson, decorated with severed limbs and guts, a rare forgotten body here and there.

The trees were dripping maroon, bloodied gears tangled up in the branches like spiderwebs from where men were plucked from the sky and devoured.

The air seemed to bleed as screaming radiated. Titans were left and right, attracted by the noise of the dying. They ranged from 4 to 17 metres and they were grabbing at the remaining scouts like greedy children in a candy shop. Dilan breathed out shakily trying to compose herself. Even in the underground she had never seen a sight quite like this. How Erwin could condone this suffering was beyond her. And people call her the mass murderer.

"PLEASE HELP ME!" The same girls voice yelled, and Dilan snapped her head in that direction. She spotted a small cadet clinging onto a tree, gripping onto it for dear life sobbing her heart out as a 5-meter class pulled at her wires that had stopped retracting for some reason. Dilan wasted no time in flying towards her, unsheathing her blades and dragging them across the monster's flesh while it was distracted. The titan let go of the girl and fell to the ground, erupting in steam. She cried loudly in relief and fear, her shaking frame starting to lose grip on the trees surface. "Agh!" She cried as she slipped trying to regain her footing. Dilan grabbing her, hooking into a high branch and hoisting them both up there. As soon as they got to safety the girl crumbled, shaking and crying.

Dilan got to work on fixing her gear. She would die for sure without it.

"My names Dilan. What's yours?" Dilan attempted to calm her down while she fiddled with the gear. Pretty hefty dent but she might be able to persuade it. The girl sniffed and wiped her runny nose with the back of her sleeve.

"P-P-Petra!" She cried. The girl looked to be about 16 years old. She was small, petite and pale, reminding Dilan much of herself when she was her age. The girl had big brown eyes and strawberry blonde hair that reached just below her shoulders. Although half of it was covered in blood.

"Very good Petra. Now I know that was scary but your alive right now and that's all that matters. Say it for me." Dilan continued; orange eyes focused on the gear. Petra took a few shaky breaths.

"I-I-I'm a-a-alive!" She sobbed. Dilan smiled.

"Again." She ordered.

"I-I'm al-alive!" She sniffed, getting hold of herself a bit.

"Again." Dilan ordered firmly, smiling as she fixed the gear and pressed the cutch, watching the wires retract.

"I'm alive!" Petra declared, staring at her gear in amazement, wiping her face.

"There you go." Dilan pat her on the head, huffing out an oomph as Petra ambushed her in a tight hug, crushing the life out of her. The girl had a lot more strength than Dilan originally thought.

"Thank you! Thank you so much! You save my life!" She cried a bit.

"It's okay...Lungs. Need. Air." She choked out a reminder and the girl gasped pulling back.

"Oh, I'm sorry." She apologised quickly. Dilan smiled reassuringly.

"It's cool." Dilan refocused, standing up and walking to the edge of the branch, looking out at the chaos. In her sights there were around 40 cadets still fighting for their lives.

"A-are you that girl? The o-one from the underground?" Petra asked timidly. Dilan turned around to look at her.

"Yes. We don't have the time for you to be scared of me, ya know?" She raised an eyebrow. Petra's eyes widened at the accusation.

"Oh no! I wouldn't- I'm not like that. No one can help where they were born and-and you just saved my life so..." She trailed off, scuffing her feet. Dilan nodded in approval and looked back out.

"Well said kid. Can you give me a report on this shit?" Dilan asked. Petra's eyes lit up and she nodded.

"Yes! We held out for as long as we could. We were doing well until the 15-17 metres started showing up and we couldn't use the trees as cover anymore. When the squad leaders fell there was no order and we started getting e-eaten one by o-one." She said shakily, desperately trying not to cry again. Dilan hummed in understanding. With no leadership this shit was going to hit the fan quick. Not that it already hadn't.

"Why is no one retreating?" She asked. Petra blinked at her.

"You can be shot for desertion. Our squad leaders reminded us of that before they all died." Petra explained Dilan rolled her eyes. Of course the blonde bastard would blackmail them into fighting.

"Erwin, you fucker. I bet your really happy with yourself." Dilan mumbled, orange eyes analysing the battlefield.

"Sorry?" Petra asked.

"Nothing, kid. Where's your squad?"

"I'm not a kid, I'm 18." She huffed. Dilan blinked.

"No shit?" Dilan asked. The girl was as green as they get. Petra frowned slightly at the vulgarity.

"I joined the training corps late, that's all. Do I really look that young?" She pouted slightly. Dilan ignored her not having the time

"Yes, but that's not important. Where's your squad?" She pressed and Petra flinched slightly.

"E-eaten ma'am." She replied quickly.

"I'm 18 too, ya know?" She cracked a smirk. Petra blinked. "I really look that old?" She teased. Petra chuckled a bit.

"Not really, you've just got an authoritative aura." She pointed out. Dilan scoffed at that.

"Sure." She mumbled, surmising a plan. If she could get the cadets attention and create a tactic, maybe they would get out of this alive. A scream cut her out of her musings.

"AH! FUCK HELP!" A guy screamed somewhere. Dilan located him quickly, a boy about to be thrown into a 17 metres mouth. Guess the kid got too ballsy.

"Shit that's Oluo!" Petra squeaked.

"Stay here." She ordered before jumping of the tree. She gritted her teeth knowing she wasn't going to make it and was probably going to have to pull something crazy again. Ah, what the hell. I've already abandoned my duty. I'm already in deep shit. Why not swim deeper right? Dilan through with a smirk as she zoomed past the crying kid and into the monster's mouth, causing the teeth to snap shut. She heard a muffled shriek from Petra but paid no attention as she spun into the 17 meters throat, narrowing dodging the tongue as it tried to force her down the oesophagus. She sliced deep, pushing out of the other side. Oluo screamed as the creature gripped onto him as he fell. Dilan was about to catch up when another 16-meter appeared out of nowhere and started snapping at her. Dilan cursed under her breath and looked out at the rows of cadets quaking silently in the safety of the tree. "SOMEONE FUCKING GRAB HIM, YOU DICKLESS COWARDS!" Dilan yelled, dodging an arm by a hair as she whipped around the side and sliced into the 16 metres nape.

Worn out but still going, Dilan ran up the head as the titan fell and pushed into their air, assuming she now needed to save this Oluo kid too but apparently one of the dickless cowards had it covered. She saw one of the other cadets who had actually been fighting grab Oluo and bring him to the same branch as Petra. Dilan grimaced as the kid threw up over the edge and zipped up to meet them.

Oluo was tall, lean and tanned. He had a wrinkled face despite probably only being around 17 or 18 years of age and dark brown eyes. The other man on the other hand was tall and built. He had tanned skin and blonde hair tied up out of his tanned face. Warm blue eyes and a sense of calm about him that Dilan was grateful for right now. He looked to be about 20 years old. She watched with a quirked eyebrow as Petra gasped and hugged both of them.

"Oluo! Eld! Your alive?!" She cried. Eld chuckled and pat her on the back.

"Seems that way. What happened to you, you were supposed to be with Charlie and Jason?" Eld asked in a smooth voice. Petra sniffed.

"They didn't make it." She whispered. The three of them sat there in a grieving silence. Dilan felt wrong to interrupt but they were really running out of time. She coughed to gain their attention and the flinched after seeing her. Dilan looked down at herself and realised she was covered head to toe in titan blood.

"It'll rub off." She commented briefly. "Now listen up. This is literal fucking chaos. We need some order and we need it now." Dilan said seriously, earning Petra and Eld's attentions but Oluo didn't look so sure.

"ORDER!? HOW CAN ANYTHING BE ORDERED IN THIS HELL!?" He yelled, clearly losing it. Dilan walked right up to him and slapped him hard in the face. Petra gasped while Eld hid a smirk with his hand.

"Listen up, dumbass. I didn't risk coming down here to work with a bunch of whiny toddlers. I need soldiers. Which are you?" She said in a low tone. Oluo sniffed.

"I-I'm a soldier!" He declared. Dilan nodded in approval.

"Good. How many cadets are left?" Dilan stood back up looking at Eld since he seemed to be the most capable soldier out of the three.

"49 on this side of the flank. I have no clue how the right is doing." Eld replied seriously. Dilan nodded, wiping her face.

"W-when are reinforcements coming?" Oluo squeaked carefully. Clearly, he did not want to get slapped again.

"They aren't." Dilan replied bluntly, observing the shock on all of their faces.

"They-they aren't?!" Petra gasped. Dilan nodded.

"To put it simply, you were the distraction. A way to buy time. You weren't expected to last, only prolong the titans from intruding. It's fucked up leadership and it didn't sit well with me. It's why I'm here." Dilan said seriously. Oluo looked like he was about to throw up again. Eld looked pissed and Petra looked scared.

"S-so we're completely alone!?" Oluo yelled. Dilan pursed her lips at his volume.

"No. You have me, you have your comrades. We need some order and some formations, and we can pull this shit off. 27 titans below us, correct?" Dilan asked Eld, sensing he must be a perceptive bastard. He nodded. "49 cadets. Doable." She mumbled to herself, stroking her chin.

"DOABLE?! You understand we're cadets, right?! some of these idiots are fresh outta training! They barely know how to use the fucking gear!" Oluo started to hyperventilate.

"Well it's about fucking time they strap on some balls; don't you think soldier?" She raised an eyebrow. Oluo hesitate but took a deep breath and nodded. "Alright then. Eld. Gather the cadets in that large tree there. I need to speak to all of you and I can't do that scattered." Dilan ordered, taking command. Eld nodded and flew off in the distance.

"S-sorry but... aren't you Dilan?" Oluo squeaked. Dilan's fiery eyes looked down at the trembling man sitting collapsed on the branch and he flinched slightly.

"Yes." She replied simply.

"W-well... I'm sorry but I'm not sure if they'll listen..." he replied hesitantly. Dilan sighed, getting the boys point.

"They have to."

LEVI'S P.O.V.

"What the fuck do you mean she's gone?!" Levi yelled at Hanji, his stomach in knots. The brat had flown off somewhere a good 2 hours ago. He had been worried, but he knew she needed space. He figured she wouldn't leave just like that. Apparently, he was wrong.

"She's GONE Levi! There was some girl screaming and she just shot towards them! I barely had time to yelled at her to stay put before she disappeared!" Hanji yelled back, panic clear in her tone. Apparently, Dilan had left 30 minutes ago now. Hanji had come to find him as soon as she did.

Levi paced the tree he was on, raking a hand through his hair as he tried to think of a plan. Fuck, brat. Why couldn't you stay put? The reason was obvious really. She wasn't a selfish bitch and the screams were getting to her. They were getting to him if he was honest. He was on his last leg and Dilan disappearing felt like the last straw. He had to find her and drag her ass back to safety. But if he found her... would he really be able to return? The more likely scenario was that he would end up staying on the front lines to help her. The fuck would they be then? Erwin would have both their asses.

"Levi! What do we do?! The front lines are being slaughtered! Even Dilan can't deal with fire like that." Hanji blurted out, a nervous ball of energy.

"I know." Levi mumbled, continuing to pace. Dilan had made her decision. It was unlikely that she would retreat back to safety now. They only had two purple flares to go. By some miracle the first flank hadn't been completely decimated yet. The titans were still hoarding around the edges meaning there were still bodies for them to chew on. "Fuck." He hissed.

"Levi." Erwin's voice boomed behind him and he tensed up. Not eyebrows. Not now!

"Yeah?" Levi said nonchalantly, glaring at Hanji to keep quiet on the Dilan front as he turned around to face his superior. Erwin gave him a look.

"Where is Dilan? I haven't seen her in some time." Erwin questioned. Levi kept a straight face.

"Checking the perimeter for stragglers." Levi lied. Erwin raised a bushy eyebrow.

"Oh really?" He asked. Levi clenched his jaw. The bastard knows, doesn't he?

"Yes." Levi crossed his arms. Erwin stared at him and Levi stared back. Eventually Erwin let up and Levi internally sighed with relief.

"I want her to report back to the centre in the next hour. We'll need you and her by the inner circle when we fire the next purple flare and change positions." He said sternly. Levi nodded and the commander was gone again.

"Shit." Hanji choked out. Levi was in agreement. What the fuck was he supposed to do now?

DILAN'S P.O.V.

Once Eld had gathered the cadets in the biggest tree possible, Dilan flew over to them, standing on a higher branch so they could all see her. Well this is it, Dil. They either follow you or they will all probably die. Here goes nothing.

"What are we going here?" One cadet mumbled shakily.

"Where are reinforcements?!" Another yelled in the crowd.

"Why are we so hunched together. The titans will swarm us!" Another cried. Dilan ignored them, nodding to Eld as he landed on a branch below her and he nodded back, letting her know this was everyone.

"LISTEN UP!" She yelled and the group fell silent. She looked them over, bloodied and broken. These were children. They weren't made for a world like this. "First of all. Reinforcements are not coming!" Dilan informed and panic broke out.

"What?!"

"THEY'RE LEAVING US!?"

"WE'RE ALL GOING TO DIE!" Shouts started forming and Dilan rolled her eyes.

"SHUT THE FUCK UP!" She yelled and the group flinched but fell quiet again. She narrowed her fiery eyes. "Pathetic. What are you? Soldiers fight. Cowards give up. Now is your time to choose what you want to be." She started.

"Are you asking us to die?!" A panicked man said. Dilan pursed her lips.

"No. Your commander is asking you to die." She said and their faces paled slightly. "But that man is a grade A dick." Dilan added and their eyes widened in shock. Eld stifled a laugh. "Everyone's life is worth something, no matter if you're a cadet or a veteran. Life is precious and it deserves to be fought for." She continued. Ha! The irony. If Levi was here, he would call me a major fucking hypocrite right now.

"Who-who are you?!" One of them asked. Dilan guessed it was hard to tell with the titan blood.

"Dilan." She replied briefly. Oluo and Petra exchanged nervous looks as the crowd turned on her.

"The savage?!"

"Surely not!"

"She wouldn't care about us!"

"She's an animal!" Various voice called out. Dilan's eyes glinted dangerously.

"Perhaps your right." She mused, silencing them all as she dropped down a branch, moving closer. They flinched. "Perhaps I am an animal. A killer. But a killer is what you need right now. You may not care for me but that's not what I need. I need your swords and your attention. The commander has given up on you, left you to rot as titan fodder. Now you have two choices. You can fight to change that twisted fate and prove him wrong, OR... you can die. Die for your commander, die for your regiment. Now I may be an animal but that seems a little stupid to me. Who here wants to die?" She asked the crowd.

No one spoke up.

"Who here wants to fight for their lives?! Who wants to make it meaningful?!" She asked and the group yelled their agreement. They were scared but determined. Determined to live. She smirked as Petra gave her a thumbs up and Eld and Oluo nodded in approval. "Good. Now if you fight for me just this once. I promise I will fight for you. If we never give up, we will live or die without regrets!" She said and they cheered again.


Some decent strategizing later with Eld, Petra, Oluo and this other random shit, Gunther, that showed up out of nowhere and they had some resemblance of a plan. Apparently the four were friends. Gunther was knocked out on a branch somewhere but heard Dilan's speech and came to fight. He was tall, tanned and had spiky black hair, a long face and coal black eyes. He didn't talk much but he had a spirit and that was good enough for Dilan. She had surmised that almost all of the cadets were greener than grass. Barely 10 out of the 49 had ever killed a titan and that was an assist. Eld was the only cadet here who had been on an expedition before. Apparently, he was on the last one she was on. Petra, Oluo and Gunther were all fresh.

After spreading the cadets out into the trees again Dilan started laying out the plan. She and Eld would get the titan's vulnerable. Then squads that she had formed herself would dive in for the kill. They would all strike the nape, increasing their chances of actually getting a critical hit since they had never killed a real titan before. It was much harder than the dummies. The squads were in threes and they were lined up accordingly, taking their turns to kill the beasts and hopefully knocking them down like dominoes. This would go a lot faster if there were more elites around but her and Eld seemed to be the only ones fit to the task without the risk of dying. That was the whole point. No deaths. She made that very clear from the start. Enough blood had been shed already.

However, planning can only get you so far. It was time for the execution.

"Please be careful!" Petra urged, hugging her tightly. Dilan chuckled and nodded.

"I'll do my best." She replied as the redhead let her go and took a step back. Petra, Oluo and Gunther were the first squad to attack. She turned to Eld. "Start with the big ones. Don't pull anything risky or I'll beat your ass. Attack the weak spots, hang back and regroup. Got it, Gin?" She questioned, narrowing her orange eyes. Eld chuckled.

"Course, boss. You know I'm older than you right?" He raised an eyebrow. Dilan rolled her eyes.

"Age comes with experience, pal. You're less green than those chumps but you aint my level. Not yet anyway." She smirked. Eld smirked back.

"Guess I have a lot to learn then." He mused. Dilan hummed in agreement.

"17 metre on the right first then double round and take the 15-metre next to it, understand?" She refocused. Eld nodded seriously. "SQUAD ONE AND TWO. PREPARE YOURSELVES!" Dilan yelled, nodding in approval as she received confirmations.

"Wait." Eld said before she could jump. Dilan raised an unamused brow.

"Not quitting on me yet, are ya?" She frowned. Eld shook his head.

"How the hell are we supposed to get to them?" He asked, gesturing to the titans being further than grappling distance. Titans were moaning and reaching for them underneath. They were too on top of each other and Dilan was hoping if they acted as bait it would space them out a bit since the 15 and 17 metre were in the distance.

"Follow my lead and don't die." Dilan replied before jumping down. A titan grabbed for her and she chopped off its fingers, jumping on its palm onto its head. She ducked under a hand, running along the bodies before jumping off again and hooking into the 17 meters leg, scraping the back on the ground with the close call. She looked back, pleasantly surprised to see Eld kept pace with her, if only barely, hooking in the leg too and grappling towards her.

"That was fucking insane!" He exclaimed. Dilan laughed and nodded, dodging a hand as it tried to swipe for her. Eld went to take out it it's weak spots but Dilan stopped him.

"We need to wait for the horde to disperse a bit and for these fuckers to move closer. The squads won't be able to pull moves like that." Dilan explained. Eld nodded in understanding and they waited, making a lot of noise purposely as they dodged limbs trying to grab them and the hordes left the trees in favour of eating them since they seemed to be closer in reach. As soon as they were close enough Dilan acted. "Now!" She said, speeding down to the ankles and taking out both of the heels in one swoop. Eld blinded the bastard with its blade as it fell to the ground and they moved onto the next one as Squad One dispatched to kill the thing. Performing the same actions on the 15 meter and regrouping on the tree as Squad Two killed the second one. It worked like clockwork and the two giant beasts were disintegrating on the ground as everyone cheered.

"FUCK YES!" Oluo yelled, pumping his fists. Eld grinned and Dilan grinned back, suddenly noticing how close he was to her. Her heart jumped a bit, but she took a breath and calmed down. Eld seemed okay and she didn't have time to freak out anyway.

"DON'T CELEBRATE YET. 24 MORE TITANS TO GO. REMEMBER! WE CONTINUE WITH THIS METHOD ON THE LARGE FUCKERS. ME AND ELD WILL FINISH THE STRAGGLERS ONCE WE DON'T RUN THE RISK OF ENDING UP AS TITAN SHIT! UNDERSTOOD!?" She yelled out to the cadets.

"UNDERSTOOD!" They replied and she nodded in approval, glad they had decided to trust her.

"Ready for round two?" Eld smirked.

"After you, greenie." She smirked back.


Another hour later and things were tight, but they were still pulling it off. There had been a few close calls with cadets but there were currently no more casualties and Dilan was counting that as a win. They were tired, hungry and on the verge of collapse, but Dilan was keeping them going. The only real problem was, the cadets were using their gas too much and they were starting to drop out of the sky.

"DILAN!" A random cadet yelled as he started plummeting after making the slice with his squad. Dilan snapped her head around at his distress and left the titan to Eld, sling shooting herself around a titan leg to collide into the cadet, inches before he would have hit the ground. She clung onto him and grappled onto the falling titan, managing to slow their fall before they both toppled to the ground. It was an unceremonious landing but there were no broken bones, so it was good enough for her.

"Alright?" She asked, gently slapping the kids face as he blinked dizzily. He was only 14. Must have graduated early the poor fucker.

"F-fine. T-Thanks." He stuttered as his friends landed, running to him.

"No problem kid. Get him off the ground." She ordered his friends and they nodded, helping him up and running towards the trees to grapple up to safety. "Where the fuck is that purple flare?" Dilan mumbled to herself as Eld landed beside her. They watched as the next squad killed the titan Eld had weakened, barely making it back to the tree before collapsing.

"Things are getting bad." He commented.

"No shit." Dilan sighed, retying her sweaty hair. They were running out of gas, they couldn't retreat, they were tired, more and more titans kept appearing and some of them were starting to try their hand at climbing the trees. "We're dead if Erwin doesn't pull us out soon." She grimaced at the blood, wiping it on her bloodier uniform as she started back towards the tree line, flinching slightly as the next purple flare soared high in the sky. This was good and yet very bad.

"HELL YES!" The cadets cheered, gaining some spirit. Dilan sent Eld a look before sprinting back to the trees, getting up a branch in time to meet a second flank squad leader as he came up to them.

"Fuck. You guys are really still alive?" He mused, scoffing slightly. Oluo frowned and opened his mouth but Dilan shot him a look and he backed down.

"We're doing our best, sir." Dilan gritted. He looked them up and down, seeing the half dead troops and clicked his tongue.

"Sure. Well, move out to your next check point. The second Flank occupies this land now." He said sternly. Dilan blinked at him.

"You fucking serious?" She hissed. The squad leader frowned.

"Watch your tone cadet. Where are your squad leaders?" He asked. Dilan glared.

"Dead, sir. Killed by the titans who walk the very ground you are asking us to step out on." She said slowly, pointing at the snapping 3 meter she had been grimacing at for the last hour. The squad leader gulped before straightening up.

"Regardless. These are orders. The first flanks job is keeping the titans away from the other flanks. When your time has come, we will deal with what's remaining." He said emotionlessly.

"You're asking us to die, aren't you?" A cadet asked.

"I'm asking you to follow orders." He growled as more squads came behind him and he gave them a look. They seemed reluctant but unsheathed their blades anyway, making the 49 cadet's position very clear. Follow orders or die.

"Dilan, we won't make it out there." Eld whispered through gritted teeth.

"Well aware, Gin." She hissed back. Fuck, this is a bad position. Where the hell is Levi when you need him to put some glorified squad member back in his place. In fact, where is Levi, period? She expected him to fly down here, rain on the parade and drag her ass back to her post sooner rather than later. Wonder where the bastard is off?

"Now!" He hissed. Dilan swallowed. Guess this was it.

"At least let those who have no gas, stay behind." Dilan argued. He hesitated but nodded.

"We will be checking though. If you lie, you'll be killed on sight." He warned and the group gulped.

"Go on guys. I'm proud of you for fighting so far." She smiled encouragingly and about 10 of the 49 stepped up, looking almost reluctant to leave. Perhaps they didn't want to abandon their comrades. Dilan could respect that. The 10 turned and saluted her before being taken by the second flank which confused her a bit but she smiled, nonetheless.

"Dilan? W-what now?" Petra asked as they faced the grinning titans. Dilan sighed. They would die out there. She knew it. But... maybe she could make a deal.

"Squad leader, sir." She turned to his annoyed face.

"Yes, cadet."

"If I go alone to the checkpoint and the horde follow that is still acceptable correct?" Dilan asked, raising an eyebrow. The man blinked at her. "Why sacrifice 39 good soldiers when you can get the job done with one?" She pointed out. he frowned slightly.

"I suppose. However, you wont last long. Do you suggest I send them out one by one?" He asked. Dilan bit at her lip. She just had to buy time until the final purple flare. She could do that.

"You won't need to." She said confidently, ignoring his spluttering before turning to the group she had grown fond of over the last few hours. They were looking at her with panic.

"Dilan don't go." Petra breathed. Dilan smiled.

"I have to." She turned to the squads. "Thanks for fighting for me guys. Now I fight for you." She said seriously, surprised as they all saluted her again.

"It was an honour ma'am!" One of the younger cadets said.

"We're sorry for misjudging you!" Another shouted out. And similar thanks and apologies followed. Dilan smiled.

"No worries. Someone do me a favour and tell my squad I love them, yeah?" She asked the very emotional looking Petra and Oluo who nodded quickly in reply. Eld stood firm.

"I'm coming with you." Eld said seriously. Dilan smirked.

"No. You're not, greenie." She chuckled.

"I am Dilan! You'll die out there by yourself." He protested. Dilan rolled her eyes and took a step towards him, ignoring how he tensed and swallowed slightly as his cheeks heated up a bit. She used his surprise to unbuckle his gas canisters before taking a step back. "Dilan!" His eyes widened in dread.

"Sorry green." She walked away, strapping the extra canisters to her sides. It was heavy but manageable. Hopefully this would last her, she still had quite a lot of gas remaining. Eld ran to stop her but she had already jumped off the branch. "See you on the other side!" She laughed, twisting and shooting her wires before reaching the bottom.

Dilan took a deep breath, opening her flaming eyes which were burning with determination. She used the titans as trees to get away, dodging the snapping of jaws, the grabbing of hands and the slapping of stray limbs. It didn't take her long to get out into the open and from there she ran. The check point was a tree in the distance. It was a pathetic tree but it would do when she needed to regroup. One glance behind her showed about half of the titans were following, although the others stayed staring at the large amount of bodies. Dilan grit her teeth in annoyance. She knew if she didn't get most if not all of them to follow her, that dicksack of a Sargant would start sending more bodies out with her.

"OI, FUCKFACES COME GET ME! I'M FRESH OF THE PRESSES BASTARDS! FUCKING DELICIOUS!" Dilan yelled, grinning madly as the titans turned and started walking towards the fresh appetiser on the ground all by herself. "Oh shit." She hissed as one of them jumped before his limbs started moving at an unimaginable speed. A fucking abnormal.

Dilan sprinted, her chest heaving as she pushed her legs to the limit, wanting to create as much space between her and that bastard as she could. Her body shook as its footsteps created tremors in the earth's surface and she almost stacked it more than once. Only when the creature, dived headfirst and was about to swallowed her did she decide to turn around and deal with it. Sliding sideways she narrowly missed the titan's pearly teeth as the jaw snapped shut and the eyes flicked towards her. She heard a scream of her name that she assumed was Petra but paid no attention. She needed to focus on surviving right now.

"Alright, bastard." She hissed, flipping backwards as it snapped at her again and made the bold move of hooking into its face since there were no higher options with it laying down. She ran at it, digging her feet in the side of its cheek, missing it's teeth by a hair as she scrambled up its featured face and hooked into the neck. The beast flung its head back and she almost fell but kept place and drove her blades deep into its neck, smirking as gas erupted. There was a distanced cheer as she looked back at the horde of titans about to descend on her and heaved a breath. One down. 20 to go. She sighed.


Dilan didn't know how long it was later but even she would admit she was struggling terribly. The titan bodies were starting to stack up. She wasn't aware of how many she had killed but things were getting dizzy and her blades were running out. Not that she could hold them well anyway. They were slick with titan blood. What she wouldn't give to have Levi's pocket cloth right now. The bastard may have a point for keeping that thing on him at all times. Not that she would ever admit such a thing to his face.

"Shit!" Dilan cursed, hanging onto the trunk as one of the abnormals rammed into the side, shaking the tree for all it's worth. She had managed to get here after a long time of fighting while running and running while fighting. She wasn't even sure how she got here but it was a pretty great achievement in her books. As soon as the purple flare was fired the cadets would be saved and she could give in. She couldn't die before then because the bastard of a squad leader would start sending cadets out. Oluo would probably be next and he'd die instantly. No, she had to hang on a little longer and then-

Dilan's thoughts were cut short as the titan rammed the tree again and her foot slipped.

"Fucking shit!" She hissed, gasping as she was grabbed by a 13 meter. She stared at it with wide eyes as the creepy fucker started bringing her towards it's mouth. Was this really it? After all that? Dilan glanced down at the titan bodies, smiling a bit. She had killed at least 30 she'd say. If the titans had stayed original, then perhaps she would be free by now but more and more kept coming. She was fucking exhausted. Maybe it was time to rest...

"I'll only promise if you do to. Neither of us die tomorrow. We do whatever it takes to come back alive. Deal?" He offered, holding out his hand. Dilan smiled in relief, shaking it."Deal." She replied. Levi nodded in approval.

No. No, that's right. She had a promise to keep. She made a fucking promise and she was going to follow it through.

Dilan opened her eyes with a burning fire, gritting her teeth as she grabbed her blade and drove it up the creature's hand with every drop of strength she had left. Steam erupted and the titan roared, dropping her. Adrenaline took over and she dodged multiple hands and jaws as she fell into the circle of titans. Something hit her, hit her deep. She wasn't dying today. SHE WASN'T DYING TODAY!

"Fuck no!" She hissed, swinging round a titan and plunging her swords deep into the nape. Steam burst as another titan grabbed at her. She ran up the arm and sliced along their nape.

This process repeated on and on and on and she kept going, even when her lungs were screaming at her to stop. Even when her body felt like it was going to give out any second. She kept fighting, she kept dodging, she kept going because she had a promise to keep and Church's keep their promises.

Dilan breathed out shakily as she sliced the last nape and collapsed on the pile of titan bodies that had stacked up almost as high as the tree. Fuck she was tired. So tired she didn't much care that the steaming bodies were slowly burning her alive. Was the world supposed to spin like that? Was it supposed so shake? Wait... no she knew that sound.

"Fuck..." Dilan moaned, too tired to move as she felt the titan getting closer. Where the hell do these things come from anyway? They're pissing me off. Dilan blinked lazily as a giant hand started reaching towards her. Sorry Levi. She thought with a sigh, closing her eyes. She blinked as she heard the distinct sound of the 3DGM before steam shot out and the earth rumbled as the titan fell. Dilan blinked open her tired orange eyes in time as a horrified Levi ran over to her. "Hey!" She grinned lazily. "I didn't die." She mused, chuckling a bit in her drunken exhaustion.

"I am going to fucking kill you brat!" He yelled. Dilan smirked.

"Fair enough." She mumbled, feeling Levi pick her up as they flew back down the pile of degrading bodies and Dilan briefly registered herself being shoved over a horse saddle the wrong way and leaning into something warm before everything turned black.


A/N: Yo! That was a fun chapter to write. Sorry about the lack of Levi but sometimes Dilan has to deal with stuff by herself. Until she's about to die of course. That's when we kinda need Levi to step up again. He cut it a bit close there. Wonder where he's been? Wonder how Mikes squad is doing? Guess we'll find out next chapter.

We met Levi squad in this chapter. Or should we say future Levi squad. We're not exactly there yet but we're getting close.

Thanks for reading and leaving comments. I'm so glad you like how things are progressing. Stay safe! X