Sorry if the quality of the chapter decreased in the last one. For some reason I just couldn't get into writing it, if that makes sense. Anyways, enjoy!
※ ※ ※ ※ ※ ※ ※ ※ ※ ※ ※
Alida couldn't believe what just happened. Just a few seconds ago they were making their escape, and then in a blink of an eye, this happened.
[Alida: R-Ruth, b-bbut you can't, no, p-please!]
But the only response she got was the titan lunging toward her.
While they were flying away from the heroes, a sudden explosion sent them both flying. At first Alida thought it was the hero called Dime, but once she got to her feet and glanced toward her friend, her heart sank. In Ruth's place was a ten-meter pure titan with an unsatisfiable thirst for her blood. How did this even happen? Ruth had never been injected with the serum, yet now she's...
The titan jumped toward Alida, crashing into the ceiling and causing pieces of debris to come crashing to the floor. Alida couldn't comprehend anything going on because she was in so much shock, and thus her reflexes were far too slow. Alida did manage to avoid the oncoming attack, however, but the trajectory she fired her ODM was off, causing the two cords to collide sending her crashing into the floor with far too much velocity to spare. She hit the floor and ricocheted into the wall with an unnatural cracking sound; the sound of bones shattering.
Ruth, the titan, had hurled her entire body weight toward Alida, and as a result, collided into the wall and caused the building's roof to come crashing down and trap it. Noticing this opportunity, Alida tried to stand, but the moment she tried to move she ended up coughing blood and her vision turned a burning white and then slowly faded back. She felt sick. Once Alida realized the situation she was in, panic rushed over her. Ruth had transformed into a titan somehow, and she was lying only a few meters away from her and unable to move. No doom could be any clearer.
Maybe I could use my ODM gear from here. But as she attempted to act on these thoughts, she noticed her right arm was bent at an odd angle and unable to move, and she was lying on top of her left, meaning she'd have to move to pull her arm out. Just the thought of trying to move again sent everything in her stomach to her throat. Luckily, since she chose not to eat or drink anything beforehand the only thing she threw-up was a mixture of yellow bile and blood.
[Alida: ...!]
Wait a minute, I didn't eat or drink anything! That drink Chief Surma was handing out! Is that why –no, the Survey Corps wouldn't do that! Eren wouldn't do something like that... right? Alida's thoughts were cut short, because Ruth had finished breaking through the fallen debris that had trapped her, and now turned her attention once again back to her pray. In the end, it looked like she'd never know the answer to those questions.
[Alida: R-Ruth... I'm sorry]
Just as they started to water, Alida closed her eyes. This was it. I joined the Survey Corps to save people like how he had saved me. But now -
[Alida: I can never save anyone!]
Tears streamed down her face as she braced herself for the end. She felt the ten-meter titan grab her by the waist, which caused everything to flash a hot white. Not the kind of white that she saw when she tried to move, but something on a completely different level. This kind of white felt like fire was burning her entire body, like a never-ending ocean of nothing but pain that she alone was dropped in the middle of. Although to her it felt like ages before it ended, in actuality, it was but a few seconds before she lost consciousness.
She wasn't out for long however. As a matter of fact, it was barely a few seconds, but in that time her mind felt as though it had reset, and the once (quite literally) unbearable pain was replaced with barely bearable pain. She felt as though she had just woken up after a long day of exhausting work, and when her eyes finally focused, she found herself facing the open jaws of a titan. So, she braced herself for the inevitable. As she felt herself fall into the monster's mouth, Alida felt adrenaline rush over her, forcing her to attempt one last ditched effort to escape. Alida pushed against the titan's tongue with all the meager amount of strength that she had left, allowing her head to pass through the titan's mouth just as its jaw came crashing down.
Once again, Alida found herself back in an ocean of excruciating pain, but this time she felt herself sinking, falling deeper into the ever-expanding sea. The titan had bitten off her left arm, and now was going in for another attack, and Alida didn't have any strength left to resist. But once the titan opened its mouth wide, instead of biting into her to ingest her spinal fluid, the titan froze. Extremely light headed and exhausted, Alida wondered what it was it was waiting for. The titan closed its mouth and after staring at her for a few seconds, the titan released its grip.
Falling...
Falling...
Falling...
...black.
※ ※ ※ ※ ※ ※ ※ ※ ※ ※ ※
[Eren: Tsk]
Eren was frustrated for multiple reasons. The first was because of all the people with amazing talents and leadership skills that forced him to kill them. Those among them (and no doubt that there were) who were free could have helped to lead this world to greatness after the purge, but now, just as he was with every new realm he visited, Eren was disappointed. The second reason he was frustrated was something anyone who laid eyes on him would instantly understand. That is, the six bullet holes that covered his body.
Eren wasn't mad at Snipe for shooting him, instead he felt that it was a rather courageous act that even he had to respect. Rather, he was mad at himself for not being cautious enough. You see, during the invasion of the first Realm, Eren received multiple Witch Genes: Two he stole from Satella, one from the Sin-Archbishop of Wrath, one from a Sin-Archbishop of Gluttony, and then one from the Sin-Archbishop of Greed. Greed's power was Lion Heart, which allowed him to put himself and everything he touches into an unchangeable state, preventing all damage from the outside once its activated. Eren still has yet to master all these powers, but the pain he felt from the bullets could have easily been prevented had he just activated this power.
The last frustration Eren felt was due to the pathetic amount of strength the people here had. If they really wished to oppose him, then they should at the very least be able to kill a couple of pure titans. But instead they were all eaten without anything worthy of being called a fight, including that shit-head Snipe, who shot Eren. This reason irritated Eren the most. Absolutely pathetic.
[Eren: huh?]
As Eren finally stepped out of the titan infested building, something moving near a bush caught his eye. Oh, I get it, they're here. The Deliverance. Immediately realizing what was happening Eren prepared for battle. Hopefully these enemies didn't disappoint him. Might as well take out the guy in the bush first.
[Eren: !]
[?: Haaayh!]
Just as Eren went for the kill, another extremely fast enemy flew past waving his sword as he went. Eren quickly leapt out of the way but wasn't fast enough to avoid all the damage. The blade cut through his left calve deep enough to see the white of bone, although it was only visible for a while because soon after his entire leg was turned red.
[Eren: Damn!]
After the second enemy disappeared, four more appeared, dropping from the trees and armed with fully loaded rifles. In perfect sync, the four riflemen open-fired at Eren. Avoiding four bullets at once is next to impossible, even for someone with skills on par with Eren. As a result, Eren was hit by one bullet and grazed by two. Having enough of their bullshit, Eren activated Lion Heart, the Sin Archbishop of Greed's Witch Gene, and then called for all the pure titans on the island to his location. Eren, with Lion Heart activated, waved his hand toward the four enemies in front of him, and then the unchangeable "frozen" energy he released through the air with his time-stop caused an enormous chain reaction, its power slowly building as the blast tore through the air straight towards the ignorant enemies.
Three of the rifle-men were instantly decapitated, while the last just barely made it out of the way. An ODM cord shot past Eren, and the soldier hiding in the bushes came flying at him, waving his sword with all his might. But instead of slicing through Eren's chest, the sword instantly shattered once it touched Eren. Eren smiled at the attacker's shocked expression, and then stomped the floor causing a massive earthquake throughout the area.
The man who was in the bush's ODM cord had ledged into a tree, but Eren's earth quake caused the tree to crash to the floor, and the man with it. Eren reflexively turned toward the lone survivor of the rifle group and sent a second blast toward him. A fog of red and a man's screams filled the area as both of his legs went flying. Just as Eren was wondering where the first person who attacked him went, he heard an all too familiar voice behind him.
[?: Eren!]
Eren cringed as he spun around. This was one reunion that he wasn't looking forward to. Standing behind him and next to the soldier that first attacked him, was a blonde boy dressed in a blue vest, standing with his swords drawn and ODM gear equipped. Eren Yeager's childhood friend, and current holder of the Colossal and Armored Titan.
[Eren: Armin Arlert]
※ ※ ※ ※ ※ ※ ※ ※ ※ ※ ※
[?: Dammit! Hey, Freezard! I need more cloth!]
[Freezard: It's not working anyways! Just forget it! I'll just burn it shut!]
Pain.
Excruciating pain. But that's all these past couple of hours have been isn't it? Pain, confusion and suffering? This was nothing new.
[Freezard: There, at least she's not bleeding now. Now we just need to find a way off of this island before those monsters come back.]
[?: What are you even talking about?! Your say'n we should run?! No way! We're supposed to be protecting everyone in the central office!]
[Freezard: You still think that's an option? Listen Dime, we've no idea what's going on, almost all communications are off, and those that aren't off no one will answer us from! We were attacked by an enemy we know nothing about, and didn't you hear those explosions? Most of them came from the Central Office! The best course of action would be to evacuate!]
[Dime: Are you kidd'n me?! Even if they did come from central, we should still at least look for any survivors! Don't be such an idio-]
Dime's sentence was cut short when they both noticed Alida had opened her eyes. Perhaps because they didn't trust her, or to avoid being too loud around her because of her condition, Dime then leaned toward Freezard and whispered in his ear at volume Alida could just barely hear.
[Dime: Here, you can take the girl and find a way out while I go and search for survivors. We can regroup back at the west-wings emergency exit]
[Freezard: Fine]
With their exchange seeming to come to an end, Freezard bent over and lifted Alida into his arms as Dime turned and ran down the hall. As Dime ran off, Freezard turned to run the opposite way with Alida in his arms and mumbled "You better not die, idiot" under his breath. It was spoken so quietly Alida could barely hear it, let alone Dime, yet it still sounded with incredible and honest concern. Meanwhile, on the other side of the hall, Dime was wishing the exact same thing for his friend.
※ ※ ※ ※ ※ ※ ※ ※ ※ ※ ※
[Armin: Eren! You need to stop this now!]
[Eren: Who gave you the right to order me around! I'm benefitting this world by removing unneeded garbage like you!]
[Armin: There's nothing beneficial about what you're doing! Let alone sane!]
[Eren: Who cares whether or not I'm sane! The only thing that matters is Eldia's freedom! And I'm just removing enemies that would have gotten in the way of that freedom!]
[Armin: These are innocent people who didn't even know Eldia existed! They have never gotten in your way!]
[Eren: -Tsk]
Everything around the two childhood friends seemed to freeze, almost like the entire world was holding its breath. This truly was a calm before the storm.
[Armin: Eren. I know how you feel. I too, have lost many people close to me. I've seen the hell you've been through. No, I didn't just see hell, we started this journey through it together!]
Tears began streaming down Armin's face as he clenched his fist and passionately declared his beliefs.
[Armin: Me, you, Mikasa! We've all been through hell! But just because we've been through hell doesn't mean we should bring it down to earth! Making others suffer doesn't benefit us in any way whatsoever!]
[Eren: …]
[Eren: ...Is that all you have to say?]
Armin, clenching his fists as tears poured from his eyes, looked up from the floor and directly into Eren's eyes. The determination, the fire, the passion within Armin's eyes was as evident as the sun's rising.
[Armin: Eren,]
With his voice cracking with intense emotion, Armin laid out his will for all to see.
[Armin: Please, come home Eren]
It wasn't an order, and it wasn't a dream he could make happen on his own. This was something only Eren could make happen, and so, he made this simple request. Although it was simple, to Armin, that dream meant everything, and he would quickly and easily give his life for it.
[Armin: Please Eren]
[Eren: …]
…
…
Crash!
With the sudden sound of gun-shots, the Deliverance soldier who was standing by a tree dropped to the floor dead. Immediately afterward, Eldian Survey Corps officer Chief Surma, armed with and reloading a rifle, came running from the building.
[Surma: Sir! Enemy reinforcements are no doubt on their way! There are only two known survivors, and one is in critical condition so I can easily take care of them. You should begin the evacuation.]
[Armin: Only two survivors?!]
As Armin ran to the fallen soldier Surma had shot, he couldn't help but be concerned when he over-heard their conversation. At Armin's inquiry, a wicked smile spread across Eren's face as he began to speak.
[Eren: Yes, everyone else was killed, eaten, or transformed into a titan. On both sides.]
[Armin: Eren, how could you do that!]
[Eren: You said it yourself many times, Armin. In order to destroy monsters, you have to become a monster yourself.]
[Armin: But these people aren't monsters! Their just regular people trying to live normal lives, and you're trying to take that away!]
[Eren: Like I said before, I'm just weeding out the garbage so that the free can truly be free]
[Armin: Even if that made sense, the people who are truly free would be the people who resist your purge, because otherwise they'd be slaves to your beliefs!]
[Eren: W-what are you-]
[Armin: If you truly wanted them to be free, then you would have left them alone and free to choose what they want!]
Anger and rage flew through Eren as he glared at Armin. That's not true! I am doing this for their freedom! It's just that I'm- no, what is he trying to do?!
[Eren: What are you trying to say Armin!]
[Armin: I'm saying you don't care about freedom! I'm saying that your "freedom" is just an excuse to take your anger out on someone else!]
…
…
Now he had done it. Eren had had enough of this. If Armin was just going to challenge his core beliefs, Eren would take no part in this.
[Eren: Die]
No sooner had the words left his mouth then an enormous group of pure titans came barreling towards Armin and the soldier next to him. Surma turned and ran back into the building, while Eren casually pulled open a portal and walked through. Although Armin wanted more than anything to stop Eren, his primary concern was with the protection of the soldier beside him and the threat of closing in titans. Armin quickly pulled the man behind him and bit into his wrist, transforming with a devastating explosion.
※ ※ ※ ※ ※ ※ ※ ※ ※ ※ ※
Bang!
What was that?! Dime can't make that big of an explosion! Don't tell me... No, I can't get distracted! I have to find an exit! Freezard was racing down the hall with Alida who had once again fallen unconscious in his arms. His objective was to make it out of the building and find and secure a way of passage off the island for at the very least, three people. But as he ran down the corridor, the spectacle of what could be just around the corner began to get to his head.
Just a little farther! I'm almost out! Is what he told himself as he ran, but even these words of encouragement lost effect when he noticed giant foot-prints on the floor. Time was running out and he knew it. Come on! Come on! The exit is just around this corner! Freezard turned around the corner and to his relief, the door was still standing. After sprinting out the open door, Freezard noticed two things. One was that the facility's west-wing, where they planed their meeting, had completely collapsed because of the titan's attacks. The second was a tremendous amount of smoke that was coming from the buildings entrance. Whatever is going on over there, I'm just so glad I'm not a part of it!
Noting that he would have to contact Dime to notify him of these significant details, Freezard sprinted down to the beach. Once finally arriving there, Freezard confirmed the presence of a ski-boat they could use to escape. That was when he noticed it. Hovering twenty meters above the water, thirty meters off the islands coast, and it itself being a circle measuring ten meters in diameter, was a giant portal. No doubt where these terrorists came from. Freezard quickly set Alida in the boat next to the keys. Standing a few yards from the boat, Freezard pulled out his phone and called Dime. It only took a few seconds for him to answer.
[Freezard: Dime! Okay, so, I found a boat we can escape on, but our meeting place has been destroyed, so can you just meet me down here?
[Dime: Alright, I was just starting back there. So, where are you?
[Freezard: Just head for the south-western exit and make a b-line for the coast. Also, there is a strange portal thing here, as well as a huge amount of smoke by the main-gate, so don't head over there.]
[Dime: I'll check the portal out when I get there, and I'm on my way right now.]
Immediately after saying this short line Dime hung up. Oh, fuck! I forgot to ask if he found any survivors! Although he had no real evidence, Freezard already knew what his answer would have been. He could tell from the disappointment and desperation in his voice. Just as Freezard was thinking these thoughts, he heard something fly past him, and turned around just in time to see Chief Surma flying towards him with his blade drawn. Freezard was stabbed before he could even think.
It was kind of funny; it just felt like someone had punched him in the gut, and yet his eyes told him that he was impaled. Maybe it was the fatigue from such an exhausting day, or maybe it just happened so fast, his brain didn't comprehend what was happening. But either way, the fact remained. Freezard was stabbed.
[Surma: Now, if you tell me where you hid the girl, I'll make your death painless]
[Freezard: …]
Freezard still couldn't wrap his mind around the fact that a sword had impaled his stomach, and because of this, it took a few seconds to figure out what Surma meant. And a few more to come up with a strategy. Wait, the pain hasn't caught up with me yet! I can use that!
Acting on this plan, Freezard slumped over next to Surma, but just before he hit the floor, he swung his fists toward Surma's face. With the amazing strength in Freezard's punch and the addition of all the velocity he had from falling, Surma's face curled and bent, and then he was launched into the ground. But unfortunately, so was Freezard. Freezard had ridden the sword during his fall so it didn't do more damage, but after the punch, he and the sword slammed into the ground, rendering all previous precautions useless.
As Freezard lay on the floor, his intestines began to force their way out through the gapping gash in his belly. Now the pain was working. Even the slightest movements, such as the twitch of a wrist, threatened to render Freezard unconscious. Surma on the other hand, rose to his feet, and began to wipe the blood from his nose off his face.
[Surma: You little shit! You could have just said you wouldn't tell me. Whatever, it looks like I have to finish you off before I can find th-]
Before Surma could finish his sentence, an explosion sent him flying.
[Surma: W-wait, what! I thought there were only two survivors!]
And sure enough, standing over Freezard with hatred burning in his eyes was Dime. Before Surma could react, Dime struck again, but this time, he wasn't playing around.
[Dime: I DON'T GIVE A FUCK WHAT YOU THOUGHT, YOU FUCK'N BITCH!]
And with that he sent a grenade straight toward Surma, which detonated inches from his face, and the curtain has closed on the battle between the survivors and Surma.
Teary eyed, Dime wrapped Freezard's wound as much as he could, but it was too late. As Dime laid Freezard's body in the boat beside the unconscious girl, he started the engine. I should be grateful. He thought, tears streaming down his face as he pressed down on the boat's petal. Grateful that my friend at least has a full body to bury! Dime shuddered at the carnage he had beheld when he walked into the Central Office.
[Dime: For someone to organize an attack like that, to kill people like that, they have to be devils!]
And they were devils. They were the island Devils of Paradis.
※ ※ ※ ※ ※ ※ ※ ※ ※ ※ ※
In order to write the chapters in the best way possible, I'm gonna stop releasing them every day precisely. Instead, you can expect a new chapter to be released within at least 24 hours, at most 72. Thanks for your support so far, and feel free to give any feedback you have through the reviews. Thanks, and I hope you enjoyed!