Death: And here goes the beginning of the end. I have decided to make this into two or three parts, and then the aftermath of retaking Wall Maria. Things are going to be really intense.
Chapter Twenty Three Retaking Shiganshina Part One
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The Survey Corp was sent out of the gates with cheer exactly one week after the incident with the Beast Titan. The entire fraction released a roar as they burst out of the gate, and their enthusiasm was echoed by the crowd of civilians behind them. Queen Historia sent them off with a parade, bringing hope for the first time in ages, believing that they were about to regain lost territory.
Levi led the Special Forces Squad and the Queen's Guard in the center behind the front lines. It had taken much consideration whether or not to allow him in the expedition, for there was the fear he would be under the control of the Beast Titan once again. But Eren assured everyone that if he could pull the captain out of that control, he could do it again. And surprisingly, the Queen's Guard were welcomed to join in this expedition with open arms from all around.
He was grateful of the support from his squad and the majority of the Survey Corp. And Erwin openly having the final say that he had every right to be part of the mission. And just when things couldn't get better, the man presented him a ring. It was simple, just a band of silver. Levi accepted it, and with his heart racing he saw that Erwin wore a matching one on his ring finger.
Levi admired it in the glinting morning sun as they rode, loving how it stood out against the dappled gray of his mount. Queen Historia had granted him the horse without consequence, just as he knew she would. They shared a love for horses, since his mare was retired for the time being. As a good token to support their union, the queen even gave Erwin the horse he borrowed when his own horse was otherwise preoccupied.
It was the least she could do to grant them her blessings. And these two horses were supposed to be the best out of her stables. Yet she freely handed over ownership, knowing that there will be better horses in a few years. She made it clear she was looking forward to Stella's first foal.
Up front, Erwin slowed the pace just a little. And so Levi pulled the reins just enough to slow his mount, and watched as a few squads from either side of the formation sped forward to scout ahead. The formation this time was different, more close knit as they were focused on making a speedy travel in the long distance to Wall Maria. At the same token, they were to protect the cargo as best as they could.
Hange had worked hard on creating new weapons to fight against the Armored Titan.
As they neared the first small abandoned village, they came across only a few titans. However, Levi felt his heart drop at the sight of a black flare. Without even glancing back he waved the signal to Mikasa to lead the Special Forces Squad to help take care of it, leaving him to lead the Queen's Guard to protect Eren.
"Good luck, guys!" Hawkins bellowed.
"May the Wings of Freedom carry you all to victory!" Sasha replied.
When they passed through the village, the abnormal titan came too close to the center for their liking. Levi didn't even flinch when debris flew over his head while his squad screamed. He did a check over to see that no one was hurt, and then he saw that the abnormal had its eye on them.
"Captain! What do we do!?" Lukas glanced behind him to see the abnormal closing in.
"Do not engage. Leave it to the Scouts to take care of it." Levi instructed calmly.
"How in the hell are you so calm!?" Fritz was in a near state of panic.
"Keep your head in the game, man! This isn't training drills!" Jay reprimanded.
"I'm just wondering how in the hell he can remain so calm!"
"He's always like this during a mission. I think it comes from his years as an assassin." Eren piped up.
"And that's the secret? But titans aren't human targets!" Lukas frowned.
"Look at Hawkins and Lavena, they're not freaking out either. Assassin training is a whole different ball game compared to the rest of us. They're on a different level, more suited in the midst of chaos." Jay noted the two assassin trainees.
Everyone glanced at the girls to see that indeed, they were calm and collected just like the captain.
"And we're not receiving that kind of training, why?" Frederika inquired, a little jealous.
"You lot would crack if I gave you that kind of training. None of you have the mental capacity to survive it. On top of it, those two haven't even endured the real tests to pass as an assassin." Levi stated coldly.
"What are you saying? What kind of tests did you have to endure?" Lavena frowned.
"To pass in my generation, we had to endure torture. Everything ranging from physical, mental, emotional, and lastly sexual from the ages of thirteen until we passed it all without killing ourselves. You ever wondered why we're all so fucked up in the head? It's because we survived all of that and passed. It's no wonder how Liucretsia became a nut case bitch from hell, and I'm not much better off."
Everyone stared at the captain. This was the first time he ever revealed what he had to endure. Something clicked in Eren's head. It started to make sense, now that he thought about it. He had wondered why the captain would have dark desires with Kenny, despite them both being men and family.
Is that why he had urges with his uncle?
Up ahead, they heard the order from Erwin that they all keep going, don't bother engaging. Their objective was to protect the cargo, and not lose any precious supplies. Behind them, the Special Forces Squad easily handled the situation of the abnormal, and everyone was at ease. But they all knew they weren't out of the woods yet. They still had a long distance to cover.
The rest of the day continued on like this until the group approached an abandoned fortress. This was the halfway mark between Walls Maria and Rose. Erwin made the signal they were to stop here. Everyone slowed down with relief. The first half of the mission was cleared. Upon resting and securing the cargo and horses, word spread that no lives had been lost yet.
Morale picked up despite the nervousness of darkness of the night sky.
Everyone worked in shifts, however the majority couldn't sleep. Among them was Levi. His squads took notice and attempted to urge him to sleep. However, when he made it clear he wasn't going to sleep, they gave up. And honestly, the Special Forces Squad should be used to this by now, but at least they tried.
"You're not going to be by Erwin's side?" Eren stared, the only one daring to inquire about it.
"If I do that, then everyone would be hearing me scream. I don't like the idea of making everything awkward, or attract unwanted attention." Levi shrugged, as he nervously fiddled with the ring on his finger.
It was then Eren realized that he had a ring at all.
"He proposed to you?" He felt a little hurt by the sight of it, which didn't go unnoticed.
"How many times do I have to drive into your thick skull to forget about me?" Cold eyes flashed.
Both squads tensed, and for different reasons. The Special Forces Squad were afraid for Eren, and they had every reason to be afraid. They knew of his crush on the captain, and it was annoying how he always got himself cornered in the worst of times to make everything awkward. As for the Queen's Guard, this was news to them about Eren's crush, but they were more afraid of seeing the nasty side of him.
"How am I supposed to forget when you're captain in the Survey Corp?" Eren for once didn't back down.
"Not after this expedition I won't be. I'm retiring from the Survey Corp to devote more time with the Queen's Guard. I already sent in my resignation papers, so don't even start to convince me otherwise. I plan to resign alongside Erwin after this last expedition for the both of us." Levi hated telling them this news like this, but the brat had forced his hand.
"But...you've been captain for such a short amount of time." Armin stared, wide eyed.
"And I have more blood staining my hands than my years as an assassin. Do you honestly believe with how shitty my head is, that I can last much longer here? I'm already prone to meltdowns both off and on the field, the longer I remain the more chances I will lose control of my demons and I won't be able to snap back to reality. And I am not going to force Mikasa or Lavena to kill me should that happen." He countered.
Silence met him, and the atmosphere was increasingly tense. They all knew that he had a good point.
When dawn came, Levi decided to lead the Special Forces Squad while Jean lead the Queen's Guard to protect Eren. This action of him taking a risk of being on the outside didn't go unnoticed by the rest of the Survey Corp. Eyes turned to Erwin expectingly, but when the commander didn't make a fuss, no one else did either. Everyone could sense something happened between Levi and Eren, but chose not to get involved.
They had an important mission to finish.
A short time after midday, they had Wall Maria in sight. And they hadn't encountered any titans yet. Levi felt a sickening feeling, his instincts screaming at him at full force. This wasn't normal. The areas between the walls were infested by titans, so why were they suddenly gone?
His uneasiness grew when they entered Shiganshina without incident. Erwin called for a halt, sensing something was up. This felt too much like a trap. And so, he instructed that the Scouts that have been on titan alert climb the wall to keep an eye out for any possible attacks.
Levi was in the air, surveying from the buildings. Everything seemed abandoned, no sign of Reiner and his group. His heart raced, he hated feeling like a rat in a cage waiting for a trap to be sprung. The anticipation was nearly giving away into panic when he couldn't figure out exactly where and how they were to be swarmed. He didn't like the idea of being herded inside a town like cattle waiting for slaughter.
He glanced over at Erwin, and he was starting to come to the same conclusion.
"What have you guys found up there?" The commander inquired when some of the scouts were coming down from the top of the wall.
"There's signs of people here. And they were here recently, as in within the hour before we came along." Jean reported as he swooped in.
"Hange, the weapons and cargo remain here. I will be starting the move to station the majority of the Survey Corp outside the wall to ward off any oncoming titans. Have Eren transform so we can cover up that hole." Erwin instructed, earning a nod.
"I'm coming with you." Levi jumped down from the rooftop.
"You have your squads to lead, captain." Erwin didn't even bat an eye.
"Let me be selfish in the field just this once. The Special Forces Squad can handle themselves. The Queen's Guard isn't quite ready for facing the level of the Armored Titan or the Colossal. Allow me to lead them to stand guard over the back gate." Levi persisted, he wasn't going to leave Erwin out of his sight.
"The way you sound, something bad is going to happen outside the back gate." The commander caught on, he knew when the assassin's instincts were driving him to a certain area where there was danger.
"Something is about to happen. And I can't shake off the feeling that I have to be by your side." Levi lowered his voice so no one else would overhear.
"You still have the serum?" Erwin inquired in a whisper, almost leaning over.
"Yes, it's still in my pocket, why?" Levi had ensured he didn't leave Wall Rose without it.
"If you ever have to use it to save someone, don't hesitate. Just promise me one thing." Erwin paused, eyes drifting to see Hange directing everyone who weren't helping with the cargo to head back out the back gate.
"What is it?" Levi drew his attention back.
"Promise me that if you had to choose between myself and someone more capable to serve in the Survey Corp than myself, then don't choose me." Erwin stared hard into pale blue gray.
Levi felt his heart flutter in panic. This wasn't something he wanted to hear, especially during a mission.
"Erwin...why? Why are you doing this? You fall, I fall, you can't make me remain behind and be responsible for your death." Levi all about snarled, and the taller man leaned in for a brief kiss.
"It's just strange dreams plaguing me. Forgive me. Perhaps I've gone a little senile already."
That's a lie. That's a lie, and you know it. Senile would be Kenny. Just what are you hiding from me?
"EVERYBODY RUN! THEY'RE INSIDE THE WALLS!" Armin yelled from the wall.
In an instant everyone was in motion. Levi led the Queen's Guard through the back gate as chaos ensued, the Survey Corp scrambling to get out of the immediate danger zone. Levi caught sight of the Armored Titan just before he passed through the gate, and he heard the familiar challenging roar of Eren.
However, as soon as the group that weren't going to be part of the battle in Shiganshina, the Colossal Titan appeared and clogged up the gate behind them with the use of rubble from buildings. Levi stared at it with his heart sinking. This was bad, if they couldn't be immediate help if those trapped inside needed help, then they were trapped.
"Beast Titan approaching!" Someone raised the alarm.
Immediately everyone scrambled to hide behind the buildings surrounding the back gate. Levi pulled his horse to a stop, as he quickly thought over what to do from here. He glanced around to see the fear and panic rising out of the entire Survey Corp, as well as his squad.
"It's coming with a hoard of titans behind it!" A Scout updated, peering over a rooftop.
Shit, we're pinned with nowhere to go and we have to fight them with barely any way to get in the air.
Levi glanced around, the buildings barely gave them enough cover. And there was no way for them to be in the air should the buildings be destroyed. Which, for a titan, destroying buildings are quite easy. He glanced from Commander Erwin to his squad, as fear gripped at his heart. He wasn't sure if he felt that his squad was better off inside Shiganshina or outside.
It hit him hard he might have just condemned his squad to death in favor of being by Erwin's side.
Levi didn't have time to feel his regret when the buildings began to crumble. Someone reported the Beast Titan wasn't going to fight them head on. Instead it was throwing pebbles and rocks their way to slowly destroy their cover. It also seemed as if the other titans weren't charging in either.
"Commander, what do we do!?"
"Sir, we can't last much longer like this! We're pinned with nowhere to run!"
There is one way to handle this.
Levi stared at the hand of his ring. Could he really do it? Could he sacrifice so many lives for this one chance?
He glanced up as the chaos intensified. His eyes first caught his daughter, and she caught his gaze. There was a chance they couldn't make it out of this alive. And instead of seeing fear or anger in her eyes, he saw resolve. She wasn't reluctant as she nodded at him with encouragement, knowing he had a plan.
Levi turned his gaze to Erwin. All he could see was the man's back. He was tall and proud, and despite a missing arm he was ready to charge forward without regret. It seemed as if he wanted to fight onward, instead of hiding behind crumbling buildings that were soon become nothing to prevent the Beast Titan from wiping out the huge number of the Survey Corp.
And then there would be no stopping it from reaching Eren and the few numbers inside Shiganshina.
Gulping, Levi strode towards Erwin and with his voice cracking, he spoke loud enough to catch his attention.
"I have a plan. And it will require a lot of people possibly dying for me."
Pale blue gray met deep blues that held the sky in them. There was no fear in them, much like Lavena.
"What do you have in mind?" There was no hesitation.
"I need a number of people charging on horseback towards the Beast Titan, while I lead the Queen's Guard to fight it and the other titans. If anyone who wishes not to risk their life, can remain behind. I only need just enough to distract them long enough and kill them." Levi gulped, never breaking eye contact with Erwin.
He silently tried to relay what his heart wanted.
Please don't lead them in the front lines. Please, love.
However, he knew in his mind what kind of man the commander was.
"I will be leading this charge. Anyone who wishes to follow may. And whoever wishes to stand behind will be given full immunity. There will be no backlash for remaining behind while your comrades charge onward, possibly to their deaths." Erwin announced for everyone to hear.
Levi closed his eyes, willing away the tears. He never cried in front of the Survey Corp, he wasn't going to start now. His squad was one matter, the rest of the Survey Corp as a whole was a different matter entirely. He pushed aside the inner turmoil of his heartstrings breaking and he opened his eyes, nearly whimpering at the sight of everyone saluting, their signal of signing up.
All of them were going to charge.
I am about to essentially wipe out the Survey Corp just by making them sacrifice themselves.
The only people who had better chances of surviving were the Queen's Guard and himself.
Levi focused his gaze back upon Erwin, and he felt his heart shatter.
"You fall, I fall. I am your bird, your queen in the field, and your greatest weapon. You are my sky. Without you, I have nothing left. What bird can fly without the sky to reach out to?" Levi blinked back the tears.
"You can't fly, if you never try, little bird." Erwin replied with a soft smile, allowing a moment of affection to cup the pale cheek with his hand. He always admired how soft the captain's skin was.
A single tear fell. And hating seeing the pained expression of his lover, Erwin leaned in for a kiss. It was brief, gentle, and almost like a goodbye. No, Levi was not going to allow this to be their last. He reached up and kept Erwin there, deepening it with more passion and vigor. When the other scouts began to cat wall and whistle, he pulled away.
"Erwin Fucking Smith, you better not die on me out there. Or I will find you in the afterlife and kill you again." Levi's eyes flashed with burning promise.
"I would like to see you try, love." Erwin smirked playfully.
Five minutes later the Survey Corp was assembled in formation. The Beast Titan paused in throwing rocks as it watched them curiously. Levi and the Queen's Guard remained hidden and out of sight as Erwin led the group with a roaring charge. The sight of them yelling in unison as they galloped forward with such bravery and eagerness, one would have assumed they were charging an opposing force on equal ground.
If only the enemy weren't ten meter or taller titans.
Levi urged his horse forward, and the Queen's Guard silently followed suit as they came from the side.
"Engage as you see fit. I don't expect all of us returning alive, and forgive me for condemning all of you to our possible deaths. But let me give one point clear. That fucking Beast Titan is mine. I will deliver the killing blow to it, as it is my hands that will be stained by the blood of our comrades." Levi snarled to them.
To prove his point, he had taken off his black jacket and tossed it to the wind. He was no captain of the Queen's Guard, or the Special Forces Squad right now. And they realized he was still back in his old gear from his days as an assassin. And they realized that he wasn't even corporal, he was simply acting of his own accord as a man gambling with everything he had left in life and ready to face Lady Death in the face.
Lady Death, I have delivered many to you by my hands, willingly or against my will. Do me one small favor.
He was airborne, and with a quick slice the first of many titans were down. He quickly escalated to continue up the line. And much to his glee, the Beast Titan didn't notice as the titans it came with were slaughtered.
If it means sacrificing myself for both of them to survive, then so be it. I will gladly accept your kiss.
Levi heard his inner demons agree with him for once, the first time they ever agreed on anything.