AN: Merry Christmas, ya filthy animals. Consider this chapter my present to you guys. Here's hoping 2023 is better than 2022.

Once again, I have some music I want you to play when you see "(1)" This is one of my favorite songs ever created. Trust me: you will want to play this song when the time comes.

1. Heavens Divide from Metal Gear Solid Peace Walker.

Chapter 82: When Heavens Divide

(Two weeks before Dillon's escape)

Ymir was really starting to question her judgment in going after Dillon. Reaching the shore was an easy task. Getting across the ocean to reach Marley was another thing entirely. She had decided to use her Titan form so that she could swim faster. It also guaranteed that she would live since Titans can only be killed if the nape is cut; therefore, she couldn't drown. After five long days of doggy paddling, she was so exhausted that her limbs felt like they were about to fall off. She heard rumors of Shifters permanently bonding with their Titan forms with no hope of transforming back to a human. That would suck. On the other hand, her body could disintegrate into steam and THEN she would drown. Neither option was very appealing.

"You'll owe me big time for this, Dillon," she said to herself, "and I'm going to collect."

Just when steam began clouding her vision, a foghorn sounded in the distance. She caught sight of a rectangular shape with dark smoke billowing from the top. It was some type of advanced boat. Did the Marleyans have those sixty years ago? She couldn't remember. There was a high chance that there were Marleyans onboard. Once they saw her, they'd deliver her straight to Marley as an offering for the next Titan Shifter. Her only option was to seize the steamboat for herself. Granted, she had no clue how to steer a steamboat… or any boat for that matter. So much for having her luck turn around.

By this point, the steam coming from her body had blinded her completely. The Titan practically melted off of her, descending into the depths below. The last thing Ymir saw was the shape of the boat pushing through the fog towards her. Then, the ocean claimed her.

Upon regaining consciousness, the first thing Ymir felt was a repeated pattern of pressure pressing down on her chest. It felt like hands. What? Then, her mouth was enveloped by another mouth. The fuck!? Suddenly, a gust of air passed from this person into her own body. That caused her eyes to pop open and started coughing out the water in her lungs.

For a moment, she was seeing spots, but she could see the shape of a man standing above her. Clearly, he was the one who did those weird things to her. "Fucking perverts," Ymir managed out once the water was out of her body.

The man that "accosted" her rolled his eyes. "It's called CPR, dumbass. I just saved your life."

"Right. I bet you say that to all the girls," she hissed.

"Ma'am, requesting permission to throw this bitch overboard!" he exclaimed to someone nearby.

"Request denied," a stern voice answered, footsteps approaching. "The bitch stays… for now."

Ymir turned her head towards the source: a blue-eyed, black-haired woman. "You the one holding his leash?"

"I'm the one trying to keep you alive despite your crass attitude," she answered, looking down at her with disdain. "Be grateful that we fished you out of the water. Letting you drown was, and is, an option."

Ymir forced herself into a sitting position, a wave of nausea hitting her hard. Thankfully, she held it in while she asked, "Who are you people?"

"My name is Yvonne Walermann," the woman responded. "Officially, a spymaster for Marley." Seeing her tense up, she added, "Unofficially, a mediator between the Eldian Restorationists and the Mid-East Allies. In short, young lady, we are on your side."

Ymir glowered at her in suspicion. "Why should I believe you?"

"Hmm. Good point. The Jaw Titan is a valuable prize. The rewards I would receive for delivering one of the 'Titan Devils' are larger than life. I could retire in any country I want." Yvonne knelt to her level. "You have nowhere else to go. A transformation in your condition would resemble a malformed glob of flesh if you're lucky. You don't have the energy to swim, and you're too weak to take us all on. Your only options are to trust us or die." She gestured to the group of well-armed soldiers that had her surrounded.

Ymir hated being put in a position like this. Too many unknowns with no guarantees. Still, she got herself into this situation on a whim. Might as well see it through. "Fine. What do you want?"

"A name would be a good start." She offered her hand to the Shifter.

After a moment's hesitation, she took it, allowing herself to be hoisted up. "Ymir."

"Last name?"

"Don't have one." Ymir gestured to the man. "And who's the pervert?"

"Corporal Mikhail Lancer," he answered with an annoyed tone.

Yvonne decided to explain before an argument could form between the two. "Cardiopulmonary resuscitation. In short, when we pulled you out of the water, you weren't breathing. Corporal Lancer performed chest compressions to get your heart beating and then breathed in your mouth to fill your body with oxygen."

Ymir had the decency to look sheepish for jumping to conclusions. "Great, now I'm the asshole."

"You make it up to us by explaining why you were swimming towards Marley's coast," she pointed out.

Seeing that she literally had no choice, Ymir complied. "An… acquaintance of mine was captured by the Shifters. He was taken to Marley and I'm gonna get him out of there."

Yvonne was caught off guard for the first time today. "Dillon Amsdale?"

"Yeah." Now Ymir was suspicious. "How do you know him?"

"The one behind his capture, Atticus Tybur, made a big deal about it not too long ago," she answered, giving the Shifter a canteen. "He's using his body to create an army of Psions so they can wipe out the threat of the Titans."

"I knew it," Ymir muttered, guzzling down fresh water for a change.

"So what exactly was your plan?" the corporal chimed in.

"Get in, get Dillon, get out," she said as if it was obvious.

Mikhail fixed her with a deadpan expression. "Really? Just like that? So how will you deal with Marley's naval defenses? Or their land defenses? Better yet, the Psions."

"…okay, maybe there are a few holes in my plan," Ymir admitted.

Yvonne pondered the situation for a moment before coming to a decision. "Perhaps we can help each other."

"With all due respect, ma'am, are you sure about this?" Mikhail asked, concerned. "She could run to the Marleyans and blow the entire operation."

"Call it a gut feeling, but I think we can trust her on this. Even if she did betray us, her reward would involve becoming a sacrifice to the next Eldian." Yvonne looked her over with scrutinizing eyes. "A woman crossing an ocean just to die at the hands of Marley seems too far-fetched. Crossing an ocean to save a comrade, on the other hand, is much more likely. Still, we won't tell her everything in case I'm wrong."

Ymir crossed her arms, tapping her foot impatiently. "Well?"

Yvonne resisted the urge to roll her eyes before addressing the rude Shifter. "Here's the short version, kid: Marley is on the brink of war and we're gonna push them over the edge. Once that happens, we'll be striking a critical blow against Marley and destroy Project Psion once and for all. Thanks to your appearance, we now have an opportunity to get your friend out alive."

"Really? How so?" Now Ymir was interested, her skepticism slowly leaving her.

"The original plan was to make sure the facility was empty before destroying it. Unfortunately, that also meant killing Dillon Amsdale as well as any other Psions we can manage. We can adjust the plan to you swooping in, grabbing Dillon, and rendezvousing with the ship before we blow up the building."

"Why give me the opportunity?" Ymir wondered. "Hell, why are you doing this? You're Marleyans. You're supposed to hate Eldians with a burning passion."

Yvonne sighed, knowing that this was gonna come up. "There are three things humanity excels at: waging war, living in the past, and holding grudges. When Karl Fritz took most of the Eldians to Paradis, Marley jumped at the chance to enslave the ones who didn't follow in the king's footsteps. Whatever horrible, despicable thing you can imagine, Marley did to the Eldians to get revenge. It was all justified in our eyes because your race was a race of monsters. You were warmongers and subjugated countless countries for nearly two thousand years, so we're responding in kind. Many other countries followed our example, including the Mid-East Allies. What these countries don't get is that we've become the very devils that we saw you as. Do we have to wait another two thousand years before someone takes the hint?"

Despite everything she just heard, Ymir was apathetic. This just further proved her point that humanity was full of self-serving pieces of shit. One detail, however, stood out to her. "Wait, if you want to help Eldians, then why are these Allies helping you?"

"Don't get me wrong; the Allies despise Eldians almost as much as Marley does." A smirk creased the spymaster's face. "But thanks to Project Psion, our interests align. If we destroy the facility and give them an opening to start the war, then they won't compromise our own operations while the Marleyans are… distracted. Enemy of my enemy and all that."

"Well, that's good, I guess," she replied, shrugging. "Probably will blow up in your face down the line, but whatever."

"Maybe, but until then, we'll cooperate." Yvonne looked at the bridge and shouted, "Helmsman, change of plans! We're heading to Marley!"

"Aye, Captain," the helmsman responded, turning the ship around.

"So, what are we going to do with her until the time comes?" Mikhail asked, still keeping things vague. "She'll need to blend in."

"Well, I could pick up my former occupation the last time I was here. I posed as the goddess Ymir Fritz." Everyone stared at the grinning girl with deadpan expressions. "What? It worked for a while."

Yvonne mentally wondered if all Titan Shifters were this crazy. If so, she might have to reconsider her allegiances. "Yeah, not gonna happen, but don't worry. We've got the perfect disguise for you."

(The day of Dillon's escape)

"Hey, devil!" Mikhail kicked over a bucket of cleaning water all over the deck. "You missed a spot."

Ymir gave him the deadliest glare she could muster before going back to scrubbing the ship's deck.

Clad in gray hand-me-downs and a white armband, this was the only disguise that Ymir could use. She was too malnourished to pull off a convincing Marleyan, even one that had been in the middle out at sea for a while. Not to mention that there was a slight possibility that the Warriors somehow informed Marley of her stabbing them in the back. It wasn't a chance Yvonne was willing to take. An Eldian forced to do hard labor on a ship, however, would not earn her a second glance. Mikhail stuck around to not only keep up appearances, but to ward off any scumbags who might try to take advantage of her.

After replacing her spilled water, Ymir asked, "So, are you gonna tell me the plan?"

"This is the tenth time you've asked me," Mikhail pointed out. "What makes you think I'll change my answer now?"

"Oh, come on, Corporal Killjoy," Ymir complained dramatically. "Think of all the good times we've shared together."

The Marleyan shook his head in disbelief. "How the hell did you even make it this far in life?"

"I'm a stubborn bitch."

"Well, half of that is true."

Before she could say something that would probably earn her a kick to the face, a loud, rumbling sound caught their attention. It was followed by a crash and the ground shaking slightly. Two pairs of eyes drifted to the mountain in confusion only to see smoke rising into the air at its base. Mikhail whipped out his spyglass to examine the situation, and his jaw fell open in shock.

"What? What is it?" Ymir questioned.

"The facility is… it's not there anymore," he answered after a moment.

"That was all part of the plan, right?" Something about this whole situation felt off.

Mikhail confirmed her suspicions with, "We were going to blow it up, not drop it out of the sky! What the hell happened!?" His composure was lost that day.

It didn't take long for Ymir to put two and two together. When she figured it out, she smirked at the realization. "Looks like Dillon decided to take matters into his own hands."

Mikhail stared at the Shifter, baffled. "Are you insane? No one has that kind of power."

"Then clearly it was a rogue team of Psions who just decided to rebel against their masters," Ymir deadpanned. "Which is more likely, genius?"

Gunfire in the distance filled the air, interrupting their conversation.

"At least the war is still on," Mikhail commented. "There's no guarantee that your friend is alive. If you get captured, you're on your own."

Ymir wanted to point out that if Dillon was dead, then she wouldn't still have a mental link with him. The Restorationists didn't trust her that much, so why would they believe her story? She settled for something simpler. "I know him. He's alive, but if I don't get up there, he will probably be killed."

Mikhail heaved a heavy sigh before starting up the car. "Get in."

Ymir hopped in the passenger's seat without hesitation. "Aren't you the gentleman, escorting a lady? And I thought chivalry was dead."

Mikhail was tempted to shoot her, but it wasn't worth wasting the bullets. Not when he was driving into an active warzone. He kept to the coastline as much as he could to avoid the fighting. Thankfully, Ymir was smart enough to keep her head down. No point in arousing suspicion from any onlookers who might wonder why a Marleyan was driving an unrestrained Eldian.

After thirty minutes of taking detours to avoid unnecessary conflict, they arrived at the base of the mountain. Mikhail had no plans of stopping. Instead, he made a sharp left turn and yelled at Ymir, "GO!"

Not needing to be told twice, she leapt out of the car, biting down hard on her hand.

The transformation didn't incinerate her chauffeur, thankfully, but it did provide a shockwave that pushed him back the way he came. Mikhail spared a glance behind him, watching the Jaw Titan climb up the mountain with ease. "Good luck, Ymir," he said sincerely.

Not the first time, Ymir was extremely grateful for the type of Titan she had. Being able to run on all fours, the claws for better gripping, and even her diminutive size served her well. Climbing up this mountain was going to be a breeze. Finding Dillon, however, was going to be a bit challenging. At least she had the mental link to work with.

"Hey, Dillon, it's me. Where are you?" she asked mentally.

There was no response.

Ymir's Titan groaned in annoyance. "Don't start giving me the silent treatment, you little bastard. I'm trying to save you, but I can't do that if you don't talk to me."

Again, there was no answer.

A thought occurred to Ymir, one that gave her a sinking feeling. It wasn't that Dillon chose not to talk to her; it's that he couldn't. Any number of theories could explain it, the top of the list being that he was unconscious. As if finding a small human wasn't hard enough. A part of her wanted to just hightail it back to the ship, but she didn't cross an ocean just to give up now. Like it or not, she was committed.

"TITAN!"

Bullets began pelting her skin at a rapid rate. Granted, they weren't as painful as ODM gear blades, but they still stung. Growling in annoyance, she faced the Marleyans who decided to make the dumbest decisions of their brief lives. There were six of them and they were split evenly between two cars. How considerate of them to be bundled up together. She charged straight at them and knocked one of the cars down the hill. One of the Marleyans hit a tree, breaking his spine with a sickening crack. The other two were bleeding heavily, so they were probably gonna die in a few minutes. As for the other car, the Jaw Titan smashed it and its occupents into a pancake.

Once that was done, her ears picked up the sound of screaming. It definitely didn't come from the soldiers she attacked and the voice didn't belong to Dillon. Hoping that this could lead her to him, Ymir dashed in the scream's direction. One way or another, she would get answers. Unfortunately, after about fifteen seconds, the screaming completely stopped.

"Damn it," she swore under her breath. "Now what?"

Thankfully, all was not lost as she heard a couple of cars screech to a halt up ahead. They didn't spot her, so they were going after someone else. Perhaps an idealistic idiot of the psychic variety? With a grin, Ymir let out a roar that could have ruptured a few eardrums before charging into the fray. She took out the two vehicles with ease before turning her attention to the ten, armed Marleyans. They didn't stand a chance against her.

With them out of the way, Ymir was relieved to see that Dillon was there after all. He looked like had been through hell and back. Bloodshot eyes, an assortment of injuries covering his body, and he looked ready to pass out. Once he saw her, his expression went from anxious to looking like he had just been told he owed the government five million gold bars.

That alone made rescuing him worth it. "Hey, Dillon. You look like shit."

The Psion let out a groan, wishing that she was nothing more than a hallucination. "Ymir… not you. Anyone but you."

That just made the Jaw Titan's grin widen. "Just think, Dillon: when I get you back to the island, I'm gonna lord this over you for the rest of your life. That's a lifelong debt for you."

From one nightmare to another in Dillon's case. He looked down, and then his eyes widened in horror. "No, no, no, where is he?"

"Where's who?" Ymir asked, tilting her head to the side.

"Atticus! The guy that was lying on the ground." He sounded like he was on the verge of panicking.

"I don't know. Maybe I crushed him when I saved your life. What does it matter?"

"You don't get it!" Dillon shouted suddenly. "We have to find his body. If there's even the slightest chance he's alive, he'll kill us all." He fell to the ground after a wave of dizziness hit him.

"Maybe you're the one who doesn't get it, Dillon," she responded, being serious for once. "The entire country is out for your blood. Maybe they'll be merciful and kill you, or they'll just continue the project using you once again. You want an army of Psions to march on our doorstep all because you were too stubborn to leave?"

"But Atticus—."

"Deal with him later if he's still alive. But whether you like it or not, you're coming with me." With that, Ymir snatched him off the ground and opened her mouth wide.

Dillon visibly shivered. "Not this again."

"I won't swallow you this time," Ymir assured before giving him a smirk. "That's Annie's job."

"What is wrong with you!?" were the last words Dillon shouted before he, for the third time in his life, ended up inside a Titan's mouth.

With her target safe for the moment, Ymir dashed down the mountain at high speed. Now that she didn't have to be so cautious looking for him, she smashed nearly anything that got in her way. Trees, cars, Marleyans, even the occasional house, it didn't matter. All she needed to do was make it back to the ship.

The second she leapt out of the forest and into the city, an explosion erupted in the middle of the city. Ymir recognized it as a Titan transformation, but that couldn't be right. All the Titan Shifters were currently on Paradis. Did some idiot Marleyan decide to turn an Eldian into a Titan because his shoes weren't properly shined?

Once the transformation was complete, Ymir found herself frozen in shock. Standing at fifteen meters was a Titan unlike any she had ever seen before. It was completely white, almost like it was wearing a skintight suit, but the most defining feature was the head. With every titan, you could see their faces, but this one looked like it was wearing some sort of helmet. There were slots across the eyes and jaw so someone could see the red flesh beneath. That detail made Ymir realize the white she was seeing was actually its skin. She stiffened when blue eyes stared directly at her, promising untold pain and suffering.

"Shit!" Ymir swore, making a mad dash towards the docks. This was definitely something she did not want to deal with today.

Unfortunately, she didn't get far as a blue spike burst out of the ground, impaling Ymir right through her stomach and coming out the back. She was carried into the air, but that wasn't even the biggest problem. At the angle she was in, Dillon fell out of her mouth and crashed onto the ground, groaning in pain. She tried to reach out for him, but she was too far away. Snarling in pain and frustration, she clawed at the spike to no avail. She was trapped, and considering she saw on the Titan's face, she and Dillon were dead.

With all the chaos ensuing in Marley, no one seemed to notice a small contigent of soldiers making preparations at the docks. They were working extremely hard to make sure their ship would be ready to takeoff at a moment's notice. Mikhail had recently returned with his car mostly intact. There were some bullet holes, but nothing important was damaged. All in all, he got lucky.

"Looks like the skirmish is going smoothly," Yvonne commented.

"They're putting up one hell of a fight out there," Mikhail confirmed, stepping out of the vehicle. "I almost got my head blown off a few times."

Their conversation was interrupted by a flash of light in the distance. Yvonne whipped out her telescope and gazed at the source. When the smoke cleared, she saw the last Titan she ever wanted to see today. "Oh, my God," she said, lowering the telescope. "It's the Warhammer Titan."

Mikhail looked like he was about to have a heart attack. "What!?"

Yvonne quickly composed herself and shouted, "Helmsman, get us out of here now!"

"Aye, Captain!" the helmsman responded.

"But what about Ymir and the Amsdale kid?" Mikhail asked.

"They're on their own," she responded without missing a beat. "If we're lucky, the Warhammer Titan won't notice one ship leaving the docks."

"The whole point was to get them out of Marley."

"The whole point was to destroy Project Psion, Corporal!" Yvonne shot back, emphasizing his rank to remind him that she was in charge. "That mission is accomplished. We can't stick around and hope they'll make it back in time. Our lives aren't worth that kind of risk."

Mikhail didn't like it one bit, but he knew she was right. There was more that needed to be done now that the war was underway. At this point, both Ymir and Dillon were expendable. He said a silent prayer for them all to make it out alive before getting back to work.

The ground shook as this new Titan Shifter came into view. It looked at the Jaw Titan with disdain before fixing Dillon with an enraged gaze. "Murderer!" It was like hearing two voices at once: a deep voice for the Titan and a feminine voice for the Shifter inside.

Upon hearing her speak, Dillon immediately realized who this Titan was. Eavesdropping on Ymir Fritz and Atticus's conversations allowed him to know that the Psion was married. Of course, he wasn't married to just any woman. He just had to be married to the freakin' Warhammer Titan! Considering everything he went through, Dillon was in no condition to fight her, especially when he had no idea of what she could do. Talking her down wasn't gonna do any considering he just killed her husband. That only left one choice: run.

He didn't get far. A crystal wall rose out of the ground, blocking his path.

"No," Lara hissed, looming over him. "There is no escape."

Ymir watched helplessly as Dillon had his back against the wall. How could everything have gone so wrong so quickly? The end was in sight, and now, she was going to die. All her efforts to make it here, nearly killing herself to swim across the ocean, and putting up with the indignity of scrubbing the damn ship amounted to nothing. What was the point of even trying if it was going to end in failure? In despair, she bowed her head, unable to watch Dillon get slaughtered.

Maybe she should have just tried to reconnect with Historia. She knew how much her special blonde wanted to be a part of her life. Now that she was queen, she could probably grant her immunity for all the crimes she committed. The Titan and her Queen. Damn, that had a nice ring to it. And she screwed it all up because of her stupid "I owe someone" complex. It was the same with Reiner and Bertholdt and it was the same with Dillon.

"Live a life you can be proud of."

Ymir's eyes shot open, her words to Historia echoing in her head. What the hell was she thinking, giving up like that? Dillon was one of the best chances Historia had to live through this war. Was Ymir the type to just roll over and die? Hell no! She was Ymir, the most stubborn, uncompromising bitch on the entire planet. She would never EVER go down without a fight, and she wouldn't start now.

Contorting her body painfully, Ymir lowered her head to the spike and bit down hard. They called her the Jaw Titan for a reason. She hoped it would pay off here. It didn't take long for cracks to start forming in it. With a grunt, she yanked off a chunk, spat it out, and did it again. This time, the spike crumbled into bits without a good-enough support to hold it up. Ymir was free. And just in time, too.

The Warhammer Titan had lifted her foot to squash Dillon like an insignificant bug. The noise Ymir made, however, snapped her out of her single-minded rage. She turned around to see the Jaw Titan dash between her legs and took a bite out of her heel. She cried out in pain as it happened with her other heel, causing her to fall to her knees.

"Holy shit!" Dillon was flabbergasted that Ymir managed to pull that off so flawlessly. Before he could offer up any thanks, he was shoved back into Ymir's mouth.

Ymir leapt over the wall, but she couldn't help but give her trademark crassness to the other Shifter: "Nice ass, bitch."

"Impudent pest!" Lara roared, her eyes flashing.

This time, the Jaw Titan was ready, dodging her spikes and leaping onto the rooftops. She doubted her opponent would kill her own people just to satisfy a personal vendetta. As she hopped from roof to roof, she asked Dillon mentally, "So what's her deal? Ex-girlfriend?"

"I killed her husband," Dillon answered.

Ymir visibly winced at that though mostly out of removing the rest of the spike from her abdomen. "Well, shit. Sucks to be you, huh?"

The Psion rolled his eyes. "You're all heart, Ymir."

Aside from some gunmen and a vehicle, there wasn't much resistance in regards to Ymir reaching the docks. She was annoyed that by the time she got there, the ship was starting to leave. Bastards. She thought to herself as she readied herself to make the jump. Out of the corner of her eyes, she spotted some Marleyans getting into their own ships, getting the cannons ready to open fire. It seemed like Marley finally caught on. From what she remembered, the vessel was not well-armed. In under five minutes, it could sink to the bottom of the ocean.

At this very moment, Ymir realized a cold, hard truth: she wasn't going to make it no matter what happened. She would drown or be captured. She could try to run for as long as she could, but with the entire world against her, there was nowhere to go. After everything that had happened, this was the hand that she had been dealt. It wasn't fair, but life never was to her. She spent every day making the most of her life, and today was no different. The only choices that remained were die on her feet or her kneess

(1) The things I do for you people. Ymir heaved an annoyed sigh, knowing what she had to do. She spat Dillon into her hand and said, "Listen to me carefully and don't talk."

Dillon was confused by what she was doing. "Ymir—?"

"No talking!" Bullets hit her skin, stinging her more than anything. She yanked off a piece of the dock with her other hand and chucked it at the annoying Marleyans. With them temporarily deterred, she continued, more serious than she had been in her entire life. "I want you to promise me one thing, Dillon. Promise that when you get home, you'll do whatever it takes to keep Historia safe."

Once again, he broke her rule, though he realized what was going on. "Ymir, what are you doing?"

"Please, Dillon!" It was so rare for Ymir to ever beg someone for help, and yet, here she was. "She… she deserves a better life than this. Better than me." A single tear rolled down her face. "I fucked up. I can't go back home to her now. I can't hold her in my arms and let her know I'll be there. I can't… I've never even kissed her." Ymir let out a shaky breath. She would not break down, not when she had a job to do. "These bastards will sink the ship if I don't stop them. I'm done either way, but at least I can give her a chance. Give all of you a chance. Dillon, please… save her."

There was so much Dillon wanted to say to her. There was no guarantee that anyone was going to survive this war, especially since Ymir Fritz was probably still alive. At the same time, how could he deny her when she was so sincere, so desperate? No matter how he felt towards Ymir, he couldn't find it in himself to even lie to her, tell her what she wanted to hear just to make it to the ship. So, with conviction, he promised, "I'll protect her. You have my word."

Ymir gave him a genuine smile. "Thank you, Dillon."

Dillon decided to throw all caution to the wind. "Ah, fuck it." He gave Ymir's face a brief hug. "Give 'em hell, Ymir."

She chuckled at that. "Knock 'em dead, stud."

With that, she lobbed Dillon into the water right next to the fleeing ship just as the cannons opened fire. Thankfully, none hit the blacksmith though one did strike the ship. That was the only hit they would ever get because Ymir jumped right onto the Marleyan ship with a loud roar. None of them stood a chance as they were flung into the air, swatted hard enough to break bones, or crushed underneath her hands and feet. With the deck stained with blood and gore, Ymir jumped into the water and bit off the engines. Now the ship wasn't going anywhere.

When Ymir climbed back onto the docks, reinforcements had arrived, all opening fire on her. This was a bigger force than before, and they were starting to do some damage. She didn't care. Not anymore. She knew damn well that she wasn't gonna make it out alive. The least she could do was decimate the Marleyan armies until the end.

A bullet got lucky and hit her in the eye, blinding her on that side. Then, when she smashed a car with her hand, it exploded, turning said hand into a bloody stump. Apparently, a Marleyan dumped armed grenades into the vehicle and jumped out in time. Clever jackass. Adding insult to injury was another cannon from a different ship aimed directly at her. Ymir had no time to react as the cannonball sent her flying into a building, toppling it onto her.

"Carve that devil out of the nape now!" the apparent leader of the forces ordered. "The rest of you go after the traitors and bring them down!"

Ymir had to suffer the indignity of soldiers who had no idea how to get her out. Some used knives, but the blades were too short. Others tried bullets and only succeeded in putting a couple rounds in her human body's knees. That hurt like hell, but she wasn't done yet. A moron got too close and she bit him in half spitting out the rest. She thrashed as much as she could, getting the heavy debris off her body at last. Her wounds weren't regenerating, though that was the least of her concerns.

It didn't take long for the next ship to get underway and start steering away from the dock. Too far away for her to jump, but there were other options. With her remaining hand, she grabbed a large chunk of the building and threw it as hard as she could. Much to her relief, her aim was true and the debris made quite a large hole in the hull. She watched in amusement as the panicking Marleyans leapt out into the ocean.

Her victory was short-lived when the ground start shaking again. Only one person that could be.

"Retreat! Everyone, fall back!" the leader ordered.

Panting heavily while steam emitted from her wounds, Ymir turned to face the Warhammer Titan. Unlike before, she was armed with a hammer which had a handle nearly as long as her body. She fixed her with a look of contempt before stalking towards her. A deafening screech left her lungs as the Jaw Titan charged straight for her.

One hit. That's all it took. With a speed unlike anything she had ever encountered before, the Warhammer Titan brought the hammer down hard. Pieces of Titan flew across the docks and into parts of the city. The Jaw Titan's head looked like it not only was squashed, but a bomb had gone off as well. It was unrecognizable.

The nape had opened up from the impact, and Ymir tumbled out… what was left of her. Aside from some scratches and burns on her face, the top half was relatively intact. The bottom half was completely gone. Where her waist should have been were tendrils of flesh sticking out that looked like intestines. She was in so much pain that she couldn't even talk, but she was still alive.

Coldly, Lara snstched up the Shifter and held her at eye level. She was examining her, almost like she was trying to decide whether Ymir was worth taking back to the Marleyans. "Fool," was thome only word Lara graced her with.

Ymir's response was to smile back. It didn't matter what happened now, even if they gave her power to someone else. The damage was already done. Project Psion was destroyed, the war between Marley and the Allies had begun, and Dillon Amadale was going home. At least for a while, Historia was safe. The most painful, gargled chuckle emitted from her when she realized she didn't have to worry about her love. There was nothing to be afraid of anymore.

Alive or dead, Ymir was free. (1)

Despite being injured from his fight with Atticus, stuck in a Titan's jaw for God knows how long, and literally thrown into the ocean, Dillon managed to force himself to the edge of the deck. The crew was nice enough to pull him onto shore and assure him that they weren't his enemies, but he tuned them out after that. He watched Ymir sacrifice herself to make sure they got away safely, and her efforts had paid off. Granted, he didn't have a chance to ensure Ymir Fritz would never return, so he would have to deal with that problem when it reared its ugly head.

For now, he would honor what she had done for him. Once he returned home, Dillon would fix everything he had broken with his friends, his superiors, and especially Annie. Of course, that required several gambles that could end with his execution, but what else was new for him? And if the Warriors were still in Shiganshina? Well… he figured it was time for a reunion.

"Goodbye, Ymir," he said to someone he could truly call his comrade. "I won't let you down. I promise."

AN: This chapter was shorter than the last, but I wanted Ymir to have her own chapter considering what she had done.

If people remember from Chapter 75, Yvonne was actually introduced in that chapter during the big meeting. i didn't intend for her to play a big role outside of establishing more of the world, but when I realized she could be used to help instigate the war with Marley, she fit like a club. I hope you enjoyed her and I'll try to keep her involved in the story if I can.

As a quick aside: Mikhail Lancer is named after an OC of my best friend. He helped me a lot with this story all the way back to the Old Version. I owe him a lot.

So, let's talk about this: back in the Clash of the Titans arc, I expressed my hatred of how Ymir was handled in the end. By saving Reiner and Bertholdt, it went completely against her character. After all, their continuous attacks endangered Historia's life regardless of what they promised. There was no way the Marleyans would ever let Historia be safe if she was brought to them. And for Ymir to abandon Historia after everything was… stupid. I just chalked it up to Isayama wanting to write her out of the story and this was the only way he could think of at the time.

This chapter was me wanting Ymir to go out with a bang. Going down fighting to protect the woman she loved at the cost of her own life sticking it to her enemies in the process. She's a crass, rude, detestable, stubborn bitch, but when push came to shove, she shined like the sun. My only hope is that I wrote her last stand with the dignity it deserved. And yes. When I heard Heavens Divide for the first time, I was like, "This fits my version of Ymir to a T." Again, please listen to the song during her final stand.

Now, then… Return to Shiganshina. This arc is going to be interesting. Let's see how it goes.

I hope you all enjoy this chapter, I look forward to your reviews, continue to update the TV Tropes page at your discretion, please DM me if you wish to make a donation to the manga adaptation of this story, and I hope to see you all in the next one.

Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!