Attack on Titan: Bloodline – Chapter 40 (August 26, 2022)
Caven watched as the three small barrels were rolled down the crystalline steps and into the center of the cavern. She gasped, watching as Sasha swiftly aimed her bow and a flaming arrow directly at them. She exclaimed, "Shit! Gunpowder!" She looked around and said, "Judging by those fires, those barrels have bags of oil on them."
Levi pulled the triggers of his ODM Gear handles and growled, launching himself upwards into the crystalline structures. He and Mikasa drifted left and right while below them the other Scouts launched signal flares up into the chamber, clouding everyone's view with shades of green, purple, and red. Caven cursed aloud.
Levi said, "Right. Thirty-five total! In the upper part of the pillars!"
Lorraine gasped, hearing Levi's voice through the smoke. She ran to the cage door and shouted, though her mouth was still gagged, so her words were muffled and her throat still burned from her previous tireless vocalization.
Levi shouted, "Continue the plan! We'll take them all out right here!"
Caven yelled, "Everyone, scatter! Let them spread out, then surround them!"
Lorraine watched as Military Police and Scout Regiment soldiers flew up, down, left, right, and every direction in between. Shots were fired. Sasha shot another one of those explosive barrels, causing a huge blast and more smoke to envelop the area while Armin let off smoke flare after smoke flare. She kicked and threw herself at the bars again, noticing that the nearby blast had loosened the bolts holding the cage together.
Mikasa swung herself around the pillars gracefully and swiftly, taking out soldiers. Connie dipped in and out of the smoke screen. Levi searched for Kenny and Lorraine, taking out soldiers along the way. He set his sights on the blonde leader, Caven, but just as he pressed his button to speed forward into action, he heard a shot behind him.
"Woo-hoo! Hey, Levi."
Kenny hung on one of the pillars, watching as Levi hid behind another. He chuckled, "I don't exactly have time to waste on ya, but I just can't have ya gettin' any further." Levi growled as he heard Kenny's machinery clanking together.
Lorraine called out to the best of her ability, hoping one of her friends would hear her and come for her. She kicked at the rattling, metal bars over and over. The more she kicked them, the looser they became. Crystal shards fell from the ceiling where the metal had been drilled into it and the hinges of the gate shrieked with every impact her foot made. Outside, shots continued to ring out, shells fell to the floor, bodies collapsed onto the stone ground, and explosions and smoke flares went off repeatedly, making it nearly impossible to see into the air where her comrades and Kenny's men were fighting. As she kicked at the gate, another huge explosion went off right next to the gate, sending the door falling off its rusted hinges to the ground next to her. She seized the opportunity and ran out of the gate, hiding behind one of the nearby pillars.
Levi and Kenny swerved in and out of the smokescreen, dodging the pillars as they danced around, each skillfully dodging the others' attacks. Kenny boasted, "I taught ya this one, boy!" He pulled a trigger and pulled behind Levi, firing his weapon into one of the wooden platforms posted at the top of one of the pillars, shattering it.
"When you're chasin' your enemy, you shouldn't just stare straight ahead!"
Levi shot down into the smokescreen. He rolled to the ground, grabbing a bag of oil that hadn't been ignited yet, then launched himself back up into the air, attaching himself to the top of a pillar. Beside him, Kenny lunged at him, his curved dagger in his hand. As Levi dodged, he felt the sharp edge slice open his cheek. Blood dripped backwards with the wind into his ear. Ignoring the blood, he spun around and threw the oil-filled bag into the air between him and Kenny, who fired his gun at Levi, hitting the bag instead. It ignited with a loud bang. Levi took the opportunity to lunge through the flames, but as he brought down his blade, Kenny held up his dagger defensively. Kenny snarled as Levi pushed the blade out of his grip, letting it fall to the ground beneath the smokescreen, then slashed through his stomach. Blood sprayed into the air and Kenny hid behind a pillar. Levi landed on one of the wooden platforms.
"Damn you, little bastard," Kenny shouted, looking towards the central chamber in front of him. Though it was closed off tightly, Kenny knew of a way inside. He cursed under his breath, holding his wound shut, and sped down into the smokescreen.
Historia looked up at Eren, who screamed at her, his heart pounding and his stomach turning at the thought of her transforming into a Titan the way he had been forced to. She asked, frowning at him, "What's the matter? Why are you glaring like that?" Rod sighed.
"He's realized what we have to do."
He, too, looked up at Eren and said, "The power his father stole from our family must be returned to its rightful place. With you." She gasped.
Rod explained, "The cavern we're in now was built around a century ago using the Titan power of our ancestor. The very same power was used to build the three walls and it's thanks to those enormous walls that humanity has survived." He looked back down at the syringe and vial in his hands.
"The voice of this 'Founding Titan' reached out and touched the hearts of the people, altering their memories forever. Although a few bloodlines were exempt, even their knowledge was lost over time."
Historia sighed. Eren shrieked once again. Rod set the box down and pulled the utensil out, loading it with the mysterious liquid.
"Today," he said, "humanity knows nothing of the world before the walls. The only exception is your sister, Frieda. She possessed far more than the power to become a Titan. She knew what this world was once like and she knew what brought it to its current state."
He said, tapping the side of the needle and allowing the air bubbles to escape, "She was only fifteen years old when she took the burden of that knowledge upon herself. Eight years ago, she performed this very ritual in this exact chamber. She ate her uncle. My brother. In doing so, she inherited the Founding Titan and the memories of this world, as our ancestors have for a hundred years."
"You mean," Historia murmured, her words trailing off.
Rod sighed, "That's right. Had she survived, she could have used her powers to eliminate the woes of humanity with ease. In time, she could have wiped the Titan scourge from existence."
Eren gasped. Rod said, looking up at him, "Although that power now resides within Eren, it's wasted with him. The Founding Titan's true power can only be wielded by a member of our bloodline. As long as he remains the vessel for that power, this hell will never end."
"Hey, hey, hey! Just a damn minute!"
Historia and Rod turned to Kenny, who limped into the room, beads of sweat running down his face and blood dripping from under his hand. The wounded man said, his voice trembling, "Sounds to me like you just said if someone who isn't a Reiss eats Eren, they won't get the powers of the King. That right?"
Rod nodded.
"So, then, what?" Kenny asked, "Even if I do turn into a Titan and eat the kid, it ain't gonna do me jack shit?!" Rod started to question Kenny, but was cut off by the man roughly grabbing his shirt collar and lifting him off the ground.
Historia shouted, "What are you doing?! Let my father go!"
Kenny aimed his gun at Rod's left eye. Rod choked out, "Wh-what the hell's gotten into you, Kenny? Do you think I'm lying?"
Kenny said angrily, "No. I don't. I waited a long damn time for this day because I knew if there was one thing you weren't lying about, it was the succession ritual." He pressed the barrel of his gun into Rod's eye and snarled, "Damn, you prick. You knew what I was after this whole time, and you knew I didn't have a chance in hell of gettin' it, yet you still went ahead and used me, huh?!"
Rod stammered, "I-I'm very grateful. The day my brother brought you into his service…I-I thought it was just one of his foolish whims, but–"
Kenny shouted, "You keep on talking shit about Uri and you can kiss this half of your face goodbye!" Historia leaped up and grabbed Kenny's gun, pulling it away from her father's face.
"Stop it! Get away from my father!"
Kenny growled, "Come on. This is pitiful. Don't you get it yet, Historia? Your daddy doesn't give a damn!" He shoved her to the ground and returned his aim towards Rod. He said, "He brought you here so he can turn you into a monster and make you eat your little buddy Eren."
Historia stood up and said, "If that's my duty, then that's what I'll do. I've decided." She clenched her fists and said, "Yeah. I'll eat Eren and bring my sister back. I'll inherit the world's history and exterminate every last Titan!" Kenny looked down at her.
"Come on, now. What the hell has this old bastard ever done for you? Only reason he picked you up was 'cause of that Royal blood of yours."
He reached into a sheath on the inside of Rod's vest and pulled out a small blade. He held the blade up to Rod's mouth, scraping his teeth and prying them open, despite Rod's struggling against him.
"This piece of trash is too scared to turn into a Titan himself. That's why he forced his brother and daughter to do it for him. That's the kind of man your daddy is!"
Rod reached up and grabbed the blade, forcing it away from his mouth. He said, "H-he's wrong, Historia. That isn't the truth!" He pushed against the blade, causing a fresh stream of blood to run down his arm, staining the white sleeve of his shirt.
"It is essential," he choked out, "that I do not become a Titan. Please, you mustn't believe him! I-I'm the only man alive you can trust!" Historia whimpered, tears stinging her eyes. Kenny loosened his grip and let Rod fall to the floor. He took a step back.
"Is that so," he asked. Rod coughed and sputtered. Historia ran to his side.
"Kenny," Rod said, holding the wound on his hand, "You've served me well up to this moment. You're free, now. Go find another purpose in your life and live out your years." Kenny, Rod, and Historia all exchanged silent glances.
"Well," Kenny said, turning and walking up the stairs towards Eren, "That'd just bore me to death. So, how about this?" Despite Rod's questioning, he continued to walk up the steps until he finally stood behind Eren, who had been silent for some time, gazing out into the chamber, his green eyes blank. Kenny reached down and said, unlatching the gag and letting it fall to the ground, "If Historia wants to turn into a Titan, then so be it. That's her choice to make, but I say the boy should get a fair shot." He flipped the dagger in his hand, grabbing Eren's hair and roughly yanking his head up before running the edge of the blade across his forehead, letting a sheet of blood run down his face.
"They can both turn into Titans and fight it out," he said, "If Historia wins, then you have your peace…but if Eren wins," he let go of Eren, whose head dropped, hanging low and letting blood drip onto the floor, "well, then, the situation will stay exactly the same." He looked down at Eren and grimaced.
"Go on livin' for the sake of drawing breath? Doesn't sound like any kinda life to me. Rod reached down and grabbed the syringe, handing it roughly to Historia.
"Go on," he shrieked, "Take the injection and you'll become a powerful Titan! Do it! If you can, remember that it's not enough just to bite him anywhere! You need to consume his spinal fluid in order to take his powers!" He shoved it into her hands and she gasped, but quickly brought the sharp needle to her arm. She took a deep breath, ready to take the injection, but she paused.
"Eren," she said, looking up at him, "Why aren't you transforming? You're gonna fight back, aren't you?"
Lorraine jumped behind one of the luminescent, blue pillars, pressing her back to it, looking left and right in the clearing smoke. As she looked on the floor next to one of the pillars in front of her, she saw light reflecting off of something. Something metal. Kenny's dagger that he had dropped. She looked up at the battlefield above her.
"Now's my chance. I have to go for it."
She pushed off of the stone and sprinted towards the dagger. Above her, Caven had her gun aimed at the girl, but as she pulled the trigger, Armin shot a green smoke flare between her and Lorraine while Mikasa hit the gun with a blade she had thrown at the blonde woman, sending the bullet into the ground just behind Lorraine. Lorraine tucked her legs and rolled, making sure her back was to the blade, grabbing it with her still-bound hands. She rolled behind the nearby stone pillar and started to maneuver the blade around in her hands. She felt the blade cut through her shirt and into her arm as she turned it around, but she kept going and wriggled her hands around. Each small movement caused more of the rope's fibres to snap. She felt beads of sweat dripping down her back and her face, but before long, she felt her hands move apart.
"Got it!"
She dropped the dagger and reached up, untying the cloth gag silencing her. She dropped the cloth beside her, coughing and taking in a few deep breaths. She grabbed the dagger and stood up. She heard Sasha and Armin calling her name. She gasped and ran out from behind the pillar, but stopped. Levi hung on a pillar nearby and called out to her as well.
"Lorraine," he yelled, "Lorraine! Retreat! Go!"
Lorraine looked up at him.
"Eren's still in here."
Armin yelled, "Lo! What are you doing?!"
Levi repeated, "Lorraine, retreat, now! That is an order!"
Lorraine looked back towards the chamber. Armin shook his head. Levi shouted, "Don't do it! Lorraine! Retreat!" She looked back up at Levi. Levi stared at her for a moment. Although she heard all of her friends and comrades begging her to retreat, she knew that Eren needed help. She furrowed her brows and gripped the blade's handle. She turned around and ran towards the central chamber.
"Lorraine," Levi shouted, "No!"
Eren whimpered, "It didn't have to be like this. A-all that death…could have been avoided…if it weren't for…my dad. I-if he hadn't done what he did…your sister…sh-she would have been able to do something to stop all this." He looked up at her, tears in his eyes.
"Countless people have died," he sobbed, "because he chose to take your family's power from its rightful owners. Armin's grandpa. Thomas. Nack. Mina. Milleus. Marco. Everyone on Levi's squad. The people of Stohess. The soldiers who came to save me. Mr. Hannes. I can never atone for all of their pain." Historia stared up at him, pulling the needle away from her arm.
"All this never should have happened. Those days I spent in training. That stupid dream that I could see the world."
He closed his eyes and said, "And…me…I-I never should have happened. If nothing else, at least let it end at your hand. Take your power back and use it to save humanity."
Lorraine used the dagger to cut her way through the rope blockade defending the entrance, climbing through the hole and looking around. She looked to the center of the room and saw Eren, chained up above everyone else on a tall pedestal. Historia and Rod Reiss stood in the center, face to face. She was holding a syringe to her arm. Lorraine gasped as she feared the worst, but before she could go any further, she heard a gruff voice beside her.
"Where do you think you're headed, kid," Kenny said, lowering himself onto the ground. Lorraine took a step back and held the dagger up in front of her. Kenny stepped forward and said, "Hope you ain't going for Eren. Shit's about to hit the fan over there."
Lorraine said, gripping the dagger in both hands, "I'm saving Eren. You won't stop me, Kenny."
Kenny smirked and said, grabbing the dagger he'd been using, "Really, now? And how ya gonna fare against not one but two Titans all on your own? In case you've forgotten, that arm of yours isn't in the best shape or anything." Lorraine gritted her teeth, taking a defensive stance. Kenny said, "If you know what's good for ya, you'll turn around and leave this chamber." Lorraine growled and placed one foot behind her, flipping the dagger around in her hand to face the other direction and holding her fists up in front of her.
Kenny sighed, "Damn. As stubborn as your old man, too." He planted his feet and said, "Fine, then. Looks like I'll just have to stop ya in your tracks." He lunged forward towards Lorraine, who swiftly held her own blade up to block his, reaching around and pushing him underneath her. As he stumbled forward, she stepped backwards and spun around on her heel, ignoring the sharp pain in her left shoulder, her hair whipping around behind her. He snickered and lunged once again, switching his grip on his blade. She bent her knees and swerved to the left, reaching up and pushing it away, sending her blade hand forward, running the edge along his arm, sending sparks into the air from the collision between the metal armour and the sharp blade of the dagger.
Historia gazed at the needle in her hand. "Are you frightened," Rod asked. Her gaze remained fixed on the sharp tool.
"Wait," she whispered, "Father. For a hundred years…we have had this power, but we didn't use it. Why?" He inhaled deeply through his nose. She said, "If we could control the Titans, then why didn't we liberate humanity?"
He sighed. He said, "That's because…the same King who built this world within the walls for humanity wanted us to live in fear of the Titans for all of time." She looked up at him, waiting for his explanation.
"The First King," he said, "believed this to be the only true path to lasting peace…but, I can't tell you why." He grabbed her hands gently and began to guide them back into position, the needle slowly getting closer to her arm. He said, "Only those who have seen the memories of this world can possibly know." She sighed.
"Many years ago, my brother and I pleaded with our father to rid humanity of the Titan scourge," he said, "We asked him time and time again, but he would not fulfill our wish. After my brother completed the ritual and I looked into his eyes, I understood. My brother wasn't there. He'd become something greater. He'd become an omniscient being, exempt from death, who'd built and ruled over the world we lived in." He looked into her eyes.
"He'd become God."
Historia and Rod looked down at her arm. Rod gently guided her hands. The needle grew closer until it finally touched her arm. A single tear dripped down her cheek.
"Christa," the voice of Ymir echoed in her head, "Live a life you can be proud of."
Historia gasped, then slapped Rod's hand away, sending the glass syringe flying from her hand. The tube shattered, leaving glass shards and a puddle of the mysterious fluid on the ground. Rod let out a soft cry, which grew into a shriek of despair. He grabbed her shoulders roughly, but as he did, she grabbed his shirt with one hand, his arm with the other, and with a grunt, threw him over her shoulders and to the ground with an audible crack of his spine. He cried out in pain and she took a few steps back.
"God my ass," she shouted, "If it's such an honour to become him, then why didn't you do it yourself?! I'm done with your shit and I'm not gonna let you murder me!" She grabbed his bag and ran up the stairs.
Lorraine threw a quick punch, but Kenny grabbed her arm and threw her underneath his arm, causing her to stumble and fall to the ground. He walked up to her and said, stepping on her good shoulder, causing her to drop her knife, "Come on, kid. Don't ya know when to give up?"
"I guess not," she said through heavy breaths and gritted teeth. She grabbed his foot with both hands and pushed her hips up, sending her knees into the back of his leg. As he collapsed to the ground, she pushed upward on the leg he'd pinned her with, sliding out from under him and letting him fall forward. She rolled and stood up, stumbling backwards as she readied herself once again. He was back on his feet quickly, though. She looked him up and down, pulling her fists up near her face, elbows up, stepping back with one foot. She adjusted her weight to the balls of her feet and took a breath. Kenny twirled his knife around in his hand and launched toward her. This time, she lifted her back leg up, ducking down and kicking his knife hand and sending the blade flying away from them. Before he could process what had just happened, she ran towards the knife she had before, staying low to the ground as she picked it up.
Historia fell to her knees, pulling a set of keys out of her father's bag and fiddling with the locks on Eren's chains. As she fumbled with the locks, he shouted, "What the hell are you doing, Historia? You can't do this!"
She said, "I'm setting you free!"
He cried, "No! You can't! If you don't kill me, then everyone else will keep suffering! Just eat me already and end this–"
"Shut up, dumbass," Historia snapped, reaching up and punching him in the back of the head, "Stop your crying! I don't care!" She yanked the chains from around his waist, dropping them over the edge of the pedestal. She shouted, "I don't care about killing the Titans and I don't care about freeing mankind, either! I'm starting to get sick of humanity! I say let 'em get wiped out by the Titans! If that makes me an enemy of humanity, then so be it! I don't care if I'm the worst girl who's ever lived!" She knelt down and started to work on the chains around his feet.
"Take Lorraine and get the hell out of here. I'll deal with the rest."
Lorraine glanced down at her skirt. His blade had sliced through the fabric and left her leg untouched. She looked back up, sweat running down her cheeks. Kenny had grown weaker as well, though. She took a deep breath and steadied herself.
"Damn," Kenny panted, "There's no way Levi taught you to fight like that."
"No," she said, holding her fists up once again, "He didn't." She smirked and added, "That's something I learned from an old friend." She gripped the knife and let out a cry. Kenny chuckled, holding up his arms defensively, but in an instant, an orange lightning bolt had struck the ground within the cave, a shockwave emanating from the central point and sending Lorraine, Kenny, and shards of crystal flying outward. Lorraine tumbled across the ground. Her skirt caught on the edges of a shattered pillar, the sharp structure catching the material and ripping it, leaving her right leg exposed, but mostly unharmed. She sat up, staring at the sight before her. A Titan was slowly forming, but it was bigger than any Titan she had ever seen in her life. She gasped, but she couldn't get any closer thanks to the massive shockwaves being emitted by the creature. She gripped the floor's rough surface as hard as she could despite the shockwaves trying to pry her from the ground.
"What is that?! It's massive! That can't be Historia. Right?"
Beside her, she heard footsteps and felt an arm wrap around her. She looked up, startled, then wrapped her arms around Levi's neck. He pulled her to her feet.
"Hold onto me," he shouted, firing his 3D Maneuver Gear cables into the walls and swinging up and around to the pedestal where Eren and Historia were. Connie, Jean, Sasha, and Mikasa stood with them, pressed against the wall, watching tearfully as the cavern around them began to shake and crumble. Even as Levi joined them, Lorraine held his neck, only letting go when they stood next to Mikasa, reaching to hold her hand.
"I'm sorry, guys," Eren cried, falling to his knees, "I-I've been nothing but dead weight every damn step of the way. This power never should have been given to me. I can't be humanity's hope. I'm…too weak." He looked up and saw something. A small vial filled with fluid.
"Armour," he thought, reading the label.
Jean scoffed, "Come on, stop playing the tragic hero. Of course you're too weak to accomplish anything by yourself, but no one expects you to."
Connie said, "Yeah, man. Calm it down, man. We've been through a lot worse than this."
Sasha sighed, "Not that I really wanna get used to it."
"Still," Connie said, "It's gonna suck ass trying to fly through this mess."
Mikasa said, "I'll take Eren."
Levi gave Lorraine's hand a squeeze. She looked up at him and nodded, tears running down her cheeks. Jean said, "I can take Historia. It's gonna take a miracle not to get hit by all that rubble, so hold on for your life."
"Right," she said.
Eren sobbed, "It's useless. We won't make it."
Historia said, "So, we should do nothing and hold hands 'till we're crushed or 'till we burn to death? You know dying here won't make anything better!"
Levi said, "Listen. I really hate that I do this to you all the time, but you've gotta make a choice here, Eren." Eren stared at him. He looked up at the giant Titan. He growled and stood up. Letting out a loud scream, he ran into the center of the cave, transforming himself with another loud bang and a lightning strike within the cave. As his Titan form manifested, it knelt down, holding its arms out beside him. From underneath him, a light blue crystal began to form and crawl into a canopy of sorts.
"Everyone," Levi shouted, tugging on Lorraine's hand, "Get under Eren!"
As the group held each other close, Eren let out a final roar as the cave finally collapsed.