Chapter 53: Signal for Humanity
"How many people are there?" Ed asked Rico as he turned to her, Rico scanned the area as the soldiers began to line up, another shower of boulders struck the barrier behind them. Some of the troops flinched and panicked as they tried to remain in formation.
"The head count was one hundred and eighty four." Rico replied she finished with a sigh.
"I feel sorry for the poor bastard who draws the short stick." Levi remarked in a stone tone.
"We have our own one after so don't speak to soon." Hannes replied.
"Oh I know." Levi responded.
"How many men would we need for this?" Hannes asked.
"One line of twenty would be enough of a distraction." Erwin stated in his calm and stoic manner "There are about nine lines of twenty about people in front of us."
"Time to draw straws then." Levi stated.
Ed looked down at the table, a small piece of wood in front him; he placed his lands together and touched it, bright sparks of light fluttered around it as a bright light shone. The piece of wood broke into nine sticks of varying length. Ed grabbed the sticks in his hand; he hid their length in the palm of his hand as he gripped the sticks.
"Edward, do you want to do this?" Levi asked.
"Those people are going to do this for me." Ed replied "They at least deserve to look me in the eye." Levi nodded as Ed stepped up.
"One person from each line steps forward and collects a stick." Erwin ordered. "Each representative will line up before us in order of collection."
Nervously, one person from each line walked towards Ed in an unorganised fashion; Ed looked each one in the eyes as they picked out a stick from his hand, they were apprehensive, scared, terrified and anxious about what the length of the stick they drew meant for them. All except one.
Ed looked upon the familiar face, the one that confronted him and his brother the night before the expedition to take back wall Maria; their messy blond hair and harden expression as they stared Ed down, Ed kept his face calm and stone like as he drew the last straw and walked away.
The higher ups are willing to throw men to their deaths to protect you… the Floch's words echoed in his mind one rule for us and another for you…
Ed sighed as he looked at his empty hand. He looked back at the rows of people, all anxious about their fate. They would be sacrificed to protect him, sacrificed in order to make sure his plan worked, he felt sick to his stomach as he watched the representatives go back to their lines.
"Our turn…" Levi said, he looked towards Ed who picked up three more sticks off the table.
Erwin looked towards the three officers and placed a clenched fist over his chest "Dedicate your heart." He said calmly.
"Dedicate your heart." Hannes and Rico echoed as they pulled out the sticks from Ed's hand, Levi nodded at Erwin. Ed this time looked away; not wanting to see the faces of the people who were close to or familiar with when they drew sticks for him to die, not wanting to somehow influence the decision.
Ed looked back to them; the three held up their sticks, showing Levi and Rico to be safe. And Hannes to be the one to lead the sacrificed line.
Ed's stomach dropped as he looked at Hannes; Hannes looked calm as he looked at his stick, a small and defeated smirk flashed briefly on his face "Well… at least I get to be buried at home." He joked grimly.
"Hannes… I'm so sorry…" Ed muttered.
"It's not your fault." Hannes tried to assure him, he breathed in deeply before quickly exhaling. "Captain Levi, Ed; tell those three kids that… I couldn't be more proud and lucky to have known them."
"Godspeed, Lieutenant Hannes." Erwin said to him.
"You too, Erwin." Hannes replied.
"All troops!" Erwin called out "The representative who pulled out the shortest stick will be the line which will take part in the initial wave!" Erwin informed them. "You will provide cover for Edward Elric to use his alchemy to change the battlefield, Lieutenant Hannes will lead you in battle."
There was an initial panic among each line as they checked the stick, when it became clear that those on the front of the row were the unlucky twenty; some of them broke down on the spot crying as others stood still with a look of fear and horror etched on their faces.
Ed didn't know what possessed him but he walked forward towards the first line, towards one of the troops crouched down crying their eyes out. He knelt down before them too; they looked towards him as he held out his hand and helped them back onto their feet.
"This wasn't supposed to happen…" one of them muttered.
"Please there has to be another way!" another cried.
"Edward, please save us!" one begged him "Please don't make us do this!"
He took a few steps back and looked at them, each one of their faces all staring at him; those of the damned and those of the lucky "I'm sorry, please forgive me." He said to them as bravely as he could "I never wanted this for any of you; I wanted to protect you all… But I failed." He paused "I'm not the hero some of you must think I am or the saviour that humanity was given, I wish I was better than what I am or knew of a better way if it meant I could stop this." He admitted "You have all given so much and many of you gave more, I have no right to ask this of you… but for this moment go forward and steel your resolve."
Erwin gripped Ed's shoulder as he stood forward "Comrades, we stand here on the edge of history itself! He declared "Thousands of men and women gave their lives to bring us to this point, for this moment and this moment alone; to finally retake wall Maria and finally claw back our homes from the grasps of the titans." His voice roared out "And as we go forth here, as we charge forward either to make our own sacrifice or to make our stand, we carry on the mission and their memory as those after us will do so!"
"We carry on the bravery of the fallen; we carry on their anger and their rage at this cruel world!"
Bertholdt could only watch as Armin tried to hold himself in place, a stone cast holding his foot into the top of the wall itself.
Why would you do that, Armin? He wondered Do you think you'll run away, trying to stop yourself from having any second doubts about something… As he watched Armin more carefully he noticed his body leaned over slightly No… you're in no position to fight are you? Are you choosing to be brave in your final moments…
Bertholdt continued to walk towards them, turning his gaze towards Eren who sat with his legs dangling over the wall. Bertholdt thought that Eren was going to stand up when his titan only leaned forward…. And fell off the edge of the wall and crashed onto the ground.
"Eren!" Armin yelled out.
Ah… looks like whatever you were planning on doing won't work then…
Armin turned back to the colossal titan.
Bertholdt began to raise his hand, the smoke drifting off of his arm as his fingers touched the sky I promise that this won't hurt…
Armin raised his hand up, as if pointing towards his hand as he continued to look at Bertholdt.
Click!
It happened too fast for Bertholdt to notice it; a streak of fire was shot through Armin's hand like lightening before it struck the palm of Bertholdt's hand, blowing it back with the force of a cannon ball's strike and explosion. The colossal titan was struck and stunned.
What the hell!
Armin struck again, another streak of fire hitting Bertholdt's shoulder, forcing him to step back.
Is this some kind of trick? Did they teach you this, Armin? Firing flames just from your fingers, trying to live up to your names as the Devil's children.
"Bertholdt! Stop this!" Armin yelled out towards the colossal titan "We don't have to do this, just stand down! Tell Reiner and your other comrades to stand down!"
Armin… its far too late for that… Bertholdt wanted to tell him The world just doesn't work that way… the only way this fight can end is with one of us dying here… With all of you dying here…
Bertholdt stepped forward and swung his other arm at Armin as quickly as his colossal body could. But he just wasn't fast enough, Armin struck again and fire blew back his hand.
"Stop this!" Armin yelled again. "Don't make me kill you, we can still talk!"
We're way past that…
The colossal titan leaned forward and roared at Armin, the force of its cry would have pushed him back if not the stone cast which held Armin down.
Armin braced himself for it, and stood firm.
If you want to survive then you'll have to stain your hands with my blood.
Reiner watched as his former friends began to encircle him as he approached a barely just standing Female titan as she raised her fists at him, he paid little attention her as he tried to watch the movements of those zipping around him.
Those damn spear looking weapons, they can break through my armour, and if I'm not careful then they could end up killing me.
The Female titan screamed at Reiner trying to get his attention, He turned his gaze to her just for a second taking his eyes off the others. He heard the sound of cables striking against his temples as someone reeled themselves closer.
He quickly tried to reach out and grab them into his hands when the cable quickly detached itself and they shifted away from him. He watched to see Sasha zip away from him urgently, just in time for Mina to slam her fist into his jaw.
Reiner staggered back from the punch, grabbing his jaw; the force of the punch has fractured his lower jaw. He turned back to the Female titan who looked to strike another punch onto his jaw again, he acted quickly and struck her in the stomach, incapacitating the titan for a second, just before grabbing the neck and tossing her aside into a row of houses.
But not just a second later did the hissing sound of the spear like weapon enter his ears and the impact of the rod hit his jaw before the clicking sound of a grenade pin being pulled followed by an explosion blowing the hinge of the jaw off his face.
The others began to swarm and land onto her shoulders as they all faced him down, he couldn't help but feel… isolated and betrayed…, they then quickly dispersed from her and spread out.
Reiner felt his jaw hanging off just one hinge connected to the rest of his skull.
The sound of debris and rubble shifting and moving caught his attention as he looked to see the Female titan standing up once more and facing him, Reiner flinched inside of his titan when he saw it; the titan's legs were dug into the ground with its left leg just out and standing on its toes while its fists are raised to guard itself from an attack.
For just a second Reiner thought he was seeing her…
Annie…
His memory of hear flashed through his mind; their childhood, their mission, the cadet corps… all of it… now she's gone and here was her titan looking back at him.
In that moment he had lost his cool, he had lost his composure as his loss and anguish over his friend death suddenly hit him.
Mina… she was your friend; you dare use this, what belonged to her?
He stared her down while she stood there ready for the next clash.
No point feeling sorry for myself or the others, I still have a mission to do and I will do it! I will save the world!
The Beast titan watched in grave annoyance, anger and trepidation as his titans began to engage in a battle against the mass wave of soldiers now zipping, flying and jumping their way around the small forest of rocks and dirt which now cluttered the battlefield.
You must think you're very clever…
Zeke quickly picked one of the large boulders underneath him and crushed it in the palm of his hands before pulling back his arm and tossing the first spray of rocks into the towers of rock and dirt; the echo of cries and screams along with the crashing and colliding of the rocks smashing into the columns echoed out into the space around as even his own titan were carved up in the attack.
"You're still within striking distance and if you think you can get to me before I turn you all into red mis-" he was about to toss the next spray of rocks into the mix when he noticed a small group of riders charging towards him, he changed course and threw the rocks at them with a forced fuelled by anger and frustration, crushing them into the mud.
As his arm was out stretched, he noticed the hooks now attached to his hand, a rapidly zipping of cables assaulted his ears and with the swiftness of a person scratching their pen across a piece of paper the top half of his hand was sliced off as a hood figure flew upwards, their hood just falling off them to reveal their golden hair, golden eye and a piece of tape tied to their face failing to conceal the look of anger and hatred which was etched the expressed.
It's one of them!
They fired their hooks onto the Beast titan's face, just below his eye as they pulled themselves in to strike him. Zeke raised his other arm, looking to squash him like a bug onto his arm. But just out of the corner of his eye he caught something, moving faster than a flash of lightening just zipping past his face and towards his forearm, the beast turned his eyes towards his other arm to see just a series of finely cut chunks of meat where his arm would be suddenly fall onto the ground.
"Be carefully of Captain Levi, he is dangerous…"
That's… Levi!
He felt another pair of hooks hit underneath his other eye, in a cleanly coordinate attack; both Levi and the Ed shoved their blades into his eyes blinding him.
I can't see! A scary realisation came through to him My neck! They're going to go for my neck! His hands were cut into pieces, he couldn't protect himself; without thinking or hesitation he began to form a crystal barrier on his nape, protecting himself from those two.
Both Ed and Levi passed through him and looked at the crystal layer coating his nape "Legs!" Levi yelled. They fired their hooks into the heels of the Beast titan and swooped down, Zeke couldn't see them slice apart his feet from his legs but he could feel the cut of their blades on the Beast titan. Ed carved a gap into the Beast titan's ankle while Levi tore through the whole foot, decapitating it.
His body began to lean forward, like a collapsing tower as he landed flat onto his stomach with a loud boom.
Like falcons circling a wounded animal, Ed and Levi hovered over him "Break his barrier!" Levi ordered.
Ed dove down and landed onto his neck, Zeke felt the tapping of his boots on his crystal barrier covering his nape "Think you can hide?" Ed question as he clapped his hands together, he placed them onto the crystal barrier which then shattered like a glass window thrown onto the ground. Leaving him exposed.
Ed hopped off of the spot "Thought you had won this?" Levi questioned as he dove down "We're just getting started!" Levi stabbed through the now exposed nape as he ripped out a hole through it. Zeke felt the blade pierce through his real arm and decapitated it from his body as another blade sliced through one of his legs, he screamed out from the immense pain as he felt a hand grab his hair and pulling him out of the titan like a crying baby. He felt the cold air hit his skin as the person behind him tossed him down onto his back to face him.
As he looked up he saw both a two people standing over him both bathed in steaming blood.
Ed raises his blade and stabs it in between Zeke's shoulder and arm. "Call off the attack!" Levi demanded, Zeke didn't say anything instead just wheezing heavily while looking at them, Ed twists the blade causing Zeke to cry out once more "I'm not asking again, call off your titans or we cut you up like we cut up your hairy ass titan." He threatens.
Levi presses his blade against Zeke's throat, the tip of the blade cutting into his skin; Zeke screams out "Stop! Stop moving!" he ordered.
The rumbling sounds of footsteps and heavy movements all ceased.
Ed turned his head to see behind him; the fifteen meter titans all stood in place "They're stopped." Levi sighed out as he leaned his head back. Before quickly looking back down on him and shoving his blade into Zeke's mouth "Don't even think about it." Levi threatens "Try anything and I'll feed you bits of metal." The smoke from his now decaying beast titan fogged up the area.
Pieck, where are you?!
"Ed, keep your foot on him, make sure he doesn't do anything." Levi ordered. Ed planted his boot onto Zeke chest, pressing down.
There was a galloping behind them, Ed looked behind him to see a rider coming up to them "Marlowe!" he called out a look of relief and happiness appearing on his face.
"Whats going on?" Levi asked.
"Rico's ordered all the wounded to be quickly moved back to the town, captain." Marlowe told them.
"Tell them to kill the rest of the titans!" Levi yelled back exasperated "Where's Erwin?"
Marlowe swallowed before answer "Captain, he's being dragged back to the town…" he replied, both Ed and Levi's faces drop "He… a titan had him in his grasp and almost crushed him in its hand…"
Levi looked shocked and concern while Ed looked anguished at the news.
Both Ed and Levi turn their head back to Zeke as a very simple solution came into the minds of everyone there. "Find Erwin, bring him here and kill the rest of the titans." Levi ordered. "Now, go!" Marlowe nodded before quickly turning his horse and riding off.
"Captain, there still another shifter…" Ed stated looking around, the smoke blocking his view. "That crawling one that Armin said led the titans on the left side."
Levi looked to have come to the same realisation.
Suddenly the smoke to the side of them parted as a titan's long face and gapping mouth burst through, its mouth casting a shadow over them. "Get down!" Levi grabbed Ed by the hood as he pulled them both to the side off the Beast titan, Zeke free from their blades as Pieck saved him.
Pieck began to bolt off away from them.
"Hey!" Ed yelled "Get back here!" there was a clap of hands before the ground underneath Pieck shook and stone hands tried to gasp at them, like something out of a nightmare. But Pieck quickly avoided the traps and weaved her way through.
"KILL THEM ALL!" Zeke yelled, straining his voice as he gave the order to his titans; just like that, the once still titans were brought back to life as they resumed their attack. "AND TEAR THOSE TWO APART!"
"You bastard!" Levi demanded. "You're not getting awa-" suddenly a group of fifteen meter titans charged towards them with zealous vigour.
"Levi, you little monster, you really cut me up." Zeke commented "Doesn't matter, you're all going to die here; you and your brother will die in this world too, Ed, you'll have come here for nothing!"
"Get back here!" Ed yelled "I said get back here!"
"Titans!" Levi yelled "Stay focused!"
"You bastard, get back here!" Ed continued to yell out as Levi prepared to attack the incoming titans "We're not finished here yet!"
"No… we're not." Zeke muttered as the echo of Ed's cry reached him.
Armin watched the colossal titan's movements; his arms were now a smoking mess of thick grey clouds as small holes dotted the Colossal's stomach, chest and face.
"Bertholdt!" Armin continued to call out "You're not getting anywhere with this, just stand down!" he tried to reason "Just talk to us!" The colossal titan stared at him "Annie tried to fight, we didn't want to kill her and we don't want to kill you too!" he told him "Just talk to us!"
The colossal titan screamed out at Armin, he covered his face as the harsh wind of the titan's cry and the steam pushed against him.
Looks like I've made him angrier… Armin thought I meant what I said, Bertholdt… But if you're still going to do this, then just stay focused on me…
Armin wondered where Eren would be now.
Shouldn't be long left…
The colossal titan raised its fist at Armin, trying once more to squish him like an irritating incest, Armin responded with another explosive like strike against the titan's arm, pushing it back.
The colossal titan recomposed itself and stood forward, before then slamming its hands on either side of Armin, blocking his sides.
Armin began to panic realising what was going to happen.
The colossal titan began to skim its hands across the walls as he intended to squish his hands together with Armin between them.
I'm trapped!
He looked back at Bertholdt.
The Eyes! Aim for the eyes!
Armin tried to visualise the path before him; the atoms of oxygen and the area of damage as dread, panic and fear clouded his mind and gripped his body, fired out towards the colossal titan's face. A mass explosion of fire, flames, scorching heat and smoke blew up in the Colossal's face; the reach of the inferno brushed out against Armin who covered himself from the incoming fire, the embers singeing his skin and hair while his uniform had caught flickers of flames. The colossal was push back once more as a floating wall of smoke separated both Bertholdt and Armin.
Armin quickly puts out the flames which flickered around his cloak and coat, patting them out into dark burnt marks. Armin looked back to the smoke waiting for the Colossal's next move. Bertholdt must have been desperate; the colossal titan practically threw themselves forward, splitting through the smoke with the intent of crashing into Armin.
Armin didn't have enough time to think, only deeply breathe in once as he braced himself for it, covering his arms around his head.
"AHHHHHH!" someone cried out, there was a similar sound of blades cutting into flesh as the colossal titan twitched and fell, slamming its head onto the wall than the ledge. Its head scrapping against the surface as it crashed into the ground.
As the sound of scraping died down, the almost whisper of zipping cables caught his attention as he spotted Eren zipping towards a nearby building as he carried Bertholdt.
Armin fell to one knee, placing his hand on the circle near his foot as he freed his trapped foot from the cast. He collapsed onto the ground, exhausted in every way as he caught his breath and looked up to the sky.
He wanted to laugh, he felt like crying but instead he just continued to look up into the clouds as the realisation of how close he came to dying staying quiet. He pulled himself up, sitting slightly as he fumbled for his flare gun and loaded a shell into it. He pointed it upwards towards the sky and pulled the trigger, a loud bang cried out as the hiss of the canister followed.
Armin looked back to the other side to see the garrison and scout troops engaged in a battle against the remaining titans; he felt a shot of dread and fear as he watched the battle ensue in the distance, however as the titans quickly became impaled on skewers and stakes that ruptured from the ground as blue streaks of lightening and energy loomed around the battle, he felt relieved if just still concerned.
But just off the corner of his eye, Armin spotted something; running away from the battle, it looked like a horse at first but as it grew closer….
The other intelligent titan!
Mina breaks from the skin of her titan, the nerves still connected to her cheeks and around her body like a person entangled in fleshy wire.
"Mina, good job keeping him occupied." Jean said. "But we still need to find a way to break his jaw."
"We can't use the other spear; otherwise we'll be useless against him." Mikasa stated.
"I can't take on Reiner in a head to head fight again, last few times did work out." Mina replied "But I think I have a way of doing it." She said "I could break his jaw off his hinge."
"Don't think you'd want to get that close to him." Connie said "He'd just punch you away like he did with you and Eren."
"He'll likely see it coming then." Sasha added grimly "Reiner was always smart."
"I don't need to punch him to break the jaw." Mina answered back "I... I think I can use Annie's move." They all looked at her "I keep getting memories of her training, it's like I know her technique inside and out, and I'll strike his jaw with my foot."
"Okay, if that will work then go for it." Jean encouraged. "But we'll also need to distract him to give you that edge."
"We could throw some long sticks at him." Connie suggested offhandedly, they all looked at him puzzled. "I mean, he knows about the spears, so if he see just some long sticks being thrown at his neck he'll be distracted."
"Connie…" Jean said, a look of realisation on his face "That's actually a great idea."
"You think?" Connie said with a smug look.
"Yeah… I think I can get you an opening once that happens." She tried to visual the fight in her head. "So be ready."
"That will work." Mikasa said "Let's get into position."
"Mina, good luck." Sasha said.
Mina nodded at them before they quickly jumped off of her and scattered into the buildings, she dived back into her titan; her vision shifting from the sight of fleshy muscle and nerve to the eyes of her titan looking at the armoured titan.
Mina raised her fists towards her face as she moved her left leg forward and stood on her toes; before her a vision from a few years ago appeared before her as the image of the armoured titan dissolved away to be replaced by one of the cadets as they held a wooden knife in their hands ready to charge at her, in the background she could see herself struggling against another cadet…
In the moment she felt calm… and in control as her eyes narrowed and her fists clenched tighter, suddenly the roar of the armoured titan brought her back into reality with vicious intent.
She wanted to scream back at Reiner instead she stood there silently…
"What would a clear opening look like?"
"When they're on their last legs and won't counter any hits." She remembered Ed telling her "Or if they go for a desperate attack…"
Mina unclenched one hand and waved her hand forward, trying to egg him on to charge her.
Reiner leaned forward and charged at her with full force; Mina stood her ground and waited, as Reiner came close enough, she focused her energies into her crystallising her foot and then swinging it towards Reiner's face.
She placed everything her kick, a full force using every bit of energy; her foot struck Reiner's jaw, breaking the jaw off and tossing in away as Reiner was smashed into a nearby building. Mina quickly rebalanced herself as she looked towards Reiner.
She quickly moved away from Reiner, trying to distance herself as she watched him stand up; as he turned his head she could see the tongue of the armoured titan spilling out of its throat.
Just on the edge of her sight she saw Connie and Sasha running towards Reiner just from his sides; leaping and firing their hooks onto Reiner's neck as they pulled themselves forward with one hand while holding long wooden sticks, leaning against their arms. They passed by the armoured titan's neck, Reiner quickly covered his nape with his hands as they tossed their sticks at his hands, the wooden poles harmlessly bouncing off of him.
Now's my chance!
Mina swooped around Reiner while his hands were still placed around his neck; she wrapped her arms around his and held him but the neck as he tried to flay around and escape. Mina dug her heels into the ground as she tried to hold him in place.
DO IT NOW!
She yelled out, but all that came out of her titan's mouth was a loud cry in frustration.
She caught a glimpse over Reiner's shoulder as she spotted Mikasa flying towards Reiner, Mina dug in more as she tried to hold on to a struggling armoured titan, there was a familiar bust of smoke followed by the single click of metal as Mikasa flew past.
My neck!
She quickly focused her energies and attention to the front of her neck as a crystal layer began to form at the front of her neck.
She ran suddenly felt a cut around the nape of her titan as a hand grabbed her collar and pulled her from the nape of her titans, the nerves around her snapping as her vision returned to her real body. Just before an explosion engulfed the front of the armoured titan, blowing Reiner out of his titan and scorching her legs as both her and Mikasa barely make it out of the blast radius.
The two titans collapse onto the ground with a loud thud as the others collect Reiner from the wreckage and Mikasa quickly begins to bandage up Mina's wound with her clock.
"We did it…" Mina muttered.
"Yeah, we did." Mikasa replied with a faint smile as she tied a knot over the makeshift bandage before she then reached into her pocket and pulled out a flare gun, loading a shell into the chamber and firing it into the air.
A green swirling line soared into the sky and touched the clouds.
Hange gripped her shoulder with one hand, pressing down on her wound with a thick piece of ripped cloak as she had the other on the transmutation circle, her breathing was slightly laboured as she looked around herself, the rubble of Shiganshina surrounding her, as she tried to find the movements of the jaw titan which was prowling around the ruins like a predator eyeing prey which was putting up a fight.
She caught glimpses of her and the remnants of Dirk squad zipping around her in support as they themselves waited for an opportune time.
"C'mon… C'mon…" Hange muttered to herself "Show yourself…" she felt beads of sweat drop down her head.
Focus, focus, focus…
She began to list of the elements of the environment around her.
Did it run away?
The sound of loud scurrying off to her side caught her attention.
"Squad leader, behind you!" yelled one of the scouts.
Hange looked over her shoulder to see the jaw titan charging at her back, she turned her head back down to the blood transmutation circle she wrote on the ground. The ground behind her shook slightly, the Jaw titan's shadow was now cast over her as its claws were ready to strike down and a large fist erupted from the ground behind her and smashed into the jaw of the titan which sent them flying back.
Hange turned around to face the titan "Gonna have to try better than that get me!" she taunted, the jaw titan got up to its hands and legs "You were having so much fun killing my comrades but you can't cut it against me!"
The jaw titan eyed her before trying again to attack, Hange kept her eyes on the titan as a stone claw struck the side of its body, sending it crashing onto the ground and like something out of a nightmare, stone and dirt hands began to form from the ground under a storm of flashing lights and sparks.
The jaw panicked as it thrashed at the hands with its claws to escape, breaking it into pieces as others held it down; the scouts swarmed the jaw titan like hawks before firing their thunder spears at the titans. The jaw titan barely escaped just narrowly avoiding the spears aimed at his head. But it wasn't fast enough to avoid the spears which buried themselves into its legs and hip.
There was a familiar click before the spears exploded destroying large chunks of its body.
The Jaw titan, on two arms and one leg, limped around as quickly as it could try to escape as it tried to sprint off.
"You're not going anywhere!" Hange yelled out keeping an eye on the titan, blue light began to shine around her once more as massive thorn stabbed through the titan's shoulder and held it in place as more hands began to grab at its arms and its one leg. The jaw titan tried to struggle through its grips but to no avail; it was now trapped in Hange's clutches as the scouts began to circle it.
The shifter inside must have panicked, a large burst of smoke erupted from its neck as the shadow of a figure appeared trying to escape.
"Capture it!" Hange ordered. She watched as the scouts swooped down and apprehended the shifter, holding them to the ground as they cuffed and restrained them.
Hange stood up from the circle and walked over to the shifter, still clutching at the cloak covering her wound.
"Squad leader Hange!" Nifa greeted her with a smile of relief, a few of the scouts rushed to her. Hange raised up her free hand stopping them as she continued to walk to the shifter.
She looked down at the shifter; an average looking man with a slick back blond hair greeted her. The scouts forced a long bandage into his mouth as they tied him up, forcing him up to look at Hange, square grey eyes looked back at her "And just who you might be?" Hange asked, the shifter responded in muffled yells "Oh right, can't talk now can you." she joked. "Looks like your body is whole still, can't cut you up or hurt you to incapacitate you." she pondered for a second "Shame for you we don't have any tranquilizers." She commented "Suffocate him." A scout behind the shifter wrapped their arm around his neck as the shifter struggled to escape, gasping for air. Hange turned away from the shifter and back to Nifa "Signal the others, we've won our fight."
Nifa nodded her head as she reached for the flare gun and loaded in a shell before firing it off into the sky; Hange looked up into the sky to see the traces of other green flares into the sky. Hange smiled
Victory, it seemed, to be a matter of when than if…
She shut her eyes for a second before collapsing onto the floor, completely exhausted.
Petra watched as her squad began to tend to themselves; treating their wounds and collecting their equipment all while Reiner sat up against a wall, his body almost destroyed from the explosion that forced him out of the titan, his arms were completely gone, cut off for their safety, but his legs were only just severely burned.
She heard the distance bang of a flare going off, they all turned around to see another green trail reaching into the sky among the others.
"Have we won?" Connie asked almost excitedly.
"Looks like only the squads inside the district have beaten the titans." Jean observed, standing on a rooftop above her holding a small telescope "We still don't know about the others outside fighting the beast titan." Jean hopped down onto the ground, rappelling himself.
Suddenly the sound of more rappelling and hooks caught their attention as other scouts descended onto their positions. "It's Hange and Dirk squad!" Sasha yelled out.
They all gathered around, one scout quickly placed down Hange onto the ground next to the other injured troops as they were quickly attended to by others inside an empty house nearby. Levi squad looked through the windows at an unconscious Hange and another individual with a bag over their head, tossing them onto Reiner's lap.
"Will Hange be alright?" Petra asked
"I think so." Nifa "She's lost a lot of blood but we were able to stop the bleeding and treat the wound." She explained "For now I think it's best we just let her rest."
"What happened to squad leader Dirk?" Mikasa asked.
"The Jaw titan killed him and almost decimated his squad." Nifa explained "Petra, you're probably the highest ranking officer still left standing."
"Standing maybe but I don't think I can fight." Petra commented glancing down at her bandages. "Alright, Nifa gather a group of any left who is able bodied, Jean and Mikasa you go with them, head to the other side, and refuel your canisters and blades." She ordered "Find Armin and Eren and assess the situation outside the district; if things look stable then we can head back but if they need help then we'll at least be ready for provide it."
Nifa nodded her head "Right, I'll gather anyone I can." Both Jean and Mikasa nodded at her before joining with Nifa.
"Petra…" someone called out, she turned to see Alphonse leave the house where the wounded were being housed.
"Alphonse, you should get some rest." Petra told him.
"I'm fine, just because my arm is broken doesn't mean I can't do anything else." He said almost jokingly. Petra gave him a faint smile "I wanted to talk to Reiner… and the other shifter if possible." Petra nodded her head slightly.
"Okay, I was going to do that anyways, so if you want to come along then fine." Petra stated, she then pointed to the ripped handle of an ODM gear lying in a small pile of ruined equipment. "Pick up a blade just in case, my whole body would kill me if I bent down to get one." Alphonse nodded his head and headed over to the pile, picking up a single blade with his good hand before the two walked back towards Reiner and the other shifter.
There was a zipping of cables above them as the group led by Nifa headed off to the wall.
The two stood before, Petra reached into her pocket and pulled out a metal case. "Reiner." Petra called out holding the metal case "What the hell is this metal case we found on you?" she demanded "You tried to fight off Connie, Sasha and Jean just to keep this close."
"Its… a… letter…" he replied simply.
"To who?" Petra inquired further.
"It's from Ymir, to Historia…" Reiner stated. "Please give the letter to her…"
"We will, if that's the case." Petra replied. "After checking you haven't done anything to it."
"Reiner." This time Alphonse called out to him, he knelt down "Last time we talked you wouldn't answer my questions, but you're going to now." Alphonse removed the blindfold from Reiner, the two looking at each other in the eyes. Alphonse pulled the shifter off of Reiner; Reiner looked at his captured comrade, a look on trepidation on his face. "I'm going to ask you, where are you from and why are you doing this?" Alphonse placed the blade underneath Reiner's neck forcing him to look at Alphonse.
"Go ahead and kill me." Reiner taunted "I won't tell you anything."
Alphonse stands up, grabbing the other shifter by the collar as he stood up "Maybe you're okay with letting yourself die but…" Alphonse didn't finish his sentence, the intention here was clear.
"You wouldn't dare." Reiner told him.
"Maybe I wouldn't." Alphonse replied, he turned to Petra and handed her the blade as he tilted the body of the other captured shifter enough for a clear angle of their neck. "One last time, where are you from and why are you doing this?" Alphonse repeated the questions.
"You wouldn't risk causing injury to him; you'll just give them an opportunity to shift." Reiner told them.
"They're unconscious, we've had others check and I've been cutting the necks and body parts of titans for years." Petra told him "You think I can't decapitate your friend in one slash? Try me."
Reiner stayed silent for a few seconds looking back at them and then his unconscious comrade "Silence? Fine." Petra said "One less shifter to deal with then!" she raised her hand up before swooping it down onto the exposed neck as Alphonse braced himself
"Wait!" Reiner yelled, Petra stopped just before the blade could touch their neck. "Marley, we're from Marley."
Petra looked at Reiner confused while Alphonse looks to have come to a realisation "That's the name of your civilization… your country? That's it isn't it, warrior is just a military rank of Marley." Alphonse said "But why are you doing this?"
Reiner was silent for a few more seconds "To save the world…"
Both Petra and Alphonse looked at Reiner confused "The world?" Petra repeated "What the hell do you mean save the worl-"
"Incoming!" yelled one of the scouts, followed by a loud crash of something landing onto the ground, the three both looked to see another shifter now running towards them, a person sitting on top of a platform strapped to the titan.
"Get out of the way!" Petra yelled, she grabbed onto Alphonse and with every ounce of strength she had left in her threw themselves to the side as the Titan just missed them, both her and Alphonse crashed into a wall "Ahhhhh!" she cried out as her already injured body was further damaged. Alphonse stood up quickly and picked up the blade looking at the titan which now had both Reiner and the other captured shifter in its mouth.
"Where's the female titan?" The shifter sitting on the titan said before looking to Alphonse "Gold hair and eyes, you're the other brother." Alphonse stood his ground as the other scouts quickly tried to regroup. "Wish we had time to kill you two monsters." he said before the titan quickly scurried off, jumping off from roof to roof.
"Follow that titan!" one scout ordered.
"Its heading for the river!" yelled another
Alphonse tried to follow them as the other scouts gave chase, sprinting down the street as quickly as he could. Suddenly a flurry of flames was fired at the titan, knocking it about and off course. The titan barely kept its footing as he landed back onto the ground
"We're not done here!" yelled a very familiar voice, Alphonse looked up to the rooftop of one of the houses to see Ed, his clothes and body soaked in smoky blood as he held up Armin in one arm who tried to hit the titan with its fire alchemy while leaning into Ed.
"You!" The titan yelled out looking at Ed and Armin "I've had enough of you!"
The scouts began to surround them before the titan made one last mad dash for the river, he could only watch as the scouts tried to chase it but to no avail. The titan, zigzagged around trying to avoid the spears as it took one last leap into the large river of the district before throwing the other shifters into its mouth and submerging underwater. As he arrived on the scene, Alphonse collapsed onto his knees trying to catch his breath as the other scouts stood at the edge of the lake watching the wooden platform and the crates float to the surface without any trace of the titan or the other shifters.
A streak of fire skimmed the surface of the water, smoke rising from top. Alphonse turned his head to see Armin on one knee as he scanned the river, setting fire to its surface trying to smoke out the titan as Ed stood next to him.
"DAMN IT!" Ed yelled out in pure frustration, his voice straining.
Alphonse walked up them, they both turned to see Alphonse "Ed…" he muttered.
"Al…" Ed replied, a bandage wrapped tightly around his left eye.
All at once, Alphonse suddenly began to cry tears of relief as he dropped the blade as he threw his one good arm at Ed and pulled him in for a hug, Ed responded in kind as they both held each other tightly.
Levi looked around at the scene before him; the battlefield where he and the other scouts and garrison troops fought off the horde of fifteen meter titans was nothing but a field of towering stakes, shards and spikes poking from the ground which had impaled a titan which had now long since turned to dust and ashes, he stood on top of the barrier which had shielded them from the rain of rocks and crushed boulders which the beast titan try to destroy them with.
He turned around and looked down at the inside; all around inside the barrier what was left of the expedition was gathering the survivors all into one spot as they began to reorganize their forces and take count of who remained. Levi dropped down onto the ground, silent as he watched and walked towards the wounded, the line of them seemed to stretch out as far as the eye could see.
"Captain Levi." Someone called out to his side; he turned to see Rico walking up to him. "Thank you… for what you did back there, I don't think we would have survived that attack if you or Ed hadn't stuck around. "
Levi thought back to that; Ed striking down the titans as he carved a line through their ranks, all while the beast titan made his escape. "It's no problem, I'm sorry about your comrades."
Rico looked down "We lost a lot of good people today." She said "And by the end of the day we may lose even more." Levi's thoughts wondered off to one person as she said that.
"Whats the current head count?" he asked "Out of the two hundred and eighty soldiers who came here how many are left?"
"Eighty eight." Rico responded "Less than half of those accounted for can walk."
Levi sighed "Okay… continue to have the troops look for survivors, once we get a clear number we'll settle down and rest, God knows everyone here deserves it."
Rico nodded as the two parted ways, Levi carefully made his way through the rows of injured people as he tried to find him.
Where are you, Erwin…?
In the distance he spotted Ed and Alphonse sitting outside of a tent talking to Marlowe, he walked up to them "Captain Levi." Marlowe and Alphonse saluted him while Ed continued to look at him and just nod his head.
"It's good to see you three all made it." Levi said in his usual calm manner "Marlowe, how was your first expedition?"
"Its… Its…I don't know if I have the words for it or how I feel…" Marlowe replied as he stared off into the ground as if thinking back to what he had experienced and witnessed.
Levi placed a clenched fist over Marlowe's chest, bring him back to reality "Welcome to the Scout regiment." He lowered his hand "Do you three know where Erwin is?"
"He's in the tent." Ed replied deadpan "The medical team are trying to save him…"
"What did they say?" Levi asked "How is it going?"
They were silent for a couple of seconds, Levi quickly picking on the hesitation. "They said they're doing everything they can… but they don't think it will be enough." Alphonse replied this time "They don't think he has long left."Levi continued to look stoic and calm as Alphonse informed him, Levi breathed in deeply "Captain Levi, I know that you and Commander Erwin had been comrades for years, I want to say that we're so sorry for-"
"Stop, please, there's no need for mourning." Levi stated, he reached into his jacket and pulled out the black box which sat in his pocket. The three were silent as they looked at the box in his hand "Where's Bertholdt?" Levi asked.
"Tied to a post inside of a tent there." Ed said looking at the tent that stood not so far away.
"Tell the medical team to get Erwin on a stretcher and bring him out into the front of the village." Levi ordered "I'll go get the colossal titan." The three nodded as Ed stood up and walked into the tent.
Levi approached the tent, two guards stood by it, they moved out of the way as he open the flap to see Bertholdt without his arms or legs and his body tied to a wooden post in the centre of the tent while his eyes were covered with a blindfold, the tent was steamy from the smoke he produced as he regenerated his limbs. Levi knelt down to Bertholdt's level tapping him on the head "Knock knock… you awake?" he asked coldly, Bertholdt shuddered slightly as he pressed his back against the pole. "You remember me, don't you?" he asked "I nearly ended your life two times, each time you got lucky." Levi stood up and walked around him "Something tells me, you aren't going to be so lucky a third time… " Levi sliced the Bertholdt's binds from the post as Bertholdt flopped to the floor like fish out of water.
"Please… Please… don't kill me." Bertholdt begged through a weak whimper "My father is waiting for me… he's sick and I need to see him."
Levi immediately kicked Bertholdt in the stomach "How fucking dare you?" Levi responded, his calm demeanour breaking into rage. "The things you've done, after all the people you've killed and had sent into the stomach of titans… call it poetic justice."
Levi grabbed Bertholdt by the collar and began to drag him out of the tent as Bertholdt screamed out for help, the commotion grabbing the attention of the others who stood by and watched as Levi dragged the helpless shifter on the ground and led him off. Levi looked at them, the black box in his other hand, they knew. He spotted the members of his squad watching him as he dragged their once former comrade to his fate; Jean stepped forward when Petra stretched out her arm stopping him from moving further.
"Captain…" Jean said weakly.
"It's either him… or Erwin." Levi stated, Jean swallowed hard as he took a step back, Connie, Mikasa, Mina and Sasha looked at Bertholdt and him with soft frowns on their faces as they accepted the fate of their former friend.
"Guys? Please save me!" Bertholdt pleaded. "Please!" They were silent; Levi continued to walk "No! No! No! Please help me!" they never did, Levi continued to drag him through the barrier entrance and then through the main road of the village, the ruins of houses and buildings surrounding them as some of the troops outside watched him.
He approached the end of the road where he saw Ed and the medical staff member near an unconscious and deathly pale Erwin; he threw Bertholdt to the side, less than a meter away from Erwin. "Stand aside, both of you." he asked, the two backed away.
Levi knelt down and took out the syringe in the box, stabbing the needle through the vial and pulling in the serum. "I'll grant you this mercy." He told Bertholdt, he walked up to him before then stomping on his head, knocking him out cold. Levi then took Erwin's real arm and injected it into him, pushing the needle down as the serum entered Erwin's body.
Levi quickly stood up and sprinted away to the others, a small crowd was beginning to form as some came through to watch, scattered around the rubble from a safe distance
There was an explosion of bright light and a large cloud of smoke before a fifteen meter titan appeared before them; with short and messy blonde hair, a square like head and a muscular body with a thinly tanned complexion. It stood there for a few seconds before turning its head towards Bertholdt and picking him up, its attention turned from those watching, there was sickeningly recognizable crunch before the titan then collapsed onto the ground on its front and a burst of smoke erupted from the nape of the titan.
Levi quickly jogged up to the titan, others quickly following him; as he arrived he saw a body dressed in the scout uniform emerge from the nape covered in red fleshy nerves, there was a wet snap as the body pulled back and looked upwards to the sky. A familiar face covered in scar lines which covered its cheeks and behind its eyes.
"Erwin…" Levi muttered, he pulled out his flare gun and pointed it to the sky. A trail of green smoke flew upwards into the clouds.