Attack On Titan: Wings Of Crystal
Chapter 77: The Rumbling Begins
The ground rumbles underfoot. A pillar of dust touches the sky, heralding the horde of Titans on the horizon. The walls of Paradis are gone. Lazarus' nightmare of the army of Colossal Titans awakening from their slumber in stone is now free to walk the earth, with Eren's new Founding Titan leading the charge. It's all come true.
The earth quivered with every step each Wall Titan made. Those who were unfortunate enough to be standing within the vicinity of the crumbling walls were crushed under the debris. Of those who survived that, another third were stepped on by the Colossal Titans. Only the people stationed in the middle of Shiganshina were able to survive both, with another unlucky few getting eaten by the Pure Titan's Zeke summoned.
Eren's message to all Subjects of Ymir ended at the exact moment it started from an outsider's perspective. All of them wore a horrified expression that lasted for what felt like an hour. It's happening. The event Willy Tybur warned the whole world about is happening right now on Paradis. Eren and his Wall Titan army will lay waste to all life beyond the island's shores and will not stop until all, but the people of Paradis, are dead and gone.
Eldians worldwide reacted the same as those on the island and soon began to panic. Many were confused as to what they'd just witnessed in The Paths, while just as many knew exactly what was coming.
At the beginning of The Rumbling, Eren also took the liberty of undoing all hardening worldwide. It was the only way he could unleash the Titans of the walls. By doing so he also undid the hardening on Reiner's armour, rendering it useless. Michael's crystal evaporated into dust, including the knife he formed in his hand when he attempted to assassinate Zeke.
Once they've recovered enough to walk properly again, Michael and Erwin cut Reiner out of his Titan's nape and carried him on their shoulders to a safer place. His wounds weren't healing at this point. He'd depleted so much of his Titan energy during the fight. A chunk of the wall hit him dead-on in the gut. There was more blood than steam escaping his wounds, forcing him to put his hand over it to apply pressure, making it harder for the two Smiths to carry him.
Gabi was out in front calling for Falco, desperate to find him amidst this chaos. They saw him eat Galliard, so they knew he was human again, which made finding him much more challenging.
"FALCO! WHERE ARE YOU?!"
"Give it a rest, Gabi." Michael interrupted her. "There's no way he can hear you with all this noise. You'll only end up hurting your throat."
As he and Erwin were carrying Reiner, Michael scanned the area for any sign of Lazarus, desperate to find at least some part of him still intact he could regenerate from. But he couldn't find so much as a bone, a patch of flesh, or a strand of hair. Lazarus was gone.
A single tear trickles down his dirty cheek underneath his cracked glasses. He couldn't get Oppenheimer's final words out of his head. That there's no chance Lazarus will be able to come back this time.
"No!" He shook his head in denial. He refuses to believe this is how his friend finally meets his end. He hadn't had the chance to meet his child yet. He'll be back. He always comes back. He just needed to make sure he had something to come back from.
"Becoming one of the nine, or ten, is a real ordeal," Reiner muttered, drawing Michael and Erwin's attention. "Leaves you helpless. Screws up your memories too… There's no way they wouldn't have grabbed him."
Gabi stops her search to address her cousin. He was talking about Falco. If they all saw him eat Porco, there's a guarantee the Scouts have as well.
"What are you saying?"
"I'm gonna guess Jean, Connie, and Sasha saw how everything went down and realised Falco was too important to leave behind," Reiner answered whilst fighting through the pain in his sides. Michael and Erwin held him steady to ensure he didn't fall over.
"He's right. They'll bring him back to the Scouts. They know he's got one of the Ten. There's no way they'll let him live when he can be fed to one of their soldiers… It's what I would've done." Erwin openly admitted.
Suddenly Michael stopped and dropped to his knees in despair. Erwin had to gently put Reiner down as he was unable to carry his weight, on top of his new ODM gear, alone.
"We couldn't stop him," Michael mumbled sorrowfully. His mind flashes back to when he stabbed Zeke. In that moment he froze up for a whole second. That one second was all the time Eren needed to make contact with his big brother.
"I froze… Why did I do that?!" He voiced his thoughts aloud. "I had a knife over his heart! Why did it take me so long to bring it down and kill the bastard?! Had I killed him, Eren wouldn't have been able to awaken the Founder's power. We could've prevented The Rumbling… But I just… didn't."
"Michael-
"It's all my fault! My hesitation got Lazarus potentially killed for good!" He clenches his fists tightly and slowly gazes up at his father and Gabi with guilt in his eyes. "It's over… Eren's about to destroy the world all because I froze for a fucking second! I've doomed us all!" No longer able to hold back his emotions, Michael started crying. However, it didn't last long as he felt a firm hand on his left shoulder, forcing him to look up. It was his father giving his son a well-needed pep talk.
"On your feet, son. I already told you before that now's not the time or the place to feel sorry for ourselves. I raised you to be strong, sufficient, and fearless. I didn't tell you to break down and cry like a baby!" He harshly addressed him. It had to be done to help him realise how bad an example he was setting for Gabi.
"I understand you're worried about Lazarus. But you're letting Ludwig get inside your head. This is exactly what he and Eren want, us losing faith in ourselves. We won't let them have their way!" Erwin turns his head in towards the line of Colossal Titans walking towards the shores around Shiganshina, avoiding as much destruction as possible. "The Rumbling has started, but that doesn't mean it can't be stopped… We will stop it. But for now, we have to seek shelter. So please, get up and wipe your face. Stop telling yourself it's your fault and help me carry Reiner into that house over there." He pointed towards a fully intact house a few blocks down from their current position.
Michael lifts his glasses to wipe away the build-up of tears and dirt off his face with the sleeve of his jacket. After a few calming breaths, Michael nods and helps carry Reiner into the abandoned house.
They escort Reiner into the kitchen and set him down on the floor in front of the cabinets next to a dining room table with a full buffet of food still splayed out atop it. Whoever lived here must've left in the middle of dinner. Michael sat down next to him and rested. The bullet wound he'd received from Ludwig increased its healing speed now that he wasn't using up most of his energy to keep himself and Reiner up.
Gabi fetched the two of them a cup of water whilst Erwin was standing by the front door and peeking out the window now and then, checking for signs of threat. Other than the sounds of the thousands of gigantic footsteps, he couldn't hear anything unusual. He hadn't even spotted a single Wings of Crystal soldier since Zeke screamed. He started to wonder if any of them were still alive.
"You see anything?" Gabi asked the WOC Commander.
"I only see the Titans. No sign of our comrades yet… That's not good."
"Shit!" Michael blurted out, only now just realising that Annie and Bertolt were still out there. "Where are Annie and Bertolt?! We got separated when Shiganshina was attacked."
"They're still alive?" Reiner weakly asked.
Michael responded with a single nod. "Bertolt was close to being fed to a Titan, and Annie almost had her stomach cut open by that Marleyan scumbag! Had you not shown up when you did, Dad, they would've died."
"If they're still out there then we need to find them and Falco," Gabi stated.
Erwin continues to gaze out the window. He caught a faint glimpse of Jean carrying Falco off to a rooftop further away from the outer gate. As far as he can tell, he's alive. Though he may not be for much longer if they decide to feed him to the same Pure Titan Bertolt was almost fed to.
"Gabi, stay here with Michael and Reiner. I'm going to look for Annie and Bertolt."
Michael was about to object, but Erwin glared at him with such intensity that he'd not dare question him.
"Can you still utilise your hardening powers?" He asked him sternly.
Michael holds out his right hand and channels his Titan energy into the centre of the palm. Though it was weak, he did manage to construct a simple shard of crystal in his hand.
"Yeah, but my body's too busy healing to allow me to fully manifest it."
"Then I need you to stay here and focus on healing, so you can use your powers to protect the others whilst I'm gone." Erwin pulls his hood over his head, hiding his face from any outside parties. Now wasn't the time to make his presence known yet. "Stay hidden. Keep each other safe. I'll be as quick as I can."
As he was heading out the door, Michael interrupted him one final time. "Dad… If there's a slim chance Lazarus may still be alive, you have to find him. We can't defeat Eren without him."
"He's alive, Michael. And I WILL find him. But first, I must get to those I know are still alive… I won't be long." And with that, Erwin leaves. He blasts off on his Cloud Zero gear in the direction where he left Annie and Bertolt, hoping they might still be there and save him the trouble of looking for them.
The room fell silent for quite some time. Michael and Reiner close their eyes and slow their breathing, allowing their bodies to heal faster than usual. Gabi was just standing at the door, staring out the window at the rows of Colossal Titans. All she could do in that moment was think. Looking for help or warning the world would be pointless. The whole planet was about to be trampled. The people have nowhere to run.
She knew Marley would be the first nation to be destroyed. They were the ones who caused all this by declaring the people of Paradis devils, not knowing all those years of hate and discrimination would lead to their downfall.
"My mom and dad, they're going to die along with everybody else in Marley." She thought to herself. Now it was her turn to wallow in despair.
Michael notices this and attempts to calm her down. "Gabi…"
"We need to kill Eren and save them!" She shouted aloud, startling the two Titan Shifters slightly. Reiner guessed she was talking about her parents.
"We can't do that." He spoke up before Michael could. "The Founder's control over all Titans and Subjects of Ymir is absolute. There's no way we can stop Eren now… It might have been possible… If Laz were still alive."
Michael turns his head in shock to Reiner. "You of all people should be holding onto hope that he IS still alive!"
"That's the thing, Michael… I've lost all hope. In Lazarus' plan. In saving the world. And especially in myself… Before the festival, Bertolt and I made a pact. We agreed that we'd end our lives once the war was over… The war has been decided. We've lost. There's no point… continuing… on…"
Reiner's eyelids feel heavy, and his words become gentle whispers as he loses consciousness and falls into a deep sleep. Panicked, Michael places two fingers on the side of his neck, checking for a pulse. He sighs with relief that he is still alive, though he wound up losing too much blood.
Gabi could not believe what she'd just heard. Reiner was going to kill himself after the war ended. Why would he do that? She wondered. What transpired on this island four years ago was worse than she could've imagined.
Michael wasn't as surprised as his apprentice. The poor guy has been through so much turmoil not just on Paradis but in Marley as well. He had to watch his mother get blown up by Eren while he chose not to save her at the cost of losing Falco. And now that The Rumbling has started, he feels there's no further use in trying to save the world. Even as they speak, Eren and the front-row Titans must've reached the island shores by now. They'll soon cross the sea, arrive at Marley's shores and continue their march.
And now the only hope they have left is missing and presumed dead. Even if Lazarus was alive, he alone couldn't take on a Colossal Titan army. Even if he used every ounce of The Winged Titan's strongest abilities it wouldn't so much as make a dent in the Titan horde's numbers.
Clenching her fists, Gabi decided enough was enough, and tried to sneak out the front door while Michael was preoccupied with healing. She had to go and get Falco back. There was no way she would let the Scouts have their way with him, not after the heartfelt confession she'd received from him.
But as she was about to grab the doorknob, Michael called her name. "Where do you think you're going, Gabi?"
"I'm getting Falco back!"
"Dad's orders were to stay here."
"I don't care! He just said what'll happen to him now that he's inherited The Jaw Titan. They're gonna kill him and take it for themselves! I WON'T let that happen!" She declared.
Michael attempted to get up and stop her but the numbness in his legs still hadn't subsided, causing him to fall back against the wall next to Reiner. "It's dangerous out there! The Yeagerists will kill you the minute they spot you!"
"And if I don't get him back, they'll kill Falco!" She continued to plead with Michael, but there was no further point in continuing to reason with him. He'll never let her go out there. There was only one other option she had left.
Before Michael could register it, Gabi gave a kick to the side of her mentor's head, knocking him out cold. She utilised the same roundhouse kick move that Annie showed her and the candidates during hand-to-hand combat training, though she held back her strength to avoid wounding him even more than he was already. Before departing she does check for a pulse just to make sure Michael is in a stable position. The last thing she wanted was to accidentally kill him.
"Sorry, Michael, but I'm short on time. You can yell at me once I get Falco back." She heads over to the bathroom and uses the mirror to tie her hair back to its usual style. Making herself look presentable for Falco once she's rescued him. "No way am I just letting this happen! … Hang on, Falco, I'm coming."
After the walls fell and the Titans within began their march towards humanity's destruction, Annie and Bertolt got separated from Willy who was being escorted out of Shiganshina by the surviving WOC soldiers. But the Warriors couldn't leave yet, not without Lazarus and the rest of their comrades.
Keeping to the shadows, they began their search. The obvious place to start was the blast zone where Eren's Founding Titan manifested. The Winged Titan was directly underneath him when it occurred. If Lazarus was alive then whatever's left of him would likely be scattered by the outer gate. Getting there was going to be difficult without ODM gear or their Titan powers. Even if they could, they'd only just draw the Yeagerists' attention.
When they reached the outer gate they were shocked to see the remains of The Winged Titan sprayed out all over the area. The pieces were small enough to pick up with their hands. Some of the sharp pieces of bone were embedded in the houses like arrows sticking out of target boards. The pieces were all evaporating into steam. Most of it had already been completely disintegrated.
Annie and Bertolt scan the layout, hoping to find any signs of Lazarus' actual body. They lifted debris and checked under the larger pieces of The Winged Titan, but there was still no sign of the albino Eldian. Bertolt was beginning to think that maybe Lazarus wouldn't be able to come back this time around. Maybe he's finally met his end. But Annie refuses to believe it.
"He has to be here somewhere! Keep looking!" She yelled back at Bertolt, noticing him giving up on the search.
"… Annie, I don't think he's-
"No! Don't even say it! He's alive! He can't die! I know he's here somewhere!" Completely ignoring Bertolt's concerns, she effortlessly overturns more of the building rubble to find her beloved.
"I know he can't be killed, but even Lazarus has his limits on how much punishment he can take… We both saw it. He was in the centre of the transformation blast. Nothing could've survived that explosion. Look at his Titan. There's hardly anything left!" He pointed out all around them. "… The longer we hang around here the higher our chances of getting spotted. We have to go."
"Not without Lazarus!" Annie retorted. "I don't want our child to grow up without a father… Like how my birth parents abandoned me."
Bertolt stopped after hearing that. A wise decision on his part. It was no secret Annie was adopted by Leonhart. Everyone in the Omega Unit knew that. But it was a subject Annie didn't like bringing up with anyone, including Lazarus. She was the product of her mother's affair with an Eldian man. They just left her at the gates of the Internment Zone and walked away. That was when she was found by Leonhart, a foreigner with Eldian blood. They all knew the rest that followed after that.
Both Annie and Lazarus grew up without parents. Annie only had her adopted father and Lazarus had Lucia up until Annie had to eat her. Despite that, Lazarus never blamed her. He was happy that it was she who inherited The Female Titan from her. Had it been anyone else she doubts they would've grown so close.
"Our baby deserves to live a happy life with both their parents by their side… I have to see him again."
"You really love him, don't you?" Bertolt uttered under his breath. Annie didn't pick up on what he'd just said as she was preoccupied with digging through some rubble blocking the entrance to a nearby house.
He eventually decided to help her out and begin lifting a bunch of rocks out of the way. Only to suddenly stop and start backing away. Annie pauses to address Bertolt's strange behaviour.
"What is it now?"
"LOOK OUT!" Bertolt quickly grabs Annie's shoulders and pulls her out of the way moments before a seven-meter-tall Pure Titan leaps out of the ruined house headfirst with its huge mouth wide open, barely missing the Warriors.
The two of them caught their breath and started scurrying away from the Titan as it was getting back up. It slowly turned its head towards them and glared at them with its creepy, frozen facial expression. Annie was shocked by its appearance, and not because it was just another Pure Titan. No, it was because she recognised the person it used to be.
It was her former boss. The commander of the Military Police Regiment, Nile Dok. He too was a victim of Zeke's spinal fluid wine. And now with Zeke gone, there was no one to control him. He's just a mindless monster now.
The Nile Titan manages to grab Annie by the ankle and starts dragging her across the ground towards it. Bertolt used all his strength to pull Annie back but to no avail. The small blonde girl struggled to break free as she grunted in response to the pain of having her back scraping against the stone ground, across the shrapnel of debris.
The Titan was on the verge of eating her feet first until its legs were suddenly sliced off by the hooded Erwin Smith. The Nile Titan screams in agony and ends up falling forward after getting its arms cut off next. All Nile could do was stop and look over at his old friend standing before him swinging his katana blades to the sides, clearing the blood off.
As Erwin gazes into the Titan's eyes, he sees a brief flashback to Nile's true face. It wasn't that long ago when he'd reunited with his old friend. He is glad he got to speak to him one last time before he turned.
"Nile… Are you still in there? Do you even recognise me?" He exhales an exasperated breath and stands atop the Titan's back, readying the blades to cut his nape. "Thank you for all you've done for our people, old friend… May you rest in peace."
With a single swing, Nile's Pure Titan was slain. It had to be done. Without Zeke, there was no way of changing him back and he would've eaten Annie. He wondered if eating her would've given him the power of The Female Titan. Could male Eldians even inherit the Female Titan? He wondered. He could always ask Annie if she knew later on after the world had been saved. But for now, he decided to offer her his hand and help her back onto her feet. Bertolt soon gets up himself and the two of them thank him for saving their lives. The WOC commander then realises that Willy is no longer with them.
"Where's Tybur?"
"We got separated when Annie decided to go out looking for Lazarus. Last I saw him he was getting escorted out of Shiganshina by your soldiers." Bertolt explained.
"Then we better find him and ensure his survival. He's too important to our cause to let die" He directs their attention in the direction of the house Reiner and Michael are camped out at "… Listen, I need you two to head over to that house over there and stay hidden. Michael and Reiner are there with Gabi. There's not much you can do right now."
"But Lazarus-
"As soon as I locate Tybur, I will find him. You just focus on keeping yourself, and your baby, alive for him when I do. Bertolt, look after her. You're in charge of the Warrior's safety until my return." He turns his back to the two Warriors and begins to head off in the direction of the inner gate.
"Your return from where, sir?" Bertolt asked.
"From my retrieval of Willy Tybur." Firing off his anchors, Erwin takes to the air once more and begins his search for Willy. Annie and Bertolt follow his orders and make their way towards the street block where Reiner and Michael are.
Whilst the Wings of Crystal were doing their own thing, the remnants of the 104th Cadet Corps were resting atop a rooftop with nothing to do but watch the Colossal Titans march towards the sea. Jean still had Falco tied up and gagged in front of him. He was still contemplating what they should do with him. With Erwin, Eren, and Armin gone, he was the only one left who could fill in the role of leader.
But right now, his mind was riddled with bewilderment. He never would've imagined Eren would actually go through with this monstrous plan of slaughtering everyone who lives outside the walls. When he's done, everyone who ever hated them will be dead. The entire outside world was a threat to their existence, and now it's going to be trampled flat and empty. Those people called him and the others "Island Devils", believing they'd kill them all unless they killed them first. And now they've become what the world thinks they are, and they're doing what they'd feared they'd do because they have to. In the end, it's on them. It's only happening because the world picked a fight and lost. He didn't believe for a second that things could've been done differently to prevent it. Not even Lazarus affected the outcome.
Most of the others, even Mikasa, still believed that Eren was going too far to save their island. He is committing genocide against the world. How can they stop him? Should they even stop him? Eren kept Zeke and stopped him from castrating all Subjects of Ymir with his Euthanisation Plan. Historia could've taken the Founder, but Eren opposed that at the cost of her life. He did what he did to protect his friends, even destroying the whole planet. He stepped up to do something more horrible than anyone could even imagine just so none of them would have to.
No matter how they look at it, they can't allow this madness to continue. Whether they agree with Eren or think he's lost it, they have to do something.
Unfortunately, they had another problem to deal with. All the Pure Titans Zeke had summoned are now acting randomly. They're killing Marleyans, WOC, and Scouts alike, eating them like they would any person.
"Wait, the Titans are attacking our soldiers?" Sasha spoke out. "But why? Eren's using the Founder's power. He should have control over all these Titans, right?"
"Who cares why?! They're eating us! Let's go and help!" Jean butted in.
"Jean, wait." Mikasa grabs his arm. "What are you gonna do with the kid?"
"I don't know. But when he turned, I think he ate The Jaw Titan. That means we can use him. Feed him to one of our guys Zeke transformed. We can bring someone back… If we can find Commander Pyxis then-
"No!" Connie interrupted, drawing all eyes towards him. "We save my mom. Take him to Ragako Village and feed him to her. Alright?"
"W- Wait a sec, guys." Sasha attempted to calm the situation fearing where things were gonna go with the serious look she noticed in Connie's eyes. She recognised the kid as Falco. He was friends with the girl who almost shot her and beat her up in the restaurant before. "Zeke told us this kid was one of Marley's Warrior Candidates. This one in particular shares a deep brotherly bond with Lazarus. If we kill him, we'll only piss him off. The war is basically over now. But maybe if we bring him to Lazarus, we could persuade him to help us."
"What the hell are you talking about?" Connie replied in a more deadpanned tone than usual. "Are you saying we should put our trust in that monster?! I've moved on, Sasha. When are you gonna do the same?!"
"All I'm saying is Lazarus gives us all a higher chance at stopping Eren if we can get him on our side. And Michael too."
"I knew it!" Connie raises his voice slightly, startling the potato girl. "You're still not over Michael. What, are you hoping that bargaining with Lazarus will win him over, huh? Is that what this is?"
"No! It's not like that at all!" Sasha denied.
"Isn't it?! I saw how you were ogling him back at the restaurant. How upset you got when he came back from Eren's meeting with a black eye and a bleeding nose. I know when you're hiding something, Sasha! You and I are like two halves of the same person! You of all people should have my back on this one… You're pretty much saying my mom's life isn't worth saving!"
Sasha was about to deny his claims, but Connie wasn't finished with his emotional outburst just yet.
"For four years I had to watch her lie helpless in the ruins of my home! Do you have any idea what that's like?! Lazarus and Michael are our enemies! Nothing will ever change that! Surely if Lazarus had the power to change my mom back, he would've done it by now! He and Michael only care about saving their own people, not ours! I-
"CONNIE!"
His rant was rudely interrupted by a fifteen-meter Pure Titan charging through several houses to get to them. The group scatters off the roof before it can reach any of them.
While they were getting their breath back, Connie grabbed Falco and blasted off on his ODM gear, ignoring Jean's orders to bring him back. And to make matters worse, Sasha decided to give chase after them, leaving Jean and Mikasa alone to fend off the Pure Titans.
Not all of them were interested in the two Scouts on the roof. Most of them were keener on gorging on the all-you-can-eat buffet inside the castle base where Yelena, Onyankopon, and the rest of the volunteers were, as well as the 109th Cadets hiding in the lower levels.
Onyankopon tried to lead Yelena to safety, but she remained frozen on the spot, gazing out the window. She couldn't understand it. Those Titans were summoned by Zeke. So why were they attacking them? Does he not care if they die? And what of her uncle? Why would he leave her here? Is he even still alive out there? She was too far away to see him cling onto Eren's Titan. She's not even aware that he was travelling with Eren to witness The Rumbling's destruction of the world.
The letter Ludwig slipped into her pocket was still there. She still doesn't know about it yet as she's too busy contemplating what she should do now. Not even acknowledging the Titan that was inches away from head-butting the window and eating her.
Onyankopon tackles her, diving them both out of the path of the Titan's open jaws. The Titan was then dispatched by Mikasa. She and Jean rally all the recruits together and draw the Titans towards them. All of them were hauling as many Thunder Spears as their arms could carry, ready to use against the horde of Titans.
Jean and Mikasa glance down at them without a hint of fear in their eyes. They've come a long way since their cadet years. Everyone in their corp had their struggles against the Titans. And many of them were taken before they had the chance to join a regiment. But now, looking down at them, all they feel is confidence in their fighting abilities. Pure Titans weren't so scary anymore compared to the other things they've seen.
Mikasa has this sense that this may be the last time she'll get to cut down Pure Titans like the good old days. Back when they were the only threat to humanity. She never could've imagined the day she wished those days returned.
"Now, all at once!" Jean shouted out loud with intense authority.
Mikasa and the recruits followed his lead and simultaneously leapt off the top of the castle roof and freefall towards their Titan-ified comrades.
"FIRE!"
A huge barrage of Thunder Spears is unleashed from their elbows and embed themselves into their napes, exploding on contact. The first wave of Titans had been obliterated. But there was still the second one whom some of the cadets, led by Commandant Keith Shadis, were leading back to the castle. Jean, Mikasa and the others all retreat back up the castle walls before they can collide into it.
The mindless Titans all reached up for them, desperate to eat them. And the one in front for all to see was none other than Commander Dot Pyxis. The man who went above and beyond to help Eren utilise his Attack Titan to give humanity their first win against the Titans. Only to end up becoming one himself.
That same man also stood by Erwin's side when he exposed the fake king of the walls and reinstated its rightful ruler, Historia. Lazarus and Michael never got to meet him in person. They had no idea the magnitude of how much Paradis' progression occurred thanks to his influence.
But Erwin did. As he was heading for the inner gate, he watched his former comrades dispatch his fellow officers. He had this urge to stray off course and help them. But the part of him that is hellbent on completing a mission no matter what the consequence had a louder voice than his conscience.
Pyxis' Titan then, to everyone's surprise, managed to climb further up the castle wall than the others and was very close to grabbing some of the recruits. Jean and Mikasa were still loading up on Thunder Spears when this happened so there wasn't much time to save them.
Letting out a deep breath, Erwin turns himself around and blasts off at full speed for the castle. Once he was close enough, he fired an anchor into Pyxis's back and reeled himself in for a precise double slice at the nape, killing the Garrison Regiment commander and freeing his soul from the Titan's body.
Jean and Mikasa spot Erwin's dramatic entrance and rescue. His hood was still up so they couldn't see his face. But they recognised the ODM gear as Cloud Zero, the same one Lazarus had. The lone WOC soldier disappeared just as quickly as he appeared and continued on his current course before either of them could learn his identity.
"Is that Lazarus?" Jean questioned, wondering why he was saving them all of a sudden.
"No, this is someone else… I can't see their face." Mikasa pointed out. "Whoever it is, they're one of those anti-Yeagerist Eldians that work for Lazarus. That makes him an enemy."
"But still, why did this one soldier come to save us instead of saving himself?" Jean thought. "It doesn't matter! We've still got more Titans to deal with! Everyone, ready your Thunder Spears for the second strike!"
Once again, they all freefall off the building in perfect harmony and finish off the last of the Pure Titans. Louise watched in awe as her idol, Mikasa, switched to her blades and sliced the nape of the Titan that was gunning for her. She was so infatuated that she'd failed to get clear of a nearby Thunder Spear explosion, knocking her out of the air. Luckily all the Titans had been successfully dealt with before she was able to hit the ground.
The attack was over. The fires kicked up by the intense heat of the Colossal Titans had mostly died down. Marley's troops were wiped out, aside from a few surviving WOC soldiers. All of the Pure Titans are gone. The soldiers who fought hard to defend the volunteers could finally relax, at least for a short while, and gather their bearings.
They can take a moment to process all that went down in what felt like seconds. It all happened so fast. Eren's Founding Titan, the walls coming apart, all of it. It was just as instantaneous as Eren and Zeke's physical contact.
Onyankopon asked Jean what the Subjects of Ymir all saw during their "daydream", Jean simply responded with "We're watching him do it".
This marks the second time the man is forced to do nothing while his homeland of Courland is about to be destroyed. It was devastating the first time, but at least the Omega Unit focused solely on their military base and cities. Eren's Rumbling will destroy all of it, which was far worse than anything The Winged Titan had done.
Throughout that whole ordeal, Yelena had not shown the slightest interest in the Scouts' mop-up of the Pure Titans nor concern for the lives of her volunteers, including her own. The shock of Zeke's fall and possible betrayal of her uncle had shaken her to the core. She didn't even react when Floch pointed a pistol at her head.
He managed to survive his final encounter with The Cart Titan though he sustained a head injury when the walls crumbled under his feet. He would never let himself be killed in that moment, not before he finally gets to see the rebirth of the Eldian Empire.
"Yelena, gather the volunteers. You're all under arrest."
The Yeagerists with him quickly bind Onyankopon and force him to his knees. Jean just stood there shocked and confused about why he was doing this. Was he following Eren's orders? Or is he acting alone?
"Floch, we've searched everywhere and there's still no sign of Doctor Oppenheimer." One of the Yeagerists reported in. That was what finally sparked a response out of the tall woman.
"Of course, he's not here. There's no way he would've missed this… Didn't think the old geezer would have it in him." Floch scoffed.
"What are you talking about? Where's my- Where's Ludwig?" Yelena demanded, almost letting her true relationship with Oppenheimer slip.
"He's with Eren." He simply stated. Jean, Yelena, and all the other volunteers were all shocked by this news. "In exchange for helping us restore the Eldian Empire, Doctor Oppenheimer wished to watch the old world burn from atop the Founder's head… Wait, you mean you haven't figured it out yet?" Floch mocks Yelena by laughing in her face whilst still holding her at gunpoint.
"And I thought you were smart… Oh Yelena, Ludwig never cared about the Euthanisation Plan. His only desire was to assist Eren in unleashing The Rumbling. Like us, he wants the Eldian Empire to thrive and repopulate the lands outside our island. He was only using you to get to Eren. You're nothing to him."
"You lie!" Yelena shouted in denial. She refused to believe that the only family she had left would betray her.
"Whether you believe me or not, it doesn't matter. You will soon be executed for crimes against the new Eldian Empire."
"Last I checked, this island didn't have a king, so who nominated you to act like one?" Jean intervened, not as shocked as Onyankopon was over Yelena's execution.
"I'm so glad you asked, Jean." He coldly looks over the volunteers to his right. "All of you listen up! Ten months back I talked to Eren, and he told me all about his plan to protect Eldia. He laid out every detail right up till the moment we all witnessed when he used the Founder's power. He said to gather up comrades. I did. And with our help, he is able to secure our island's future. You volunteers have lost your leader. Your most gifted scientist has devoted himself to our cause. And thanks to your wine the old military isn't here to back you either. What's more, you are about to lose your homelands. The whole world will soon be flattened in great smouldering footprints! Whatever chance you thought you had in liberating your people and reviving your countries, you can give up on it now! You're beaten! But if any of you would like to set the past aside and serve Eldia for its own sake, now's the time to speak. Join us and we'll welcome you as full citizens of the new Eldian Empire!"
Floch spoke so pridefully to the volunteers, making himself look like the island's inspirational speaker. But all the volunteers saw in him was a madman drunk on power with an ego as big as Ludwig's. It sickened them.
"Who the hell do you think you are?! I'll die before I-
One of the volunteers called him out on his blasphemy and wound up paying the price when Floch fired a bullet into the man's head without the slightest hint of hesitation. He then proceeded to empty half of the pistol's magazine into the dead man's back for no reason other than he could. Probably did it for the fun of it too.
Jean froze with terror. He may not have trusted these volunteers but even he thought they didn't deserve this. Floch has truly allowed himself to go mad with power.
"This man kept his pride to the end. He refused to submit no matter what. To him, dignity was worth dying for." Floch spoke coldly. When he directed his eyes back at the other volunteers, they all shook with terror. "But if you ask my opinion, you should just give in. Is submitting really worse than ending up like this? … Take some time to think it over. Lock 'em up."
"Yes sir!" One of the Yeagerists obeyed their leader.
"Keep on the lookout for more of those "Wings of Crystal" soldiers. I suspect they're not all dead yet." Floch followed up his first order with a second.
It was around this time Mikasa walked in and was confused as to what was going on. She noticed Jean was on his knees still wearing a shocked expression towards seeing that man get shot without remorse.
"What's going on here? … Jean, what just happened?"
"To answer your question, I'm taking action on Eren's behalf. He and Ludwig have their hands full solving problems outside of the island right now. So, I'm wiping out whatever resentment is left within it." Floch answered before Jean could. "… Four years ago, all of us went through hell. But now, after suffering through so much, we have earned our reward. Can you not still see it yourself?"
As Floch lifts his head a creepy, joyous smile forms on his face which only adds to Jean's shock. Mikasa remains unaffected.
"We're finally free! You don't have any obligation to fight anymore. You can live as you please now, Jean." He places his hand atop Jean's right shoulder. "It's okay. You wanted to live the good life in the interior as an MP, right? Then go do it. You're one of Eldia's heroes."
"… I don't have to… fight?" Was all he was able to utter, now shocked to hear that he could finally claim what he'd wanted from the very beginning.
"No, you don't. You can simply go back to being the old Jean. Be as annoying, selfish, and arrogant as you please."
"Well, that's kind of rude," Jean muttered under his breath. He watched as Onyankopon and Yelena were escorted away with the other volunteers by the Yeagerists. The black man was giving him a look that said, "Is this what you wanted?" And it struck him harder than he would've expected.
Go back to being the old Jean? What was that supposed to mean? Floch pretty much told him that being an asshole is who he's meant to be. But he never saw how much he'd changed since joining the Scout Regiment. He did want an easy life but not like this. He prefers how he is now to how he used to be. Why would he ever want to go back?
"Tell me, Floch. Do you know what happened to Captain Levi and Commander Hange?" Mikasa asked, changing the subject to ease Jean's conflicting feelings.
"Ah, yes… Unfortunately, they were killed by Zeke." He replied simply. "When we got to the Forest of Giant Trees they were lying dead in the grass. Such a shame, but there's nothing we can do about it… I doubt they'd join us anyway… Let's go."
Floch escorts Jean and Mikasa out and down the stairs, following the others ahead of them. All of them were completely unaware that Erwin had been hanging onto the side of the castle this whole time listening in through the open window. He stayed behind in case the Yeagerists gave away any hint as to where Willy was. Instead, he learned where to find Levi and Hange. But he didn't buy that they were dead. Levi was the strongest, most efficient soldier he'd ever had. And Hange was too smart to allow the likes of Floch to kill her.
Now that he knows where they are, Erwin sets off again for the inner gate. Though the mission to retrieve Willy Tybur assumed top priority, he still wished to see his old allies again. Confronting them after being presumed dead for four years won't be an easy task. They'll have a lot of questions for him. They may even call him a traitor for working with Lazarus after all he'd done on Marley's behalf. But he can't stay hidden forever. He'll have to face them eventually. Perhaps with some gentle persuasion, he can convince both Magath and the Scout Regiment to join forces with the Wings of Crystal and save the world from The Rumbling before it could annihilate it.
Everything that had transpired upon devouring Eren's body went by in a literal flash for Lazarus Averbach. All he could remember in those moments was the crunching of Eren's bones within his Titan's mouth. He truly thought he'd won at that moment, completely oblivious to Eren's flying severed head landing in Zeke's open palm. It wasn't until he felt a painful churn in his Titan's stomach that he realised that he hadn't prevented The Rumbling at all. All he did was postpone it for a single second.
He recalled seeing the mysterious translucent spinal creature bursting out of his mouth and reattaching itself to Eren's head. Everything else after that faded to white. He didn't even feel the pain of his Titan body getting blown to bits from the inside. Before anyone could process what had happened, the whole street was painted red with his blood and body parts.
Chunks of him, both Titan and human, flew in all directions simultaneously and fell back down to earth like a heavy rain of flesh and blood. Not even a Titan Shifter could survive something as brutal as that. This blast will put his immortality to the test.
The only part of Lazarus that was somewhat still intact was the top half of his head with only one of the horns still in one piece. His head looked like it had been chewed up and spat out by a ravenous bear and gave up until it was mostly bone. He only had one eye hanging in its socket by a few strands of flesh. The left side of his skull was missing, leaving only the right side. He wasn't even conscious. His mind was in a state of hibernation as his head wound up falling back down to earth, ironically landing right by the entrance to the basement of Eren's old house.
The rumbling footsteps of the Wall Titans shook the ground intensely, knocking Lazarus' head down the staircase to Ludwig's underground lab where Grisha's basement once stood. The momentum grew with each step he hit, speeding up his roll across the floor of the basement's lowest level where the vault was. Erwin and Michael wound up leaving the vault door open, allowing him to roll straight into the Titan Transfer Chamber where they'd rescued Bertolt.
His head came to a stop when it crashed into the far-right wall. The clinking sound he made drew the attention of the Pure Titan still chained up to the north-end wall. It slowly scanned the room for any wandering victims but couldn't find anyone. All it could see was a broken skull with a single horn. It didn't register it as a person and returned to its sitting position.
Lazarus wound up stuck there for almost half an hour. His comparatively superior regeneration started growing back his body. It took far longer than it should have. His Titan powers allow him a higher speed healing factor than the other Titan Shifters. But it had a LOT to recover. His bones alone took ten minutes to grow back his whole skeleton. Once that was done another twenty were needed to grow back his brain, internal organs, and muscle mass.
When his muscles were almost completed was when he started to regain consciousness. His eyelids hadn't grown back yet so he couldn't blink. All he could do was move them about, trying to determine his location.
"… Where… am I? What happ- argh!" His body was in so much distress that even thinking was agonising for him. As much as he wanted to scream, he couldn't as his larynx hadn't fully grown back yet. All he could utter were quiet, eerie gasps of breath.
All he could do was lay there and stare up at the blackness above. The ceiling was so high he couldn't see it. There wasn't much he could do to pass the time other than theorise about himself and where he came from. His brain was still recovering all the memories of his life leading up to this moment, like a computer loading backed-up data. Until it's completely restored, he couldn't remember anything. Not even his own name. Just like the memory loss he succumbed to when Miche's squad ambushed him and Annie. Only this was a much worse case and could take hours to recover from.
Two hours later and now his body was starting to look like how it was supposed to look aside from how skinny he was. Though he was an immortal being, his body does show signs of ageing and lack of sustenance. His body was almost complete skin and bones like he'd been starved for days, just as the Marleyans had once done to him as a kid. And he'll stay that way until he gets a lot of food in him.
Lazarus continued to lay in silence with his thoughts slowly recounting the events of his life. It was the only way for him to take his mind off the painful rumblings in his stomach.
"So, I had a friend named Michael who was… killed? Then I had a brother called Zeke? I… don't remember having a brother." He then sees an image of Lucia smiling at him with gorgeous red hair flowing in the wind. The sea was behind her. "Who is this? This woman? How strange. I almost wanna call her… Mom?"
Lazarus' newly reformed ears twitch in response to the sound of something big falling to the ground just a few feet to his right. It took a lot of effort for him to turn his head in that direction as the joints in his body were so tight. All his new eyes could see was the Pure Titan's body lying on its front. Steam was erupting out of its back.
"What is that thing? It looks too big to be a person. Looks too human to be a monster too… Strange… There are so many strange things flooding my mind… Why do I keep seeing a flying, fire-breathing monster? Monsters aren't real… right?"
Something even stranger enters his field of view. The Titan beside him appeared to be evaporating into huge plumes of steam… And there was something, or someone, rising out of it. Whatever it was appeared more human-sized compared to the monster. He couldn't tell, but he could swear he saw strange markings under their eyes.
Lazarus attempts to speak but winds up stuttering between words. He hadn't moved his mouth muscles at all during his regeneration. Trying to do so now was a difficult challenge. He was like a newborn baby learning how to talk.
"Wh-wh… Who… A-are… Y-y…you?" He finally managed to speak. But the individual didn't respond. Though they did acknowledge his presence.
The mystery man – or woman – struggled to pull their legs free from the flesh fusing them to the Pure Titan and ended up falling forwards, hitting their face on the floor.
It took a bit for them to get up and find the strength to approach the halfway-healed Lazarus. Whoever they were, they appeared younger than him. Early teens by the shape of their build. They could barely walk. Their legs felt like jelly that prickled with each step like they had pins and needles in their whole lower body.
They inevitably reach Lazarus and drop to their knees right next to him. Lazarus looks up at the mystery teenager but can't seem to remember them. Though looking at him he not only confirmed them to be male, but he can sort of remember encountering them before in the memories he'd managed to get back.
A memory of Lazarus hanging out amongst the members of the 104th Cadet Corps played out in his mind. He saw himself and over a dozen or so cadets in a mess hall building sitting at a table and eating a meal comprised of bread, potatoes and peas. He was sitting next to Michael in this memory on his right. On his left was Marco. Across from him in his field of view were Eren, Mikasa, Jean, and Armin. One of their faces matched the description of the boy looking down at him.
That's when he started to remember. He didn't remember much of him after this memory, but he at least was able to put a name to the face. His vision clears up and reveals that the one who emerged from the Pure Titan was indeed Armin Arlert. Eren's childhood friend from Shiganshina and a gifted genius. The brave Scout who sacrificed himself to give Eren a chance to take Bertolt by surprise.
"… Armin?"
To Be Continued
Author's Note: Good to be back guys. Took a while for my motivation to come back again but here we are. For those of you who are curious, I've been planning on bringing Armin back since the start of season 3. I have plans for him in future chapters so you'll just have to wait and see how he impacts the story without inheriting the Colossal Titan like in the anime. Hope you all enjoyed this chaper and be sure to wish me luck with completing this story.