"Something on your mind?"

Floch's voice was calm, almost disarmingly so. "You're allowed to speak freely, you know? For all intents and purposes I'm but a cadet and you're my senior, after all."

Rico Brzenska's eyes narrowed, the word "cadet" leaving a bitter taste in her mouth. Cadets didn't orchestrate torture, didn't plot coups in the dark where no one could see, didn't carry themselves so casually in the face of something bleak and imposing. Granted, even if there were certain things out of the ordinary with him, she had no grounds to complain, he had given meaning to her comrades' sacrifices in Trost, each of their deaths twisting into something almost noble in the face of the brass's careless dismissal. They saw their lives as numbers, but he—he saw the blood, the pain, made sure none of it was wasted.

It was only logical for one to apply themselves to a cause that recognized that and brought with it meaningful results... that was why she, along with a dozen others, had crossed the point of no return for his sake.

Making no effort to conceal her worries, she fixed him with a somewhat inquisitive glance. "I have my reservations about where this is heading, they are in the city, I've seen them." She said, her voice lower now, almost a murmur as she said the next part. "This can go either way and... well, I don't even know if you have something planned at the moment..."

Floch stood at the edge of the parapet, staring out over the streets of Stohess with an unreadable expression, as if her words barely registered. The city below buzzed with activity. Garrison soldiers dispersed into the streets, confirming the grim news reported in the morning papers to clusters of anxious civilians. Behind the thick walls, the remnants of Squad Mike and several Scouts were busy loading carriages, all headed for the capital.

"I do admit, the whole fiasco with the fourth squad did take me by surprise, however I can assure you... It is of little consequence."

Floch let out a slow yawn, his body betraying the exhaustion he was clearly trying to mask. He cast a sideways glance at Rico, a teasing smile tugging at his lips. "Doubts still, Rico?" His tone was light, but there was something in his eyes that unsettled her. "You know, the premier had similar worries. Even after I handed him a win on a silver platter that night in Trost. Shame he couldn't handle it. Got in over his head and wound up... compromised."

Rico clenched her jaw, looking away, her gaze falling to the ground. "So it seems."

"Indeed." Floch hummed, before dismissing her worries. "This is all for a reason, trust me. That's all I really ask." He turned away from her, his attention returning to the people shouting and bickering below. "They'll remain dug in here like rats, waiting, hardly a cause for concern. Regardless of that we'll be ready for them, the operation in the capital will hardly eat up too much time." He glanced back over his shoulder, his eyes gleaming with something sharp, predatory. "They won't make a move until they are certain, and no one in their right mind acts without confirmation."

She knew he was right even if she couldn't help her more rational and cautious side, she- Rico faltered as she met his gaze, something behind those Amber eyes felt different than a moment ago.

"I-I suppose you're right, I'll entrust it all to you then, as always." She nodded at his words and composed herself, as he merely smiled back at her, before taking his leave.

"Good, see to it that you deal with loose ends. See you around, Brzenska."

"As you wish." Rico replied, her voice tight as she watched him walk away.

When he finally disappeared from view, her body sagged, tension releasing like a broken bowstring. Exhaustion washed over her, and she leaned heavily against the parapet, pressing a hand to her forehead. The stress had built into a searing pain behind her eyes. She scowled, but forced herself to stand straight, dragging a deep breath into her lungs. It didn't matter how much it weighed on her—there was no turning back now. Forward was the only option left.

And they were far too deep to do anything but move ahead.

"How did you find the captured Titan shifter?" Floch's voice was cold, the question more a demand than an inquiry.

"We... we had people scouting the region after rumors began about the breach and we lost contact with the men sent to your headquarters," Sannes stammered, his breath labored as he struggled against the ropes binding him. "We intercepted your messages and waited to strike."

"What does Rod Reiss want with the colossal titan?"

Sannes hesitated, eyes flickering with a mixture of fear and awe at the redhead knowing about Rod. "H-He told us to bring him at all costs, to not harm him and keep him in our custody until we captured the o-other one"

Floch paused for a moment in thought, then his eyes narrowed menacingly. "Your other boss also wants me alive, why?"

"H-He knows who you are... he's been looking for you. Our orders—our orders were to bring you in alive with the titans—agh, I swear! That's the truth!" His words broke off into a pained cry as Floch tugged on the rope, tightening it until the man winced in agony as he was forced to walk forward.

"Who's feeding him information?"

Sannes released a short breath stifling a chuckle, "Y-You are... He followed your trail... the letter, the hospital...!" His words devolved into a scream as the pain intensified.

Floch's eyes narrowed. "That so? What does he want?"

"He's interested in you," Sannes gasped between ragged breaths. "He told us not to kill you, said he'd do it himself."

Sannes wasn't the type to break under physical violence, Floch could tell from experience.

But when the conversation shifted, when it touched on something that Floch Forster—someone who wasn't supposed to have that kind of information—shouldn't, Sannes finally cracked. It was one of the few key moments where he could exploit his gift, rare and fleeting as they were nowadays, too many loose ends.

"You don't understand! None of you ever will!" Sannes spat, his voice trembling with a mix of outrage and desperation. "You- Y-you're nothing more than an idiotic child... everything we did was for your sake! The things we guarded, the people we put down—they threatened life as we knew it, the life we fought to protect!" His voice rose, shaky but defiant. "You should be grateful! Instead, you've become this... this rabble. We should have put you down at the first sign of rebellion!"

Floch's expression darkened as Sannes' words sank in, though there was nothing new there. He already knew what the government had hidden away—the knowledge they crushed under their boot to maintain their fragile control. Science, engineering, chemistry, history... anything that might push humanity a step closer to breaking free from these walls. If they'd let progress unfold naturally, they might've developed the means to destroy the titans with ease long ago like the outside world had.

But ignorance and greed kept them caged.

What the likes of Rod Reiss and his cronies hadn't anticipated, though, was the looming threat of Marley. The facade of control would crumble the moment bombs fell from the sky without warning, obliterating everything in a blaze of fire, like they had nearly done in Shiganshina.

And that, Floch thought grimly, was all the more reason to wipe them out first.

He leaned back slightly, mulling over the words. He sighed, piecing it all together. It explained why that man had seemed so familiar, why he couldn't quite shake the feeling of déjà vu. Kenny Ackerman—Levi's notorious, bloodthirsty relative. Granted, he never saw the man until now, but the stories he heard about him during the days leading up to the Wall Maria operation gave him a rough idea. To think he had crossed paths with him and walked away unscathed... well, it seemed like a stroke of luck at the time. Now, though, it was clear he was merely toying with him, akin to a beast marking it's prey.

Floch's mouth twisted into a grim smile. So, Kenny wanted to finish the job personally, the satisfaction of gutting him slowly while squeezing everything out of him and all.

How comforting.

He made sure to check in with Sandra and the rest earlier. To his relief, Gordon had woken up a couple of hours ago and, while not in the best shape, seemed stable enough. That took the edge off his immediate worries. With that settled, it was time to move. Djel Sannes hadn't said it outright, but Floch could piece together the rest.

They had to be anticipating the arrival of the ones that had wiped half of the fourth squad. The hideout's proximity made that clear enough, so that only meant they're already aware they've lost Stohess and potentially Ehrmich as well.

More interestingly, it seemed like Rod Reiss was planning to feed both Eren and Bertholdt to Historia... if it ever came to it this time around that is. The next few days promised to be... interesting.

Maybe Rico had a point.

"Come on, Forster, we're moving!" A scout's voice cut through the courtyard.

"Coming!" Floch called back, pushing himself off the wall.

There was no more time to waste. The deal had to be sealed, and Ymir, along with her cohorts, would be dealt with soon enough. Far away, in the depths of the Mitras capital, Erwin Smith sat alone in a cold, dimly lit dungeon cell, hands bound above his head in metal chains while tethered to a wall, badly beaten, yet his steely eyes unwavering, burning with determination as he waited.

"Remember, we hate each other from here." - Dimo Reeves 850 AD, minutes before handing over Eren Yeager and Historia Reiss to the interior squad.

The Underground

And just like that, another person had become nothing more than fond and bitter memories for him to look back on—yet another weight added to his shoulders.

Maybe it was because the loss of Eld and Gunther was still too raw, too fresh in his mind, but he hadn't expected to hear such bad news again so soon. Then again, in this line of work, nothing stayed certain for long. He'd learned quickly that the people beside you could vanish in an instant, ripped away in the blink of an eye. As scouts, they all understood—there were no guarantees of coming home. Every man and woman pushed forward knowing that the next moment could be their last. But it was all for something—a future that, on most days, felt impossibly out of reach. A future that came at a price far steeper than anyone could afford.

And yet, they pressed on, regardless.

He'd learned to accept the losses. Too many to count, but each one left its mark. Embracing those sacrifices became second nature because the alternative was unbearable. He wasn't just fighting for himself anymore—there were others depending on him now. There came a point where regrets couldn't be indulged; they had to become fuel, driving him to fight even harder. Because a lapse in judgment now could lead to even greater loss, even more unbearable anguish. Especially now that something which seemed so distant, appeared to be within arm's reach.

"Got something on your mind, Levi?" Hange inquired.

Every disappointment, every failure, every quiet cruelty that had carved into him over the years weighed heavy on his chest. Still, he allowed himself to close his eyes, the world behind his eyelids was no less vicious, but at least it was quiet. In that darkness, there were no expectations, no broken dreams. He imagined a world where things had turned out even just a little bit different, and then he opened them again.

The cold air kissed his lashes, and the light through the crack in the wall crept back in, painfully bright. He was back and it was no less cruel and harsh than when he left.

It took time, it always did, but for now, all that remained was the cold—outside, and within.

He sat crouched inside the crumbling remains of an abandoned three story building, watching the outside through a jagged hole in the wall. The underground was quiet, holding its breath for what was to come. He glanced to his side at Mikasa and Oluo, sitting in tense silence, waiting for the signal, for the mission to begin. The brats had no idea what had really happened in Wall Rose, what kind of burden he and the rest were carrying.

He had deemed it unnecessary to tell them. It would only complicate things, cloud their focus, and he couldn't afford that right now. There was still too much at stake, he liked to think this made him understand Erwin just that tiny bit better.

Levi looked at the carriage below, right beside it, Dimo Reeves and two of his men stood waiting for the arrival of the MP's. Petra, Lynne, Gelgar and a few others were guarding Eren and Krista- Historia, as Eren once referred to her, in a safe house far away from here, so that eliminated the worry of having to keep them both from harm.

A couple of minutes later his eyes narrowed as he saw one of their men in the distance begin waving a red flag from a roof.

Sasha went prone on top of the rooftop adjacent to the Captain's building, nestled between chunks of broken stone above a flat dormer and further concealed underneath an abandoned sheet hanging off a clothesline, the barrel of her rifle subtly poking out from between the balustrades. Behind her to the right, Connie crouched close to the wall of a connecting building, his body tense as he gripped his musket.

"I still can't believe we're doing this, I could have sworn we signed up to fight titans." He frowned.

Armin walked up next to him and pressed himself at the opposing wall of the dormer beneath where Sasha was nested. "It can't be helped now, our lives and everybody's future is riding on this." He said, sweat beading on his forehead. This was it—their first real contact with the enemy.

"They're movin' in fast..." Sasha muttered as she kept a watchful gaze over the area. The street below flooded with carriages and soldiers equipped with some modified ODM gear, some already taking up positions on the rooftops on the opposite side.

Connie dropped flat on the tiles, his grip tightening on his musket. Armin slowly crept next to Sasha, his breath shallow as he peeked over the ledge between the balustrades. He carefully scanned the street below, tension gnawing at him, but so far, everything seemed to be going without a hitch. "It's about to start," he muttered.

Sasha remained cool, her instincts as a hunter kicking in. She pressed her cheek to the butt of the stock, waiting patiently for her moment. The captain had drilled it into them—don't hesitate. It's either 'us or them'.

This wasn't like hunting animals with a bow, but Sasha could adapt. She had to.

Dimo Reeves, standing a few blocks below with his men, couldn't help but feel his own nerves fray at the edges. His breathing heavy, heart pounding in his chest, though only someone with a sharp eye would notice. He forced himself to focus, inwardly chuckling as he thought of his son. If Flegel were here, the entire street would probably be flooded. The thought brought a brief smile to his face before it faded into something more somber, more resigned. He could only hope the scouts would hold up their end of the deal and make sure his boy stayed safe.

"Look alive, boys," Dimo said, lighting a cigarette with a trembling hand. The familiar burn of tobacco grounded him, if only for a moment. "You know what to do once this kicks off."

"Yes, boss," one of his men replied, voice steady.

"Good lads," Dimo muttered, taking a long drag, the smoke curling around his head. This could very well be the last cigarette he ever lit. But that was the reality of the world they lived in—one that took without asking and gave nothing in return.

The crack of boots on stone echoed from the far end of the alley, growing louder as the Military Police brigade moved in, their numbers swelling the narrow street. The carriages came to a halt, an officer he wasn't familiar with stepped out. The man with long hair and thick mustache scanned the nearby buildings as his men fanned out and covered the entire street. He stopped front of him, arms crossed. His eyes flickered over Reeves' men, then settled back on Dimo.

"Where are they?" the officer asked wasting no time for pleasantries, his voice cutting through the silence like a blade.

Reeves shifted slightly. "We've got them right there, Boss." he replied, nodding toward the carriage behind him. "Eren and Krista. Just like we said. They're tied up inside. No chance of escape. You're free to go and check, we got them all nice and wrapped up safely like you asked."

"Excellent." The officer motioned for two of his men as Dimo tensed, suddenly feeling the man's grip on his shoulder. "As for you, you've done well, the crown owes you for your efforts." The officer's lips twitched, but it wasn't quite a smile.

"What can I say. Maybe now we can finally discuss those payments we've been promised." Dimo replied as the two chuckled.

"Ahh, of course. You are but a a businessman after all."

Levi's eyes narrowed from his spot, hidden in the shadows of the building, every fiber of him coiled and waiting, he counted thirty, nearly twice their numbers and possibly even more than that. His ears twitched, turning to look over his shoulders towards the entrance of the room, noticing that Mikasa was alert, his eyes went wide as the door was suddenly kicked down.

"Of course, you've been quite helpful, The monarchy is grateful for your services." he said softly, and for a brief second, it almost sounded like praise. But Dimo's head had snapped towards the building where Levi had been.

*POP* *POP* *POP*

In that brief moment of distraction, the cold steel of a knife slid between Dimo's ribs, so fast that the sharp intake of breath was the only sound. His eyes went wide in horror, hands instinctively reaching for the wound as the MP twisted the blade. A gurgled cry escaped his lips, but it was short-lived. The officer withdrew the knife, wiping it clean with the corner of his coat as Reeves crumpled to the ground. Blood pooled beneath him, dark and spreading.

His two men didn't even have time to shout. The shots rang out, quick and precise, as the soldiers flanking the MP leader fired their rifles. The men fell in a heap next to Dimo, lifeless before they hit the cobblestones.

The officer sighed, sheathing his knife. "Such a pity," he muttered, glancing down at the bodies. "You really should have known better, Reeves." He waved his hand, and his soldiers spread out, immediately breaching into the building where some of the scouts were set up to ambush them, as multiple shots rang out by the roof where Sasha, Connie and Armin had been.

The air in the hideout was thick, the faint sounds of gunfire felt both close and impossibly far away. Eren Froze, his entire body going tense as he stared through the window towards the street in shock. He took a sharp breath before he began pacing back and forth across the small room, frustration boiling beneath his skin like magma just waiting to erupt. Historia sat on an old wooden crate in the corner, her eyes downcast, fingers absentmindedly tracing the grain of the wood as if trying to find solace in its simplicity.

"Just sitting here, hiding… it's pointless," Eren muttered, his voice low but crackling with barely contained rage. He stopped mid-stride and turned to face her. "I could be out there fighting, doing something to change things, dammit they could use my help but..."

Captain Levi had ordered him to stay back, that even with his Titan powers, the detriment of having him transform in a dense and narrow area like the the underground far outweighed any gain. They had won the good will of the people, so shattering it to pieces with unintended collateral would only harm them in the long run.

Historia remained silent, her fingers absently tracing the edge of the crate. She'd grown accustomed to Eren's agitation—the restless energy that seemed to thrum just beneath his skin—but today, there was something sharper in his voice. "Eren," she began softly, weighing her words like someone picking through shattered glass, "Fighting doesn't always mean swinging a sword or turning into a titan. Sometimes we have to wait for the right moment... For the right decision."

Eren scoffed, dragging a hand through his disheveled hair as frustration boiled over. "And what decision is that?" His voice was harsher than he intended, eyes narrowing with a fierceness that matched his growing impatience. He hadn't meant to snap, but the visions that plagued him, the weight of everything, made those words feel like some cruel irony.

Historia's expression hardened, but she refused to look away. "You were right before, About everything. I'm tired. Tired of being someone else's idea of who I'm supposed to be." She drew a breath. "I didn't want to be this... fake girl, or this fair and benevolent queen they want me to become. But no matter how you look at it, the reality is that it's not something I can escape."

Eren frowned, a flicker of curiosity creeping past his irritation. He hadn't expected her to admit that.

"Running isn't an option, and, as you said, sitting around won't change anything." she continued, her eyes searching his for understanding. "But to fight? Well, in order to fight I have to find something—something that's mine. Something real. You get that, right? It's the same as what you and Floch talk about. This is my version of that, this is how I'll fight."

Eren's brow furrowed, his confusion turning into a sharp, defensive tone. "What are you talking about? What's... real to you?"

"It's all the same from the looks of it, I've always waited for someone to tell me what to do." Historia began, her voice lowering, "He told us that much at least." Her eyes darkened at that, "Ymir, Floch, even you—you've all been right. I need to do this, but not to prove I'm some noble, selfless girl. I can't be that ideal girl in the storybook."

Her words faltered, and for a moment, she clenched her jaw, eyes dropping to the floor. "There's something about Ymir I never fully understood... If I don't move forward with this and do this my way, I'll never know. I am aware you insist on her being the enemy... I just can't bring myself to see it that way, regardless of how things turned out."

"But she..." Eren's expression softened in confusion, just for a moment. "She is."

Silence hung between them, thick and unyielding. Historia stood still, her hands clenching the edge of her cloak as her mind whirled.

"Historia... where is all this coming fr-?

The door to their room slammed open, cutting him off. Petra stumbled inside, her face pale, eyes wide with urgency. "We've been found," she gasped, her breath coming in shallow bursts. "The Military Police... they're here. We need to move. Now!"

Her eyes darted over their shoulders, widening in alarm. Without hesitation, she lunged toward them both, her voice rising in panic as the window shattered.

"Get down!"

*POP* *POP* *POP*

"What was that?!" Connie hissed in alarm.

Sasha frowned as she looked to the left over her shoulders, her ears twitching, that came from Captain Levi's building, her eyes widened in shock as she picked up on the incoming threat. Sharp instincts kicked in, reacting instantly, and crying out loud to warn Connie, "Left flank, incoming!"

Two MPs scaled their building with their ODM gear and soared high in the air, Sasha grabbed Armin and shoved him down, both of them falling behind the dormer as shots narrowly missed them. She took the brunt of the impact as Armin landed on top of her. Connie, on the other hand, rolled clean off the roof, barely catching himself on the edge as the tiles around him exploded from the projectiles fired at him, his musket falling into the alley below well out of reach.

He dangled precariously, his fingers clinging to the rough brick, heart pounding in his chest. Something warm trickled down his face, his face contorted in fear, blood. "Shit," Connie whispered, wiping his forehead with his sleeve as he held on for dear life.

"What are those weapons?!" Armin wondered out-loud in a fit of panic.

Mike Zacharias' face contorted in silent anger, it seemed like their ambush was countered immediately. Still, it wasn't the end. He hid within the carriage, as he heard them climb inside to inspect "Eren" and "Historia", he readied to strike back as he poked from behind some crates in the back—a deafening blast from his shotgun shattered the air, sending two officers flying out of the back, their bodies limp.

The man who had stabbed Dimo stiffened, before he immediately ordered the rest of the men present to light up the carriage. Mike jumped off the side and jumped through a window, ducking beneath the low wall as glass shattered all around him, bullets tearing the fabric of the carriage and into the wall against his back, the horses tied to it panicking and taking off.

As soon as they did, the men who had exhausted all of their ammo were left exposed to the window Mike had jumped into, he poked out of cover and aimed an additional musket directly at the officer who had stabbed Dimo, the man's eyes widened and a gasp escaped his lips before a bullet ripped through his knee, sending him crumpling to the ground in agony.

"AHH! KILL HIM!" He ordered, before being dragged to safety.

Back on the roof with the 104th trio, the two MPs finished reloading before they moved in on Sasha and Armin. Seeing this, Connie quickly poked his head out and swung to action, taking a shot at one of the men who had climbed the dormer to surprise them from above. The bullet grazed his thigh but otherwise distracted him enough to allow Sasha to get back on her feet. Connie was forced to let go and drop down as gunshots ripped the ledge he had been hanging from.

Sasha poked out of cover with a combat roll and aimed directly at the man in front of her, he gasped in shock. His body slumped with a dull thud as a deafening crack cut through the air. However, Sasha realized too late she had missed the man above the dormer. His gun clicked as the ammo canisters loaded, he leveled them at her and fired but Armin had been quicker and shot the man in the shoulder, throwing off his aim as some of the projectiles came close to taking the huntress' head off.

"Agh, fuck!" He fell down, clutching at his wound, attempting to reload before they could climb up and shoot him again however he froze as he noticed something in the air. His eyes went wide, as Connie came in screaming at the top of his lungs. "Ooof- Ahhrghkk!" The man let out pained cries as two ODM blades sunk directly into chest, going limp and dying moments later.

Connie breathed heavily as he watched the light fade from his eyes, before he gingerly withdrew the blades and fell back on his butt. He shakily looked down at the blood soaked swords before he turned to the side and hurled.

"C-Connie!" Armin called out to him.

The boy simply kept his head down and gestured for Armin that he was fine, before quickly wiping his mouth and getting to cover. Sasha hurried over the slope to have eyes back on the fight and dropped flat on her stomach to take aim at the unfolding chaos beneath. Armin wiped the sweat from his brow, while Connie's chest rose and fell in sharp breaths, as they crouched behind her.

"These are the weapons the Captain warned us about... This is made for people... they were made to be used on... us." Armin spoke, as he gazed behind at the man Sasha killed next to a shaken Connie.

His face contorted at the thought, they weren't killers by nature, but this was war—survival left little room for hesitation.

Gunfire erupted from every angle. A dozen or so Survey Corps soldiers hidden in the surrounding buildings unloaded volleys of bullets on the MPs before switching out to reload, projectiles whistling through the air. Others less fortunate to have been caught in the counter-ambush found themselves struggling to keep up, as the first wave of confusion hit both sides hard.

Levi, Mikasa and Oluo came running out to the balcony of their building, Levi's torso and face drenched in blood that may or may not be his, soaking deep into his grey long sleeved shirt. "Sweep the rooftops in a tight formation, handle the stragglers above, ten O'clock!" He ordered, before kicking over a weak portion of the crumbling balcony, toppling it over as the three jumped and deployed their anchors.

Mikasa joined the fray in a blur, blades flashing in her hands. Taking a woman off-guard as she ripped her throat and Torso apart ascending to the roof, another MP ahead spotted her, shots scattering towards the oriental girl. To his growing panic, none had come close as she maneuvered expertly, seemingly unstoppable. More shots ricocheted off stone and tile, one grazed her side, but it wasn't enough. His hands fumbled for his pistol, his scatter guns empty, but Mikasa's blades found him first. Two quick, brutal slashes, and his blood sprayed across the rooftop. His body crumpled, rolling off the edge, leaving a red trail as it fell into the street below.

Her expression remained unchanged—cold, focused, devoid of mercy as she moved on to the next victim.

Another soldier peeked over the slope, his gun aimed at Mikasa's back. But an ODM anchor suddenly sunk into the his skull with a sickening crack. Mikasa turned to see Oluo latching onto the MP, his body jerked as if in disbelief, then slumped lifelessly. Blood sprayed in a thick arc as Oluo retracted the hook, staining the tiles beneath them. The soldier tumbled down the roof with a dull thud, a crimson river flowing down the slope, pooling at the edge where his corpse lay forgotten.

Levi zipped through the battlefield, mindful of the various lines of fire. He kept low, skimming through the street below before swinging back up to the opposite side of where Mikasa and Oluo were. Several MPs spotted them, guns raised, fingers hovering over the triggers. The two quickly found cover as bullets flew around them, none hitting their mark. Only one caught sight of Levi in time. The soldier turned, his two guns spitting several shots. Levi twisted in midair before he slammed behind the cover of a chimney, the bullets tearing through stone, sending shards raining down.

"There's one! Over there!" the man screamed, reloading with trembling hands as he alerted his comrades. The four soldiers turned as they reloaded, guns pointed in Levi's direction.

Levi didn't wait. He darted out from behind the chimney, firing his hooks. The lead MP ducked, barely dodging the deadly steel. His heart raced, but his relief was short-lived. As he stood, he realized too late what had happened. The men around him were reduced to ribbons, their bodies collapsing in grotesque heaps, limbs twitching in their final moments.

He managed to deflect a blade thrown at him with ferocious speed using his gun, before raising to fire, eyes locked on Levi's approaching figure, no chance for the man before him to dodge. But before he could squeeze the trigger, his world went black. A distant shot echoed through the battlefield. The back of his skull exploded, and he crumpled to the ground in a lifeless heap, blood pooling around his face.

Far from the chaos, Sasha exhaled slowly, the tension easing from her muscles as she pulled the bolt back. She scanned the rooftops again, It was a little stressful not having that much ammunition, needing to pick her targets carefully and all.

Levi's eyes hardened as he peered over the edge, realizing some of the MPs had breached the building where their teams were positioned. Gunfire and screams echoed from within as a skirmish raged. He quickly scanned the rooftop—Mikasa and Oluo were methodically picking off stragglers, and Sasha, stationed at a distance, was providing suppressive fire with the captured rifle. It seemed like giving her that rifle had paid off—she was a natural.

Then he saw it. The man who had killed Dimo Reeves earlier was slipping away, while Dimo lay motionless not far behind, in a pool of his own blood.

A low groan snapped Levi's attention behind him. He spun around just in time to see Mike withdraw his blade from the back of an MP who had tried to sneak up on Levi. Blood bubbled from the man's mouth before he collapsed. "Don't get distracted now," Mike said, wiping the blade on the fallen soldier's uniform.

Levi gave a curt nod. "The bastard that got Reeves is still down there. We can't let him get away."

Mike crouched beside him. Levi gestured for his squad to regroup, watching them maneuver quickly across the rooftop, their movements seamless. "We're going after him," Levi continued. "Pull everybody out and meet us at the secondary location, we're kicking this thing off while they're disorganized."

"I'll pop flares to signal the next phase, better hurry." Mike sniffed the air twice, his nose twitching, and eyes narrowing as he moved to rally the remaining scouts. "He's already leaving."

"Captain!" Oluo's voice cut through the noise as he, Mikasa, Connie, Sasha, Armin, landed in quick succession next to them, their ODM gear hissing as they touched down.

Levi's gaze swept over them. "We're pulling out of here to go after their captain. We need to capture him before he escapes. The rest of us will be pulling out and heading to the secondary area, we'll regroup once we've completed the objective." Levi stood, eyes locking onto the fleeing carriage in the distance, its wheels already kicking up dust as it sped away. "Let's move-"

A bright flash of light in the distance took them all by surprise, and the fleeing MP became an afterthought.

Eren's eyes flashed with alarm, a man laying dead in the middle of their room as smoke rose out of Petra's pistol. "Damn it." He turned to Historia, but she was already on her feet, her expression unreadable.

"Let's go," Petra urged, gesturing to the window at the far end of the corridor outside the room. "We need to get out before they fully surround the building."

Eren glanced at Historia, a silent question in his eyes, but she gave nothing away. Without a word, they followed Petra to the window, where Gelgar, Lynne, and a few other scouts were already waiting outside. The sound of heavy boots and shouts echoed from above and below, growing closer by the second.

"Go!" Gelgar motioned for them to jump. "We'll cover you!"

Historia who had been crouched next to Eren suddenly spoke to him,"My questions won't answer themselves unless I reach the other side of this hell we're stuck in." He turned to her at the familiar words.

One by one, the scouts leaped out of the window, their ODM gear propelling them into the narrow alleyways of the underground city. Gelgar jumped off as Eren crouched at the edge of the window right behind him being the second to last one, waiting for the blonde to catch up. "Come on, Historia!"

"I'm sorry, Eren. I have to do this for my sake, please don't hate me. "

But she suddenly grabbed him, her hands firm but not harsh. He staggered backward, confusion flashing across his face.

"Come find me soon."

"What-!?"

His eyes went side as saucers, and then he fell back, pushed away.

"Historia!"

Hello again, been a while. (again) The good news is that the next chapter and the one after it won't take as long, the bad news is I'm known to be a stretcher of truths.

I usually try to avoid writing canon 1 for 1 in these scenes, so sometimes I just gloss over a few things and bring them up within context for the characters to acknowledge them briefly. Instead of just writing down the same dialogue and events in the Anime/manga.

Anyway, I'm not sure how Levi giving light disciplining to Eren for leaving without a word constitutes as being pushed around and giving him shit, same thing with Mikasa and the others being worried about his well being (and giving him a sandwich!), maybe in the earlier chapters the scouts were still familiarizing themselves with him but most of it is pretty much officers barking orders at their subordinates.

I'm sometimes worried that I have a different perception to what I'm writing when I read some of these reviews

I promise you guy, Eren will be the chad alpha sigma, eventually. Look no further than the next few chapters! Please no angry towards Historia, through no fault of her own the author wanted to give her a controversial direction in her character arc. Something about fate vs destiny or whatever.

And that's about it to be fair, I took sometime to write for my other stories as I've horribly neglected most of them including unreleased wips. So yeah, let's just cross our fingers.

Thanks for reading, see you sooner!