Enemy Titan
The air was thick with tension as Eren rode behind Captain Levi, the rhythmic thudding of hooves against the earth the only sound breaking the eerie silence. The Levi Squad formed a protective pentagonal formation around her, their eyes sharp, their grips on the reins tighter than usual. They were all on edge, and for good reason. Ahead of them, the higher commanders led the way, their silhouettes stark against the dim morning light. Behind them, the rest of the Scout Regiment followed in disciplined ranks.
This wasn't just another mission. It was the 57th Exterior Scouting Mission, a crucial expedition for the Scout Regiment. Their goal was clear: to plot a safe course from Calaneth District to the foreboding ruins of Shiganshina District. Every inch of this land was tainted with the looming threat of Titans. 128 soldiers were deployed, each one carrying the weight of humanity's survival on their shoulders.
As they approached the towering gates of the wall, Eren's eyes caught sight of a group of children peering at them from a distance. Their faces were lit with awe and excitement, innocent of the true horrors that lay beyond the walls. Eren's heart clenched as memories of her own childhood flashed before her eyes—how she once stood in that same spot, wide-eyed and naive, dreaming of the day she would ride with the Scouts. But now, reality had stripped away those childish dreams, leaving only a burning resolve in its place.
"The 57th Exterior Scouting Mission begins now!" Commander Erwin's voice boomed, shattering the quiet with its sheer power. The earth trembled as the humongous gates groaned, rising from the ground with a deafening roar that echoed through the barren landscape. The gates opened to reveal the desolate world beyond, a world where danger lurked in every shadow.
"Forward!" Erwin commanded, his voice carrying the weight of authority and unyielding determination. There was no turning back now.
Eren's heart pounded in her chest as she urged her horse forward, the cold wind whipping through her hair. This was it—her chance to discover the secrets hidden within her father's cellar in Shiganshina. The thought of what they might find there sent a shiver down her spine, a mix of anticipation and dread curling in her gut.
The Scouts advanced in a carefully arranged formation, a testament to Erwin's meticulous planning. The squad leaders, each commanding a small group, spread out in a crescent shape, with Erwin at the center. Scouts deployed in smaller teams further ahead, acting as scouts for any signs of Titan activity. The plan was to avoid confrontation if possible, using colored smoke shots to communicate across the expansive, treacherous terrain. Green smoke meant the path was clear, while red signaled danger—a Titan's presence. With each minute, they pushed deeper into the wilderness, threading through the labyrinth of destruction that lay before them.
For the first hour, things seemed to be going smoothly. Scouts fired green smoke into the air, guiding the main body of soldiers along a safe route. The sun was barely up, casting long shadows across the ground, and the world felt strangely quiet, as if the Titans themselves were lying in wait, biding their time.
But then, the calm was shattered. A distant, earth-shaking roar echoed across the plains, and the Scouts stiffened, their eyes scanning the horizon. A Titan had been spotted. The atmosphere shifted, the air growing thicker with an unspoken tension. They were prepared for this, but it didn't make the reality any less terrifying.
Eren could feel her heart hammering in her chest as she tightened her grip on the reins, her eyes darting around, searching for any sign of the enemy. The Titan was approaching fast, but the Levi Squad didn't falter. With a series of precise, coordinated movements, they broke off from the main group, moving to intercept the threat before it could reach the others.
Levi's voice was cold and calm as he barked orders, guiding his squad into position. They moved like a well-oiled machine, their actions swift and precise. In the blink of an eye, the Titan was brought down, its massive form crashing to the ground with a thunderous boom. Eren watched in awe as Levi led the final strike, his blades slicing through the nape of the Titan's neck with deadly accuracy.
As the dust settled, the Scouts regrouped, and for a moment, there was a brief sigh of relief. But it was short-lived. Eren's gut told her something was wrong. The air felt heavier, the silence too oppressive. It was as if the very land around them was holding its breath, waiting for something to happen.
And then it did.
In the distance, beyond the line of trees that marked the horizon, the ground trembled with a force that sent shivers down Eren's spine. The 57th Exterior Scouting Mission was just beginning, but already, something dark and ominous was on the horizon.
Everything was going well, or so they thought.
Û~Û
The atmosphere was thick with tension as Armin and his team pressed forward, each of them breathing in shallow, anxious gulps. It wasn't just the looming Titans that made the air heavy—it was the silence before the storm, the feeling of being watched, hunted. Armin rode alongside his team leader, a weathered man with a cloth wrapped around his head like a turban. His face was set in a grim line, etched with the memories of too many near-death encounters. He had survived missions that chewed up most men and spit them out, but that didn't mean he was fearless. No one was fearless out here.
They were four in total. Each one hardened, seasoned by the endless war with the Titans. Two others flanked them, their faces shadowed by helmets, but even through the armor, you could see the toll this life had taken on them. Eyes that had once held hope now stared coldly at the horizon, prepared to face the inevitable once more.
The sun hung high, casting long shadows that stretched unnaturally across the ground, making every bush, every distant boulder seem like a lurking threat. They had been moving for hours now, through the barren landscape outside the walls, scanning the distance for signs of danger. The anticipation was suffocating.
"Eyes sharp!" the team leader snapped, his gravelly voice cutting through the quiet like a whip crack.
Armin didn't need to be told twice. His eyes darted nervously over the terrain. The wind was still, the birds had stopped chirping, and his stomach churned with unease. Every nerve in his body screamed that something was coming, something terrible.
Suddenly, the ground beneath them rumbled—faint, but unmistakable.
It wasn't just a tremor. It was the approach of Titans.
And there they were. Two abnormals, their twisted forms barreling toward them with that grotesque, unnatural speed. Their long, misshapen limbs flailed as they ran, their mouths hanging open in hideous grins, eyes wide with that mindless hunger that Titans always carried.
"Spread out!" the team leader barked again, his voice laced with urgency.
In an instant, the four of them were airborne, ODM gears screaming as they launched into the trees. The abnormal Titans came charging in, their hands reaching out to snatch the soldiers from the sky like toys, but Armin's team was quick, agile. They dodged and weaved through the branches with practiced precision, their swords gleaming in the afternoon sun.
The battle was fast and brutal. The abnormals moved with erratic speed, lunging at them like beasts, their massive hands slapping at the trees, shaking the ground with every missed strike. One of the Scouts, the soldier to Armin's left, swung out of reach just in time to avoid being crushed by a massive fist. His blade flashed as he slashed through the nape of the Titan's neck, sending it crashing to the ground with a sickening thud.
Armin wasn't far behind, using his ODM gear to launch himself toward the second abnormal. His hands were shaking, but his aim was true. He slashed clean through the back of its neck, and the monster fell with a thunderous crash, steam rising from its body as it crumbled into a heap of dead flesh.
For a brief moment, the Scouts hovered in the air, catching their breath, adrenaline still coursing through their veins.
And then the ground shook again.
This time, it wasn't just a tremor. It was something far worse.
A shadow appeared on the horizon, a hulking figure that seemed to grow larger with each passing second. The air grew thick with dread, the kind of primal fear that crawled under your skin and refused to leave. Armin's heart pounded in his chest, cold sweat dripping down the back of his neck. He knew what it was before he even saw the full shape.
The Armored Titan.
It came into view like a nightmare, its body encased in hardened plates of bone-white armor, muscles rippling beneath the surface. It moved with a decent speed, not too fast, but still, faster than anything its size should be able to. Each step shook the ground, sending tremors through the earth that Armin could feel in his bones. The Titan's face was a mask of pure intent, its eyes glinting with intelligence—human intelligence.
"Run!" the team leader shouted, his voice cracking with a panic that Armin had never heard from him before.
They didn't need to be told twice. Panic surged through them like wildfire, and they scattered in every direction. Their ODM gears hissed as they launched into the air, desperate to escape. But it was too late.
The Armored Titan was upon them in a flash, its massive hand shooting out like a viper. It snatched one of the soldiers mid-air, gripping him tightly in its massive fist. The Scout screamed, thrashing wildly as the Titan brought him close, its piercing eyes studying him—searching.
Armin watched, frozen in horror. The Titan wasn't killing them out of hunger. It was looking for someone. Someone specific.
The Scout's screams echoed through the trees, cut short as the Titan's hand clenched, crushing him with a sickening crunch. Blood sprayed into the air, staining the ground below. The Titan barely flinched, its gaze already shifting to the next Scout.
Armin's mind raced as he fought the urge to scream. His ODM gear launched him higher into the sky, but the Titan was faster. Another Scout was grabbed, his face twisting in terror as the Titan's hand closed around him like a vice.
"Why...?" Armin whispered, his heart hammering in his chest. "Why is it doing this?"
The other Scout was gone before he could even process it. The Armored Titan was a killing machine, methodical, precise. It didn't waste energy. It didn't leave survivors.
Except Armin.
In his frantic attempt to escape, Armin miscalculated his swing, his ODM gear faltering as he crashed into the ground below. Pain flared in his leg as he landed awkwardly, the world spinning around him. He groaned, trying to get back on his feet, but the Armored Titan was already looming over him.
The world seemed to slow as the Titan bent down, its colossal form casting a shadow that swallowed Armin whole. Its face was unreadable, those cold, calculating eyes boring into him as if it could see right through his soul.
For a moment, Armin was sure this was the end. He could hear his heart pounding in his ears, his breath coming in shallow gasps. He wanted to run, to scream, but his body refused to move.
And then, without warning, the Titan turned and sprinted away, its massive form disappearing into the distance as quickly as it had come.
Armin lay there in the dirt, gasping for air, his leg throbbing with pain. He stared up at the sky, the events of the last few minutes replaying in his mind. The Titans. The deaths. The Armored Titan... had spared him.
"It... spared me... why?" Armin whispered, his voice trembling as the weight of what had just happened settled over him. That Titan was no ordinary monster. It had the intelligence of a human.
A human…
Û~Û
Eren sat stiffly on her horse, the tension in her back almost unbearable. They were at the edge of the forest, and her face flushed with discomfort. Her body was not adapting well to her newfound…feminine form. It wasn't just the back pain.
"Hey, rookie, you okay?" Oluo asked, noticing her grimace.
"I'm fine," Eren muttered, though it was a lie. She wasn't fine at all. Her hips ached, the dull throb spreading through her lower back. And the extra weight on her chest wasn't helping one bit. Why hadn't she listened to Mikasa? "I really should've worn a bra," she grumbled under her breath, regretting her defiance. This was hell.
Levi, sharp as ever, glanced over, his eyes narrowing slightly. Eren froze, her heart skipping a beat. Did he…know? But, instead of saying anything, Levi merely grunted, "Let's keep moving."
His voice was calm, authoritative. The kind that would make anyone move without a second thought. Without waiting, Levi nudged his horse forward into the thick shadows of the forest, the rest of the squad following suit.
The trees were enormous, towering into the sky like ancient giants, their massive trunks thick with dark bark and twisted branches. As they ventured deeper, the world seemed to grow quieter, almost unnaturally so. The stillness hung heavy, disturbed only by the steady clop of their horses' hooves on the forest floor.
Eren took a moment to admire the eerie beauty around her. The forest was vast, its depths hidden in shadow. Yet, as haunting as it was, there was a strange serenity to it. That, of course, was when her chest decided to jiggle with the movement of the horse. It was painful and embarrassing. Great. Just great. She could feel the stares.
Petra rode up beside her, casting a side glance at Eren. Petra pointed subtly to her chest, eyebrows raised with a knowing look.
Eren's eyes widened, and her cheeks burned in mortification. 'Oh crap,' she thought. Her discomfort was all too obvious. Eren gave her a nervous, sheepish smile. Petra only shrugged and looked away, her face indifferent as if to say, "It happens."
'Great,' Eren sighed. 'I'm never living this down.' She kept her eyes forward, focusing on the path ahead and trying to ignore the relentless discomfort.
Suddenly, a roar cut through the air, sharp and loud, echoing through the trees.
"What was that?" Eren's voice cracked, her head whipping toward the noise.
"Don't know," Eld said, his face stoic. "But don't get distracted."
Eren nodded, but her nerves were on edge now. Her thoughts raced. Could it be? A Titan?
The ground beneath them began to tremble. It was faint at first, barely noticeable, but it grew steadily stronger, shaking the very earth. Eren glanced back instinctively, her heart hammering in her chest. Nothing. There was nothing behind them. So why did it feel like something was coming?
"Full speed," Levi commanded, his voice still unnervingly calm.
"Aye!" the squad responded in unison, spurring their horses into a faster gallop. Eren urged her horse to keep pace, her eyes darting nervously around.
Then, there it was again— a sound from above, a sharp whistle through the air.
"Incoming!" A Scout's voice echoed from the treetops.
'Huh?' Eren barely had time to process before the air seemed to split with a thunderous crash. A massive hand shot out from the canopy above, grabbing one of the Scouts mid-flight. The sound of his body being crushed was sickening.
Eren's blood ran cold, her stomach lurching in horror as she watched the man's limp form fall lifeless to the ground. The remains were barely recognizable.
But Levi's squad remained composed, their eyes fixed ahead as if nothing had happened.
The remaining Scouts scrambled in the trees, darting between branches, desperately trying to fight back. Eren could hear their screams of fear, their shouts turning to deathly silence one by one as the unseen Titan tore through them. The forest echoed with their cries, but Eren could see nothing—just shadows moving behind the massive trunks, a glimpse of a hand, the gleam of sharp teeth.
"Captain!" Eren's voice trembled. "It… it just killed him!" Her heart pounded with a terror she couldn't contain. "We have to help them!"
"Keep going," Levi's voice cut through her panic like a knife, his tone ice cold.
"But…!"
"Didn't ya' hear what the Captain said?" Oluo sneered, although his eyes betrayed.
Eren swallowed hard, trying to push the rising fear back down. "But…right…" Her voice was small, but she pressed on.
And then, without warning, the trees exploded in front of them as a hulking figure burst through the foliage. The ground shook with its weight as it landed, standing tall before them. The light of the sun caught on its armored plates, casting a dull gleam across its hulking form.
Eren's heart stopped.
The Armored Titan.
The same Titan that had destroyed Wall Maria, the same one that had taken everything from them… now stood right in front of her.
Its eyes locked onto them, gleaming with cold intelligence.
Levi moved with the grace of a predator, propelling himself through the air with his ODM gear. The Armored Titan, a behemoth of muscle and hardened plates, lumbered forward, its every step sending tremors through the earth. But Levi was faster. Much faster.
He soared upward, zipping through the dense forest like a phantom, his blades slicing the air with an almost eerie precision. His eyes, sharp as a hawk's, locked onto the Titan's nape. He dove in with relentless speed, his body twisting and spinning in the air as his twin blades swung toward the vulnerable spot.
Clang!
The sound was sharp and metallic as his blades skittered off the Titan's impenetrable armor, sending sparks flying. Levi's face remained calm, his mind working at lightning speed. He quickly recalibrated, using the recoil of the failed strike to propel himself higher, avoiding the Armored Titan's massive hand as it swiped at him.
The Titan snarled, its armored fist crashing down where Levi had just been, obliterating the tree line with a deafening crack. But Levi was already behind it, darting around its back with speed so intense it seemed like he was a shadow in the wind. He was a whirlwind of motion, his body flipping, twisting, and gliding in a flurry of attacks. His blades struck again and again, targeting the Titan's joints, the thinner areas of armor around its knees and elbows. But nothing. Every strike bounced off the armor like steel on rock.
"Damn it," Levi muttered under his breath, his eyes narrowing in frustration. He had never faced a foe this durable.
But then, with a grunt, the Titan turned, its massive arm swinging in a brutal arc. The sheer force of the blow could have reduced a building to rubble. Levi twisted mid-air, his reflexes razor-sharp, narrowly avoiding the attack. He fired his cables into a nearby tree and yanked himself up, flipping over the Titan's shoulder in a seamless motion.
From his high vantage point, he could see the rest of the squad—Eren, Petra, Gunther—racing through the trees, their horses galloping at full speed. But they weren't fast enough. The Titan was closing the distance, its sights set on them.
Levi's eyes flashed with a cold determination. There was no way in hell he'd let this thing get to them.
He shot toward the Titan's head, targeting its eyes. His blades gleamed in the dappled sunlight as he struck with precision, slicing through the exposed flesh. The Titan roared in agony, blinded by the attack, its massive form staggering back. But it wasn't enough. The Titan's hands flailed, catching Levi off-guard.
The ground rumbled beneath the squad's horses as they tried to flee. Eren's heart was pounding in her chest, torn between the desire to fight and the need to follow orders. She bit her lip, her hand hovering near her mouth, ready to shift.
But Gunther's voice cut through her thoughts, sharp and authoritative. "Did the captain give you permission, Yeager?"
Eren hesitated, her teeth hovering above her skin. "No, but I can't just run! He's fighting the Armored Titan!"
"It's not your call!" Petra snapped, though her voice trembled. She glanced back at Levi, her expression filled with worry. "Captain Levi can handle this!"
Eren shook her head, her fists clenching around the reins. "But it's the Armored Titan! He needs—"
"Enough!" Gunther's tone was final. His eyes locked onto hers with a steely resolve. "We have our orders. You disobey, and we'll put you down ourselves."
The weight of his words hit her like a punch to the gut. She knew he wasn't bluffing. The Levi Squad was loyal, but their loyalty was to the mission first. If she shifted without orders, if she lost control, they would cut her down without hesitation. Eren swallowed, her body trembling with the urge to fight. She hated feeling powerless.
Levi's voice suddenly cut through the chaos. "Dodge!"
It came too late.
A massive crash echoed through the forest as huge chunks of rock fell from the sky, hurled with brutal force. The first one landed with a sickening thud, sending tremors through the ground. Horses screamed in terror, their hooves pounding the earth as they tried to flee. The squad scattered, their eyes wide with horror as the deadly projectiles rained down.
Eren's horse reared back, nearly throwing her from the saddle. She fought to keep control, her breath coming in short, frantic gasps. And then she heard it—a scream, piercing and raw, cutting through the forest like a knife.
"Petra!" Eren's voice cracked as she saw her comrade fall. The rock had struck her horse, crushing it beneath its weight, and Petra had been thrown, her body twisted and broken.
Then fell Gunther. Oluo. And Eld.
Eren's heart lurched. The sight of their crushed limp form on the ground sent a cold wave of fear through her. The rocks continued to fall, smashing into the earth, sending debris flying. The forest that had once been eerily.
Then, one of them fell on her.
Thus, she succumbed into darkness.
Û~Û
Levi's mind raced as he darted through the air, his ODM gear slicing through the canopy of trees with a sharp hiss. His heart pounded in his chest as he glanced toward the rubble, where his fallen comrades were buried under chunks of debris. Gunther, Petra, Oluo, and Eld—he needed to get to them, but the Armored Titan wasn't giving him a break. Every time Levi tried to move toward his squad, the Armored Titan lunged, its massive fists pounding the ground, sending shockwaves through the earth.
But Levi was relentless. He dodged the strikes with terrifying ease, every move precise and calculated. His blades flashed through the air, striking at the Titan's joints and vulnerable points, but the armor was too thick, too impenetrable. Sparks flew as his blades scraped uselessly against the hard surface, but he didn't falter. This was what he did. He was humanity's strongest, and he wouldn't lose—not today.
Levi twisted in midair, dodging another wild swing from the Armored Titan. His eyes were cold, calculating as he launched himself upward, landing on its shoulder for a brief moment before leaping away again. The Titan roared in frustration, trying to swat him like a fly, but Levi was already gone, his body a blur as he zipped through the trees.
Just as he was about to gain the upper hand, the ground beneath him began to tremble—harder than before. Levi's eyes darted to the side, and what he saw sent a chill down his spine.
A horde of Titans, massive and mindless, surged toward him. Their grotesque bodies trampled everything in their path, their hungry, soulless eyes locked on him.
"Shit!" Levi cursed under his breath, his grip tightening on his blades. The Armored Titan had been enough of a problem, but now this? He had to make a choice—fight the horde or go after his fallen comrades.
But there was no time to think. The first Titan lunged at him, its enormous hand reaching out to crush him. With a sharp breath, Levi launched himself forward, slashing through the Titan's eyes before spinning behind it and severing its nape in one clean strike. The creature collapsed with a heavy thud, but Levi didn't stop. Another Titan was already on him, its jaws snapping at the air where he'd just been.
He moved with deadly precision, slicing through the Titans with ease, his blades cutting through flesh and bone. But for every one he took down, another seemed to appear, their massive bodies looming over him like shadows of death.
Then, something caught his eye. From the corner of his vision, Levi saw a strange, hulking figure—a Titan, but unlike any he'd seen before. It was covered in coarse fur, its long arms dragging through the dirt as it lumbered toward the pile of rubble where his comrades lay.
Levi's heart clenched. What the hell was that thing?
The beastly Titan reached down, its massive fingers wrapping around the chunks of debris. Slowly, it lifted the boulders, revealing the broken bodies beneath. One by one, it picked them up—Gunther, Oluo, Eld—and inspected them with a sickening curiosity. Levi's jaw tightened, his heart screaming at him to move, to do something, but his body remained locked in the fight.
The beastly Titan dropped them like they were nothing, their limp bodies hitting the ground with a sickening thud. Levi's eyes burned, but he didn't let it break his focus. He couldn't.
And then, the Titan reached down again—and this time, it found Eren.
Her body was limp, unconscious, and the strange Titan wrapped its massive hand around her small form, lifting her up like a doll. It didn't inspect her like the others. Instead, it tucked her close, cradling her against its chest before turning away, its long arms swinging as it began to retreat.
Levi's heart exploded with fury. 'That brat!'
His eyes narrowed, the rage bubbling beneath his calm exterior. He wasn't going to let this thing take her. Not without a fight.
With a roar of determination, Levi launched himself forward, his mind focused on one thing—saving Eren. Nothing else mattered now.
Author Note: I hope it wasn't rushed. Next chapter will be more interesting and informative.
A question: In the 'Document Manager', it says my 200 document limit is finished. They are telling me to delete some documents. But I have almost no unnecessary documents. Thus, how will deleting an already used document effect the story? Do tell please.
Till next time!