Finally, the war was nearly over. For 4 long years, Marley has been at war with the Mid East Alliance after they discovered that Marley finally possessed the Founding Titan. Normally, they'd have been wiped out with the power of eight of the nine Titans. However, the Mid East Alliance attacked via the sea, having a far superior navy to that of Marley's. As a result, the war has edged on for 4 years, until Marley finally pushed them back to their final defense: Fort Slava. Currently, Eldian forces were attacking the Mid Eastern forces outside the fort with the help of Female Titan Annie Leonhart and Cart Titan Pieck Finger.
Eren looked out of the airship flying above the fort as they waited for the signal to drop the Eldians. Zeke walked up to him, reassuring Eren that the war would soon be over. All they had to do was take the fort and destroy the fleet docked there. He looked back at Reiner and Bertolt, telling them to not forget their missions. The two nodded in agreement, as the signal to drop came up. On the ground, a signal flare was shot off, warning the Eldian soldiers to get away from the fort. As the airship parachuted Eldians, the Warrior candidates in the trenches below looked up.
Zeke then walked up, took a deep breath, and let out a loud scream, transforming all the Eldians into Pure Titans. A second later, dozens of Titans fell onto the fort below, attacking the soldiers inside. However, the soldiers quickly killed them with anti-Titan artillery. Above, Reiner counted the number of artillery left, and yelled to Eren that thirty guns remained. He would take the ones on the west side of the fort while Eren took the ones on the east, to which Eren nodded in agreement. The two then transformed into their Titans and landed in the fort.
Reiner easily destroyed the guns on his side, but was caught by surprise when a second armored train attacked him. He ran up and managed to destroy the train, but was in the sights of an artillery crew. Before he could react, Eren ran in and pushed Reiner away, causing his arm to be blown off. Without a second thought, Eren hardened his fists and destroyed the gun. The few remaining gun crews opened fire on the two, with Reiner using the armored train as a shield and then throwing it and destroying the last few guns. With a sigh of relief, Reiner looked up and gave the signal to the two above.
Upon seeing the signal, Zeke prepared himself. He told Bertolt, who was in a barrel, that it was now up to them to finish this, to which Bertolt agreed. Zeke then transformed into the Beast Titan, grabbing the barrel as he fell to the ground below. Upon walking up and looking over the fleet, Zeke threw Bertolt towards the warships, but not before they could fire back. Bertolt was able to avoid the barrage, but Zeke prepared for it. Just then, Eren moved in front of Zeke, hardening what he could, and took the barrage. As his Titan fell to the ground, Bertolt was finally over the fleet and transformed.
Suddenly there was a blinding light, followed by a massive explosion. The Warrior candidates watched as warships flew into the air from the explosion. Porco Galliard, the next in line for the Beast Titan, blew a sigh of relief, knowing that the war was finally over. All that remained was Bertolt's Colossal Titan now standing in a harbor full of destroyed warships.
4 Years Earlier
Eren stood before the Marleyan war council, unsure of his fate. It had been a month since he was contained by the Marleyan government upon coming to Marley. The general then asked him a question on how he truly felt about Eldians. Eren answered that upon learning of what the Eldians have done, he was absolutely disgusted. He hated being born Eldian, and hated himself for being a devil. Because of this, he would like to rectify his mistake, and ensure that he pays for what he and his people have done. He'd finish saying he hates that he was born into this world, but doesn't want to die. This does little to change the councils expressions, but catches the attention of a tall man sitting in the corner. The war council members looked at one another, and then the asked if he'd be willing to kill the devils on Paradise. Eren paused, then said he would do whatever they'd ask of him. The council then steps up, and leaves the room to determine their verdict.
An hour passes by until the council finally comes back. The general stands up and addresses Eren's outcome. While he and many others want Warrior Porco Galliard to inherit Eren's Titans, they were convinced to let Eren live. He would be allowed to use his Titans in service to Marley. However, he was to be under supervision by a Warrior at all times, and if at any point did he not pull his weight or seem to betray Marley, his Titans would be given to Porco. Eren understood this, and pledged himself in service to Marley.
Outside, Porco was infuriated that they'd let a devil from Paradis keep his Titans, and why the other Warriors spoke up for Eren during the testimony. Annie spoke up that he did help them and could have escaped when he had the chance. Reiner tried calming Porco, but he shrugged him off. Porco snapped that he read the report, and if he recalls, Reiner was the one who almost lost his Titan, and that he is just as weak as before. Now, not only did they lose his brother's Jaw Titan, but now he has been denied yet another Titan. Reiner turned away, remembering how Marcel sacrificed himself so he could live. Bertolt spoke up, saying they shouldn't be fighting right now. The verdict was made, and they shouldn't question it. Suddenly Zeke stood behind Porco and put his hand on his shoulder. He understood why Porco was upset, but told him that he would still inherit his Beast Titan in a few years either way. Porco walked away upset, with Pieck going after him.
Not too long after, upon hearing that Marley now possessed the Founding Titan, multiple nations formed an alliance and declared war on Marley in a final desperate attempt to stop them. While Marley would completely dominate them on land, the Mid-East Allied Forces overpowered them when it came to their navy. As a result, the Mid-East forces dominated the seas since Marley's navy was less advanced, which caused the war to rage on for 4 years. However, there were occasional battles on land, though the Mid-East forces were easily defeated by the combined effort of the Beast, Female, Armored, Colossal, and Attack/Founding Titans.
During this time, Eren would also prove his loyalty to Marley by continuously putting his life on the line defeating the Mid-East forces. Since Eren's Attack Titan didn't possess any unique physical abilities, and since the Mid-East forces focused on him since he also had the Founder, Marley allowed him to ingest some of Reiner's spinal fluid to allow him to harden parts of his body. This allowed Eren to protect himself along with being more useful in combat. The war would continue for 4 years until the Marleyan Navy was finally able to push the Mid-East forces back to Fort Slava, where a final offensive would begin.
Present
Reliving the warship's barrage hitting him, Eren woke up screaming. After a second, he remembered what happened, and noticed he was in a recovery room. Sitting next to him was Reiner, who was reading something, and Bertolt, who was standing in the corner. Reiner looked over and asked Eren how he was feeling. Eren got up and said he felt fine, with Reiner thanking him for saving him back at the fort. Just then, the rest of the Warriors came in, with Pieck telling Reiner to go and check up on the Warrior candidates and get some fresh air. He agreed, and walked out with Bertolt, who looked back at Annie before leaving.
Pieck sat down exhausted, as Annie walked up to Eren. She told him that he was getting sloppy, and asked when he last practiced his hand-to-hand combat. Eren rubbed his head, saying it had been awhile. Annie scoffed, telling him that he needed to be more cautious or else he'd die. Eren responded saying he didn't really have much of a choice, since he could be eaten by Porco at any time for any reason. Annie laughed, saying he already proved himself loyal to Marley these last 4 years, and that it shouldn't be an excuse to be a suicidal bastard. Eren smiled, remembering his training days when his comrades called him that. His smile soon faded as he remembered all the people he left on the island. Annie noticed this, and told Eren to cheer up. She hated to admit it, but she kind of missed their comrades too. She sat next to Eren and thanked him, for allowing her to go back home and see her father again. If it wasn't for Eren, she might have never been able to fulfill her promise to her father. Eren gave a faint smile as he tried standing back up and asked how Pieck was doing. She looked at him saying he was exhausted from being in the Cart Titan for four months. Looking back at Eren, she told him to get some more rest, since he's extended himself almost as much as she has for the last few months. Annie agreed, and Eren laid back down.
Meanwhile, back at the headquarters, the Marleyan generals were discussing how the rest of the world's technology has finally started surpassing the power of the Titans. Zeke stood up and suggested that they need to fully utilize the power of the Founding Titan. However, General Calvo reminded Zeke that they needed an Eldian with royal blood in order to use the Founder, and there are currently none left. Zeke reminded the generals that there was still one person left who possessed royal blood back on Paradis Island. The rest of the generals perked up as General Calvo suggested that Zeke was implying they attack the island again. Zeke agreed, saying that if they could capture this girl and make her have kids, then Marley could have an endless supply of candidates that could use the Founding Titan in their favor, and prevent the world from ever surpassing Marley.
General Calvo thought for a second, and reminded Zeke that he only had one year left for his term. Zeke agreed, and said they needed to act fast because he wasn't sure Porco would be able to fully utilize the Beast, which surprised Porco who was standing behind him. Commander Magath spoke up, saying that Zeke has a point. They already have the Founder, but can't use it unless they have someone with royal blood. If they fail to acquire one, it won't be long until the world finally surpasses them and wipes them out. After a long pause, General Calvo said it was possible, and would be further discussed once they were back in Marley.
After the meeting, Zeke and Porco walked to the roof of a building as Zeke apologized to Porco for undermining him, to which Porco agreed. Somehow, Zeke was able to create Pure Titans, which was never heard of for a Beast Titan. Because of this, they needed to utilize his special ability as soon as possible before his term was up. Though he wasn't sure how they would be able, if at all, find the one girl with royal blood on the island. Zeke told Porco to trust him, and that he was a plan for that.
Later that night, a train full of the Marleyan military was on it's way back to Liberio. While Colt Grice, a soldier within the army, was propping Warrior candidate up for taking out both a pillbox and the armored train at once and saving hundreds of Eldian soldiers during the Battle of Fort Slava, his brother and Warrior candidate Falco Grice walked out of the train car into an abandoned one. There, he noticed it was empty except for one person: Eren. Eren asked Falco why he wasn't celebrating with the soldiers, with Falco responding that he couldn't stand thinking of Gabi inheriting a Titan. Eren looked at Falco, signaling him to sit. As Falco sat down, Eren asked if he was mad because he liked this girl, to which Falco blushed. Giving a faint smile, Eren understood where Falco was coming from.
He told Falco that he understands. He had comrades back home that he deeply cared about too. Falco sprung up, asking Eren if he missed them. Eren's smile vanished, saying that he did, but also knew that there wasn't much else he could do now that he sided with Marley. Falco asks if he ever regretted it, joining Marley. Eren looked at his red armband, saying that once he had found out the truth of the Eldians, how they hurt the world so much, that he couldn't accept that. He knew that he had to atone for it, not just for him, but the whole island of people who didn't even know the atrocities their ancestors committed. Eren then looked at Falco, asking why he wanted to become a Warrior. Falco again blushed, knowing he didn't want Gabi to shorten her lifespan and instead be with him. Again, Eren read him like an open book, continuing that if he wanted to save this girl, then he needed to keep moving forward and do whatever it took to ensure she would be safe. This again caused Falco to spring up, taking Eren's words to heart. Eren finished saying he didn't have a future here, and that eventually his Titans will be taken from him, either in 4 years or even tomorrow. He would spend the rest of his life behind another set of walls fearing for his life, alone. Falco looked at Eren sad as he looked out the window.
Liberio
The next morning, the train finally arrived at Liberio. As all the soldiers and Warriors left the train, Eren walked out last and took in the view. Falco looked back at Eren, remembering what he said about Gabi the night before. He promised Eren that he would keep moving forward like he said. Zeke then walked up to Eren and had him follow the rest to the Interment Zone. Once there, all the soldiers met their families, with Eren and Zeke meeting their grandparents. Originally, when Eren first came to Marley, his grandparents were surprised that Grisha survived Paradis and had a kid. While blaming himself for Grisha's fate, Mr. Yeager was happy that he at least had a happy life, and was happy to meet Eren. The four made their way to their home, where they discussed the end of the war and what came next.
The next morning, Eren was sparring with Annie. Eren was thrown to the ground, with Annie telling him that he really has not been practicing. As she lifted Eren back up, she told him they had to get to the Warrior debriefing. As they made their way to Zeke's office, he revealed to them that the Marleyan war council decided to go through with attacking Paradis. This shocked Eren, with all the Warriors noticing. Zeke spoke up, asking Eren if he can go through with this. After a shirt pause, Eren said if it meant Eldians can be atoned, he would do whatever it took. Reiner asked if they had the power to do this after just finishing a four year war, to which Zeke answered saying they would need the help of the Tybur family.
Pieck pointed out that the family possessed the Warhammer Titan, though they never used it in combat. Zeke yelled that she was absolutely right, but Porco interjected asking why the Tyburs should be allowed to play heroes when they never once helped Marley. Before he could finish, Eren spoke up saying if they will help Marley, then they should do so. Zeke finished saying the Tyburs will be speaking to the world to bring them together to fight and wipe out Paradis, though secretly Marley would use them to find the girl of royal blood and bring her back to Marley. Meanwhile, a group of Marleyan generals were listening into the conversation, noting that while they aren't completely certain Eren can go through with this, he has proven himself many times during the war. Commander Magath still wondered if that would be enough.
Later that day, Commander Magath met with Willy Tybur, who visited the Warriors HQ to meet the general along with viewing the statue of Helos. During their conversation, Magath asked Willy why he let Eren live all those years back during the war tribunal. Willy smiled upon being found out, telling the general that when he heard Eren's testimony, how he hated being born but didn't want to die, it highly resonated with the man. For years, he had felt the same thing, being born an Eldian. While the whole tribunal wanted to have Eren give up his Titan, Willy, as the true leader of Marley, convinced them to give him a chance. Willy then asked Magath if Eren has proven himself time again, with Magath agreeing that he definitely has.
2 Months Later
Over the next few months, Marley was preparing for Willy's special presentation, while secretly Willy was working with Magath to rework the military. By the time the festival had finally begun, the Warriors spent the day celebrating, while Eren and Zeke were talking. By the time Willy was giving his speech, strange things began to happen. A soldier told the Warriors to come with him, with Porco staying behind with the young Warrior Candidates, and had Eren and Zeke go to the gates. Pieck saw her Panzer unit and hugged them in appreciation to everyone's confusion. Once they got inside to meet Commander Magath, the soldier cut a rope which caused Bertolt, Reiner, Annie, and Pieck to fall in a hole.
Meanwhile, during the entire celebration, multiple carts were being placed around the city, with one group leaving a cart at the port. During Willy's speech, he talked about he hated being born Eldian, and hated what his ancestors did. However, he didn't want to die, and asked the world to join him and come together to defeat the true threats of the world: Paradis Island, where the true devils lived. The whole audience applauded, and just as Willy declared war on Paradis, the stage collapsed as the Jaw Titan broke through and bit Willy in half.
To be continued...
Author's note: I originally intended for this part to be much longer, though due to time constraints, I decided to shorten it and release it now. Hopefully I can get part 3 out sooner, and trust me, it's going to be intense.
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