Chapter 38: Hero
"Levi.."he whispered hoarsely, the name breaking apart on his tongue. Rage and sorrow warred within him, each scream of his soul louder than the last.
A thundering sound pulled his attention back to the present. The Attack Titan's monstrous form turned slowly, its glowing eyes locking onto Eren. The Titan's sheer size dwarfed everything around it, its shadow stretching across the wall like a specter of doom.
Eren's breathing grew ragged as his hatred boiled over, setting his body alight with a fury he could barely contain. "No more," he muttered, his voice low and venomous. He staggered to his feet, the pain of his injuries screaming through his body, but he ignored it.
His broken form seemed to gain an unearthly strength, driven by pure will. Gripping the handles of his swords tightly, he glared at the Titan as if daring it to strike him down.
The Titan roared, its voice a deafening bellow that shook the very foundations of the wall. It charged forward, its massive hand reaching out to crush him.
Eren didn't flinch, though his clenched teeth betrayed the storm of emotions brewing within. He stepped forward, his battered form wavering but unyielding. But before he could act, his gaze locked onto the Cart Titan in the distance. Upon its back sat an unconscious, blonde-bearded man, while Reiner's limp body dangled from its jaws.
Eren's breath hitched. His heart raced as he processed the sight. To his side, Hange staggered toward him, Bertholdt's unconscious form strapped tightly to her back. Her face was twisted with pain, her arm hanging at an unnatural angle.
"Eren!" she called out, clutching her arm. "It took Reiner with it!"
Eren's eyes darted back to the Cart Titan, then to Hange, before a movement on the wall caught his attention. A figure emerged, struggling to climb, and Eren's heart sank as he recognized the red-haired scout.
"Floch?" he whispered, his voice cracking as the scout finally hoisted himself over the edge. Strapped to Floch's back was Erwin, barely clinging to life, his body limp and drenched in blood.
"Section Commander!" Floch shouted, collapsing as Eren rushed to help him. The situation was dire. The Attack Titan was advancing steadily toward the wall, it's hands forming hardened layers of crystals upon it, each thunderous step shaking the ground. Meanwhile, the Cart Titan, carrying two Titan shifters, moved closer from the other side.
"Hange…" Eren exhaled, his breath visible in the icy air as he slumped against the wall. His thunder spears clattered to the stone beneath him. Mist rose from his mouth, but his exhaustion weighed heavier than the pain.
Floch's trembling voice broke the silence. "Section Commander… what do we do?" His words were barely audible over Erwin's labored breathing.
Eren's bloodied lips parted, his voice low and strained. "Hange…" He glanced down at the ruined houses below, spotting a few horses still alive amidst the wreckage. His gaze shifted back to the approaching Attack Titan and then to the Cart Titan. His body felt ready to give out, but his resolve remained unbroken.
Using his thunder spears as support, Eren pushed himself upright. He met Hange's gaze, his eyes filled with a grim determination. "Here..." Eren muttered handing the key hanging to his neck to Hange.
The key to the cellar. "You take it from here." Eren whispered with a smile. She seemed to understand what he was about to do, and her expression twisted in anguish.
"Idiot…" she muttered, her voice breaking. Her form shaking, tears escaped her eye as she stepped closer and wrapped him in a sudden, tight embrace. "Not you too..." She whispered against his shoulders as he ran his hand down her brown hair.
"Hange…" Eren whispered, his voice trembling. "Live a long, happy life." His words sent her over the edge, and she broke down, clutching him tighter.
"Um…" she choked out, her voice barely audible.
Eren leaned back slightly, his eyes soft but resolute. "Rin... That's the name of my son... From one of my dreams... Tell her." He closed his eyes, his voice fading into the cold wind. "How do you it's gonna be a boy?" Hange whispered, Eren looked back with a smile. "I just know..."
Then, without hesitation, he turned and launched himself toward the Cart Titan. Hange and Floch didn't hesitate. They leapt from the wall, their hooks propelling them toward the houses below where the surviving horses stood, some injured but alive.
"Quick, get on!" Hange barked, urgency dripping from her voice, followed by an ear piercing booming sound.
Before they could ride away, a deafening crash echoed behind them. Hange turned, her heart stopping at the sight. The Cart Titan lay in ruins, its body engulfed in flames.
Her eyes darted upward to where Eren stood atop the wall, steam pouring from his form. His expression was unreadable, his glowing eyes locked onto the approaching Attack Titan.
Hange clenched her teeth, tears streaming down her face as she gripped the reins. Without another word, she urged the horses forward, leaving the wall—and Eren—behind.
"Sorry... Sorry... Sorry..." Hange's voice trembled, her words a desperate mantra as the horses galloped, the thunder of their hooves barely masking the chaos behind them. She glanced over her shoulder, the Attack Titan looming in the distance, locked in a fierce battle with Eren.
"Ugh..." Eren grunted, narrowly dodging a devastating strike. His boots skidded on the titan's hardened fist as he hurled one of his thunder spears. The explosion bit into the Attack Titan's arm pit.
Hange's gaze shifted downward to Erwin, lying limp against Floch. His breathing was faint, each shallow gasp a cruel reminder of how little time he had left. The gaping wound where his stomach had been torn away was beyond hope.
From the battlefield, a deafening roar shook the air. "Hahhhhhhh!!!!!" The Attack Titan bellowed, its voice a harbinger of despair. Hange froze, her body rigid with terror as she turned to see Eren mid-air.
"No!" she whispered, her breath catching as the Attack Titan's hand closed around Eren, crushing him with merciless force. Blood sprayed from his battered body, painting the battlefield below in crimson streaks.
Eren's gritted teeth were stained with red as the life began to drain from him. Through blurred vision, he forced his trembling hand to grip the trigger of his last thunder spear. With a final pull, he unpinned the spears, slyly sticking to the titans nape, its detonation sending a blinding explosion through the titan.
The force consumed Eren, the searing heat blurring his already dimming vision. But even amidst the pain, a bittersweet smile spread across his face. In the distance, he caught a fleeting glimpse of Hange and Floch fading into the horizon, escaping to safety.
"See you later... Mikasa." he whispered, his voice a fragile thread in the storm of chaos. And with those words, the darkness finally claimed him, pulling him into an endless void.
The cost of Eldia's victory was staggering. Thanks to the sacrifices of every single member of the Scout Regiment, the Titan shifters were forced to retreat back to Marley. Yet, the aftermath left Paradis in shambles, a hollow triumph wrapped in mourning.
A month later, every soldier of Paradis, accompanied by thousands of commoners, ventured to Shiganshina in search of their loved ones' remains. For many, the search ended in heartbreak. Parents found their children's half-decomposed bodies; others uncovered nothing but scattered bones or remnants of flesh. The air reeked of loss and despair.
Mikasa, no matter how much she pleaded, couldn't join the search. Her body was frail, still recovering after giving birth to Rin, her grief manifesting as deep trauma that confined her to her home.
Erwin, against all odds, had survived, but barely—his salvation came at the price of inheriting the Colossal Titan. And the truth about humanity's history was unearthed. Yet, this truth felt like a bitter revelation, overshadowed by the staggering losses endured.
Many locals had already given up on life. Grief consumed them as they mourned loved ones who had perished or vanished entirely. The emotional wounds left behind were almost as catastrophic as the physical devastation.
And Eren became a legend, remembered as humanity's savior. Despite being heavily bloodied and battered, despite having a pregnant wife waiting for him at home—someone he had every reason to live for—he fought until his dying breath. His sacrifice drove out the Titans, reclaimed Wall Maria, and allowed Paradis to secure one of the strongest Titan shifters, the Colossal Titan. And learn the truth about humanity.
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"The girl of my dreams... Huh?"
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