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The Empire of Titans Chapter 72 (Blood of The Eldians)
🕑 Added 2024-02-24 17:06:14 +0000 UTCI hope you all enjoy this Chapter. If you did, leave a Like; it helps a lot. Enjoy It ;)
Soon, the carriage reached the building where his trial had been held. As he walked outside, Eren was wearing his best clothes instead of a military uniform, which was something about Erwin having a plan.
Eren quickly noticed the number of Military Police soldiers, he noticed it right away. There were too many MPs around the building; each was armed to the teeth. Eren kept quiet as Mikasa stood beside him while Levi was with Commander Erwin, and Jean was standing with Levi.
"Well, they seem ready for something big," Levi commented with a look of suspicion, especially towards the soldiers with a strange new sigil stitched on their uniform over their hearts; the sigil seemed like a sword stabbing a heart.
Soon, the second carriage arrived, the door opened, and Mike Squad walked out first, followed by Zeke Yeager, whose right arm was still a stump. Despite being a prisoner, he didn't seem concerned in the slightest; if Eren didn't know what was going on, he would have never thought that Zeke was the one who would be on trial today.
Zeke's eyes found Eren, and his neutral face quickly changed into a smiling one. Zeke seemed ready to walk over to Eren and talk a little before the trial, but Mike was there to remind him that he wasn't allowed to talk with him until the trial ended.
As they walked inside the courthouse, Eren knew his army was in their position if something went wrong, including Kenny and his small team.
Let's do this. He thought as the doors of the courthouse opened wide. Eren walked towards the right side of the courthouse. While those from the Military Police remained on the left side, Eren kept silent as Mikasa stood beside him, and Levi and Hange stood beside Commander Erwin.
Eren noticed the new faces amongst the sea of faces from the military police, five faces in particular. He didn't know who they were, but based on their rich clothes, the way they looked at them, their brushed hair, and the perfume, he could smell from where he stood.
"Commander Erwin, who are the five people sitting amongst the Military Police?" Eren questioned with a hushed tone. Erwin followed his gaze, and it was easy to notice the five of them sitting like a sore thumb. Too easy to notice.
"I have dealt with them occasionally. They are part of King's inner circle, his assembly. I don't know what they do exactly, but I know they have good connections with the King." Erwin explained; Eren nodded without saying anything; he knew right away they must be the 'Five Pigs' as Kenny had called them in his letter.
Eren watched as the Commander of the Military Police walked in, holding several pieces of paper, followed closely by three guards. Commander Pyxis gave them a small nod as he was followed behind by his squad, including Rico and Ian.
Zachary walked inside, holding a cardboard; he sat on his seat, his podium overlooking the middle of the Hall; soon, the double doors of the Hall opened. Mike Squad walked inside with Zeke, who seemed too relaxed for someone about to be judged.
His right arm was still a stump, so they knew he couldn't turn into the Beast Titan even if he tried. Unlike Eren, Annie, and Ymir when they were judged, Zeke wasn't tied to a pole, but Mike Squad stayed nearby, especially Mike, who had a small cut on his little finger in case he needed to turn.
But Eren was certain that if they needed to fight today, it wouldn't be because of Zeke, though Annie hadn't exactly been thrilled to learn they were giving him a second chance and not simply feeding him to a Pure Titan.
"Do you want my honest opinion, Zeke is not your ally and he never will be. I doubt he's anyone's ally. I don't know what he's brewing in his head, but it is not good for anyone." Annie said with a frown in the middle of another meeting between them.
"Rest assured, Cadet Leonhart. We don't trust him. We have no reason to trust someone responsible for turning our own people into mindless Titans." Commander Erwin explained carefully, but the mention of what happened to Ragako village caused everyone to fall silent. The only titan left alive from that village was Connie's mom, and only because her legs were too thin and her upper body was too heavy, so she couldn't walk and endanger anyone, but just to be sure, Hange Squad had tied her down.
Connie looked furious; Eren knew he had every right to be; after learning what truly happened to his village, he had sworn vengeance against who did it, but then Hange informed him they had already captured the Beast Titan, and he was under their custody.
Connie had wanted to know right away when he would get executed for his crimes, but then Commander Erwin explained to him that he would be kept alive for now due to his promise to have connections with the outside world, connections they needed to have in order to survive, but in his rage, Connie had shouted and screamed, saying that someone like him deserved to be punished for his crimes, saying they didn't care about the lives of people lost because of him.
"How long will you let him live?" Connie asked suddenly, looking at both Commander Erwin and Eren with a look of suppressed rage.
"Will you forgive him entirely? Will you close your eyes and pretend that nothing?!-" "Soldier Springer. I understand how you feel. Better than you realise, but you must understand that if his claims are true then we need these connections with the outside world. Right now, we are blind, we have no connections, and no one to introduce us properly. Since the Outside world hates us, then even if we tried to form a bridge with any of the other nations, they would likely ignore us, and simply shrug it off. Zeke Yeager is not and will never be forgiven for his crimes against us. Those lives he cursed, they can never be brought back. We remember those lives, every single one of them. We simply need him to be alive for a little while longer. I hope you can wait, Connie Springer." Commander Erwin spoke firmly, his hands knitted together for his chin to rest on.
Connie seemed to want to disagree with what the Commander was saying; he seemed ready to lash out at them all. "Connie." He turned to look at Eren upon hearing him.
"I understand how you feel, you know what happened the day Wall Maria fell, you know how much rage I had within me, but despite that rage I'm still going along with Commander Erwin's proposal, and allowing Zeke to live as long as he's useful to us. He might not have been the one to attack Wall Maria, but I still have to bring justice, but that doesn't blind me to see the bigger picture. Just look outside, all the people you see everyday. When I fight. I fight so those people we see everyday will not suffer what we did. I make decisions and follow orders to ensure their survival. If letting Zeke live for a little while longer increases that chance then I will take it." Eren said with a look of compassion in his eyes.
"H-how would you have felt if it was Bertholdt in Zeke's place?" Connie demanded, sending Eren an angry look. His face remained impassive, but Historia and Mikasa knew Eren was angry at the mere mention of that traitor, but unlike before, instead of lashing out, Eren remained quiet and calm-headed.
"I won't lie to you, Connie. I would be furious. The one person responsible for my mother's death would need to stay alive, but I would have obeyed Commander Erwin's orders. If told to stand down. I would have stayed down and let the Commander and the higher-ups decide his fate." Eren spoke truthfully; Connie didn't seem convinced yet but looked away from him. Erwin took that as a sign that Connie would obey his orders and not try to sabotage their opportunity and plans for the future, but he still needed to make sure.
"Connie Springer, are we clear?"
He let out a sigh before saluting to the Commander. "I understand, Commander. But when the time comes, I want to be the one to kill him, and what about my mother? Can you turn her back into a human?" Connie asked with little hope in his eyes.
"I think there's a way to bring her back. But once we complete the trial, we can try. We won't allow her to remain that way for long." Connie seemed somewhat relieved to hear that, mustering the tinniest smile he could. '
Eren truly felt bad for him. Sadly, they had no way of knowing if injecting his mom with Semi Titan Shifter serum would turn her back into a human. They had yet to try that, and they had already decided to take as much blood as possible from Zeke once the trial ended and he became the new ruler of the walls.
Eren still felt strange at the thought of becoming King, but he believed he could do a good enough job with the help of everyone around him, and he knew with Historia, Mikasa, and everyone else, he could do it.
Before arriving here, Annie had stopped him to talk about Pieck, but she also brought up about them having so many Titan Shifters.
' "Eren, how was Mikasa able to turn into a Titan?" Annie asked with a pointy look, almost as pointy as her nose. Eren knew he could trust her at this point, even if Commander Erwin wouldn't be happy about it; he knew Annie had already chosen their side.
Eren explained how his father had figured out a way to turn Eldians into Semi Titan Shifter, a weaker version of the Original unless the one injected was an Ackerman; in that case, they would have the ability of two or three Titans, but the downside was the length of time it took for them to wake up after being exhausted. It could go from two days to one week. Or nine days in Kenny's case, but he didn't mention the last part.
Once he was done, Annie looked- happy to hear that; she walked up to him before sitting on his lap and kissing him on the lips. "What about the Curse of Ymir?" Annie asked with a hushed tone, knowing she wasn't a Blessed Eldian so that she would die within a few years, and she wondered if the Curse affected those who turned into Semi Titan Shifters.
"The Curse of Ymir doesn't affect the Semi Titan Shifters, but there's a way to help you, Annie. I won't let you die." Eren promised as he cupped her cheeks; she blushed heavily; the smile on her face was worth all of it.
"There is a way?" Annie asked almost hopefully, but she didn't want to fill her heart with false hope; she fully trusted Eren, but she knew what false hope could lead to in the End.
"Yes-" Eren explained the way; in the End, her eyes widened in shock after he was done. She didn't know what else to say, so she hugged him tightly.
"Thank You, Eren." '
Eren escaped his thoughts when Zachery used his gavel to strike the sound block; silence spread over the Hall. He knitted his hands, and his eyes focused solely on Zeke, piercing him like a sword.
"As you all know, a few days ago, humanity was attacked once again by people who have the ability to turn into Titan, just like The Armoured and Colossal Titan. The Survey Corps countered back swiftly but not without cost. Ragaku Village and five soldiers are gone. Their loss will always be remembered, and from the reports I have read. The man responsible for what happened to Ragako Village is the man in front of us." Zachary spoke loudly and clearly; his voice echoed to the high ceiling; upon hearing his words, many frowned at Zeke, glaring at him, and curses echoed through the Hall, but the Enemy Shifter didn't seem bothered by neither their words nor their glares, Eren wasn't sure if he was good at hiding his guilt, or perhaps his brother felt no guilt.
"Do you deny these charges?"
"No, your honor." The curses were louder now. Many seemed ready to throw something at him.
"From the reports I have read. You were able to use gas to turn the good people of Ragako village into Titans that you could control at will, and you used those same Titans against The Survey Corps. Is that true?" "Yes, your honor. I used my Spinal Fluid in gas form, and spread it all over the people of the village. Upon screaming. They all turned into Pure Titans, and obeyed all my commands, -" Zeke went on and explained how he and his people had entered the Walls, how they had stumbled upon the village when they were looking for villages away from the main towns.
"Very well. Usually, I would have punished you with death for what you have done, but Commander Erwin has told me that he believes you are more valuable to us alive than dead." The moment the war chief said those words, a group of people in the courtroom exploded with anger; their shouts echoed through the walls like horns until one of the five rich people stood up, looking at the judge.
"As part of the King's Assembly, we want custody over Zeke Yeager, and he's to be handed to the King immediately." The man claimed Zachary wrinkled his nose at the sight of this particular man.
"I understand that, Aurille, but this belongs to the Military, too. It has not yet been decided if this man should be handed over to the Survey Corps or The King." Zachary answered; Aurille snarled before sitting down. Once he did, The Judge cleared his throat.
"Commander Erwin. Why do you think we should let this man live? What kind of benefit would we have from this man that justifies not punishing him for what he did to the Ragako Village." Zachary demanded as Erwin stepped forward; now, all eyes were on him.
"I had conversations with Zeke Yeager, and the words he had told me are astonishing, he promised that the Humanity in the Wall will have a better survival chance if he's allowed to live, but I believe he can explain himself." Erwin answered, pointing at Zeke with an open hand. Zachary turned his attention to him.
"What is your name, and what is your military rank?"
"My name is Zeke Yeager; I'm War Chief of the Warriors and a Titan Shifter from beyond the Wall," Zeke stated loud enough for everyone to hear; his voice echoed throughout the halls and the high ceilings, and his words earned gasps of shock from those inside the hall who didn't know about the Outside World.
"Liar!! He should be executed right away, he made Wall Rose Bleed. Because of him, gods are angry with us. You all do not understand how blessed these Walls are!!" A fanatic of the Walls shouted; his face had turned as white as snow. Zeke merely scoffed at the words he was hearing as more Wall Fanatics shouted that it was all a lie, including one of the five people sitting on the Military Police side.
"Enough. This is not a place for you to preach your beliefs, this is a courtroom. I don't want to hear another word that adds nothing to this case. Am I clear?" Mister Zachery demanded with an angry look towards the Wall Fanatics. Eren noticed how many of them were here. Their numbers seemed to have grown somehow since the last time.
Mister Zachary looked at everyone in the courtroom, waiting for someone else to say something, but it seemed they all had learned their lesson as he turned to look down on Zeke.
"Now, I have read through your report, but what I read. I find it hard to believe. Can you please tell us more details about where you come from?" Zachary requested. Zeke cleared his throat as he started telling them everything about the outside world. The more he spoke, the more worried the Five Men were, especially the Faith Fanatics, who turned paler and paler. Eren knew it was only a matter of time before they decided to do something drastic.
Once Zeke was done telling them everything about the outside world, everyone who didn't know seemed lost, many of them looking at one another.
"T-This has to be a Lie! Right, Ian?" Rico questioned the tall teammate beside her, but his silence and the way his eyes looked away from her was more than enough for her to know it wasn't a lie; her eyes widened, and she suddenly felt dizzy. "Impossible!!" She mumbled under her breath.
The voices started getting louder, many calling Zeke a liar, and their voices only grew louder until Zachary silenced them once again. "If what you are saying is the truth. Then how can you help the Humanity inside the Walls?"
"As I said. I'm War Chief, and because of reporting my parents to the Marley Government, they don't breath on my neck as much as with the others. This has allowed me to have my own group that are working against Marley, and I have connections with Hizuru. I'm sure they would be willing to have a talk with the Eldians inside the Walls if I were toβ convince them that having a deal with this place is β beneficial to them." Zeke answered with a slight smirk of satisfaction. Those present in the trial didn't know what to make of this deal until Erwin cleared his throat.
"May I speak?"
"Yes, Commander Erwin."
"If Zeke Yeager is telling the truth, then I think we should keep him alive for the time being. I will ensure Mike Squad is always watching over him to ensure he doesn't cause us any trouble." Erwin suggested, silence spreading over the hall as Zachary cleared his throat.
"Very well, Zeke Yeager will be kept alive, and handed over to the Survey Corps-" "ENOUGH!" Zeke arched an eyebrow, wondering if they finally decided to do something.
"We have received direct orders from the King that Zeke Yeager, and Eren Yeager are to be sent to him. Failure to do so will be seen as Treason." One shouted, much to the shock of everyone this time. Eren prepared himself, knowing their fight would start.
"Perhaps I heard you wrong, but Treason. Eren Yeager has shown nothing but loyalty to the Eldians inside the Walls. On what charges? Why does the King want him?" Erwin questioned with a cold glare, knowing full well the time to fight was now.
"The King's Orders. His reasons are not important for you lot. Hand over them right now." Another shouted as Military Police soldiers ran around; Eren glared at them furiously when Zachary cleared his throat.
"Are you all stupid? Do you really expect us to hand over the sole reason why we are still alive? The King might not care for the humanity inside the Walls, but we do. We will never hand over our Saviour. Eren Yeager will not be handed over." The moment Zachary finished saying that, a huge explosion happened outside. The entire building shook to its core, and cracks appeared across the wall and roof.
"The Military Police are Attacking!!" One shouted as a bold of golden lightning struck down near the building. Eren knew it was Armin.
"Outside!" Levi shouted as they all used their ODM Gear to smash through the windows and burst outside.
Eren looked at the smoke left by the explosion, gazing at the blazing headquarters, its once imposing facade now reduced to a chaotic jumble of debris and flames. Amidst the chaos, frantic soldiers dashed around, their urgent voices blending into a cacophony of commands and warnings, while bullets whizzed through the air with deadly intent, finding their targets among the unfortunate soldiers caught in the crossfire.
"Who is attacking us?" Mikasa shouted frantically as a small army of Military Police were fighting with the Survey Corps and the Garrison, but those fighting all wore strange symbols on their uniforms.
"I don't know, but we fight back." Levi shouted as he ordered his team to follow him.
With a burst of steam billowing from his ODM Gear, Levi surged ahead with determined grace, the chaotic symphony of bullets whizzing past him like angry hornets. His swift anchor found its mark with deadly precision, piercing through the eye of an assailant, effortlessly yanking the trigger and sending the body hurtling toward him. Without missing a beat, he deftly seized the falling figure, using it as a makeshift shield as a barrage of shots rained down upon it. As he closed in on his adversaries, a surge of steam heralded his swift approach, and in a seamless motion, his gleaming blades arced through the air, severing their necks with a swift and lethal precision.
The ground shook violently. He looked up to see Armin's Armoured Titan getting bullets from everywhere, but bone plates were strong enough to stop them. Levi watched as he did nothing but mostly attacked the military police soldiers, shooting at him but not killing them.
Commander Nile
"Hear me, my soldiers!!" He shouted as loudly as he could, gaining all their attention. He had known from Erwin they would likely attack today; for this reason, he had gathered his best fighters, and now, all of them could hear the sound of fighting out there. The people were dying, their bodies dropping dead through the streets.
Ymir and Leonhart had turned into Titans and fought alongside Armin and the Survey Corps.
"What is happening outside? Is the Survey Corps attacking us?!" One shouted in fear.
"Listen to me. The King desires the End of Humanity inside the walls. He wants Eren Yeager to die, he doesn't want the greater good for us. He wants all to die with him in this place. Those people attacking us. They are with the King. I know many of you have many questions, but as Commander Of Military Police. I ask you to go out there and fight. Not for me. Not for yourselves, but for the future of Humanity. For our Families!!" He shouted, followed by a loud 'Yeah'.
Nile knew they wouldn't fight without a leader, so with a kiss to the ring Maria had given him. He ran outside, and with a burst of steam, he noticed the enemy shooting from a far distance; the symbol over their hearts gave away who they were.
Suddenly, he watched as an enemy Military Police soldier threw something at the Armoured Titan with blonde hair; he expected nothing to happen until an explosion happened on its knees, followed by four more explosions around his body, until the Titan was on his knees.
What are they using? This must be a new, secret advanced weapon, Nile thought, alarmed as he rushed towards the group of soldiers advancing towards the Armoured Titan.
Nile rushed forward with a war cry. He sliced through the enemy, but he saw another aiming his rifle at him. His head flew off as Marlowe sliced through his neck. Nile didn't have time to sigh in relief as more soldiers aimed their guns at them, but their heads blew off; his eyes widened at the sight of Kenny with the widest grin on his face as he aimed his gun, killing another enemy.
"Is just like old times, Commander Nile. Except I used to cut their throats, but this works too." Kenny said, grinning like a madman with a very unsettling expression. Nile frowned deeply as he jumped off the building, using his gear to fly away.
"Do not stop here. Fight until Victory is Certain." Nile shouted as he rushed forward fearlessly.
Eren
The streets were flooded with bodies everywhere. The Yeagerists joined the fight the moment the bomb exploded, with Floch, Marco, and Jean leading the fight. Eren had turned into a Titan right away, but since he had made contact with Ymir, he noticed the differences in his own Titan. His hands were already crystallized the moment he turned into a Titan, and his chest had strange metal plates that covered his upper chest completely; the plates were similar to that of the Armoured Titan.
He brought his fists against the soldiers with a loud cry of war. He could hear and feel their bodies breaking apart, but he knew all this was necessary; his plan with Kenny was going off without a hitch.
Suddenly, something flew in front of his eyes, but it was too small to be a soldier; the tiny thing suddenly exploded in front of his face. His nose blew off, as did a large piece of his lower jaw. But Eren didn't scream out in pain. Instead, he let out a roar, causing the enemy soldiers to wince in pain; with a big jump, he landed on top of them, their bodies nothing but red stains on the streets.
He heard many Yeagerists shouting his name, but Eren kept fighting.
Zeke had been escorted away to safety since he couldn't turn into a Titan because of his stump. Suddenly, explosions happened all around Armin, causing him to fall to his knees. Eren saw several soldiers reaching for his nape, but they quickly exploded in blood as Levi and Mikasa sliced through them easily, including Kenny, who was blasting the enemy soldiers with his guns.
Eren watched as Armin burst out of his nape before jumping down, biting his hand, another Armoured Titan formed.
But his eyes quickly noticed something odd: on top of the wall were three Canons that were aiming at them, and they seemed larger than the ones they had.
"Annie!" He shouted as the Cannon shot, echoing through the entire city; Annie's Titan face exploded in a burst of blood and gore.
With another Cannon shot, Ymir was obliterated, her body flying through several buildings. With another shot, Eren quickly ducked; the projectile hit the house behind him, destroying it completely and killing several Survey Corps members, including Gunther and two members of the Mike Squad.
Eren's blood boiled in rage at the sight of Petra crying for Gunther, Thomas, and Lynne. Suddenly, a bolt of golden lightning appeared high in the sky, and Historia formed above them before rushing towards the Cannons.
She let out a scream, causing the soldiers near the Cannons to cover their ears in pain; she quickly flew fast, and with a move of her large wings, a large gust of air sent the soldiers flying over the wall. They quickly used ODM Gear to avoid falling to their deaths, but Historia, with a quick slash with her wing, cut through their cables, making all fall to their deaths.
Rod
"Where are they? Why they are not here already??" He asked himself the same question over and over again. It's been house since the attack started. But there was no sign of them. At this point, he feared that he might need to get Lady Pieck's advice.
I should free her just in case, he thought; when he heard the ground above him shake, the entire Crystal Cave shook, and the door far away that led inside the cave opened, but it wasn't Kenny bringing him Eren Yeager. It was the Military Police led by Commander Nile.
I failed, he thought; now he had only one thing left to do as he grasped the cup full of Titan Fluid and Royal Blood from himself.
Brother, Frieda. I'm coming... his last thought as the liquid slid down his throat. His eyes and mouth gleamed yellow. A massive Yellow Lightning struck him, and the ground shook violently as he grew and kept growing, his head bursting through the cave ceiling, breaking it apart. The entire cave started crashing down, but he kept growing and growing until he reached the height of two hundred meters tall.
Comments
MAEGHT Maxime
Holy shit it's a all at war not as peaceful as canon but ad least Eren got more allies and thank god Historia was there otherwise the wall canon would ad tear them appart
