The night over Shiganshina District was unnervingly quiet. The only sound was the wind sweeping across the outer wall — a calm that felt too deliberate.
Inside the command hall, Levi Ackerman stood at the table, arms crossed, his expression unreadable. The young soldier before him trembled slightly under the weight of that sharp, unblinking gaze.
"Are you sure you didn't see it wrong?" Levi asked, his voice low but cutting.
The soldier straightened instinctively, throat dry. "Y–Yes, Captain. I'm certain. I used the telescope. About ten kilometers beyond the southern ridge, a human silhouette appeared for just a moment. The figure looked directly toward my position… then vanished."
The silence that followed was heavier than the stone walls around them.
At Levi's sides stood Squad Leader Miche Zacharius, Oluo Bozado, Gunther Schultz, and Eld Jinn — all recently promoted and hardened by the reforms under Commander Lock. Each pair of eyes fixed on the trembling messenger, absorbing every detail.
The soldier swallowed hard. "It wasn't a Titan, sir. It moved too fast… too deliberately."
Levi's jaw tightened. "Understood. You're dismissed. Pass the word — the entire garrison goes to full combat readiness."
The soldier saluted, relief flooding his face. "Yes, Captain!"
As soon as the door closed, Miche exhaled quietly. "So it begins."
Oluo's usually smug expression was gone. His tone, unusually steady.
"Commander Lock's prediction was right again. I hate to admit it, but… that man always seems to know before anyone else does."
Eld leaned over the table, brow furrowed. "If that figure really was Marleyan, then the next battle's already begun. They'll send Warrior Titans — no ordinary soldiers this time."
"Which means…" Gunther muttered, his eyes narrowing, "We'll be facing the Nine again."
Miche nodded gravely. "Exactly. According to Lock's last debriefing, Marley should still have control of at least six of the Nine. If we can identify their abilities early, we can counter them before they breach the gate."
The air in the room felt charged, like the edge of a drawn blade.
"We're not the same Corps we used to be," Oluo said with confidence. "We've got Thunder Spears, field artillery, and long-range rifles. As long as they don't come in full force, we can hold them."
Gunther gave a short, humorless laugh. "Hold them? No. We crush them."
Despite their brave words, tension filled the room. Everyone turned toward Levi.
He said nothing for a long while. His eyes drifted toward the window — where the faint outline of Wall Maria glowed in the moonlight.
"Wall Maria will never fall again," Levi said at last, voice low and firm. "Even if I have to die here."
A heavy stillness fell over the command center.
Levi's mind flickered briefly to Lock's face — calm, calculating, utterly unshakable as he sent him here weeks ago.
'If Marley comes, defend the gate. But if you can't hold it… live.'
"Sorry," Levi muttered under his breath. "That's one order I can't follow."
Miche's sharp senses caught it, but he didn't respond. Instead, he gave a faint grin.
"Then I'll die beside you, Captain."
The others followed his lead, the grim resolve in their eyes saying what words could not.
Whatever came, retreat was not an option.
If Wall Maria fell again, all of Lock's reforms, all of the fragile peace and unity within the Walls, would collapse instantly.
Everything they had fought for would vanish.
This time, there was no room for failure.
By dawn, the garrison was a hive of activity.
Dozens of soldiers prepared their ODM Gear, checked their Thunder Spears, and loaded the new experimental cannons Lock's engineers had designed under Hange's supervision.
The air crackled with purpose — fear buried beneath discipline.
Outside the base, Kenny Ackerman stood beneath the shadow of the wall, cigarette between his lips. His men — the Anti-Personnel Control Squad — waited nearby, fully armed with their new vertical maneuver rigs and thunder-based launchers.
Kenny's usual lazy grin was gone.
"So it's finally happening," he muttered. "Been too damn quiet anyway."
He touched the metal case hidden inside his coat — the one Lock had handed him before he departed from the capital. Inside it was the syringe.
The power of a Titan.
Kenny smirked to himself. "Heh… looks like it's finally my turn, Uli. You seeing this from wherever you are?"
For a moment, his voice softened — then his eyes hardened again.
He wasn't here just to help Levi. That was part of it, sure — but the real reason burned deeper.
Kenny Ackerman craved strength — the kind that made men gods.
If he could bring down an Intelligent Titan himself… and consume it…
He'd no longer be a man bound by history.
"Let's move," he ordered, flicking the half-burnt cigarette into the dirt. "Keep your eyes sharp. If any of those bastards show themselves, I want them alive."
The soldiers behind him exchanged uneasy glances.
None had ever seen Kenny this serious — or this alive.
Levi, standing atop the southern wall, watched the sunrise bleed over the horizon. He caught sight of the Anti-Personnel Squad mobilizing below and grimaced.
So, Kenny was taking the field.
"Tch… damn fool."
He didn't trust the man — not with his back, not even on the same battlefield. But Levi knew one thing for certain: Kenny Ackerman's thirst for power made him useful. If the enemy truly was Marley, he would fight savagely.
Levi exhaled, glancing at the distant treeline where the soldier had spotted movement.
"Come, then," he whispered. "Let's end this."
---
A campfire burned low in the darkness.
Zeke Yeager, sitting with legs crossed, tossed a handful of sand into the flames, watching them spark.
Beside him, Reiner Braun tightened the straps of his armor, while Pieck Finger stretched lazily on a blanket, her expression amused.
"Zeke," Reiner asked, "are we really attacking tomorrow?"
Pieck laughed softly. "Still scared of the demons in the walls, Reiner? Don't tell me you've gone soft."
Reiner glared at her but didn't reply. His stomach twisted with anxiety — not fear for himself, but dread for what lay ahead.
Zeke smirked faintly. "You'll be fine. Remember, our objective isn't destruction — it's retrieval. We take back the Founding Titan, and we leave. Quickly."
Pieck arched an eyebrow. "And if they resist?"
"Then we show them what Marley's warriors are capable of," Zeke said, his tone cool, measured. "I'll begin the bombardment from a distance. You two break through the southern gate."
He looked toward the dark silhouette of the island in the distance — Paradis, the land of the devils, the home he had betrayed once and would betray again.
Despite his confidence, something in his chest tightened.
Father… Mother… are you still alive in there?
He forced the thought away.
The war against the Middle East Alliance was stretching Marley's strength thin. He couldn't afford hesitation. The operation had to be swift. Brutal.
In and out, he told himself. End it before they can even respond.
Pieck noticed the faint tremor in his hand but said nothing. She understood better than anyone that beneath Zeke's calm exterior was a storm — one that could shatter him, or the world.
Reiner, still staring toward the faint outline of Wall Maria, clenched his fists.
He had fought here once before — years ago, as a child soldier forced into a war he didn't understand.
Now he was back.
And this time, he prayed it would finally end.
Eldians inside the Walls… forgive us.
Back at Shiganshina, Levi's scouts had spotted movement again — distant, rhythmic, and heavy.
The tremor reached the ground beneath their feet.
Levi's eyes narrowed. "They're coming."
Miche inhaled deeply. "I smell Titans."
Levi raised his voice. "Positions! Everyone, get to your stations! This is not a drill!"
The bells of Shiganshina began to ring, echoing through the district like a heartbeat of war.
Soldiers climbed to the walls, engines of ODM Gear roaring to life.
Far beyond the fields, a faint plume of dust rose — then another — and another.
The Titans were approaching.
But this time, Paradis was ready.
---
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