While the capital within Wall Sina was engulfed in secret purges, far to the south, at the garrison of Shiganshina District, a single report was enough to shatter the calm.
"Are you sure you didn't see wrong?"
Levi's voice was low, but the tension in it could have cut glass. His eyes, sharp and unblinking, locked onto the young scout kneeling before him.
The soldier swallowed hard, feeling the suffocating weight of not just Levi's gaze, but that of the four officers standing behind him — Miche Zacharius, Oluo Bozado, Eld Jinn, and Gunther Schultz, all promoted in the recent military restructuring. The air in the room was thick, heavy with authority.
"I'm sure, Captain!" the scout stammered, forcing his voice not to break. "Through the telescope, I saw a human silhouette — on a hill, maybe ten kilometers beyond the outer field. The figure noticed me… then vanished into the mist. I'm certain it wasn't a Titan!"
Silence fell over the command post.
A human outside the wall.
That shouldn't be possible — not with the wilderness crawling with Titans for miles in every direction. The implications struck everyone at once.
If there were humans out there…
Then Marley had arrived.
Levi's expression didn't change.
"Understood," he said. "Pass the order — full combat readiness. All stations. Now."
"Yes, Captain!"
The scout saluted so fast he nearly stumbled on his way out, grateful just to escape the room.
Miche let out a low whistle through his teeth. "Well, looks like Lock was right again."
"Tch," Levi muttered. "I was hoping he'd be wrong this time."
Oluo exhaled, his usual smugness replaced by grim focus. "According to his last projection, this is almost certainly a Marleyan incursion. Meaning we'll be facing the Titans again — not mindless ones, but the Nine."
Gunther nodded. "And we know what that means. At least one of them will be intelligent — likely more."
Eld crossed his arms, calm and analytical. "We're not walking blind this time. Commander Lock already briefed us on the Nine Titans' abilities. If we can identify which ones we're facing, we can form countermeasures quickly."
"Right," Miche added. "And the new weaponry gives us an edge. The Thunder Spears, the long-barrel rifles, and mobile cannons — all are finally battle-tested. If Marley hasn't sent a full invasion force, and it's just a strike team, we can hold them."
The tension in the room lightened — just slightly. Even so, every man there knew what was at stake.
Oluo gave a thin smile. "Then let's make them regret setting foot on this island again."
All eyes turned toward Levi.
He said nothing for a long time. Then, in a voice as cold and sharp as steel, he said,
"Wall Maria will not fall again."
A heavy silence followed.
The wind outside howled through the cracks in the stone walls, like a whisper of ghosts from years past.
Levi looked down at his gloved hands — calloused, scarred — and thought of Lock's last words before he left the capital.
"If Marley comes, defend the gate. But don't die for a wall, Levi. Live for the next battle."
He exhaled through his nose, jaw tightening.
"Sorry, Lock," he murmured under his breath. "I can't retreat."
Miche caught the words but said nothing. Instead, he smirked faintly, adjusting the blades strapped to his gear. "If the Captain's not retreating, neither are we."
The others nodded in agreement. Gunther's face was pale, but his voice was steady. "Wall Maria's our line. If it falls, the new government collapses. We can't let that happen."
Levi's eyes softened for the briefest moment. "Then you all know what to do."
Within minutes, the order spread through the district like wildfire.
The garrison roared to life — ODM Gear hissing, metal clanging, orders being shouted in the crisp morning air.
Squad leaders barked commands, soldiers strapped on Thunder Spears and maneuver harnesses, and lookouts climbed to the walltops.
A nervous energy filled every heart — but not fear. Determination.
At the edge of the garrison, a different kind of soldier was preparing.
Kenny Ackerman stood beneath the massive southern gate, cigarette dangling from his lips, eyes reflecting the distant glow of dawn. His Anti-Personnel Control Squad — fully armed with the modified ODM rigs designed for city warfare — gathered behind him.
The moment he received the news, Kenny's usual lazy posture vanished. The smirk faded from his face, replaced by something cold and eager.
"So it's finally happening," he muttered, flicking ash from his cigarette. "About damn time."
He reached into his coat and felt the small injection Lock had given him before he left the capital — a vial of Titan serum sealed within a reinforced syringe.
Kenny's grin returned, twisted with greed.
"Don't worry, Lock. I won't waste your gift."
To his men, he barked, "Gear up! We're patrolling the wall perimeter. If any of those things show their ugly faces, we take them down."
The soldiers saluted without question, though their expressions betrayed unease. None of them had ever seen Kenny like this — restless, predatory, alive.
As they moved out, Kenny's hand lingered over his chest. His voice dropped to a whisper.
"Uli… old friend… I'm close now. I'll finally grasp the power you never could."
The smile that crossed his face was neither sane nor gentle.
Up on the wall, Levi watched the Anti-Personnel Squad from afar, his sharp eyes catching Kenny's figure leading the formation.
"Tch. So he's here," Levi muttered.
He didn't trust him — not for a second.
But he didn't stop him, either. If Kenny wanted to fight, fine. As long as his gun was pointed at Marley and not at Levi's men.
---
A low fire burned in the dark as the distant sea winds whistled through the cliffs.
Three figures sat around it — Zeke Yeager, Reiner Braun, and Pieck Finger — the vanguard of Marley's strike force.
The faint orange light illuminated Zeke's calm face, his glasses reflecting the flames.
"Tomorrow," he said quietly. "At dawn."
Reiner tensed. "We're attacking that soon?"
Pieck smirked, stretching her arms lazily. "Don't tell me you're scared of the 'devils of Paradis,' Reiner. You've fought them before."
Reiner's jaw clenched, but he didn't reply. He still saw the faces of the soldiers he'd fought years ago. The faces of the ones he couldn't forget.
Zeke noticed, but his tone remained steady.
"Our objective hasn't changed. We capture the Founding Titan — nothing more. We strike fast, finish faster. If the island's defenses have improved, it doesn't matter. They can't counter what they don't understand."
Pieck's grin faded into something sharper. "And if we fail?"
"Then Marley collapses," Zeke said flatly. "So we won't."
He rose, brushing the dust from his uniform, and looked toward the distant outline of Wall Maria, faint under the starlight.
Inside that wall was his father. His mother. His family's legacy — and the truth he was determined to erase.
He clenched his fists. "No more delays."
Pieck glanced up at him. For a fleeting moment, she saw weariness beneath his composure — the fatigue of a man carrying the sins of an entire people.
She said nothing. Zeke didn't need sympathy. He needed results.
Reiner looked at the wall again, the faint wind tugging at his cloak.
The memories of the old mission — the fall of Wall Maria, the years spent as a soldier among his enemies — weighed on him heavily than his armor.
He whispered under his breath, voice shaking slightly:
"Forgive us… Eldians within the Walls…"
Then he rose, tightening the straps on his gear.
---
The night was still — until a tremor rippled through the earth.
Then another.
And another.
Levi felt it before anyone else.
He turned toward the horizon.
"Miche," he said quietly. "You feel that?"
Miche's eyes narrowed. "They're coming."
Levi exhaled, drawing both blades from his holsters.
"Positions! Everyone to your posts! This is not a drill!"
The bells of Shiganshina began to ring, echoing through the district and out across the plain — the same bells that once signaled humanity's fall.
This time, they would signal their stand.
From beyond the fields, a distant roar tore through the morning fog — deep, guttural, and inhuman.
The ground quaked as silhouettes began to appear on the horizon.
And from the walls of Shiganshina, Levi Ackerman watched the enemy approach — his eyes cold, unflinching.
The battle for Wall Maria had begun again.
But this time, the island was ready.
---
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