Chapter 96: Annie is Wanted by Marley? Strategic Deployment
The Marleyan Empire.
The morning sun struggled to pierce through the thin smog of the industrial city. The sea breeze carried the smell of salt, mixed with the scent of coal smoke.
The advance team of the Survey Corps had landed stealthily at dawn, quickly dispersing and infiltrating every corner of the massive metropolis. They were the eyes and ears of Paradis Island, burdened with the heavy task of ascertaining the true strength and situation of this enemy nation.
According to their original plan, they were supposed to spend weeks, perhaps months, mapping the area and gathering intelligence, assessing Marley's military power and societal structure.
The pedestrians on the streets didn't look much different from the residents of Paradis Island. They bustled about, faces etched with fatigue, but occasionally showing smiles. Shops opened their doors, trams rattled down the street, and newsboys hawked their papers. It was hard to imagine that this was the place they had been taught to believe was a "den of devils."
Connie watched a mother gently adjusting her child's collar on the street corner, his gaze distant. "They don't seem any different from us…"
Sasha's stomach rumbled loudly at the aroma wafting from a bakery.
Jean scanned their surroundings warily, reminding them in a low voice, "Don't let your guard down. This is the heart of enemy territory."
They observed, recorded, and tried to understand this entirely new world, moving with caution.
Eren walked in silence, his eyes sweeping over one unfamiliar face after another. The warm scent of baking bread spilled from a corner bakery. The proprietress smiled as she handed change to a bouncing little girl with rosy cheeks, who looked remarkably like a child he remembered from a village on Paradis.
But the next moment, he saw several soldiers in uniform roughly shoving an old man wearing an armband. The old man stumbled and fell, the things he was carrying scattering across the ground. The surrounding passersby looked on with indifference or disgust. No one stepped forward to help until a young blonde boy appeared and helped the old man up.
The sun shone equally on the warmth and the cruelty here. Eren's gaze lingered on the boy's back, a heavy feeling settling in his chest. For a moment, fragments of memory seemed to overlap with the scene before him. Except in his memory, the boy had been helping him, disguised as an injured soldier.
Laughter and tears, embraces and swords. Protection and destruction. All of it was about to happen on this land, just as it had happened on the land he fought to protect.
Just then, a sudden development shattered everyone's thoughts. Shocking news arrived.
"Look at the paper!" Hange suddenly looked up, her voice strained with shock as she quickly bought a morning edition.
The front-page headline screamed in the largest font, accompanied by a striking picture:
"TONIGHT! AT THE LIBERIO PLAZA!"
"LEADER OF THE TYBUR FAMILY TO DELIVER HISTORIC DECLARATION!"
"WORLD LEADERS TO GATHER!"
"Tonight?!" Armin felt his blood run cold. There wasn't enough time! Their original plan for long-term infiltration was instantly shattered.
Then, another discovery made the situation even stranger.
"Look at the wall!" Jean pointed to an emergency wanted poster plastered nearby, his face grim. The picture on the poster was of Annie Leonhart, alongside an older man he didn't recognize—her father. The poster labeled them as "defectors."
"Annie?!" Connie blurted out. "She's wanted by Marley?!"
Sasha's face was full of confusion. "Wasn't she one of their Warriors sent over there?"
"Was she telling the truth back then?" They knew Annie had escaped Paradis using her Magical Girl powers, but they never expected her to actually quit.
Among the group, only Levi let out an annoyed "Tch." But when Armin saw the wanted poster, a quiet sigh of relief escaped him. Wanted… that means Annie isn't in Marley's hands. She kept her promise and left this conflict behind… It was a small, perhaps inappropriate, sense of reassurance deep within him.
…
Inside their temporary hideout, the atmosphere was heavy. A crude map was spread out on a table. In the short time they'd been there, they had only managed to gather limited intelligence under difficult conditions. Eren, meanwhile, had secretly gone to meet someone.
Erwin's finger pressed down hard on the map, marking the Liberio Plaza. "We've run into the worst possible situation, but this is also our only chance," his voice was low, filled with unwavering resolve. "The festival is tonight. That in itself signifies a major development."
He looked up, his sharp gaze sweeping over everyone present. "There's no time to investigate Annie's situation further, nor is there time to find out the specifics of their speech. The fact is: tonight, Marley's military leaders, dignitaries from around the world, and at least one—possibly multiple—Titan shifters will be gathered in that plaza. This is an opportunity to turn the tide of the war."
"The original plan is canceled. The mission is now: Assault!" Erwin declared. "Tonight, just as the Tybur family gathers them all together, we will seize as many Titan powers as possible and paralyze Marley's command structure!"
The decision was almost insane. To launch such a massive gamble in the heart of enemy territory with severely limited intelligence. But no one objected. The opportunity was fleeting. It was their only choice.
Levi wiped his blades, the steel gleaming coldly. "Deployment."
Erwin looked at Eren. "Eren. After the festival begins, find a way to infiltrate the area beneath the stage and wait. When Willy Tybur takes the stage, that's the signal. If possible, seize all of their Titan powers. Targets are the War Hammer Titan, Armored Titan, Jaw Titan, and Cart Titan."
"Yes, sir!"
"Armin. Use your magic speed to return immediately. Have the airship launch and prepare for extraction. Whether we succeed in crippling Marley or need to retreat, speed is essential."
"Understood!"
"Floch. You are the Colossal Titan. The moment Eren makes his move, you transform at the harbor. Your target is the Marleyan naval fleet. Destroy it completely. Eliminate the threat from the sea and buy us time to retreat. Control the range of destruction."
"Yes, Commander! For Eldia!!"
"Hange, Mikasa, Levi. You are the assault support team. Your job is to eliminate high-value targets and support Eren and Armin's actions. Ultimately, you must secure our aerial retreat route."
"Yes, sir!"
The orders were given. The line between life and death would be drawn tonight.
…
A few hours before the festival. Night was falling, and the streetlights were beginning to flicker on. The faint sounds of festivities could be heard from the direction of the plaza.
Eren, using his Magical Girl abilities, slipped silently into the space beneath the stage—the basement of an abandoned old building. The thick smell of dust and mold hit him. In a corner of the basement, a figure was curled up, looking like someone abandoned by the entire world.
It was Reiner.
He had buried his face in his knees, his body trembling slightly with pain. An old rifle lay beside his hand. The cold touch of metal. He slowly reached out, his hand trembling as he grasped the gun. Then, he raised the cold muzzle… and pressed it against his own chin—
Eren stopped in the shadows of the entrance, silently watching. There was no flicker of emotion in his eyes.
…
Liberio Harbor.
From a high vantage point in the shadows, Floch looked down at the scene below. The harbor was heavily guarded, yet there was an air of festive celebration. Steel warships lay dormant like beasts, radiating a cold aura of death. The sound of music drifted from the distant plaza, a jarring contrast to the shouts of the dockworkers.
Peace? Happiness? It was just a hypocritical facade, built on the mountain of corpses of the Eldians within the Walls. Marlowe… Sandra… Gordon… all the comrades who died… their sacrifices, their suffering, absolutely cannot be meaningless!
Control the range of destruction? Hah. These people deserved the most scorching flames, to be burned to nothingness. A crazed light danced in his eyes. He licked his dry lips. Waiting. Waiting for the signal that would ignite everything. Waiting to utterly destroy this false peace, along with all their enemies.