The atmosphere froze the instant Erwin's voice cracked through the air.
Every member of the Survey Corps turned toward Zeke.
Something about him wasn't right.
The wounds he'd carried when they parted were gone.
The ragged bite marks that had once scarred his neck—gone.
The missing teeth Levi himself had booted out—back, white and perfect.
Levi narrowed his eyes. "You'd better explain fast, monkey."
Zeke raised both hands tiredly, his voice calm but weary. "I am Zeke."
Erwin's reply came instantly: "Impossible! Zeke's back teeth were all extracted!"
Levi folded his arms. "Yeah. And I kicked two of them out myself."
"Right," Erwin continued, voice rising. "There's no way they'd grow back in a single day!"
Zeke shrugged, almost amused. "They can. Even if you cut off my head, I can grow it back."
He pointed to one of the bullet holes in his chest. Before their eyes, thin streams of white smoke began to hiss upward. The hole sealed itself shut within seconds.
The soldiers collectively gasped.
Erwin felt a flash of disbelief, then irritation—had all that been for nothing?
He'd faked his own death for a day, endured assassination attempts, let Zeke fall into the hands of the 3rd Division captain… all because he thought the man was fragile, dying.
And this was the result?
He heals like a lizard on steroids!
Erwin's tone hardened. "Since you could recover, why not do it sooner?"
Zeke shot him a dry look. "Recovering sooner just means you'd torture me more, right? No, thanks."
Erwin's patience visibly cracked.
Levi crouched, studying the half-healed marks. "Disgusting… If you can heal yourself, why only close one hole? You trying to look pitiful and earn sympathy?"
"Please, big brother!" Zeke protested. "Before you showed up, the Military Police hacked me half to death! I'm not some divine being with infinite stamina! My wounds healed again and again just to keep me alive long enough for you to save me! You came so late, I ran out of strength!"
Levi snorted. "You look plenty energetic now."
Zeke raised a trembling hand and pointed toward the pure Titans lumbering peacefully nearby, helping villagers rebuild houses. "That's because I'm using my last bit of strength to control them. The moment I relax, they'll start eating people."
A collective chill ran through the group.
Levi's hand went straight to his blade. "Then we kill them."
"They're Military Police," Zeke said smoothly, glancing at Levi with a crooked smile. "Would you really kill them?"
"What?" Levi froze. "They're Military Police?!"
Shock rippled through the soldiers.
Erwin, the only one who'd heard hints of this from the villagers, didn't look surprised. His brows furrowed. "Why would you turn them into Titans?"
"They wanted to kill me," Zeke said bluntly. "I tried reasoning with them. But they told me if I killed them in public, I'd prove that 'Titans are monsters' and lose all chance of becoming king within the walls. Then they used that to corner me—humiliated me, slashed me, again and again. So I turned them into Titans. Now tell me—who are the real monsters? The ones who kill for pride, or the one who simply responds in kind?"
The soldiers stared in silence.
The Zeke before them felt alien—nothing like the man they'd known.
Not the hero who saved Shiganshina.
Not the boy who once wept for his mother.
Not the brother who adored Eren.
Erwin's voice broke the quiet. "You… you won't turn us into Titans too, will you?"
Zeke gave a humorless smile. "No. As humans, you're more useful than those mindless creatures."
Cold. Efficient. Detached.
This was the real Zeke Yeager.
Erwin swallowed.
He'd always suspected the prisoner's helplessness was an act. Now, with the truth laid bare, he understood—everything Zeke did in that dungeon had been part of a plan far larger than they realized.
"Zeke," Erwin said slowly. "Are you… of royal blood?"
The question hung heavy.
Every soldier's eyes widened.
For a long moment, Zeke said nothing. Then he tilted his head, lips curling. "Yes. To be precise, I'm the only royal left."
The pride in his tone was unmistakable—arrogant, almost divine.
Erwin's pulse quickened. So that was it. The secret Zeke had hidden all along wasn't abou
Titans—it was about power.
Not the monstrous kind that devoured flesh, but the kind that ruled nations.
He steadied his voice. "You killed the king, didn't you?"
"Yes."
Zeke's casual confirmation landed like a thunderclap.
"Humanity will never recognize a usurper!" Erwin snapped.
Zeke laughed softly, a low, dangerous sound. "But you'll have to. Because I'm the last descendant of the Fritz royal line. Whether you like me, hate me, or deny me, you can't escape the truth: I am the only heir left. The only one who can command the Titans."
He stepped closer, eyes glinting gold in the light.
"So you'll protect me—until I produce the next heir."
He leaned in, whispering in Erwin's ear, each word deliberate and cruel.
"Now call me King, Erwin."