AUTHOR'S POV:
Parting the green smoke, the Female titan ran ahead at the Beast titan at full speed with Levi on her back.
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The recruits kept firing the smoke signals at them.
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The beast titan accidentally dropped the boulder and stared in confusion.
"Annie?"
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The female titan chrystalized her fist.
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The beast titan gains his composure. "No. It's not Annie. She has golden hair!"
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"Fire!" Erwin ordered and they all fired green smokes once again toward the Beast Titan.
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When the Female titan was a few metres away from the Beast titan, she turned to her left.
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"Huh?" The Beast titan said in confusion, looking at her.
Suddenly, a hook shot out of the green smoke and an enraged Levi hovered over him.
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Zeke's expression turned into a glare.
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The Beast Titan roared, taking a swipe at him.
Levi went for it and slashed him all the way down the large arm, flying past his head.
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The Female titan began killing the 14-15 meters titans with her chrystalized fist.
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"Huh? I need to watch out for a single soldier?" Zeke asked, looking over his shoulder at Reiner and Bertolt.
"Yes." Reiner said. "Corporal Levi is dangerous."
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The Beast Titan's thumb and fingers at the knuckles were severed, blood erupting up his left arm.
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'Is this Levi?' Zeke wondered, gaping. 'My nape!' Looking back, he covered the back of his neck in a panic when he felt the hook sink into his shoulder.
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Levi flew in front of him and slashed out the Beast Titan's eyes as he flew by.
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Zeke blinked, confused. 'What the? I can't see a thing!'
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Levi swung in an arch and went behind the Beast Titan.
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'Did he take out my eyes?' Zeke thought as Levi cut out the Achilles' tendon of one foot before sliding to the other and doing the same. 'My legs!' Zeke felt his body tilt without permission.
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Levi moved before the Beast Titan landed on him and hovered high above the immobile Titan.
"What happened to all that fun you were having?!" Levi asked, growling. He went in for the exposed nape.
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'I'll harden!' Zeke thought, teeth gritted as crystal began to form on the back of his neck.
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Levi came down at extraordinary speed.
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'I won't make it!' Zeke thought, panicked.
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"Come on, let's try to enjoy this!" Levi said, tearing through the Beast Titan's hand before it could cover the nape.
He began to slice through the skin at inhuman speed, screaming in anger.
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Zeke screamed in pain and fear.
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With one final and wide cut, Levi forced Zeke out.
Zeke screamed, missing the edges of all four of his limbs.
He turned and immediately caught Levi's sword in his mouth.
"After transforming," Levi said, standing over him. "If your body's severely damaged, it's too busy healing to let you transform. Isn't that right?" The metal of his sword clinked against Zeke's teeth. Levi leaned down and pressed the blade in, tearing the skin. "Hey, answer me. Learn some manners."
Zeke's lone eye flitted about in panic.
'I can't kill him yet.' Levi thought. 'Isn't anyone of Hange's squad still alive? If they are, even on the brink of death, this injection will make them a Titan. We can have them eat this guy and steal the Beast Titan's power. Someone, just anyone I can bring back to life.
There was a vibration in the air and Levi gasped.
The noise became louder, coming from the mist behind Levi.
The Cart Titan came upon him, mouth wide open, and Levi dodged at once.
The Cart Titan ran off with Zeke.
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Levi landed on the grass and watched as the Cart Titan got away, Zeke half hanging out of the mouth and coughing up some blood.
"Hey, where are you going?" Levi said and took a couple of steps toward the fleeing Titan. "Stop..."
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"All of you!" Zeke ordered the line of frozen Titans they passed by. "Go kill him!"
Four of them snapped their heads toward Levi immediately, glaring.
The four 15-meter Titans ran toward Levi as the Cart Titan ran away.
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"It hurts!" Zeke said, grunting in pain. "You've done it now, Levi! It hurts! But your weapons have to be all used up. With this, you'll all be wiped out! That might've been a close one, but victory is ours!"
"Wait." Levi stared with a still bloodied face. "I swore to him..." The Titans charged right at him. "...that I was going to kill you!" He discarded the blunted blades, replacing them with new ones.
Shooting out his hooks, Levi went for the first Titan, flipping behind it and taking it out.
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Erwin and the recruits stopped near the Female titan, staring at Levi in shock.
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'Shit!' Faye cursed, looking at the departure of the Cart titan. 'He got away!' The Female titan looked down at Erwin and the recruits. 'Atleast Commander is alive.'
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"Did he kill him?" Marlo asked, staring at them.
"No. He got away with the Cart titan." Erwin replied, glaring at the Cart titan.
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The Colossal Titan continued for the inner gate of Wall Maria.
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The Armored Titan also walked with deliberate steps in the same direction.
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"That bastard." Jean said, crouching on a roof. "To think he's seriously alive. Why won't he just stay dead? What the hell do we do against something like that?!" Jean said in frustration.
Mikasa was quiet behind Jean.
At the peak of the roof, Armin stood, watching the Colossal Titan, who was close to them.
"Hey, Armin." Jean called out, turning his attention to him. "I think having Eren escape is the best we can do."
"He's thinner." Armin stated quietly, not looking at them.
Jean and Mikasa stared at him, confused.
"The Colossal Titan has gotten a little skinnier." Armin said, facing them and spoke with certainty in his voice. "It's just like Hange said! The Colossal Titan is weak in a battle of attrition!"
The two of them gaped at him.
"Remember Eren's experiments!" Armin said. "He could only transform up to three times. If that's the case for a 15-meter Titan, a 60-meter one might be less efficient! And there's his steam attack, too! I bet it's consuming everything except his skeleton to produce that steam!"
Jean stood up. "So what are you saying?"
"Armin..." Mikasa said in a hopeful voice.
"I have a plan. You all need to draw Reiner away. Eren and I will defeat Bertolt ourselves." Armin declared in determination. "The two of us can win and I'm going to prove it."
Mikasa smiled faintly. "Alright." She said calmly. "Leave Reiner to the rest of us." She stood and he smiled.
"Took you long enough, dummy." Jean said. "I really thought we were goners."
Armin thought back to the words Eren had said when they were making their way through the forest earlier: 'I don't know why, but when it comes to taking back freedom...' Armin shot up the Wall, heading for The attacking Titan. '...strength flows through me.'
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Armin landed on The Attacking Titan's chest and deployed his hooks, anchoring himself.
'If this plan goes well, I won't get to look at the ocean.' Armin thought.
Armin added a blade to one sword, sheathing the other one. "For some reason." He said with a smile, holding the sword pointed down with trembling hands. "When I think of the outside world courage flows through me." He drove the blade straight down into the base of The Attacking Titan's neck. It pierced Eren's right shoulder. "Eren, wake up! Let's go look at the ocean!"
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The Colossal Titan kept walking toward them.
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On a farm, Historia, dressed in all white, stood with two armed men not far behind her.
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In a meeting room, Zachary sat at the head of the table, six other men present, including Pixis and Nile, all waiting.
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Rico and other Garrison soldiers stood on Wall Rose, silent.
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In her room, Hitch sat by the window, face in hand. A slim vase with pretty blue flowers sat before her.
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"Eren, that sums up my plan." Armin said, crouching on The Attacking Titan's shoulder, who was sitting up, almost done healing. "As long as we properly execute it and manage to trick Bertolt, this battle is ours for the taking." He held on to the Titan's hair and the two stared in determination.
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"Listen up!" Jean said as he and the other three flew through the air. "We've gotta trust that Eren and Armin can handle Bertolt! We just need to keep Reiner away from them if we can! Let's keep him occupied from a safe distance!"
"Roger!"
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The Armored Titan started running straight at them and they flew right for him, but he went right past them, ignoring them.
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They grunted at force caused by him running by.
"That bastard!" Jean said, annoyed. "He ignored us?! He's changing his focus to Eren?"
Mikasa narrowed her eyes and went after him. "We'll just have to kill him!"
"Mikasa!" Jean called out.
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Mikasa closed in on the Armored Titan, firing a Thunder Spear and blowing out the back of his left knee.
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The Armored Titan reached for the houses to his right to steady himself but ended up falling eventually.
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"Hey!" Jean called out to Mikasa, flying behind her.
"If we can't get Reiner's attention, we have to finish him off right here!" Mikasa said and tilted her head to look at him. "It's on us to protect Eren and Armin!"
"Yeah, I know." Jean replied.
"We've only got three Thunder Spears left!" Connie informed them. "Shit! But..."
"We've gotta try anyways! 'Cuz unless we fight, we can't win!" Sasha yelled as they came closer to the Armored Titan, who sat awkwardly, injured leg steaming.
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'What was that? What got me?' The Armored Titan's leg twitched. 'A single attack took out my knee...' Reiner recalled parting ways with Bertolt on Wall Maria. 'I can't remember much since then...'
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"I'm blowing this whole area away. If you can, lie down with your Titan body facing upwards." Bertolt said to a headless Reiner.
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'Bertolt, what the hell happened to me?' Reiner's face was covered in red muscle, the skin not having been formed yet. 'I don't know what's going on and I don't have much strength left.' Reiner turned to look at the Colossal Titan approach where The Attacking Titan sat on Wall Maria, above the inner gate. 'But I know Eren's over there. And as long as we capture Eren, that should still mean that we win. Isn't that right, Bertolt?' Still on the ground, the Armored Titan turned to look at Mikasa, who stood on a house in front of him. 'I'll deal with these guys quickly and come running to back you up.'
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'Reiner must be facing the four who went that way.' The Colossal Titan tilted his head slightly. Strange... Only Eren and those guys in the 104th survived the explosion? To be perfectly honest, I hoped to blow everyone up. But I've already gotten over my reservation about doing this, Armin. Bertolt's red muscled face stared at the two in front of him. 'What's the point of waking Eren when he's all battered like that? Why don't you show me what your final struggles will look like?' Armin and The Attacking Titan glared at him.
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"I know it's a plan I thought up myself." Armin said softly. "But its success mostly depends on how long I can hold out for.
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Eren turned his head slightly to look at him. 'Armin, are you really planning to...
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"Eren, I'm sorry, but I can't die until I get to see the ocean. So I'm going to have to pull back once it gets life-threatening." Armin said. "The rest is up to you. Y-You know." Armin said self-deprecatingly. "Because I'm just not a hero."
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'No, I know you are.' Eren thought, watching him. 'I've known you long enough...'
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"You still believe in it, right, Eren?" Armin asked, beads of sweat on his face. "The promise we made to see the ocean together. And have I ever lied to you?" He nodded firmly. "So, no matter what happens, stick to the plan, okay?" Armin jumped down.
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After a second, The Attacking Titan turned his attention to the approaching opponent with ground shaking footsteps.
He moved his foot.
It slipped on the bricked layer and crumbled. The attacking Titan began to fall.
'Shit.' Eren thought as he went down.
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Armin gasped while Bertolt startled.
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The Attacking Titan tried to stop his descent and ended up crashing on his knees.
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"Eren!" Armin screamed at the dust rising down below.
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"It looks like I was right. This fight is already over." Bertolt said calmly.
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The Attacking Titan's body was crumpled on the ground.
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"It looks like he can't even stand up. That's enough." Bertolt said and the Colossal Titan lifted his hand. "I'm putting an end to this!"
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Armin screamed as the arm came at him, jumping out of the way at the last second.
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The Colossal Titan slid his hand on the top of the Wall, sending pieces of bricks showering down.
Glaring furiously, Armin latched his hooks on the underside of the arm and swung himself on top of it before deploying the hooks again and flying right toward the Colossal Titan's face.
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"Armin, you fought well all the way to the very end." Bertolt said.
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Golden light flashed from the Colossal Titan's body, sending out an invisible force.
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"Eren! Armin!" Mikasa yelled and gritted her teeth and turned away. "No, I have to believe in them. We need to stay focused on Reiner."
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'If there's one way to take Reiner out with three Thunder Spears, this is it.' Jean glared, thinking hard. 'We have to finish it now, while he can't move.'
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Connie and Sasha stared hard at the Armored Titan, on his healing knee, between two houses.
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'One way or another, we're ending this now!' Jean thought.
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'Come at me.' Reiner challenged them, the Armored Titan looking up.
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Jean moved first, running on the roof of the building behind the Armored Titan.
"Reiner!" Screaming at the top of his lungs, Jean came at the Armored Titan with his sword.
At the same time, Connie and Sasha moved in from the sides.
'First, I go as the decoy.' Jean thought.
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The Armored Titan used his hand to destroy the roof, forcing Jean back.
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'Connie and Sasha will follow with two Thunder Spears and aim for Reiner's jaw from both sides!' Jean thought.
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Connie and Sasha fired thunder spears at Reiner.
The debris from the roof caught Sasha, causing her to miss, while Connie's Thunder Spear hit true, exploding the left side of the Armored Titan's jaw.
Connie quickly pulled himself toward the unconscious Sasha, who had blood covering her.
"Sasha!" Connie then yelled, "Jean!"
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Mikasa landed on a building in front of the Titan, distraught. 'One of them missed.'
'If we blow off his jaw, Reiner's mouth should open up!' Jean's words rang through Mikasa's head. 'Mikasa can use the last Thunder Spear to hit his nape through the mouth!'
'His mouth didn't open.' Mikasa observed the gray cloud flowing from the left side of the Armored Titan's jaw. 'Even so, I have to do it!'
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A massive amount of heat radiated from the Colossal Titan.
In front of him, Armin hung on, wires of his gear shining, attached to the Colossal Titan.
'Why? Why can't I blow Armin away?' Bertolt stared at Armin, his arms covering part of his face. Why won't his anchor come loose? 'He shouldn't even be able to get close!'
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Armin weakly opened an eye.' I knew it. His bones aren't being consumed!' The hooks of his gear were sunk into the teeth of the Colossal Titan. 'The anchors stay put if they're not in muscle! But most importantly, he can't move his body while he's emitting steam!'
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'But, Armin, is this how you go out?' Bertolt wondered. 'In all your wisdom, the best plan you could come up with was to get scorched to death like this?''
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'I can't breathe...' Armin thought. 'I have to let go... No! Not yet! It's not enough! I've gotta buy more time!'
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'What's he trying to accomplish? A diversion?' Bertolt shifted his eyes down. Through the heat and steam, he saw The Attacking Titan's body still at the base of the Wall. 'Eren still hasn't moved from where he fell. Mikasa and them have their hands full with Reiner. Did you really have no better ideas? He closed his eyes. If this is really your final effort, then I understand. I'll put you to rest.'
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The onslaught of red and orange heat continued.
Armin cried out, cape flying off as he was pushed back, the wire extending. 'Endure it! Don't let go!' His hands sizzled, gripping his sword handles. 'I entrust it to Eren! My dreams. My life. Everything!' His torso was bare, his head bald, skin blackening. 'I have nothing left to lose!' Black, dust-like pieces began to fly off Armin's body. 'I'm sure... Eren will be able to reach the ocean!' The skin around his teeth began to pull back. Bluish-silver flames burned his hands, the handles of the sword went flying off. 'He'll have to...' Finally, his body was sent back. '...see it for the both of us!' Pieces of his body continued to fall away. 'Goodbye... Faye...'
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"Mikasa!" Connie screamed, carrying Sasha in his arms. "Don't do it!"
"No, you did well!" Hange's voice came from behind.
Connie looked up to see Hange fly by, shooting off her Thunder Spear into the right side of Armored Titan's jaw.
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Jean, Connie, and Mikasa gasped.
"Hange-san!" Mikasa called out.
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Hange quickly moving away from the Armored Titan.
"Now, Mikasa!" Hange yelled, flying away.
The Armored Titan tried to swat Mikasa and she dodged expertly, spinning in the air and landing in his mouth.
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Reiner's eyes widened. 'No way!'
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"Reiner. Come on out!" Mikasa said and fired the Thunder Spear down the Armored Titan's throat and a yellow light began to glow.
A large round explosion tore a hole into the back of the Armored Titan's neck, sending Reiner flying out, a hole in his belly, face still not healed yet.
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The heat was gone and only thick waves of steam remained around the Colossal Titan.
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"It's over," Bertolt said. "Now to deal with Eren and the horses."
Something caught his eye as the steam cleared.
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The Attacking Titan's hardened form sat at the base of the inner gate, blocking the hole.
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"This is... a shell made with hardening?" Bertolt said.
The sound of something cutting through the air caught Bertolt's attention.
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Eren flew up behind the Colossal Titan, sword ready. "Gotcha!" The wire became taut and reeled him in.
Blood exploded behind his neck and the Colossal Titan's expression changed, his body beginning to tilt forward.
Eren screamed, cutting through the flesh and yanking Bertolt out.
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'It was a trap!' Bertolt thought, stunned, missing the lower half of both his arms and legs. 'Eren was faking his infirmity from the start.' A defeated look came over his face. 'And Armin's stalling... was just to buy Eren enough time to make a replica hardened Titan!'
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Mikasa and Hange snapped their heads around, hearing the sound and feeling the vibrations of the Colossal Titan slowly begin to fall.
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'They did it to make me think there weren't any enemies nearby.' Bertolt thought tiredly. 'And I fell for it and lowered my guard.'
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The Colossal Titan continued to fall, shaking the ground and causing dust to cover everything.
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The air was peaceful and quiet in Shinganshina.
A large dark shape, the Colossal Titan's dying body, was sitting against the Wall.
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On a roof near the decaying Colossal Titan's corpse, Eren dragged an unconscious Bertolt by the back of his shirt. He thought back to what Armin had said. 'Have I ever lied to you in my life?'
"Dammit!" Eren said quietly, markings around his eyes. "I always knew."
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A young Armin was crying, sitting against a building, a small man-made river running a couple of yards in front of him.
Three boys were walking a small distance away.
"Hey, why don't you ever fight back?" A young Eren asked, peeking around the corner.
Armin looked up, tears in his eyes, face half hidden.
"They pick on you cause you don't fight back. Are you fine with losing all the time?" Eren asked.
"I'm didn't lose." Armin replied.
"What?" Eren asked, poking his head out fully.
"Because I didn't run." Armin replied.
Eren was silent for a second before walking to him. "What's your name?"
Little Armin looked up at him, surprised.
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Armin lay on the roof, charred and blackened. His hair was gone and his lips had peeled back, exposing his teeth.
Quiet crackling sounds still came from Armin's body, smoke rising from it.
Eren was on his knees before Armin, one hand still holding Bertolt. "I always knew." He said in a shaky voice.
"You were more of a hero out of any of us."
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