AUTHOR'S POV:
A Jaw Titan ripped apart the Cart titan's body. Pieck barely escaped and lost her palm.
"Uh..." Pieck said, holding her severed hand while the Jaw Titan was chasing her.
Before the Jaw Titan could kill Pieck, Jean grabbed her and flew away with Hange following behind.
"I can keep fighting once my arm's fixed!" Pieck said.
"You're at your limit, Pieck!" Hange said.
"Yeah. We need to retreat back to where Reiner-" Jean said but stopped as he saw the Armoured Titan's condition.
"Reiner!" Jean and Hange shouted as a War Hammer Titan was about to behead an immobilised Armoured titan with a scythe.
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Suddenly, two Jaw Titans charged at Pieck, Hange and Jean from behind.
The three of them gasped as the Jaw Titans were near.
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An Armoured titan slammed Faye's Female titan to the ground with full force.
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"Uh!" Faye exclaimed.
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"Faye!" Mikasa shouted, turning back.
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Several Jaw Titans charged at Faye's Female titan from all directions.
Suddenly, a giant hand swatted all the Jaw Titans away from Faye's Female titan.
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"What?!" Connie exclaimed, flying towards Faye's Female titan along with Levi and Mikasa.
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"Huh?" Faye said, looking up.
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She looked up to see Bertolt's Collosal Titan swatting away the Titans.
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'Bertolt!' Faye exclaimed.
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Jean, Pieck and Hange landed on the ground as Marcel and Porco's Jaw Titans bite off the nape of the two chasing titans.
"Whoa!" Hange exclaimed with wide eyes.
"What!" Jean said, holding Pieck.
"Porco! Marcel!" Pieck exclaimed with a sad expression.
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"Galliard!" Reiner exclaimed.
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Suddenly, a titan bite off the nape of the War hammer titan behind him.
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Reiner gasped, looking behind him. "What?!"
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Ymir's Jaw Titan was there, ripping apart nape.
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"Ymir...?" Reiner exclaimed with wide eyes.
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"Did they just save us?!" Connie exclaimed, looking at them.
"It does seem like they somehow got their consciousness back." Levi said, hanging from a bone.
"Whatever it is." Mikasa said, glaring at the Okapi titan who was hanging from a rib. Then she charged towards it. "I'm not wasting this opportunity!"
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The Okapi titan understood it and was about to jump to another to rib when a bullet from the anti titan rifle hit his eyes.
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"It hit it's eye!" Gabi exclaimed, sitting beside Magath who just shot the anti titan rifle.
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The Okapi titan began to fall down when Mikasa charged at it.
"Give Armin..." Mikasa yelled and sliced the Jaw of Okapi titan. "Back!"
Armin's body flew away from the Okapi's jaw, covered in saliva.
"Armin!" Mikasa exclaimed.
Suddenly, the Okapi titan hold into a rib and stabbed Armin's knee with his tongue.
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Mikasa gasped. "What!"
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Armin opened his eyes in a panic.
Levi flew towards them and cut the tounge of Okapi titan, making it fall.
Armin began to fall too but Faye's female titan caught her in her palm in time.
Armin stood up. "Faye!"
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"Armin!" Faye exclaimed.
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"Sorry everyone!" Armin shouted. "But we are okay now!'
Suddenly, several Armoured and Beast titan charged at Faye's Female titan.
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"Faye! Behind you!" Levi shouted, flying towards them along with Mikasa and Connie.
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Suddenly, Grisha's Attacking Titan threw a punch at a Jaw Titan.
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Tom's Beast titan head slammed a Female titan.
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Kruger's Attacking Titan broke the spine of another Jaw Titan by slamming it on his shoulder.
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Levi, Mikasa and Connie's eyes widened.
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Bertolt's Collosal Titan kept swatting Titans away.
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"What's going on?! The titans are helping us?" Gabi asked.
"They somehow got their consciousness back!" Magath said.
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Levi, Connie and Mikasa landed on Faye's female titan's shoulder.
"What is going on here?" Levi asked, looking around.
"It's thanks to Mr. Zeke!" Armin replied.
"Zeke?" Mikasa said.
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Grisha, Kruger and Tom's titans kept fighting around them.
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"He woke up everyone who was asleep in the world of the paths where neither life or death exists." Armin said. "Every Eldian is connected to one another by the paths! I think that's because the first Founder, Ymir Fritz and Founder Eren wanted to be connected. Because Founder Eren wants something from us!"
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Zeke was talking with Tom while Armin just stood behind him.
Then, Bertolt approached him from behind.
"Bertolt!" Armin exclaimed, turning around.
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"Mr. Kasaver!" Zeke called out in a sad tone. "Our dream was never realised. I still don't think the Euthanization plan was mistaken. But..." He held out the base ball. "If it meant getting to play catch with you again, I guess I wouldn't mind being born once more afterall." He looked down. "So I suppose I'll thank you, Dad."
Grisha approached him from his right.
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Armin was looking down. "I took away everything from you. Your life. Your power. Even your precious memories." He looked up at him with furrowed eyebrows. "That's why I know. We can't just stay here."
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"Lend me your strength!" Zeke and Amrin said.
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Suddenly, the Attacking Titan's body started moving again.
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All of them gapsed.
"It's moving again!" Connie exclaimed.
"But how? Isn't Zeke already separated?!" Mikasa said.
"We have no other choice but to blow this apart!" Levi said.
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"Hey! It's started moving again!" One soilder on land exclaimed.
Onyankopon's eyes widened. "Guys..."
Zeke looked at the sight with wide eyes. "Don't tell me..."
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War Hammer titans kept throwing spears at the Armoured titan while Marcel, Porco and Ymir kept biting off napes of titans.
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Pieck transformed again and bite off the neck of a Jaw Titan.
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Hange sliced a nape of a Cart titan.
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All of them gasped as they felt Attacking Titan's body moving.
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Hange turned to Jean. "It's started moving again! Do it now, Jean!"
Jean flew towards the Attacking Titan's nape and grabbed the detonator.
"You stupid little suicidal block heeeeaaaad!" Jean shouted and activated the bomb.
Jean flew away as a giant explosion occurred.
After the explosion, the Attacking Titan's giant head fell to the ocean.
"I did it!" Jean exclaimed.
"Good job, Jean!" Hange shouted.
Then, Falco's Beast-Jaw titan approached them.
The others were on his back.
"Jean! Hange-san! Pieck! We need to get away! Quick!" Connie shouted. "Armin is going to blow those bones into pieces!"
Falco's Beast-Jaw titan came closer to them.
Holding Pieck, Hange jumped on his back along with Jean.
Falco's Beast-Jaw titan flew away.
All of them looked back at Marcel, Porco and Ymir's Jaw Titans.
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Hanging from the ribs, Bertolt's Collosal Titan was having Grisha, Kruger and Tom's titans on his palm.
Armin was standing on Tom's Beast titan's palm.
"Thank you. Without all of your strength, we wouldn't have been able to stop the Rumbling." Armin said.
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Falco's Beast-Jaw flew far away from the Attacking Titan.
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'See you soon, Eren.' Mikasa thought and closed her eyes.
"Eren..." Jean trailed off with a sad expression.
Connie looked down with teary eyes.
Faye, Levi, Hange and Mikasa kept their serious expression.
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Armin bit down his hand and with a giant blue lightning orb, the Collosals titan's body began to form, destroying the Attacking Titan's body in the process.
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Falco's Beast-Jaw titan landed on the ground, near the soilders.
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The Attacking Titan's body fell apart in the ocean, leaving trails of steam.
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"The bones seem to be disappearing." Jean said.
"Is Eren dead?" Connie asked in a sad expression.
All of them jumped off Falco's Beast-Jaw titan.
"We have our regrets but we stopped the Rumbling for good." Connie said.
"Yeah..." Reiner said, looking down.
Onyankopon ran towards them. "Hey guys!" He stood before them. "You guys did it!"
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Armin's Collosal Titan began to rise from the ocean.
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Suddenly, the soilders pointed their guns at the scouts.
"Hands up! You devils!" One of the soilders yelled, pointing his gun at the scouts.
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"Not this again..." Jean muttered with gritted teeth.
Magath stepped forward. "I am General Theo Magath! Put your guns down!"
"No, General! There is no guarantee that they won't attack us again!"
"No! They won't!" Magath said. "They just fought against their friend of years and killed him to save the world! They are no devils! If they wanted, they could have supported Eren Yeager's plan but they opposed it and fought against it despite knowing that the outside world could destroyed their home. So, put your guns down!"
The soilders looked at eachother and nodded. They put their guns down.
Magath turned to the scouts. "I am very grateful for the heros of Paradise who saved the world." He bowed down infront them. "Thank you."
The scouts nodded and looked down in
regret.
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The Collosal titan stopped at the coast and Armin got out of his titan nape.
He used his ODM gear and came down from the nape to the ground.
He ran towards the others to join them.
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Magath turned to Zeke in anger.
"What are you going to do with him, General Magath?" Pieck asked.
"I think you have to let him live." Hange said. "Like that's what Founder Eren wanted."
"And also, he helped us by awakening the past titan shifters." Mikasa said.
Magath looked at Zeke again. "I see. He'll spend his life in prison then."
Zeke just nodded, looking down. 'Mr. Kasaver...'
Magath turned to Onyankopon. "Does the airboat have enough fuel for a trip to Paradise?"
"I believe it not enough." Onyankopon said.
"I believe we don't have any airships or ships left." Magath said.
"I can give them a ride back home!" Falco said.
"Huh?" Reiner said, turning to him. "I don't think your titan will last long."
"No, it will." Falco said. "Founder Eren once told me that I can use titan powers for the longest duration." He turned to Magath. "I am giving them a ride home, General Magath."
"Hmm... Be safe." Magath said and nodded.
"I will." Falco said and walked far away to transform.
"Take care, Falco!" Gabi said and turned to others.
"Yeah." Falco said and went far away from them.
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"Gabi..." Hange said with a smile.
Gabi bowed down before them. "Thank you so much for saving my home. I used to think of you as devils and I am very ashamed-"
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Falco transformed in the back.
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Faye held her shoulders and straighten her up. "Let's forget about that part of the past where we were enemies." She smiled.
Gabi nodded with teary eyes.
"I will talk with other nations and make them sign a peace treaty with Paradise." Magath said. "That's the least I can do for you."
"We are grateful, General Magath." Hange said with a smile.
"We are leaving then, General Magath." Faye said and Magath nodded.
"I think it will be best if someone comes with us too." Hange said. "So that they can bring Annie home."
Magath, Pieck and Reiner looked at her, dumbfounded.
"What?" Magath said said with wide eyes.
"Annie is alive?" Reiner asked with a surprised expression.
"But, isn't Faye the Female titan?" Pieck asked.
"Huh? Oh. Annie was paralyzed four years ago and didn't heal." Hange said and turned to Faye. "And somehow, Faye got her titan after some days."
"May be it's also because of the Founder Eren." Faye said, walking towards Falco's Beast-Jaw titan.
"I think that's the case." Pieck said. "But, I don't even understand this Founder Eren. He basically helped us instead of Eren."
"That's only he knows." Jean said.
"Yeah. Like why the hell he would give away Eren's plan to us? He's so tricky." Connie said.
"We should leave now." Levi said, turning around. "We have a government to deal with." He walked towards the Beast Jaw Titan.
"That's right." Hange said and grabbed her forehead. "Let's see how it plays off." He turned to Reiner and Pieck. "Are you guys coming?"
"Yeah, Prof. Hange." Pieck said with a smile.
"Great! Now you definitely have to give me a ride on your titan's back!" Hange said with excitement.
"I will." Pieck said and walked towards the Beast-Jaw titan along with others.
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The Scouts, Onyankopon, Pieck and Reiner were in mid flight, sitting on Falco's Beast-Jaw titan, holding onto the ropes.
It was silent for a while till Pieck broke it.
"One thing is bugging me ever since we stopped the Rumbling." Pieck said.
"What is it?" Connie asked, looking at her.
"As Gabi said, she saw a glowing centipede crawling out of Eren's body when she blew his head off. That means it should have happened again when we blew up the Attacking titan's nape." Pieck said.
"What do you mean?" Reiner asked.
"Wait, are you saying that Eren is still alive somewhere?" Jean asked with a surprised expression.
"What?!" Connie exclaimed with wide eyes.
Armin, Hange, Mikasa, Faye and Levi remained silent.
"It almost felt like he wasn't even in the nape or anywhere in his titan body." Pieck said.
"What if he was using the War Hammer Titan's ability to chrystalize himself?" Jean said.
"Then wouldn't there be some sort of pipe like thing, connected to his titan?" Pieck asked. "I don't think there was any."
"Yeah. You are right." Jean said.
"It felt like Eren wasn't even planning on destroying the world." Reiner said, looking down. "Otherwise, he wouldn't have slowed down the Rumbling."
"Yeah... I didn't think about it." Connie said with wide eyes.
"Another proof of him still living is that with his death, the titan powers would have vanished from the world. But we are literally riding on one." Pieck said then turned to Hange. "Hange-san, what do you think?"
Hange looked at her. "That's a mystery for us too. Like, how easily we stopped the Rumbling. Even the Yeagerists helped us. I think Eren's plan was something else from the beginning."
"Yeah. I doubt he has the will power to destroy the world." Faye said. "I mean, he hesitated to transform when Annie, our old friend turned out to be the Female titan."
"Then, what he wanted to do exactly?" Pieck asked.
"That only he can answer." Jean said. "I knew he is suicidal but not this suicidal to let us kill him."
"Do you think he is still a threat for the world?" Onyankopon asked.
"We can't be so sure to be honest." Reiner said. "I mean, he could have destroyed half of Marley but he didn't even crush a single civilian. So, I don't think he is a threat at all."
"Yeah. The Rumbling felt like an simple threat." Pieck said and looked down. "But, with his death, we Eldians could have freed from this titan curse."
"Yeah... Falco's life is shortened now too." Reiner said, looking down.
"We don't have much time left either." Pieck said in a sad tone.
Armin and Mikasa shared a look.
"But Eren was right." Reiner said. "We were fed with lies from a young age. We were even ready to take lives from a young age just for some recognition. The people of Paradise didn't even know we existed. But then, we breached the walls, killed thousands of people, lived with them, befriended them and then betrayed them. And all of this ended with the world almost getting destroyed by someone who just wanted to avenge his mother by killing every titan."
Others didn't say anything and gave them space.
Mikasa just looked at sky and hide her smile in her scarf.
'Can't wait to meet you, Eren...'
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