Karanes District
12 hours ago
Erwin's gaze bore into both Eren and Armin, his face unreadable as he assessed their expressions. The silence was thick with tension, and only the faint rustle of paperwork punctuated the quiet.
"So, you're telling me that you suspect Reiner Braun and Bertholdt Hoover to be the Armored and Colossal Titans...?" he said finally, each word measured and sharp.
Eren's calm demeanor contrasted with Armin, who was visibly tense, a bead of sweat tracing down his face. The weight of the accusation was heavy, and the air in the room felt charged.
Both Erwin and Levi listened, their eyes steely, though Levi's usual nonchalance masked a deeper interest that matched Erwin's calculated intensity. "And what makes you so sure about that?" Hange questioned.
Eren held up a set of reports. "This," he said, his voice steady as he laid out documents detailing Annie Leonhart's activities. "Two months ago, during the 57th Expedition, Armin told me that the Female Titan attacked the left wing, wiping out almost everyone—except Armin, Reiner, and Bertholdt. And after confronting Reiner Braun her course changed to the right wing. Because...."
Erwin leaned forward, eyes narrowing. He was aware that the Female Titan hadn't harmed her supposed 'friends' during that mission, a fact that had stirred unease.
Eren signed before continuing going with the flow," Because.... I supposedly provided the false information to Armin's squad of the right wing because I suspected the entire 104th...."
"But what makes you so sure that it's them?" Hange once again interrupted curious to hear more.
Armin took a deep breath, picking up where Eren left off. "Right before Annie attacked us Reiner and Bertholdt showed an unusual eagerness to know Eren's position in the formation." Armin continued, his gaze darting toward Levi.
Eren looked toward the ceiling, speaking as if piecing together each fragment aloud. "And when Reiner faced Annie directly, he fed her my fake location... leading her to shift directions, all the way toward Levi Squad." Levi nodded slowly, the suspicion now feeling undeniable as every puzzle piece slid into place.
Erwin absorbed the information but remained cautious. Mikasa, her voice even but her eyes darkened, couldn't ignore the doubt gnawing at her. "But, Eren... that still doesn't explain anything. You're accusing them without concrete proof. It just kinda seems forced..." Hange, though silent, gave a nod as well, as if weighing the implications carefully.
Eren's gaze hardened as he stepped closer to Erwin's desk, sliding the reports over. "If you need more, then look here," he said, his tone quiet but insistent. "These reports show that Reiner and Bertholdt come from the same region as Annie."
Erwin's eyes sharpened further, his attention unwavering. "And?"
Eren's eyes widened as he clenched his teeth."Or maybe… They never belonged....." he whispered, but then dismissed the thought, retreating into silence as the room hung on his unfinished sentence.
Erwin looked at him his lips curling into a faint smile as Eren hesitated, his thoughts colliding with those of Erwin's as they both seemed to land on the same hidden truth
"Nothing," Eren shaked it off his gaze locked onto Erwin since only he heard Eren.
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Armin's hands clenched in his lap, anxiety twisting his expression. He believed what he'd seen, what Eren was proposing, but a part of him recoiled from the truth. Mikasa, too, felt her resolve waver, torn between loyalty to Eren and the friends she'd made from the 104th cadet corps.
Eren took a deep breath, pointing out another troubling detail. "After the chaos from five years ago, records for these three... Reiner, Bertholdt, and Annie… they're all hazy, spotty, missing in places."
He tapped on Reiner's file, highlighting the names Karina Braun and Charles Braun. "When I double-checked these names with state records, their identities didn't exist."
Levi and Erwin exchanged a glance. They didn't need words to understand that the implications were dire. "And on top of that I've seen these two trail of their scouts dorms secretly holding meetings with Annie at nights...."
Erwin's eyes hardened, his voice slicing through the tension with a cold determination. "Well let's not take any chances than.... The next suspects are Reiner and Bertholdt.... Make sure if they possess abilities that of Eren's...."
Erwin continued,"The only choice left is to lower them deep underground," he said, his words carrying a weight that left no room for doubt. "If they transform, we'll at least stand a chance. We'll capture them... and finally uncover the truth."
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Mikasa's voice cut through Eren's thoughts like a blade. "Eren! Eren!" Her hands gripped his shoulders, grounding him, her eyes fierce and unyielding.
"Uh... right, sorry," he muttered, snapping back to reality. His gaze locked onto the two massive figures before him, monstrous forms twisting and expanding as the Armored and Colossal Titans loomed into existence. Fury sparked in his veins, jaw clenched tight. How the hell was Reiner still alive? Eren had seen his head roll, and yet here he was.
"Eren, you good?" Levi's voice sounded from his left, cool and razor-sharp. The captain appeared beside him, his silhouette a deadly calm shadow against the chaos. With barely a nod, both readied themselves, eyes fixed on the threat bearing down on them.
Then, without warning, the Armored Titan barreled toward them, each thunderous step reverberating through the air, splintering the surface of the wall with brutal indifference. Dust and stone rained down as the massive, crystallized fist swung with terrifying speed, slicing through the air toward Eren.
"Mikasa, RUN!" Eren shouted, and both Ackermans launched forward, blades drawn in reverse grips, their eyes locked on the deadly path ahead. The Armored Titan let loose a roar that shook the skies, its hardened fist hurtling down at Eren like a meteor.
"Shit… Am I seriously doing this again?" Eren hissed, dodging just in time, watching as the crystalline fist obliterated the spot where he'd stood. He retaliated, throwing his blades at Reiner's eyes, but the hardened shards merely shattered on contact.
Meanwhile, Levi was already a whirlwind of fury, slashing at vulnerable spots in Reiner's armor—but it was no use. The armored plating might as well have been stone.
This wasn't just a Titan; this was a fortress.
Every clash of blade against armor sent sparks flying, filling the air with the brutal, metallic clang of steel meeting indestructible flesh. But, The Ackermans were fast, impossibly agile, slipping through each thunderous strike. Each strike they landed glanced off Reiner's plated skin, barely denting his unyielding defenses.
"Damn it... He's stronger. Way stronger than last time." Mikasa bit her lip, frustration simmering in his eyes standing far away from the fight her gaze shifting at the colossal titan who had grabbed Ymir in his hand and was emitting scorching heat.
Both Eren and Levi took a breath, feeling the surge of power deep within. Muscles coiled like steel, their senses sharpened to a razor's edge, their focus absolute. Their eyes blackened, tongues lolling out as saliva dripped, the Ackerman instinct seething just beneath the surface.
Before Reiner could even process what was happening, all he heard was a faint hiss of steam—too quick, too quiet. "What…?" he muttered, his gaze lowering to his hand. His armored plates were intact, but thin lines of crimson leaked from the few vulnerable spots, staining the metal. He could feel the sting where Eren and Levi's blades had found the weak points.
"Your attacks are useless Eren Yeager" Reiner growled, forcing energy into the bleeding areas to heal, but the ache was there, relentless. He hadn't expected this—the Ackermans were faster, sharper, more brutal than he remembered.
Finally his gaze caught up, Levi and Eren stood side by side on the wall Infront of him catching their breaths, their figures dark and unyielding against the fading light.
Levi's blue eyes glinted like ice, calm and unbreakable; Eren's green gaze was fierce, burning with a determination which Reiner hadn't seen before.
"Now" Eren's low command was a whisper in the wind, barely there before both vanished in a blur. Levi was already on top of Reiner, his eyes as cold as death itself. His blades slashed down, glancing off Reiner's hardened jaw, but fast enough that Reiner's hardening only barely kept up.
Behind, Eren moved like a phantom, his gaze assessing every joint, every gap, reading the flow of Reiner's armor as if it were a code to be cracked. Reiner felt himself unraveling under their relentless assault, his movements just half a second too slow, his armor just thin enough to let the Ackermans' fury bleed through.
"Looks like there's no other way...." Eren his eyes narrowed as he intentionally brought himself to infront of Reiner.
"ENOUGH!" Reiner's roar was a raw, desperate command. His arm shot forward, intending to crush Eren where he stood. But Eren dodged with ease, moving as if he'd read Reiner's intent a second before it happened, leaving only a cloud of dust.
"Got 'em," Eren's low murmur sliced through the din, carrying with it a promise. Standing beneath the Armored Titan, Eren's eyes glinted, cold and emerald, pure, seething rage filling his gaze.
With a crack like thunder, the sky split open, and in an instant, lightning struck. Eren was gone—replaced by the towering form of the Attack Titan with it's azure eyes glinting wreathed in steam, primal and unstoppable. His roar tore through the battleground, a defiant war cry that made every stone tremble, every heart falter.
And then, the true fight began.