I WILL PROTECT YOU

𝐂𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝟒𝟒

3rd POV

  The exterior of Eren's titan lifelessly stared down at them in a crouching position. Its legs and arms fused to the hardening around it. "That's what I call hardening," Levi said. Eren looked at his titan in surprise. "Even after cutting you away, the titan hasn't disappeared. Pretty impressive, yeah?" Levi added.

Y/n glanced at the back of Eren's head. "How'd you produce this amount of hardening?" She asked him. Eren glanced at her, then looked away when thinking of what he believed were his last thoughts. He went to answer her. "That bottle..." He mumbled. "Right before I turned into a titan, I drank that Armor bottle..." He told them. Y/n tilted her head.

Levi stepped closer to Eren. "Yeah. You couldn't do it at all before now, but you used the hardening power. And saved all of us. In the blink of an eye, you devised and built all this. Yeah, the construction looks shoddy, but...I bet that's how the walls were made, too." Kneeling in front of Eren, Levi made sure he understood this next part was important.

"In other words...We can plug that hole in Wall Maria now." Eren widened his eyes. "A lot of enemies and allies have died on the way, and getting this far hasn't been pretty, but for as ugly as it's been, look at the position we're in now." Levi finished as everyone gazed at Eren.

The teen lowered his head and looked at the ground. Retaking Wall Maria...Once we do that, we can investigate our basement. But, dad was actually...The image of the Reiss family massacre flashed in his mind, and he furrowed his eyes. Y/n won't even look at me for more than a few seconds...

He wondered if she would still want him as humanity's savior, because from where he stood...Eren wanted Y/n to be the one who was recognized by humanity. It didn't seem like that would be happening since it was him who was now capable of sealing the wall.

"Captain!" Sasha yelled. Everyone looked up to see her slowly descending from an opening in the ceiling. "We've secured an exit!" She said. After her was Connie. "Armin's safe! Hange and Moblit, too!" He followed.

"Well done," Levi told them. When the two reached the ground, Sasha ran over to Eren while saying his name with a smile. "You okay?" Connie asked. Sasha fell to her hands and knees in front of Eren which took him by surprise.

"We're all safe, thanks to you!" She rubbed her eye. "But to be perfectly honest, when you ran off prancing while crying like a baby...I thought we were doomed! 'It's over, over! Get it together, nincompoop! Quit bawling like a snotty-nosed brat!' Is what I thought." Sasha rambled in one breath.

"Hey..." Connie mumbled at Sasha's actions.

"Let's go," Levi said. "We're going after that big-ass titan."

-

Armin's hand reached out to Eren, a smile on his features as he said his name. "Eren." His friend climbed over rocks the best he could and stretched out his hand to Armin. Grasping hands, Armin pulled him out of the ground and up to the surface.

Halfway out off the ground, Eren gasped. The collapse of the cave had created a long-running ravine, the further it went, the less deep it was. As it was the movement of Rod Reiss as he reached the surface. Clouds of heavy smoke were visible where the squad stood. Even the large impacts of his hands reached their ears as Rod dragged himself on the ground.

-

Scouts followed the titan on horseback, shocked to see trees igniting in flames when Rod neared. The immense heat sent Scouts back. "It's no use! Stay back! We'll get burnt!" One said. Erwin rode closer to one of his soldiers.

"It's like an abnormal and doesn't care about us!" They told him.

"Enough! Fall back! All that matters for now is to find out the direction it's heading." Erwin said. In the distance, he heard his name being yelled. Turning his attention around, another Scout approached them quickly.