Rayan watched the subtle changes in Reiner's facial expressions and knew what was going on in his mind.
Speaking of which, the warrior trio had determined that Eren possessed the power of the Founding Titan. But in fact, they had overlooked one possibility—the Attack Titan.
Among the Nine Titans, seven were in Marley's hands: the Colossal, Armored, Female, Jaw (already taken by Ymir), War Hammer, Cart, and Beast Titans. The remaining two, the Founding Titan, Marley was certain was on the island. But no one knew where the Attack Titan was.
Of course, when the leader of the "Eldian Restorationists," "the Owl," gave this power to Grisha, he also said that his identity was very secret, and no one knew. So, after he died, only Grisha knew.
Grisha happened to be in the interior to treat someone on the day Wall Maria was breached. After hearing the news of the wall's destruction, he immediately broke into the Reiss family's territory. It's worth mentioning that Grisha didn't want to fight at that time. Instead, he hoped the royal family would help control the titans that had entered Wall Maria and make them leave—after all, his wife and children were there.
However, the person who possessed the power of the Founding Titan at that time refused. This person was Frieda Reiss, the half-sister who had played with Krista when they were young.
As for why she refused, it was obvious. Anyone who inherited the power of the Founding Titan would be brainwashed by the "Vow Renouncing War." Therefore, in a fit of rage, Grisha transformed and attacked, killed Frieda, and stole the power of the Founding Titan.
Of course, in theory, the Founding Titan was stronger than the Attack Titan, but Frieda had only recently acquired the power and couldn't fully control it yet. So naturally, she couldn't defeat Grisha, who had possessed the power for more than a decade.
The later events were clear. Grisha rushed back and found that his wife had been eaten by a titan. At the same time, because of the "13-year lifespan" curse, he didn't have many days left. He directly injected Eren with titan spinal fluid, allowing him to inherit the power of two titans.
Speaking of which, it was quite tragic. The titan that ate his current wife was transformed by his former wife. It was a terrifying love triangle.
...
Under Levi's harsh treatment, Eren began to sober up a bit.
Memories began to surface in his mind, bit by bit. He spoke intermittently about being eaten by a titan, then transforming... then the key his father gave him when Wall Maria was breached... he told them all these things.
Finally, everyone's gaze focused on the key hanging around his neck.
"I see. In your hometown, in the basement of Doctor Yeager's house in Shiganshina District, there are secrets about the titans hidden, is that right?" Erwin summarized after listening to Eren's rambling words.
"Yes... my father once said that," Eren replied, still not having recovered from the shock of his titan transformation, appearing completely lost.
Levi looked at him with deep suspicion. "You've lost your memory, and your father is missing. What a convenient excuse."
"No! Everything I said is true!"
"..."
Erwin and Pyxis were silent at this moment. To be honest, they couldn't yet determine whether Eren was a friend or foe.
However, the fact that titans possessed intelligence was now undeniable. Erwin thought, his guess was indeed correct.
And...
He looked at Eren's appearance and dismissed the thought in his mind.
Eren probably isn't the informant who gave me the note, he thought. If it were him, doing this would be meaningless. Instead, he should have revealed his identity beforehand. Using that information well might have directly led to capturing the Colossal Titan.
But if Eren was the enemy, was his "willingness to die" just a facade? It didn't seem like it.
The atmosphere was somewhat still. Then, a cautious and nervous voice spoke.
"Um..."
The few of them looked over. It was a blond-haired trainee.
Being stared at by several important figures, Armin was somewhat nervous. But after glancing at Eren, he mustered his courage again. "I am Armin Arlert, a trainee of the 104th Squad! I have a proposal! A proposal to retake the wall!"
"Retake the wall?" Erwin was the first to react, a flicker of thought in his mind. "You want to use Eren's titan body to block the hole by carrying heavy objects?"
"Uh..."
Armin's thoughts were instantly seen through. He froze for a moment, scratched his head, and looked at Erwin with admiration. "Commander Erwin, you've already thought of it."
"No, you reminded me."
"I only said 'retake the wall'..." Armin looked at Erwin's calm face, thinking that as expected of the Survey Corps Commander, his mind was too sharp.
Commander Pyxis was also surprised for a moment, looking at Eren. "Can it really be done? Blocking that large hole?"
"There's a huge boulder not far from the gate!" Armin said urgently. "We can definitely do it with that!"
"Hmm..." Pyxis pondered for a moment, glancing at Erwin. "If it can be done, that would be humanity's first victory against the titans."
"..."
Levi: "Erwin, what if this guy takes the opportunity to escape?"
"Commander Pyxis is right, this is our chance," Erwin said, looking at Eren. "You won't run away, will you, Eren?"
"Of course not!"
"Then, can you block the hole?"
Eren opened his mouth, but no sound came out.
Can I do it?
He recalled the scene when he transformed into a titan. It was like a nightmare, in which he frantically vented his violent emotions. But now, to ask him to enter a dream again and remain conscious while doing something... he didn't know if he could do it.
Eren's silence made the others somewhat disappointed. Pyxis gazed at the already titan-filled Trost District.
"Ninety percent of the residents have successfully evacuated to the inner city. But there's still ten percent. Perhaps they've died, or perhaps they're still hiding in dark corners like basements, waiting for rescue. And we can't go save them. Eren, do you know why?"
Eren subconsciously asked, "Why...?"
"Because the soldiers' blades will turn."
Pyxis took another sip of his drink. "To save them, we'd have to organize another corps-level attack. But you can see the expressions on those soldiers' faces."
Eren did see them—faces ashen and lifeless.
"If we were to ask them to leave the inner city again and enter Trost District, they might collectively mutiny."
"What?!"
"That's right," Erwin took over at this point. "This kind of suicidal mission is meaningless. The soldiers can judge that, so we must make them believe that they can win—or rather, have a spiritual reliance and pillar. Only then will they be willing to fight to the death."
As he spoke, he crouched down, looking directly into Eren's eyes. "Eren, do you understand? It's not a question of whether you can do it, but whether you will do it."
"Commander Erwin..."
"Seriously, this is a pain in the ass," Levi said impatiently, grabbing Eren's collar and pulling him up. "Go do it."
Eren's pupils dilated slightly. He looked at the broken wall in the distance, seemingly recalling that time five years ago. At that time, he could do nothing but cry and roar. Would today be the same?
"I will," a fiery light ignited in his eyes. "I will do it!"
"Hmph."
Levi released him. Erwin patted Eren's shoulder. "Good, then let's immediately start formulating a detailed plan."
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Need More Chapters
Every 300 Power Stones
2 Bonus chapter
Every 500 Power Stones
4 Bonus chapter.
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