Chapter 126: The Fall of the Royal Government, the End of Kenny Ackerman
Trost District, Survey Corps Temporary Headquarters.
The air was heavy. Secret orders had been relayed. The soldiers, silent and resolute, prepared for what was to come. Truth and sacrifice had pushed them to the brink. Revolution was the only choice.
Suddenly, a sharp, piercing sound tore the quiet! ZRRRT—! ZRRRT—! ZRRRT—!
Dozens of black shadows descended from the sky, using advanced propulsion gear to burst into the buildings, striking at the heart of the command center.
The Central Military Police! The Anti-Personnel Control Squad! Their gear was different from the standard ODM, mounting specialized firearms. The moment they landed, their muzzles were already locked on their targets.
RAT-TAT-TAT-TAT-TAT—!!!
A dense hail of bullets tore through the room. Wood splinters and stone fragments flew. Several Survey Corps soldiers fell in an instant.
"Enemy attack!! It's the Central MP!!!" The piercing alarm was finally sounded.
"Protect Historia!!!"
The Survey Corps soldiers reacted instantly, using the terrain for cover and drawing their blades to fight back. The headquarters immediately became a slaughterhouse.
"Listen up, you Survey Corps scum!" a hoarse, mocking voice boomed from above.
Kenny Ackerman. "Kenny the Ripper." He aimed his dual pistols down at the chaos.
"By supreme order of the Royal Government! Hand over the false-blood brat of the Reiss family—Historia! And that freak kid who's lost control of his power—Eren Jaeger! And all those 'monster' prisoners from outside the Walls you're hiding!"
"Give up, and maybe I'll make your deaths quick!"
Behind him, the Central MP elite roared and charged the defensive line.
…
At the same time, in the capital city of Mitras and other major towns within Wall Sina and Rose, countless leaflets rained down from the sky. Through Erwin's intelligence network, President Zackly's tacit approval, and Commander Nile Dawk's hidden influence, the subversive information spread everywhere.
THE HUNDRED-YEAR LIE! THE FRITZ ON THE THRONE IS A PUPPET!
OUR HISTORY WAS ALTERED! WHY DO WE KNOW NOTHING OF THE WORLD?!
THE TRUE ROYAL FAMILY—THE REISS BLOODLINE—STILL LIVES!
HISTORIA REISS! THE ONLY TRUE HEIR!
TROST'S HERO EREN JAEGER REVEALED THE TRUTH, NOW HUNTED BY THE GOVERNMENT!
CENTRAL MP ATTACKS SURVEY CORPS! THE GOVERNMENT WANTS TO CRUSH OUR HOPE!
The public was shocked, confused, and suspicious. But soon, the stories of Eren's heroism, the long-standing corruption of the Royal Government, and the threat of the outside world began to fester. Anger gradually overran doubt. Radicalized citizens and Eren's supporters began to gather, attacking royal institutions.
At the critical moment, President Zackly gave a radio address, condemning the Royal Government for its "dereliction of duty" and "corruption," implying its illegitimacy. The Commander of the Military Police, Nile Dawk, chose "neutrality," cutting off the Royal Government's ability to mobilize the regional MP garrisons.
The hardliners and the Central MP were still resisting, but the old regime's foundation was crumbling. A new, fanatical ideology, one centered on Eren and survival, began to swell and spread through the military and the populace.
…
Trost District, the battlefield at the headquarters.
The fighting was at a fever pitch. The Survey Corps fought with their lives on the line, but they were struggling against the superior equipment of the Central MP.
CLANG—!!!
Levi and Kenny clashed again in mid-air, their movements too fast to follow. The fated duel between two Ackermans.
"Old bastard!"
"Shut up, you brat who never grew taller!"
The Central MP slowly tightened their encirclement. The Survey Corps' defensive line was on the verge of collapse.
Eren suddenly appeared in the center of the battle, standing calmly on a rooftop. The hail of bullets pelted his body with a continuous thud-thud-thud. He was completely unharmed.
"Wh—What—?!"
"No effect?! Bullets… have no effect on him?!"
The Central MP soldiers, who hadn't fully believed the reports about Eren's abilities, were now utterly convinced. This boy was a monster. And the weapons they relied on for survival were useless.
Eren moved. His figure blurred, charging into the enemy ranks at a speed beyond human limits. His movements were still like lightning, but now they were aimed precisely at their… weapons… and their mobility.
His blades, glowing with a faint green light, easily sliced through the specialized gun barrels. An energy shockwave was transferred, precisely numbing their nerves and paralykzing them. A light tap of his fingers severed the key joints and gas hoses of their ODM gear.
CRACK! POP! HISS—! The sounds of breaking weapons, dislocated joints, and leaking gas filled the air. Eren wove through the enemy lines. Everywhere he passed, the Central MP soldiers were defanged and declawed, all losing their ability to fight. They were either knocked unconscious, or left with destroyed weapons and disabled gear, falling to the ground, unable to move. Only a few of the most stubborn were killed instantly.
It was still a complete rout. The fear didn't lessen; it deepened, becoming a terror of this new, inescapable "control."
"He—He's taking us alive?!"
"Stay away!!"
Their remaining will to fight shattered. Most of the Central MP soldiers gave up, slumping to the ground. The Survey Corps soldiers stared, dumbfounded, at the scene, before erupting in a massive cheer, rushing forward to bind the prisoners.
Kenny watched the tide of battle turn in an instant, watched the boy who had, almost playfully, dismantled his elite squad. An extremely complex emotion flashed in his eyes. It was over.
Kenny and Levi clashed one last, violent time, using the force to create distance. But Levi was faster. A blade tore through Kenny's side. Blood sprayed. Kenny gritted his teeth against the pain, firing his gear to retreat, but Levi had already predicted his landing spot. A flying kick caught him square in the chest, slamming him against a wall. He tumbled to the ground.
Levi landed in front of him, the tip of his blade at his throat. His eyes were cold. "It's over, Kenny."
Kenny slumped against the wall, gasping, blood pooling around him. He looked at Levi, the mockery and ferocity gone from his eyes, replaced only by the exhaustion and release of a man at death's door.
"Heh… cough cough…" Kenny coughed up blood. "Damn… runt…"
Levi was silent, his grip tight on his blade.
"You still… cough… look short as ever, brat," Kenny rasped, a weak smile on his face.
Levi was silent for a long moment before finally speaking. "…Why did you leave back then?"
Kenny's cloudy eyes looked up at the ceiling, as if seeing the distant past. "Me?…" he laughed at himself. "I ain't got… what it takes to be a parent. Following scum like me… you'd just end up the same." He paused, his breathing weaker.
"A person's gotta be drunk on somethin' to keep on goin', right? Everyone's a slave to somethin'. Some to booze… some to women… some to 'God'… some to a 'King'…"
"And Uri… he was a slave to 'peace'."
"What about you?" Levi asked.
"Me?" A flicker of confusion passed through Kenny's eyes, then faded to emptiness. "Me… all my life… I was just a slave to 'power'."
He had chased that power his whole life, desperate to see the world Uri saw, desperate to know if a creature like him could ever have meaning. Now, it was all over.
Trembling, he pulled a small box from his coat. Inside was a syringe of Titan fluid. "This… cough… was saving it for myself… for one last look at the scenery…" He looked at the serum, his gaze complex. "But… looks like… this 'drink' is for you instead…"
He pressed the box into Levi's hand. "Maybe… you can use it… to break somethin'… Unlike me… who ended up with nothin'…"
Kenny's breathing grew faint, his gaze losing focus. His head slumped forward, and he was gone.