Chapter 131: Eren, Why Did You Just Kill Him?
Plains outside Ragako Village.
A dead silence fell over the field. The smoke of battle had not yet dispersed, and the air was thick with the smell of blood and steam. All eyes were focused on two figures in a bizarre standoff.
One was wreathed in flowing green light, his expression cold.
The other was wearing a bright yellow short skirt, his expression twisted with a mixture of shock, fury, and absurdity.
Zeke Jaeger's mind raced, trying to comprehend the situation. I was tricked! By that white thing! But this soldier in front of me is strong... maybe I still have value as an informant!
"Wait!" Zeke held up a hand, trying to keep his voice calm. "Truce! I surrender! We can talk! I'll tell you anything you want to know!" He glanced at Eren's power. "That power of yours… it's interesting. How did you get it? Perhaps—"
His words got little reaction. The Survey Corps soldiers gripped their blades, their expressions wary, their eyes darting strangely between him and Eren. Levi squinted, his blades held in a reverse grip, silent. Hange's eyes lit up, and she muttered, "This—this is just like Eren's transformation, right? The skirt, I mean. Though the style is a bit different."
Eren Jaeger did not respond. He had no intention of "talking." The moment he saw Zeke transform, he understood. Kyubey. It's already here.
He couldn't give it a chance. And he couldn't give Zeke a chance to fight back.
"Eren?" Armin sensed Eren's killing intent and called out tentatively.
Eren didn't answer. He moved. Without warning. At extreme speed. A streak of green light shot straight for Zeke.
"You—?!" Zeke was horrified. He's just attacking?! He instinctively raised his arms to block, even trying to shift again, but he couldn't match Eren's speed.
THWACK!
A dull thud. Eren's blade, wreathed in green light, punched straight through Zeke's fleeting barrier and slammed into his chest—right where the Soul Gem was.
Crack—! A faint shattering sound.
The expression on Zeke's face froze, then went completely blank. His body lost all strength and slumped backward.
Eren leaned in, whispering in Zeke's ear just before his consciousness faded, "Sorry… Nii-san."
And in that moment, Zeke understood everything. Of course… no wonder I wasn't teleported like Pieck. I was left here. Because my wish… to be taken to my brother… he's right in front of me.
A shame… the Eldian euthanasia plan…
Thump.
Zeke Jaeger fell to the ground, his face a mask of shock and understanding. He was dead. A Magical Girl for less than a minute. The clothes on his chest were torn, revealing the dim, shattered gem beneath his skin.
The field was silent. The soldiers stared in shock. The prisoner who had just offered to surrender… was killed by Eren, just like that?
"Eren! What are you doing?!" Hange was the first to shout. "Doesn't he have a Titan power?! Shouldn't we have taken him back so one of our people could inherit it?!"
Levi's brow was furrowed, his eyes narrowed at Eren, confused. Eren's actions were too abnormal.
Just then, a flat voice sounded nearby. "What a shame. A hope so newly born."
Everyone started. Near Zeke's corpse, on the open ground, a small, white, red-eyed creature had appeared, as if from nowhere. It was the same white thing that had tricked Zeke and Pieck. Kyubey.
It tilted its head, looking at Eren. "You seem to—"
SHING—!
Before it could finish, a green blade of light sliced through the air faster than sound. Splat! The white creature was cut in two, blood splattering.
Everyone froze again.
"Wh-what was that?!"
"Eren, you…"
Before they could react, the calm voice spoke again, "That was rather rude. We could have communicated." From the shadows right next to the bisected corpse, an identical white creature walked out.
SHING—!!! Another blade of light. Splat! It too was cut in half, another corpse on the ground.
"As I was—"
SHING—! SPLAT!
"—saying, listen…"
SHING—! SPLAT!
Eren's face was blank, his arm moving stiffly. Every time the white creature appeared, it was instantly annihilated the moment it spoke. After several more times, it stopped appearing.
All that remained was an eerie silence. The soldiers looked at each other, unable to understand what had just happened. What was that creature? Why did it keep reappearing? Can it not be killed? Why was Eren so agitated?
The Survey Corps high command, in particular, looked at Eren with suspicion. Though they believed he wasn't an enemy of humanity, this extreme reaction needed to be investigated.
"Eren!" Mikasa flashed in front of him, facing the others, her eyes wary. Armin immediately took his place on Eren's other side.
"Eren," Armin said, his voice tense, "it's clear you know that little animal. What… what is it?"
Hange was the most excited. She rushed over to where the creatures had been, pulling out tools and sample vials, scraping at the remains. "Eren, explain." Levi's voice was cold.
Eren looked at Mikasa and Armin, who were shielding him. He looked at the confused and worried faces of his comrades. He opened his mouth, but said nothing.
Tell them? About Kyubey? Wishes? Contracts? Magical Girls? The price of Witchification?
No… I can't! Eren screamed inwardly. This world is already cruel enough. The threat of the Titans, the oppression of Marley… I know these comrades, who have dedicated their hearts to humanity, who have thrown their lives into this future struggle! If they knew about the "deal"? That the only price was becoming a Witch? That they could grant any wish, achieve any miracle? What would happen? Even if the final end is to become a Witch, so what? How would they choose?!
For Eldia. For humanity. Would they think the price was worth it? Of course they would. It's just their own despair. And even the Witches themselves, if handled correctly, could be useful weapons to contribute one last bit of strength to Eldia's survival.
The temptation is too great! In this world with no clear tomorrow, what's the price of becoming a monster?
I didn't come back to repeat this tragedy! Eldia's future? Humanity's survival? None of it matters more than the people right in front of me! I just want them to live! To live in peace!
Eren closed his eyes. When he opened them, there was only a dead calm and a cold resolve. No. This secret. This curse. This dangerous "hope"… I have to be the one to smother it. I'll carry it alone.
Seeing Eren's clamped jaw, Levi and the others exchanged glances. Now was not the time to press him.
"Eren, I expect we'll have a long talk when we get back," Erwin said, his voice even. "For now, bring… Zeke's remains back."
"Hange, it's all yours."
"Right!" Hange replied, carefully handling the gem fragments in Zeke's chest.
"Everyone else, secure the battlefield. Prepare to withdraw."
The orders were given, and the soldiers began to move. In the shadows of a tree, a small white creature watched itself be killed over and over, watched their confusion at Eren's overreaction. It then flicked its tail, walked deeper into the shadows, and disappeared.
…
Meanwhile, in distant Marley, at the high military command. The atmosphere was grim.
Suddenly, a flash of white light in the center of the conference room. When it faded, a figure appeared, stumbling.
Pieck Finger.
She was in a terrible state. Her Marleyan uniform was gone, replaced by a strange, dark grey short skirt and top, adorned with armor-like patterns. Her hair was a mess, her face streaked with blood, her eyes still holding a lingering terror. Her limbs, however, seemed to have been restored.
"Pieck?!" General Magath shot to his feet, staring in shock at her attire and her method of arrival. "You're back?! What are you—?"
The other Marleyan officials stood as well, their faces filled with suspicion.
Pieck gasped for air. She looked down at her unfamiliar clothes, a flash of confusion in her eyes, which was quickly replaced by panic. "General, report!" she said, her voice hoarse and urgent. "Paradis… has risen! We're… finished! Completely finished!"
"The Armored Titan! The Female Titan! The Jaw Titan! They've all been taken!"
"They have… a special power! We don't understand it!"
"And—that little white thing!"
"Captain Zeke—he made a wish with me! He should have come back too—why? Why am I the only one?"
Pieck rapidly reported everything: the battle, the loss of the Titans, the mysterious supersoldiers, the white creature's contracts, her own transformation, how she teleported back, and her confusion over Zeke's failure to return.
The Marleyan high command listened, staring at the strangely dressed Pieck. The same thought rose in the minds of the officers, most of whom saw Eldians as nothing more than tools. Their faces darkened, not with worry for Zeke, but with contempt.
Three Titans lost. The War Chief missing. Paradis has some unknown power. And our own soldier only escaped by turning into… this? What a bunch of failures.
"How are you? Are you injured?" Unlike the others, Magath looked at Pieck with genuine concern. "And… Magical Girls… contracts… granting wishes…" His gaze fell on the grey skirt. "That white creature…"
The Titan trump card was lost. Marley's future…
Perhaps… it's time to consider making a deal with that so-called white creature.