Chapter 144: Eren, He's Strong!
Paradis Island, Shiganshina District, Front-line Command Post.
Through the lens of a high-powered military telescope, a hopeless sight was reflected where the sea met the sky. A dark, dense fleet of steel warships, stretching as far as the eye could see. The banners of the Marleyan Empire mingled with the flags of the Global Allied Forces. The decks of every Marleyan capital ship gleamed with a cold, metallic luster, their proud magic-artillery cannons aimed, dark and terrifying.
Above the fleet, a dense swarm of conventional aircraft shrieked through the air. And weaving between these war machines were figures glowing with multi-colored light—Marley's Magical Girl corps. They intertwined with the cold cannons and screaming missiles, painting a picture of the apocalypse. Following them were the fleets of the other allied nations, mostly conventional warships and aircraft. Though numerous, they paled in comparison to the magical brilliance of Marley.
"—ENEMY ATTACK!!! HIGHEST ALERT!!!"
The agonizing wail of the alarm, mixed with the panicked and desperate shouts relayed from the coastal watchtowers, tore through the tense air of the command post.
A young communications soldier, standing by the operations map, turned deathly pale after noting the enemy's estimated size. The pen slipped from his trembling hand.
"How… how can there be so many… Marley… did they bring the entire world's armies?!"
On the coastal defense line, the soldiers manning the cannons saw the enemy formation blotting out the horizon. A boundless terror seized their hearts.
"It's over… we're all going to die…" A young soldier, responsible for hauling ammunition, slumped against a crate, his legs giving out, his eyes wide with fear. A comrade next to him slammed his fist into the cold parapet, his hand splitting open and bleeding, though he didn't seem to feel it, his eyes just fixed on the distance.
They were too weak. Someone instinctively made the "dedicate your heart" gesture, offering a futile prayer. "Kyubey… if you really exist… save us… save Paradis Island…"
The only answer was the encroaching shadow of death. Paradis Island was a lone boat in a raging storm, about to capsize at any moment.
In this moment of overwhelming despair, a pillar of emerald-green light suddenly shot skyward from the very front of the Shiganshina coastline. The light was brilliant, carrying an unyielding resolve.
"It's Eren!" In the command post, Armin caught the familiar light through his telescope. Mikasa stood beside him, her hands clenched so tightly her knuckles were white. Ordinary people like them… they couldn't participate in a battle of this level. The most they could do was fire the cannons from a distance.
"Order! All non-combat personnel within the Wall, evacuate to the underground shelters immediately!"
"Section Commander Hange! What's the status of the coastal artillery?!"
The frantic shouts of the comms officers filled the air. Paradis's entire war machine was straining, overloaded. But at this moment, every heart was with that lone figure of hope in the distant sea.
The instant the alarm had sounded, Eren had transformed without hesitation. His eyes burned with fire as he stared down the enemy fleet. Although his power had fully returned over the past few years, and was even stronger than in his last life, he still couldn't be sure he could take on so many enemies alone.
"EREN—!!!"
Following him, a streak of deep red light shot out from another position. Floch Forster!
"Floch's gone too!" His bizarrely-cut, deep red Magical Girl dress left a crimson trail in the sky.
"FOR PARADIS!!!"
"FOR ELDIA!!!"
"TATAKAE—!!!!"
"TATAKAE—!!!!"
He let out a near-maniacal roar, his speed almost matching Eren's. The two of them, like arrows loosed from a bow, charged headlong into the enemy fleet. They had to tear an opening in the open sea, before the enemy's cannons could rain hellfire on their homeland. Even if the chance was slim.
A destroyer from a small duchy, part of the allied forces, fired the first shot under Marley's strict orders. A salvo of conventional shells whistled through the air. Eren's form twisted, dodging most of the attacks, but a high-speed shrapnel shell still detonated near his left arm. A magical barrier flared, and Eren was unharmed. His speed, his assault, didn't slow for an instant. With a slash, he sent a wave of energy at another allied gunboat that was trying to fire.
Floch was even more reckless. He completely ignored the incoming conventional fire, his crimson magic exploding around him in irregular spikes, deflecting the attacks from smaller aircraft. He used the force of the explosions to propel himself even more violently into the enemy ranks.
…
Shiganshina District.
Grisha Jaeger was rapidly making arrangements. He entrusted a weeping Carla and an equally worried Mr. Arlert to the rear-guard personnel. "Stay here! Don't come out!" His voice was hoarse, filled with the pain and resolve of a father and husband.
"Eren… he'll be alright, won't he?!" Carla grabbed his arm, her eyes pleading.
Grisha could only gently but firmly pry her hands off. "Trust him. And… trust me."
He turned resolutely, not looking back at his wife's face, and strode out of Shiganshina. A flash of light, and the Attack Titan was sprinting towards the coastline.
Eren… my son… Father is coming to help.
…
The battle at sea.
BOOM—!!!
A ship belonging to the Mid-East Allied fleet was pierced by a giant energy spear conjured by Eren. The explosion bloomed like a flower of death on the dark water.
"Eren's so strong!" Armin whispered from the command post. "But the enemy's numbers are too great! Those glowing ones are Marley's Magical Girls! They're moving up!"
The green figure of Eren zipped through the aftershocks of the explosions, moving at extreme speed. Every flicker was met with the crippling of an allied conventional ship. Every attack meant the fall of a Marleyan Magical Girl. The "volunteers" Marley had recruited, who may have been impressive against ordinary people, were hopelessly outmatched by Eren's overwhelming power. Their magical shields were torn apart like paper, and their coordinated attacks all missed, unable to keep up with his speed.
This wasn't a battle; it was a one-sided slaughter of the allied conventional forces and Marley's reserve Magical Girls. At this moment, Eren was a true "God of War."
…
[Marleyan Empire Flagship "Dominator," Bridge]
"Hmph. The desperate courage of a beast," the Commander-in-Chief of the Marleyan fleet watched Eren's "performance" with cold indifference through the massive viewport. "His power is indeed stronger than anticipated. The allied vanguard has already suffered heavy losses. The Sioria Principality flagship is reporting their captain is KIA and requesting to fall back and regroup. They don't dare get close to him."
"Denied," the commander said flatly. "Tell the remnants of the Sioria fleet that this is a necessary price for world peace. Order them to tie down Eren at all costs, to buy time for our main fleet's magic-artillery batteries to calibrate. They're just cannon fodder we brought here to die anyway. We'll use their lives to drain Eren Jaeger's stamina and magic."
He turned to another comms officer. "Order the 1st and 2nd Divisions of the Marleyan Royal Magic Knights, and the other two elite Magical Girl regiments, to hold formation and delay their assault. Let the allied cannon fodder and our own second-string 'volunteers' continue to 'test' him. Tell them to cut loose, don't conserve their magic. He's just a cornered rat at the end of his rope. He'll soon be drowned by our tide."