"Dwarf…"
Levi's face hardened.
His body shot forward in a blur as his ODM gear hissed, steel wires singing in the air. In an instant, he was above Zeke, delivering a brutal kick that sent the Beast Titan's human form sprawling.
"Who are you calling short?" Levi's voice cut like steel.
Zeke's body tumbled across the ground in an ungainly heap. The impact rattled through his bones. For a heartbeat, his thoughts scattered—to his father, to the brother he had yet to truly meet.
Father… Eren… I really want to go back alive and see you both.
The Beast Titan's inheritor
—Captain Zeke—slid into the dirt, limbs awkward, dignity stripped away.
Levi landed beside him, blades at the ready, his tone ice-cold. "Kid, there aren't Titans chasing you now. I'm here. Don't run around. Come back with me. It's safe behind the gate."
"Safe?" Zeke's lips curled into a desperate smile. "Are you sure I'm safe… with you?"
Levi's gaze was steady. "As certain as I need to be. No Titan breaches the walls. Follow me through the inner gate and you'll be completely safe."
"And after that?" Zeke pressed, voice faint. "When we're inside—will you still protect me?"
Levi hesitated, then answered flatly. "If you need me to, I can."
"No!" Zeke's hands flew up in an "X," his hair bristling. "No need, thank you. I'm fine—I can protect myself. I'm not important. Please, focus on Shiganshina. Save humanity!"
Levi squinted at him, puzzled. "How did you know we were here to reinforce Shiganshina?"
"With all this chaos, the Survey Corps wouldn't be anywhere else," Zeke said smoothly.
Levi studied him in silence, then admitted, "You're right. That's our mission. About twenty kilometers out, we saw a massive head looming over the wall… What was that thing?"
Zeke scoffed. "You're asking me?"
Levi's expression darkened. His eyes—flat, cold, like dead fish—cut straight through. The look alone made Zeke's chest tighten with unease.
"I can't believe a Titan taller than the wall even exists," Levi muttered. "But by the time we arrived, it was gone. Did you kill it?"
"I…" Zeke faltered. Almost. If not for interference… the Colossal might truly be dead. His thoughts darted uneasily to Bertolt, Reiner, Annie. By now… they've probably escaped.
"Where's your weapon?" Levi demanded.
Zeke froze. Right—the anti-Titan rifle. In his transformation, in the chaos, it had been left behind. The memory flashed: blades dropped, rifle discarded, escape consuming everything.
"It's… gone," he admitted.
Levi's brow furrowed. He remembered Erwin's warning from the night before—the rifles were vital. If the Corps could study and replicate them, every soldier could wield Titan-killing firepower. Humanity's reclamation of territory might finally become reality.
And now—lost.
Levi's jaw tightened.
"It doesn't matter. As long as you're alive, Erwin said you're important. You're coming with me." Levi seized Zeke by the arm. With a hiss of gas and the snap of cables, they shot skyward.
Zeke's stomach lurched as wind whipped past. His voice carried on the rush of air. "A second time… I never thought I'd experience this again. But, Levi—don't you think you're speeding?"
"Speeding?" Levi's reply was flat as ever. "This is normal speed."
"…" Zeke spat, half in disbelief. The Survey Corps—reckless maniacs, all of them.
Hannes had carried him once before, years back. That had been a ride. But Levi? This was something else entirely.
The man was a driver of death itself.
They soared down at the inner gate. Soldiers stationed there recoiled at the sight of Levi hauling Zeke.
Captain Keith Shadis stood grim-faced as the Garrison soldiers argued.
"All right—the gate's open for you! But if anything happens, it's the Survey Corps' responsibility, not ours!" The lead soldier barked, then turned tail. Fear claimed the rest within seconds; they scattered like leaves before the wind.
"Wall Maria is in your hands!" one shouted over his shoulder before vanishing.
Zeke shook his head. "So this is humanity's military. Of the four branches, does the Survey Corps really carry ninety-nine percent of the fight?"
Levi's lip curled. "Cowards. But mediocrity—that's the Garrison's trademark. Nothing unusual."
Together they approached the command post where Erwin waited. Levi released his grip and shoved Zeke forward with a soldier's disdain. "I brought him back."
Erwin's sharp eyes flicked from Levi to Zeke. His brows furrowed. "Where's the weapon?"
"Really?" Zeke growled, frustration flashing. "First question is about the gun? Am I worth less than that?"
"I see you alive," Erwin said calmly. "The weapon—lost?"
Zeke hesitated, then shrugged. "As you can see. Lost. And… perhaps in Titan hands now."
Erwin allowed himself the faintest of chuckles. "Titans can't use weapons."
Zeke's eyes glinted with something unreadable. He said nothing.
If only you knew the truth of who kicked down your wall. Would you still look at me with such calm? Would you still smile so easily?
...
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