Chapter 31-the retaking of shiganshina part 2

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We stood watching.
Soldiers on the wall and soldiers on the ground with the horses.
The beast Titan had blocked us off. How long has they been waiting for us?
Who was the beast Titan?
But the beast Titan was not alone. It had brought friends.
They surrounded us in a semi circle.

I opened my mouth again. But a scream from Eren made me turn.
Eren was battling the armoured Titan!
"Eren." I whispered. "No."
I felt a hand go to my shoulder.
"You have got this Cadet." Erwin said. And I nodded.
I opened my mouth and began to sing.
"Let it go, let it go, can't hold it back anymore. Let it go, let it go turn and slam the door. The walls glow bright from the sun tonight, not a footprint to be seen. A kingdom of isolation and it looks like I'm the Queen. The sun igniting, like the storm I have inside, couldn't keep it in, heaven knows I've tried. Don't let them in, don't let them see. Be the good girl you've always had to be. Conceal, don't feel don't let them know. But now they know, let it go, let it go! Can't hold it back anymore! Let it go let it go turn my back and slam the door, and here I stand, and I here I'll stay, let it go the burn never bothered me anyway."
I moved as a hand moved to stop me, ducking and rolling out of the way, never stopping.
"It's funny how some distance makes everything seem small, and the fears that once controlled me can't get to me at all. Up here in the freeing air, I finally can breathe. I know I've left a life behind but I'm too relieved to grieve." I had decided, if there was no way back to my old world, this world would be my home-forever. "Let it go, let it go! Can't hold it back anymore, let it go, let it go, turn my back and slam the door, and I here I stand and here I'll stay. Let it go let it go, the burn never bothered me anyway!!!!" I held that last note for a while. Tears began to stream down my face but I didn't care. This was my home and dammit I was going to fight for it!
I switched up the song. "It's astounding, time is fleeting, madness takes its toll, but listen closely not for very much longer, I've got to keep control. I remember doing the time warp, drinking those moments when, the blackness would hit me and the void would be calling- let's do the time warp again!"
I switched it up again as Eren got the armoured titan's attention once again.
"Some legends are told, some turn to dust turn to gold, but you will remember me, remember me for centuries, just one mistake is all it will take to go down in history! Remember me for centuries." I ducked as the Titan threw Eren onto the wall.
At that moment rocks flying like bullets came from the other side, the beast Titan was aiming at us now. Throwing boulders crushed in his hand at us. Smoke and debris flew. I was one of the only ones on the wall still standing. Erwin had disappeared and squad Hanje was on their way- I could see them- firing their new toys distracting him from Eren.
I zipped over to a downed Eren.
"Come on Eren, wake up. Please." I begged. He didn't move- just the rise and fall of his chest.
"Eren you Baka! Get up or he's going to kill us!" I shouted. This time a Titan ring sounded in my ears.
Was this what that girl meant?
Eren's eyes opened and I could see he was struggling.
"You need to plug the wall."
I was about to add something else, but something flew over the wall. Bertholdt in a barrel. He transformed. He was going to help Reiner.
I knew what that meant. The colossal titan with its steam.
I had to move and help the others. Just as Bertholdt landed, emitting his steam. I ducked down and then ran. I ran over to Hanje's team-Injured some of them from the rocks. On the other side of the wall I could hear screams of the horses and of frightened men. Boulders crashing to the ground destroying the houses on the other side, clearly being used as a shield.
Hanje herself handed me a Titan blaster and quickly told me how to use it. I nodded and zipped away.
Bertholdt was now advancing on Eren himself.
I had to give it a shot. I fired the blaster and ducked.
It went off blasting his jaw.
Steam emitted from him.
He looked skinnier than he had done. Did producing his steam mean he burned fat and muscle? Armin must have come to the same conclusion as he moved on the wall beside a stunned Eren.
I itched to bite my hand. To transform. But I waited instead. My hands shook with the effort to swing forwards. I had to give Eren and Armin time.
"Armin!" I shouted. "Get down!" And I bit hard.
Light blinded me for a moment and then I dived right into the colossal titans leg, making it turn towards me.
"Come on." I growled, my hands going up. "Take me down Bertholdt. Coz I for sure ain't going with you!" I growled.
It worked he fought to grab a hold of me.
I needed just long enough for Eren to plug the wall.
Steam rose from Bertholdt. He was emitting so much heat.
"Not going to work!" I growled. "I'm one too you dolt!" I grabbed his nape and dug my fingers into it.
More burning steam. If I was in my human form- he would be melting my flesh right now. I dug in tighter fingers meeting bone.
I clutched tighter. Then ripped the bone from the body. Then began ripping towards his nape. He wasn't even fighting back, just emitting that steam.
I could feel my Titan flesh repairing itself, but not fast enough. I just hoped the others were alright.
Soon a yell sounded a way away. I almost turned- but carried on ripping. Bertholdt was nearby I grabbed his body and yanked him from the nape of his Titan form.
Clenching my fist around him, I waited.
I glanced towards the wall. Eren had done it. I glanced back to where the last time I had seen the armoured Titan and walked over there.
This side had won.
It was hard to know if the others had.

I found Hanje, Mikasa, Connie, Sasha and Jean there. Reiner was blindfolded and I set a limbless Bertholdt next to him, where he too was blindfolded.
"Where's Armin?" I growled. They just shook their heads.
That must mean.... No! I turned and sprinted back to the wall.
Armin lay burned to a crisp.
I fell to my Titan knees and pulled to remove myself from the form.
When I was free I jumped from the shoulder to the roof where Armin lay.
"No Armin!" I screamed in pain. "No! You idiot! You couldn't just let me handle it." I began to sob.
I heard boots land on the roof and turned with tears streaming down my face to see an unfamiliar soldier and humanity's strongest hoisting a familiar body up.
Erwin too?
"Layla!" I heard Eren yell. He grabbed me and then saw Armin. "No Armin!"
He too then, along with Mikasa who arrived shortly after Eren did, began to sob over their friends body.
I turned to Erwin.
What did this mean?
Suddenly a Titan jumped over us and I was saddened to see Reiner in its mouth, an unknown human was sat on top of it. So where was Bertholdt?
Then Hanje arrived with his body.
She was cursing a lot. Jean looked distraught and so did Connie and Sasha.
"Did anyone else?" I began to answer and Levi shook his head. "Everyone else is dead?" I said mainly to myself. Out of one hundred soldiers eleven had survived- two in critical condition or dead.
I slumped to my knees.
We had been decimated.
"Levi you know what we need to do." Hanje said and Levi nodded. His gaze flickered to me. I nodded. It was true. Erwin had given him the syringe to use in case of this. The other we hadn't brought with us, apparently it had been destroyed when I turned Titan.
But this was the hard part. Armin or Erwin?
Armin- the little boy I had looked after like my own son. Armin who had so many smart ideas.
Erwin- a great commander and a leader. Strategic and logical.
Who could we even choose?

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