Chapter 13

-[Liam]-

All he needed was the general direction of Marley to get there. After all he was flying so it would be easy to spot it from that high in the sky.

With a previously terrified Annie in his arms, he sped through the skies towards the nation of Marley. With how little time they had on their hands, Liam made no stops and simply pushed forward at high speeds.

They'd been flying for what felt like a few hours. The skies were still dark but Liam didn't slow down.

"There!" Annie called out above the roaring wind.

Liam's eyes focused on the form of the city in the distance in front of them. 'So this is it.' He thought as they approached.

-[Later]-

They had stopped just outside of the borders of Marley to gulp down another invisibility potion before taking off again.

With Annie directing him, they made their way to Liberio's internment zone, landing silently in an alley.

Putting away his wings, he threw her another potion which was meant to dispel the invisibility they were under.

"I'd advise you to pull up your hood, we can't have anyone recognizing you just yet. Lose the jacket as well." He said as he did the same, Annie handing him her cadet jacket.

With nothing more than a thought, he vanished them into his inventory, Annie's eyes briefly widening.

"We don't have much time to waste. Let's go see your dad." He said, patting down his clothes.

"What about you? Shouldn't you hide your face as well?" She questioned as they left the alley.

Unlike her who has her white hoodie to cover her features, Liam had a simple black shirt on.

"Between the two of us, your face is more known around here. Me showing my face around will barely draw any attention." He said as she led them.

It was dark so they were easily glanced over by the very few people who happened to be outside.

It didn't take long for them to reach their destination. Annie took a deep breath before knocking on the door. Some time passed but nobody answered the door.

"Are you sure this is the place?" Liam turned to Annie in question.

"Of course it is." She answered as she knocked again.

Just when it seemed like no one was going to answer, they heard the locked click as the door was opened. A short man with a receding hairline and black combed hair stood at the other side.

"Who is i-" his words froze in his mouth as he stared at the two of them, specifically Annie who had partially pulled down her hood.

"A-Annie?" The man was in disbelief, stretching his shaking hand forward to make sure he wasn't dreaming.

"It really is you…" he said as he pulled his daughter in for a hug which she reciprocated.

Liam stood there with a dry look as they got emotional. "Sorry to break up this tender moment." He said in an unapologetic manner, drawing their attention.

"Annie, I have honored my end of the deal. Can I expect that you will honor yours?" He asked.

The light tone he used to ask the question would have fooled anyone but Annie who had seen just a sliver of what he was capable of knew better.

"Yes. You have my loyalty." She answered in a solemn manner. She almost let out a sigh of relief as the pressure that she felt creeping up to her disappeared.

"Wonderful. In that case, can you point me to Reiner's home?" He asked, confusing her but she still answered, giving him said directions.

"Stay here until I get back, we leave in an hour." He said as he turned to walk away, leaving the father and daughter pair to go into the house.

•••

Name - [Annie Leonhart]

Title - [Female Titan]

Race - [Titan Shifter]

Faction - [Liam Ross]

Hp - [100%/100%]

Sp - [98%/100%]

•••

He almost smirked victoriously as he went in the direction Annie gave him.

•••

[Mission Objective: Take a titan from Marley, peacefully or otherwise]

[Reward: EXP, Skill]

[Quirk - Search]

Search allows the user to monitor and observe up to a hundred people at a time. This includes knowing their locations. The individuals being observed are visualized through the Quirk as star-like vestiges, and can allow the user to know their location up to even miles away. Search also permanently stores the information gained after its usage.

•••

'That's quite useful.' He thought as he recalled the usage of the skill in series it belonged to.

Not pausing, he continued on his journey through the streets of Liberio. It wasn't long before he reached a decent sized house. The lights were off inside but he couldn't care less.

He didn't particularly have a strong feeling about Paradis or Marley. He woke up in Paradis and so he chose that side. He knew that had he woken up in Marley, he would have still sided with Paradis. There was no way he would've bent a knee to those who would treat him like dirt.

The people of Paradis were oblivious of human life outside the walls and yet Marley invaded and declared war on them. Marley was responsible for turning Eldians into the very titans that kept Paradis living in fear.

Those within the walls were labeled demons for what they knew not of. Their actions drove Paradis close to the point of extinction and they have the nerve to call them demons.

Even the Eldians in Marley called them demons, cursing and condemning them. Though hypocritical, Liam had no mercy for such people.

He placed his hand on the door handle, ice coating it and slowly spreading and intensifying with each second. He didn't allow it to spread further than the keyhole, focusing it there.

Within moments, there was the sound of something snapping. He pushed the door which opened freely with the locks broken. With a thought, he allowed the ice to silently shatter away.

Closing the door behind him, he waited for a full minute before moving to sit at the dining area. He made two ice clones who immediately left, knowing what to do.

He didn't have to wait long as the clones returned, dragging out a middle aged woman with blond hair that went just below her chin. Her mouth was tied with a white cloth and her eyes wide in fear as she hopelessly struggled.

"You must be Mrs Braun." He greeted her in an almost polite manner.

Nodding to the clone, it untied the binds from her mouth. "Who are you?! What do you want?!" She screamed, her eyes teary as she realized her attempt to free herself was fruitless.

"My identity doesn't concern you at the moment. Are you aware that your son is responsible for the death of hundreds of innocent people?" He asked as he leaned back in the chair.

"What are you talking about?!"

"What I'm saying, Mrs Braun, is that actions have consequences. You may not understand what's going on but I really couldn't care less about that. I'm just here to hand out my piece of judgment." He said as he pulled out a dropper filled with a blue liquid.

"But first, I need something from you." He said as the clone forced her mouth open. She once again tried to struggle but it proved futile. "So many people were lost, it's only fair." He squeezed the dropper above her open mouth, letting the blue liquid pour into her mouth, the woman unwillingly swallowing it.

The clone released her jaw, going back to retraining her limbs. "Now, you're going to answer my questions. Where is Reiner's father?" Liam asked.

"He's a Marleyan who lives outside Liberio. The last time I remember seeing him, he still worked at the barracks." Her eyes immediately widened at the information that spilled out of her mouth.

Liam only smirked at the successful testing of his truth serum. 'Alchemy is really useful.' He thought as he moved to other matters.

He questioned her about the rest of the Braun family, immediate and extended. By the time she spilled out all she knew, tears were pouring from her eyes.

Uncaring of that, Liam stood to his feet. "Well I've gotten all I need from you. There's no need to keep you captive." He said, hope returning to the woman's eyes.

That hope was extinguished as a sword made of ice cut through her neck, beheading her before she could process what happened.

Liam stared apathetically at the now headless corpse, throwing the head in his inventory and dispersing the sword as he turned to leave the house.

Before exiting, he downed an invisibility potion. With him invisible, he saw no need to walk, instead silently speeding through the streets to his next destination.

He soon stopped in front of another house. Unlike the previous one, the lights were on. Liam broke the lock the same way he did the previous door.

Upon opening it, he found a familiar brown haired girl rushing towards him, screaming as her arm cocked back. "Aaaahhhhh!"

Merely scoffing, another ice sword formed in his hand as he swung it at high speed.

In less than a second, Gabi Braun was dead, beheaded like her aunt. Within the next five minutes, the entire Braun family, sans Reiner, was dead.

He was careful to avoid getting blood on his clothes so he was still clean. With his job done, he made his way back to Annie's home.

-[Later]-

Liam and a somber Annie stood in the alley they landed in when they arrived. "You said earlier that you were going to destroy Marley. Were you serious about that?" Annie asked as he threw her jacket back to her.

"Yes." He answered simply as he put on his own. The girl was about to speak when he cut her off. "Rest assured. As long as your loyalty doesn't change, your father will be spared." He said, calming her worries.

Once again, he donned [Mastema], downing another invisibility potion as they took off for their return to Paradis.