Are You an Ally or a Foe? (2)

Mina's POV

Two days later…

The sun is shining ever so brightly, and the birds fly over the horizon, going to who knows where. The Stohess district is filled with humans that continue to chatter, making the town look peaceful and normal. 

Yeah.

It was such a beautiful day for a massacre to begin. 

"It's a good thing that your commander was so observant, huh?" Ymir comments as I continue to walk around the street with a few other soldiers to familiarize ourselves with its layout.

"Hmm."

She grinned. "And it was also a good thing that I didn't intervene. Who knows when you'll have gotten another golden opportunity?" 

"Hmm."

Ymir sighed. "Are you mute? Can you not speak?"

With great irritation, I replied, "Hmmph!" 

Translation: I can't exactly talk to myself with people all around me!

"Did you eat something weird, Carolina?" A soldier behind me asks, bringing Ymir to a fit of laughter. If she hadn't given me my sense of hearing, I would have strangled her neck!

With an awkward chuckle, I replied, "Y-yeah, some bread got stuck in my throat." 

The soldier hums while Ymir simply says, "That's the best you've come up with?!" 

"…"

I don't even want to waste my energy retorting that remark.

The first plan is to get Annie Leonhart underground and subdue her. The commander had given Armin the chance to persuade her, along with Eren and Mikasa. However, based on the information I've gathered in World Number Two, Annie knew that Armin was bluffing, hence forcing the Survey Corps to switch to plan b. Also, due to circumstances I will never witness, Eren will emerge from the ground using his titan form.

Plan B will then proceed upon his arrival.

The backup plan is simple: The soldiers will be tasked to fight with the Female Titan. In addition, Eren's titan form will assist in subduing her.

One that they greatly failed to accomplish.

"Today's the day, huh," Ymir whispered as I took my place on top of the roof. "Will you be needing my assistance?" 

Using the confidence that I got after getting the commander's approval for my plan, I smirked. "Nope, just leave it to me."

"Someone's confident." 

With a grin, I replied, "I know, now shut your trap. I'm trying to focus here." 

After taking one last glance around my surroundings, I took it as a chance to properly organize my thoughts as my gaze wandered off to the distant wall.

Having the commander back me was something that I didn't expect to happen. It was lucky of me to even interact with such a high official, so having him as a support is a huge achievement. 

Now, I only need one more piece to finally obtain that hope of keeping Commander Erwin alive. After that, I can finally start preparing for our dreadful future. It's been three years since Ymir placed me in this world, and it's high time that I start planning on how to eradicate the devil that continues to roam around this world.

Suddenly, as we all expected, she finally appeared. 

With blonde hair and blue eyes, Annie Leonhart has once again transformed.

It was a few houses from where I was stationed, so it took me a few minutes of running on top of the houses until I reached the street where the Female Titan was rampaging. There, I saw Mikasa maneuvering herself to attack Annie, slicing every flesh that her blade would touch.

Her movements are as elegant as ever, even when she tore apart the hand that was trying to grab her. 

The female titan wanted nothing more than to land an attack. So, as a desperate call, her arm that was sliced by Mikasa suddenly found itself colliding with the nearby house, sending a huge number of rocks in the young Ackerman's direction. 

My eyes widened as I instantly leaped off the rooftop, pulling my whole body to push Mikasa away from the rock that would have hit her. 

With a slight tumble on the unaffected roof, I safely acquired Mikasa within my arms. "Are you all right?"

"Godly timing, Mina." She replies, making me smirk at the sudden compliment. "And yes, I'm all right." 

Upon placing her down, we immediately turned our heads around to observe the other Survey Corps that were trying to capture the female titan. Most soldiers that were attacking came from the scout regiment, and based on their experienced movements, I can safely say that those attacking are veterans.

However, even if they are veterans, the female titan has shown no remorse as she constantly uses her arms to pull every wire that she can see, killing the soldier attached to it in the process. How inhumane, Annie, such is war!

"Let's go!" Mikasa tells me as both of us join in the fray. 

With every life that she claims, fewer soldiers are now taking the risk of offense. However, not only did it deter us, but it only increased our chances of landing an attack. Fewer nuisances are better than having more foolish suicidal idiots. 

"I'm not going to make this easy on you!" Mikasa screams as she finally lands an attack on the female titan's leg. Meanwhile, I used my wire to help her in tripping Annie's whole body. 

She fell but instantly got back up. 

"Tsk," I clicked my tongue in annoyance as a few more suicidal idiots charged ahead. "She's persistent."

Knowing that Armin would be able to lure her towards the capture point, where Captain Hange and a few more other soldiers were waiting, I told Mikasa that we should regroup as I began to make my way toward the wall. 

My heart continued to pound so loudly that I was afraid Mikasa might notice the anxiety that was leaking within my body. So, when she lowered herself where the capture would take place, I continued pulling myself towards the wall, ignoring Mikasa's calls.

"Are you sure?" The commander's voice two nights ago resonated within my head as I recall our conversation after telling him my first favor.

"Yes, that's why I request for another plan to be added." I jumped on the roof and maneuvered myself towards my next station, remembering the next words that I spoke. "Just in case Annie could harden herself like what she does in her titan form, please let me engage." 

Captain Levi scoffs, claiming both of our attention. "And what? Talk with the killing machine? Are you planning to die early, brat?" 

Remembering such a rude yet refreshing line almost made me chuckle as I finally landed on the roof, where I would patiently wait for their arrival. 

I whispered my next words as they overlapped with my memory. "I have some information about her, one she can't ignore." 

Finally, from a far-off distance, screams of men echoed within the wall, a sign that they had failed to capture the female titan once more. They don't need me; Mina Carolina is supposed to be dead anyway. So, as inhumane as I could be, I simply stood my ground and watched as another light struck the ground, signifying the arrival of another titan.

That day, humanity remembered the terror of being ruled by them. They remembered the humiliation of being kept in a cage. They remembered the horrors that the world had brought upon humanity. 

But more than the world, isn't it the devil? 

The ground shook as two titans clashed for dominancy. Screams of terror echoed in every direction as countless lives have been taken. I could only narrow my eyes as I continued to watch them from a distance, observing how their bodies would move as they destroyed some of the buildings that they passed through, killing a few people in the process. 

But those few eventually became more as a huge number of deaths took place.

Their fight went on for a couple of minutes, and the Survey Corps couldn't even join in the fray. It was a clash of two titans, and as fragile beings, we could easily die if we carelessly attacked as well. 

"What a sight," I whisper as my gaze wanders off to every casualty that has been caused by this fight. Broken buildings, loss of lives, there's even a fire forming in some of the houses. A humid air passes by as the sound of my chuckle has been swept as well. "And in the end, they won't be able to capture her. Doesn't it make you laugh, Ymir?" 

And in addition to that, isn't it about time for the other variable to happen? Well, it's not like I can travel to Wall Rose instantly. Maybe someday, I can ask for Connie's forgiveness.

To overcome a monster, you must be willing to throw aside your humanity. Hearing those words from Armin made me realize how cruel this world truly is towards my parents. However, even if we do throw our humanity away, the fact that we remain as humans has not changed. 

That's why… I gripped the hand grip of my weapon before taking a deep breath, like how Petra had taught me. Change must happen. 

This time, I will stand by his side, up to the very end. 

Then, the ground shook even more as I finally saw their figures on the ground. As expected, Eren is enraged. Even from a distance, I can see how Annie's eyes widened from his sudden change of offense. 

It must be terrifying. Seeing such a creature like that with its mind set on killing you must be scary, right, Annie? 

I smirked as I continued to watch her squirm away from Eren's grip, one that she successfully failed to accomplish as Eren tightened his grip on her face, instantly destroying it. Blood gushes out as the monster within Eren continues to rampage within this side of the wall, completely devouring the female titan.

Annie screams, desperate to be set free. With one last kick, she immediately dashed toward the wall in an attempt to flee.

It's time.

I jumped off the roof that I was occupying and slowly made my way toward a spot where the attack titan would attempt to devour the female titan. The humid air that I earlier felt became hot due to the immense heat that the two Titans were releasing. 

Eren tried to grab her, but Annie was desperate. Seeing her like that almost made me laugh, remembering how she mercilessly killed hundreds of soldiers during the expedition. 

As a combined effort, Mikasa also made her way up as she cut Annie's fingers away. 

I whispered just as my eyes gleamed from satisfaction, "Fall, Annie." 

And just when she did, Eren immediately tore her hand as it flew towards where the commander was standing. When our eyes met, I hummed. 

Just when Eren finally bit a part of her nape, revealing an unconscious Annie, I wasted no second and immediately climbed up her head and proceeded to pull her body away. Her titan flesh burned my hand, and the voices of the other soldiers calling out to me were something I ignored as well. I couldn't care less about that right now.

At any second, Annie's crystallization process would begin as a bright blue light radiated from her lower body. If I were a second too late to pull her, the hardening that came from the titan shell would have reached her human body. 

Luckily, even if my skin was starting to gush out blood, I successfully pulled her out just when Captain Levi came in to take Eren's body as well. Steam began to emerge out of their titan shells, one that I took advantage of using.

"Don't eat a valuable witness, you idiot." He whispers just enough for me to hear.

To hide the fact that I successfully pulled her body, I pushed us even further between the two titans, hoping for the steam to give us the protection that we'd need. Seeing that Annie was still asleep, I lifted my blade and stabbed her shoulder deep enough for her to finally open her eyes just when I too, opened my mouth to speak. 

"Warrior," I tell her, noticing how her eyes widened from the sudden revelation. Seeing such a reaction, however, made me smile. "If you dare continue your hardening, I will make it my priority to behead your father."

*****