Boom!
Boom!
Boom!
The Great Hammer mounted on Wall Maria rumbled to life.
It struck once every five minutes on average, smashing Titans to pieces.
This was Roger's first time observing up close the instant a Titan was pulped by the hammer.
He stood atop the Wall; each time it fell, he could see the mist of blood spray and the head fly off as the neck snapped.
He had to admit—it was a terrific invention.
When he ordered his people to look into the hammer's inventor, the name they brought back didn't surprise him.
Inventor—Hange Zoe.
Roger knew her.
He still wasn't sure whether she was a man or a woman, but from his perspective Hange should be a woman—and the wild, unhinged kind at that.
If she were twisted about people, that'd be one thing. But she was obsessed with Titans—obsessed to a perverse degree.
Who knew what had pushed her that way. Roger figured it wasn't any kind of pleasant memory.
He'd had that kind of push himself, and came away with a strange kink—enjoying the torment of bad men.
Inside the Walls, that itch had flared once—when he killed Red Eye—and hadn't really flared again.
To him, the people within the Walls—aside from a few nobles who bullied the weak—were almost all good people, or good people forced to oppose him.
He had no urge to torment good people. But if he ran into scum, that changed.
He wasn't particularly imaginative—nothing like Premier Zackly and his "out-there" extreme penalty for nobles, hanging them upside down, making them defecate with their mouths and eat with their anuses.
He had other, better ways.
Punishments some slavers used on their slaves—things he'd read about in books.
Back in the Eldian kingdom, when the king dealt with those who defied him, he would rip out their tongues and gouge out one eye.
Roger wouldn't copy it exactly, but he would "take" a few things.
Not fatal—but excruciating.
Thanks to the Great Hammer, Roger's Scorpion Group and the Survey Corps found their Titan-clearing work within the Walls far less grueling.
They hunted Titans day and night. The cost was heavy, but the numbers kept plunging.
At last, a few weeks later, the number of Titans within Wall Maria fell to zero.
People started planning to establish homes inside Wall Maria again.
To ease fears that the Wall might be breached once more, the new government inside the Walls offered generous benefits and privileges.
At first, folks still worried and hesitated—until the moment the Scorpion Group and the Survey Corps posted their respective kill counts.
They saw the Survey Corps had slain 670 Titans.
And the Scorpion Group had slain 2,444.
"So the Scorpion Group's the real deal!"
"That Roger guy isn't half bad."
"Nice! Long live the Scorpion Group!!"
"Sign me up! No regrets joining the Scorpion for life!!"
"I'm enlisting—I heard every soldier in the Scorpion Group eats like a noble!"
"Seriously!? I'm in!!"
Criticism of Roger inside the Walls dropped off sharply; more and more chose to enlist in the Scorpion Group.
On the Wall, Roger looked over at Erwin, who'd been standing there a long time.
"You lost."
Roger walked over and said it to him.
Erwin still gazed into the distance. After a long pause, he finally spoke.
"Once, my father tried to prove where Titans came from—to prove people existed outside the Walls. He was killed, for reasons unknown.
"Now that you're here, Roger, my father's thoughts have been vindicated.
"He was right.
"What I've chased my whole life—what I've sought my whole life—was this answer.
"For it, I was selfish. I sacrificed far too many, rousing them to die all for the truth I most wanted.
"Now, it's time.
"Let humanity choose for itself.
"Whether to offer their hearts, or spread the Wings of Freedom."
Roger frowned.
"What do you mean?" he asked.
"Just what I said," Erwin replied. "There must never be infighting within the Walls—never strife. Years ago, I chose not to trust you, and countless brave souls died for it. They stab at my heart day and night—and they've pushed me to this decision."
He turned and moved past Roger.
"What?" Roger turned to Erwin's back.
"This morning, I resigned as Commander of the Survey Corps. When the time is right, I'll return—but not now," Erwin said, walking farther away. "I'll keep my eyes on you, Roger."
"You trust me that much? Not afraid I'll stage a coup?"
"If you meant to, would you really have waited until now?" Erwin called back, and descended the ladder.
Roger stood alone atop the Wall, watching Erwin vanish from sight.
Tours zipped up on ODM gear from who knew where.
Roger started—he hadn't noticed him at all.
"I heard everything," Tours said bluntly. "Erwin conceded. We won, boss! From now on, what we say goes inside the Walls! As for the Survey Corps' leftover rabble, if they don't like it, we beat them!"
"Mm… that's secondary. Question: how'd you slip past me without me noticing?" Roger asked, curious.
"Stealth," Tours grinned. "You taught me, boss. I've kept practicing—while eating, while sleeping. Now I even slip into stealth just walking around. I 'pop up' and scare folks all the time."
"So that's it…"
Roger nodded. He'd only taught it offhand, but hadn't expected Tours to grind the skill so hard.
A teachable kid.
Before Roger could praise him—
Tours' pupils blew wide; shock froze his face.
"Boss, that—"
He pointed past Roger, toward the sky behind him.
Roger turned.
An airship had broken through the clouds and was gliding in, suspended in midair!
Within the Walls, almost everyone saw it. They screamed and shouted "monster bird," bewildered.
"So you've finally come…"
Roger murmured, clenching his fists.
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