Chapter 76: Eren, Make a Contract With Me and Become a Magical Girl! (First Playthrough)
Shiganshina District.
Upon the scorched earth, the dark red glow of the setting sun painted the broken walls and collapsed rooftops.
The battle had just ended. Or rather, it had paused.
Not long ago, a desperate cry had torn through the sky.
"Soldiers, rage!"
"Soldiers, scream!"
"Soldiers, TATAKAE (FIGHT)!!!"
Commander Erwin Smith's voice was hoarse, yet it carried a power that pierced through everything. He had given up his own dream, using the final speech of his life to ignite the courage of the new recruits to charge to their deaths.
"TATAKAE—!!!!"
The young members of the Survey Corps charged toward the Beast Titan's relentless barrage of crushed rock, a final, desperate charge like moths to a flame. Smoke, screams, and torn flesh filled the air. It was hell.
And on the other side, Levi Ackerman used the sacrifice of his commander and comrades to close in on his target. The steel wires of his ODM gear carved a path of death through the Titans until he was face-to-face with the Beast Titan.
A flash of blades. Spin, slice, and spin again. All his rage and hatred were focused on the edge of his swords.
"You looked like you were having fun—"
His cold voice was accompanied by the wet thud of giant flesh being severed. The Beast Titan's colossal body collapsed under the full force of Levi's fury.
But it wasn't dead. It was even rescued by the Cart Titan.
Farther away, the mountain-like body of the Colossal Titan released a devastating blast of steam. The heat distorted the air. Armin Arlert's small figure was being scorched. The flames consumed his cloak, his skin, his very flesh, his charred body curling in the intense heat.
"Eren… I'm counting on you…" His final thought dissipated in the inferno.
…
A pure white creature sat on the roof of a half-collapsed house in the distance. Its red eyes calmly observed everything that was happening. The tragic charge. The ultimate rage. The resolute sacrifice. And the emotional energy, so thick it was practically overflowing.
It was truly… a magnificent performance.
The battle was over. Wall Maria had, in theory, been reclaimed.
But at what cost?
The ground was littered with corpses. Familiar faces and new faces alike were now just cold, dismembered limbs. The Survey Corps had been almost completely wiped out.
The setting sun was the color of blood.
On the rooftops, only a handful of survivors remained.
Eren Jaeger was on his knees, cradling a charred body that was barely recognizable as human. It was Armin. His best friend. His breathing was faint, and he could be gone at any moment.
"Armin… Armin!!" Eren kept calling to the burnt figure in his arms. "Armin's still breathing!!! Levi, hurry up and give him the injection!!!"
Not far away, Levi Ackerman hesitated. Just then, a stumbling figure scrambled onto the roof. It was Floch, the only new recruit to have survived the suicide charge. He was carrying Erwin's body. A hole had been punched through his abdomen, his organs were ruptured, and his life was fading fast. But he, too, could still be saved.
In his hand, Levi clutched a metal case. Inside was the single, remaining vial of Titan serum.
Who to save?
Levi had already made his decision. "I'm using this injection on Erwin."
"Didn't you just say you were giving it to Armin?"
"I'm choosing to save the one who will save humanity."
"Eren, cast aside your personal feelings."
"The one who will save humanity isn't me, and it isn't the Commander," Eren pleaded, his voice cracking. "It's Armin!"
As the two faced off, Floch's eyes burned with a near-maniacal obsession. "The only one who can save humanity is Commander Erwin! To destroy the Titans, you need a devil! Let the devil be revived! That is my mission!!!"
His words struck Levi's frayed nerves, and the already shattered hearts of the few survivors, like a hammer blow. Time seemed to freeze.
At this pinnacle of despair and pain, a voice, sudden yet clear, echoed in the minds of both Eren and Levi.
[Do you want to save him?]
The voice was sweet and childlike, yet unnervingly calm.
Eren's head snapped up, his bloodshot eyes scanning the area. "Who?! Who's there?!"
Levi's brow furrowed, his hand tightening instinctively on the hilt of his blade.
A white creature had appeared on the edge of the rooftop. It sat there, watching them placidly. It was so clean, so out of place amidst the blood and ruin, that it was downright bizarre.
"What… are you?" Eren's voice was hoarse, filled with hostility toward this unknown being.
[I am Kyubey,] the voice said in his mind. [But that is not important. What is important is that I can grant your wish.]
It looked at the charred Armin in Eren's arms.
[For example, you could wish for him to live.]
Then it looked at the dying Erwin before Levi.
[Or for him to be restored to his former self.]
Grant a wish?
The hearts of both Eren and Levi skipped a beat. It was absurd. A trick? Reason told them it was a hallucination, or a ploy by the enemy.
But—
Eren looked at the fading life in Armin's body. He looked at the single syringe in Levi's hand, which he refused to give up. There was only one choice… a cruel choice… Armin… Commander Erwin… Why… why did it have to be like this…
If there's even a one-in-ten-thousand chance… as long as it brings Armin back!
Kyubey looked at Eren. "It seems you've made your choice."
"Eren, make a contract with me and become a Magical Girl!"
"So, what is your wish?"
"Let Armin live!" Eren shouted at Kyubey, not understanding what a "Magical Girl" was. "MAKE HIM LIVE!!!!"
He couldn't lose Armin. He absolutely couldn't.
"The contract is made," Kyubey's voice stated, as flat as ever.
The next second, a soft light erupted from within Eren's body.
The light shone!!!
The light roared!!!
His dark green cloak remained, but the clothes beneath it transformed into… a dark brown dress? It incorporated leather belts and straps, and bore the "Wings of Freedom" emblem of the Survey Corps. The skirt was pleated for ease of movement and cleverly integrated with the straps of his ODM gear. The intense visual contrast was a shock to everyone present.
But even more shocking was the source of the light. An emerald-green gem materialized on his finger. It was clear and translucent, radiating a soft glow, as if brimming with life.
A Soul Gem.
At the same time, the wounds on Armin's charred body began to heal at a visible rate. The carbonized skin flaked away, revealing new flesh beneath. His faint breathing became steady and strong. Though he had not yet woken up, the vibrant signs of life were an undeniable declaration that he had survived.
[Non-Human Chat Group]
SpongeBob SquarePants: WHOA!! The charcoal boy is alive!!! Wait! Doesn't that mean he's gonna turn into a Witch eventually?!!!
Squidward: [Covering_face_with_a_tentacle.jpg] Oh, please… not more of this flashy magic and stupid dresses… Are you saying you wanted either the charcoal boy or the other guy to die?
SpongeBob SquarePants: I… I'm not— I didn't mean—
Squidward: If you didn't, then be quiet! You're so loud!!!
Meanwhile, Tom Cat was still running his boring sleeping-livestream in the Conan world.
…
Eren reached out a trembling hand, touching Armin's cheek in disbelief. "A-Armin…"
A miracle… had really happened.