Chapter 151: Multiple Playthroughs — The Destruction of Marley Arc!
The process of awakening was like tearing open a wound. Eren felt his soul being rubbed raw by coarse rope, carrying the bloody smell and exhaustion accumulated from every loop. The sun hung high, blindingly bright. He knew he had returned to the beginning. And time would push him forward again into this cycle laden with painful memories.
Hope had been ground down to nothing, leaving only a near-pathological obsession.
He had no time to dwell on his failed attempts. Countless failures had blurred the lessons of the past. It felt like a deadlock. Every effort was like plugging a hole in a sinking ship, only to find more cracks appearing instantly.
Every loop made him stronger than the last. This time, he was confident he could destroy Marley single-handedly.
If all the people of Marley just disappeared, would the ending be better?
Last time, he tried negotiation and peace. It was useless. He decided not to fix anything this time. He would destroy Marley completely. He no longer believed in any form of repair or reform.
A few days later.
Liberio Internment Zone.
A gathering place for millions, the military and political heart of Marley, vanished from the map in a single day.
There were very few witnesses who survived on the outskirts of the city. And there were blurry images captured by other nations. These described an incomprehensible scene: beams of emerald-green light raining from the sky, disintegrating buildings and life alike. The entire process lasted only a few hours.
Terror. Absolute terror.
The destruction of Marley spread like the most virulent plague across the world, carried by the incoherent sobs of survivors, blurry but real footage, and fragmented information brought back by intelligence agencies. A powerful nation, possessing advanced technology and a huge population, was just gone.
Every nation realized this was not a war. This was a one-sided slaughter.
"The Devil of Paradis has returned."
"The devil who enslaved the world for two thousand years has returned."
He became the veritable "Enemy of Humanity." He became the modern incarnation of King Fritz, who had enslaved the world for 2,000 years. Every country feared they would be the next Liberio. Terror swept every corner.
But it also paralyzed them. For now.
And Eren. Although he showed no malice toward other nations, because of his strength, the Eldians began to stand tall. Some even started to become arrogant and domineering. Trapped within the Walls by Titans for so long, and now backed by Eren's might, the once-persecuted Eldians transformed into the new oppressors. It was as if they wanted to vent years of resentment.
Although the situation wasn't that severe yet, because of past history and the current reaction of the Eldians, everyone felt that the day the Eldians enslaved the world again was not far off.
After all, they didn't consider these monsters, who could turn into Titans at any moment, to be the same species as themselves. It was like interspecies competition for living space, resources, and food, directly or indirectly suppressing the other. In such competition, one side usually gains the advantage, while the other is suppressed or even exterminated. And this time, they didn't know if another King would be benevolent enough to cut off his own arm to save them.
Under the fear of repeating history at any moment, under the fear of being enslaved by Eldians for another thousand years…
Kyubey appeared.
The leaders of various nations, who should have been suspicious of Kyubey and wary of magical power, abandoned their hesitation. Driven by the instinct for survival, the small white creature once again became the embodiment of hope.
Long lines formed in front of Kyubey's "office." Representatives of nations that had once been enemies and plotted against each other now pleaded with the symbol of hope, "Kyubey," with similar fear and humility, asking for a contract. They no longer bargained, no longer cared about the price. They only needed power—power to resist being enslaved for another millennium.
Kyubey sat there quietly, its inorganic eyes observing everything. It calmly fulfilled the needs of these "clients," watching the contracts spread across the globe at an unprecedented speed. Magical power transformed overnight from a secret weapon into an "international necessity."
"Defend human civilization!"
"Crusade against the world-destroying devil!"
"We must never let the history of Eldians enslaving the world repeat itself!"
Under these banners, some noble, some twisted by fear, a "World Allied Force" composed of Magical Girls from many nations was rapidly formed. They came from different countries, had different skin colors and languages, but they shared a common enemy.
The modern King Fritz! Eren Jaeger! And… all Eldians!
This alliance no longer had the suspicions and divisions of the proxy war; the common existential crisis united them as never before. They possessed a wide variety of magical abilities, combined with the most advanced technology from each nation. Magic amplification devices, energy detectors, weapons designed specifically against magic. This was a super-force truly born to fight Eren.
The World Alliance had only one goal: find Eren, and destroy him.
They gathered all the magical forces willing to contract with Kyubey and join the "righteous cause," and marched towards Eren. Towards Paradis Island.
Paradis Island, the safe haven upon which so much hope had been placed, was teetering on the brink under the siege of the World Alliance. The sky was torn apart by magical lights of all colors, the earth trembling under the exchange of artillery and energy blasts.
The people on the island, who had fantasized about living a life of luxury and dominance once again, instantly fell into hell.
Eren's comrades—Armin, Mikasa, and the Survey Corps members who had once followed him—witnessed Eren's madness. They understood the resentment-filled backlash from the Eldians. And the even more fierce counterattack from the world. They wanted to stop it all. But they could do nothing.
They didn't agree with Eren's method of direct genocide against Marley. They tried to dissuade him, tried to talk to him. But Eren had completely closed his heart, left with only the obsession of another attempt. Now, they were powerless against the hostility of the entire world and the endless waves of magical attacks.
The destruction of Paradis seemed inevitable.
In the ruins of the Paradis command center, a dust-covered Armin and Mikasa stood together, surrounded by scorched earth and death. They watched the magical brilliance constantly erupting in the distant sky, watched the Alliance surge onto the island like a tide. Eren's figure was isolated and helpless, swallowed by countless lights.
Despair drowned them bit by bit. They thought of Kyubey, the small white creature that had appeared in their most desperate moment.
"At least save some people…"
"Maybe… we can give him a release…"
A small white figure flickered in the shadows of the ruins.
Eren felt his power draining away under the relentless attacks of the World Alliance. He was fighting the entire world alone, fighting countless magical powers born because of him. He saw his former comrades standing in the distant crowd with complex expressions. But he no longer had the strength to respond to their pain and resolve.
He had done what he thought was necessary. He destroyed Marley. But the result? It brought even greater chaos and hatred to Paradis, accelerating everyone's end.
Finally, Eren entered the loop once again.