Half a month after the war against the Allied Forces began, the first nuclear bomb was completed.
Gale stepped out of the research laboratory and looked up at the sky.
Since the beginning of the war, the sky had not been blue for a single day; the place was no longer peaceful. Every day was filled with the sound of artillery fire and the constant roar of aircraft engines.
The Allied Forces were unable to land on that stretch of land, and those who did were crushed by the Titans; they could not reach the nuclear industrial zone.
The intelligent Titans capable of fighting remained here: the Armored Titan, the Jaw Titan, the Colossal Titan, and even Gale himself, the War Hammer Titan, were stationed in this area.
But they had no opportunity to act; the battle line remained at sea. The Allied Forces seemed to realize that this route was impassable and chose to change course.
Paradis Island did not choose to pursue them recklessly; the territory outside the Walls was irrelevant to them, and besides, their objective was not to kill, but to seek peace.
Gale had not built nuclear bombs to kill people; he simply did not want to see so many lives lost, much less witness the Rumbling massacre humanity.
The soldiers charging across the battlefield were nothing more than pawns of politicians. The essence of this war was nothing more than the son of one mother being ordered to kill the son of another mother on the battlefield.
As long as the Allied Forces did not approach the nuclear industrial zone, Paradis Island would not actively provoke a massacre.
Yes, a massacre.
In a direct confrontation, the Allied Forces were no match for the army of Paradis Island; the gap between the two sides was overwhelming. With its air superiority, Paradis Island held absolute control over naval warfare.
Yet despite this enormous disparity, the war did not stop. Thousands of soldiers continued to suffer painful and cruel deaths under the orders of their rulers.
According to intelligence reports, the possibility of withdrawing the overseas forces was already being considered.
However, those who advocated for peace had been assassinated, while those who supported the war remained steadfast in their decision to send soldiers to Paradis Island, even going so far as to proclaim the slogan, "Fight the devil to the death."
Although some knew the war was probably already lost, many more believed they could achieve victory through their numerical superiority and were convinced they would prevail.
The soldiers believed they were protecting world peace and fighting against evil.
Gale felt profound sorrow, fully aware of everything yet unable to prevent those deaths that would accomplish nothing for the world. That night, Erwin came to the meeting room to see him.
"The first nuclear bomb is ready," Gale said in a cold tone as he sat across from Erwin. "Although it hasn't been tested yet, it should work."
"Oh, really?" Erwin looked exhausted from his journey. "Are we about to bring this war to an end?"
"The second and third bombs will take another two months," Gale sighed wearily. "If only one explodes, the war may not end."
"Where do you think the first one should be dropped?" Erwin asked, hoping to find an answer to the question that had kept him awake night after night.
"I don't know." Gale shook his head. Making such a decision lightly would mean having no regard for human life. "Commander Erwin, I'm sorry, but this difficult decision is yours. You decide where the first nuclear bomb will be dropped."
"Although our casualties are low compared to those of the Allied Forces, hundreds of our people have died over the past two weeks," Erwin said, looking utterly exhausted.
These casualties had not occurred on the main battlefield, but primarily on the flanks, in skirmishes against Allied troops landing on Paradis Island through the wilderness.
The number of Allied dead may already have reached tens of thousands.
Erwin took no satisfaction in this; those tens of thousands had died under his command.
Even so, such horrific losses failed to stop the enemy's advance. Under the orders of politicians, soldiers continued charging forward, one after another, toward their deaths.
There had once been a time, when the Survey Corps still fought against the Titans, when they dreamed of a world without Titans—a truly wonderful world.
But reality had repeatedly proven otherwise.
Those who had lived within the Walls had, to one degree or another, asked themselves: what if there were no humans outside the Walls?
Once the human population exceeds one, conflict becomes inevitable.
Erwin remained deep in thought for a long time. Even as he pondered, the rifle fire and artillery outside never ceased.
Even after nightfall, the night sky was still clearly stained red by the flames.
"Marley."
Erwin made his decision without further hesitation.
He uttered only a single word, yet the capital of Marley had a permanent population of more than one million people.
They were all human beings—children, women, the elderly—and among them were countless innocent people.
"If we drop a bomb on Marley... perhaps one will be enough to make them surrender," Erwin said, believing that if he erased one stain from the map, the war could come to an end.
Even Erwin, known as the "devil" who would stop at nothing to achieve his goals, hesitated.
His tone was uncertain; his words could bring about the deaths of hundreds of thousands of people, the complete destruction of a historic city, leaving it uninhabitable for centuries.
He did not know whether his decision was the right one. He desperately wanted to understand the rulers of the enemy nation, yet he knew perfectly well that even if they were standing before him now, it would only lead to an endless conflict.
Only when one side had been wiped out would there be silence.
"Issue the final warning to the Allied Forces." Erwin took a deep breath and turned to his right-hand man to give the order. "If they still refuse to withdraw, we will drop the first nuclear bomb on Marley."
Exhaustion was evident in Gale's eyes. He pressed his lips together, let out a deep sigh, and replied,
"Very well. We'll prepare the attack."