On this day, several aircraft once again dropped leaflets around the world.
The Declaration of Shiganshina
In the name of the people of Paradis Island and the millions of citizens represented by the New Isfar Alliance, this Declaration of Shiganshina is proclaimed as the only path to end the conflict consuming the world.
The Supreme Commander of the Legion of Paradis Island and the legitimate representatives of the New Isfar Alliance, acting on behalf of their peoples, extend to the World Alliance one final opportunity to end this war through reason and peace. The time has come for the nations of the world to decide their destiny: to continue under the command of those military leaders whose arrogance and ambition have brought them to the brink of total destruction, or to abandon that path and embrace a new era of understanding.
III. The conditions set forth herein constitute the unwavering will of the people of Paradis Island. They shall neither be amended nor replaced by any other proposal.
Every regime, authority, or institution responsible for deceiving its people, fostering hatred, and promoting the conquest of Paradis Island shall be permanently dismantled so that it may never again threaten world peace. The sovereignty, independence, and territorial integrity of Paradis Island are sacred and inviolable. All military forces of the World Alliance must immediately withdraw to their respective territories and forever renounce any act of aggression against Paradis. Once the complete disarmament of the Allied forces has been carried out, their soldiers shall be allowed to return home with the guarantee of living and working in peace. The nations that accept this declaration shall permanently renounce any ambition of domination or hegemony over other peoples.
VII. Paradis Island does not seek to conquer, enslave, or destroy any nation. However, all those responsible for war crimes, genocide, and acts of aggression shall answer before an international tribunal and be judged in accordance with justice.
VIII. Paradis Island declares its willingness to establish a lasting alliance among all the nations of the world, founded upon sovereign equality, mutual respect, cooperation, and the peaceful resolution of conflicts. All differences must be resolved through dialogue and the free will of the people.
Once the foregoing conditions have been fulfilled and a responsible international order has been established, supported by governments chosen by the will of their citizens and committed to peace, the Legion of Paradis Island swears never to initiate a war of aggression. Paradis Island demands that the Government of the World Alliance immediately announce the unconditional surrender of all its armed forces and provide unequivocal guarantees of compliance. Should this demand be rejected or ignored, Paradis Island will respond with the full force of its military power until the complete destruction of all forces that persist in this war has been achieved.
"Let this declaration be known to all nations. Peace can still be achieved through the will of mankind; otherwise, the judgment of history shall be decided on the battlefield." Those words were written by Gale, who had created a world-annihilating weapon that would become known as the most destructive weapon ever created, surpassing the Titans by millions of times.
This was an outright threat, and the pro-war faction became even more enraged upon reading it.
They had no intention of accepting a truce and accelerated the war even further.
Then, the aircraft carrying the first nuclear bomb took off from Shiganshina Airport.
The pilot in command of the flight was Kenny Ackerman, while the launch was entrusted to Hannes, Hange, and Gale himself, who would ensure that everything went according to plan.
This was the world's first nuclear bomb, never before tested. Gale, as the world's foremost expert on nuclear weapons, boarded the aircraft and gazed upon the magnificent ancient capital of Marley.
"Is that the Allied Forces' camp?" Gale murmured as he peered through a small round window at the military camp in Marley's capital.
The Middle East Allied Forces controlled Marley's capital, benefiting greatly from it.
The people in the capital looked up at the sky, assuming that, just as before, the aircraft were dropping leaflets.
Willy, seated in his office communicating with Magath at the front via telegram, also looked out the window.
He sent a telegram: "On August 8th, Paradis Island has once again dispatched aircraft over Marley, possibly carrying the Colossal Titan."
Willy sensed danger. Paradis Island had yet to deploy the Colossal Titan; if they dropped it there, he might die.
However, even if it were only a Colossal Titan, the Allied Forces would not withdraw.
Many of their troops had already been deployed to the front; how could they retreat because of a single Colossal Titan?
At that moment, many soldiers had already landed on Paradis Island from the rear and the flanks.
They discovered that Paradis Island was defended in only one direction, leaving the rest virtually unprotected.
This was the disadvantage of having fewer troops; while concentrated forces could be formidable with advanced weaponry, dispersed forces might not even be able to establish an effective battle line.
The walls were not indestructible; once they reached the rear, they could simply blow them apart with explosives and attack the interior of Paradis Island.
The Founding Titan would undoubtedly respond.
A response would reveal clues that would allow the Allied Forces to assassinate the Founding Titan and achieve victory.
This was the main reason why the pro-war faction refused to abandon the war; they believed that killing the Founding Titan would lead to Paradis Island's defeat.
The aircraft climbed to an altitude of six thousand meters, and Kenny looked down, feeling an unsettling sense of unease.
His instincts deeply disturbed him.
But his only task that day was to pilot the aircraft. His Ackerman physique allowed him to fly for more than thirty hours and still remain full of energy.
As they departed, they crossed over the naval front, and to be honest, even he felt a chill run down his spine.
In such a scene, a single human being was utterly insignificant.
It was hell, a nightmare; life had become a joke, and people with emotions were nothing more than numbers on the battlefield.
He heard the bells; Marley's bell tower was ringing.
The long, drawn-out chimes echoed throughout the city and reached the heavens.
Clang, clang, clang.
Gale and Hange exchanged a glance and unlocked the nuclear missile's mounting bracket.
Between the tolling bells, Gale instructed Hannes to open the lower compartment beneath the mounting bracket; directly below the nuclear missile lay the capital of Marley.
A fierce wind lashed against Gale's face. Without a radio, they had to deploy the bomb manually.
At present, the only way to arm the nuclear missile was to use the War Hammer crystal to pierce the missile's locking mechanism and activate the timer.
After rigorous and precise calculations, the missile would detonate in midair, maximizing its destructive power.
Gale nodded, his right hand covered by the crystal.
He pressed the nuclear bomb's lock, and crystalline material seeped inside through the opening.
At the same time, his right hand rested on the mounting bracket, a mechanism that required the combined strength of three people to release.
"Three..."
"Two..."
"One..."
As the count reached one, Gale activated the detonation timer, and the three of them pressed the mounting bracket's release switch, a procedure they had practiced thousands of times over the past few days.
Freed from its restraints, the nuclear bomb fell under the force of gravity.
The people of Marley looked up and saw a tiny black dot falling from the aircraft from Paradis Island.
The bells continued to ring. Willy stood up and leaned halfway out the window.
He saw the black object and frowned. Just as he wondered what it was, an intense flash of light and heat erupted.
It was an instantaneous reaction; no living being had time to think.
Everything at the center was vaporized by the terrifying temperature.
Even the aircraft flying high in the sky trembled from the shockwave. At that instant, Kenny was blinded by the blinding light.
He did not hear the explosion; he only felt death chasing after him.
Seconds later, he heard a deafening blast.
He looked back and saw a black cloud rising from the earth, with flames engulfing everything.
The aircraft had escaped over the sea before the nuclear explosion, but it was still violently shaken by the shockwave, showing signs of crashing.
Gale immediately used the power of his War Hammer Titan, pressing his hands against the fuselage and using hardened material to reinforce the tail and wings.
He stared at Marley's capital, which had now become a living hell.
"I am become Death," Gale murmured, feeling the same thing that Robert Oppenheimer had once felt.