A/N: Hello, readers! Welcome to another chapter! Enjoy!

edited march 4th, 2022 @ 12:00pm

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𝓒𝙷𝙰𝙿𝚃𝙴𝚁 𝚃𝙷𝙸𝚁𝚃𝚈,
𝓡𝙴𝙿𝙻𝚈.

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THE LEVI SQUAD WERE READING a piece of paper as they all had shocked and confused looks on their faces.

"And there you have it. The coup d'état was successful. Premier Zachary has control of the capital and administrative district. For the time being, the nobility hasn't rebelled." Hange explained.

"What about the Boss Reeves incident?" Armin questioned.

"We got a confession that proved the charges unfounded. His son Flegel really pulled through big time. Just like it's written right there, it shows the charges were bogus, they abused their power, and that King Fritz was a total fake. All our actions were justified self-defense." Hange answered. "In other words, we're free people now."

The 104th all looked at each other before they cheered in joy.

"No... This can't be..." The man from the Military Police from earlier said with disbelief while looking at them.

"Looks like the gamble paid off." Levi commented.

"Yeah. It wasn't just Erwin though. The lone choices of many managed to change the world." Hange stated.

"And I managed to kill the three people you loaned me. I'm sorry." Levi told Hange as Simon frowned.

"The thing is, part of the Interior Police, their leader, Eren, and Historia are somewhere else. If we don't find them soon..." Levi trailed off.

"I may have a clue about that." Hange informed, holding a book. "Let's get there and put an end to this battle."

As a result of Erwin's actions, it was declared that the current regime would be ousted. That announcement came immediately after the military gained control of the capital and administrative district. And took place upon the gallows constructed specifically for him.

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Hange, Moblit, and the rest of the Levi Squad were riding their horses on the way to the Reiss Chapel where Eren and Historia were located.

"Hange-san. You might know where they are?" Mikasa questioned.

"Yeah, I'll explain. Erwin gave me this Scout investigation report regarding Lord Reiss' land. Most of it has to do with an incident five years ago that shook up the Reiss family." Hange explained.

"Five years ago?" Armin asked.

"Right. On the day Wall Maria was breached. I'll summarize the important bits from the beginning." Hange replied. "As the lord of his territory, popular opinion of Rod Reiss wasn't all that bad. He had five children, and his eldest daughter Frieda was a down-to-earth girl that even the peasants adored. But that night, five years ago, disaster struck. With the world having plunged into pure chaos, some bandits raided and set fire to the only chapel around. Unfortunately, that night, the entire Reiss family was there praying together. And so, the whole family, save for the head of the house, Rod Reiss... was massacred that night by the bandits."

"To top it off, this incident occurred just a few days before Historia's mother was killed by the Interior Police. In other words, immediately after losing his family, Rod Reiss sought out Historia. There must be a reason he and his lackeys are after Historia." Hange finished.

"The same bloodline? Is there some secret to their blood?" Levi questioned.

"I don't know for sure yet. But what really makes me curious is that parts of the chapel are completely wrecked. The chapel itself is stone. It would take tons of time and effort to destroy it. Bandits would take what they can and make a quick escape. Plus, the only one who saw those bandits was Rod Reiss himself. Soon after, he used his own fortune to rebuild the chapel. But why?" Hange asked as everyone looked at them.

"If you think about it, it's actually stranger that there were no traces of Titans. Even if I am jumping to conclusions, something this suspicious deserves us checking it out." They informed.

"Before the night is over, we'll have soldiers all over Reiss' land. Unfortunately, I doubt he'll be waiting that long. If we don't hurry and get there, Eren may end up being eaten." Hange stated.

Josiah was lost in his own thoughts, thinking back to what the man earlier had said before.

"I-I don't know! I'm not allowed to know! Kenny Ackerman and Treyton Verlice are both very cautious men!"

"Treyton... Verlice? That's my last name." Josiah thought as he quietly gasped. "Could it be...?"

"It couldn't possibly be Dad, can it?"

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"Understand? He's Kenny the Ripper. If he's there, he'll be our biggest obstacle. In terms of how much of a threat he is, equate him to me as an enemy." Levi said as he paused for a moment. "No... With those weapons of his, he's deadlier than me."

"Then he's unbeatable, at least for us..." Sasha commented.

"If we could meet up with the troops—" Connie began.

"Absolutely not." Both Josiah and Mikasa interrupted.

"I know, absolutely not!" Connie quickly replied. "If we wait until morning, Eren might end up getting eaten!"

"Though, if what the captain said is true, it's not like he has no weak points." Armin pointed out.

"For real, Armin?" Jean questioned.

"Yeah, I'm sure he's trained plenty, but having combat experience is something else." Armin responded.

"I wonder, how is it that you lived with Kenny the Ripper but know almost nothing about him, Levi?" Hange asked.

"Sorry, but I only found out his full name not too long ago. Apparently, it's Kenny Ackerman." Levi responded before turning to Mikasa. "He some relative of yours?"

"I heard from my parents when they were alive that my dad's side, the Ackermans, were persecuted in the cities. My mom's family was Oriental, so being a different race meant they didn't fit in anywhere. Both were people chased deep in the mountains near the edge of the walls, so that's how they met and married. But I never found out why the Ackermans were persecuted. My dad didn't seem like a different race like my mom was." Mikasa explained.

"Has there ever been a moment where it's felt like power suddenly awakened inside you?" Levi asked.

"There has." Mikasa answered, remembering the time when she almost got sold as a sex slave.

Levi was quiet for a moment. "Kenny Ackerman had a moment like that, too. One time, out of nowhere, he felt an absurd amount of strength surging within him and he knew exactly what he had to do. I've felt moments like that, too." He said.

"I couldn't help but notice..." Levi then glanced over to Josiah. "That the man also mentioned a Treyton Verlice. Know anything?"

Hange and Mikasa looked over towards the brunette. "I think... he's my father." Josiah replied. "I don't really know much about the man. The bastard impregnated my mom and took off so I've never met him. Every time I asked about him, my mom would just break down into tears. So eventually, I stopped asking."

"I see." Levi commented as they soon made their way to the Reiss' chapel.

Meanwhile, in the crystal cavern, Treyton was thinking about his late wife, and the time where he was informed that she was pregnant.

A younger Treyton was packing his bag in his shared room with his wife, Sophia. Who was watching him in the doorway.

"Trey..." She called out, making her husband turn around. "Are you leaving?"

"Yeah... I don't know how long I'll be gone for. So don't bother looking for me."

"You can't just leave like this." Sophia teared up as Treyton walked past her. "Trey, I'm pregnant!"

This news made Treyton stop in his tracks as he glanced over at her. "You're lying." He said. "Soph, please tell me you're lying. Don't make this harder than it is on me."

"Would I lie to you about this?"

Treyton scoffed. "That won't change my mind, if that's what you're thinking." He informed. "Why you would want to bring a child into this shit world is beyond me."

"Trey, please! I can't do this on my own!" Sophia begged, now in tears.

"Figure it out yourself, Sophia. I want nothing to do with the brat."

"You seem to be in deep thought." Kenny spoke, walking over to Treyton.

"Just thinking about my son that Sophia gave birth to." He told him. "This will be our first meeting."

"That's right. Your son is on Levi's squad." Kenny stated. "Come to think of it, it's been a while since we found out our family clans are distant relatives with one another, isn't it?"

Treyton hummed. "At least a few years. That's why I had left Sophia." He replied.

"Your son... does he know?"

"About the Verlice clan? No. And I doubt Sophia told him about me." Treyton replied. "Kenny, I have a feeling that this battle will be interesting."

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Levi entered the chapel first, as everyone else followed behind him. They all looked around. "Found it. A hidden door. Eren's gotta be in here with the enemy. Hopefully the layout in there is like I predicted." Hange spoke up.

"These presents better pay off, considering we went out of the way to prepare them." Levi stated.

"All right, we're good to go!" Armin announced.

"Are we?" Levi asked. "Is everyone ready to get their hands dirty, too?"

No one gave him a response. "Guess so." Levi stated.

Josiah thought back to the times where his mother would break down sobbing whenever he asked about who his father was, why he had left them, and more. He clenched his fist in anger.

"That damn bastard. I'm gonna make him wish he never met me!"

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A/N: Another chapter is completed! Thanks for reading!

Word Count: 1677 words.