Attack On Titan: Hope

"Eren Lenz," Zachary's sharp tone cut through the room, silencing the murmurs in an instant. All eyes shifted toward him. "You've seen the chaos yourself—there's a mob outside. Some fight for you, others against you."

Eren exhaled, dismissing the faint system screen as he turned his dull, uninterested gaze to Zachary.

"If I let you live, how exactly would you help humanity?" Zachary's voice carried authority, but Eren didn't respond right away. He stared at him, his expression blank.

"If I die," Eren said after a moment, his tone flat, "everyone dies."

Gasps and mutters erupted, disbelief spreading through the room. But Eren didn't flinch.

"Humanity is weak," he continued, unbothered by the growing tension. "Ignorant. Full of cowards hiding in the interior, thinking they're untouchable."

The crowd's whispers turned to angry shouts.

"How dare you! Your Honor, didn't he swear to protect humanity? To give his life for it? Execute hi—."

Eren cut them off, his voice calm and firm.

"Die for all I care, pig. I fight only for those who deserve it." Eren's cold, icy stare shifted to the merchant, his voice cutting through the room like a blade. "What a pain..." he muttered, slowly rising to his feet. In one swift motion, the sound of metal snapping filled the air as he broke the handcuffs binding him.

The broken restraints clattered to the ground, leaving everyone stunned. Eren's hands clenched, the twisted remains of the cuffs falling apart in his grip. "Let me ask you something," he said, his gaze darting to Erwin, then to Zachary. "Ever seen a Titan?"

Gasps rippled through the hall, the weight of his words silencing even the murmurs.

"Shoot him!" Nyle barked, his voice trembling with authority.

"Ereh, watch out!" Mikasa's voice rang out, sharp

The crack of a rifle shot echoed through the chamber.

Sigh

"Eh?" Mikasa's eyes widened in shock as she stood there. Her desperate attempt to save Eren lead him to save her instead. One arm wrapped protectively around her neck, pulling her close. His other hand, raised, bled slowly, crushed bullet fragments falling from his palm.

"Idiot..." he whispered in her ear, his breath steady despite the chaos. "Stop risking your life over me."

Mikasa's lips parted, stunned, as she gazed at him.

"Don't you know how to aim? Give it here!" Nyle shouted, grabbing for the rifle. But before he could act further, Dhalis' hammer struck the table with a deafening crack.

"Order! Order!" Dhalis commanded, his authoritative voice cutting through the commotion.

Eren's grip on Mikasa loosened, and the two stood side by side, her eyes flickering between him and his rapidly healing hand. Steam rose from his palm, the wound vanishing in seconds as if it had never been there.

Eren lifted his hand toward Nyle, his voice calm but laced with disdain. "That's how weak you are."

Silence enveloped the room as Zachery stares at Eren. His thoughts cloudy, he caught a bullet with a damn hand. He's not a normal kid. He's something else. A wrong mistake, and everyone there is done for good. The onlookers won't stop barking, and he could even tell Eren's calm façade was being forced to change into mere annoyance.

Zachery sighed his eyes momentarily shifting at Mikasa who stood beside Eren, anger evident in her eyes.

Zachary, calm but clearly intrigued, leaned forward in his chair, eyeing Mikasa. "And who might you be?" His tone was cold, demanding her identity.

"Mikasa Ackerman" she said sharply, standing her ground. "Eren's.... Partner."

The tension in the room was palpable as the audience shifted their attention to Mikasa. Whispers of confusion and curiosity filled the air. His partner? What could that possibly mean?

"Ackerman do you own a dying wish?" Eren's whispered, wanting her not to make things worse for herself. But Mikasa ignored him, her focus locked on Zachary.

Mikasa's eyes narrowed, the words barely contained behind clenched teeth. "I don't know what's taking you too long to release him. Commander Erwin recounted every single thing he's done for Humanity. If that's not enough then what is? If he wanted to kill us he would've done this long ago. Eren's the only hope humanity has in order to survive." Her voice was seething with emotion, raw and unfiltered.

The courtroom fell into stunned silence. Mikasa's words had hit hard. Even Zachary seemed taken aback for a moment, his expression unreadable as he studied her.

"Eren saved me, Eren saved our comrades, Eren saved thousands of lives living in Trost. He's a human. He's not a monster I know it better than anyone else." Eren kept watching her from the side couldn't help but feel a faint smile tug at his lips as she started to pour her heart in every single word, despite the gravity of the situation. He was in awe of Mikasa's unwavering loyalty and fierce determination.

But the weight of Mikasa's defiance began to settle over the room. Everyone waited for Zachary's response, unsure of how he would react to being so directly challenged.

Just as Zachary opened his mouth to speak, one of the merchants broke the oppressive silence. "Maybe she's the one… Maybe she's with him too."

"Yeah! She admitted it herself—they're partners. It all makes sense," another chimed in, his tone drenched in smugness.

"Dissect her as well, just to be safe," a third merchant added, his voice thick with malice.

The room descended into chaos, whispers and accusations swirling like a storm.

"Fuck you all..." Eren's voice cut through the noise, cold and venomous. His eyes darkened with fury, a silent warning that went ignored. And then, he snapped.

[Activating Skill: Clone 1/3]

[Activating Skill: The Attack Titan]

In an instant, the Attack Titan materialized behind him, emerging from thin air like a ghostly nightmare. Crimson eyes glowed with malice, its sinewy muscles flexing as black hair whipped in the air. Sharp teeth gleamed menacingly as it loomed over the room, casting a shadow of dread on everyone present.

The Titan's gaze locked onto the merchants, the ones who had dared to bark.

"AHHHHHHHHHHH!!!"

Its roar shattered the air like thunder, deafening and primal, slamming into the faces of the accusers. The merchants froze, their bravado crumbling in an instant. Zachary's face went pale, his composure slipping.

Many pissed themselves where they stood, the acrid smell of fear filling the room. Others sat paralyzed, unable to recover even as the Titan disintegrated into the ether, leaving only silence and shame behind.

The Levi squad bursted into laughter barely suppressing it as everyone was left to recover. Meanwhile Mikasa was busy glaring at Krista who was hugging Eren really tight. And Eren stood there like a blank guy. He did expect them to be a little scared but maybe he went a bit over board.

After a long time of awkwardness Zachery gulped. And Nyle spoke once more. "Eren Lenz... You're defiance would come at a cost." Zachery shot him a glance but then...

"You never learn do you pig. Before you torment the beast, you'd better ask yourselves—can you even kill him?" Levi's voice cut through the tension as he stepped forward, his eyes narrowing.

"Reports say even without his titan abilities Lenz was able to take down more than fifty titans, and even defeating the Armoured Titan twice, all alone. Making him far more stronger than me." He moved closer to Eren. " If you intend to live... keep those mouths shut..." Eren looked at Levi for a moment before looking at Erwin.

Levi's gaze shifted to Zachary, sharp and unyielding. "So, Dhalis Zachary, what's it gonna be?" His words were a challenge, daring the premier to choose.

Zachary stood frozen, trapped between two impossible choices.

Suddenly, Erwin raised his hand, his calm yet commanding presence cutting through the chaos, waiting for the perfect moment to speak. "I have a proposal, Your Honor..." he said, his voice steady and deliberate.

Zachary, drenched in sweat, gulped audibly as he turned toward Erwin, his voice shaky. "Y-Yes... and what is that?"

"In the coming month, the Scouts will launch a grand expedition," Erwin began, his voice steady but filled with purpose. "Its focus will be on Wall Maria." He paused, his eyes locking on Zachary.

Erwin revealed his trump card— "We all witnessed Eren's ability... Hardening... I believe using his Titan we would be able to seal the gates of Wall Maria. Reclaiming the land that was stolen from us years ago." His voice grew tense with the gravity of the moment.

The air thickened with anticipation. "In past expeditions, we failed to gain enough ground. But," Erwin's eyes gleamed, "with Eren's Titan abilities, I believe we can succeed."

Zachary's gaze shifted uneasily between Erwin and Levi. He swallowed hard before turning his attention back to Eren. "So, Eren Lenz, by any means necessary, will you be able to retake Wall Maria with your Titan powers."

Eren just nodded.

Zachary, struggling to maintain his composure, finally nodded. "Very well then... I've made my decision."

Eren looked outside the window. One hand rubbing Krista's hair and the other clutched by Mikasa. "What a pain...."