Battle of Heaven and Earth

"You turned your backs on Paradis in spite of being "island devils" to stand on the side of humanity to the end. You'd probably become the most respected beings in this world."

- Eren Yeager admits his foreknowledge of his defeat to Armin Arlert

The Battle of Heaven and Earth (天と地の戦い) was a final effort made by the Marleyan military, the Warriors, and former members of the Survey Corps against Eren Yeager in an attempt to bring an end to the Rumbling at Fort Salta. This resulted in the death of both Eren Yeager and the anomaly responsible for the Power of the Titans, ending of the Rumbling and eliminating the Power of the Titans from the world.

Prelude
Towards the end of the surprise attack from Marley on the island of Paradis, Zeke Yeager let out a scream that transformed many Eldians into Titans that quickly overwhelmed the surviving Marleyan soldiers. As Zeke went to reunite with his brother Eren, Warrior candidate Gabi Braun shot Eren in the neck and decapitated him; however, the Founding Titan that was residing within Eren saved him and due to Zeke making contact with Eren's head, both were sent to the realm where the spirit of Ymir Fritz resided. The two brothers tried persuading her to join them for their own means, but Ymir sided with Eren and caused the Wall Titans to break out of the three Walls on the island while simultaneously generating a new Titan body for Eren and imprisoning Zeke within the Paths.

Using the Founding Titan, Eren mentally sent a message to all surviving Eldians in both Marley and on Paradis, declaring that the Rumbling will begin and all the enemies outside of Paradis will be destroyed. Soon, all the Wall Titans began marching off Paradis towards the continent of Marley. Survey Corps Commander Hange Zoë and Levi Ackerman encountered General Theo Magath and Pieck Finger, the holder of the Cart Titan and decided to form a truce for the time being to deal with the threat both sides now faced. Hange and Levi managed to find and recruit Mikasa Ackerman, Jean Kirstein, Armin Arlert and Connie Springer from the Survey Corps and Warriors Annie Leonhart and Reiner Braun, along with Falco Grice and Gabi to try and stop the Rumbling; Jean and Pieck would use subterfuge to also take Anti-Marleyan Volunteers Yelena and Onyankopon with them to help with the efforts. Arriving at the port where the Azumabito flying boat was located, the assembled group infiltrated the Yeagerists stationed there and were eventually discovered; Reiner and Annie used their Titans, and Pieck and Falco joined them as support with the latter transforming into the Jaw Titan for the first time. After they secured the flying boat, Magath volunteered to stay behind and sacrificed himself along with Keith Shadis, another soldier who traveled there on his own and disabled the rail system to the port. The two were able to successfully delay the Yeagerists from catching up with the ship they were using; unbeknownst to any of them, Yeagerist Floch Forster managed to anchor himself to their ship and followed them to their destination in Odiha. He fired several rounds into the ship's fuel canister but was swiftly killed by Mikasa.

As the group splits up, Hange volunteered to stay behind to fight the quickly approaching Wall Titans and equipped themselves with several Thunder Spears. They then appointed Armin as their successor and the newest Commander of the Survey Corps. Reiner and Pieck went with the group going on the flying boat, but Annie wished to stay behind; Reiner apologized for his prior actions against her and asked Annie to guard Falco and Gabi while they stay on the Azumabito ship bound towards Hizuru. The two teams left the harbor as Hange took out several Wall Titans before ultimately losing their life.

Early efforts
As the flying boat travels towards Fort Salta, Armin notes that due to obtaining the War Hammer Titan, Eren may not be residing within the nape of the Founding Titan and discusses with both the Warriors and Corps members about various means to incapacitate the Founding Titan. Suddenly, they are transported to the Paths and told by Eren that he will not stop the Rumbling and the only way they can stop him is to kill him; promising not to remove their free will, he transports his former allies back to the flying boat. The Survey Corps arm themselves with their vertical maneuvering equipment and explosives to detonate at the base of the Founding Titan's head.

While leaving on the Azumabito boat, Falco and Gabi plead with Annie that they can still help with the efforts to stop the Rumbling; due to ingesting part of Zeke's spinal fluid, Falco recalls memories of a former Beast Titan that was capable of flight and is confidant he can do the same. After Kiyomi, Yelena and the crew abandon ship, Falco does indeed generate a avian form of the Jaw Titan and flies after the direction of the flying boat with both Annie and Gabi riding atop his back.

As both groups head towards a rendezvous, the Marleyan military has received numerous reports of the Wall Titans quickly overrunning the continent; as survivors and refugees begin to reach Fort Salta, war secretary Muller orders bombers to drop explosives on the quickly approaching Titans. Unfortunately, the Founding Titan summons Zeke's Beast Titan form and shoots down the airships with projectiles and eliminates all of them, rendering the fort defenseless. The flying boat is struck by several projectiles and the left wing is destroyed; Armin orders the Beast Titan to be a top priority target and as Onyankopon maneuvers the damaged ship directly over the Founding Titan, the soldiers jump and attach themselves to various spines protruding from the back of the Founding Titan; both Reiner and Pieck jump as well, transforming into the Armored and Cart Titans.

Battle on the Founding Titan
The group notices that Zeke's Beast Titan dissolved soon after Reiner defeated it, alerting them that Zeke was not inside it. As the others retreat so Armin can transform into the Colossus Titan, he is captured by another Beast Titan that was formed resembling an okapi. Many more Titans begin to spawn atop the Founding Titan's back, which react with hostility and drive the soldiers back. Pieck realizes that the Titans they are facing are resurrected versions of the Nine Titans from over the last two thousand years; the soldiers soon recognize several including Ymir, Bertolt and both Marcel and Porco Galliard. Pieck evades the Titans to reach Eren's nape but as she prepares to detonate the explosives, she is stabbed with several pikes made from former War Hammer Titans. Reiner is bested by Bertolt's resurrected Colossus Titan and flung at the soldiers, knocking Connie unconscious and damaging Reiner and Jean's vertical maneuvering equipment. As they hang stranded underneath the Founding Titan, the soldiers are saved by the arrival of Falco's Jaw Titan and carried away before the other Titans can intercept it.

As they approach Fort Salta, the soldiers try to come up with their next move. Gabi reveals that when Eren's Founding Titan spawned in Shiganshina, a large centipede creature erupted from his body that reconnected his neck and believes that it could happen if the head and neck are separated once again. Levi decides to stay aboard the Jaw Titan due to his injuries and provide support with Gabi while the others return to the Founding Titan and split into two teams: Mikasa, Connie and Annie will track down the Titan that took Armin while Jean and Reiner travel towards the head and nape where the explosives remain wrapped around the Founding Titan's neck. Falco avoids a barrage of arrows shot towards them from the various War Hammer Titans and after depositing both teams, continues circling around the Founding Titan so Gabi can disable the Titans with her rifle.

Reiner gets overrun by the numerous War Hammer Titans and is repeatedly shot and stabbed with arrows and pikes generated by them. Having been pinned down near the nape of the Founding Titan, Pieck emerges from the Cart Titan and begins to repeatedly transform and tears apart numerous Titans nearby. Towards the rear of the Titan, Annie is tossed around several times by Bertolt's Colossus Titan and the soldiers begin to express worry about their plan; however, Mikasa spots the okapi Titan that took Armin and signals to Annie to throw her towards it. Despite this, more Titans spawn and corner Mikasa while keeping her and the others away from the okapi Titan. Without warning, many of the spawned Titans begin to turn against the others and provide support for the beleaguered soldiers; unbeknownst to any of them, Armin encountered Zeke Yeager within the Paths and the two managed to awaken several of their predecessors including Ymir, the Galliard brothers, Bertolt, Grisha Yeager, Eren Kruger and Tom Ksaver. Asking them to lend him their strength, Zeke is able to convince them to utilize their Titans to fight the Founding Titan.

Taking advantage of the turn of events, Levi notices the okapi Titan as well and instructs Gabi to shoot it in the head; Mikasa also coordinates to slice apart the Titan's jaw and freeing Armin. Armin blasts the okapi Titan off the Founding Titan with a Thunder Spear and Connie frees him by severing the Titan's tongue. Zeke emerges from the Founding Titan and calls out to Levi; Zeke remarks about how life truly is worth living and that he was unworthy in life to notice it before Levi flies over and swiftly decapitates him before returning back to the Jaw Titan.

Emergence of the source
Reaching her limit, Pieck is taken away by Jean and tells him about the explosive pack still around the Founding Titan's neck. Getting her to safety, Jean travels to it and curses Eren before detonating the explosives. This blows off the head of the Founding Titan and as it falls towards the ground, the centipede creature does indeed reemerge to try and reconnect it; Reiner flies past Jean and wrestles it to try and keep away from Eren's head. Informed that Armin will try to destroy Eren by transforming into the Colossus Titan, Jean rendezvous with Pieck and they retreat to the Jaw Titan with the others as Falco flies back to Fort Salta. Armin is held in the hands of Ksaver's Beast Titan and Bertolt's Colossus Titan, thanking their predecessors for helping them achieve their goal; he then transforms and blows apart the rest of the Founding Titan's body with the force of the explosion.

The Survey Corps and Warriors fly back to Fort Salta and as Falco touches down, the Warriors reunite with their loved ones. The Survey Corps ponder that they were able to achieve the impossible and stopped the Rumbling. Armin's Colossus Titan emerges from the blast crater unharmed while Reiner's Armored Titan slowly gets up nearby. Due to the mass amounts of steam covering the area, they believe Eren was killed and make their way to Fort Salta as well. Just then, a large flash comes from the crater and Eren emerges in a Titan body similar in appearance and size to the Colossus Titan; Armin confronts him and begins to fight his former friend, vowing to stay until the very end. At the same time, Reiner notices the source survived also and begins to billow a gas that floats towards the fort.

The inhabitants in Fort Salta notice this as well and Connie guesses that the gas is similar to the gas expelled in Ragako that turned the village into Titans; realizing what is about to happen, Levi quickly orders Mikasa and Pieck to get back aboard Falco with him and depart. Jean and Connie are left behind and they place their hopes on the others to finish the mission; soon after, they, Gabi, Mr. Leonhart, Mrs. Braun and all the other Eldians are transformed into Titans and quickly dive off the plateau to defend the source from Reiner. Annie and Pieck immediately transform to help Reiner but all three are quickly overwhelmed by the swarm of Titans.

As Levi tries to get Mikasa to focus, Armin is beaten by Eren's Titan; despite this, he is able to restrain Eren long enough to damage him. At the same time, both Levi and Mikasa figure out that Eren is located within the mouth of the Titan; Levi fires a Thunder Spear that blows apart some of the teeth in Eren's mouth big enough for Mikasa to get through. She sees Eren's head and spine suspended from the roof of the Titan's mouth and is momentarily taken back when Eren looks towards her and acknowledges her presence. Mikasa recovers and vows to always remember Eren; she then severs his head and kisses Eren goodbye as Ymir looks on.

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