Chapter 100: Gabi, Reiner, Make a Contract With Me and Become Magical Girls!
Marleyan Empire.
Above the Liberio Internment Zone, the night was torn apart by the fires of war. The airship from Paradis Island quietly approached the edge of the battlefield, its engine roar lost in the continuous explosions below. Inside the gondola, the atmosphere was dead silent. Armin pressed against the window, his sea-blue Magical Girl outfit shimmering faintly. His brow was furrowed, the gem atop his short scepter emitting invisible waves as he scanned the plaza below.
The sensory feedback from his "Tactical Construction" magic was chaotic and violent. The strongest energy source came from Eren's "Magical Titan," currently clashing fiercely with the War Hammer Titan. Several weaker intelligent Titan signatures were nearby, two of which (Jaw, Cart) were already dim, clearly heavily damaged. Eren was holding his own against three, even gaining the upper hand. So this is the power of a Magical Girl combined with a Titan…
Armin breathed a small sigh of relief. Just as he was about to move closer and look for an opportunity, his senses picked up something strange. Not Titans, not soldiers. They were… extremely small, numerous, and scattered presences. Individually, they were almost non-existent, but their cold, non-human aura…
Armin's face changed drastically, his sea-blue pupils contracting sharply.
Kyubey?! More than one! A lot of them!
They were lurking in the shadows of the battlefield, in the ruins, approaching humans experiencing intense emotions—broken soldiers, civilians… the basement where Reiner was… the street where Gabi and Falco were!
It… it interfered?! In this way?! What are they planning? Don't tell me… contracts?! On this battlefield?! If they make a large number of contracts in Marley… the consequences… would be unthinkable!
"Turn around immediately!!" Armin spun around, his voice trembling with urgency. "Everyone, retreat! Retreat!!!"
"Mr. Arlert?!" the pilot stammered. "But supporting Eren and—?"
"The situation on the battlefield has changed! Follow orders now!!" Armin's tone left no room for argument. He rushed to the signal device and loaded a red flare. The emergency retreat signal.
WHOOSH— BANG!
The red flare tore through the night sky, exploding at the edge of the battlefield where their comrades on the ground could see it.
Having done that, Armin pushed open the hatch, sea-blue magic enveloping his body. "I'm going to help Eren and the others withdraw!" Before his words faded, he had already become a streak of light, plunging toward the fiercely burning plaza below.
…
On a chaotic street.
The blast wave of an explosion sent debris and dust flying. Gunfire, screams, and the roar of collapsing buildings mixed together. Gabi knelt on the ground, her eyes empty. Just moments ago, another explosion had consumed several of her running comrades. Mangled limbs mixed with charred uniform fragments rained down. Those were her friends, who just yesterday had been training alongside her, dreaming of becoming honorary Marleyans… Warm, thick liquid splattered on her face, mixing with the guard's blood from earlier.
"Ah…" Gabi opened her mouth, but no sound came out. Her vision blurred with tears. Why… why did the "devils" from Paradis Island… come here?!
"EREN JAEGER—!!!" Immense grief and hatred shattered her reason. She let out a heart-tearing, twisted shriek. "DEVILS OF PARADIS!!!" She snapped her head up, her bloodshot eyes fixed on the rampaging green Titan in the distance. "I'LL KILL YOU!!! KILL YOU ALL!!!"
She spotted a discarded rifle nearby. Like a madwoman, she broke free from Falco and lunged for it. Revenge! For my comrades! For Marley!
"Gabi!!!" Falco grabbed her in terror, desperately pulling her back. "Calm down! You'll die! We can't fight that thing!!" He pointed at the Magical Titan effortlessly tearing apart other Titans. "Let's go!!"
"Let go of me!! Falco!! I have to kill them!!! KILL THEM!!!" Gabi struggled wildly, elbowing, biting. Extreme rage gave her astonishing strength. Anger. Helplessness. Despair. Hatred. The emotions tore her apart.
Just then, a voice spoke abruptly behind her. It was soft, flat, emotionless, yet unnaturally clear.
"Do you want power?"
Gabi froze. Beside her, somehow, a small white creature had appeared. It tilted its fluffy head, its round red eyes watching her impassively, completely out of place amidst the chaos.
"Make a contract with me and become a Magical Girl." Kyubey's voice echoed directly beside her ear, flat and enticing.
…
In a corner of the basement ruins.
Dark, damp, filled with dust and the smell of blood. Reiner Braun was curled up, his face buried in his arms. The explosions, the soldiers' screams, the collapsing buildings outside—none of it mattered. His world was silent. Everything was over. Marley… was burning.
Sinner. Coward. Traitor. What was the point… of living anymore? Just die. Die here. Release…
His consciousness sank into darkness. He felt no pain, only endless exhaustion and self-loathing.
Just then, a small white figure emerged from the deeper shadows. Its steps were silent. Its red eyes reflected the dim light coldly. It walked up to Reiner, looked down at him with its unblinking gaze, and after a moment, spoke flatly, the voice reaching directly into Reiner's muddled consciousness.
"Listen, Reiner."
Reiner didn't react.
"Outside, your comrades are dying. The 'Warriors' are screaming. The city you wanted to be a hero in is burning." Kyubey's voice held no emotion, merely stating facts. "Is it really okay to just give up like this?"
Reiner's body trembled slightly, but he still didn't look up. Kyubey waited patiently, then continued its whisper, striking precisely at his deepest wound.
"Are the Cart Titan, the War Hammer Titan, and the Jaw Titan all going to die? If you don't go out there, are you abandoning them?" Kyubey paused deliberately. The piercing screams, violent explosions, and cries for help were somehow amplified, reaching Reiner's ears with painful clarity. Not far from here.
Loud. So loud.
Reiner suddenly looked up. A flicker finally disturbed the emptiness in his eyes. "So noisy…" he rasped, his voice weak. He looked at the white creature. "What… are you? Why… are you here?"
"I am Kyubey," it replied calmly. "I can grant your wish."
Right now, all Reiner felt was the noise. Kyubey's red eyes watched the ripples stirring in his heart.
"State your wish, Reiner."
…
Liberio Plaza.
The green "Magical Titan" Eren smashed through the War Hammer Titan's crystal wall with a single punch, his cold gaze sweeping the battlefield.
High above, a deep blue streak of light suddenly accelerated. Levi's blades flashed as he dove toward the ruins where Zeke, the Beast Titan, was hiding.
On the other side of the city, the urban combat team—Mikasa, Jean, Connie, Sasha—paused momentarily upon seeing Armin's red flare. Confusion flickered across their faces, but they didn't stop killing.
On the chaotic street, Falco desperately held onto the nearly feral Gabi, while a small white figure whispered in her ear.
In the basement ruins, Reiner trembled, his empty eyes filled with pain and despair, as another identical white figure waited patiently.
Armin, flying rapidly toward the battlefield, his sea-blue eyes filled with anxious determination.
One side: Gabi's bloodshot eyes, filled with a mixture of rage and grief.
The other: Reiner's trembling profile, enduring immense mental torture, screaming silently.
Kyubey's voice echoed in both their minds simultaneously, offering the final temptation:
"So, what kind of wish do you want to make?!"