The next day.
Stohess District — Military Police Headquarters.
At dawn, the Military Police were jolted awake by guns pointed at their faces. Before they could even understand what was happening, they were tied up and thrown into storage warehouses.
The man directing it all was none other than Lillian, the acting deputy commander.
And the armed men carrying it out?
Klaus—and more than a hundred people from the Underground.
Yes. Lillian had brought them all to the surface, leaving the capital and returning to Stohess—the place he knew best, and the place he intended to fully control.
"This uniform is really something else!" Klaus said, strutting back and forth in a Military Police outfit. "Seriously—once I put it on, I feel the authority. Makes me want to grab a thief and beat the hell out of him."
"Enough. Don't let it go to your head," Lillian said. "Once everyone's changed, I'll take you to the outer gate. Your job today is simple—seal it shut. If soldiers from Wall Rose arrive, don't let a single one in."
"Got it."
Klaus already knew about the coup. He agreed readily, then hesitated.
"Lillian… are you sure about this? If it goes wrong, forget it—we'll just go back underground. Don't drag yourself down with us."
"It won't go wrong," Lillian said. "Once today's over, I'll legitimize all of your identities as soon as possible. But Klaus—these people might be relatives of your old brothers, but years in the Underground can give people bad habits. You know what to do if that happens, right?"
Klaus nodded solemnly.
"I do. Anyone who messes this up gets kicked out immediately."
"Good. Let's move."
Lillian led them out.
Frankly, it was an insanely bold move.
Aside from his original ten subordinates, every Military Police officer had been tied up and locked away. The Underground people donned their uniforms and impersonated the Military Police.
A crime like this would earn the gallows ten times over.
Of course, "the law" no longer applied to Lillian.
He led the group straight to the city gates.
Normally, the gates were guarded by Garrison troops. But there weren't many stationed here, and their discipline was mediocre—nothing compared to Pixis's men.
After all, this was Stohess, an eastern city, not under the jurisdiction of the southern commander Pixis.
Lillian revealed his authority and, to the Garrison's shock, took over their duties outright.
Klaus and the others replaced the guards.
From that moment on, no soldiers from Wall Rose—no private noble forces—would be able to enter Wall Sina from the east.
Even though Lillian believed that any reinforcements arriving would be too late to matter, he still refused to take unnecessary risks.
He didn't want pointless battles.
Because aside from blood and death, they offered no benefit at all.
"Leave this to us—you can rest easy," Klaus said. "We guarantee not a single person will get through."
"Good."
The city gate had been built to anti-Titan specifications. Even an ordinary Titan couldn't force it open, let alone a human. Anyone trying to break through would have to rely on ODM gear—but noble private troops rarely knew how to use that.
At that moment, Kenny arrived on horseback with the Special Anti-Personnel Squad, fully armed.
"The newspapers are already out," he said.
"Time to move?"
"Let's go."
Lillian mounted a horse as well.
"Stay safe, Lillian," Klaus said.
"You too."
Lillian tugged on the reins, turned sharply, and spurred his horse forward.
"Move out!"
Woohoo!
The group followed, all of them visibly excited. Anyone involved in a coup would feel this mix of fear and exhilaration—it was the thrill of challenging and overturning the highest rules of power. Skipping school to sneak into an internet café was enough to make adrenaline spike; a coup was on an entirely different level.
Meanwhile, the capital was already under full lockdown.
With a large portion of the Central Military Police eliminated, the remaining forces were easily subdued by Pixis's elite troops brought into the city. Zachary had also begun acting—but instead of targeting others first, he arrested a group of noble officials within his own ranks.
Once they were secured and unable to cause trouble, Zachary led his trusted men straight to the royal palace.
At the same time, the Survey Corps' elite had infiltrated the city overnight. With Zacharys help, they successfully rescued Erwin, and then advanced toward the palace as well. When the three forces converged, they surged forward with unstoppable momentum and stormed the palace.
The nobles inside had made some hasty preparations. Several major houses had rushed private troops into the palace, and now, behind the main gates, soldiers stood facing them with spears raised.
"Are you trying to rebel?!" the captain of the guard shouted hoarsely. "This is a capital crime!"
The disparity in strength was obvious. The three military branches had arrived with over five hundred soldiers combined, while the palace had barely more than a hundred. Under such circumstances, there was no real fight to be had. Many of the defenders had already lost their will to resist.
"Give it up," Pixis said gravely. "Our enemies are those guilty of treason. Lay down your weapons now, and you can still walk away innocent. Resist, and death is your only outcome."
"Exactly," Zachary added with a smile. "Is it really worth throwing away your young lives for those old relics? Your families and children are still waiting for you. Think about what it'd look like if they saw your corpses."
"Th-this…"
"I don't want to die…"
"I'm done with this!"
"Me too! I surrender!"
Their morale was already at rock bottom. Zachary's words shattered what little resolve they had left. One after another, weapons clattered to the floor as they gave up.
The officers of the three branches advanced unhindered into the palace hall. With nowhere left to run, the ministers and nobles inside glared at them in rage and terror. Their bodies trembled violently as they shouted accusations and threats.
"Pixis! Zachary! Have you lost your minds?! You dare attack the royal palace?!"
"This is an insult to the King! Lay down your weapons and surrender at once, or you'll all be executed!"
"You think arresting us will change anything?! The people follow the King's will!"
"Even if you control the capital, the regional nobles will never obey you! Your actions will only bring chaos and destruction within the walls!"
They shouted one after another. Behind Erwin, Levi frowned slightly.
"Do we really have to listen to these pigs squealing?" he muttered. "We've got more important things to do."
"Agreed," Zachary said, waving a hand.
"Men, escort the gentlemen away."
Several soldiers rushed forward, forced the nobles to the ground, and shackled their hands. Meanwhile, the King on the throne was still propping his head up with one hand, eyes closed. Two soldiers approached him cautiously—only to realize he was breathing evenly.
He was… asleep.
"You old bastard, how can you still be sleeping at a time like this?!" one of the arrested ministers screamed.
No one quite knew what to say. The awe they'd always felt toward the King shattered. To think that the man they revered was nothing more than a perpetually drowsy puppet felt deeply unreal. Many soldiers found themselves thinking, for the first time, that maybe a king wasn't such a big deal after all.
"Wake up. Wake up!"
"Huh…?" The King stirred, blinking at the soldiers. "Is it time to eat already?"
"…"
Fifteen minutes later, all the ministers in the palace were temporarily detained. The few soldiers who resisted were subdued and arrested. On the noble side, a faction led by Charles stepped forward, openly declaring their support for the military and helping restrain the remaining nobles in the capital.
Just like that, the coup came to a smooth conclusion.
No one was particularly surprised. The difference in power had been far too great—any other outcome would have been shocking.
But success was only the beginning. The real challenge lay in what came after. As the ministers had said, suppressing the capital was easy. Preventing regional nobles from rebelling once they learned the truth was the real problem.
An hour later, the key officers of all three military branches gathered in the palace council chamber. With time tight, there was no room for pleasantries—they went straight to business.
"We need to decide on a new king as soon as possible," Pixis said. "Only after that can we proceed. The nobles were right about one thing—the people follow the King's will. We need a king."
"I do have a candidate in mind," Erwin began.
But before he could continue, Zachary suddenly spoke.
"Gentlemen, could we wait just a moment? There's someone else who hasn't arrived yet."
The others looked at him in curiosity.
"Who?"
Tap. Tap. Tap. Tap.
Footsteps echoed from outside. The doors swung open, and several figures in long military coats walked in. Everyone except Zachary froze when they saw who was leading them.
Even Erwin couldn't hide the shock in his eyes.
"Sorry I'm a bit late, everyone," Lillian said.
"You haven't started yet, have you?"