Chapter 334: The Third Garden War Part 2 (1/2)

The pure chaos and destruction were too much for Lucas to bear as he fell over in fear crawling back at the sight of the dead. All he could do was helplessly watch as the closest thing he could call to family was being beaten to a bloody pulp by his best friend. Alton kept slamming at Eren's defences, not letting loose for a single moment. Only able to watch with wide eyes, Richard trying pulling at him, yelling. ”We need to go, Lucas. Come on!”

”What about Eren?! We can't just leave him…. Alton is going to kill him!”

”That isn't Alton. I don't know who that is, but he's nothing more than a monster. We need to run. We stand no chance against him!”

Falling over, Lucas stared at the bloody icicles stabbed through the ground with the Gardener's remains latched around. The dark blue merged with the crimson red as Lucas whispered to himself, devasted. ”What colour is that….”

”Lucas!” Richard screamed only to find Chloe was gone from his sight. He turned, freaking out as Chloe was slowly approaching the battle with not a care in the world, scratching at her arm constantly alongside a twitchy neck. ”Chloe! Chloe, get back here! What are you doing?!”

Almost breaking through Eren's defence to snatch the Stage, Alton's attention was drawn for a short moment by Chloe. The short girl kept walking towards him, her dark brown hair falling out in clumps as her eyes began to glow yellow. Then, without thinking for a single second, an icicle ripped from the ground tearing through Chloe, holding her up as she fell over limp hanging in the air. Lucas' eyes widened seeing one of his best friends murdered in front of him. Then, with the trembling of his lip's tears began to form as he screamed in pain. ”CHLOE!”

Staring at Chloe for a short moment, Alton ignored her, kicking Eren back. Then, holding his hand back, he let off a barrage of explosions, tearing the tiny Titans apart the homes onboard crashing into the ground burying the borrows below. Eren coughed up more blood, trying to pull himself up but wasn't quick enough with Alton hot on his tail. Sending one of his tawny owls at him, Alton moved his neck, holding the owl in place, crushing it, throwing it aside with the aid of Scarlett's powers.

Eren was down for the count, completely countered by Alton's brutal strength. Ready to end it, Alton stopped seeing Chloe twitching. Her head began to move as he gave her his full attention. Holding his hand up, creating more icicles to finish her off, it was already too late. Chloe's eyes snapped open, showing the fierce yellow matching his own. In a split second, Alton gagged, finding himself where Chloe once was coughing up blood trapped impaled by the ice. Chloe now stood where Alton was fully healed, still scratching her arm until it bled. Lucas and Richard stared on in shock at this turn of events as Zinnia stood up, running to him. ”Alton!”

As Zinnia got close, she found herself back where she was and now Chloe standing by Alton. Staring down at him, she shook her head. ”Going for me was a smart decision. But you see, Alton, never take your eyes off the enemy. Who you see before you are one of the Stages of Grief representing the Sub Stages Anxiety.”

Eren came back into the frame, standing in front of Alton, his owl by his side. Seeing all the death and destruction around him, he gritted his teeth, devasted. ”My home…. You bastard, look what you've done, Alton! Look at it! This was your home too, how could you forget that. They were your friends, your family, and you butchered them like animals.”

Chloe jumped down from the icicle stepping back meeting with Eren. ”The plan worked without a hitch. Keeping my Stage a secret was the best thing we could have done. We did that for this very moment.”

”While I don't always agree with Bargaining's plans, this was a good move on his behalf. But, to think they would go as far to attack the Garden itself…. If Alton is here, then is Depression gone too?”

”No. He's only using Acceptance's power. Depression isn't in his body.” Bargaining yelled, standing behind Alton on another tiny Titan aiding Eve. ”Are you sure you're alright?”

Eve winced, nodding. ”He caught me off guard. I won't mess up next time.”

”No…. It's best not for you to fight him. Alice shared the same power with you; he knows how it works. The two Sub Stages and I will deal with this.” Standing at the edge, Bargaining kept yelling out. ”You were a fool to come here alone, Alton! Even if others are hiding around, it won't matter. There's no escape, and now you've thrown your life away just to save one pathetic girl! She sacrificed herself to protect you, and now that was all be for nothing. For what? To protect someone you care about?!”