Commander Hange was surprised by the speed of Floch's actions, who had already led soldiers to occupy the port so quickly. If Yelena had destroyed the airship, they would have lost their leverage.
However, it seemed Floch and his men had no immediate plans to destroy the airship. While destroying it would be simple, the technology would be lost if the world ended. Therefore, their primary objective was likely to control the airship technicians within the port.
But if Floch knew Hange and the others were there, he would surely blow up the ship immediately. If conflict erupted, even possessing the power of the Nine Titans would make it difficult to protect the ship. Thus, to save it now, they had to eliminate everyone instantly, utilizing all Titan powers and weapons.
Yet, upon hearing that they would have to kill their long-time comrades, the four immediately deflated like leaky balloons.
Mikasa stated that indiscriminate attacks would affect the Azumabito, and if the Azumabito died, it would be troublesome.
While they could operate the airship with Onyankopon's help, without the mechanics under the Azumabito, the takeoff, assembly, and inspection would be impossible.
This meant they not only had to protect the airship and the Azumabito but also ensure no casualties among the Yelena faction personnel trying to stop them.
Annie didn't know how to satisfy all these requirements simultaneously.
Annie urged Armin to quickly devise a plan, just as they had cornered Annie before. Pixis, standing nearby, declared there was no plan; it was either instant success or complete failure and the loss of the airship.
Connie, also losing emotional control, retorted, "We came here to save people, didn't we? So why do we have to kill our comrades on the island first?"
"How did it come to this?"
Hearing this, Annie understood the predicament of the four. Annie then said with resignation, "Frankly, you had no reason to help us with this. If it were you, you might have chosen not to destroy the walls that day, unlike us."
Liner, hearing this, suddenly understood why Eren had said that to him back then. The meaning of those words finally dawned on him.
Liner then signaled to the four not to engage in combat, telling them to take Gabi and Falco to a safe place.
Hange, on the other hand, declared she had no intention of being a spectator, especially since she had already killed four Yelena faction members.
More importantly, humanity's time was running out. Giant figures emitting large amounts of steam could be seen in the distance. Judging by their speed, the Titans must have already landed on Marleyan soil, and the nearest Marleyan city was likely being destroyed.
Hearing this, Magath erupted in fury. He grabbed Ilena and then stomped on her arm, breaking it.
Magath furiously demanded to know Eren's whereabouts.
Hange quickly intervened to restrain the enraged Magath, prioritizing controlling the airship as there was no time for interrogating Ilena.
Magath, abandoning his usual calm demeanor, sought help from the four.
"Eren, his desire to destroy everything is an absolute mistake. If we continue to indulge such foolish actions, we will never end the Rumbling."
Magath bent down and pleaded with them to lend him a hand.
Meanwhile, inside a building, Floch was trying to rally the people of Hizuru. Kiyomi, however, remained defiant. Even when Floch threatened her with a gun to her ear, Kiyomi refused to yield to the Yeagerists.
Just then, Armin's voice rang out from outside the window. Armin loudly called out to Floch, claiming he was reporting false information. Floch questioned where Armin had been before.
Armin claimed he was chasing the Cart Titan, who had escaped into the sea with the navy.
Armin urged them to have the Azumabito prepare the airship for takeoff, warning that they would escape if they didn't hurry.
With that, Armin and Connie rushed towards the airship. However, Sam and Daz at the port stopped them, as some suspected they were collaborating with Marley and intended to use the airship to stop the Rumbling.
Upon hearing this, Armin and Connie immediately played along, exclaiming, "How could that be? If we stop Eren, what will happen to this island?"
Deceived by Armin, Daz began disarming the bombs on the airship.
Yet, Daz still felt that even if it were an enemy nation, they would want to stop Eren's massacre. Armin and Connie could only watch in trepidation.
Suddenly, gunshots rang out from the building. Floch, still suspicious, realized that Armin could have taken a train to get there but chose to ride a horse instead. With this thought, Floch decided to eliminate all these unsettling elements and prepared to shoot all the technicians.
But at the critical moment, Kiyomi stepped forward and lunged for Floch's gun. With a swift maneuver, she subdued Floch and pinned him to the ground.
Simultaneously, Mikasa broke through the window, delivering a spinning kick that knocked out all the soldiers in the room.
However, Floch, pinned to the ground, activated his maneuvering gear and flew out the window. He shouted to everyone, "Enemies are attacking! Armin and Mikasa have betrayed Paradis!"
Mikasa knew the Yeagerists would fire Thunder Spears from outside. She quickly led everyone to the basement.
The explosions of the Thunder Spears relentlessly pursued them. There was no doubt; a real fight had begun.
But there were Yeagerist soldiers at the stairwell, trapping them. Fortunately, Hange, Magath, and Jean arrived just in time to relieve the pressure.
Meanwhile, upon learning of Armin and Connie's betrayal, Daz hastily rearmed the bombs, preparing to detonate them. Armin reached out to stop Daz but was shot through the mouth by Sam. Sam quickly ordered Daz to blow up the airship.
Sam could never have imagined that comrades with whom he had shared life and death, and eaten barbecue, would betray them.
On the other side, Mikasa and her group, hiding in the basement, were enduring the endless bombardment of shotguns by the Yeagerists.
Everyone knew there was nowhere to escape in the basement, but the battlefield outside was about to transform into a battlefield of Titans.