Returned

At this moment, Willy's sister, the true holder of the Titan power in the Tybur Family, transforms into the War Hammer Titan and engages Eren in battle. The Survey Corps, which had infiltrated beforehand, along with Marley's Beast Titan, Cart Titan, Jaw Titan, and the troops of Dio Magath, the captain of the Warrior Unit, all appear and join the battle. Armin Arlert's transformation into the Colossal Titan at the Marley port and the resulting explosion destroys the Marleyan Fleet, cutting off the Marley army's reinforcements within the containment zone.

After the fierce battle Eren located the War Hammer Titan's true form, but it was protected within a crystal of the same high hardness as Annie's, preventing him from devouring it. During the battle, Eren discovered that the Jaw Titan's teeth and claws could destroy the crystal. With Mikasa's help, he used the Jaw Titan's teeth as clamps to crush the crystal, allowing him to devour the War Hammer Titan. Meanwhile, the Beast Titan, the Cart Titan, was also defeated under the army's siege.

Just as Eren was attempting to devour the Jaw Titan along with the Armored Titan, Reiner, who had previously lost his will to fight, appeared in an incomplete Titan form without his armor. Although Eren knocked him down with a single punch, Reiner simultaneously retrieved the Jaw Titan. By this time, Eren was also exhausted and boarded an airship with Mikasa to retreat back to Paradis Island. Because this infiltration operation was Eren's own decision, involving the entire legion in his unauthorized actions, Captain Levi and his comrades on the airship did not give Eren a friendly look. Meanwhile, Gabi Braun (also Reiner's cousin), an Eldian warrior candidate from Marley, and Falco Grice boarded the airship unnoticed. Filled with hatred for Eren's brutal killing, Gabi shot and killed Sasha Braun, a member of the 104th class. Eren asked Sasha for her last words, and after receiving her answer, he let out a strange laugh.

Upon returning to Paradis Island Eren was once again placed in solitary confinement for violating military discipline. When Hange came to visit him, Eren threatened that he could leave the confinement cell at any time using the War Hammer Titan. Hange felt helpless and extremely troubled by Eren's actions. Eren's great victory in his first battle in Marley greatly encouraged the radicals on the island. A large number of people gathered in front of the presidential palace demanding Eren's release.

President Zackly and other high-ranking officials, finding Eren difficult to control, expressed a desire to find someone else to inherit Eren's Titan powers. At this time, several radical recruits who supported Eren assassinated President Zackly with a bomb. Eren then finally used the power of the War Hammer Titan to break through the wall and escape, joining forces with a group of radical soldiers led by Floch Foster, forming the "Yeagerists".

Meanwhile, Zeke, whose physical body was killed by Levi's explosion in full view of everyone during the Battle of Marley, was actually taken back to the island with the Survey Corps on an airship. He was imprisoned in the Giant Tree Forest by Levi and his team. The Yeagerists's primary goal was to reunite the two brothers. Hange led the Survey Corps to the military headquarters in Shiganshina to investigate the Yeagerists's movements. Upon arrival, Eren and several Yeagerists soldiers suddenly appeared and threatened Mikasa. Armin Arlert and Gabi, who were present, sat down at a table for a talk. During the talk, Eren claimed that Mikasa and Armin Arlert were the "slaves" he hated most, which deeply saddened Mikasa and Armin Arlert.

Armin Arlert, enraged, fought with Eren, but the matter was left unresolved. Afterwards, the Yeagerists seized control of the military headquarters. Except for Hange, who was taken hostage and taken to Zeke's prison, the other members of the Survey Corps were imprisoned. Eren then asked Gabi to use the radio to request reinforcements from the Marley army. At this moment, Pieck, the Cart Titan had infiltrated beforehand, suddenly appeared and threatened Eren with a gun. However, Eren was unfazed and instead Intimidation Pieck. Pieck, seemingly yielding to Eren's Intimidation, confessed that he was also acting to protect his family and that he actually intended to rebel against Marley. He then went to point out other Marley spies to Eren and told Eren to go to the rooftop.

Eren climbed onto the roof, where Porco Galliard Galliad, lurking among the crowd below, transformed into the Jaw Titan and attacked from below, tearing off Eren's legs. Eren immediately transformed into a Titan. Marley airships flew in from the sky, and Reiner and other Marley warriors parachuted down. The situation became one of Eren facing the Cart Titan, the Armored Titan, and the Jaw Titan. Eren used the War Hammer Titan to create spikes to counter the attacks from the Armored Titan and the Jaw Titan. The Cart Titan, armed with weapons, sniped at Eren's head from a distance, putting Eren on the defensive. Then, the Beast Titan suddenly appeared above the city wall to provide support, hurling stones at the two Titans beside Eren.

Under the cover of Zeke's slingshot attack, Eren began to move towards the Shiganshina gate. Reiner and Porco gave chase, trying to prevent the Jaeger brothers from making contact. At this moment, Zeke was suddenly hit in the back of the neck by anti-Titan cannon fired by Magath, and most of his body was cut off, causing him to fall off the wall. In the face of danger, Zeke unleashed his "Roar," turning the high-ranking military officers on the island who had been ambushed and drunk his spinal fluid, as well as Falco Grice had accidentally drunk the spinal fluid, into Pure Titans.

Enraged by this, Reiner launched a fierce attack on Eren. Eren, however, bit Reiner's arm and Hardening his entire body to trap him, while his main body detached from the back of his neck and ran towards Zeke at the city gate. Just as the two brothers were within arm's reach, Gabi picked up an anti-Titan sniper rifle and fired at Eren. The bullet struck Eren's neck, and his head flew off.

In the War for Heaven and Earth, just before Eren was completely dead, Zeke reached out and caught Eren's head, finally completing the contact between the Founding Titan and the Royal-blooded Titan. Eren's consciousness awoke in an alternate dimension, where Zeke, bound to the ground by chains and with long hair and beard, awaited him, along with a pillar of light reaching the sky. Zeke stated that the pillar of light was the Coordinate, and this place was the "path."

Time has no meaning here. Zeke waited for Eren to awaken, and an eternity seemed to pass in the blink of an eye. At this moment, a girl emerged from the Coordinate. Zeke claimed that she was the Ymir Fritz and ordered Eren to command the mindless Ymir to sterilize all Eldians. Eren then revealed that he had cooperated with Zeke only to reach this place and turned to Ymir for help to achieve his own goals.

But Ymir ignored Eren and walked toward Zeke. Zeke also broke free of the chains of the "Vow Renouncing War" and stood up, saying that Ymir would only obey royal bloodlines. Zeke ordered Ymir to create chains to bind Eren's hands. Although Eren's betrayal disappointed Zeke still intended to save his "brother who was brainwashed by his father," and to do so, he had to make Eren realize the brainwashing Grisha Yeager had done to him in his childhood.

So the two brothers entered Grisha Yeager's past memories through the road. In Grisha Yeager's memories, the two brothers watched Grisha Yeager's life after entering the walls from the perspective of ghostly observers. Eren was surprised to discover that Grisha Yeager had actually discovered the secrets of the Reiss Family and the location of the cellar when Eren was a baby, but shelved the ideals of the Restorationists for the sake of a stable life for his new wife and children. Zeke also learned that Grisha Yeager had always cared about him and felt sorry for his past actions. In a daze, the Grisha Yeager in the memory saw Zeke watching from the side, but for a moment he thought it was an illusion.

As Zeke was deeply shaken by this scene, Eren urged Zeke to move on to the next memory. The two brothers continued until Eren was nine years old, at which point Zeke finally understood that Grisha had not instilled his Restorationists ideology in Eren, but rather allowed Eren to grow up freely. Eren's actions stemmed entirely from his own unwavering pursuit of "freedom."