Did just disappear...?
"THE COLOSSAL TITAN IS GONE! DID THEY KILL IT?" shouted several soldiers from the top of the wall, desperate.
Eren, standing beside me, frowned in disbelief. "It can't be... the same thing happened five years ago... IT VANISHED OUT OF NOWHERE!" he yelled, fists trembling with rage.
We both activated our 3D maneuver gear to quickly ascend the wall. Frustrated, Eren spoke without delay. "Sorry... for letting it escape," he muttered, voice cracking.
Thomas lowered his head, responding in a shaky voice, "Why are you apologizing? We froze in place..."
Before he could continue, Samuel, now awake with his head in his hands, interrupted. "There's no time for pleasantries..." he groaned in despair. "They made a hole in the wall! If we don't seal it... the Titans... they'll get back in!"
At that moment, an officer climbed up hurriedly, forcing us to give a military salute. "WHAT ARE YOU DOING, RECRUITS?! The strategy against the Colossal Titan has just begun. Resume your positions and... anyone who had physical contact with that thing, report to headquarters!"
"YES, SIR!" we all shouted in unison.
We dangled on the inner side of the wall, giving us a perfect view of the desperation spreading among the people inside the city. We couldn't hear their screams, but after what happened five years ago, I could almost guess word for word what they were saying.
Bells rang urgently as thousands of people attempted to evacuate through a narrow passage. The human tide surged forward in chaos, fear, and desperation.
The moment was perfect to confirm my theories. The Scout Regiment was out on an expedition, leaving the city vulnerable at the worst possible moment.
After a few minutes, we reached headquarters. A captain, upright and with a stern expression, stood before us. Some soldiers were on the verge of a nervous breakdown.
"CADETS!" the captain shouted firmly. "You passed the aptitude test, which means you are now full-fledged soldiers." He paused, looking at us sternly. "I have high expectations for you."
As we refueled the gas for our 3D maneuver gear, I couldn't help but overhear conversations from some of our comrades, who were trying to maintain a facade of determination.
"Nothing will happen, Hannah... I'll protect you, even if it's the last thing I do."
"Mylius..."
I felt an intense gaze on the back of my neck. Without turning around, I replied calmly:
"Don't worry about me. Someone else needs your help more, Nee-san."
"Kiyotaka..."
Her gaze briefly shifted to Eren and Armin, but I ignored it, keeping my ears attuned to everything happening around me.
"Are you okay, Armin?" Eren asked worriedly.
"I-I'm fine... THE SITUATION WILL NORMALIZE SOON!" Armin exclaimed, though his voice trembled as he tried to fix his gear. His hands wouldn't stop shaking. "S-still... we have a big problem! There's still an eight-meter hole in the gate... It's only a matter of time before Wall Rose... And we can't move the stone we were going to use to block the entrance..."
His voice began to break. "If we don't seal it, we'll have to abandon the city... Now I understand how everyone else felt... THE TITANS COULD KILL US AT ANY MOMENT!"
I interrupted before he could continue rambling. "Armin, worrying about the inevitable won't help. If the wall falls, you'll waste time thinking about things you can't change... Besides, your hands have stopped moving."
With those few words, Armin took a deep breath, composing himself as he resumed working on his gear. "Y-you're right. Sorry, I'm better now."
Sorry, Armin. If everything goes according to my plan, this can only end in two ways: with Eren giving me the answer I want or... with you dying, devoured.
A part of me wanted to save them all, but I couldn't do that under these conditions. I'd have to limit the number of people I could protect... a cold but necessary decision.
The captain continued speaking in a firm and icy tone. "The exercise is the same one we did during training. We'll divide into groups. Each team will have its mission... Everyone will obey orders from the Stationary Troops."
He looked at us with cold, dark eyes.
"The tasks are as follows: supply runs, information transmission, and keeping the area clear of Titans."
"The front guard will be assigned to the Stationary Troops. The intermediate guard will be under the command of the training corps. And finally, elite teams from the Stationary Troops will protect the rear."
"... It's time to give back to this city for everything it has done to sustain us. We will protect Wall Rose with our lives... until the last citizen is safe." The captain hardened his gaze. "Additionally, as you all know... anyone who flees from the enemy will face capital punishment. You are going to sacrifice your lives, so make sure they count for something."
"DISMISS!"
"YES, SIR!"
Everyone shouted, forcing a courage they didn't truly feel. But despair quickly set in. Some cried, others vomited, and a few lamented loudly. Absolute fear in the face of imminent death.
In the midst of that chaos, some decided their priorities, clinging to what they considered important.
Mikasa approached Eren and me, frowning. "If things get ugly, come with me."
"Huh?! / Umm...?" Eren and I responded in unison, with different expressions.
"You know we're in different teams, right?" Eren asked, puzzled.
"If things go wrong, nothing will go as planned... I'LL PROTECT YOU!"
"You... what the hell are you talking about—?" Eren frowned, annoyed.
A captain approached, interrupting brusquely. "Recruit Mikasa! I need you at the rear. Especially you." Sorry, Mikasa. I can't have you near Eren in this.
"Given the state of my arm, I'm afraid I'd only slow you down." She filled with despair, trying to find an excuse.
The captain looked at her coldly. "Did I ask for your opinion? During evacuation operations, we need as many elite soldiers near the civilians as possible."
"B-but—"
Eren interrupted her harshly. "HEY! Humanity is on the brink of extinction. There's no point in trying to impose your own rules!"
Mikasa lowered her head, defeated. "Sorry... I got carried away."
-
Before leaving, Mikasa grabbed both of us by the shoulders. "I just want to ask you something..." she said in a quiet, almost pleading voice.
"Don't die, please..."
Everything we know about Titans comes from the Scout Regiment's reports.
We have no confirmation if they possess intelligence comparable to humans, which makes any possibility of mutual understanding between our species completely unheard of.
Their body structure is fundamentally different from any other known creature: they lack reproductive organs, and the vast majority appear male.
Moreover, their body temperature is absurdly high. For some unknown reason, they show no interest in any species other than humans.
The Titans' purpose for existence is to devour people.
But if we take this statement as a premise and analyze the facts, Titans have survived for a hundred years in an environment where no humans existed.
This can only mean one thing: they don't need to feed to live.
In other words, their goal isn't nourishment but mass slaughter.
The primary reason humanity remains isolated isn't just the colossal size of these creatures but their incredible vitality.
In the past, we had the power to blow their heads off with heavy artillery. But that wasn't enough: half the time, their heads would grow back within minutes.
Only one effective method exists to defeat them...
Attack the nape of the neck.When this part receives critical damage, Titans can't regenerate.
-------
Eren tried to break the tense atmosphere with his usual enthusiasm.
"This is a great opportunity, don't you think?" he said with a cocky grin. "We're not even in the Scout Regiment yet. If we start making contributions now..."
His voice filled with excitement.
"We'll get promoted quickly!"
I assumed it was his way of coping with fear "I guess that's one way to look at it," I replied calmly.
Armin, after taking a deep breath, seemed to fill himself with determination "Yeah... no doubt."
Mina interrupted us "Hey! You guys aren't the only ones aiming to join the Scout Regiment, you know?"
"You and Kiyotaka have a head start, but we won't let you beat us that easily!" Thomas exclaimed enthusiastically. "I declare a Titan hunting contest. Whoever kills the most wins!"
"You said it, Thomas!" Eren responded with a wide smile. "Just don't cheat by counting!"
"TEAM 34, MOVE OUT!!!!"
"LET'S GO!" Eren shouted as we launched into the void using the hooks of our ODM gear.
The wind sliced through the air as we maneuvered between buildings. I controlled my speed to stay right in the middle of the formation.
Soon, we noticed a large concentration of Titans in the zone assigned to the intermediate guard.
"Are they incorporating intermediate battalions into the front line?" Eren realized, perplexed.
Mina, who had seemed confident earlier, began showing signs of nervousness.
"There are too many Titans already..." she murmured, her voice trembling.
"What the hell's wrong with the front-line veterans?" Mylius grumbled with disgust. "Always dodging responsibility. Barely any time's passed... and they're already wiped out."
"HERE COMES ONE!" I shouted to snap them out of their trance, though slightly too late.
A Titan lunged directly at the roof where we were standing. We barely managed to dodge, scattering in different directions.
Upon regaining position, I saw the Titan clinging to the building. In its mouth was Thomas, still alive. He looked at us with indescribable terror, sobbing and babbling desperately "AAAAAH! No... NO, DAMN IT!"
Then...
SLURP
The Titan swallowed him in one gulp, erasing any trace of his existence.
"THOMAS!" Eren shouted in uncontrollable fury. "WAIT, YOU BASTARD!" He propelled himself toward the Titan, completely blinded by rage.
"WAIT! DON'T GO ALONE!"
Before anyone could react, another Titan emerged from a nearby building. It leaped directly at Eren. He barely dodged, landing on a rooftop... but his leg was cleanly severed by the Titan's bite.
"No way..." Mylius muttered, horrified.
"Hey..." Samuel barely managed to speak. "We can't stay here..."
Next to me, Armin was completely paralyzed, his face pale, eyes devoid of reason. I sighed quietly, maintaining an indifferent expression as my hair concealed the coldness in my eyes.
"ANOTHER ONE'S COMING!" Mylius screamed, though his voice trembled.
Mina made a fatal mistake: she attached her hooks to the Titan's body. With a simple movement, the creature slammed her into a nearby house.
The impact was brutal. Her body was disoriented, likely with most of her bones broken. Two other companions tried to evade the Titan's grasp, but it caught them mid-air effortlessly.
"AAAAAHHHHHHH!!!" They screamed in desperation as they were carried toward their inevitable fate. In less than a second, both were devoured.
Despite the chaos, my eyes remained fixed on Armin.
Looks like it's my turn.
A small Titan approached Mina, crouching to grab her. In a burst of speed, I cleanly severed the Titan's nape and grabbed Mina by the back of her jacket.
I feigned difficulty in carrying her weight, pretending clumsiness. Propelling myself toward a nearby building, I intentionally collided, my face covered in blood and on the verge of unconsciousness. Yet, keeping my attention on the scene, I saw Armin still paralyzed.
An elderly-looking Titan grabbed him mid-air. Its mouth opened slowly beneath him.
"WAAAAAAAAAAAAA!" Armin screamed desperately, extending his hand as he fell.
But at the last second, Eren appeared. He launched directly into the Titan's mouth, grabbing Armin's hand with all his strength before throwing him out.
Somehow, Eren kept the Titan's jaws open with his body.
"I'm not dying here... Damn it... I'm gonna die... Hey, Armin! You... showed me the outside world, so I..."
I WANT TO SEE IT WITH MY OWN—
"EREN, HURRY!"
CRUNCH!!!! GULP.....
RAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHH!!!
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