Pixis shot me a hardened glance, the kind only someone who had faced the abyss countless times could muster.
"So explain to me why it's so crucial to convince them of this. You said direct confrontation with the Titans wasn't necessary."
Without flinching, I maintained the same flat tone.
"Because, Pixis, you're about to send all these people to their deaths. It won't be a glorious or honorable death, but a cold, desperate one without guarantees." My voice grew even colder.
"They need to understand that if they fail... even if they sacrifice their lives in this suicidal plan, their families will be fed to the Titans. There is no option for defeat. No room for retreat."
—
"LET'S TALK ABOUT THE PAST! FOUR YEARS AGO!"
Pixis's voice roared over the walls, carried by the tension-laden wind.
"ABOUT THE PLAN TO RECLAIM WALL MARIA!"
The army stood in rigid silence. No explanations were necessary; everyone knew exactly where he was going with this.
The commander raised his arm forcefully, his eyes burning with the fire of bitter memories.
"A plan that sounded good on paper! A brilliant strategy!"
His voice hardened, cutting through the conscience of all present like a blade.
"BUT ESSENTIALLY, IT WAS NOTHING MORE THAN THE SACRIFICE OF THE UNEMPLOYED MASSES THE GOVERNMENT COULDN'T SUSTAIN!"
The weight of his words shook the soldiers' spirits. Everyone remembered the horror.
"AND WE KEPT SILENT! WE LET IT HAPPEN! WE ALLOWED THEM TO MARCH INTO THEIR OWN RUIN! WHY? SO THAT WE, THOSE WHO REMAINED WITHIN THESE WALLS, COULD SURVIVE!"
The soldiers' faces darkened, yet none broke formation. Each of them knew those words to be true.
"WE ARE ALL GUILTY! MYSELF INCLUDED!"
Pixis lowered his head for a moment, breathing heavily.
"The conflict with the inhabitants of Wall Maria was never significant. The Titans always attacked in small groups... something manageable."
His voice rose, filled with bitter fury.
"BUT NOW, IF WALL ROSE FALLS, WE WON'T GET OUT OF THIS WITH JUST 20% FEWER MOUTHS TO FEED! WITH ONLY WALL SHEENA LEFT, NOT EVEN HALF OF WHAT REMAINS OF HUMANITY WILL HAVE ROOM TO LIVE!"
Terror began to take root in the hearts of the listeners.
"If the human race goes extinct, it won't be because the Titans devoured us..."
"IT'LL BE BECAUSE WE DEVOUR OURSELVES!"
"WE CANNOT LET DEATH ADVANCE BEYOND THESE WALLS ANY FURTHER!"
Pixis raised his hand as if holding the fate of everyone in his fist.
"THAT'S WHY I ASK THIS OF YOU!"
His words echoed into the sky.
"DIE HERE! DIE WHERE YOU STAND! BECAUSE IF YOU DO... THERE WILL BE HOPE FOR WHAT'S LEFT OF HUMANITY!"
—
Above the wall, Mikasa, Eren, and I headed toward the breach, accompanied by several soldiers running at a steady pace.
The sound of heavy breaths, grim faces, and turbulent thoughts filled the air. Even I, in this situation, couldn't help but suppress the pounding of my heart.
Long ago, as if it were a distant dream, I lived my life hoping to find someone capable of defeating me. But in this world, how many could truly do it?
A miscalculation, a random malfunction in my ODM gear, debris hurled by a Titan—or simply something unknown.
My heart knew the truth.
"Eren, are you feeling alright?" an officer asked as we continued running.
"Yes... In any case, much better than when I was surrounded," Eren replied uneasily.
"They said you're some sort of human weapon or whatever... as long as you can close that breach, I don't care. Protecting you is now our top priority. WE'RE COUNTING ON YOU!"
"Y-YES, SIR!"
"We'll soon reach the shortest route to the rock, and from what I can see... no Titans in sight. It looks like everyone did a great job with the distraction."
Today begins the counterattack. Even if it's just a pitiful response to all humanity's recent losses, today humanity awakens from its requiem.
"THIS WAY! MOVE!" the officer shouted, leaping off the wall, followed immediately by the rest.
We moved at full speed, maintaining a formation around Eren as he kept a low height, searching for momentum to gain greater altitude before releasing. Suddenly, he bit into his hand.
THOOOOOOOM!!!!!!
A lightning strike descended in an instant—bones, muscles, and flesh erupted violently around him, enveloping his form completely.
His body violently slammed into some houses, reducing them to dust, but he got up as if nothing had happened, letting out a guttural roar.
RAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAGHHH!!!!!!!!!!!
Eren walked a few steps toward the rock when he noticed Mikasa standing on a roof just a few meters away.
"??? Eren...?" she asked, feeling his gaze make her uncomfortable.
But in the blink of an eye, Eren launched a devastating punch at the spot where Mikasa was standing. I barely managed to anticipate it and grab her, but the nearby punch sent me flying with Mikasa in my arms.
Quickly, Eren threw another punch, to which I could only throw Mikasa aside and propel myself upward using a large amount of gas.
Mikasa adjusted in the air and used the momentum to reach Eren's face.
"HEY!! MIKASA, STOP!!! GET AWAY FROM THAT THING!!!" the officer yelled.
"EREN!!! DON'T YOU RECOGNIZE ME? IT'S MIKASA, WE'RE FAMILY!! YOU NEED TO TAKE THE ROCK AND CLOSE THE HOLE!!!"
The silver-haired girl with glasses quickly loaded her flare gun and aimed at the sky. "Mission failed!!!" But before she could pull the trigger, I grabbed her arm, squeezing it tightly, making her drop the flare gun.
"AGH, WHAT ARE YOU DOING?! WHAT THE HELL IS WRONG WITH YOU, RECRUIT, THE MISSION FAILED!"
My gaze remained fixed on her eyes as I kept her arm pinned, blood slowly dripping from my shoulder.
"Commander Pixis gave me the authority to make all the decisions... the mission doesn't end until I say so."
"EREN, YOU'RE HUMAN!!!" she kept shouting at him until another officer yelled, "MIKASA, MOVE ASIDE!!!"
Eren then threw a brutal punch at his own face, destroying the top of his head and collapsing on top of the rock.
"HE'S JUST ANOTHER ONE OF THOSE BRAINDLESS TITANS!! RECRUIT, FIRE THE FLARE, THAT'S AN ORDER!!!"
My face showed no change at his words.
"DAMN IT!! I'LL DO IT MYSELF!!"
In a burst of speed, he grabbed the officer by the arm, throwing him over my back to the ground and pressing his foot on his back. I simply crouched down, took the flare, and crushed it.
"BASTARD!!!" the remaining officer shouted, drawing his swords.
But we were interrupted by another squad's shout from afar.
"LEADER IAN!!! TWO TITANS APPROACHING FROM THE GATE!!! 6 AND 10 METERS!!! ONE MORE BEHIND US!! 12 METERS COMING TOWARD US!!!"
Ian got up from the ground, a dark look in his eyes, but I interrupted.
"I repeat, all decisions in this mission are under my command, you are my subordinates, this mission isn't over yet."
"IAN, ORDER US TO RETREAT!!!" shouted the silver-haired girl. "NONE OF THE RECRUIT'S WORDS MAKE SENSE!!!"
"..." He stayed silent, his head lowered.
"IT'S NOT YOUR FAULT!!! THE PLAN NEVER MADE SENSE!" the other man kept shouting. "EVERYONE KNOWS IT!! IT WAS WORTH A TRY, BUT NOW IT'S MORE THAN ENOUGH!!!"
"..."
At the silence, the man exploded.
"FINE!! MY TEAM AND I WILL CLIMB THE WALL!!!"
Mikasa, at my side, clenched the hilt of her sword tightly as her gaze darkened. At the same time, I only took a small step toward them, which made Ian react.
"WAIT!!!" he raised his hand, stopping them. "Wait... don't do anything, Kiyotaka..." His face darkened quickly.
"RIKO'S TEAM, TAKE DOWN THE TITAN FROM BEHIND!!! MITABI'S TEAM AND MINE WILL HANDLE THE TWO IN FRONT."
"EXCUSE ME!!??" shouted the silver-haired girl now recognized as Riko.
"HE'S RIGHT!!! I STILL DON'T KNOW WHY, BUT PIXIS DESIGNATED HIM AS THE COMMANDER OF THIS MISSION!! OUR JOB IS TO OBEY HIM!!!"
She gave me a strange look, to which I had to speak.
"We need to defend Eren until he regenerates... since getting close is a bad idea, we'll have to wait for him to act on his own... I don't think this was clear enough before..." My gaze moved to each one of their eyes. "There is no failure in this mission, if anything you do contradicts my plan again... I'll kill you."
"Hundreds of us have died because of that stupid defective weapon... just in the first attempt... How many more times do we have to repeat it, how many more have to die to finish this plan?!" Riko yelled in desperation.
"Exactly for that reason, no matter the odds or how many times it takes, WE MUST CONTINUE!!!" The officer Ian stepped forward.
"ARE YOU CRAZY?! DO YOU REALLY THINK YOU CAN DO THIS?!" Riko screamed furiously, her voice cracking the air like a whip as her eyes bore into Ian.
Ian didn't hesitate for a second. His expression hardened by determination left no room for doubt.
"THEN WHAT? COME ON, SAY IT, RIKO! HOW ARE WE SUPPOSED TO DEFEAT THE TITANS? TELL ME HOW, ANY WAY YOU WANT!" Sweat beaded on his forehead, but his voice was firm, like a wall against the collective panic.
"IT DOESN'T MATTER WHAT WE DO, IF WE GO BACK NOW, WE'RE ALL DEAD! SO TELL ME, HOW DO WE PRESERVE THE HUMAN LIVES WE HAVE LEFT?"
Riko clenched her teeth, her expression torn between fear and helplessness.
"...A way to defeat the titans?"
Her voice fell like a withered leaf in the wind.
"Of course, I don't have one..."
Ian nodded slowly, as if already expecting that answer.
"Then... our job, the one we all hate..." His eyes scanned the soldiers one by one. "Is to do what no one wants to do. THROW OUR LIVES AWAY FOR THE SAKE OF THIS DARK HUMAN WEAPON." The weight of his words deepened, striking every person present in the chest. "OUR JOB IS TO DIE AS BRAVELY AS WE CAN!"
The echo of his words was lost in the whisper of the wind and the distant rumble of the Titans' footsteps.
A heavy silence took over the place. Hands trembling over sword hilts.
"What a tragedy, huh?"
"As humans, this is the best we can do... die like animals for something that might not even work."
"Then..." Ian raised his voice one last time, looking at everyone with crushing intensity. "What will you do? This is the battle we can fight. A good fight like we'll never have again."
-----------
Riko took a deep breath, her face still filled with fear, but something in her gaze changed. "FINE! I'M NOT CONVINCED!" she finally said, her voice trembling but defiant.
"RIKO?!" the other officer exclaimed, surprised.
She clenched her fists so tightly that her knuckles turned white.
"I'LL FOLLOW THE PLAN! Even if I think it's crazy, I admit you have a point." Her eyes burned with rage as she looked directly at me, as if she wanted to pierce me with her fury. "NEXT TIME, JUST ASK! I'LL MAKE YOU APOLOGIZE ON YOUR KNEES WHEN WE GET BACK!!!"
The fear was still there, in every fiber of her being, but it was wrapped in a layer of furious determination. "I'LL FIGHT WITH EVERYTHING I'VE GOT! I'LL MAKE THE TITANS FEAR THE GREATNESS OF HUMANITY!" she declared. "Because I don't agree with all this senseless death."
The other officer approached a few seconds later, interrupting the tense moment. "The talking time is over, Ian. The Titans are waiting for us."
Ian nodded, his shoulders relaxing just a little. "True..."
Before leaving, I shot a brief glance at Mikasa. "Go with them." She returned a slight nod, her face still stunned by everything she had just heard, but the steel that characterized her will was already returning to her gaze.
Only Ian and I were left, walking side by side in the middle of a heavy silence, thick with tension and the constant shadow of death hanging over us.
Ian broke the silence first, his voice low but firm. "Don't thank me."
"I wasn't planning to," I replied without even looking at him, my tone as cold as ever.
He let out a brief, bitter laugh, though there was no trace of joy in his expression. "I see... I don't know who you are or why you're like this. But if people like Pixis and Erwin trust you that much... I guess I should too, even if it's hard to understand."
His gaze wandered to the horizon, where the distant echoes of the Titans probably heralded the death of another person within the walls. "For the sake of the mission and what's left of humanity, I'll do whatever it takes."
He stopped for a moment, as if carefully weighing his next words. "But listen to me: if we're going to keep trusting you, make sure you speak up before rushing us into an attack as reckless as the one from earlier. There were other ways to stop that flare."
I looked up, unmoved. "I can't apologize for that."
Ian furrowed his brow but remained silent, waiting for me to continue.
"Firing that flare wouldn't have changed anything. It would've been useless. This mission won't end until we win... or we all die." I sighed softly, adjusting my pace to match his. "I'd rather you, at least, keep the hope until the end."
My words hung in the air, heavy but sincere.
Ian nodded slowly, understanding in his own way.
"The end, huh?" he murmured, almost to himself.