"I won't regret it!" Reiner shouted without hesitation.
Bang!
The gunshot split the air.
A Titan's neck burst apart, bone and muscle snapping as the creature's head toppled to the ground. The body twitched, then crumbled into steaming ash.
"!"
The Survey Corps soldiers froze. That hadn't been a blade. Where had the gunfire come from?
No—more importantly—what kind of firearm could sever a Titan's neck?
The instructor's voice from training echoed in their minds: "A Titan's only weakness is the nape.
That's why we developed the ODM maneuvering gear—to reach that spot and cut it open with special blades. Guns are useless against Titans."
But this wasn't "useless." This was absolute. One shot, and the Titan was gone.
Not hit.
Not wounded.
Erased.
Their eyes darted toward the carriage carrying supposed refugees. The black-haired boy clutched the reins, the tall blond sat frozen, and—unthinkably—the young blond man and girl were on the cart's floor, each wielding a massive rifle.
"W-wow! They really killed a Titan with just a gun!" Isabel shouted with childlike joy. She waved at Zeke as if nothing was wrong. "Amazing! Hey, blonde boy, keep helping us! Thank you!"
The words had barely left her mouth when—
Bang!
A human soldier's throat exploded in a spray of crimson. He collapsed without even a scream.
"!!"
The Survey Corps reeled in shock.
Even Zeke froze for a heartbeat before instinct took over. He lunged, yanking the rifle from Annie's hands. "Annie!!"
Her eyes were cold, her expression flat. "Weren't we ordered to kill the enemy?"
"Survey Corps are not enemies!" Zeke barked in a harsh whisper.
"No," she said without hesitation, her voice low and venomous. "They are. I'll slaughter every last devil of Eldia."
"You—!" Zeke's fist tightened, but before he could say more, the air darkened.
Boom!
A shadow fell from above. A Titan crashed down, mouth yawning open, its stench flooding the carriage. Its teeth gleamed inches from their heads.
Zeke, Reiner, Bertolt—instinct drove them to raise their hands to their mouths. They were a heartbeat away from transforming.
Then—
Shing!
A streak of silver light slashed the Titan's jaw wide open. Its bite halted.
The soldiers lowered their hands, stunned. A figure landed in front of them, blades dripping. He turned, eyes sharp but kind.
"Are you hurt?"
It was the same trooper who had handed them the flare gun.
Zeke forced himself to steady his voice. "…We're fine." He pressed Annie's barrel down, forcing her to lower her weapon.
The soldier nodded once. "Good. Your guns are incredible. If you can really kill Titans with them, then don't die out here. The hope of mankind rests on you. You might be the key to driving them out."
For a moment, silence.
Then Zeke gave a solemn nod. "Understood. Did you hear that, Annie? No more mistakes. Our bullets are for Titans—not humans."
Annie's jaw clenched, blood still spattered on her cheek. After a pause, she muttered, "…Fine."
Reiner, still clutching the flare gun, scoffed bitterly. "'Hope of mankind,' huh…?" His lips twisted in confusion, torn between derision and unease.
He never finished.
The Titan whose mouth had been split shuddered—then lunged again. Flesh knitted, bone reformed, and in a blink it swallowed the soldier whole.
"—!!"
They stood frozen as the Titan chewed.
A muffled crunch, then silence.
Only one arm fell, landing across Reiner's lap. The fingers still gripped a blade.
Reiner stared at it, numb. Heat radiated from the severed limb. The soldier's final words rang in his ears—
"When you're close to the gate, fire the smoke. The guards will open it for you."
That man… He had entrusted them with a path home. And he hadn't even looked back, cloak billowing behind him like wings.
Blue and white. Soaring. Fighting for freedom.
"Moses!!" the other Survey Corps soldiers screamed.
But their comrade was gone. The Titan squatted gleefully before the carriage, savoring the taste as if dining on delicacy.
"Damn it!" Annie roared.
Bang!
Her shot ripped through the Titan's neck at point-blank range.
Blood and brain matter rained across the cart. Heat and steam engulfed them.
When it cleared, all that remained was the soldier's blood.
It streaked Annie's cheek, warm and sticky. Her hands trembled around the rifle. For the first time, she couldn't see him as a "devil." Not when his blood still clung to her face. Not when his last act had been to shield them.
Zeke's eyes narrowed. He recognized it instantly: Annie's fury was different now. This wasn't mindless hate. This was grief.
"Listen," Zeke said firmly. "Aim at the Titans. Only if the Survey Corps wins can we get inside the Walls safely."
"…Yeah." Annie's voice cracked. She reloaded, her barrel swinging toward the next Titan.
Reiner, tears streaming, finally stirred. The severed arm slipped from his lap as he tore through his pack, fumbling for his rifle. His hands shook, vision blurred, but rage gave him strength.
"I'll kill you… I'll kill all of you!" he screamed at the Titans. "You monsters! You damn demons!!"
The boy who had declared moments ago that he'd never regret—was already trembling with regret.