Swish — swish.
Levi's spinning blades cut down two Titans climbing toward the wall. Other soldiers rushed into battle as well. Fighting from the height of the wall made things easier for the moment, and more than ten Titans were felled in quick succession.
But these were only the vanguard.
In the distance, a massive yellow tide of Titans was surging forward. When that wave reached them, casualties for the Survey Corps would be inevitable.
Even the interception nets and the heavy fixed cannons stacked behind them would not hold for long.
"Erwin!"
Hange rushed back, breathless. "The Garrison captain for Trost — Kitz — is a complete bastard. He rejected your plan outright and insists on fighting to the last man!"
"…Is that so." Erwin's brow tightened. "Then we have no choice but to retreat."
"Retreat?"
Levi had just returned to the wall. Hearing this, he frowned. "You mean abandon this district?"
"Yes. We have to."
Erwin's voice was heavy. "If we can't seal that hole, everything we do here is meaningless."
Levi fell silent.
Erwin continued, "Right now only the outer gate is breached, so Titans are confined to the Trost inner district. But have you forgotten the Armored Titan?"
His gaze hardened. "If the Armored Titan destroys the inner gate, this won't be the fall of one district anymore. The entire territory inside Wall Rose would become a playground for Titans."
He paused.
"And if that happens…"
"…Humanity will start fighting itself," Hange murmured.
Erwin nodded. "Exactly. The people inside Wall Rose will clash with those behind Wall Sina. At that point, we wouldn't even need Titans — civil war alone could wipe us out."
"But…" Hange said urgently, "the civilians haven't finished evacuating yet, and Garrison troops are still being sent here to fight…"
"That's why we must split our forces."
Erwin turned to Levi. "Levi, you and Hange will take the elite squad to the inner gate. Assist with evacuation and stay on constant alert for the Armored Titan. If it appears, you must stop it from breaching the wall. You're the one with the best chance of taking it down."
"…And you?" Levi asked.
"I'll stay here with part of the troops and buy time," Erwin said, looking toward the approaching Titans.
"Commander!" Hange began — but Erwin cut her off.
"Move out immediately!"
"…Understood."
Levi glanced at him once. "Don't die."
Then his maneuver gear fired, launching him toward the inner wall.
"Elite squad, follow!"
"Sir!"
Over thirty elite soldiers flew off with Levi and Hange — the best of the best, needed to confront the Armored Titan.
Erwin turned to the remaining sixty-plus soldiers. Titans were almost at the wall now.
He raised his blade.
"Fight! Buy time for our people!"
"YES!"
---
Elsewhere, Kitz was shouting orders to the assembled troops.
"Form your units exactly as trained! Under Garrison command, carry out supply support, communication relay, and Titan-clearing operations!"
He barked, "The vanguard will be handled by the Garrison assault squad. The middle line will be led by the support squad with the cadets attached. The rear will be covered by the Garrison elite unit!"
He continued, voice booming, "Right now the Survey Corps and the advance unit are holding back Titans from entering the city — but the Armored Titan could appear at any moment to break the inner wall! The objective of this operation is simple: defend Wall Rose at all costs until every civilian has evacuated!"
Still furious from his argument with Hange, he vented his anger on the soldiers.
"Remember this — anyone who deserts will be executed. Executed! Dismissed!"
At once, everyone scattered to their assigned duties.
"Lillian!"
Someone called out to him. He turned around and saw Krista.
Although Krista was trying to keep herself composed, the tension and fear were clearly written across her face. "You… you have to be careful…"
"You too."
They were not in the same squad. Krista and Ymir were together, while Lillian had been assigned to a different team.
"Don't worry, we'll all be fine," Lillian said, stepping forward and gently patting Krista on the head. Then, as if remembering something, he reached into his pocket and took out two pieces of candy.
"Here."
They were originally meant for the little flower girl, but two pieces were left.
"Is this… candy?"
"Yeah. It should be good, I think," Lillian said. "But I don't actually know the flavor. Tell me after the operation is over."
"…Okay!"
Krista nodded firmly and smiled sweetly. At that moment, Ymir walked over.
"Krista, it's time to go."
"Oh — then we're heading out."
"Right."
Ymir waved at Lillian. "See you, shorty. Don't get yourself killed."
"…Wow. Did the sun rise in the west today? Since when do you care about me?"
"Don't get the wrong idea," Ymir scoffed. "If you die, I'll just lose someone fun to insult. That's all."
Lillian watched the two of them leave with their squad. He wasn't particularly worried.
If it were Krista alone, he might have been concerned — but with Ymir there, Krista would be safe. When it mattered most, Ymir would protect Krista even if it meant revealing her Titan identity.
As for himself…
Lillian didn't quite know how to feel.
Right now, he could die and come back to life. As long as the members of the 104th remembered him, he would return. As long as they didn't all die, he could keep reviving.
In theory, he could even let Titans kill him on purpose, repeatedly gaining their power and becoming stronger — a kind of "grinding strategy." Eventually, his strength might surpass that of ordinary Titans and turn him into a true monster.
But who would actually do that?
Letting himself be torn apart and eaten over and over? That pain was real — unbearably real.
There was also a critical risk: what if he was eaten twice by the same Titan?
The workaround would be to memorize the Titan's appearance before dying, then kill it after reviving — but revival took thirty minutes, not instant recovery. What if he couldn't find that Titan again? Or worse — what if he tried to kill it and failed, only to be eaten again?
Then everything would be over.
More importantly, if his death were witnessed — especially by key characters — and he later appeared alive, it would shatter their perception of reality. If people learned he was a being who could revive from death, how would they treat him? As an ally? A monster? Something inhuman?
That unknown was terrifying.
So unless he was truly cornered with no way out, he would never intentionally die just to gain power.
"Hey, Lillian — it's time for us to move out too."
His squad leader walked over. He was smiling, but the unease in his eyes betrayed him.
"Yes, Squad Leader Marco."
"Hey, no need to be so formal," he laughed weakly. "We're all from the same class. Just call me Marco."
"…Alright. Marco."
Marco Bodt — commander of Training Squad 19, ranked seventh among the "Top Ten Blades."
In the original story, his fate was death.
Lillian didn't remember him vividly; he was the typical kind, kind-hearted everyman — not flashy, not eccentric, just decent and reliable. Precisely because of that, he was someone people trusted.
In canon, he was killed because he overheard Reiner and Bertholdt's secret. His ODM gear was sabotaged, leaving him defenseless against Titans. His death later became one of the reasons Jean resolved to join the Survey Corps.
But no one should exist merely to be someone else's catalyst.
Everyone has their own irreplaceable value.
"Let's go, Marco."
Lillian stepped forward, silently thinking: If I can, I'll change your fate.
"Ah… right."
Marco glanced at him curiously. He didn't know this quiet black-haired, black-eyed cadet very well — but he could tell he was a good person.
Whoosh — whoosh —
Gas ignited as soldiers launched into the air, racing toward their assigned positions.
At the moment, Titans had not yet fully breached the district. Thanks to Erwin and the Survey Corps, they had managed to hold the gate using a deep trench several meters wide, killing multiple Titans at the entrance.
However, even when wooden planks were removed, fallen Titans simply became a "bridge." Other Titans stepped over their bodies and continued forward. The barrier would not hold for long.
At the inner city gate, the fleeing crowd was jammed, unable to pass — a horse-drawn cart loaded with bulky goods was stuck in the middle. Many people were pushing with all their strength, trying to clear the way.
It belonged to the largest trade guild in Trost District — the Reeves Company. Its chairman, Dimo Reeves, was shouting at the workers to push harder while angrily scolding the civilians who were desperate to escape.
"Come on, you lot! Help push if you want to get out of the city!"
"Are you kidding? There's no way we can move this!"
"Shouldn't people be allowed to go first in this situation?"
"If this keeps up, the Titans will eat everyone!"
The crowd protested fiercely. Yet despite their numbers far exceeding those of the guild workers, no one dared step forward. Only one soldier tried to demand Dimo be arrested, but he hesitated — and was immediately intimidated.
"Touch me, and see what happens! I'm the head of the largest trade guild here!" Dimo thundered.
"Uh… well…"
"Do you think the money feeding you fools comes from nowhere? Tell me, can you support all the soldiers in this town?"
The soldier had no reply. Just then, several figures dropped from above, landing in front of the crowd.
"The Survey Corps!"
"Why are they here?"
"Hey! Go block the Titans at the gate!"
The crowd shouted, but Levi furrowed his brow and swept his gaze over them. "Quiet."
Though small in stature, his presence was commanding; the civilians fell silent instantly.
Levi quickly assessed the situation, then turned to Dimo. "Pig-headed fool, clear the way."