Dogsbreath was still tossing Titans at the soldiers, a 3m, in particular, was chasing after Stoick and with only one arm he was unable to fight it. Ymir watched as Stoick try to put as much distance between him and the Titan as possible, but it was catching up.

"Damn you, Commander," she said, charging towards him. "I had this all planned out. Why do you have to go and screw it up?"

Stoick saw Ymir heading towards him, and there was nothing he could do, but instead of attacking him, she attacked the Titan that was chasing after. However, the cause of their collision was enough to knock Stoick off his horse.

"Ymir!" Historia cried. "Tuffnut, over there!"

"I see," said Tuffnut.

Stoick had the wind knocked out of him, but he started to rise to his feet.

"Commander!" a Scout yelled rushing towards him.

"I'm not your objective, don't waste time on someone who is replaceable," said Stoick as he looked up at him. "Retrieve Ragnar and go!"

However a 7m Titan had managed to grab him with its mouth, the Scouts struggled for a few seconds before his entire body went limp.

The other Scouts were busy engaging the Titans all around them along with the remaining Garrison and MP soldiers, but they were starting to get a run.

Hiccup and the others meanwhile were face-to-face with the Titan that had eaten Astrid's mother. Astrid was just too stunned to move, and Ragnar still had his hands bound as it swung its massive hand towards them.

"Get down!" Hiccup yelled, pushing them to one side.

Finn then appeared out of nowhere and blocked it.

Astrid stated at him. "Are you insane?"

Finn then swung his blade slicing right through its thumb and then he looked at them with a crazed look. "Can you believe this luck? Crazy, right? Watch me, this is the least that I owe your mother, she'll finally have a vengeance she deserves!"

He then fired anchor at its chest and then charge the Titan began to engage it.

"No, Uncle Finn!" Astrid cried.

"I'm gonna give them some backup," said Hiccup and he to bite his anchors.

"No, wait!" Ragnar yelled.

Heather then appeared by their side. "Are you two all right?"

"We're fine, but they won't be unless we back them up," said Astrid.

Fishlegs and Snotlout were riding towards them as quickly as they could.

"They need backup!" Snotlout yelled.

Unfortunately, before they could get anywhere close, Titan landed right in front of them followed closely by another one.

"Dogsbreath?" Fishlegs stared. "B-but doesn't he care if Ragnar gets eaten?"

"Move it or lose it, asshole! I'm getting tired of your shit!" Snotlout yelled.

The two of them then made their way towards the Titans which they had to get through in order to backup Hiccup and Finn.

Ymir had just torn off the head of the Titan that went after Stoick.

"What are you doing?" Historia yelled.

"Honestly, hell if I know," said Ymir. "Do I trust Dogsbreath or gamble on the Scout and hope for the best?" Frustratingly she began to follow the twins. "Suppose I managed to get through this, what good is another day on borrowed time? Like inside the Walls will be a nightmare, that's a fact. This might be my only shot to bringing her over to the other side, I'm just one person I can't protect her forever."

Historia then fired an anchor at her head and seconds later she was standing on top of it.

"Christa!" Tuffnut yelled.

"No, no more," said Historia. "Sorry for now on I'm Historia." She then looked at Ymir. "Okay, so tell me what you mean exactly by handing me over? Would it have really saved you or was that a lie? Stupid question, of course, it was. Why then? Why go to the trouble?"

Ymir didn't answer, she didn't even acknowledge that she could hear her.

"Was it me?" Historia pressed. "You were trying to protect me again."

"Heads up!" Tuffnut yelled.

Ahead of them was a 15m Titan blocking their path.

"Listen to me, you need to take your own advice," said Historia. "You understand me? Stop putting yourself on the line, you need to live your own life. Live it with me! I never told you this before, but however bad things get as long as we're together I'm not afraid!"

She then raised her blades and fired an anchor attaching to the head of the Titan ahead of them. She then launched into the air, and it was not as she was dancing midair as she headed towards the Titan. The twins then quickly followed suit along with Ymir to give her some backup.

Hiccup and Finn were still engaging with their Titan, but it's odd movements me difficult to land a clean hit. Still, the two of them were distracting the Titan away from the others, which was a bit more important.

Astrid rose to her feet in an attempt to help them, but she was still nowhere near in fighting shape. Heather had just finished unbinding Ragnar's hands, they always fully healed, and only his fingers were the only things left to regenerate.

"Astrid, stop you're no shape to fight!" Ragnar yelled.

Heather quickly grabbed her order to pull her back. "He's right, you'll only get yourself killed."

"If anyone should kill that Titan me!" Astrid yelled.

Ragnar looked at his hands. "I'm still not fully healed. I can't help them!"

"We have to get you out of here," said Heather looking at him. "That was the mission we were given!"

Ragnar didn't like the idea of leaving Hiccup behind. He could only watch as Hiccup and Finn continue to battle the Titan. Hiccup had just managed to slice through its heel while Finn flew around its base in order to distract it.

Stoick and the rest the Scout were completely swarmed by Titans. One Scout nearly got crushed by applying Titan courtesy of Dogsbreath.

"Commander, sir!" a Scout yelled looking back at Stoick. "The Armoured! It's coming this way!"

Stoick turn and sure enough Dogsbreath was approaching them, he had managed to lose the larger Titans that had grabbed him. The only ones still claimed him with a small variety, and he was tossing them around.

Snotlout and Fishlegs have managed to slip by the Titan were advancing towards Hiccup and the others. However, Dogsbreath had just tossed a 7m Titan had had just soared past Fishlegs' head, and he knows that it was coming towards a collision with Snotlout, who was out in front.

"Snotlout!" Fishlegs yelled.

Snotlout managed to stop in time before the Titan landed on top of him, but its legs struck his horse, sending him rolling across the ground painfully.

"No!" Fishlegs yelled, jumping off his horse and ran towards him. "By the gods. Stay with me, Snotlout!"

Titans were now advancing on their position.

Hiccup was still cutting away at the Titans heel while Finn kept on distracting it. However, Hiccup was so fixated on the Titans legs that he failed to notice that he collided into its backhand. The Titan swatted him, and he landed next to Astrid and the others.

"Hiccup!" Astrid cried.

"I'm fine," said Hiccup and then he noticed that his ODM gear was busted. "But my ODM gear is a bust."

Heather then rose to her feet. "I've got to help Finn."

"No, stay back!" Finn yelled, looking back at her. "You need to protect them!"

"Who is going to protect you!" Ragnar yelled.

Fishlegs was dragging Snotlout away, trying to fend off a 3m Titan, and he was utterly terrified.

Dogsbreath had managed to free himself from the last of the Titans and was now rushing towards them.

Stoick watched helplessly as the Scouts continue to fight against the Titans as they were slowly being devoured.

Finn was still battling against the Titan and eventually managed to slice through its heel causing it to fall to its knees. He was so proud of them so that he failed to notice of the Titan grabbing him and shattered his cable.

Hiccup and the others watched horrified as the Titan pulled him closer towards its mouth.

Ragnar then tried to bit down on his thumb, hoping that he had healed enough to transform, but he hadn't.

'Come on,' he said frantically. 'For Thor's sake, transform!'

The Titan was now dangling Finn lower half just beneath its jaw, and then they watched as it slammed it shut. Astrid just stared horrified as he failed her knees and began to cry, she had just lost the last member of her family.

"Astrid," said Hiccup softly.

"I should have jumped in there," said Heather.

"Not sure if there was much you could do," said Ragnar.

"You know that's not true," said Heather without looking at him.

"I'm the useless one he remember?" Ragnar pointed out. "I don't have ODM gear, and I can't transform."

Ragnar looked around and saw that the fighting was continuing, and they were losing. At this point, they needed a miracle to get out alive, and that was hardly something Ragnar could pull out of his sleeve.

Heather shook her head. "No, you're not. You're the key to seal Wall Maria, that's why everyone is risking their lives. You're the most important person here, and we will protect you."

Ragnar just stared at her as Heather leaned in closer towards him, but then Ragnar took a deep breath and rose to his feet.

"You don't have to protect me, I'm the one who should be protecting you," he said, and then he faced the Titan. "You want them, you have to go through me!"

Ragnar was now fully healed, and he swung his fist at the Titan extended its palm. He then made contact and the moment he did what felt like a bolt of electricity pass through Dogsbreath, Clueless and Ymir. Ragnar then screamed and swung his fist and then suddenly completely out of nowhere a 15m Titan tackled the Titan in front of them.

If that wasn't surprising enough, the other Titans stopped what they were doing and began swarming it. To everyone's shock, they then started to devour the Titan leaving everyone completely speechless.

Hiccup took this opportunity to carry Astrid on his shoulders and then with Ragnar and Heather then immediately ran off away from the Titans.

"Why are they?" Astrid stared bewildered. "What's going on? They're eating it?"

"Don't know don't care," said Tuffnut as he mounted his horse. "Let's go!"

"It could be our only chance," Ruffnut agreed.

"Right!" Historia nodded.

"That's what this is about," said Ymir as she watched. "No wonder Dogsbreath was desperate to get his hands on him. Maybe there is a future inside the Walls." She then looked at Historia. "I'll be damned."

Hiccup and the others were still running to safety when they saw Dogsbreath approaching them.

"This isn't good," said Dogsbreath. "Why did things have to be this way? Why did the Coordinate have to fall to him? Unless we can get it back, we're finished. No two ways about it, of all the people in the world that power could have gone to Ragnar is far the worst."

Ragnar then came to a stop and looked at them. "Get away from us! I won't let you kill my friends!"

Dogsbreath and Clueless then fell that same bolt of electricity running through them and then all the Titans had been devouring the Titan that had killed Finn began charging towards them.

"Son of a bitch," said Dogsbreath as he stopped in his tracks. "Clueless! I can't protect him like this!"

"What the hell is going on?" Ragnar stared.

"I wouldn't complain, at least not chasing after us now," said Heather.

"We can discuss what's going on later when we're safe," said Hiccup.

"Guys!" Fishlegs yelled as he rode in with a few spare horses. Snotlout was riding on the back of his horse, barely conscious. "Ragnar, can you ride?"

"Yeah," Ragnar nodded.

"We better hurry," said Hiccup.

Stoick then mounted his horse and looked at the survivors. "This may be our only window. Soldiers retreat!"

With that everyone immediately galloped away, leaving the Titans to swarm Dogsbreath. Clueless was frantically waving his sword to fend off the Titans as he was the most vulnerable out of the two of them.

However, Ymir stopped and looked at the two of them as they struggled against the Titans.

"What is it?" Historia asked, stopping my next to her.

"Hey, ugly! Get with the program, we were given an order!" Tuffnut yelled at Ymir.

Ymir looked at Historia and then rubbed the top of the head with her finger. "Please forgive me."

Historia stared at her and then she ran off towards Dogsbreath and Clueless.

"Wait, what are you doing!" she yelled.

"Let her go!" said Tuffnut approaching her.

"But she'll be killed?"

Dogsbreath was covered to head to toe in Titans, and Clueless was trying to fend off a 10m meter which was napping its jaw him. He probably would have eaten him if Ymir had pushed its head away and the two of them just stared at her in shock.

Historia then reluctantly galloped away, but not before looking back at Ymir who began to fight against the Titans swarming Dogsbreath and Clueless.

They all kept on galloping towards Wall Rose, but they hadn't run into any more Titans along the way back. Less than half of the rescue team managed to survive with the Scouts taking heaviest hits.

'At the time, Ymir's decision to turn back puzzled me,' said Hiccup. 'But I suspect it had something to do with why the Armoured Titan didn't give chase.'

Astrid was riding behind Hiccup and had been crying into his shoulder the entire way back. Snotlout badly injured and was riding behind Fishlegs. Everyone else was completely quiet, they had taken heavy losses or to rescue Ragnar, and he knew it, but losing Finn was the heaviest blow.

It was nightfall, and Dogsbreath and the others had managed to survive making all the way back to Berk. They were utterly exhausted and confused by Ymir's rescue.

"I don't get it," Dogsbreath hunted looking at her. "What the hell possessed you to come all the way back?"

"Can't say really, probably wasn't the smartest thing," she said as she laid there. "Seemed a little unfair sending you guys home empty-handed. Just think of me as a consolation prize."

"Are you serious?" Clueless stared.

"Look at it this way, if you hadn't come to bust up the Wall who knows when my nightmare may have ended. I owe quite a debt, this is me giving back what I took from you. The someone knows the shit you've been through, even if it is only me."

"Yeah, well… thank you," said Clueless as he cried. "Sorry."

"No worries," said Ymir she cried as well looking up at the starry night sky and reached her hand towards it. "Being a goddess had its perks while it lasted."

'With reports maintaining the likelihood of Wall Rose being compromised, citizens of the region were forced to take refuge in a subterranean city within the confines of Wall Sina. However, the emergency provisions had been stockpiled for the purpose, with only half the population relying on them rations could only last at most a week. Beyond that lured a terrible choice… turn on each other like animals or face the prospect of starvation. To avoid a humanitarian price of catastrophic proportions within a week of the Titan onslaught for he declared Wall Rose was secure.'

At Trost District, Stoick had received medical care along with the rest of the injured Scouts. In his room were Eret, Alvin and Gobber as he debriefed them on the situation.

They then heard a knock on the door.

"Valka," Eret guessed. "Come in!"

The door opened, and it was indeed Valka and standing behind her with.

"Apologies for the intrusion, Stoick," she said as she entered and her eyes turned towards Alvin and Gobber. "Commander Alvin… Gobber… glad we caught you." Her eyes then turned towards the twins as they entered the room. "These are… stated names."

The twins then saluted.

"Ruffnut Thorston, sir! 104th Cadet Corps!"

"Tuffnut Thorston, sir! 104th Cadet Corps!"

"At the twins here are originally from Rock Village," Valka explained.

"Ah, yes, where the invasion seemed to begin, correct?" said Alvin.

"Yes, sir," Valka nodded. "In fact, they have corroborated viable piece of evidence in that regard. I think that you'll find their story to support our hypothesis. Soldiers, if you would."

Hiccup and the others were at HQ discussing everything that had happened.

"Thanks to me the Scouts have lost over half of their veteran contingent," said Ragnar looking crestfallen. "All in a single rescue attempt to rescue me!"

"And these there were no casualties on the way back," said Hiccup. "The Titans just completely ignored us, they were too fixated on Dogsbreath and the others. Fishlegs and I talked it over once we got back. Now just hear me out, suppose they reacted in that way because of you."

Ragnar's eyes widened.

"It's just a thought of course," said Fishlegs. "But as far as an explanation, it is about as good as we got."

Astrid looked at Ragnar. "I don't envy the position you're in now, maybe all those people really did die for nothing. That all depends on you, if you really are worth the sacrifice you better prove it. There's no time for second-guessing."

Ragnar nodded. "You're right, I have to be decisive. I can control Titans I have to plug up Wall Maria and then confront Dogsbreath about what he's done. People died for me, I'm not gonna let their sacrifice be in vain."

The twins had just finished their story, and Valka gave her hypothesis, upon hearing this, everyone just stared at them stunned.

"Come again?" Alvin stared. "You're saying the Titans responsible for this were the citizens of Rock Village?"

"I see," said Stoick. "So in actuality, Titans are human beings."

"Well, we don't have proof yet," said Valka.

"Great… perfect," Eret muttered. "I spent all this time, all of this energy, and the things that have been carving through like carrion were people."

"Look, we don't know for a certainty," said Valka.

Regardless they dismissed the twins along with Valka, Alvin and Gobber. This left Stoick and Eret to talk amongst themselves about this recent development.

"Now what?" Eret asked, looking at Stoick.

However, to his shock, he saw that Stoick was actually smiling.

"Excuse me, what with that smile?" said Eret staring at him.

"Oh, it's nothing," said Stoick. "Just… seems to me we've taken one more step towards the truth."

"Wow, one whole step, huh?" said Eret unenthusiastically. "At this page, we'll run out of people before we actually reach it. Not a good rate of return."

"Everything comes with a price, one day will get close enough to breakthrough," said Stoick. "The Wall barring us from the truth will tumble."

Unbeknownst to them, the beast Titan was standing on Wall Maria and emerging from its nape was the shadow of a woman with blonde hair.

"Not just yet," she said.