Chapter 4: Perfect Game

Disclaimer: I do not own Shingeki no Kyojin

Previously: The group feels pessimistic about defeating the Colossal Titan. Hange is upset about dying uselessly. Sasha has a feeling they're going to lose another person this season.

I live! I haven't been able to update any fanfics in a month, I think. To clarify, cause I don't think I did a very good job last time, there's no set date this story gets updated. I try for once every month. It doesn't mean 4 weeks exactly, could be 5-6 weeks, depends.

Flints of ember filled the thick waves of steam rising from the Colossal Titan's body as he stood slowly.

"H-Hey…" Connie said shakily, watching the Titan destroy the houses with a sweep of his hand. "Those houses will drop on us. You think one of those houses…is Eren's?" Pieces of fiery wreckage came falling. "Eren's house…is eavesdropping!" He laughed madly.

"Connie, dude, what the fuck?" Ymir couldn't help but laugh.

"Now is not the time for dumb puns." Despite his words, Eren was grinning.

"Humor is how I cope. Don't judge."

"Humor is good," Petra said to him. "It keeps people from panicking or becoming too frightened to do anything."

Connie beamed at her. "Thank you, Petra. It's so nice to be appreciated."

"Sasha, could you smack Connie?" Jean requested from Rogue's shoulder, still staring ahead at the Colossal Titan.

They giggled at Jean's request.

Sasha whacked Connie on the head with one of her Thunder Spears.

Connie tapped his head with his knuckle. "It's rock solid."

"I don't think he knows our location," Mikasa observed, crouching on a roof with Armin.

"Yeah," Armin said. "He's making Shiganshina a sea of flames by scattering burning debris."

The Colossal Titan picked up houses and threw them around. Rogue glared at him. That bastard… This time, you think you can burn down my city?!

Some of the wreckage fell close to the group. "A-Armin! The fire! Your orders?!" Connie asked him in alarm.

"Hurry it up!" Sasha said in fear.

Armin thought back to Bertolt threatening him on the roof. "I can tell," Bertolt had said, holding up his sword. "You're standing there shaking so much, you can't do a damn thing."

"Bertolt really broke Armin's confidence with that."

"He should have known better than to think the same ploy would work twice."

"Not to mention it was not the time to play peacekeeper."

Armin turned to look at Jean. "Jean, can you take my place?" All eyes turned to Armin. "I just have no idea…what to do… I was wrong reading Bertolt, and look where it got us. Jean! You're better suited for this!"

Jean was startled by his words. Then he looked to his right. "The river! Move to the river! Everyone aboard Eren! Conserve our gas!"

The Colossal Titan walked, his back to them.

"Eren," Jean said, "at some point, we'll have to get Bertolt's attention, but until then, don't let him see you." He and the rest of the group stood near Rogue's nape, who was crouching, as they all spied on the Colossal Titan. "Armin," Jean continued, "I'm alright at reading situations, but I'm coming up empty with a plan to get us out of this. In the end, we're all counting on you."

Armin did not appear to be too confident in Jean's words.

Sasha snapped her fingers. "What if Eren grabbed the Colossal Titan's foot and used the hardening to glue him to the ground? Oh, but wait no, the Colossal Titan's probably strong enough to rip that part of the ground out."

"Points for creative thinking, though," Hange said encouragingly. "I'll write it down anyway."

"I don't know." Levi rubbed his jaw. "Might be a real hindrance to Bertolt."

Petra agreed, "It would be awkward trying to walk around with that stuck to his foot."

"Eren would also need to leave that body and transform again," Erwin said, considering the other factors. "It'll impact his stamina and there are more opponents running around that still have to be dealt with."

"We're done cleaning up here," Dirk reported to Levi, landing on a roof across from him. "The only small ones left are the ones way at the front." Many small Titans were crowded around the soldiers, who stood upon the abandoned, red-tiled homes. "Still, how will we take down the Beast Titan? He's perfectly content sitting way over there, not moving an inch."

In the distance, the Beast Titan sat cross-legged, flanked on both sides by nearly a dozen 15-meter Titans total.

"Yeah," Levi said, "it seems he's a coward. Not like he's ever had balls to begin with."

"That is a disturbing image."

"Ew, dude, why would you say that? Now it's in my head, too."

"Ugh, and mine."

"Can we please not talk about hairy balls? I'm eating here!"

"You take a break. We'll mop up the rest of the small ones. Let's go!"

"Roger!" The other soldiers followed after Dirk.

Shit… Levi glanced over his shoulder. On the other side of the Wall was a storm cloud worth of steam. What was that explosion? What happened to those guys? Did Hange and the others avoid it? I've gotta hurry to that side and…

The sound of something cutting through the air was heard before a small piece of rock hovered by Levi's face. Time seemed to slow and larger rocks were shown suspended around him.

"What in the..."

"Holy fucking mother of—"

"Duck!"

Levi's expression morphed into shock and he grunted, crossing his arms to brace against the force. He gasped. Rocks pelted and destroyed the houses around him.

Sasha gasped when it hit her. "Is the Beast Titan throwing rocks at us?!"

A wave of destruction came from the edge of the town, heading inward. Soldiers groaned and cried out. Red mist spurted into the air, following the wave of destruction.

Connie stared in horror. "Holy Mother Maria..."

Their mouths opened in shock, some flinching away from the TV.

Levi's lone visible eye widened, seeing the bodies get ripped apart.

The ground was littered with corpses.

"Hmm…" The Beast Titan observed, flexing his long-nailed fingers as the Cart Titan prepared boulders by his legs. "That one was a little bit high…"

Eren growled furiously, "That bastard is throwing shit at us!"

"We should have seen this coming. He pulled the same stunt at Utgard Castle," Historia huffed, frowning.

"I fucking knew it," Jean swore solemnly. He'd had a bad feeling when the hairy giant had blocked Wall Maria's outer gate with a boulder. He's going to start nailing us with pieces of rocks. How were they going to avoid those while trying to get close to him?

"Oh, leave it right there," the Beast Titan said to the Cart Titan, who rolled another boulder by him. With both hands, he picked it up and ground it into small pieces. "Well, the first pitch was a warm-up." He brought up his arms straight above his head. "I'm going for a perfect game!"

"He's just going to keep pelting us every time we stick our heads out until no one's left. It really is just a game for him," Levi said in disgust.

At the top of the Wall, Erwin yelled down at the soldiers. "Frontal bombardment! All troops, take cover!"

"Huh?" Marlowe stood, holding the reins to his horse. On the other side of the animal, Floch had his hands over his ears.

"What was that?" Sandra asked Marlowe.

"Shit! You guys!" Levi screamed, heading toward the edge of the town where the veteran soldiers had just been hit.

Dirk, still alive, struggled to push himself up. He gasped as the Beast Titan threw more pieces of rock at them. Once more the rocks pelted the soldiers and the structures, destroying everything they came into contact with. The humans cried out in pain and Levi quickly dove down, taking shelter between two houses to avoid getting hit.

More bodies were torn apart, forming red mists that flooded the town while Erwin watched from the Wall.

"At this rate, he'll kill them all before they can even get close to him," Jean said, feeling pity for the soldiers.

"The hell are they supposed to do against rocks?" Eren asked, agitated. Could even his Titan be able to close the gap? Or would he get shredded before he could make it? "How are they even supposed to approach him?"

"Come right at him and he pelts them with rocks and they get torn up," Mikasa said thoughtfully. "Try to flank him and he'll probably just send some of the 15-meter Titans to attack once the soldiers leave the town and enter the flat ground, where 3D gear is useless."

"It's going to be near impossible to beat him by engaging in a long-range fight," Petra said, unable to figure out a way to take down the Beast Titan from far away. "The Thunder Spears' range is very limited and Eren's Titan can't throw as well as the Beast Titan."

"The bastard's arms are very long," Levi noted, picturing getting into the Titan's personal space. Would the stupidly long arms make it difficult to attack an opponent who had gotten in real close? "If it's Eren's Titan that fights him, it'll be difficult for Zeke if Eren gets in nice and close. But he may be able to work make it work still. We don't know. We can't exactly apply the same principles since he's a Titan and not one with a humanistic body like Eren's Titan or the Female Titan."

"At least we'll have a shot once we get in close. We just have to figure out a way to push in close to take him out." Erwin already had one idea on how a single person may be able to sneak up on the Beast Titan. Or two, with one coming from each side. But it will require a big distraction. His TV-self may have figured that out. But will I tell them?

A suicide charge was the perfection distraction but it would require he lead the soldiers into the jaws of death. Otherwise, they would never go for it. They weren't men and women who had served him for years. They were just raw recruits. Asking them to go kill themselves, the only way to get them to do that was if he himself took the lead. But that would mean giving up his goal of seeing the basement. Sure, there was a chance he might survive this last-ditch plan, but it was minuscule. Can I do it? Could he throw away what he wanted for what was best for the Corps?

"What the hell was that sound?!" Flock asked from near the base of Wall Maria, on his knees with the remaining soldiers and horses.

"Does the enemy have cannons?!"

"If so, there's a hundred of 'em!"

"Calm down!" Marlowe told them. "You're scaring the horses!"

"The Titan's throwing boulders!" Levi ran to a stop before them.

"Captain Levi!"

"All of you, retreat to the Wall with the horses!"

"Roger!" Marlowe replied and half a second later, they were under attack again.

The soldiers ducked their heads, covering their ears again at the loud noise while the roofs of the houses around them exploded.

Levi was not thrilled about retreating. "We've accomplished nothing and he's got us running away with our tails between our legs." The sealing of the outer gate he contributed to Eren and his group, not his own.

"Well, our only other choice is to stand around and get killed," Hange pointed out unhappily. "We can't do anything unless someone comes up with a plan, fast."

With bated breath, Erwin waited to see what his TV-self would do. If the TV showed his twin had come up with the same suicidal plan he did but didn't share it with his soldiers, thus putting his own selfish desires above what was best for humanity behind the Walls, he might lose the respect of the people in the room. Even if they had said they wouldn't really hold what they saw on the TV against someone because that action hadn't been committed yet, deep inside they would always remember and judge him for it. Will I be able to give up on my goal to do what's best for the Corps? And ultimately, the people of the Walls. Was he that selfless?

"Hurry! Stay outta the line of fire!"

A bell was knocked off a tower and went crashing into the Wall. The soldiers and horses raced for the Wall, pieces of buildings falling from above them. Floch fell to his knees and clutched his head.

Levi grabbed the back of the crying boy's cloak. "Hey, stand up! You wanna die?!"

"Commander!" Marlowe exclaimed when Erwin landed in front of them.

"How's it looking?" Levi started toward him.

"Terrible. His throws have destroyed the front line of houses. If he keeps on throwing, everything will get leveled. We won't have anywhere left to hide."

"Talk about being stuck between a rock and a hard place," Hange summed up the situation.

"They're in deep shit," Ymir said. "Getting torn up on one side by the Beast Titan, who is also cutting off the route back home, and the Colossal Titan on the other side, raining down destruction and setting Shinganshina on fire."

"If they manage to get a win out of this, I'll have to hand it to them. I mean, here we are worrying despite having future knowledge but they're in it blind." Armin couldn't imagine what their TV versions had to be going through.

"We can't retreat to the other side of the Wall?" Levi asked, standing before Erwin.

"No… The Colossal Titan is already heading this way." As the commander spoke, the Colossal Titan continued his attack. "Spreading fire all along his path. Supposing we scale the Wall to evade the stones, we'd have to leave the horses. If we retreat here, there's no hope for victory."

"What happened to Hange's group?" Levi asked. "Is Eren alright?"

Hange was still holding out hope some of her subordinates had made it. Maybe they were just lying injured somewhere. Until she saw otherwise, she would continue to believe it.

"I don't know," Erwin responded. "But the majority of them were caught in that explosion. We've been dealt a serious blow. The Beast Titan directed the small Titans so our soldiers would group up in one place. As such, while engaging the small Titans, Dirk Squad, Marlene Squad, and Klaus Squad were all wiped out by the bombardment."

"Were they all that remained of the veterans?"

"Aside from a handful of people, probably yeah."

"I don't recognize many of their faces. They're either total rookies or soldiers from the Garrison that transferred over to help bolster our numbers."

"Either way, they're not the people you want such a big mission to come down to."

Looking frightened, the soldiers listened to the two men talk.

"In other words, our remaining forces this side of the gate…consists of you new recruits, Captain Levi, and…me."

The ground shook causing the recruits to scream while neither Erwin nor Levi reacted.

"We're doomed!"

"Erwin… Do you have any sort of plan?" Levi asked.

Erwin didn't reply, shifting his eyes to the side.

He has a plan, right? Historia thought. It was Commander Erwin. He always had a plan. Didn't he?

Arms crossed, Erwin tapped his finger over his bicep. He knew for almost certain now. His TV-self had figured out the same suicidal plan Erwin came up with. Soon he would see if that Erwin would put aside his personal desire to do what was needed to be done. Not only because he wanted to know how things would turn out, but Erwin also wanted to know so he would know what kind of person he was. The self-serving bastard he always assumed himself to be, or someone better.

"Can you imagine though?" Hange asked, sympathizing with the fear they had to be feeling. "Even the smallest rock, something the size of a marble, could be deadly because of the speed with which he throws it. It could catch you in the eye or put a hole in one of your organs."

"It's almost impossible to dodge something so small and fast." Petra shuddered at the imagined pain of getting pelted with tiny rocks. "And the houses that are acting as a barrier won't stay standing for long. Soon they'll be reduced to rubble."

Levi grunted. "They're running out of time. The longer they wait around to attack, the less defense they'll have when they do take action."

"Yell at him, Eren!" Jean said to Rogue. "Don't let Bertolt get any closer to the Wall!"

The Rogue Titan stood and bellowed at the top of his lungs. The Colossal Titan stopped and tilted his head back.

"He noticed!" Jean said. Then the Colossal kept walking. "What?! That bastard's ignoring us!"

"Huh? Why is he ignoring them?" Historia asked, confused. Wouldn't he wanted to catch Eren?

"Probably cause it's his job to raze Shinganshina to the ground," Ymir replied, putting herself in their shoes. "So that way the Corps doesn't get to find out what's in the Yeager family's basement." If the populace remained blind to the truth of the world, it would make invading Paradis Island infinitely easier.

"Why didn't they just destroy Shinganshina before we got there?" Mikasa asked. It seemed rather obvious to her. "They probably had the time to do it."

"I think it would have interfered with their plan," Armin answered her. "They wanted us trapped. But after Wall Maria's outer gate was sealed, there would be nothing keeping us there if Shinganshina was destroyed. We would have just ignored Bertolt and joined the Corps on the northern side of the Wall to help take out the Beast Titan and go home."

"Precisely. This way they've divided up our forces," Erwin pitched in. "And think about how difficult it would have been for the Beast Titan to hit us with his attacks if we used the Colossal or Armored Titans as shields. It would have been a major annoyance for them too to get caught in the crossfire."

"Makes me think of the phrase, 'Too many cooks in the kitchen,'" Hange said. "They wouldn't have been able to fight efficiently if they were all gathered up in one place."

"Hey! What now, Jean?! At this rate…" Connie trailed off.

"I know that! Eren, go stop his lanky legs!"

Rogue did as Jean advised, running at the Colossal's legs.

"But still!" Connie wondered. "How the hell are we gonna defeat him?!"

"His gusts of hot steam make our 3D gear useless!" Sasha pictured the hooks being repelled by the steam exuding from the Titan's body. "Right?!"

"You don't think I know that?!" Jean responded. "But right now, we've got no choice but to try! We've gotta figure out his weakness!"

"I'll do it," Mikasa said, eyeing the giant to her left. "You guys distract him. Connie, your Thunder Spear."

"R-Right!" Connie began to remove it.

"Armin, we need you to observe him from afar. So quit your moping," Jean ordered. "We gotta believe there's a way to beat him!"

"Right!"

Rogue turned the corner and ran directly at the Colossal Titan.

"Now! Scatter!" Jean ordered and they flew off.

Don't you dare look down on me! Eren thought. You're nothing more…than a big damn wretched oaf! Rogue roared as he charged, going for the Colossal's left leg. At first, Rogue was pushed back. Then the Colossal Titan stopped, looking down. Grunting, Rogue began to shove the large red leg back.

Sasha stopped and said, "H-He's shoving him!"

They felt their hopes go up at once, getting excited.

"He's doing it! He's doing it!"

"Eren might be able to beat him!"

"Maybe there's hope after all!"

Go, Eren!" Connie shouted. "Knock him over!"

There has to be some sort of way! Jean thought frantically.

Armin gasped when the Colossal lifted his leg back.

"I take it back. There's no hope."

"Dammit, are you kidding me?!"

"We should have seen this coming."

"You'd think we'd learn our lesson by now about getting optimistic too soon."

What? Rogue was sent flying at the top of the Wall, crashing thunderously into it, his friends staring with terrified faces.

Historia and Connie shrieked in surprise.

Sasha's face paled. "I did not expect him to send Eren flying like that."

"I know he's strong and he knocked down Wall Maria's outer gate," Armin said shaken, "but...but that was something else."

"That was him kicking and smashing our hopes and chances of survival," Jean said gloomily.

"Eren!" Mikasa cried out as Rogue lay on his back, eyes closed. His eyes half-lidded, Eren appeared to be dazed.

"I can't be down already!" Eren objected, shocked and furious. "I don't fucking believe it!"

"Dude, did you see how hard he kicked you?" Connie asked. "I practically felt it from over here. And you slammed into the Wall of all things, not a bunch of buildings. That had to hurt like a mother."

"Even if you heal," Hange said, "I bet that stunned you good."

"Hey… Is that Eren?" Levi asked, Erwin looking stunning next to him. "He got himself flung on top of the Wall? By him…"

"Eren's not moving…" Mikasa said shakily.

"He's not dead!" Jean told her. "Focus on the monster at hand!" Behind him, the Colossal Titan approached. "That might have been pushing it too far… If we run at him without a plan, that's what happens. Unless… Unless we can somehow turn the tables on him, this recovery operation, all of our lives, and the future of humanity will be doomed! Having said that, I'm not about to sit around while we all get slaughtered!" Jean stood and fired his hooks. "Let's go on the attack!"

Connie and Sasha followed. The three of them and Mikasa flew straight at the behemoth.

"He doesn't know about Thunder Spears yet!" Jean explained. "Connie, Sasha, and I will distract him! Mikasa will strike in the opening!"

"Roger!"

"Please work, please work, please work, please work!" Historia begged under her breath.

"Hey, moron! I'll poke out your stupid eyes!" Jean threatened, on eye-level with the large Titan.

"You huge idiot!" Connie taunted him.

"You need to work on your insults, Connie," Jean remarked. "You should have called him 'a walking chickenshit.' Come to think of it, I should have called him that."

"What about 'mega douche' or 'giant assclown,'" Eren provided. "I like those."

"Those are good ones."

"Thanks, loudmouth."

"You're welcome, blockhead."

"You massive pervert lord!" Sasha yelled at the Colossal Titan.

"Pervert lord?" Ymir echoed, chuckling. "Nice."

"Well, he used to check out Annie all the time."

This distraction is so obvious… Jean stared the Colossal Titan down. Meanwhile, Mikasa appeared behind him. But if we nail him with a Thunder Spear!

"Fingers crossed," Hange said, crossing her fingers for real.

Mikasa shot out two Thunder Spears to his nape but the Colossal Titan released a gust of steam. The four braced themselves. The Thunder Spears became dislodged and flew behind Mikasa before exploding, the Colossal watching from the corner of his eyes. The hooks then became dislodged, sending the four soldiers flying back.

"Guys!" Armin yelled, one arm protecting his face. Is it useless? His hot steam even knocked away the Thunder Spears!

"Connie!" Sasha said, seeing him cough, small burns on his face.

"Shit! Breathing it in burned my throat!"

A few of them flinched, imagining the scorching sensation and grabbing their necks.

"From the way things are going," Mikasa said. "I'm worried even with our future knowledge we might end up losing if Bertolt transforms."

"He absolutely must be taken out before he transforms." Petra thought it was the safest route. "Otherwise, he'll be unstoppable. So far he only seems to be vulnerable when he's human."

Hange tapped her pen on her notebook thoughtfully. "Everyone and everything has a weakness. If only we can find one to exploit, just in case we fail to take him out before he transforms when we're out there ourselves."

"Hope for the best but plan for the worst," Erwin said his mantra.

Mikasa landed a couple of yards behind Armin. "Mikasa," Armin said, "you're bleeding!"

"I'm fine." Mikasa held her right bicep, shoulders slumped, on her knees. Jean stood not far behind her. "A bit of shrapnel from the Thunder Spears got me." Her face showed burns as well. "Thought of anything yet?"

"What?"

"Have any clues for a counterattack?" Mikasa clarified.

"Not one…"

Jean—also with burns on his face—Mikasa, and Armin turned at the sound of bricks falling. The Colossal Titan walked causally.

Armin looked particularly stressed at what he was looking at. Through the dust, the Armored Titan walked with slow, purposeful steps.

"Already?" Connie groaned, slumping back in his spot. "He's up? Really?"

"I was hoping he'd be down for a little longer." Armin saw the chances of their TV-selves getting out of this dwindling even further, which he didn't think was possible, but apparently it was.

Sasha nodded. "Yup, we're fully screwed now."

"Do they even have enough Thunder Spears to beat him again?" Petra recalled Mikasa had fired both of hers but Jean, Connie, and Sasha should still have two each. "I think they have maybe six between them, max."

"I don't know," Hange said warily. "And Reiner knows what they do now so he'll have his guard up." Before, Reiner would have assumed only Eren's Titan might be able to beat him if he got caught in one of Eren's locks. He won't be so reckless anymore.

The Beast Titan took up position and hurled more rocks at the homes, sending another wave of death and destruction through the town.

"The Beast Titan has a good guess where we're at," Levi said, horses and humans whimpering around him. "This place will look like a honeycomb soon. Erwin, if you're saying we've got no chance to counterattack, let's get ready to flee." He pointed at the top of the Wall. "Wake Eren sprawled out up there. Ride him and flee with as many people as possible. At least we'll have some survivors."

Historia was with him on that. "From the way things are looking it's probably best we get our greatest assets out of there."

"Mikasa and Corporal Levi can probably survive out there by themselves and find a way back on their own." Armin would prefer Mikasa also hitch a ride with Eren if it came to a retreat, but she and Levi were most likely to survive in hostile Titan territory than anyone else.

It didn't seem good to Ymir. "What kind of chances are we gonna have even if Eren and Erwin survive?"

"I'd rather not think about it," Sasha said with a groan.

"The Corps is all but gone." It felt almost surreal for Mikasa to say, considering it felt like they'd been a part of her life for a very long time. "It's only Commander Erwin and the new Squad Levi that's left. The rest are recruits."

"Kinda scary to think the only soldiers they've got left are the other two branches." Jean did not envy the situation their TV-selves were in. "How're they going to fight Marley? Aside from a small fraction of Garrison soldiers who have seen battle, the rest are basically useless."

"The Garrison soldiers and the MP lazy-asses will seriously need to be kicked into shape for the war to come." Eren almost smiled at the thought of Keith Shadis beating the soldiers' asses back into gear.

"We've still gotta convince them first about what's coming." Connie couldn't even imagine how they would do that, considering how stubborn the Royal Government was. Like a kid sticking his fingers in his ears and closing his eyes, refusing to be reasonable.

Erwin didn't say a word, his attention shifting when he heard Marlowe speak.

"Hey! The horse got away!" Marlowe grabbed Floch's elbow. "That was your job!"

"Shut up!" Floch yelled, still sitting. "Like it matters!"

"Excuse me?!"

"This is just like those soldiers during the Battle for Trost," Jean said, recalling the soldiers who had given up and hidden instead of supplying the combatant teams with gas. "He's called it quits."

"Poor guy," Historia said sympathetically. "How helpless they must feel. They're not like those soldiers who had refused to act because they were scared to confront the Titans. They, at least, could do something. These recruits can do nothing but die. Saving the horses doesn't mean much with the route back to safety is cut off."

"But there has to be a way out." Despite his words, Connie didn't sound all that optimistic. "Right?"

That no one had a reply for him only made him more pessimistic about the situation.

"Those veteran soldiers were insanely strong and they died in an instant!" Floch continued. "You know as well as I do! What good is protecting horses…when there's nobody left to ride them home?! It all made sense at one point…" Elbows on his knees, Floch clutched his head. "If humanity just hid behind the Walls, we'd someday get slaughtered by Titans out of nowhere."

A group of Garrison soldiers stood before a stage. Onstage were five Scouts. A man with a Wings of Freedom insignia stood in the front, giving a passionate speech.

"Somebody has to bite the bullet and risk taking action. In order for others to not become victims, we needed people to become the victims themselves." Floch stood among the Garrison soldiers the Survey Corps man was addressing. "Who will be that brave soldier? When I was asked that, I actually believed I could be that someone!"

Back in the present, Floch cried. "But I never thought…that being sent to my death…would turn out to be so utterly meaningless in the end!"

Armin could understand why he was feeling like that. "It's one thing to know you're going to end up killed. It's another to know your death was pointless."

"Just rubs salt in the wound," Ymir said, understanding how hard it would be to realize you'd thrown your life away for nothing.

"Now that I think about it, I bet almost everyone ends up saying the same thing as me." Bodies of a bloodied and deceased soldiers were shown laying around. "Why did I ever think that I'd…somehow be different?"

The soldiers around Floch had nothing to say.

"I get why he might feel that way, and there's nothing wrong with valuing your own life, but there's nothing else to be done now, either," Eren said stubbornly. "No point in complaining about it. All his whining and crying is doing is shattering everyone else's resolve. They'll be too scared to do anything. If I know I'm going to die, I'm going to go down swinging."

"Not everyone can steel themselves the way you can, Eren," Jean said, not looking at him. "Some people are going to have a hard time coming to terms with a difficult situation. It'll make them waver."

"What if whoever's left of the recruits and Hange's group scatter on horses…and try to make it home?" Levi proposed a plan of escape. "By using them as a decoy, you guys could escape on Eren."

No one was surprised by Levi's words. They all knew certain individuals were more important than others, Eren being the most important one.

Eren knew it himself but wasn't thrilled about it. He would happily give up his life in order to save his friends. Due to his unique position though, if it came down to it, he'd have to stand by and watch the people closest to him sacrifice themselves to save him.

"Levi, what would you do?" Erwin asked him.

"I'm facing the Beast Titan. I'll draw him away—"

"Impossible. You won't even get close."

"Probably not. But if you and Eren return home alive, there's still hope. Isn't that the best we can ask for at this point? What a huge defeat... To be perfectly honest, I doubt a single one of us is making it back alive." Levi turned, looking at his hand.

"Yes, assuming we had no way to counterattack."

Gasps came from around the room.

Jean relaxed, and shook his head. "Should have known he'd come up with a plan."

"I knew it!" Historia cheered, throwing up her hands. "I knew it, I knew it!"

"What plan, though?" Sasha said curiously. "I can't think of anything!"

"That's why he's the commander, duh," Ymir said.

They leaned forward eagerly, feeling a lot better now.

Erwin knew their bright expressions would fall once they heard what he had to say. I can't believe I'm actually doing it. Truly he'd always assumed he had used the Corps for his own goals. And that his goals were what mattered the most to him, they were the most important. Now his TV-self was proving him wrong. Was he really about to give it all up?

Levi turned to him with wide eyes. "Is there a way?"

"Yes," Erwin answered quietly.

"Why didn't you say that sooner?" Levi demanded as the Beast Titan launched another attack. "Why'd you keep your shitty mouth shut?"

Sasha winced when neither man tried to take cover. "Don't just stand there, duck. Sheesh."

"Well, Commander Erwin might have to crouch but Corporal Levi is close enough to the ground to be safe," Ymir whispered to her couchmates.

Sasha, Connie, and Historia pressed their hands to their mouths to muffle their laughter.

"If the plan goes well, you may be able to take down the Beast Titan. But it will take the recruits…and myself to give our lives."

As Erwin had expected, their faces fell.

"What?"

"Give up their...lives?"

"All of them? Is that what it's really going to take? But that's..."

"Even if they succeed, there might only be a couple of dozen survivors..."

"They can't die with the world breathing down their necks."

"Why can't things ever be easy for us? The TV versions of us, that is."

Projectiles hit the houses around them and the Wall, the ground trembling.

Levi and Erwin turned to the screaming rookies, shielding their heads.

"It's like you said. Either way, most of us will die." Erwin started to walk away. "No, it's almost guaranteed we'll all be wiped out. In which case, we can stake our heroic deaths on a slim chance of victory. For this to work… To ask these young ones to die, it would take an expert con man and a whole slew of lies." He approached the wall of one of the houses, Levi following. "If I do not lead the vanguard, none of them will follow. And I will die before anyone else. Without ever learning what's in the basement…"

"What?" Levi said in disbelief.

Armin tried to picture it. Coming so close to seeing the ocean and all the other wonders of the world but having to sacrifice his life right before for a small chance at victory. He would do it if he had to but it would be so hard, giving up after almost reaching the finish line.

That's gotta fuck with you so much. Ymir couldn't imagine coming so close yet being denied that which you'd spent your whole life pursuing. At least now he knows. They all know. It was ugly and hard to swallow but they knew the truth.

With a sigh, Erwin sat on a wooden crate. "I… I want to go to the basement," he confessed. "Everything I've done till now…was because I thought this day would come. That someday, I could check if I was right. So many times…I thought death would be so much easier."

He used the Corps to further his own agenda, but he got us closer than anyone else ever had. To Mikasa, it didn't matter that his reasoning wasn't noble. The commander's long-range formation that he came up with to make expeditions less deadly had still saved countless lives and severely reduced the mortality rate. Which was still high but not as insane as it used to be before him.

Eren felt his respect for the commander grow. Discarding his lifelong goal and his life itself for what was best for the Walled people. Regardless of his motives, we are where we are thanks to him. I owe my life to him.

"I don't really care why he did it since he got us where we needed to be," Connie said, not all that concerned. Sure it meant Erwin wasn't as great as people made him out to be, but if he was willing to toss his life aside now because it was his turn to do so, it meant he wasn't that selfish, either.

Erwin stared at his hand. "But always, the dream I shared with my father flashed through my mind. And now, I'm close enough to the answers to reach out and grab them."

"You're not as selfish as you like to think you are." Hange squeezed his shoulder. "Not if you're willing to throw away your dream for us."

"But will it be worth it?" Erwin asked, almost feeling the struggle TV-Erwin was going through, weighing his desire to know the basement's contents vs. the small possibility of victory. "What if the plan fails?" Sure it wasn't really real but it hurt to think his TV-version may die in vain.

"You always gamble big," Levi muttered. "Large risks for large rewards." It was nothing new. Except this time, Erwin was going to put himself on the front line instead of sending others to their deaths as he normally did. No matter that he'd used the Corps for personal gain, when the situation called for it and it came his turn to sacrifice his life, Erwin would do it.

Erwin bowed his head. "They're right there… But, Levi… Can you see them? Our comrades?"

Phantoms of the deceased soldiers appeared around Erwin. To Levi's right was Petra and the rest of his squad as well as Farlan and Isabel, who stood behind them.

"Whoa, that's intense."

"Talk about serious pressure."

"Can't let all their deaths be in vain."

"I don't even want to think about it. The weight of it, their lives, their deaths, would be crushing."

"That's why I'm happy following orders instead of giving them."

"Our comrades are looking at us," Erwin said as the two of them stood surrounded by phantoms. "They want to know what became of the hearts they gave." Members of Hange's squad were shown.

Hange hoped that wasn't an ill omen.

"Because the fighting isn't over yet."

Again the two didn't react to the bombardment.

"Is it all just inside my head?" Erwin asked. "Nothing more than a childish delusion?"

Levi narrowed his eyes and knelt before him. "You've fought well. It's all thanks to you that we've come this far. I'm making the choice." He glared at the commander. "Give up on your dream and die. Lead the recruits straight into hell. I will take down the Beast Titan."

Surprise came over Erwin's face before he smiled in acceptance.

"Having to give up after coming so close to accomplishing your dream, I don't know if I could do it. But then, what're your personal desires over the lives of all of our people..." Historia wondered for a second if she was defaulting back to her Christa persona, giving up what she wanted for everyone else's sake. No, it's not the same. This acceptance, this sacrifice came from a more genuine place. Rather than doing it to earn approval, she wanted to do it because she cared.

"It sucks," Sasha summed it up accurately and unhappily. "It just plain ole sucks."

The Beast Titan crumbled up a large boulder between his hands. Hearing the faint neighing of horses, he looked up curiously. Three dust clouds were moving through the town, heading for the edge. The cries became louder.

"Charge!" Erwin screamed, leading them.

"Well, there they go."

"Is he going to survive?"

"Are any of them?"

"What if he doesn't? What're we going to do without him?"

"He better make it," Jean said. They were going to need their brilliant commander now more than ever. He could sympathize with what a heavy weight it was, bearing so many lives on his shoulders, but it also wasn't something just anyone could do. Erwin could just as easily throw his life away like he could other soldiers, if that was what was needed of him. Intelligent, ruthless, but also selfless if the situation calls for it. There wasn't anyone else like him among the entire military's brass.

"Well, I figured they wouldn't lie down and die, but… A suicide charge? Here I was thinking they could do better than that…" The Beast Titan stood, beginning to raise his arm.

"You won't be talking so high and mighty soon," Historia said in annoyance. "Just wait until Corporal Levi gets his hands on him."

Connie hadn't forgotten what the Beast Titan had done to his village and would never forgive him for it either. "I hope Corporal Levi carves him up real good."

"Now! Fire!" Erwin fired off a green smoke round. The soldiers followed suit.

"Smoke?" The Beast Titan noted as the three groups released over a dozen green smoke rounds each. "Oh, it's those signal things…" He brought his hands above his head, getting ready to throw.

Erwin grunted and said, "It's coming, move!"

Faces full of terror, the soldiers screamed, splitting off.

"Look at them, they know full well they're heading to their deaths." Petra felt a mix of pity as well as a lot of respect for them.

"They're scared shitless and still going for it." Levi hoped he was able to honor Erwin and those soldiers' sacrifice and slice the Beast Titan to ribbons.

"I'm announcing our final operation!" Erwin bellowed to the frightened rookies. "All troops, line up! We will be doing a cavalry charge. Our goal: To rush the Beast Titan." Erwin and Levi stood before the recruits gathered before them. "Of course, we'll be making ourselves ideal targets. So we'll wait until he's ready to throw and fire our smoke signals together. That should reduce his accuracy somewhat. While we're acting as a decoy, Captain Levi will kill the Beast Titan. That is our plan."

"What?" Levi flew along the Wall, remembering asking Erwin as he knelt, readying his gear. "You want me to go after him with just 3D gear? He's standing in an empty area. There's not even a house or tree in sight."

"Wrong…" Erwin told him. "There happens to be a line of objects at just the right height."

Levi fired an anchor into the neck of one of the 15-meter Titans that stood on the edge.

"Of course! I can't believe we missed that. It's so obvious." Too used to seeing them as monsters and targets, Sasha hadn't realized they effectively doubled as pillars. They were perfect targets, standing still and providing a clear path to the Beast Titan.

The Titan shifted its eyes to Levi but didn't move otherwise.

"I suspected it, but they can't do anything even if they are aware," Hange said in interest. "Zeke won't be alerted because his little posse there can't move a muscle without express orders from him."

"Sneak close using the Titans…" Erwin's voice narrated as Levi took out the Titan's nape and moved to the next one. "...and assassinate the Beast Titan."

In the corner of his eye, Levi could see the suicide charge. "I'm sorry..." Levi said as the soldiers continued their mad run.

In the flashback, the recruits stared at Erwin in shock. Sandra fell to her knees and vomited.

"Standing and waiting just means we'll be showered by more boulders. Get ready on the double!" Erwin said to them.

"Are we all…heading…to our deaths?" Floch asked him.

"Yes."

"If we're gonna die anyway, you're saying it's better…if we die fighting?"

"Yes."

"Wait…" Floch's voice shook. "If we're gonna die anyway, no matter how we die, even if it's disobeying orders, it all means nothing, right?"

"You're precisely right," Erwin said in the same plain tone. "It's all meaningless. No matter what dreams or hopes you had… No matter how blessed a life you've lived…"

The Beast Titan fired off more projectiles.

"It's all the same if you're shredded by rocks. Everyone will die someday. Does that mean life is meaningless?" Erwin asked.

Rocks rained down like meteorites, heading for the crying, charging soldiers.

"Was there even any meaning in our being born? Would you say that of our fallen comrades?" Erwin asked the recruits. "Their lives… Were they meaningless?" Once more the phantoms appeared behind Erwin and Levi. "No, they weren't!" Erwin yelled, his face twisting. "It's us who gives meaning to our comrade's lives!"

They straightened their spines unconsciously at his commanding voice.

Mikasa thought back to when she'd told Eren's parents about his plan to join the Corps. Eren had said almost the same thing then as Erwin was saying now. About the soldiers who had died and how their deaths would be in vain if no one carried on.

"The brave fallen! The anguished fallen! The ones who will remember them…are us, the living! We die trusting the living who follow to find meaning in our lives!"

Speechless, the recruits listened with tears in their eyes.

"That is the sole method in which we can rebel against this cruel world!"

With green smoke flares and dark rocks flying above them, the soldiers raced on.

"My soldiers, rage!" Erwin screamed from the forefront of the charge.

"No one could have inspired them to go into a suicide charge like this," Sasha said in awe.

Ymir could barley sit still. "Hell, I'm tempted to jump in and go for it!"

"I'm getting worked just sitting here, too," Mikasa agreed, wanting to jump in as well.

"My soldiers, scream!"

Connie, Historia, and Hange started cheering, getting them all more riled up.

Ah, fuck it. Jean thought and started yelling with them.

"My soldiers, fight!"

"Hell yeah, win or go down fighting!"

"Time to—"

Blood exploded as rocks met human and animal flesh, ripping them apart.

Some of them screamed and jerked away from the TV in surprise, the noise dying down.

One rock took down Erwin's horse while another tore out a chunk of his abdomen.

Stunned silence had replaced the excited screaming.

This is the end for me. Erwin thought, not as disturbed as he had thought he might be. He was greatly disappointed for dying when he was so close. But he consoled himself with the fact he knew the truth now and he could change things.

Erwin began to fall.

Petra could hardly believe what she was seeing. It seemed far too impossible, yet it was happening before her eyes. Of all people, she had not expected the commander to become a casualty. Sure it was a suicide charge, but he'd always seemed so larger than life. Seeing him fall was beyond shocking. Even her own death hadn't surprised her as much. She'd always expected there might come a time where she would have to lay her life down for humanity, but the commander? What's going to become of the Corps without him?

If Levi dies too, it's the end of a generation for the Survey Corps. Hange felt saddened at the thought. Only among the Scouts was the age of forty considered old. For the Garrison and the Military Police, it was middle-age. We really thought we would make it. Mike was gone, so was Nanaba, plus their team, and Squad Levi, and also all of the veterans. And now Erwin, too. With the exception of Levi, she'd always assumed Erwin would be the last to die. It felt as if an era was coming to an end.

We need him still. Everyone else is either useless or lacking, Levi thought anxiously. The monarchy may have kept the peace for over a hundred years, but they would rather pretend the threat didn't exist instead of doing something about it. Or maybe they simply didn't care about being invaded. Nile Dok, the MP Brigade commander, didn't have the intellect. Pixis and Zackly did. But Levi wasn't sure the Garrison commander had the stomach for what was coming, whereas the commander-in-chief did but he didn't have the charisma to instill inspiration and loyalty. Zackly was more of a politician. It's gotta be Erwin. None of their other leaders exemplified all the necessary qualities.

Meanwhile, the teens continued to fret.

"It's too far for him to receive proper medical attention," Historia said worriedly.

Jean shook his head. "He'll bleed out before we get back, if he isn't dead already."

"Not to mention it would mean first getting past the Beast Titan, the 15-meter Pure Titans, and that Cart Titan, too." Mikasa hoped Levi was able to use the distraction to get close to the Beast Titan and take his hairy ass down.

"I don't even think it matters. Part of his torso literally got shredded by that boulder." Connie was sure Erwin was dead. How can anyone without Titan powers survive that?

"But man," Ymir started, "Commander Erwin, I always thought his motivation was humanity's freedom. He seemed like the epitome of what a commander should be. I guess he was really just driven by was his own reasons."

"Doesn't really matter, though," Armin said, shrugging. "In the end, even if that was what mattered the most to him and what drove him, he still threw it away so all the men and women he'd sent to their deaths, so all their sacrifices wouldn't be in vain."

"True."

"I'm more concerned with what we're going to do now." Jean was nervous some idiot bureaucrat might try to take over in order to climb the ladder and get recognition, or to increase his or her influence. "Who's supposed to lead the Corps from here on out? Aside from Captain Levi, all the other veterans are dead."

"Captain Levi's a good leader but a whole regiment is something else. Besides," Eren said, unable to see his captain leading the entire Corps, "he's more of a fighter, someone on the front lines, instead of a leader plotting shit in the back."

Sasha's shoulders were slumped. "Even if they win, they've experienced so much loss..."

In all honesty, Erwin felt a little flattered they looked like the fight was almost over because he was gone. It was also nerve-wracking to be put on a pedestal, knowing they were all expecting him to lead them through the hell that was heading their way. No rest for the wicked. He still had more fighting to do. More deaths and more responsibility to bear.

Propelled by his dream to know if his father's theory was right and to learn the basement's contents, he'd sent many to their demise. But he had deemed it acceptable because the end result was the same. It was what they all wanted: to learn the truth about Titans, about the world, and protect the people of the Walls. His specific motivations may have differed compared to the rest of the Scouts, they had been more selfish in nature, but the end goal was the same. And now I know everything. The truth was ugly and the danger to humanity behind the Walls was bigger than it had ever been. I used their deaths to fuel my own goal. He had sacrificed many men and women and gotten what he wanted. Now it was his job to ensure all those deaths weren't meaningless by helping achieve their most important goal: Protect humanity behind the Walls.

That goal hasn't changed. And it also hadn't been accomplished yet. Only the enemy had changed. And they were far more dangerous than the large, mindless, carnivorous humanoids that had plagued them for a century.

"Will you brats shut it already?" Levi barked at them when they got too loud. "The man's sitting right there. You all look like you're planning a funeral."

They smiled sheepishly and started to laugh.

"You're right, Captain. Guess we got too caught up."

"Our commander is right here."

"We just felt so bad for them. They are us."

Of course I'm not going anywhere. Erwin thought, running through all the things he still had to do. There's more work yet to be done.

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