𝐀𝐥𝐢𝐯𝐞

Later on, the battle has begun and from his hiding spot, Bertholdt is aware that it has been a while since Reiner has transformed. However, Reiner has not signaled him and Bertholdt is worried about his friend's well-being, unaware that the Scout Regiment is currently cheering over having blown Reiner's head off with their Thunder Spears. The nape of the Armored Titan has been blown open with Reiner's partially decapitated body protruding from the back of its neck.

Though Jean Kirschtein nervously laughs in relief, he notices that Conny Springer and Sasha Braus have begun crying and he yells at them to try to get them to accept that they are the ones who killed Reiner. Worrying that Reiner may have survived the initial onslaught, Hange Zoë prepares the troops to get ready for another round of attack. Meanwhile, Mikasa Ackermann notices that Armin Arlelt is being quiet, and he tells her that they did not have any chance to negotiate. Their side lacks so much information and they do not have the power to capture someone who can turn into a Titan, so there was nothing they could do.

You on the other hand was still alive, thankfully, without getting capture by Reiner. You were lucky that time, but whatever comes next may not go so well, and you don't know what Levi will do after he specifically told you not to come. It was stupid yet scary at the same time because you felt like being left alone like before.

Suddenly, Reiner's Armored Titan lifts its head and lets out a roar. In a barrel on the quadruped Titan's body, Bertholdt recognizes it as the signal. The Beast Titan picks up the barrel containing Bertholdt and hurls him over the Wall into Shiganshina as Hange calls for their squad to blow Reiner's body to bits. However, Armin quickly deduces that the roar was a signal for Bertholdt and spots the incoming barrel. He warns Hange that they need to get away from Reiner before Bertholdt transforms into the Colossal Titan and blows them all away. The Scouts retreat from Reiner as Bertholdt prepares to transform, but he spots Reiner's Titan and sees that the body of his friend is exposed. Abandoning the plan, Bertholdt bursts out of the barrel and uses his ODM gear to reach Reiner, landing on the Armored Titan's shoulder. He discovers that Reiner is still alive, thanks to redistributing his consciousness from his head to Titan's body as a last resort.

Bertholdt asks Reiner to do something for him and to prepare for the worst if he is unable to comply. Then he approaches the Scouts to finish the fight. Moblit Berner calls out Bertholdt's impending arrival and Hange lays out a strategy to eliminate them both, only for Armin to approach them and ask that they try to negotiate. Armin uses his ODM to rush ahead of Hange and calls out to Bertholdt, asking that they talk this over.

In response, Bertholdt lays out the Warriors' terms. The Warriors want two things; Eren and the demise of humanity within the Walls. When Armin pushes him for who decides those conditions are necessary, Bertholdt replies that it is his own call. Armin tries to deceive Bertholdt again with a story about Annie being tortured, but this time Bertholdt refuses to listen and calls his bluff, claiming not to care about Annie's situation. Armin tries to leave, but Bertholdt lands on the roof in front of him, cutting him off.

Bertholdt asks if Armin tried talking to him about Annie again because he thought it would work a second time since Bertholdt is supposed to be meek and timid. He understands that Armin is trying to buy time, letting the Scout Regiment soldiers surround them and allowing others to finish killing Reiner. Armin asks why Bertholdt bothered talking with him if he knew what they were doing, and Bertholdt admits that he needed to know whether he would break down and start whining and begging for forgiveness if he faced his old comrades again. He discovers that he no longer feels conflicted about his duty, and tells Armin that, though he still considers the Scouts his comrades, he has no qualms about killing them all. Armin asks if Bertholdt still believes that they are the spawn of the devil, remembering their last encounter. Bertholdt acknowledges that they have done nothing wrong, and they are not devils either, but all of them still have to die.

Without warning, Mikasa leaps up behind Bertholdt and tries to go for the killing blow, but Bertholdt gets his blade up fast enough to block her, only losing an ear as he kicks her off the roof. He tries to finish off Armin, but Mikasa throws one of her blades and forces Bertholdt to retreat. She warns Armin not to chase him because they do not know when he will transform. Armin is doubtful, believing Bertholdt would not transform now as it would likely kill Reiner, and suggests that they could take Reiner hostage. Mikasa wonders if the person they just saw was really Bertholdt because he seemed like a completely different person.

Y/N

We watch as Bertholdt zips through Shiganshina using his ODM gear, and ponders the emotions flowing through him. He is surprisingly unafraid, feeling as though he can see everything around him. As Bertholdt ascends high into the sky, he thinks to himself that no matter how all this ends, he will be able to accept the outcome; no one was in the wrong, but there was nothing they could have done anyway, as the world is simply that cruel. Seeing Bertholdt's ascension, Hange orders their squad to get away, but there is not enough time, and Moblit moves to grab Hange as Bertholdt finally transforms. The Scouts can only watch as a massive explosion results from Bertholdt's transformation, blowing buildings and houses away and leveling the central portion of the district, leaving a mushroom cloud over Shiganshina.

I covered my ear as I felt tears and fear coming back to me as I silently sob while Sasha came over to protect me. Eren and Levi Squad try to recover as Mikasa and Armin rejoin them where they are perched on top of Eren's Titan. When Jean asks where Hange Squad is, Armin realizes they were too close to Bertholdt's transformation. The group watched in horror as the Colossal Titan looms over the town, and realizes with a shock that the only ones to survive the blast are the six of them. Jean asks Armin for a plan as the Colossal Titan begins throwing around burning debris, setting fire to the district. When Mikasa reminds Armin that he is in command, he suggests they fall back to Erwin Smith for new orders, but Jean points out that it will be a disaster if Bertholdt approaches the Wall. If the Colossal Titan throws burning homes on the other side of the Wall it will trap the Scouts there between both fire and the Beast Titan. To his horror, Armin realizes that they have no choice but to defeat Bertholdt right now, with only the people they have.

'Everyone is now in trouble...' I thought trembling as I watch the sight of the huge Colossal Titan destroying the property of buildings and other things on the other side of the wall. He's going to kill us all and at this rate, we don't have anything else to do.

Levi

I was on the other side of the wall that Commander Erwin required me to fight and take charge with the soldiers that include leading them to fight against the beast titans army. As I stood on one of the rooftops of the houses narrowing over at the beast titan and his army of titans, what was there to come to us when we would have the chance to attack.

"This area's all mopped up. The only ones left for us to eliminate are way up at the front." The military leader reported to me as we narrowed our eyes to see the small titans were still alive and some of the scouts too. "But I still don't see how we're going to take down the beast titan. It doesn't seem like he's got any intention of budging from that spot."

His theory was right and I couldn't agree more, "That's true. Look's like the big guys are a coward." I taunted clenching my swords staring diagonally at him ahead."Not that he ever had any balls, to begin with."

"Save your energy. We can finish off the rest of the runts out there." He said with a stoic expression. "Let's go!"

And as I recall from earlier, I heard the explosion and worried about Hange and the others knowing it could've been the Colossal Titan since they must've taken down the Armored Titan. Another thing that came to my mind, I was worried about Y/N. I still felt bad after what I said to her and not only that. Was she okay? If only if she listened to me from before I wouldn't be so overwhelmed.

'I need to get to the other side and--' My thoughts were cut off when I saw a small pebble passing by me as I face back to see what the hell was going on. My eyes bulged when I saw so many rocks crumbled up into small pits of pieces falling where I was. Not only at me, but at the scouts up front that were dying in agony out there.

This was so shocking and horrifying to watch all the scouts screaming in bloody murder because of a rock meteor shower. I gritted my teeth knowing that that beast titan was the one who caused it. So many houses were torn down as well up front, if he keeps doing that more soldiers will die in vain and the houses will be all gone leaving an opening.

"Frontal bombardment!" Commander Erwin called to let us know that the beast titan was aiming for us again. "All troops, take cover now!"

"Damn it! Get down!" I hissed and ordered everyone to watch out for the rock he crumbled up to attack again.

I managed to cover myself, but not a lot could make it out of there alive. I could hear their painful cries and screams in my ears, as the blood stench hit my nose that the corpse of the dead soldiers was already lying around. When it was over I head back to where the military police was that are a part of this mission as I reported back what happened.

"The titan is throwing boulders!" I announced.

"Captain Levi!" Marlo spoke up.

"Move, now! Take horses and retreat to the wall." I demanded as they were hesitant to make a move when more rocks were heading our way again. "Move! Stay out of the line of fire!"

We all rushed to get the horses to retreat, Floch began to panic and cry on his needs like a coward. I forced him to stand up and keep going, but he protested just as Commander Erwin came down. I sighed 'tch' and let him go as my eyes met Erwin's.

"How's it looking?" I asked.

"Terrible." He replied dryly. "The front line of houses is gone. He decimated them. If he keeps throwing those, everyone will be leveled. We won't have anything left to hide behind."

Just as I was about to say something else I noticed that Y/N wasn't with him.

"Where's Y/N?" I asked feeling my heart pounding fast that I knew something bad had happened to her. Erwin narrowed his eyes keeping a stoic facial as I gritted my teeth. "Where is she dammit?"

"Calm down. I-I tried to get her, but she manages to save herself from falling." He explained as I glared darkly at the commander. How could he just let her fall? What did he mean by saving herself?

"She used her titan abilities to prevent her from falling, but what I'm concerned about something else is that Reiner is trying to catch her too." My eyes widen a little when he said that as I clenched my fist tightly.

"They know about her, do they?" I whispered.

"I'm afraid so. I was watching on the other side just as Hange and the others use the thunder spears to attack Reiner, Y/N used her rewind ability to prevent him from shielding himself which makes it that the armor titan's armor had fallen off."

'Her power, huh?' I thought.

"Where is she now?" I asked.

"She's with your squad for now. I'm not sure what we'll happen next." He said as I glared down at the ground relieved that she was alright, however, I'm still pissed and overwhelmed about this whole mission.

Our mission was to protect Eren from Reiner and Berthodlt. Now, I have to protect two titan shifters that are trying to get captured by those two and I bet the beast titan is working alongside them. Does the beast titan know? What's his next motive that he's going to do to execute the rest of us?

Among the recruits, Marlo Freudenberg yells at Floch for letting a horse get away, but Floch has a nervous breakdown. He does not see how horses matter when so many more talented soldiers than them have already died: no one will be riding these horses home. Floch had answered the recruitment call to join the Scouts, knowing that Titans could get to humanity even inside the Walls. He wanted to be a brave soldier who would protect people, but he never thought that being sent to his death could be so meaningless.

Ignoring the dropping morale among the recruits, I suggest they could use them and whatever remains of Hange's squad as a distraction by having them ride away on horses while Erwin and Eren's group escapes. I then said he would remain behind to draw away the Beast Titan. Erwin counters that I would not be able to get close to it, and I agree that is probably true, then humanity still has hope, and that is the best they can ask for at this point. Realistically, I do not expect any of them to make it out alive.

However, Erwin reluctantly reveals that he has a plan, but it will require him and all the recruits to sacrifice their lives. As I had said, they are all likely to die, so Erwin will stake their deaths on the chance of victory. Given the mental state of the recruits, they will not volunteer to die if Erwin is not leading the vanguard. This means that Erwin himself will be the first to die, and he would do it without ever learning what was in the basement. He slumps against a nearby wall and confesses to me that everything he has done has been in anticipation of this day when he could check if his father's theories were right. Now the answers are finally in reach, but he feels the burden of all the soldiers who died before them, expecting that others would carry on in their place. He asks if his dream was a childish delusion and I kneel before him, saying that Erwin has fought well and that the Scouts have only come this far because of him, but now I am going to make the choice. I tell Erwin to give up on his dream and lead their recruits into hell. In return, I will take down the Beast Titan. Erwin seems surprised, but he smiles and nods.

The recruits take the word of their final mission poorly, with Floch saying that whether they die fighting or die disobeying orders, it does not mean anything, and to Floch's horror, Erwin agrees. No matter their dreams or who they are, they all die the same way when shredded by rocks, but that does not mean their lives are without meaning. Just as they give the lives of the soldiers before them meaning, they will entrust the meaning of their own lives to those who follow in their place.

Zeke prepares another bombardment but is surprised to see the Scouts riding toward him on their horses. He claims he did not think they would go down without a fight but had not expected a suicide charge. Erwin and the Scouts make themselves ideal targets for the Beast Titan's attention. As Zeke prepares another barrage, the Scouts fire signal flares to reduce his accuracy. While his comrades act as a decoy, Levi approaches the Beast Titan by using the larger Titans standing around it. Since they are positioned in a semicircle with the Beast Titan in the middle, they serve as a path for him to attack using his ODM. As Erwin rallies his soldiers, the Beast Titan's bombardment strikes them, decapitating one of the recruits. A rock tears into Erwin's horse, and another catches Erwin himself in the abdomen, causing him to fall from his saddle.