Vol 1.9: Fall
[END OF VOLUME 1]
Dozens of horses could be seen racing forward towards the breach in Wall Maria. It had been a long day for the Scouts—suffering massive casualties, Commander Shadis resigning, and all for what? Nothing further was known about the Titans—what was the point of all the lives lost?
It was no matter, however.
The newly appointed Commander, Erwin Smith led the charge toward the destroyed gate, the same place where they had left earlier in the day.
"Erwin, do you see this? Or am I imagining things?"
"It's real alright," the blonde said before turning to what remained of the Survey Corps. They were exhausted from the expedition not a few short hours before. All they needed to do was stall for time. "GET READY FOR COMBAT!"
One of Erwin's specialties was his ability to rally people to his side. If he were born in any other period, with different desires and upbringing, he would've been made to be one of the best orators within the walls.
"YES SIR!"
As they approached the walls, the sounds of pained and anguished screams could be heard from inside Shiganshina District. Never before, in the now over 100 years since the establishment of the walls, had they been breached in such a manner.
Erwin barked out orders, his voice authoritative but resolute. The Scouts would have to hold out and escort the remaining civilians from Shiganshina, whilst holding off the Titan threat at the same time. Many more lives from the already depleted Survey Corps would be lost—that was the reality they were facing.
"Mike! Hange! Take your squads and cover the breach in the inner gate! Find any survivors and escort them out!"
"Yes sir!" Their collective voices rang, breaking from the formation and running headlong into the fray. Mike was one of humanity's strongest soldiers, combined with Hange's brains, they could hold out for a long time before their inevitable retreat.
"With me! Scale the walls and divide yourselves into groups! Eliminate any titan that gets in your way. Assist the Garrison and evacuate any trapped citizens!"
This was an intense moment for Erwin Smith but one of the many trials he must endure for the sake of humanity—no...for his dream. A trial by fire. To stall for as long as possible so they can eventually regroup and attack the Titans with full force.
But the question pulsated within the commander's mind. Why now? Why now were the Titans attacking? How did they break down the wall? How would humanity fight back? They were just about to lose over 1/3rd of the territory and a vast majority of their resources...
There would definitely be funding cuts to the military, specifically his Survey Corps, that's for sure. He'd have to fight extra hard for that not to be the case.
But if he could spin the fall in such a way as to get the public on his side, the Anti-Scout faction within the walls could be weeded out. He just needed more time.
"Erwin."
Levi landed right beside him as he oversaw the scouts spreading across Shiganshina District.
"Do you have anything to report?"
"Yeah. Garrison soldiers are scared shitless, Eld found a sandwich at the bottom of the wall and the Titans seem to be concentrated on the right side of Shiganshina for some reason."
Erwin raised an eyebrow at the strange detail about the sandwich. Levi looked at the commander with dead serious eyes.
"That's odd..." The commander mused to himself. "I would've thought they would've been attracted to the people exiting the gates."
"That's what I thought too. It looks like some soldiers prioritized saving lives than sitting on their ass crying."
"Where was the sandwich?"
"Huh? Don't tell me you want to eat that shit. It's cheese and fucking salami."
"..."
"..."
"Sigh...Right side of the wall, where all the titans are."
"Thank you."
What the hell are you thinking Erwin?
||𝐓𝐄𝐗𝐓 𝐒𝐄𝐏𝐀𝐑𝐀𝐓𝐎𝐑: 𝐖𝐀𝐗 𝐖𝐈𝐍𝐆𝐒||
This was a horrible idea.
After checking that my horse was still in place and hadn't run off into the great beyond, I returned to running around the rooftops of Shiganshina.
The right side of the district was the most desolate, perfect for—
CRUNCH
I heard the deafening crunch of bones and the slushing sound of flesh being compressed into blood and guts. Turning my head towards the sound, I could see a 9-meter titan munching on some trapped civilians.
Should I save them?
Or should I keep my distance and watch the titan feast?
Again, why do titans eat humans? Besides other apex predators, like Polar Bears, which are confined to the arctic regions and crocodiles, who are opportunistic hunters, among others, there hasn't been a predator that I can refer to and possibly dissect the Titan's behaviour from.
A simple deformed and humanoid creature that feeds on humans for no apparent reason. What goes on inside their guts? Do they go to the bathroom? Do they have a digestive system?
If I can get my hands on a titan, a small one would do, and cut them up to bits and examine what's going on inside their bodies, maybe I can find a way to properly deal with them.
"Sigh, rejoice citizens of Shiganshina...Ayanokouji Kiyotaka himself is curious about the creatures that eat you..."
I hopped off the rooftop I was standing on and fired a burst of gas, along with my grapples toward the 10-meter titan. I would admit, I was kind of excited to fight a titan for the first time. How strong were they? Are they truly mindless?
Besides the large one and the armoured one that busted down the inner gate, I believe so, but there's no harm in trying.
I'll just be here for a short moment before retreating into the inner walls.
"Someone! Someone help me!!!"
Yeah, yeah, I know. Your screams are louder than a Brazilian during Carnival.
SLICE!!
The ODM swords sliced through the titan's flesh like it was nothing. Or was it because I was too strong? I don't know, but it felt like using a hot knife through butter.
Either way, the titan lost all its limbs in a matter of seconds. It looked like a turd.
The remaining citizens let out cries of thanks at my sudden appearance.
"Please leave. I'll deal with the Titan. Are there any injured?"
"N-no, sir! The children are just a bit scared, that's all! No one's injured, right?"
I sensed a few more were coming my way, however, they'd be here once I evacuated this set of people, and then I could deal with them. Only after all of that work was done, I'd be able to cut open this titan.
"Then get out of here. You know where the gate is. Hurry."
"Yes! Let's go, everyone! Let's let the MP deal with the titan."
MP? Oh, right, I was wearing a stolen uniform.
Whoops.
How many are there?
I've been trying to kill at least 14 of them for the past 4 minutes.
Why aren't they dying?
I thought they died as soon as I decapitated them but it appears that's not the case. The Titan's bodies are moving even without their head.
It's like that one anecdote from the USA about Mike the Headless Chicken, where a chicken, Mike, was decapitated and then, for some odd reason, lived for around 18 months afterwards before dying.
What strikes me as strange is that the bodies are regenerating, of course, they are but not from the head, like I would've liked to previously believe, but from the body itself. Does that mean the head is not the center of all neural activity?
The steam was also something notable. Every time I injured one of their body parts, they would start to steam in the injured area. From that steam came the regenerated parts.
What the hell...How do humans kill these things?
"Hi, I know this is a bad time to ask, but how do I kill you?"
"Grrrr! ROOOAR!"
"No, I'm sorry. I don't speak Titan, and your friend over there doesn't have a head, so you're going to have to tell me."
What am I doing? I'm speaking to a titan.
"ROOOOOOOOAR!" The Titan swiped at me, destroying the high ground I had. I know Obi-Wan would be disappointed in me.
Maybe if I start slashing their spines I'd eventually hit something that'll kill—
SLICE!!!
THUD!
Huh?
Oh...So it was their nape...I didn't even need to go down...
This was way easier than I thought.
"Okay! I found out how to kill you guys now! Now, are you ready to rumble...!!!"
Another swiped at me.
"Please keep your words to yourself, Ayanokouji-kun...or should I say ClownKouji..."
Even in other worlds, Horikita continues to haunt me...
After finishing off the rest of the Titans, I would recapture that 9-meter Titan before slicing it into bits. What I found on the inside was rather strange and disturbing. They didn't have proper digestive organs. The people they ate just sat there in their stomachs...
What's the point of eating humans then? There's no point if you're not going to get any nutritional value out of it. What do they get from eating humans?
What a complete pain. I didn't need to see this today...Well, I kind of did...
"...?"
Trost District was the closest major city if one were to travel from Shiganshina. It was also, presumably where all the refugees were staying, making it ideal for disease and the plague. I'd rather avoid Trost...is what I would've done if I were a pussy.
"H-Halt! We're not accepting any more refugees, we are at capacity—oh!"
I took off my hood and showcased my badge. It was rather fitting that MPs got special treatment within the walls. I gained access to the most restricted areas simply because there was a unicorn on my back.
The gate was opened for me and my horse. One of the soldiers ran alongside me, updating me on the situation. They were very confused and scared.
"How long have you been out there? The wall fell hours ago! We thought all MPs and Garrison soldiers died defending Shiganshina, but I guess not."
I nodded. "I stayed behind and fought as many as I could. Is there any extra gas and blades? I'll need a refill."
"Of course, just head to military HQ. It's a whole other mess, so just walk in and take it—I need to go now, take care of yourself!"
"Thank you."
I could use the confusion to my advantage.
Looking at the refugees, all I could see were similar faces, everyone's expression was nearly the same. Despair was a uniting emotion among the residents of Wall Maria. Over 1/5 of the population was now homeless, destitute and teetering on the verge of starvation.
If you're homeless, just get a house.
If the government doesn't do something about the food shortage, which I doubt won't happen considering how many people there are, humanity within the walls will most definitely face a food shortage, which will cause even more suffering amongst the populace.
Who designed these walls in the first place? It wouldn't take a basic strategic thinker to note that having several lines of defence was the most optimal. One might section off several parts of the wall to prevent a scenario such as this, the entire evacuation of Wall Maria.
It's like whoever built these walls didn't want humanity to survive in the long term at all.
The sheer incompetence of these half-baked Germans still baffles me. Does that make them Dutch? Danish? Swedish? Norwegian? AUSTRIAN!?
I could feel the gaze of someone watching me...
They don't give up, do they?
||𝐓𝐄𝐗𝐓 𝐒𝐄𝐏𝐀𝐑𝐀𝐓𝐎𝐑: 𝐖𝐀𝐗 𝐖𝐈𝐍𝐆𝐒||
The long yet deceivingly short spring break is finally over, and the opening ceremony of the Tokyo Metropolitan Advanced Nurturing High School has arrived.
On this day, all of them will be leaving the classroom that the've have been so familiar with over the past year and will be moving to a new classroom now that we are sophomores.
At first glance, everything seems the same, from the chairs, desks and the plain walls; but somehow, it still feels different to them. The first thing everyone was waiting for when they entered this classroom was the message that was displayed on the blackboard.
"Please wait in the same seats as the previous year."
Until last year, what was called a 'blackboard,' was utilized by writing on it using chalk by a teacher.
However, the blackboard in front of them could be called a 'black screen' instead of an actual blackboard.
When the time comes, the opening ceremony will be held in the gymnasium, same as last year's occasion.
Following that, the teacher in charge of our class will explain the schedule and necessary preparations for this fiscal year, lasting for an estimated two hours. After that, the class will be dismissed in the morning.
As spring break has just ended, the students' minds seem to be prioritizing elsewhere.
"Oh, hey!"
Some could hear the voice of a cheerful girl greeting her friends. Immediately after that, the girls who were greeted by that voice turned around one after another and returned the greeting. It was Karuizawa Kei who gathered all the girls together. The number of girls increased rapidly, and the same stories from before loop back to the beginning.
Karuizawa Kei took a subtle glance around the classroom, before mentally sighing. Right, he wasn't here yet and probably running to class as she spoke. Right...right...
"Wh-what?!"
Should it be said that such a reaction is natural when seeing the appearance of a certain classmate who has been going to school just as everyone else here?
The female student, who was attracting all the attention, went straight to her seat without responding to the surprise.
Her long, beautiful black hair is now gone and has now been replaced with shoulder-length hair. It was even shorter than that.
This was the result of her finally reconciling with her brother, Manabu Horikita, and finally breaking away from her past self, one where she was always chasing after the shadow of said brother. Thus, she cut her hair to show that she had changed.
"Su-Suzune... You... That... Your hair... What's happened to your hair?!"
It was Ken Sudou who shouted out so hastily after seeing Horikita's new look. After all, he is the one who has fallen in love with her.
Yet another girl, who was puzzled by Horikita's sudden change, approached her as well.
"Horikita-san, I wouldn't have imagined this... Right, I was so surprised when I saw you!"
It was Kikyou Kushida, who is another classmate, and coincidentally from the same middle school as Horikita.
"I wonder, is it that strange that I cut my hair?"
Not only Sudou and Kushida but also many other students who paid attention to Horikita's new hairstyle, were glared at by her cold eyes.
"No, no! I was just so surprised. Your new hairstyle changes your image a lot. Of course, I'm not saying that it looks bad at all. Short hair is nice too. Isn't that right?"
They continued to chatter about Horikita Suzune's new hairstyle until, at about the same time as the school bell rang, Class 2-D's homeroom teacher, Chabashira Sae showed up in their classroom.
Chabashira Sae's expression was serious.
"Is everyone present?"
"..."
"..."
"..."
"..."
"Is Ayanokouji Kiyotaka-kun present?"
She looked around the room for her student, the same with the rest of the class. It was rather odd, actually, for Ayanokouji Kiyotaka to be absent from class, or even late for that matter. He was usually one of the more diligent students...
"Is Ayanokouji-kun sick?"
"Is that why he wasn't active in the group chat?"
"Wait, try calling him."
"Does anyone have his number or something?"
Kei looked around anxiously, even standing up to peek out into the hallway for her secret boyfriend.
Suzune dialled his number and sent multiple texts, asking where Kiyotaka was and that it was unusual for him to be this late. She was starting to get a bad feeling about this entire situation.
Chabashira Sae suddenly got a call on her cellphone.
"Please wait a moment. I will be taking this call."
The second year was going to go off horribly...
||𝐓𝐄𝐗𝐓 𝐒𝐄𝐏𝐀𝐑𝐀𝐓𝐎𝐑: 𝐖𝐀𝐗 𝐖𝐈𝐍𝐆𝐒||
"...What do you mean there's no meat?"
"Look, kid, Wall Maria was where most of the meat was produced. Don't blame me for someone opening the gate one day and letting the Titans in."
"...I see..."
Another thing I want to add to the list. Reclaim Wall Maria...