Charge (2)

Mina's POV

Sensing that she landed on a landmine, Ymir didn't even try to push, enough even to make me feel glad. 

"You guys!" Hannes's voice eventually broke my silence, one that made me lift my head to see what was going to happen. "Get away from there!" 

Oh, he was referring to the soldiers mounted on top of the armored- huh? 

"Ahaha…" I laughed, amused at how things had finally gotten. 

Up ahead, Commander Erwin was leading a horde of titans in this direction. I should have noticed; I should have! But I was too fucking busy caring about my useless self!

Get it together, you piece of shit!

"All soldiers disperse!" The commander orders, just when Mikasa and the others have successfully returned to their horses. "Get away from the Titans!" 

And like what he had planned, seconds later, the Armored Titan was forced to collide with a group of Titans, a scene so unfamiliar to the soldiers. He continues to struggle, all the while protecting his fellow warriors, leaving Ymir and Krista defenseless from the onslaught of Titans. 

This is the second time I've witnessed this, but it's still mind-blowing to see it. 

Due to how many the Titans are, Reiner is given no choice but to scream when he finds himself trapped in a group of man-eating creatures that his country has mass-produced. 

"What's going on? Is this hell?" Jean whispers, widening his eyes from the horror he was witnessing. 

"No… but it will be!" Upon recalling this particular scenario, the air within me seems to have been cut short just when my gaze landed on the commander's figure who continues to ride forward. "All soldiers, charge!"

"The fate of humanity will be determined in this very moment! There is no future where humanity can inhabit these lands without Eren! We recover Eren and immediately retreat!" 

He lifted his right arm that was holding his blade and readied himself. Knowing the outcome of his charge immediately made me pale, forcing me to pull the reins and follow in pursuit. Armin's voice called out to 'my' name, but it was useless. The only thing that I can hear is how erratic my breathing has become. 

"Dedicate your hearts!"

"Commander!" I called out to him, wishing for him to stop. However, upon sensing that he would not, I eventually found myself quickening the pace of my horse. "Commander Erwin!" 

After successfully finding myself kneeling on top of my horse and realizing that using an ODM gear would prove to be pointless, given the distance between us, I finally took it as a chance to unstrap the time gun from my leg and took its bullets from the other. Up ahead, and out of his gaze, a titan ran towards him, the very titan that snatched his arm away. 

I raised my arm and took my aim, reading my finger at any moment. 

But not until I noticed the same Military Police soldier from the distance, who was meters away from having his head ripped away from his body. Not knowing how this would affect the future, I changed my aim and finally pulled the trigger. 

The sound it produced was loud enough to gain the attention of the nearby soldiers. It should have taken the commander's awareness as well, if not for the adrenaline coursing through his veins at this moment.

Once the bullet was let loose, I immediately started my countdown. Given the distance between us, I suspect that it'll take ten seconds for it to reach the target. 

"Ten." I returned to my original position and took my aim, eyes locked on the titan up ahead. "Nine." 

"Eight." I bit my lip after ensuring that the time gun was set at its proper time of the eruption and finally returned my finger to where I could pull the trigger. "Seven."

"Six." The Armored Titan began its attack toward the nearby Titans, placing Bertolt and Eren in a dangerous position. "Five."

"It worked!" Jean announces up ahead, noticing Eren wrapped behind the colossal titan. "His hand's gone!"

"Four." And with that, I pulled the trigger, successfully making the second bullet pass through its course. 

"Now's our chance!" Mikasa states that it is - one that the commander seems to have agreed to.

"Three." I lowered my arm and simply watched, eyes locked on the bullet. 

"Two," With that, it has successfully reached the titan, the bullet landing perfectly inside its mouth and towards its nape. "One."

"Advance!"

Godly timing, I thought to myself as two eruptions were made, one from the sidelines and the other that was right in front of the commander himself. 

It made the commander halt his charge, his eyes widening from the intensity of what that bullet could do. Just when the other soldiers were too busy admiring such an attack, I eventually passed him by, eyes gazing through his as a way of observing if he was unhurt. 

"What was that?!"

"A canon?!"

"Who the heck did it?!"

"Advanceee!" The commander once again repeats, all the while readying himself to charge once more. "Eren is just ahead! Advance!"

Like soldiers following their commander's orders, we all charged ahead, with some doing it in a suicidal manner. Knowing that my bullets were limited, I eventually found myself standing on top of my horse as I ready myself to connect my gear to a titan's shoulder, all the while taking out the steel blade from my right side. With my right arm holding the time gun and the left holding a blade, it felt like I was back in my original world. Noticing that there were soldiers who arrived faster than me, I finally took it as a chance to jump and pull my whole body toward the Titan. 

"Get away from him!" I yelled loud enough for that particular soldier to stop in his advance, allowing me to slice the hand of the titan. A second was all I needed to pull myself upwards and slice its nape. 

Beneath us, a soldier was about to get stomped. Knowing full well of the horrors of it, I grit my teeth and connected the wire of my gear to its leg, successfully cutting it. The titan fell a meter away from that soldier. Of course, even if I can remember how some of them died, there are those whom I've unintentionally not seen. Like the man whose hand was about to get eaten a few meters away from me.

As a reflex, I twirled the time gun and took my aim, making the bullet land on the titan's neck three seconds earlier.

Another eruption occurred, making some of the titans flee from the scene. 

"Who the fuck is doing that?!" 

But instead of creating a response, I twirled around and saw the horrors of this mission, one so horrendous and terrifying to witness.

"Get a grip, Yeager," I whispered to myself, readying myself to fight once more. "There's still plenty of titans to kill!"

Up ahead, a military soldier found himself trapped in a titan's hand, enough to witness the horrors of what its mouth can do. Given our distance, I immediately took off and raised my left arm to slice its arm, taking the soldier away from its grip. Upon landing on the ground, I noticed a horse that was about to collide with a soldier, making me yell for him to move. 

"Look out!" However, just when I screamed for him to move, the titan looming over us was about to take a huge bite, urging me to lift my right hand to twist the time gun and pull the trigger. 

"One second," I state before pulling the trigger for the fourth time. One second was all it needed before the bullet once again exploded.

"H-help me." The soldier in my arms shivered in terror, clutching my cape for dear life. "P-please, t-take me away from here!"

"Let go of me."

As coldly as possible, I pushed him away and sliced the hand that was about to grab us both. The man continues to wail, not knowing what to do and how to fight. 

At this point, he'll only become a liability. "Get out of here. There's a horse behind you. Take the pissed-out soldier beside it as well." 

"Y-yes!" 

Now then…

Up ahead, Mikasa has already managed to pass through the horde of Titans as she finally attacks Bertolt again. Knowing what would become of her afterward pains me, and as much as I would love to help and support her, there are soldiers nearby who need it more than she does.

Slapping the back of two horses, I shouted my next words. "Those who've lost access to their maneuver gear should flee! Take the horses and retreat!"

Titan after titan and lives being taken away for each passing second, life in this cruel world is nothing but pure torture and torment. But… even so, no matter how ugly humans are, no matter how devilish their ways are, this world… is still… something that Mother had described to be beautiful. 

So, upon witnessing the commander freeing Eren from his clutches and Mikasa catching him from his fall, I couldn't help but sigh in relief. 

"All soldiers retreat!" The commander orders, with no one trying to complain at this point. 

With everyone trying to flee, there I stood, gaze unchanging and fierce, eyeing what was supposed to be of the Armored Titan. 

It's not that I don't understand where Reiner is coming from, but I just… wholeheartedly… 

Hate him. 

Yes, he has his reasons for attacking Paradis, and yes, they needed to take Eren away from his home since it's their mission as warriors in the first place. 

But at the end of the day, even if I can tolerate the female titan, the fact that they are our enemies will not change; such is my emotion toward him.

"What will you do now, young Yeager?" The voice of Ymir distracted me from my raging heart, pointing out the fact that we are currently still out in the open, with titans surrounding the group. However, due to the adrenaline coursing through my body, the fact that Ymir sounded off immediately bounced off my ears, preventing me from predicting what was about to happen. 

The thing that I must do… While narrowing my gaze, I once again lifted my head – along with my right arm – and pointed the time gun toward the titan that the Armored Titan was about to throw. And the person I must protect…

Is Hannes right?

My grip on the handle only tightened after realizing what that information implies. I bit my lip, knowing full well that changing that course in the scenario is inevitable since it's something that will lead Eren to discover who he truly is.

However… what about his heart?

What would become of Eren if this kind of thing continued to happen?

"You're not done yet, aren't you?" I spoke, not knowing if he could hear me or not. My eyes blazed in contempt at the creature that continues to destroy our peaceful lives. "Whatever you're going to do, I'll make sure to stop it. As a soldier, it is my duty to do so!" 

With one last roar, his way of acting as a warrior, he lifted a huge titan and threw it long enough for it to reach the very front of our formation. 

I still have a few more bullets to use. Twirling sora in my right hand, I couldn't stop the smirk forming on my face. 

"Let's fight until the end, shall we?"

But before I could even have the chance to pull the trigger, time seemed to have gotten slower as my vision both became distorted and disoriented.

What- "Ymir, what are you-"

But instead of responding annoyingly like she usually does, all I received from her was silence, one that made my anxiety spike through the roof. 

"Sorry, young Yeager." She eventually spoke as my knees finally gave off, making my body fall flat to the ground. "But I can't allow you to change this scenario."

"No matter what happens, no matter how many lives must perish in this second, Eren must meet the titan that ate his mother."

*****