Return to Shiganshina(4)

Eren saw the ground quake and titans transforming all around them.

Reiner's appearance already stirred up a boiling rage he could barely suppress. 

But the appearance of the other titans in Shiganshina was the final straw. He could remember the vivid scene of what happened on the fateful day the walls well.

He would never forget. Never forgive. 

Was it not enough that they had ravaged Shiganshina once? Now they were doing so again. It was an insult to injury. The scene of the Titans appearing in Shiganshian once again felt like his enemies were mocking and taunting him.

It was different now. He had the power, and he wouldn't hold back.

"Armin. I`m going … to kill every titan here in Shiganshina. Every last one of them."

"That's too reckless, Eren!" Mikasa grabbed both his shoulders, "Armin. Say something!"

"No … actually. If you could defeat the Armored Titan. That would be for the best." the blonde friend spoke in a calm voice. "I don't have time to explain. But if you can pull it off, we could just provide Commander Erwin a chance to turn this around."

They turned their gazes towards Erwin. Who stood near them, still silent; surrounded by some of the officers of the Survey Corps. 

Erwin raised his gun to the sky, firing off a green flare.

"Commander! The Armored Titan is back on its feet and is already heading in our direction!"

Eren turned to the commander. He had surely heard their discussion earlier. 

He just needed the final go-ahead from him. He would be the one to defeat Reiner and claim vengeance for his mum. They may have discussed it during the briefing but there was still a chain of command on the battlefield to follow. Eren understood this much, especially as an officer.

As for the titans in Shiganshina, Mikasa would be enough to deal with those who got close. 

The commander exchanged a long look with him. He was most likely debating right now whether to trust him with the role.

Let me do it, Erwin. Trust me. 

After a few more seconds, his answer came.

"Eren will engage the Armored Titan in combat as planned. Armin, you will take charge of the battlefield with the Armored Titan, your input might prove critical to our victory." 

"Roger!" Eren saluted alongside Mikasa and Armin.

"The Klaus, Dirk, and Marlene squads are to spread out and form the first defensive ring and protect the horses. The Ness & Sharlene squads will act as the second ring. As we have previously surmised, the Beast Titan possesses a long strike capability. Bring the horses as close to the wall as you can. At all points, avoid battle on the outskirts, and make sure you have sufficient cover in case the Beast Titan attempts a bombardment. Ruth Squad and the Special Operations Squad will assist Mikasa in securing a perimeter around Eren. Do not let any of the titans near him. Levi will be on standby here." Erwin said, "This battle will decide the fate of humanity, dedicate your hearts!" 

"Understood!"

The scouts replied in unison and started deploying into positions.

"I`m going in to deal with Reiner first. Mikasa ... I`ll be counting on you." Eren glanced down at the Armored Titan that had begun to climb the wall.

The girl nodded and held his hand.

 "Eren. Promise me this … don't die."

"If you have the energy to worry about me, save it for the celebrations later when this is over." He gave her hand a reassuring squeeze and then turned his back on her. "I`m not dying here." 

Eren didn't wait to hear the girl's response as he leaped off the walls, biting down on his arm.

===

Miche stood atop a tree, catching his breath as he looked towards a green flare that had been fired from Shiganshina. The situation must be dire if the commander had signaled for him to make a decision.

"What's the plan now?" Natalie asked as she flew to a tree trunk beside him, her breaths ragged. Miche's gaze snapped back to the direction of Shiganshina once again. Never in his entire life had he smelt something so horrendous, it was as if there was a mountain of shit right in front of him. It sent shivers down his spine.

"It stinks, bad. Really bad. Titans numbers easily in the hundreds." Miche said.

The scouts led by Miche had been engaged in an extended battle with the Titans who appeared out of nowhere. 

They had been lying in ambush a good distance from Shiganshina in the forest. Waiting for the signal to strike. But what they were soon greeted with was the light of titan transformation all around them, with them one by one moving over. 

If they were normal titans, they could still drag this out. However, they were all abnormals.

Casualties had already exceeded 20% in the short time they fought.

"We can't keep this up much longer, we need to fall back!" Natalie shouted as she flew off, her blades digging deep into the nape of a 7-metre class that had found prey. The titan fell flat as a frightened soldier escaped from its grasp. 

Miche frowned amidst the desperate fight they were putting up. The idea of a pincer attack was as good as gone. There was no way they could kill all the Titans here. If Levi was around, then maybe they had a chance.

He knew his limits, even if they were to charge towards Shiganshina, there was no guarantee they could join up with the Survey Corps there. They were most probably surrounded or had been slaughtered to the last man.

Their enemies were a step ahead and had even predicted their play. They had even hidden people here to transform. From the holes in the ground and broken metal tubes that he saw, it was clear there were humans hidden underneath the ground, that's why they didn't spot them until it was too late. 

"All members, retreat! The entire rear squad will fall back to Wall Rose!" Miche bellowed through his gritted teeth as he made a painful decision.

Erwin … sorry. I wish you luck.

If it was Erwin, there was a chance he would still be able to snatch victory from the jaws of defeat.