Chapter 117: Pure Titan Training Ground, the Survey Corps Returns
Trost District, the breach in the Wall.
The roaring had not stopped. The stench of smoke and evaporating Titan blood filled the air.
At the breach, Eren moved at high speed. A blur flashed, reaping the Pure Titans that poured through. Blades fell, flesh split, Titans collapsed. He held the breach alone, turning it into a graveyard.
"Eren!"
Mikasa and Armin arrived. They rushed through the chaos, over the rubble, towards the front line. Seeing Eren's figure, they both felt a wave of relief. He's okay. He was tireless, tearing apart one Titan after another.
Around Eren, the routed Garrison soldiers were somehow, barely, holding a formation. Fear remained on their faces, but there was a new light in their eyes.
Hope. Eren had become their pillar.
"Mikasa!" Armin shouted, seeing Eren's injuries and the shadows of more Titans gathering outside the breach. "We can't leave him alone!"
Mikasa said nothing. The next second—ZRRRT!—her ODM gear activated, and she instantly joined the battle. Eren attacked the front; Mikasa covered the flanks. No words were needed. Their teamwork was perfect.
Blades flashed and crossed! Flesh flew! The breach had become a meat grinder. The two of them, together, temporarily stabilized the breach.
The Garrison soldiers erupted in cheers, venting their fear. Hope was spreading.
"They're holding it!"
"Those two recruits—they're too strong!"
"It's the Chief Cadet, Eren Jaeger, and the runner-up, Mikasa Ackerman!"
…
Outside Wall Rose, in the wilds.
Hoofbeats thundered. The Survey Corps. Levi was in the lead, with Erwin at his side.
"Commander, report!" A scout galloped up, his voice frantic. "A large number of Pure Titans! They're all moving in one direction!"
"Which direction?" Erwin's pupils contracted. Gathering… swarming Trost… The scene from five years ago was replaying.
"The Wall has been breached," Erwin stated the fact. He yanked his reins, stopping his horse.
"All troops, hear me!" his voice cut through the wind. "Change of direction! Target—Trost District! Full speed! Prepare for battle!"
The Survey Corps immediately wheeled around, charging toward the city. They all had a feeling. The situation inside the Walls was likely dire. Just like that day.
…
Trost District, Garrison Temporary Command Post.
Chaos. Messengers ran back and forth, their shouts, orders, and wails all mixing together. Panic was spreading.
Just then, Dot Pyxis appeared. The highest commander of the southern territory. He held a flask, his face calm.
"What's all the noise about?" His voice wasn't loud, but it cut through the din. The command post fell silent.
"Commander!" An officer rushed forward to report, his voice trembling. "The gate has been breached! Titans are pouring in!"
"Mm, I know." Pyxis took a sip from his flask. "What about the front line?"
"Sir! The breach—it's been temporarily secured!" another officer quickly added. "By two new cadets! Eren Jaeger and Mikasa Ackerman."
"Oh?" Pyxis raised an eyebrow. "Two cadets?" He put down his flask and walked to the lookout post, raising a spyglass.
In the distant breach, two figures were manically slaughtering Titans. Their coordination was flawless. Their slashes were lethal. And the surrounding Garrison soldiers, inspired by them, were actually holding the line.
Pyxis's eyes sharpened. He saw hope. He saw the power to rally the human spirit.
"Relay my orders," Pyxis said, lowering the spyglass, his voice steady. "Elite squads are to move to the breach and rotate them out immediately. Ensure Eren and Mikasa are brought back to safety, forced to rest, and resupplied."
"Artillery, concentrate fire on the exterior of the breach. Reduce the number of Titans entering."
"Clear the area inside the breach and designate it a temporary training ground."
"A training ground?!" the officer stamgmered.
"That's right." Pyxis nodded. "The Titans haven't broken through, and we have 'heroes.' We must use this crisis. We've been complacent for too long. So now, here, we will sharpen our soldiers with the blood of Titans. Eren and Mikasa are our anchors of hope, and our whetstone. Protect them! Use them! Let the soldiers see hope! Let them grow in battle!"
…
Near the breach, a temporary rest area.
Eren was forcibly pulled from the front line. He hadn't used his magic while his gear was still functional, just to appear normal. Now, his gas was spent, his blades were dull. His clothes were stained with blood. He replaced his gas canisters and blades, his eyes fixed on the "training ground" nearby.
Elite Garrison soldiers were holding the breach in rotation. Under their cover, waves of terrified soldiers were being herded forward to encircle and kill the few Titans that were let in. The scene was chaotic. Screams, orders, roars, hissing gas. The soldiers' movements were clumsy, their teamwork sloppy, and they made constant mistakes. Again and again, someone was nearly grabbed.
"Connie! Your left!"
"Jean! Cut, dammit!"
"Sasha! Control your gas!"
THUD! A soldier ran out of gas and fell, about to be stomped. ZRRRT! Mikasa flashed by, a blur of steel, and the Titan fell. She grabbed the terrified soldier and threw him back into the ranks. Again!
Eren clenched his blades, frustration and rage roiling in his chest. Too slow! Too weak! How can they fight the whole world like this?! And how can I solve everything before Kyubey arrives?!
He shot to his feet, his gaze sweeping over the fumbling, retreating cadets.
"What are you doing?!" His voice wasn't loud, but it was filled with pressure. Everyone froze and looked at him.
"Scared?! Terrified?! Think you can't win?!" He stalked toward them, his voice rising. "Then just die! Like all the other cowards before you! Hide, cry, and wait to be crushed!"
"Look at you! A herd of cattle!"
"The enemy is trying to devour our homes and slaughter our people! Think of the suffering your families will face if they get past you! And you're trembling?!"
He stopped, chest heaving, his eyes like daggers. "Do you want to live?! Do you want to take back what you lost?! Do you want to drive these Titans out?!"
No one answered. Only panting.
Eren raised his blade, pointing at the dark breach. He roared.
"THEN FIGHT!!!"
"TATAKAE!!!"
"IF YOU DON'T FIGHT, YOU CAN'T WIN!!!"
"ANYONE WHO CAN'T SACRIFICE ANYTHING, CAN'T CHANGE ANYTHING!"
"TATAKAE!!!"
"TATAKAE!!!!"
"TATAKAE!!!!"
His roar echoed across the walls, filled with an iron will.
Silence. And then—a scalding flood of emotion washed over the soldiers' hearts. The fear was still there, but something stronger had been ignited. Shame! Indignation! Rage! Defiance!
Eren's words were rough and cruel, but the all-consuming resolve in his eyes was a powerful stimulant.
"OOOOOHHHHH!!!" A roar erupted, becoming a chorus. The soldiers' eyes were bloodshot, their breath hot. They raised their weapons and bellowed.
"KILL ALL THE TITANS!!!"
"TATAKAE!!!!"
Eren stood, watching their reignited will to fight, his face impassive. A flicker of emotion passed through his eyes. The "whetstone" plan continued. It was cruel, but effective.
Controlled groups of Titans were allowed in. The soldiers, under the watchful eyes of Eren and Mikasa, were forced to truly face the giants. Chaos, injuries… but also their first coordinated attacks, their first real kills. Fear was gradually being replaced by combat instinct, the will to survive, and a sense of accomplishment. And they began to follow Eren's commands more readily, seeing him as a symbol of hope.
…
In a corner of the city. Reiner, Bertolt, and Annie watched it all. The Garrison hadn't broken? They were hunting Titans? Using them for training?!
"Eren's presence has become an obstacle?!"
"These soldiers who are usually so cowardly, now they're not afraid to die?!"
Reiner's face was grim, filled with frustration. The breach they had created had become the enemy's training ground. Eren Jaeger…
Bertolt's eyes grew resolute. He seemed to have made a decision. He began to move towards the breach, towards the position where Eren and Mikasa were.
…
The battle for Trost was not over. Flames lit the sky, shouts, cannon fire, and roars mixing together. Reiner and Bertolt whispered in the shadows, anxious.
Just then, the Survey Corps arrived at the edge of Trost. Levi, Erwin, and Hange looked out from horseback, stunned by the sight.
The Titans were being held outside the breach? The Garrison was systematically hunting them? They were even rotating the defensive line at the breach?
At the center of it all were two cadets from the Training Corps. And a tall, thin man who was constantly approaching the two of them.