Seven Hours After the Titan Invasion
Survey Corps Southern Squad
"Connie, what are you spacing out for? Move it, or you won't catch up with Squad Leader Gelgar and the others!" Reiner rode his horse up beside the dazed Connie and urged him on.
Connie, panic written all over his face, asked Reiner instead,
"Reiner, did you hear that? I think I heard that Titan talking."
Following the direction Connie pointed, Reiner saw a Titan sprawled over a house. The Titan lay on its back, its limbs shriveled, trapped on top of the building and unable to move.
Reiner's expression darkened, as if he had already guessed something, but he still shouted,
"What are you talking about, Connie? Titans can't talk. Don't be stupid—get moving!"
Connie lowered his head and murmured,
"I don't know why, but this Titan feels really strange. It feels especially like my mother, who has trouble walking."
Seeing Connie's vacant look, Reiner grit his teeth and roared,
"Connie! What the hell are you thinking? There are hundreds of thousands of civilians inside Wall Rose! Our actions decide whether they live or die. There's no time! And think about your family—they must have already gone to take shelter. We're soldiers, so get moving!"
With that, Reiner spurred his horse and rode off to catch up with the main force. After hearing Reiner's words, clarity returned to Connie's eyes. That's right—their actions concerned the lives of hundreds of thousands, and his family had to be among them!
Connie turned his head one last time to look at the Titan trapped on the rooftop, then mounted his horse and rode away.
Gelgar led the Southern Squad rapidly along Wall Rose toward the rendezvous point agreed upon with the Northern Squad.
"Gelgar, the wall ahead doesn't seem to be damaged either," said fellow Survey Corps soldier Gelgar's companion.
A cold sweat trickled down Gelgar's head. The Titans had clearly appeared from the south, yet the Southern Squad had found no breach in the walls at all.
"Damn it, this is really a headache. If only I had a mouthful of good wine right now!" Gelgar muttered to himself.
Still, considering the bigger picture, Gelgar ordered them to continue forward and link up with the Northern Squad. The Eastern and Western Squads would rendezvous at another location.
...
Eight Hours After the Titan Invasion
Survey Corps Northern Squad
"Squad Leader Nanaba, Historia and I don't have combat equipment. Requesting permission to leave the unit and retreat first!" Ymir said to Nanaba at the front of the formation.
Nanaba, with short hair and a valiant bearing, refused without hesitation.
"No. Right now every single person matters. One more person means one more chance to relay information. This concerns all the civilians inside Wall Rose. Rookie, you should understand—every Survey Corps soldier must be prepared to dedicate their heart to humanity!"
Historia's small face flushed red. She tugged on Ymir's sleeve and said reproachfully,
"Ymir! What are you saying? Everyone is doing their best to complete the mission. How can you say that?"
Ymir glanced calmly at Historia, a faint, barely perceptible worry hidden deep in her eyes.
"Historia, you shouldn't have joined the Survey Corps. You're not suited for this place at all."
"Ymir! This was my choice!" Historia snapped, unusually angry, as if she had been holding these words in for a long time.
"Ymir, I know you never wanted me to join the Survey Corps. You always tried to push me into the Military Police, but with my results I couldn't even make the top ten. Then you pushed me to join the Garrison, and now you joined the Survey Corps together with me. Ymir, what exactly is thi—"
Ymir suddenly cut her off.
"Stop! Historia, I didn't join the Survey Corps because of you. You're thinking too much. I did it for myself."
Historia looked at Ymir. On Ymir's face, it was practically written in big letters: saying one thing while meaning another.
...
Ten Hours After the Titan Invasion
Garrison Titan-Cleanup Unit
"Fire!" With Kitz's command, the Garrison soldiers beside him, dressed in the Rose Garrison uniforms, immediately pulled the firing cords of the cannons.
The roar of artillery echoed as the Titans lured in using the village terrain were instantly torn apart by the shells. One or two stragglers were also cut down by several elite squad leaders of the Garrison.
"Rico! Left side!" Hearing Ian's warning, the gray-haired Rico reacted instantly. The Vertical Maneuvering Equipment burst with increased thrust; she twisted aside at the last possible moment to avoid a Titan's gaping jaws, then swung behind it and sliced through its nape with a single strike.
"Well done!" Kitz loudly praised his subordinate. Rico, however, looked worried as she slid her blades back into their sheaths.
"Captain Kitz, the reconnaissance squads still haven't returned. If this keeps up, the situation is unfavorable for us. We don't know how many Titans are left, nor do we know where the breach in Wall Rose is."
Kitz looked up at the setting sun and hesitated.
"Then… should we send out a few more reconnaissance squads?"
...
Thirteen Hours After the Titan Invasion
Night
The main forces of the Survey Corps and the Military Police arrived at a town to rest temporarily.
The small town was packed with civilians preparing to flee to Wall Sheena. Panicked shouts, children's crying, and the despair on people's faces were all observed by a priest of the Wall Cult.
A trace of pity appeared on the priest's face.
"Oh, Pastor Nick, what's wrong with you?" From that tone alone, Pastor Nick immediately recognized the speaker as Hange Zoe, the Survey Corps detachment leader who had been pestering the Wall Cult the entire way.
"Ah, how helpless. The Titans breach the walls, and humanity can only flee in panic. But where can they run? This is Rose now—Shina is surely the Titans' next target. And how long can Wall Sheena hold?" Behind Hange's glasses, her eyes were fixed tightly on Pastor Nick's expression.
A trace of struggle appeared on Pastor Nick's face as well, but in the end he turned away and left without saying a word.
"Squad Leader, this…" Moblit walked up beside Hange, hesitating to speak.
Hange pushed up her glasses.
"The Wall Cult's purpose isn't simple, but for now we can't figure it out. Moblit, keep a close eye on them."
...
"Nile, the situation is bad. There are too many civilians. Relying on the Garrison alone isn't enough—your Military Police should stay and help as well," Erwin said to Nile beside him.
Nile frowned, glanced around to make sure no one was nearby, then lowered his voice.
"Erwin, cut the tricks! You want to pull the Military Police away? The last time you acted on your own, those people became more and more dissatisfied. What exactly are you trying to do?"
Erwin replied calmly, "The mission of the Military Police is to protect the king and supervise the populace. Right now, the populace needs the Military Police, don't they, Nile?"
Grinding his teeth, Nile pointed at Erwin and shouted angrily, "Erwin! You—!"
But Erwin's gaze remained calm throughout.