"The year 850, in Trost..." "The sight of Eren Jaeger unleashing the power of a mysterious Titan was more than enough to terrify his fellow soldiers." "I am a human!" "He is not an enemy of humanity!" "With my final breath before my death," "I shall wish for humanity's glory, and try to persuade you of his strategic value!" "As Eren and his friends could do nothing but argue their innocence, they were saved by Dot Pixis, the high commander of the southern territories." "I think we should listen to them..." "Icon The Battle for Trost (7)" "I'll do it!" "I don't know whether I can seal the hole." "But I'll do it!" "Well said." "You're a real man." "I'll call my strategists." "We'll develop a plan!" "No way." "That idea depends on so many assumptions, and he's just going to run with it?" "I was just thinking the same thing." "But there's no sense in doubting his decision." "Commander Pixis must see potential in something the rest of us can't see." "Something we can't see?" "Also, I think there's a bigger issue that must be addressed before the plan can be executed." "And the Commander fully recognizes it." "What do you mean?" "The Titans aren't our only enemy." "There's no time to waste." "I will need your help, young soldiers." "A plan to retake Trost?" "You're kidding..." "We have no way to seal that hole." "What is the brass thinking?" "Going into Trost would be our deaths!" "Since we can't seal the hole, all we can do is die defending Wall Rose's gate." "Damn it..." "They want glory that much?" "I have to return to that hell?" "No!" "I don't want to die!" "Let me see my family!" "Hey, Daz, you're being too loud..." "You there!" "I heard you!" "Are you saying you want to abandon your mission?" "That's right!" "This is nothing but mass suicide!" "It's meaningless!" "Have you no respect for humanity?" "For order?" "If I chose to, I could execute you this minute." "Go ahead..." "It's a hundred times better than being eaten by Titans!" "Stop it, Daz!" "No!" "Let me go!" "I won't go back there!" "Did you hear that?" "Given the circumstances, I don't blame him..." "Hey..." "I hope someone rebels over here, too." "I'd at least like to choose how I die." "Hey!" "I-It was a joke!" "Do it..." "Be loud..." "And get others to go along!" "In the Garrison, plenty of us aren't happy, either." "We'll take advantage of the chaos and leave!" "Leave and go where?" "To see my daughter." "Eventually, this wall will also fall." "They say that before Titans gained dominion over the earth, there was endless slaughter of human life in wars over race and ideology..." "Then someone said," ""If a powerful external threat were to appear, humanity would cease its wars and unite."" "What do you think of that?" "I've never heard that legend." "Sounds naïve..." "Almost silly." "You have a warped mind like mine." "Even when that powerful threat has pushed us to the brink of destruction, we still have yet to unite." "No, but it's high time we did so." "Otherwise, we won't even be able to fight." "Eren?" "He's safe, huh?" "Focus on the mission?" "How dare he address a superior officer that way?" "By the look of it, Mikasa and Armin must be safe, as well." "But what's Eren doing with the Commander?" "You want some?" "Yes, please!" "Kill me!" "If you're going to execute me, do it now!" "You're sure?" "I'll do it!" "Attention!" "I shall now explain the plan to retake Trost." "For this mission, our objective is to seal the hole where the gate was destroyed." "Seal it?" "How?" "Let me introduce you to the one who will seal the hole for us..." "From the Trainee Corps, Eren Jaeger." "E-Eren!" "He is the result of a top-secret project to turn humans into Titans." "He can create and control a Titan's body." "Hey..." "I have no idea what the Commander's talking about." "Am I just too stupid to get it or something?" "Would you shut up, idiot?" "He will become a Titan, pick up the giant boulder by the shattered gate, carry it over, and seal the hole." "Your job will be to protect him from Titans while he moves the boulder!" "We don't have to fight the Titans?" "E-Excuse me." "I don't mean any disrespect by speaking up to a ranking officer..." "No, continue." "Y-Yes, sir." "Titans are typically drawn to pursue the largest number of people." "If we can take advantage of that to lure them along the walls, we can draw most of them away from Eren without engaging them in direct combat." "And by using the cannons against those lured away, we'll minimize our own losses." "But since we can't leave Eren undefended, a small elite force should protect him." "And we can't avoid engaging the Titans that come through the wall." "The skills of the elite force will be critical." "All right, understood." "We'll take that into account and revise our plans." "But this will only work if Eren can carry that boulder and seal the hole." "We are proceeding with the operation without certain proof that he can." "I cannot help but feel doubt." "Indeed, given the uncertainty of a crucial element," "I do not relish sending many men to their deaths." "But I do understand what Commander Pixis is thinking." "Yes..." "The first issue is one of time." "Even as we speak, Titans continue to enter the town." "The greater their numbers in Trost, the worse our odds of success in retaking it." "And the higher the chance of Wall Rose falling..." "And one more thing." "There's a limit to how much one can be motivated by terror." "Lift that giant rock?" "Is it possible?" "Has humanity finally learned to control the Titans?" "You're lying!" "I won't put my life on the line for a plan I can't even understand!" "What do you think we are?" "We aren't..." "We aren't pawns for you to sacrifice!" "A human weapon?" "He's lying!" "He thinks we're fools!" "He's telling us to die here, today!" "I'm leaving!" "Me, too." "And me!" "I'm out of here, as well!" "Wait!" "You'll get the death penalty for this!" "I'll spend humanity's last hours with my family!" "This is bad." "Yes." "If we don't do something, there will be chaos." "Ready to die, traitors?" "!" "I'll kill you right now!" "Here is my decision!" "I shall pardon anyone who deserts now." "Once you succumb to the Titans' fear, you can never fight them again." "Those who have learned that fear should leave." "And anyone wishing their parents, siblings, and loved ones to feel that fear should also leave!" "Daddy!" "I can't do that..." "My daughter is my..." "My last hope." "Let me tell you what happened four years ago." "About our attempt to retake Wall Maria." "As I'm sure you're all aware, that operation was no more than the government's way of dealing with its inability to feed all of the unemployed." "It was a culling." "The reason no one speaks of it is because by sending them outside these cramped walls, we were able to survive within them." "All of humanity, including myself, bears the weight of that sin!" "Because so few escaped Wall Maria, there was never any open rebellion." "But what about now?" "If Wall Rose falls, the sacrifice will be more than just twenty percent." "The territory within Wall Sina won't support even half the remaining population." "If humanity falls, it won't be because we were devoured by the Titans." "It will be because we killed each other." "We must not die even deeper within the walls." "I beg of you to die right here!" "I don't know if I can use the Titan's power to lift that boulder." "But I understand what I must do..." "It may be a lie, but I must make it happen anyway." "I must become a symbol of hope for everyone!" "Information We Can Share So Far:" "3D Maneuver Gear Weight-Shifting Device (1) To maneuver in 3D space, it's necessary to be able to shift one's weight precisely, using belts strung all over the body." "Information We Can Share So Far:" "3D Maneuver Gear Weight-Shifting Device (2) To allow quick maneuvers in 3D space, the equipment has been made as light as possible." "I see you're all here..." "You have one mission." "To guard Eren Jaeger, eliminating any threat that appears during the operation." "It will be the most dangerous and difficult task in the entire operation." "It's no exaggeration to say that humanity's fate rests on your shoulders." "Commander, may I say something?" "What is it?" "Does this human weapon really work?" "Quiet, Riko!" "You don't believe it, either, do you?" "Commander, this operation depends on Eren Jaeger, and we know nothing about him." "If he cannot function, many soldiers will have died for nothing." "Well, then..." "Do you really enjoy losing to the Titans that much?" "I don't." "I hate losing more than anything." "But unfortunately, I've been losing for my entire life." "I want to win against the Titans..." "I want to beat those giant freaks more than anything in the world." "S-So do we!" "Then betting on him is our only option." "You're right, we know nothing about him." "But he's the only chance we have to defeat the Titans." "Commander, it's time for the decoy operation to begin." "Ian Dietrich," "Riko Brzenska," "Mitabi Jarnach..." "You are the Garrison's most elite troops." "I'm entrusting humanity's fate to you." "Yes, sir!" "Ian, you take command." "You have full authority out there." "Me?" "I have no objections." "Nor do I." "But I'm not capable..." "Don't worry." "You're a man who knows his drinks." "You're well-acquainted with drink both bitter and sweet." "I'm counting on you!" "Yes, sir!" "Eren, I'm sorry..." "I ended up making you responsible for everything." "It's like I said before." "You have the ability to find the right answer." "I believe in that." "Eren, I'm going to—" "Don't tell me you're going to come with me." "You've been assigned to the decoy team." "But I can't leave you alone..." "If you're alone, you'll—" "Enough!" "I'm not your little brother or a child..." "I told you that!" "Ackerman, join the elite force protecting Jaeger." "We need your skill." "Let's go..." "It's time!" "Bye, Armin." "Don't die." "Yeah, you neither." "A top-secret human weapon, was it?" "As long as you can seal that hole, it doesn't matter." "Our priority is to protect you." "We're counting on you." "Yes, sir!" "Eren, are you feeling okay?" "Yeah!" "Eren..." "I said I'm fine!" "Much better than when we were surrounded." "We aren't playing house here, Jaeger." "I didn't mean..." "I can't believe we have to leave humanity's fate up to a spoiled kid like you." "Enough, guys!" "We'll soon reach the shortest route to the boulder." "I'm not seeing any Titans..." "Everyone must have succeeded in luring them away." "Listen!" "You only need to get them to the edge of town!" "Avoid unnecessary combat!" "Listen, Jaeger." "During this operation, more than just a few will die." "For you." "They will be our fellows, ranked both above and below us." "As soldiers, they're prepared to die, of course." "But they are not pawns without a voice." "Wait." "Not yet." "A little more..." "Go!" "They have names and families." "And all the feelings that those entail." "Alyosha, Dominic, Phine, Isabel," "Ludwig, Martina, Guido, Hans..." "They're all humans as alive as either of us." "I've known some of them since my trainee days." "And today, many will die for you." "You have a responsibility to ensure that their deaths will mean something." "No matter what happens." "Never let yourself forget that." "And be prepared to die for that responsibility." "Right!" "I'll do it..." "I'll make this happen!" "Since the Titans appeared, humanity has never won against them." "Their continuous advance has meant humanity's continuous retreat and loss of territory." "But when this mission succeeds, humanity will have retaken its territory from them for the very first time." "Right here." "Let's go!" "This will be humanity's first victory against the Titans!" "Green smoke round, confirmed." "The elite force has begun the mission." "Compared to all that humanity has lost, it may seem insignificant." "But for humanity, that step will be a great advance in our attack on the Titans!" "I doubt a human of that size could lift that boulder." "But I believe Eren has the strength to lead us forward..." "Eren?" "The operation to retake Trost has begun." "As many soldiers die," "Eren, now a Titan, loses control and destroys his own head." "The operation seems to have failed, but..." "Wound The Battle for Trost (8)"