Chapter 24: Outside again

It´s day 24 on their expedition. The longest they ever had, and Erwin knows exactly who to thank for. Not only are all 35 soldiers alive, a few got hurt but nothing major, the worst is a broken leg. They did map out a huge area, located possible set-ups for supported and storage unites for longer expeditions. Levi and Eren are a deadly team, most of the titan kills are their credit still the other soldiers, even the first-timers are prepared better than ever before and use their abilities to fight, to survive and kill as efficient as ever before.

One of the soldiers even said that the real titans are a joke compare to the training with Eren. That made the little titan laugh. He only follows Hanji´s rule for their game, its not like he would try to be as deadly as possible. Not all titan´s get killed by him in titan form, sometimes he doesn't shift and fights with the others with the gear. The first time he did so Erwin wanted to say something but the proud look on the child´s face told him enough to not complain about it. Eren wants to be a solider like all of them and when the situation allows it, he fights like a human.

Sadly, they have to return to the wall, they will need another few days but their food supplies won´t last them for much longer. Food and everything else is packed in amounts that counts in the dead. Something no one had thought of. But it means they can return to the walls without death and new information and most importantly successful. No whipping mothers would wait for them, looking for their sons and daughters only to get a body part at most. This time they will return in glory and-

They see the wall, rising up in front of them but what they see doesn't make any sense. Black smoke comes from the city within, fires are seen, eating away on houses. Houses they shouldn't be able to see but there is a giant hole in the wall, the gate completely destroyed and nothing is left to block out the titans. A few walk inside the wall, making their way through the hole and all thoughts of glory and success disappear. Mankind has a very real new problem.

Erwin notice that he is not the only one looking completely shocked through the hole in the wall. Most of them look like they piece together the information but their brain doesn't have the ability to make a real understanding out of these information.

"Everyone, get ready. We will enter the city over the wall, kill as much titans on your way down. We will get the horses later." Erwins voice is clear. "Forward." The soldiers of the Survey Corps get ready, blades in their hands. "Eren." Erwin calls out, the boy looks at him, already his hood up. "Stay in your human for until I tell you something else. If the MP are still in the city we can´t have them see you." The boy nods blades ready as is Levi next to him.

They shoot their cables into the wall and let themselves be pulled up higher as the top of the building. Most of the soldier jump right over the wall, attacking the titans that are still in the city. Erwin lands on top of the wall looking over the city of Shiganshina. On the other side Erwin finds the gate inside Wall Maria broken. If they don't close the gate, mankind will lose most part of their area. They have to close the gate to the outside, the titans that breached through it can be killed later. Most important is to stop more from coming in.