Chapter 28

The Price That is Paid

Seeing all the titans converge onto the Armored Titan gave everyone pause. The large group of titans seemed to ignore the contingent of soldiers entirely and kept their focus on the enemy. However, no one seemed to agree that the adage of 'the enemy of my enemy is my friend' applied in this scenario.

Reiner's Armored Titan tried to shrug off the dozen titans that latched onto him, but it was proving difficult to do so with his arms around his neck. Ymir did her best to strike at any titan the got too close. If she was fighting to protect Reiner, herself, or Historia, no one could tell.

As for Kagami, he felt helpless at not being able to do something. Eren and Historia were in the middle of many predators and there was barely an opening to grab them. He could only guess as to what the traitors were thinking. Likely survival was at the forefront. He understood what Erwin's plan was, but now he was not so sure. The Armored Titan's advance had been halted, but now both of their rescue targets were in a dangerous position.

"What the hell are we supposed to do now?" Kagami muttered to himself.

"With the way things are, is this hell?" Jean said, next to him.

The stomping of hooves filled their ears as Commander Erwin raced past them. "Not yet, but it soon will be!"

Every soldier turned to the Scouts commander, with a raised blade he bellowed his next words. "All soldiers charge! We've come to the moment of truth! The fate of mankind is decided now! There is no future for us on these lands without Eren, and there never will be!" He turned to soldiers behind him. "Recover Eren from the Armored Titan and make for the walls!" His horse stood on its hind legs and Erwin gave a proud salute. "Give your everything-your heart and soul-to the cause!"

He charged forwards and was followed by the most loyal of soldiers. Mikasa and Aline did not need convincing as they charged ahead. Members of all the regiments hesitated, but seeing so many push forward made even those of the Garrison push forward.

Kagami had already made up his mind and charged forward. At his side were Momoi and Connor, along with the MP Aomine. In front of him rode the rest of the former 104th, all following the commander's orders.

However, a group of MPs stayed back. Akashi and his group watched as people followed Erwin's foolish charge into the enemy. Akashi was now sure Erwin was mad. The fact that people followed him gave an even worse impression of them.

"Erwin's really lost it," Midorima said.

"He does have a way with words," Murasakibara said lazily.

Before someone could tell him to stop, Murasakibara ushered his horse to follow the others.

"It seems even Atsushi can be overcome by his words," Akashi said coldly.

"Hey, look out!"

Akashi and Midorima looked to the side see an MP caught unawares. A titan loomed over them and snatched them up. The titan bit down severing the MP at the waist. Akashi sprung into action and with two quick moves he killed the titan. The beast collapsed to the ground just as Akashi landed on his horse again.

"Your skills are still as sharp as ever, Akashi," Mirdorima said.

"Naturally, Shintaro." Akashi turned his horse towards the battle in front of them. "Now, let's see if we survive what comes next."

As the combined force of the Scouts and Garrison charged towards the Armored Titan, they noticed as his arms began to move from around his neck. With a few quick swings of his arms, Reiner managed to shake off several of the titans that crowded around him.

Kagami saw as many of his fellow soldiers began to speed up. This was the only opening they were going to get. With his arms no longer around his neck, they could strike at Bertolt, grab Eren, and run. However, there was one thing that bothered him; he could not see Historia. Ymir was still jumping from titan to titan, but the more she killed the more would replace them. He knew she was no longer in her mouth, but he could not tell if she was hanging off of Reiner or if she was still with Ymir.

Kagami shook his head. He had to focus on the primary objective: rescue Eren. While the bastard was a pain, he knew his value. If he had the chance, he would take it. Even if it meant killing Bertolt and Aemilia.

"We're supposed to charge into that?"

Connie's question broke Kagami from his thoughts.

"It's the only choice we have," Momoi replied. "If we don't do this now, then a whole of people are going to die for nothing. We have to make their sacrifice worth it."

Kagami scoffed at the lieutenant's words. "Sounds similar to what we were told at Trost."

"Then you already know what's at stake," Momoi said.

At the head of the group, Erwin held out his blade. He led the charge with the same bravado he had since the mission began. His words and actions penetrating through every soldier present.

"Advance!"

Just as he was about to bellow out orders his words were cut by a titan biting down on his arm. The titan appeared from behind a set of trees. He did not even have time to react. As he was ripped off his horse, everyone watched in horror. Veteran Scouts watched as their Commander was taken away from the head of the force. While newcomers to the fight felt the resolve dwindle faster than it had filled them.

"Commander Erwin!" Connor cried out.

The resolve they all had dwindled away as Erwin was dragged away from everyone. The charge slowed, something Erwin was not willing to allow.

"I said advance, goddammit!" The Scout's Commander bellowed. "Eren's right in front of you! Do not falter!" He emphasized his order by pointing his blade forwards.

With their resolve reignited, the combined force continued their charge. No one looked back as they charged towards what would likely be their deaths. Even without Erwin, their fight needed to continue. Everyone knew that, even those with weaker constitutions pushed forward.

Kagami did not know what to think about the Commander's sacrifice. The man had managed to keep everyone focused on the mission, even as he was close to death. Kagami had to assume the man did not fear death. After all, he had joined the Scouts. Anyone who joins the regiment knew death could come at any moment. Kagami wondered if he would be the next to die. If an unseen titan would snatch him up just as the Commander was.

In his mind flashed the moment when he and Historia had shared after the carnage of Trost. There was something unsaid between the two of them and even he was not all that sure what it was. He recalled the moment atop the wall, as she tended to his hands. She had stopped herself from saying something.

Maybe I shouldn't die just yet, Kagami thought.

He tightened the grip on his reins and pushed his horse forward. He would see this mission to the end and he would survive just to get one more moment with her.

—-

The charge went just about how Akashi had expected it to. People crashed into each other, titans scooped up soldier after soldier, titans were slain. Seeing so much carnage would cause for anyone to live in fear. Screams pierced the battlefield. Akashi could tell who was dying and who was fighting in the way they screamed. It all just blended together for him. People were dying because of Erwin's suicidal plans.

Even he was not immune to the fighting. He killed any titan that crossed his path. Even with the lack of trees, he still found ways to attack his enemy. He used other titans as the anchors he needed to swing from one kill to another. He never slacked off in his training since becoming an MP. While he knew the likelihood of fighting titans was low, he knew it was always a possibility.

From what he could see, Midorima and Aomine were also in top form. He expected nothing less from the two of them. With Aomine scoring the highest combat score ever, Akashi knew he would be no slouch in a fight, even if he had not seen combat in a long time. Midorima surprised him a bit. His kills were all precise. Anything less and he would be disappointing.

I can't let them outdo me, Akashi thought.

He jumped towards his next target. He avoided a lunging arm and jumped onto that arm. He sprinted up towards the titan's shoulder and jumped. He turned and anchored his cables on another titan's back and cut down the titan he had just jumped off of. In a quick change of direction and speed, he cut down the titan he used as an anchor. He hooked onto a near by tree and called for his horse.

When it arrived he jumped on and pressed forward. There was still an objective to complete.

Aomine finished cutting down another titan. Just as he landed to catch his breath, another titan was charging towards him.

"Dammit they just won't quit," Aomine muttered.

He fired his cable towards a near by tree and climbed it to get airborne. He dodged a swipe from the titan and swung around the tree to pick up speed. In a quick change of direction, he was behind the titan and he cut it down with ease.

As he landed on the ground he another titan loomed over him. This time, he did not have a quick escape. The titan moved to grab him, but he jumped back and slashed at its fingers.

"You won't be getting me that easy." He brought up two fingers to his mouth and let out a high pitched whistle. "Better show up fast, you damn horse."

The titan tried to grab him again, but Aomine jumped away.

"I'm not going to be titan chow today."

He tried finding a near by tree to get airborne, but they were all too far away. He would never reach them in time. He whistled again, but his horse was no where in sight. The titan went in for another grab and as he slashed at the hand his blades snapped.

"Shit. At the worst possible time."

He would not get chance to change for a new pair, as another titan was closing in on him.

"Where is that damn horse?!"

Just as the titan that was chasing him reach down again, it collapsed to the ground. Aomine looked up to see Momoi moving from one target to the next. The second titan that had found Aomine was cut down by Momoi as she swung around a tree to get into a better position to slice its neck.

The titan collapsed to the ground and Momoi landed and sprinted towards Aomine.

"Why the hell are you on the ground?! Get airborne or you'll get snatched up!" Momoi ordered.

"I would but my damn horse won't show," Aomine argued.

Momoi groaned. "I don't have time for this! Just pick a random horse that's running around. You need to be off the ground."

Momoi then brought two fingers to her mouth and let out a whistle. In a few moments her horse was at her side. She jumped on her steed and turned to Aomine.

"You better not become a KIA on our mission," Momoi said.

Aomine rose an eyebrow. "Like hell I will."

Momoi nodded. "Good. Now find a damn horse."

Momoi cracked the reins on her horse and moved to a different part of the field. Aomine watched as his friend rode away, wondering if she was always giving ordered.

—-

As Kagami and the others pressed forwards, they avoided any titans that got in their way. However, the cluster of titans made it so everyone began to separate. They all tried to find the opening necessary to get to Eren.

Kagami cursed as he seemed to get the short end of the stick. In front of him were three titans. He did not have room to maneuver around them. On his left were a cluster of boulders, on his right were other soldiers. He did not have an option. He drew a set of blades and jumped off his horse. Used the large cluster of boulders, he shot up into the sky. The three titans followed him and reached out to grab him. He shot his cables into the eyes of one titan and used the swaying to get around to their backs.

He latched onto one titan's back and sped up. With a clean slash he severed the nape. He landed against the falling titan's head and pushed off. The uninjured titan reached out, but Kagami dived to avoid it. He fired his cables into the titan's stomach and sprinted up the titan's chest. As he reached its face, he slashed at its eyes and with one quick burst of gas he was over the titan's head. He turned in the air and anchored his cables on the titan's back and came down fast. With another clean slash he killed the titan.

As the titan fell, he whistled for his horse. The brown furred steed raced towards its rider and Kagami hopped onto the saddle as the horse raced past the falling titan. He still had one left to kill. The titan from before, with healed eyes, charged towards him. He cracked the reins of his horse and sped for a small cluster of trees.

When he got close, he jumped off his horse and swung around it and with a quick burst of gas he was higher than the titan could grab.

Kagami rose an eyebrow. Smaller than I thought.

Kagami let gravity pull him down, but once he was in range, he shot his cables into the titan's back. Without wasting a moment, he slashed the titan's nape killing it. He called for his horse again, who responded quickly. He jumped on it and rode towards the Armored Titan. The amount of titan's surrounding him had lessened. This was the only opening they were going to get.

From his position, he could see someone attempting just that. He saw Mikasa make a dash for Eren. However, she missed her strike on Bertolt, leaving her vulnerable for an attack from behind. A taller titan reached out and snatched Mikasa out of the air. Kagami sped up to try and reach her, but Jean made it there first. He jammed his blades into the titan's eyes, causing for the titan to drop Mikasa.

Kagami sped up, now was their only chance to get Eren. He linked up with Albrecht and Aline, who did not notice his arrival. He looked up to the Armored Titan and saw Armin anchored into Reiner's forehead. He seemed to be talking with Bertolt. At the tall teens side was Aemilia, who was listening with rapt attention.

"What the hell is he doing?" Kagami asked aloud.

"Glad you could join us Taiga!" Aline said, voice laced with sarcasm.

"I don't need that crap right now! Talk to me again when you fight three-on-one," Kagami retorted.

"Enough with the fighting! We have to get up there while Bertolt is distracted," Albrecht said.

"I already told you, we just need to get up there and slash at the rope. We still have to get Christa!" Aline argued.

Kagami mentally cursed at himself. In all the commotion he had forgotten about Historia. Though he did find it odd Aline did not call her by that name. He pushed that thought aside and focused. First Eren, then Historia. He looked up to the Armored Titan's head and saw the same sight. Still no sign of Historia. However, Bertolt seemed panicked, while Aemilia remained stone faced.

"What is…?" Kagami's voice trailed as a blur of white and green raced past him. Drops of something landed on his face and when he wiped them he saw blood on his fingers.

"Isn't that…? Holy shit, it is!" Aline called out.

"How in the hell…?"

Charging past them was Erwin. Rope was tied around his severed arm and his sword was in the other. The man looked like he was about to pass out, but he pressed forward. As Bertolt moved to strike, Erwin was in the air. In the blink of an eye he slashed at Bertolt's chest freeing Eren from the bindings. Mikasa scooped up Eren as he fell and Erwin dropped onto his horse.

He turned his horse around and held his blade in the air. "All soldiers, retreat!" His voice echoed through the field.

"Wait, now?! We still have to find Christa!" Aline said.

"Dammit, where is she?" Albrecht muttered.

Kagami scanned the horizon looking for Ymir. He knew the small blonde would be with her. He spotted Ymir struggling to get a titan off her, but it suddenly dropped, weightless.

"Found her," Kagami said pointing. "I'll handle it." He cracked the reins of his horse and sped towards her.

"Wait! Taiga!" Albrecht called out, but the Oriental was already too far. Albrecht groaned and turned to Connie and Sasha. "Can you two go with him and make sure he doesn't get himself killed?"

The two nodded and followed the red head.

"For a suicidal he sure knows how to stay alive," Albrecht muttered.

Kagami raced towards Historia, who stood by a tree. She appeared to be taking in the fact she had just killed a titan. As he neared her, Kagami leaned out and scooped her up. She yelped and in a quick motion he made her sit in front of him.

"For someone in the top ten, you sure are dumb," Kagami said.

Historia looked up and smiled. "Taiga!"

"Hey, Taiga! We got a tail!" Connie called out.

Kagami turned and saw Ymir racing towards them. He turned forwards again, trying to find where the rest of the regiment was.

"Now's not the time to be playing hero. We're leaving," Kagami said.

"Yeah, couldn't you go for some food right now?" Sasha asked pulling up next to Kagami.

Kagami rolled his eyes. "Glad your priorities are in order, Sasha."

"You don't understand! Let me down!" Historia cried out.

Kagami rose an eyebrow. He saw the panicked look on her face, but laced with it was determination. He looked back to Ymir and the back to Historia. Something had happened between them, Kagami could tell that much.

"Give me one good reason," Kagami said.

"You're not seriously considering it?!" Connie asked.

"Can it, Connie," Kagami replied, not taking his eyes off Historia.

"It's because Reiner and Bertolt and going to kill Ymir unless we both go with them!"

"That's a load bullshit."

Kagami turned and saw Aline, Albrecht, and several others joining up with them. Albrecht had a scowl on his face as he stared at Kagami, but the red head could not be bothered with whatever he was feeing.

There was still what Historia had just said. From the way she said it, he had to assume that was the case. What he questioned was whether the two would die regardless of the choice. He turned to Historia, who still had the same expression from before.

"I'm inclined to believe you, just not for the reason you think," Kagami said.

"You can't be serious, Taiga! I thought you were the most skeptical out of all of us," Albrecht argued.

"I was recently forced to reassess my doubts on people," Kagami replied coldly.

"So you trust me, Taiga?"

Kagami looked down to Historia again. He wondered if this had anything to do with what Ymir had said about her atop the tower. He looked between the rest of the group, all seemed to be arguing about something. He heard Josh being named but ignored that. He focused solely on Historia. The person who had consumed his thoughts since their ordeal atop the tower.

"Sorry, Historia," Kagami said. His words making all the others stop talking. "But I can't do that. If Ymir really care about you that much then she'll follow us back to the wall."

A look of betrayal crept onto Historia's face. Kagami looked away, unable to bear seeing it. He had guessed right in one regard; she had hoped he would be the person who would let her go back.

"Incoming!"

Kagami looked up as something engulfed everyone in shadows. Kagami squinted his eyes and realized what was flying over them, a titan. The titan landed several meters in front of them creating a small crater in the ground, kicking up dirt and debris. A cloud of dust encircled the group forcing everyone to lose sight of each other. He held Historia close, making sure she did not attempt to jump off in the chaos.

"The bastard's throwing titan's now! He's really lost it!" Jean said as he turned his horse away from the downed titan.

Before anyone could get a grip on the situation, more titans fell from the sky. Each projectile kicking up smoke, dirt, and debris. People called out for each other, trying to find each other in the haze.

Kagami kept a close grip on Historia, but she realized what was going and clung to him. He tried to find other soldiers. He could hear people coming from all directions, but the haze was too thick. He could also hear rumbling as the tossed titans began to stand.

"Historia, we may have to fight. How're you on fresh blades?" Kagami asked.

"I should still have a few pairs left," Historia replied.

"Then make them count."

Kagami cracked the reins on his horse and rode to where he heard the most voices. As he exited the mist he saw Ymir sprinting towards the Commander.

"There's Ymir! We have to after her!" Historia cried out.

Kagami did not respond, but he did change direction. Erwin was still a valuable member of the Scouts. He linked up with Connie and Sasha who relayed a plan from Albrecht; to attack in teams. However, before they could reach Ymir three titans crashed into the ground in front of them. Kagami drew his last fresh set of blades. Once those were spent he would be out of the fight.

"Ready to go, Historia?" Kagami asked.

Historia nodded. "Right behind you Taiga."

The two jumped off the horse and engaged the titans in front of them.

—-

On the other side of the field, Akashi had just slain another titan. The Armored Titan had cut them off from escape and in the chaos visual on Eren had been lost. When Akashi had seen Erwin on his knees about to pass out, he found it ironic.

He landed next to the Scout commander and saw just how weak he looked. The blood loss had gotten to him, the man was out of breath and was deathly pale. The only reason he was still awake was due to the adrenaline coursing through him. Akashi had to give credit to him, the man was too stubborn to die.

"Go…get Eren. I'm replaceable," he wheezed out.

Akashi knelt down in front of him, but he doubted the Scout commander could see him.

"That's right, you are replaceable," Akashi replied.

Erwin's eyes slowly widened as he realized who he was talking to. The man looked up and saw Akashi kneeling in front of him.

"Seijūrō…"

Akashi nodded. "Yes, it's me."

"Have you come to kill me?" Erwin asked.

Akashi pondered the question for a moment. It was understandable why he would think that.

"While it would benefit me for you to die here, and no one would think twice about your death, but that would make you a martyr. I have no need for a martyr. You still have a role to play."

Akashi stood up and whistled; his horse arrived and stood next to him. He helped Erwin stand and got him on the horse. The man looked slightly bewildered that the MP captain was helping him.

"Tetsuya was right about you," Erwin said.

Akashi said nothing in response. He slapped the horse's backside and the horse began to ride towards the wall. He turned and drew his last set of blades. Two titans were closing in on him, but he cut them down in an instant. The battle would soon be over, Akashi was sure of it.

—

It had been a long time since Momoi and Aomine last fought together. Just like in Stohess, seeing him and Kuroko working together, it almost made it her cry. If the situation was not what it was, Momoi was sure she would. The crashing of titans made them have to get back into the fight. Despite having gone mobile, the Armored was still throwing the last few titans still gnawing on him.

Momoi landed on her horse and turned to the approaching armored titan. They had to slow him down before he managed to make strides.

"Connor! Daiki! Form up on me!"

The two young men turned to the Oriental. They followed her lead and rode at her side.

"What's the plan?" Connor asked.

"We're slowing down the Armored Titan," Momoi said.

The two men looked at each other and then back to Momoi. Her determined expression did not change.

"You've actually lost your mind," Aomine said.

"I have to agree with him," Connor added.

"Well, do you two have any better ideas? I'd love to hear them," Momoi asked.

The two remained silent, which Momoi took as an answer to her question.

"What's the plan exactly?" Connor asked.

"We have to strike the backside of his knees. That way he won't be able to run," Momoi explained.

"That's great and all, but how will we stop him from throwing whatever titans are still gnawing on him?" Aomine retorted.

"Someone has to get in under his arms and slice the armpits," Momoi said.

Aomine sighed. "By someone, you mean me."

"You're the only one with the skills to pull it off," Momoi said.

"Better pull off a good distraction," Aomine said, turning to Connor.

"Shut it, Daiki. You worry about not cutting deep enough," Connot shot back.

Momoi rolled her eyes, but was glad the two were willing to cooperate. As they rode towards the Armored, he began to slow down. He had noticed the three soldiers riding towards him and prepared to throw one of the smaller titans sill on him.

As he began to wind up a throw, Momoi held out her arm. "Disperse, now!"

The three changed their course, with Connor veering out of the range of the throw, as Momoi and Aomine moved behind the Armored Titan. Connor leapt into the air and moved to attack the Armored, more precisely, he set his sights on his passengers. He anchored himself into the titans face and swung towards the Colossal, Bertolt.

"Reiner!" the young man called out.

As the Armored moved to guard his friends, his legs suddenly gave out. He struggled to stay standing, but was forced to the ground in a kneeling position. The armored turned to see Momoi riding away from him. He swerved his head, trying to find the third person. He soon realized where he was as he lost motion in his left arm, followed soon after by his right.

Aomine dropped to his horse and three rode away from the Armored. More titans began to swarm him, while a few others gave chase to the soldiers.

"That'll slow him down!" Connor said.

"Looks like your plan worked, Satsuki," Aomine added.

Momoi let out a relieved breath. "Thought it wouldn't honestly."

Connor turned to Aomine. "Guess you really live up to having the highest combat score."

Aomine clicked his tongue. "Can't believe you doubted me."

"You'd fit right in with the Scouts you know," Connor said.

"As if! I'd never join your suicide pact."

"Enough! Both of you!" Momoi said, exasperated. "Lets focus on regrouping with the others and getting the hell off this battlefield."

—

Kagami and Historia were once again separated from the main group. He knew Albrecht and his group were close by, if his yelling was any indication, but everyone else went their separate ways. He had lost sight of Jean and Armin in the fighting, and Sasha and Connie had moved somewhere else in the battle. The only reason why the two had yet to join the others was because of Ymir.

Historia was adamant on staying by her side throughout the battle. Luckily they had managed to find a horse for Historia, likely from a fallen soldier, which made riding and coordinating attacks a lot easier.

However, as the battle raged something felt off for Kagami. Out of the corner of his eye he saw a cluster of people, all on the ground. He turned and could make out Albrecht and his group of friends. Something had happened.

"Taiga! Get your head out of your ass!" Connie called out.

"Connie, Sasha, stay with Historia," Kagami ordered.

"Where are you going?" Historia asked.

"There's something I need to check out," Kagami replied. He tugged the reins of his horse and moved to the cluster of people.

When he reached the Albrecht, he immediately saw what had happened. The girl he was with, Elise was injured. He leg was bitten clean off. Aline and two others were about to get started on helping the girl stop from bleeding out.

He turned to Albrecht, who tried his best to remain collected, but his eyes kept darting to the scene behind him. When he saw Kagami, his eyes filled with relief for a moment.

"Taiga! What are you doing here? You're supposed to be protecting Christa!"

"Sasha and Connie are with her, plus Ymir. She'll be fine," Kagami said. He looked past him to see the situation with Elise. "Things are that bad, huh?"

Albrecht nodded. Before he could say anything, rumbling filled their ears. Kagami turned to see a group of four titans lumbering towards them. He turned back to Albrecht, who was losing his composure.

"I'll handle them. If any get past me, I'll count on you to strike them down," Kagami said.

"I won't let them get close," Albrecht replied.

Kagami nodded and rose towards the oncoming enemies. He jumped into the fray without hesitation, all four titans changed their target from the group to a singular man. Using the titans as Anchors he swung around them, trying to get into a better position. Whenever a titan reached out to grab him, he quickly slashed at its fingers. When found his opening he killed the first titan. Using a nearby tree, he swung around it to gain speed and moved to the next titan.

As Kagami fought, Albrecht watched in amazement at his movements. Despite being surrounded, Kagami never looked like he was overcome by fear. He simply did his job without focusing on anything else. He knew Kagami was not afraid of death, he could tell he would rather be dead than alive. But the way he fought made him rethink that. He fought to stay alive, but with the same emotionless attitude he always had. Now he understood why the trainers when they were cadets held his skills in such high regard. He could only guess as to why he did not make it into the top ten.

As the final titan fell, Kagami looked like he did even break a sweat. He returned to the group, steaming with titan blood. He ejected his spent blades from the handles and jumped off his horse. He walked up to Albrecht and looked past him. Whatever they had done to keep Elsie alive had worked.

"How did you…?" Albrecht's question trailed off.

Kagami rose an eyebrow. "What do you mean? It's our job to kill them."

"But there were four completely surrounding you and you did not have back up," Albrecht said.

"I don't see what the problem is," Kagami stated. "Is the girl okay?"

"Yeah, she's stable," Aline said.

"Then better get moving. More titans are coming and I'm out of blades. Running low on gas too. Retreat is the only option right now," Kagami said. He turned away from the group and jumped onto his horse. "I'll find Historia."

"Guys, we have a problem," one of the soldiers said. "We got incoming."

Kagami turned and saw a large group of titans lumbering towards them. While the others were more vocal about having to fight again, Kagami remained silent. He turned to one of the soldiers with blades left and jumped off his horse.

"You, give me your blades. I'll cover your retreat," Kagami said.

Everyone turned to the red head, surprise on all their faces.

"You can't be serious? You can't fight all of those on your own," Albrecht said.

"Do you want this girl to live, Johannes?" Kagami asked, turning to him.

Albrecht nodded fearfully.

"Then get her on a horse and start riding," Kagami said.

"They're going to be on top of us any minute now," another soldier said.

Albrecht grit his teeth and turned away from Kagami. "Come back alive dammit."

Kagami nodded in response. He turned to the soldier who gave him his set of blades. He checked his gas level and it would not be enough to take all of them down, but he could at least get their numbers to half.

He called for his horse and waited for Albrecht and his group to get far enough away. He jumped onto his own horse and followed them. If they got close then he would jump into action. He had to guess that Everyone else was thinking the same thing and hoped Eren was already on his way back to the wall.

As he rode, Aline and Albrecht joined up next to him. Kagami rolled his eyes.

"You really think I'm going to let you handle this on our own?" Albrecht asked.

"If cared about your life, then yes, you would," Kagami replied.

"Too bad, Taiga! I still haven't vented my frustration out enough," Aline added.

"Looks like we joined up just in time. They're about to be right on top of us," Albrecht said as he drew his last set of blades.

Kagami turned and saw the titan closing in on them. He prepared to jump into battle, but was forced to stop when the titans came to halt. The three stopped as well, wondering what had just happened. The titans looked frozen, but their attention seemed to be else where.

"What the hell is happening?"

Before anyone could respond, a roar pierced through the field. In an instant, the titans broke into a full sprint. Kagami looked past a small cropping of trees and saw a singular smiling titan. So many titans appeared to be running in that direction.

"Are going after one of their own?" Albrecht asked.

"Not our problem," Aline said. "This is our chance to get out of here."

Albrecht and Aline rode ahead to join their friends, while Kagami watched the carnage for a moment. Something felt different now. A feeling tugged inside the Oriental. It was the same as when he was taken in as a kid. He did not dare call it hope, it felt like the complete opposite. Change was the right word. Whether it was a good or bad change remained to be seen, but Kagami was sure things would be different once they returned to the wall.

He turned away from the carnage and did not give it another look.

—

"Akashi!" Midorima called out.

The MP captain was taken away by sight unfolding before him. He had heard stories about the power to control titans, but he was witnessing that it was more than just a story.

He got onto his horse and followed Midorima. In the sky, blue flares were fired, the signal for a retreat. At his side were Midorima and Murasakibara. While he had lost visual on Murasakibara during the chaos, he never doubted he would fall in battle. Behind him rode his most trusted form his unit.

Around them titans sprinted past them. Never bothering to stop and attack them. Their priority was now the Armored Titan. Akashi smiled at the sight. He now had everything he needed. It would all soon be in place.

"Why're you smiling?" Midorima asked.

"Yeah, you look pretty creepy Aka-chin," Murasakibara added.

Akashi chuckled. "Can't you see. The wind had changed directions and things will be much more favorable going forwards."

"What makes you say that?"

Akashi looked behind him and saw Eren Yeager riding with all he had. He knew there was more to him than just being able to transform. When word spread about both him and Historia, then everything would be in place.

"A new age is beginning and I can finally bring peace to this walled world."

—-

Night had fallen by the time all the surviving soldiers returned to wall. What awaited them were the Scouts they had left behind. The combined force of the Scouts, Garrison, and MPs were cut in half and were all weary of battle. Erwin had passed out and had to be brought to the top of wall via a pulley. The others waited their turn to be brought up.

The whole affair was mostly silent. No one ever speaking above a whisper. Those who were unaccustomed to battle were noticeably shell shocked and those who were treated it as another day.

Kuroko was there waiting for them. He made sure to go to every Scout individually to make sure they were all in good enough shape. He was worried for everyone, but his comrades took priority. When he saw Momoi and Connor he ran over to them and embraced them in a tight hug, which the two returned happily. When he saw Aomine, he held out a closed fist. The taller Oriental tiredly raised his and returned the gesture. He greeted the others as well, even Akashi. He was happy that he had returned.

However, not everyone could keep their composure. Across the wall, one recruit was crying out they had to go back. When Kuroko saw who it was, he quickly assumed what had happened. He saw Historia crying out that they needed to go back out there and save Ymir. No one seemed able to console her.

However, one person pushed past everyone, Kagami.

"Taiga, please! We have to back out there and get Ymir!" Historia cried.

Kagami sighed. "She made her choice, Historia. Whether it was the right one, we'll never know."

"But she didn't! Reiner and Bertolt forced her to follow them," Historia argued.

"She had her chance to come with us and she didn't take it. That was her decision. We can't change that. It's too late to do anything now."

Tears filled up in Historia's eyes. Kagami, in an impulse, wrapped his arms around the short blonde. He knew that was not what she wanted to hear, but it was the truth.

"I'm sorry. I wish I knew her reasoning," Kagami muttered.

Historia cried into his shirt and Kagami held her close.

AN: With that, this chapter comes to a close. First, I want to apologize for taking so long with this chapter. From October to now my life became really difficult with the ongoing pandemic and the fact that I'm graduating uni soon. I wanted to write during my Christmas Break, but when I got home things went to shit really fast and barely had time to write at the level I could. So I'm sorry for the long delay. I hope the next chapter will take as much time. Granted its going to be more of a setup chapter for the next arc, which I've been looking forward to doing since I started this story.

With that out of the way, I hope you enjoyed this chapter. I really wanted to focus in on Akashi and Kagami with this chapter and I think I managed to get across everything I wanted with this chapter. There some spotty moments, but everything I wanted to say is in this chapter. We're finally going to learn what Akashi has been plotting and extra information will be provided on that front. I hope you look forward to what I have planned.

I hope you enjoyed this chapter and if you're enjoying feel free to follow, favorite, and/or review. Stay tuned for the next chapter!