The Scouts had just witnessed Stoick falling off his horse.
"The Commander!" Floch yelled.
"Ride! Don't look back!" Wartihog yelled. "Keep charging!"
The Beast Titan merely watched as the Scouts continued to charge towards her.
"How sad," she said. "To be deprived of a chance to learn from the past. King Tradesman stole their memories of the outside world, and this is the tragic result. They're doomed to repeat the same foolish mistakes, and in the end, all they will go to their deaths. Young and old, pouring out of the Walls of a suicide charge. Because if they're going to die, they might as well do so proudly. What bullshit!"
She was so angry that she actually crushed the boulder she was holding to dust. "I crushed it into dust? Ha, what's gotten into me? Why am I getting so worked up?" She then bent down and began clashing another boulder. "They're not like the fodder. Remember, you need to find joy where you can. So now I'll turn them all into proud little chunks of meat!"
She then got ready for another swing.
"Second volley is coming!" Wartihog yelled, pulling out his smoke flare. "Fire!"
They then fired more green smoke into the sky just as the Beast Titan began to throw. The stone struck the stout and their horses, knocking down a great number of them.
"Yeah! Game over!" the Beast Titan roared. "How do you like that? I thought that I change the pitch a little. I call that a shutout."
However, to her surprise, she watched as Scouts emerge from the dust, not many but certainly a few. They continued riding, screaming as high as they could and firing smoke flares.
This only annoyed her even more. "Foolish! Do you really think those little toy guns are going to help? And all that screaming? What good could that possibly do?"
She then tossed another volley boulder at the Scouts and, this time, wiped them all out.
"How sad," she said. "Poor pathetic things."
It was then that she noticed that all the Titans on her left flank were dead; she had noticed thanks to the smoke.
"What's this? My Titans have fallen?" she frowned.
Then suddenly, anchor shot out of the smoke and attached to her; she looked up and saw emerging from the smoke was Eret covered in head to foot in Titan's blood with an uncontrollable rage in his eyes. She then swung her hand towards him, but to her shock, he merely de-attached his anchor and sliced clean through her arm.
She then remembered the warning that Dogsbreath and Clueless had given her.
"A single soldier might pose a threat to me?" she said dubiously.
"Yes, Captain Eret is dangerous," said Dogsbreath.
She had merely laughed his threat off, now she was paying the price at her arm had been sliced to pieces in mere seconds.
"Is this Eret?" she stared. Eret then fired an anchor at her back and flew towards her. "My nape!"
Believing that he was coming for her nape, she immediately covered it with her hand, but he was aiming for her eyes.
"What the? I can't see! Did he take up my eyes?" she said.
Now that she was blind, Eret swung down towards her legs and began slicing through them, causing her to topple over.
"My legs!" she panicked.
Eret was now directly over her. "What's wrong? Not enjoying yourself so much anymore!"
He then dived down towards her.
"I'll harden," she said harden her nape, but Eret was moving too fast. "I won't make it in time!"
"Come on, let's have some fun!" Eret roared.
He then sliced through her remaining on and landed on her back. He then began swinging his sword so fast that they were nothing but a blur cutting through the nape. With one final swing, he was able to carve her out of the nape slicing through her arms and right leg. He then plunged his sword into her mouth and pinned her to the ground.
"So, your woman gets you never had any balls, to begin with," said Eret. "After transforming, if your body is severely damaged, it's too busy heaving to let you resume your Titan form. Isn't that right?"
He then plunged his sword deep into her mouth, causing her to cough out a large amount of blood. "Hey, I asked your question! It's only polite to answer don't become go easy on you because you're a woman."
He, however, remained restraint. 'I can't kill her yet. There must be someone out there still alive. It doesn't matter if they're on brink of death; I can inject them and make them a Titan. Then we just let them eat her, and the Beast Titan's powers is ours. If there is one person still breathing, I can save.'
However, immediately sensed something emerging from the smoke of the disintegrating carcass. He turned around and saw the Cart Titan was heading straight towards him with its mouth wide open. He jumped back, but then it grabbed the Beast Titan and began running back towards the Wall.
"Hey, where are you going?" said Eret watching as they ran off. "Stop!"
"Go, now rip them to pieces!" she yelled at her remaining Titans.
The Titans on the right flank then immediately ran towards Eret.
"It hurts!" she screamed. "They were right about you Eret, you are dangerous! But you must have used up all your weapons by now! You'll die just like the rest of them! It may have been a hard one fight; that victory is ours!"
Eret just stood there staring. "Hold on, I made a promise to Commander Stoick that I would kill you no matter what it took."
He then began to detached his swords and then reattached a new set, which he had been saving just in case.
"I promised!" he yelled and launched himself at the Titans.
At the same time, Floch sat up; miraculously, he managed to survive the bombardment without a scratch.
"There's no way I'm alive," he said, looking at his hands. "How is that possible?"
"Looks like the two of us were the lucky ones," said a voice.
Floch turned and saw Wartihog limping towards him. "Wartihog? You're alive as well?"
"A bit bruised maybe, but still alive," he said. "But right now, we need to try and find if anyone else survived. We might just be able to save them."
At almost the exact same time, Hiccup and the others now had to contend with not only Clueless but Dogsbreath as well. They could barely hold their own against Clueless, and now, with Dogsbreath back in the game, chances of victory looked to be impossible.
"That bastard!" Snotlout snarled, glaring at Dogsbreath. "What will it take to put him down for good? Why won't he stay dead?"
"What do we do now?" Fishlegs asked. "We're nothing more than flies to Clueless, and with Dogsbreath back in action, we don't stand a chance."
Astrid looked at Hiccup. "Hiccup, I hate to say this, but I think the cheese is the best option we can hope for. We can cut our losses and get Ragnar out of here."
"He's thinner," said Hiccup looking at Clueless.
They all looked at him, confused.
"The Colossal Titan… he's got a little thin," Hiccup explained.
They looked at Clueless saw that he was right; his arms and legs were no longer as bulky as they were before.
"Guys," said Hiccup looking back at them. "It's exactly what my mother said; our best bet against the Colossal is a battle of attrition. You remember her experiments with Ragnar? He can only transform up to 3 times; if that's the case for 15 m Titan, a 60 m might be even less efficient. And then there's his steam; I think you must be burning through flesh and muscle tissue to produce it, everything except for his skeleton."
"So what you say?" Fishlegs asked.
Astrid looked at Hiccup. "Hiccup…"
"I have a plan; the rest of you need to draw Dogsbreath away. Ragnar and I will defeat the Colossal Titan ourselves."
All of them just stared at him and could see the determination in his eyes.
"The two of us can do it; trust me on this."
Astrid nodded. "All right, you leave Dogsbreath to us. Get going."
"Not sure you have planned, but best of luck," said Snotlout.
Hiccup then took off, making his way towards Ragnar, and the others went to join up with Heather and the twins.
Hiccup reached the top of the Wall and landed on top of Ragnar, standing here for back memories to the Battle of Trost.
'If this plan goes the way I'm hoping it will, then this could be my final battle,' he said as he drew his blade. "'However, this is the best plan we can hope for, and my dad was in the same situation he would bet everything he had it. It may not be a Haddock that reveals the truth of our world, but my friends and allies can carry that burden for us."
He then plunged his sword into Ragnar, ensuring that it would hit his shoulder from the inside.
"Ragnar, wake up!" said Hiccup. "We need you just like all those other times!"
Ragnar then began to regain consciousness, and Hiccup began to explain his plan.
"Okay, that's the plan, more or less," he said. "So now we just have to execute it. If we can succeed in tricking Clueless, then we'll win. The day will be ours."
Astrid and the others had joined up with Heather, and the twins were making a beeline for Dogsbreath. They had just explained what mission Hiccup had given.
"Understand?" Astrid asked. "We're leaving Clueless to them; we have to trust that they can handle him. As for us, we need to keep Dogsbreath a safe distance. Fly just close enough to him to get his attention."
"Got it!" everyone nodded.
Dogsbreath then began running towards them, but he merely ran right past them and then turned around the corner.
"He ignored us?" Tuffnut stared.
"Damnit, it looks like he's focused on Ragnar," said Snotlout.
"Then we'll just have to kill him," said Astrid and began to give chase.
"Astrid!" Fishlegs yelled.
Astrid got as close as she could to Dogsbreath and fired her Thunder Spear directly at the back of his left knee. When she pulled the pin, it exploded, shattering his knee and causing him to topple over.
"Hey!" said Snotlout as he and the others approached her.
"If we can't get Dogsbreath's attention, we have to finish him off right here," said Astrid. "Our job is to protect Hiccup and Ragnar."
"But we've only got three Thunders Spears between us," said Fishlegs.
"We have to do something because there's no way we're going to win if we don't fight," said Heather.
Dogsbreath hadn't fully recovered from his last battle against the Scouts, and he was suffering from short-term memory.
'Something hit me, but what?' he said. 'That single attack took out my knee. I can't remember much after that moment me and Clueless to our positions.'
He also remembered faintly Clueless' instructions telling him to lie his Titan body on its back.
'Clueless, I'm confused,' he said. 'What the hell happened to me? I don't know what's going on; I don't have much strength left.' He then turned his head towards Ragnar. 'But I do know that Ragnar is over there; as long as we capture him, that means we got what we came for. Right, Clueless? I'll deal with these idiots as quickly as I can and then head over to back you up.'
Clueless was advancing towards Hiccup and Ragnar, but he was aware of Astrid and the others confronting Dogsbreath.
'The six of them who went that way must be after Dogsbreath,' he concluded. 'So, the only ones who survived the blast with the members of the 104th who were with Ragnar. Honestly, I was hoping that they would have all died in the blast.'
He then turned back and looked at Hiccup and Ragnar. 'But I'm used to fighting what I want, Hiccup. What's the point of waking Ragnar when he's all batted like that. These are your final moments; I'm interested to see how you'll spend them.'
Hiccup had just finished explaining his plan to Ragnar.
"The only real question is how long I can hold out," said Hiccup. "It's on me; if I give up too soon, hold plan will fail no matter how good it is."
Ragnar was deeply concerned because Hiccup was basically putting his life on the line. 'Hiccup, are you—'
Hiccup looked at him, no doubt knowing what was going inside his mind. "Don't worry about me; I'll hold out as long as I can. I'll let go away when things get really bad, I promise, but the rest will be up to you."
'Why you have to be so damn stubborn,' Ragnar sighed.
"Don't worry, it will be okay," Hiccup assured him. "You don't need to worry about me and the size. There's no way I'll die before filling my family's goal. So no matter what happens, stick to my plan until the end."
He then jumped down from Ragnar's shoulder. The two of them began to face Clueless. However, Ragnar then suddenly lost his footing and fell off the Wall and hit the ground hard in front of the gate.
"Ragnar!" Hiccup yelled.
"I knew it," said Clueless. "This battle has already been won. He probably has a severe concussion; I doubt he can even stand up on his own."
Ragnar was basically a big heap on the ground and didn't seem to be moving.
"Enough of this," said Clueless turning to face Hiccup. "Let and it!"
He then raised his arm and swung it towards Hiccup, who screamed at the top of his lungs. He then jumped off the Wall before he could get squashed and fired his ODM gear, so he swung above his arm. He then fired once again and headed straight towards Clueless directly.
"Hiccup, you fought well, to the very end," said Clueless and then unleashed a massive burst of heat. "But it's over now."
Astrid and the others had just witnessed Clueless releasing a massive amount of heat.
Astrid just looked. "Hiccup… Ragnar…" She wanted to help, but she knew she had other priorities. "No, they have their own job. We need to focus on Dogsbreath."
All of them had come up with a plan to tackle Dogsbreath, though executing it wouldn't be easy.
'If we're going to take him out with just three Thunder Spears, this is the only way,' said Astrid. 'We will initiate the attack when he still can't move; it might not work, but win or lose, this ends now.'
Dogsbreath just looked at them. "Bring it on."
Snotlout then immediately rushed towards Dogsbreath with his sword at the ready.
"Dogsbreath!" he yelled at the top of his voice, and the twins jumped at him as well.
'First Snotlout act as bait… the twins will follow with the two remaining Thunder Spears and aimed for Dogsbreath's jaw from both sides. If we blow off his jaw, that should leave Dogsbreath's jaw wide open. I then move in and using the last of the Thunder Spear at his nape on the inside the mouth.'
Dogsbreath immediately swung his arm at the nearby building and directed the bubble towards Snotlout, knocking him back. Fishlegs quickly swooped in and took Snotlout to safety. The twins then immediately fired their Thunder Spears at Dogsbreath's jaw, but Ruffnut got hit with a bit of shrapnel from the buildings piece of wood pierced her shoulder.
Heather then quickly moved in and grabbed Ruffnut taking her to safety. Tuffnut's attack hit its mark and destroyed the draw on his left side, but Ruffnut's attack missed.
'One of the missed,' said Astrid.
Dogsbreath's jaw was nowhere near open; there was no way she could get a clean shot with the last of the Thunder Spears.
'It's not open; it doesn't matter. I got to try anyway,' said Astrid gritting her teeth.
Hiccup, meanwhile, was there still in midair facing Clueless. Surprisingly his anchors didn't seem to dislodge, but that said he was getting scorched by the heat from Clueless' body.
'I don't understand,' said Clueless, confused. 'How is he still holding on? His anger should have come loose; he should even be able to get this close.'
Hiccup could barely breathe with all this heat, but he could still see his anchors lodged in Clueless' teeth.
'I knew it,' he said. 'His bones aren't being consumed; the anchors stay put in them, not in muscle. But most importantly, he's stationary. He can't move his body while he's emitting steam.'
Clueless just can understand what Hiccup hope to accomplish. It was true he couldn't move, but he was generating steam, but that didn't really help Hiccup.
'Really, Hiccup?' he said, looking disappointed. 'This is how you want it to end? As smart as you are, this is the best plan you can come up with? Flailing in midair, being scorched to death.'
Hiccup was starting to get dizzy from the heat. It felt as if his skin was on fire.
'Can't breathe!' he winced. 'But I can't let go yet; I have to keep fighting. Buy more time!'
'What's the point of this?' said Clueless. 'A diversion? But Ragnar is still collapsed there on the ground. Astrid and the others have their hands full with Dogsbreath. Just a last desperate act, all right, if this really is the end for you, I'll do my best to make it quick.'
Clueless then generating even more heat, Hiccup was now facing a blazing inferno. His shirt had now been ripped to shreds as his entire body was being burnt like a piece of meat. His swords were also beginning to melt within the heat; it wouldn't be long until his ODM gear broke apart.
'Hold on!' he yelled, refusing to fall. 'Don't let go!' However, he knew that this was the end of him. 'I'm sorry, Dad… Astrid… Ragnar… I'm going to have to leave everything else up to you. I'm just sorry. I can never tell how you really feel Astrid, that is my only regret.'
He then could not hold on any longer and released his anchors and began falling towards the ground.
Astrid and the others have their own problems, Dogsbreath's wasn't open, but Astrid just couldn't stand around doing nothing.
"Astrid, it's too risky!" Heather yelled.
"Now it's perfect!" said a voice.
Everyone stared in shock as flying directly towards Dogsbreath, with blood covering her left eye, was Valka. She then quickly fired a Thunder Spear at the right side of Dogsbreath's jaw and exploded.
"Valka!" Astrid yelled.
"Now's your chance!" she yelled at her. "Get him!"
Dogsbreath jaw was wide open Astrid immediately took off. He tried to grab her, but he was just too adult within seconds, landed inside his mouth.
"No, she can't!" Dogsbreath stared, horrified, realising what she was about to do.
"Dogsbreath, it's over!" Astrid yelled and launched her Thunder Spear.
The explosion was powerful enough to send Dogsbreath flying out of the nape.
Clueless had just finished Hiccup off and was no longer generating steam.
"It's over," he said. "Now it's just Ragnar and the horses."
He was about to move, but when the steam clear, he saw that Ragnar's Titan body was completely hardened.
"What the? A hardened Titan?" he stared.
His eyes widened when he realised what was going on what Hiccup's true plan was that he had fallen right into a trap.
Ragnar appeared from out of nowhere, directly behind. "Gotcha ya!"
He then pulled himself towards Clueless' nape, who was still recovering from incinerating Hiccup, leaving him vulnerable. He then began carving Clueless out of the body, cutting through his arms and legs.
'It was a diversion,' said Clueless look at Ragnar, shocked. 'Ragnar tricked me into thinking that he was out of the fight. Hiccup was buying him time, giving him the chance to harden to make a replica Titan in his place. They did it to lower my guard so Ragnar could sneak up behind me and attack.'
Clueless then lost consciousness just as his Titan collapsed to the ground.
Ragnar had landed on a roof dragging Clueless' unconscious body towards Hiccup's charred remains.
"Damnit, I should have known how far he'd go," he said.
He looked at Hiccup's charred corpse, and if he hadn't known that it was Hiccup, he could easily mistake him for someone else.
"You truly were the strongest of us all," he said.