Previously:
"Ah…" Heidi said, sweat-dropping as she realized she had just said that out loud. "Sorry, I uh… got lost in thought about how to catch a certain fox…" She apologized a bit lamely, glancing at Levi's back out the corner of her eye, hoping he had understood that.
"Huuh!?" Auruo said incredulously. What the hell was that supposed to mean?
"Aren't you the one who told me to focus earlier!?" Eren said pointedly, looking extremely disappointed in her. Their friends could be dying, and she was daydreaming about woodland creatures!?
"That's not good, Heidi." Petra scolded her, concerned. "You need to pay attention so you can be ready for anything."
"That's right! This isn't a school field trip!" Gunther barked indignantly, also looking extremely disappointed and unimpressed.
"Rookies…" Erd said with a sigh.
"Ugh…" Heidi groaned as her cheeks flushed in embarrassment. She knew what it must look like from their perspective, but did they all have to gang up on her like that?
'Sounds like she figured something out…' Levi thought, keeping his eyes fixed straight ahead as they continued west.
Chapter 22: Forest of Giant Trees
"Heichou! Levi Heichou!" Eren shouted anxiously as they galloped at a break-neck pace down the wide path through the forest of giant trees that they had followed the rest of the center column into.
"What?" Levi asked shortly.
"'What'!? Sir, this is the forest!" Eren exclaimed worriedly. "With just the central column here, we can't detect approaching titans! And something's coming on our right flank… Sir, how are we supposed to avoid the titans and protect the wagons under these circumstances!?"
"Stop whining about the obvious." Levi told him. "There's no way we can do that anymore."
"What!?" Eren said, alarmed. "Th-Then why…!?"
"Look around you, Eren. These pointlessly big-ass trees… are the perfect environment to make use of our 3DMG. Now think." Levi ordered. "Put that mediocre brain of yours to use. Think hard. Your life depends on it."
"…" Eren stared at their leader's back, stunned.
'It's not just the advantage it'll give us with the 3DMG…' Heidi thought, furrowing her brow, as she glanced around. She'd visited this tourist spot with her family in the past, so she knew that this was the best place to play a game of hide-and-seek. The best thing about these trees being so absurdly tall and wide was that they wouldn't just block their field of vision, but the titans' as well. It would be much harder for them to see ahead with all these trees in the way, which meant… 'Commander Erwin must have brought us here for an ambush!' Heidi tightened her grip on the reins nervously. As she thought, this was the reason they had headed west. Still, this was a huge gamble… Like Eren said, they were flying blind in here. There was no guarantee they wouldn't get caught or killed before Erwin could enact his plan.
'I see… I don't understand the situation, because I'm a rookie. I guess he won't just give me the answer because I need to learn on my own…' Eren thought as a bead of nervous sweat dripped down the side of his face. He couldn't see Heidi's face because she was in front of him, but he was sure she must be as confused as he was. 'I bet they learned how to fight the same way…' He thought, glancing at Auruo, who was riding right alongside him. His eyes widened when he saw how unnerved the older man was.
"What the hell's with this…? Don't fuck with me… what the shit's going on!?" Auruo muttered nervously under his breath just loud enough for Eren to hear. Eren immediately whipped his head around to look at the rest of the veterans. Just like Auruo, they all looked like they were scared shitless. 'Wait a second…! Don't tell me… Is it possible that no one… knows what's going on!?' Eren wondered, breaking out into a cold sweat. 'Maybe… not even Levi Heichou…'
WHOOM!
"!?" Everyone gasped when they head a loud crashing sound echo through the forest.
"W-What was that noise…!?" Petra asked anxiously.
WHOOM!
"It came from right behind us!!" Auruo yelled.
"Was it that thing on the right flank…?" Erd asked.
"…" Eren and Heidi said, sweating nervously as they looked back in the direction the sound was coming from. It was coming… Whatever it was would be right on top of them in a matter of minutes!
"Everyone…" Levi said firmly, focusing their attention back on him. "Draw your blades." He ordered, arming himself as they continued forward. "If it shows itself… it'll be only for a moment." The others immediately followed suit, and not a moment too soon.
FWOOOOM!
The thing pursuing them suddenly appeared right behind them as it jumped onto the road from the side, closing in fast.
"!?" Heidi gasped in surprise as her eyes widened. A female titan…!?
"Oh shit…" Gunther cursed. "We can't get away just galloping straight through the forest!"
"It's fast!! It's gonna catch us!!" Erd shouted.
"Heichou!! Let's switch to 3DMG!!" Petra yelled anxiously. Levi raised his sword slightly, preparing to give his next order, when two soldiers flew in from the rear on 3DMG.
"!!" Eren gasped.
"Reinforcements from behind!" Petra announced. They all watched as both soldiers fired a grapping hook into the base of the female titan's neck. The titan glanced at them out the corner of her eyes and immediately reacted by reaching up and protecting the nape of her neck with one hand while leaning closer to the nearest tree coming up on her right so she could squash one soldier like a bug against the tree with her sholder, then reached out and grabbed the other with her hand and squeezed, crushing their spine and internal organs before smearing them against a tree as she continued forward. It was over in an instant. Squad Levi stared at the monster chasing them in horror. That thing was no ordinary titan. It obviously possessed in intelligence, and it was killing humans as easily as if it were merely swatting some flies. Levi narrowed his eyes and glared at fiercely it. That thing was going to pay.
"Heichou! Orders!?" Petra screamed.
"Let's do it!" Auruo shouted nervously. "That thing's really dangerous! We should kill it!"
"I'm gonna turn it into mincemeat…" Erd growled angrily despite his fear. Heidi grit her teeth and raised her sword slightly, ready to move if given the order.
'Fool! You ran straight into hell…!' Eren thought vindictively as he glared up at the female titan. 'You're chasing a group of elite titan killers!' He looked ahead to Levi, but the order to attack never came. "!?" He gasped, startled and confused. "Levi Heichou!?"
"Give us your orders!!" Auruo yelled anxiously.
"Everyone, cover your ears." Levi ordered as he drew his flare gun. Heidi immediately did so as he pulled the trigger, and was soon very glad that she had.
SCREEEEEEEEEEE!!
Even those who had their ears covered winced at the ear-piercing screech that filled the air, echoing through the forest.
"…!" Eren gasped, furrowing his brow in confusion. "A sound grenade!?"
'Why would he…? I see!' Heidi thought as her eyes widened slightly in realization. It must be some kind of signal for the ambush! This isn't just about overwhelming it with force. The reason why he hadn't ordered them to attack must be because they wanted to capture it alive!
"… What's your job?" Levi asked them as the ringing subsided. "Was it to simply succumb to your emotions? I don't think so. No, this squad's mission is to keep that piss-poor brat from getting so much as a scratch." He reminded them sternly as he spared a glance back at them, referring to Eren. "Even if it costs us our lives."
"…" Heidi furrowed her brow and set her jaw as she stared back at him determinedly. They all had a much better look in their eyes now.
'They weren't assigned to keep tabs on me…?' Eren thought, surprised.
"We'll depend on the horses from here on." Levi told them firmly. "Got that?"
"Roger!" Petra and Heidi answered.
"!?" Eren gasped. "Huh…!? Depend on…? How far…!? That thing's right behinds us!" He yelled, panicking. "!!" He gasped when more soldiers flew up to attack the titan from behind. "Again…!? Another group of backup!! Hurry!!" He yelled, looking back. "If we don't help, they'll be crushed, too!"
"Eren!! Face forward!" Gunther shouted sternly.
"Gunther!?"
"Stop screwing up the pace!!" Erd yelled. "Keep going at full speed!"
"…!?" Eren gasped. "Erd!! But why…!?" He demanded incredulously. "Who can stop that thing other than Squad Levi!?" Eren gasped again when the female titan squashed another soldier. "Another one dead!! We could've saved him…!" He glanced around at the others, but despite the horrified looks on their faces, they remained silent. Even Heidi. "… There's still one more fighting!" He said earnestly. "If we go now… There's still time to help! Heidi, if you go berserk—" Something warm and wet hit his cheek. Eren's eyes widened as he looked more closely at the back of the girl in front of him, and he realized something. Heidi was crying. He had never seen that before. No matter how tough things got, she never shed a single tear. But now, they were streaming down her face while she grit her teeth and gripped her reins so tightly that her nails were beginning to draw blood from the palms of her hands as she continued to push forward with the others. She was crying because she knew that no matter what happened, they couldn't stop.
"Eren! Face forward and keep moving!!" Petra yelled. Couldn't he see from the way Heidi was trembling how hard it was for the girl to control herself without him yelling at her!?
"Are you telling me to close my eyes to the desperate battle happening behind us!? To leave our comrades to die and run for my life!?" Eren shouted incredulously.
"Yes, that's right!" She yelled back determinedly. "Follow Heichou's orders!"
"I don't understand why we have to leave our fellow soldiers!!!" Eren yelled furiously. "And I don't understand why nobody will explain the reason!!"
"It's 'cause Heichou decided he didn't need to explain!!" Auruo shouted. "You can't understand because you're a rookie! If you get it now, shut your mouth and obey! Leave Heidi alone, she's just doing what she's supposed to!" Eren grit his teeth as he looked back at the battle behind them. He couldn't accept that.
'He's still fighting! All alone…' Eren thought as he watched. 'Wait… I can fight alone just fine, too, can't I…?' He realized. 'Why am I always turning to other people for help? I should just fight myself…'
"Eren!? What are you doing!?" Petra asked, startled when he raised his hand to bite it, making him stop short. "That's only allowed when your life is in danger! You promised, remember!?" Eren stared at her for a moment, then prepared to carry through with it anyway.
"Eren." Levi said firmly, making him freeze in his tracks. "You're not wrong." He stated seriously with a grim expression on his face as he continued to look forward. "If you want to do it, go ahead."
"!" Heidi gasped, surprised.
"Heichou!?" Petra cried.
"I know." Levi continued calmly. "This guy's a real monster. And it has nothing to do with his titan power. No matter how much anyone tries to suppress him, no matter how strong the cage he's placed in, no one can subjugate his will." He had picked up on that very clearly during their first encounter in the jail under the courthouse. "Eren, the difference between our judgment and yours is experience. Heidi has already chosen to place her trust in that, but… it doesn't mean you have to." He said, glancing back at them. "Make your choice…" He told Eren. "Either believe in yourself... or believe in me and them, the Survey Corps. I don't know the answer." He said solemnly as he faced forward again. "I never have. Whether you trust in your own strength, or trust in the choices made by reliable comrades… no one knows what the outcome will be. That's why the best you can do is to make your choice with no regrets. As much as can… choose whatever you'll regret the least."
'Heichou…' Heidi thought sadly, sensing that he was speaking from his own painful experience of losing someone important. Eren stared at Levi's back for a moment before glancing back at the soldier who was still fighting the female titan. He furrowed his brow in determination and raised his hand again. Heidi gripped her sword as she watched, preparing to back him up if he needed her. She wanted to believe in Levi Heichou and the others, but she wouldn't abandon Eren if he chose to stay and fight. Levi didn't have to look to know what she was doing. He knew she couldn't turn her back on a friend. But he planned to do the same. No matter what happened, it was their job to protect Eren. Whatever actions they took next were tied to his choice.
"Eren!" Petra said anxiously as he prepared to bite down. "Trust us." She pleaded earnestly. Eren froze and his eyes widened slightly as they fell on the scar on her hand that was still left from when she and the others had bitten their hands when they apologized and asked him to rely on them. Eren whipped his head around to look back at the soldier who was still risking his life to protect them.
"Ah…!!" Eren grit his teeth in frustration. What should he do!? What should he—
"Eren! There's no time!!" Levi shouted sternly. "Choose now!!" Eren grit his teeth so tightly, they were in danger cracking.
"I'll keep going with you!!" He shouted finally, making his decision. The others stared at him in surprise, but looked a little relieved to know they had finally earned his trust, and to finally know that they could trust him.
"UWAAAH!!" Their eyes widened in horror as the soldier behind them screamed. "Let goooo—!!"
PSHT!
"!!" Eren and Heidi gasped, squeezing their eyes shut at the sickening sound of bones breaking and flesh grating. Just like that, another soldier was dead.
"… Ngh…" Eren grit his teeth as cold sweat poured down the sides of his face. "I'm sorry…" He apologized to the dead soldier as they continued forward. I'm sorry…
With nothing left to hinder her, the female titan suddenly changed her posture and lunged forth, charging after them with even greater speed.
"Target is accelerating!!" shouted Gunther.
"Full speed ahead!!" Levi ordered urgently. "Keep running as fast as you can!! We'll get away!!"
'Impossible…' Eren thought as they ran, looking back at the female titan out the corner of his eye. 'Get away…? If we keep going like this, she's gonna overtake us from behind, and then we'll all be crushed underfoot…! … But…' he thought, looking ahead again. '… Even though it looks like we're gonna die… even though it meant letting our comrades die… Everyone chose to keep going. Levi Heichou keeps looking straight ahead. And the others are too, even Heidi… They believe in Heichou. They trust him with their lives. Why… Why did I choose this!? I might've been able to save them… I left them to die! I… I…' Eren's eyes widened. 'That's it… It's because… I wanted…'
"Heichou!" Petra yelled anxiously as the pursuing titan closed in. Heidi grit her teeth, sweating bullets, as her pupil's constricted in fear.
"Keep going!!" Levi shouted earnestly. Heidi quickly pulled herself together and tightened her grip on the reins.
'… something new to rely on… something to believe in… like I did when we were them…' Eren thought, picturing the rest of their friends in his mind. 'I'm sick of… being treated like a monster. I've had enough… of being shunned… so…' Eren looked up as a shadow fell over him '… I just wanted to think…' The female titan was now looming right above him as she stepped over him. The shadow of her raised foot was over Heidi. Her eyes widened. '… that I should believe in my comrades…' Eren stared in horror as the female titan reached for him, and lowered her foot '… because it's easier that way.'
CRASH!
In the same instant Heidi's horse was flattened, through their shock and horror, they all became of several things: 1) They were suddenly surrounded by Survey Corp members hidden in the trees; 2) several supply wagons had been modified and set up to fire some kind of explosives towards the path; 3) Heidi had survived by jumping from her horse at the last second, and was now clinging to the side of a tree.
Her eyes widened when she saw the modified carts, and she quickly shot up out of their firing range just as the rest of Squad Levi entered the clear.
"FIRE!!" Erwin commanded fiercely.
FWOOM!! WHOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!!
"Huh!?" Eren exclaimed, startled and bewildered. What just…!? What did they fire? It was hard to tell with all the flashes and smoke, but whatever it was, it seemed to have worked, because the titan was no longer chasing them.
"Tether the horses up ahead, then switch to 3DMG." Levi ordered. "This time I'll be taking action separately from the rest of you. Erd's in command while I'm gone." He activated his 3DMG and fire a grappling hook. "Hide Eren a safe distance away from that titan. And take care of my horse." He added as he rappelled into the air. Is that clear?"
"Huh!?" Eren said as their fearless leader flew back in the direction they had just come from. "No way… The plan was to take that titan alive!?" Looking back now, through the clearing smoke, he could see a myriad of strong cables piercing the titan's body, holding it firmly in place.
Heidi shuddered as she watched them fire another a round. That had been way, way too close for comfort. But then she also exhaled a deep sigh of relief, thrilled to still be alive and in one piece.
"Looks like it stopped moving." Levi remarked as he landed on the tree next to Erwin.
"We can't let our guard down yet." Erwin told him. "I'm impressed you managed to lead it all the way here."
"It's all thanks to the squad behind us, who gave up their lives fighting to buy us enough time. We couldn't have done it without them." Levi answered.
"I see…" said Erwin.
"Yeah… Thanks to them, we'll get to meet whoever's hiding inside the nape of this one's neck." Levi said as they stared down at the captured titan with grim expression. "I hope whoever it is hasn't pissed themselves…"
