Previously:
"No way… Ymir can turn… into a titan…?" Connie said, shocked, breaking out in a cold sweat.
"Ymir..." Krista said, also stunned. But neither of them compared to what Reiner and Bertolt felt. They both stared at Ymir's titan form with wide eyes. The sight of it made their blood run cold.
"Wait…" Reiner said. "That's the titan—" An image of his and Bertolt's comrade being eaten by the same titan flashed through his mind. "From that day..."
Chapter 31: Historia
Ymir grabbed a handhold in the wall of the tower and swung her titan form around to attack again. She danced out of reach when one tried to grab her, and got behind it to bite its nape off. She spit the other titan's flesh out and started in on another one. At the same time, Heidi was helping to split the titan's focus, distracting them so Ymir could fight without all of them trying to attack her at once. Ymir clawed out the eyes of one titan and jumped out of the way as another charged at her. The one she dodged slammed into the tower, shaking the whole thing.
"Whoa!!" the others yelled.
"Ah!" Krista cried when she fell over the side. Fortunately a strong hand grabbed her ankle, stopping her fall. It was Reiner. Connie quickly moved to help pull her back up. "T-Thanks, Reiner. Ah!" she gasped in pain. "Oww! Reiner, my leg!" He was squeezing way too hard.
"Reiner, I got her! You can let go!" Connie told him. "Hello?!"
"Oh!" Reiner gasped and released her. "Sorry..."
"It's okay. You saved me," Krista told him.
"… Krista. Did you know…?" Reiner asked. "About Ymir… being a titan…?"
"I didn't..." Krista replied as they all turned their attention back to the fight below them. "We were always so close… but… for things to turn out like this..." Ymir slashed the face of another titan. "… I can't believe it. We were together for three years! I just don't understand… so that's… Ymir?!" She remembered when they were fooling around at the graduation celebration, and Ymir laughed while she forced alcohol on her. "It can't… be true… I don't want it to be..." That meant Ymir was lying to her the whole time. Ymir roared at the titans as she attacked again.
"So that means… She knew one of the greatest secrets in the world," Reiner said. "Jeez… I never even suspected it. She should have told us and contributed to the corps… like Eren."
"But… maybe she didn't because she couldn't…?" Bertolt said.
"Wait! Eren didn't know that he could become a titan, right?" Connie said. "But somehow… I think… Ymir knew about her powers. Krista looked at Connie, then back at Ymir. Ymir was biting another titan's nape, and Heidi was leaping from Ymir's head to punch away another titan's head when it tried to bite her. "Which… is she…?"
" 'Which'? Are you trying to say that Ymir might be an enemy of humanity?" Krista asked.
"Yeah… thinking back on it, she always seemed unfazed, no matter what the situation," Connie said. "It's gotta be because she was hiding this power. We never knew what she was really thinking..."
"What… could Ymir's goal be?" Bertolt wondered.
"..." Krista remembered when Ymir said they were alike. She remembered when Ymir said she was there entirely for her own sake. And their promise that when Ymir revealed her secret, she would go back to living by her old name. One of the titans grasped Ymir's wrist and pulled her from the side of the tower. Heidi, who was perched on her head again, fell with her, but fired a grappling hook into the side of the tower to catch herself.
"Ymir!!" Heidi yelled, watching with wide eyes as she fell into the small horde below. The titan that pulled Ymir down sank its teeth into her elbow.
"… Ymir!" Krista screamed. Heidi dropped down from the wall to land on Ymir's head. She hopped onto the other titan's head from there and stood on its nape. While Heidi was luring another titan into finishing it off, Ymir chomped on the wrist of its arm that was holding her wrist and bit it off completely, freeing her hand. Heidi jumped her way back up to Ymir's head as that titan's nape was consumed by another. Ymir yanked her elbow free. Ymir tried to jump back up to the tower, but she was grabbed again, this time by the ankle. Ymir clung to the side of the tower, but it kept pulling on her. The two stone blocks she was holding came loose. They were being pulled out of place.
"!" Heidi gasped, furrowing her brow. Ymir looked up at Krista. Krista stared back at her. Ymir let go. Heidi grabbed hold of Ymir's hair to make sure she didn't fall off.
"What?!" Krista cried in alarm.
"S… She just… let go?!!" Connie exclaimed, shocked as they watched Ymir and Heidi fall. "Why…?! Could she be… worried about damaging the tower?!"
"… That's it," Krista said, furrowing her brow. "She should be able to use her titan powers to escape this place by herself… Even with Heidi's help, there's no way she could defeat all of the titans here with a body that small… But she's still fighting and working with Heidi… which means… She's risking her own life to protect us."
"Huh…?!" Connie exclaimed. It wasn't that surprising for Heidi to risk her life for others, but Ymir...?!
"Things don't look good for them..." Reiner said. Never mind that Heidi had defeated all but 23 of the titans, giving her well over 39 solo kills in one night, or that between Heidi and Ymir, that number had been reduced to 15; Ymir was still struggling to avoid being eaten. Heidi was still trying to bait the titans into eating each other, but she had to wait for them to notice her and could only do one at a time. And she seemed to be moving slower.
"Why… at this rate, she'll… Ymir..." Krista said, gritting her teeth. If the worst should happen, Heidi could still run away using her grappling hooks without damaging the tower, but Ymir… Krista stepped up on the edge of the tower. "Ymir, don't die! Don't die here!!" Ymir looked up at her amidst her struggle with the other titans. "Why're you trying to act like a saint?! You really want to look cool as you die that much?! You jerk!!" she yelled down at her while Connie tried to pull her back to safer footing. "We both know you're rotten to the core! Are you such a moron you think you could still get into heaven?! Live for your own sake!! If protecting this tower's going to kill you… then just smash it to pieces!!!" Ymir pulled herself free from the titans's grasping hands and bitting teeth, grabbed a stone block from the side of the tower and ripped it out, throwing it back at the titans, smashing one in the face.
"Ymir?!" Heidi said, hopping up on her head. "What are you—" But there was no time for questions, Ymir started moving in a frenzy, ripping out stone after stone. It was all Heidi could do to hold on. "Ymir?!"
"H… Hey!!" Connie said nervously. "Is she…. Actually smashing it?!" Reiner and Bertolt couldn't believe their eyes.
"That's it, Ymir!!" Krista cheered. They were all surprised when Ymir's titan face suddenly appeared right in front of them.
"Grab on… to live..." Ymir told them. They didn't need to be told twice. Reiner grabbed Nanaba, and all of them rushed to grab onto Ymir's hair. Ymir rode the crumbling tower down from the top, making sure to stay safely on the side that would stay up on top of everything else. Heidi and everyone else held onto Ymir for dear life. The tower crashed down on the other titans, burying them under a mountain of rubble.
BOOOOOOOOMMM!
"I can't believe it..." Connie said. "So you wanted to pin those titans under the tower…? Talk about a crazy plan..."
"You can say that again..." Heidi said, but she smiled tiredly. "Oh man, I'm completely out of juice!" She plopped herself down on the rubble, removed her medicine from her pocket, and started popping pills into her mouth.
"What are those?" Connie asked her.
"Medicine," Heidi said, already feeling the wear and tear of the prolonged berserkergang now that she had finally allowed herself to relax a little. "I feel like I'm about to pass out…" If she didn't take them before that happened, who knew how long she would be unconscious for this time?
"After everything you did, we could hardly blame you..." Reiner said, a bead of sweat sliding down his face as he gently laid Nanaba down. She was still unconscious, even through all of that.
"Ymir..." Krista said happily, smiling up at her friend. They were all startled when the rubble shook beneath their feet.
"?!" Connie exclaimed. Heidi's eyes widened. That could only mean one thing. She tried to go berserk again, but it just wouldn't happen for her. Her eyes widened even more with fear and confusion as one of the larger remaining titans popped back up out of the rubble. Then another. And another.
"The titans… they're getting back up!!" Connie yelled.
"But…" Krista cried.
"Heidi—" Reiner said, turning to face her, but whatever he was going to say died in his throat when he saw the look on her face and how much she was struggling to stand up again. She had obviously reached her limit.
"Hey, ugly!! Hurry up and finish them off!" Connie told Ymir. Ymir bounded forward to do just that. She pounced on the nearest titan, ripping out its nape with her teeth. Another titan popped up and grabbed her by her hair.
"Wait… Wait a second..." Connie said. They all watched with wide eyes as it swung Ymir around by her hair. "This is bad..." What an understatement. Ymir was slammed head first against the sharp corner of a stone block. Her skull was split open. The other titans finished crawling out of the rubble and pounced on her, tearing her flesh, biting her head and ripping her jaw. They were devouring her.
"Ymir!!" Heidi shouted, horrified. They all were.
"Ymir's… being eaten alive," Connie said with wide eyes.
"Aah… No… It can't..." Krista said. Before anyone could stop her, she was running toward Ymir.
"Krista!" Connie shouted, reaching out for her, but it was too late.
"Krista, don't…!" Heidi said, but she knew it was pointless. Krista wasn't thinking about anything by Ymir.
"Wait, Ymir..." Krista said, hurrying over to her. "There's still… something I need to tell you..." Inside her titan form, Ymir opened her eyes wider. "I still… haven't told you... my real name!!" Just as she was taking another step forward, a titan appeared right in front of her from behind a particularly large piece of rubble. Everyone's eyes widened in horror. "Wait, I still haven't..." Krista said as tears formed in her eyes and the titan reached for her. But before it could lay a finger on her, someone in a green cloak attacked and sliced out its nape. Krista was stunned. As the dead titan fell, the person who saved her landed, and she had a clear view of her face. "Mikasa?!"
"Mikasa!" Heidi said, relieved to see her. Mikasa looked at her. She wondered why Heidi was still sitting down. Normally she would be the first to react in a situation like this. She would have at least tried to pull Krista back away from the titan.
"It… It's you…! Why are…?!" Connie said.
"Get back, Krista… everyone else, too," Mikasa told them. "Leave this to us." As she said that, they saw that the rest of the Survey Corps had come flying to the rescue.
"Units in back, secure a perimeter! Everyone else, wipe out those titans!" Hange ordered. Eren pulled ahead of the squad leader and leaped from his horse. "?! Hey! You don't need to attack!!" Eren fired a grappling hook into the neck of the first titan he saw and reeled himself in for the kill.
"Die!!" he told it, carving out its nape. "I did it!!" He grinned. "My first official kill!! Agh!" His victory celebration turned to embarrassment when he accidentally messed up his landing.
"Eren, you dumbass!! Didn't you hear us when we said to get back?!" Keiji scolded him.
"Yes… sir… I'm sorry..." Eren apologized, wincing a little at the pain he was in. "Oww..."
"Hey!!" Connie called out excitedly. "Eren!"
"… Guys!" Eren said, turning to look at them.
"Are you all right?" Hange asked Heidi, landing next to her and the others. Hange glanced at Nanaba. Seeing her wounds, there was no need to ask what happened there. They would need to get her medical attention soon.
"Oh, yeah… But… I think I'll be useless for a little while… because I had to go all out..." Heidi replied, hoping Hange understood what she was trying to say. At least her head was only a little fuzzy this time.
"Ah, I see… Did you take your medicine?" Hange asked, understanding.
"Yes, though I may need another dose..." Heidi replied, a bead of sweat sliding down her face.
"Medicine?" Connie asked.
"I'll explain later..." Heidi replied, laying back on the uncomfortable rubble, relieved that she and all of her friends were going to be okay. It looked like the Survey Corps got there before the titans could eat Ymir's nape.
—∞—
The Survey Corps made quick work of the remaining titans, while Heidi let Connie explain everything that had happened.
"What…?! Ymir?!" Armin said, stunned. And just when he thought finding out Heidi could fight titans bare-handed was a shock! They all looked over at Ymir, who had been removed from her titan form. Unfortunately, the titans had gotten one of her arms, a leg, and damaged some internal organs, but she was expected to live, thanks to titan healing abilities. Krista was kneeling next to Ymir, holding her.
"Ymir..." Krista said gently. Ymir opened her eyes a little. "My name… is Historia..." Ymir looked at her, then closed her eyes again and smiled.
—∞—
"Ymir… any idea what shape she's in?" Eren asked Keiji as they were bringing her up to the top of the wall on a stretcher. Nanaba would be next.
"Her right arm and right leg were bitten off, and they say her organs are like scrambled eggs," he replied. "It's enough to kill a normal person."
"..." A bead of sweat slid down the side of Eren's face. He looked back down at Ymir. "Normal, huh?" He saw movement out the corner of his eye and turned his head to look. Reiner was coming up, easily pulling himself onto the top of the wall. Heidi, who came up after him, didn't have it so easy.
"Ugh…!" Heidi groaned, annoyed that her tired arms refused to bear her weight.
"Here, let me help you," Reiner said, grabbing her hands and pulling her up onto the top with them.
"Phew! Thanks," Heidi said, glad that was over.
"Shouldn't you sit down?" Eren asked her. "You look like you need to rest."
"Probably, but… I feel like if I sit down now, you'll never get me back up again, so… It's better if I try to stay standing... I think," Heidi replied tiredly. She felt like she could sleep for a week.
"What happened to you?" Sasha asked her while she helped Connie up. She had been with the scouts who set up the perimeter while they exterminated the titans, so she had missed a few things.
"It was amazing! She saved all of us!" Connie said. "She fought off over thirty titans all by herself!"
"Really?!" Sasha asked, looking at her with wide eyes.
"Well, I did have some help after that..." Heidi said, rubbing the back of her neck.
"Please, you have to believe me!" Krista/Historia told Hange earnestly. "I'm telling the truth! Ymir revealed who she is in order to help Heidi fight the titans and save us! She set aside her own life! She showed loyalty to us as her comrades! Ask Heidi! It's true that she was wrong… She's guilty of hiding information of the utmost importance to humanity. She was probably… concerned for her own wellbeing. But she's changed. Ymir is on humanity's side! I know her well. She's much less complicated than she looks!"
"I see… Well… of course, I'd like a friendly relationship with her," Hange said. "Regardless of the past, the information she has is a treasure trove for humanity… I'd like to get along with her. But… while she may not be complicated, the state of this world might be too complex..." They started walking toward Ymir's stretcher and the people taking care of her. "So… your real name is Historia Reiss?"
"… Yes, it is," Historia replied.
"Reiss, as in the noble family?" Hange asked.
"… Yes," Historia answered.
"… I see," Hange said. The squad leader clapped a hand on her shoulder. "Nice to meet you, Historia."
"… Thank you..." Historia said, a little surprised. It was her first time being called that in three years.
"How's Ymir?" Hange asked as they stared down at her on the stretcher. Nanaba was brought over and laid beside her.
"Still comatose," Moblit replied. "But she's stopped bleeding, and some sort of steam is coming from her wounds..." Historia kneeled down beside Ymir, taking a closer look. Ymir's face was still a little messed up, but she did seem less pale than before.
"For now, we need to take her and Nanaba to Trost district and get them proper medical care," Hange said. "Take care of it."
"Yes, Squad Leader," said Nifa, a Survey Corps member with red hair.
"… All right..." Hange said, ready to move on to their primary business there. "We came here… to seal up a wall..." Hange started walking back over to Eren and Heidi and the others.
"Ah, standing's no good!" Heidi said, plopping herself down to sit. "My legs hurt too much..." She was pretty sure the only reason she wasn't bedridden again was because she took a double dose of her recovery pills.
"You should rest while you can," Reiner told her, while Eren and Mikasa helped Armin up. Reiner looked at his arm. "Geez… If you hadn't saved me, I'm not sure I'd still have this arm!" He held his face in his hand. "I could feel its teeth on my skin… I really thought I was done..."
"So even someone as strong as you can get like that..." Eren said.
"What're you talking about…?" Reiner said, lowering his hand to look at him. "This is the second time this has happened to me. Right, Armin?"
"Huh?" Armin said.
"I was stuck inside a titan's hand before," Reiner reminded him.
"Oh..." Armin said. "That time..."
"I've already had two near-death experiences. I'm not going to be around for much longer at this pace," Reiner said.
"Don't worry, Reiner. I've had tons of near-death experiences, and I'm still here," Heidi said, trying to lighten the mood.
"I don't think you can be counted in the same category as normal people," Reiner told her. "I know I chose this path for myself, but it seems like being a soldier wears down your mind before your body… Well, I guess there's no time to whine when we still have a hole to plug."
"Yeah… You guys just keep getting pulled farther away from your hometown… We need to stop that here," Eren said, watching him and Bertolt out the corner of his eye.
"..." Reiner seemed distracted.
"That's right… Reiner!" Bertolt said, spreading his arms wide. "Our hometown! Let's go back!" Eren, Heidi, and Reiner looked at him.
"We can already go home. Compared to everything we've been through, it's just a little farther!"
"… Oh yeah..." Reiner said. "… We're really just a breath away, aren't we?"
"Huh?" Eren said. "What're you guys talking about?"
'They're acting strange again...' Heidi thought, suddenly remembering the suspicious behavior she had observed from them, before the fight for their lives distracted her.
"Is everyone here?" Hange asked. "… We can worry about Ymir later. We'll resume the wall repair operation. Still… I was expecting this place to be full of titans..." Hange looked down and saw some soldiers on horseback approaching them. "Hm?" Eren, Mikasa, Armin, and Heidi all recognized their leader.
"Mr. Hannes," Mikasa said.
"And Peter..." Heidi said, her expression falling into disdain when she noticed he was waving up at her. Like she wasn't miserable enough already.
"It's the Garrison's advance unit," Hange said. "They've come to tell us where the hole is."
They waited for Hannes to finish climbing up to them.
"There's no hole," he announced as soon as he reached the top.
"… What?" Eren said.
"We spent all night looking for it, but from Trost district to Krolva district, at least, everything's normal," Hannes explained while Eren helped pull him up to stand on top of the wall with them.
"What did you say?!" Hange said.
"We ran into the troops from Krolva district and doubled back," Hannes said. "We didn't run into any titans on the path, either."
'No hole…? Then those titans really were...' Heidi thought, suddenly feeling sick.
"But… there were definitely titans inside the wall," Armin said. "Heidi fought them."
"Heidi did?!" Hannes said, looking down at her.
"Were you looking?!" Eren asked him. "Are you still drunk or something?!"
"As if I'd be drinking!" Hannes said incredulously. "And wait… why are you kids here?" Armin, Eren, and Mikasa didn't know how to answer that.
"Hmm… If there's no hole in the wall, we don't have a choice," Hange said. "Let's go to Trost district and wait on standby."
"Squad Leader Hange, I need to speak to you once we get there..." Heidi said, staggering to her feet. She didn't want to say anything in front of Connie until they were absolutely sure. To speculate in front of him would be too cruel.
"All right… but don't push yourself too much," Hange said.
"That squad leader is right… You don't look so good," Hannes told Heidi. He turned his attention to Armin, Eren, and Mikasa too. "But don't let your guard down. We'll return to our unit." He left them to descend the wall.
"… What's going on…?" Eren asked.
"What could this mean…?" Armin wondered. They all moved to follow Hange and her squad. "Why are all these things that never happened in the past five years suddenly happening now?" A bead of sweat slid down Heidi's face.
"I wonder…" she said thoughtfully.
"This world is getting more and more out of hand..." Sasha said, supporting Heidi when she stumbled.
"Eren," Reiner said, stopping him. "We need to talk about something."
"… What is it?" Eren asked.
"Could it be that... a titan that digs underground has finally appeared?" Hange suggested to Moblit. "If one has… It's trouble..."
"If that's true, then it'll be quite difficult to locate its position," he said.
"Let's worry about safely transporting Ymir and Nanaba for now," Hange said. "There are still titans on the ground, after all."
"Five years ago, we… destroyed the wall and began our attack on humanity," Reiner said to Eren. Mikasa heard him and froze. "I'm the Armored Titan, and he's the Colossus Titan," he continued, patting Bertolt on the shoulder.
"Huh…? What're you saying…?" Eren said, a bead of sweat sliding down his face.
"Wh… What're you telling him, Reiner?" Bertolt asked anxiously.
"Our goal—was to wipe out all humanity," Reiner said. "But now… there's no need to do that anymore. Eren… If you come with us, we won't need to destroy any more of the walls. Understand?"
"..." Eren and Bertolt stared at him with wide eyes.
"What?!" Eren said. "Wait up! I don't understand!"
"I'm telling you to come with us," Reiner said. "It's sudden, but you need to come now."
"Right now?! Where are we going?" Eren asked.
"I can't tell you that..." Reiner said. "But… well… I guess you'd call it our hometown. So, what do you say, Eren?"
"Huh?" Eren said.
"Not a bad deal, right? It means no more crisis for now," Reiner said.
"Umm..." Eren said, glancing at Mikasa, who was looking back at them. "I don't know..." Mikasa's expression hardened.
"Heey! We're heading out!" Armin called, waving. Eren stared at Reiner and Bertolt.
"Hmm..." Eren said. He closed his eyes then looked up. 'Good grief…' he thought. 'My head was already at its limit yesterday...'
«« Flashback ««
"Annie's background check finally came in..." Hange said as they were getting ready to ride for Utgard Castle. "It looks like two others from the 104th were born in the same region as her. Reiner Braun… and Bertolt Hoover."
"Huh…?" Eren said.
"Well… because of the chaos five years ago, all the family records were in rough shape," Hange said. "The documents were so poorly managed that it took until now to figure this out. Those two were part of a group that was falsely told that Eren was on the right side of the expedition outside the wall. Annie Leonhart, the Female Titan, appeared on the right side… Of course, that doesn't prove anything on its own, but just in case… I'd like to know about the relationship between those three during their time in the training corps. What are your thoughts?"
"… I knew that Reiner and Bertolt were from the same hometown, but I never sensed that Annie was close to them," Armin replied.
"Me neither… I don't remember seeing those two ever really talking to Annie… of course, Annie never talked much to begin with..." Eren said.
"When we ate, Annie would always sit alone and munch on food all by herself," Sasha said, holding her chin. "Oh!" she hit her hand against her palm. "I've got something! I heard a rumor she likes sweets, even though she looks so grouchy!"
"I… don't recall..." Mikasa said.
"But... as another member of the 104th, I don't think there's a strong reason to suspect them," Eren said. "Putting aside Bertolt, who's always silent, Reiner's like our older brother… and he doesn't seem clever enough to deceive people."
"I feel the same way. Reiner fought Annie together with me and Jean," Armin said. 'Reiner was nearly crushed to death, and—…"
"What's wrong?" Eren asked.
"Reiner got away, but… Annie suddenly changed direction and ran off to where you were, Eren," Armin said. "I had also guessed out loud… that you were probably in the center-rear, but Annie was too far away to hear."
"What do you mean?" Eren asked.
"… But Reiner would have heard…? Did he show an interest in Eren's location?" Hange asked. Armin's eyes widened.
'Could he have...' Armin wondered. "I talked about Eren's location… because Reiner asked me about it… And… when the female titan was staring at her palm… she could have been looking at letters written on it with a blade… if Reiner carved them there!" They all stared at him.
"Huh…? What the hell..." Eren said. "Why the hell would you say something like th—"
"Eren! No… Everyone listen to me," Hange said. "If—we do find Reiner and Bertolt, make them think that we don't suspect them. And of course, don't even mention the existence of Annie Leonhart. Whether they conspired with her or not, we need to carefully lead them underground and confine them there."
»» End Flashback »»
"Listen, Reiner… You're tired," Eren said, clapping a hand on his shoulder. "Right, Bertolt? What you've gone through's made you a little crazy."
"?" Bertolt said. "Y… Yeah… That's right!" he said, seizing onto the opportunity Eren provided to try to undo the damage. "Reiner's just tired!"
"And listen… if you were really the armored titan that killed so many people, why would you be talking to me about something like this? Would you expect me to say 'okay, let's go,' after hearing that?" Eren asked him. Reiner stared at him with wide eyes, shocked.
"Yeah… I guess you're right… I wonder what I was thinking..." he said, sweating nervously. "Maybe I really am crazy?"
"Anyway, we're going to town," Eren said, turning to follow the others.
"I've probably been here for too long. I've lived here for three years… surrounded by idiots," Reiner said, Eren stopped and looked back at him. "We were just kids… We didn't know anything." He furrowed his brow as tears welled up in his eyes. "If only we never heard that these bastards existed… Then we… wouldn't have become these half-hearted pieces of shit..." Eren stared at him. "I don't know… what's right anymore… but… I do know I have to face the consequences of my actions… and carry out… my duty as a warrior to the end."
"Reiner… Are we doing it?! Now…?! Here?!" Bertolt asked anxiously.
"Yeah!! We fight now!! We decide this right here!!" Reiner said fiercely. There was a sudden movement behind Eren, and by the time Reiner turned his head to look, Mikasa was already on him, slicing through the arm he held up in an attempt to protect himself, cutting the side of his face, and splitting the hand he put up to stop it from going further until it was caught in his arm. Mikasa ejected that blade, leaving it in his arm, and turned on Bertolt. This time, she sliced through part of his neck and right wrist. There was a fierce glare on her face. It all happened in seconds. "Ugh… Ah!!" Reiner cried.
"Aah? Agh!" Bertolt screamed as he fell. Eren stared with wide eyes as Mikasa stomped on Bertolt, holding him down with her foot. "WAAAAAAGH!!"
"Eren!! Run!!" Mikasa yelled, going in for the kill. Reiner tackled Mikasa away from Bertolt, slamming her off the wall. Mikasa quickly fired grappling hooks into the wall to catch herself.
"Bertolt!!" Reiner yelled.
"Eren!!" Armin yelled as he and the others hurried back to protect him. "Run!!" Bertolt and Reiner turned their attention to Eren. Bertolt was gritting his teeth with tears in his eyes. Reiner frowned with determination.
BOOOOOMMM!!
Before Eren could react, they both transformed into titans. Eren was almost blown away by the explosion of steam along with everyone else, but Reiner caught him in his titan hand.
"Agh!" Heidi groaned as she slammed into the top of the wall, rolling from her momentum. Her eyes widened when she saw the stretchers sail past her.
"… Nh?!" Historia grunted as she also hit the top hard. Bertolt reached over her head with his massive titan arm and snatched Ymir from the air. "—?!" she gasped in alarm. "Ymir!!" Reiner jumped down from the wall with Eren in his hand.
"Wh… Eren!!" Armin yelled. Eren squeezed his eyes shut against the rush of air as Reiner slid down the wall. Tears leaked from his eyes as they fell together. He remembered sitting and talking to them in their bunks during training. The smiles on their faces. 'Reiner… Bertolt… You… traitooors!!!' he thought angrily with a monstrous glare, digging his teeth into his hand. Mikasa, who was hanging from the wall, watched with wide eyes as Eren transformed into a titan in midair, breaking Reiner's grip on him.
