Another rock barrage came falling from the sky crashing against the wall.
"We're doomed!" A recruit shouted.
"Erwin…" Levi said. "Do you have some sort of plan?"
Erwin started to think as seconds turned into minutes and while he thought there was an explosion at the top of the wall that rang out. Lando looked up and saw Eren's Titan lying there seemingly knocked out.
"Hey…" Levi asked. "Is that Eren?"
"How do you get thrown that hard?" Lando asked.
"It's…him," Levi said, referring to the Colossal Titan.
Erwin continued to think while Levi and Lando watched the Scouts try to bring down the Colossal Titan without Eren's help. Thunder Spears exploded while Scouts flew around the Titan trying to damage it but to no effect. And while they were fighting the Colossal Titan the Beast Titan threw another round.
"The Beast Titan has a good guess as to where we're at," Levi said. "This place will look like honeycomb soon."
"Commander," Lando said. "If you're saying we've got no chance of a counterattack we should retreat, or at least get ready to. We could wake up sleeping beauty up there and try to get as many people on him and let him run away."
"We'll at least have some survivors," Levi said, agreeing with Lando's plan.
"Hey!" Marlo screamed. "That horse was your job!" Marlo was trying to pick up the same recruit Lando helped earlier.
"Shut up!" The recruit demanded. "Like it matters!"
"Excuse me?!" Marlo exclaimed.
"Those Scouts were insanely strong and they died in an instant!" The recruit cried. "You know as well as I do! What good is protecting horses…when there's nobody left to ride them home?!" The remaining Scouts stayed quiet, they knew the recruit was right. "It all made sense at one point…If humanity hid behind the walls, we'd someday get slaughtered by Titans out of nowhere. Somebody has to bite the bullet and risk taking action. In order for others not to be victims, we needed people to become victims instead. Who will be that brave soldier? When I was asked that, I actually believed that I could be that someone! But I never thought…that being sent to my death…would turn out to be utterly meaningless in the end! Now that I think about it, I bet almost everyone ends up saying the same thing as me. Why did I ever think that I'd…somehow be different?"
"What if whoever's left of the recruits and Hange's group scatter on horses…" Levi said, still trying to give ideas. "And try to make it home? By using them as a decoy, you guys could escape on Eren."
"Levi," Erwin said. "What would you do?"
"I'm facing the Beast Titan," Levi said. "I'll drive him away-"
"No," Lando said.
"Impossible," Erwin said. "You won't even get close."
"Probably not," Levi said. "But if you and Eren return home alive, then there's still hope. Isn't that the best we could ask for at this point?"
"What about Lando?" Erwin asked.
Levi didn't want to talk about that, the main reason he would sacrifice himself would be to save Lando but he couldn't say that to Erwin.
"He'll take my place as Humanity's Strongest Soldier," Levi said.
"I don't wanna be Humanity's Strongest Soldier," Lando said. "That's your title."
Levi sighed. "What a huge defeat…To be perfectly honest, only a few of us would make it back alive."
"Yes," Erwin said. "Assuming we had no way to counterattack."
Lando and Levi both turned their heads to stare at Erwin.
"Is there a way?" Levi asked.
"Yes," Erwin said.
"Why didn't you say it sooner?" Levi asked. "Why'd you keep your shitty mouth shut?"
"What's the plan?" Lando asked.
"If the plan goes well you may be able to take down the Beast Titan," Erwin said. "But it will take everyone else."
"What do you mean everyone else?" Levi asked.
"It will take the recruits…and myself to give our lives," Erwin said. "Lando will go with you."
Levi tried to hide it but you could see a little look of relief on his face.
"It's like you said," Erwin said. "Either way, most of us will die. No, it's almost guaranteed we'll all be wiped out." Erwin walked past Levi while talking. "In which case, we can stake our heroic deaths on a slim chance of victory. To ask these young ones to die, it would take an expert con man and a whole slew of lies. If I do not lead the vanguard, none of them will follow. And I will die before anyone else. Without ever learning what's in the basement..." Levi and Lando were following him as he walked. "Huh?" Levi said. Erwin sighed and took a seat on a box. "I…I want to go to the basement. Everything I've done till now…was because I thought this day would come. That someday, I could check if I was right. So many times…I thought death would be so much easier. But always, the dream I shared with my father flashed through my mind. And now, I'm close enough to the answers to reach out and grab them. They're right there…But, Levi…Can you see them? Our comrades? Our comrades are looking at us. They want to know what became of the hearts they give. Because the fighting isn't over yet. Is it all inside my head? Nothing more than a childish delusion?"
Lando couldn't believe what he was seeing, a man that he thought was invincible letting everything out. His insecurities, his doubts, and his fears.
Levi got down on one knee.
"You've fought well," Levi said. "It's all thanks to you that we've come this far. I'm making the choice." Lando noticed how tense Levi was when his Dad said this. "Give up on your dream and die. Lead the recruits straight to hell. We'll take down the Beast Titan."
Erwin's face grew into a slight smile.
Erwin stood up and explained the plan to Levi and Lando.
"What?" Levi said. "You want us to go after him with only ODM gear?"
"I don't think we can pull that off," Lando said.
"He's standing in an empty area," Levi said.
"There isn't a house or tree in sight." Lando said.
"Wrong," Erwin said. "There happens to be a line of objects at just the right height. Sneak close using the Titans…and assassinate the Beast Titan."
After Erwin said that he walked over to the recruits.
"I'm announcing our final operation!" Erwin ordered. "All, troops line up! We will be doing a cavalry charge! Our goal is to rush the Beast Titan. Of course, we'll be making ourselves ideal targets. So we'll wait until he's ready to throw and fire our smoke signals together. That should reduce his accuracy somewhat. While we're acting as decoys, Captain Levi and Lando will kill the Beast Titan. That is our plan." One recruit fell to her knees and threw up. "Standing here and waiting just means we'll be showered by more boulders. Get ready on the double!"
"Are we all…heading…" The same red-haired recruit said that was crying earlier after losing his horse. "To our deaths…"
"Yes," Erwin said.
"If we're going to die anyways, you're saying it's better…if we die fighting?" The recruit said.
"Yes," Erwin said.
"Wait…if we're gonna die anyways, no matter how we die, even if it's disobeying orders, it all means, nothing right?"
"You're precisely right," Erwin said. "It's all meaningless. No matter what dreams or hopes you had…No matter how blessed of a life you've lived…It's all the same if you're shredded by rocks. Everyone will die someday. Does that mean life is meaningless? Was there even any meaning in our being born? Would you say that of our fallen comrades? Their lives…Were they meaningless? They were not!" Erwin was now yelling at the top of his lungs. "Their memory serves as an example to us all! The courageous fallen! The anguished fallen! Their lives have meaning because we, the living, refuse to forget them! And as we ride to certain death, we trust our successors to do the same for us! Because my soldiers do not buckle or yield when faced with the cruelty of this world! My soldiers push forward! My soldiers scream out! My soldiers rage!"
Erwin and the recruits, feeling more than motivated, scrambled on their horses and rode out with Erwin leading the charge.
"Let's go," Levi said to Lando as the others were getting ready for a charge.
Levi and Lando took off with their ODM gear just as the recruits were charging, sending green smoke in the air. Levi and Lando were both in the air now and were in range of the first Titan. Levi hooked onto the Titan first followed by Lando, Levi effortlessly killed the first Titan and Lando heard his Dad say. "I'm sorry."
Lando looked over at the charging recruits and the Beast Titan had just thrown a boulder at them, Lando watched as the front wave of scouts died most likely including Erwin. Lando guessed Levi saw them too because the next Titan he killed he slashed his swords with so much anger. Levi was moving very fast killing each Titan more aggressively than the other, Lando followed but didn't say anything, there was nothing to be said. Levi and Lando were almost in striking distance by the time the Beast Titan finished the last of the scouts. They had provided a green smoke screen for them.
"Beast Titan is next," said to Lando. "Kill this son of a bitch."
Levi killed the final Titan and Lando hooked onto the Titan as it was falling using gas to fly up in the air.
Levi hooked onto the right side of the Titan while Lando hooked onto the left side. The Beast Titan saw two figures come through the smoke covered in blood about to strike him, he roared and threw his arms at the Scouts trying to break their hook but they both retracted it and spun cutting his fingers off and slicing all the way down his arm.
"Huh?" The Beast Titan thought.
He remembered what Reiner said to him.
"I need to watch out for two soldiers?" The Beast Titan in human form asked.
"Yes," Reiner said. "Captain Levi and Lando are dangerous."
"Is this Levi and Lando?" The Beast Titan thought.
He didn't have time to think as one of the Scouts tried to get his nape.
"My nape!" The Beast Titan cried out.
The Scout didn't go for his nape, slicing his eyes instead.
"What the-" The Beast Titan said. "I can't see!"
As soon as his eyes were cut another Scout cut both his Achilles heels.
"My legs!" The Beast Titan thought in panic.
"What happened to all the fun you were having?!" The Beast Titan heard a very spiteful and angry voice.
"Let's have some fun!" He heard another voice say.
The Beast Titan knew they were about to cut his nape.
"I'll harden!" The Beast Titan thought. "Shit, I won't make it in time!"
The Beast Titan felt four swords trying his nape revealing a screaming blonde man.
Before he fell down he had a sword go into his mouth, he opened his eyes and saw two Scouts standing over him.
"After transforming, if your body's severely damaged, it's too busy healing to let you transform. Isn't that right?" Levi demanded to know.
The man watched the other Scout stab him in the shoulder.
"Hey, answer me," Levi said. "Learn some manners."
"I can't kill him yet…" Levi thought. "Isn't there anyone out there still alive? If they are, even on the brink of death, this injection will make them a Titan. We can have them eat this guy and steal the Beast Titan's power. Someone, just one…I can bring back to life. Wait…" Levi looked over at Lando and made sure he was ok, Lando was standing there with his sword in the Beast Titan's shoulder.
Lando felt rumbling on the ground. He looked over his shoulder and watched as the four-legged Titan came out from the smoke.
"Watch out!" Lando yelled.
Levi and Lando jumped out of the way as the Titan tried to eat Levi, after they moved out of the way the Titan snatched the Beast Titan in its mouth and ran away.
They both landed on the ground and watched the Titan run away.
"Hey…" Levi said. "Where are you going….Stop."
"All of you! Go kill him!" The Beast Titan yelled at the Titan not moving and they all started to run toward Levi and Lando.
"It hurts!" The Beast Titan yelled. "You two, done it now! Levi and Lando! It hurts! But your weapons have to be all used up. With this, you'll all be wiped out. That might've been a close one, but victory is ours!"
"Wait…" Levi said. "I made a promise to him…that I'd kill you no matter what."
Levi and Lando both dropped their destroyed blades on the ground and used their last pair.
"I promised!" Levi yelled and shot a hook into the Titan charging him.
Both Levi and Lando fueled by pure rage started cutting down Titans one by one, time seemed to crawl for both of them as they killed each Titan ignoring explosions going on in the city. The two of them had just killed the last TItan as they both shook a hook up into the wall and used it to fly above the wall and land on top of it.
As they both landed Lando saw Eren holding Berthold while the Beast Titan was on the four-legged Titan talking to Eren.
"Argh…you've gotta be kidding me!" The Beast Titan said looking up at the wall. Eren followed his gaze and saw Levi and Lando standing across from each other as blood steamed off of them.
"They chased me all the way here?" The Beast Titan said.
They both had so much steam coming off of them that you could barely see them.
Levi fell down the wall first followed by Lando.
"Let's call it a draw you two." The Beast Titan said. "We're in no shape to fight."
The four-legged Titan was about to run off when the Beast Titan said.
"Berthold. I'm sorry, but I think it's the end for you. Eren! Someday, I'm coming back to rescue you!"
The two Titans ran off as Lando and Levi landed on the roof.
"That was the last of my gas and blades!" Levi said. He looked over at Lando and saw that he was in the same state as him so he turned to Eren.
"I'll chase him! Hand over your gas and blades!" Levi demanded.
"Right!" Eren said and started fumbling with his equipment.
"Hurry!" Levi said.
As Eren was doing that a burned body behind him started to gag. Eren slowly turned around and jumped on the body. As Eren was doing this Mikasa landed next to Levi and Lando.
"Armin's breathing again!" Eren yelled in relief. "Come on! Just keep breathing!"
"Captain!" Eren cried in desperation. "Get the syringe!"
Levi started to mess with his equipment not grabbing the syringe.
"Don't," Lando said.
"Make Armin into a Titan and we'll have him eat Berthold!" Eren yelled. "Hurry up and inject him!"
Levi pulled out the syringe.
"Yeah…" Levi said.
Mikasa gasped and then shot a red smoke flare into the sky.
Levi was handing the syringe to Eren as somebody as they heard somebody climb the house. It was the same red-haired recruit carrying Erwin.
"Captain…Levi…" The recruit said. "I finally found you. Commander Erwin is badly wounded! His stomach is gouged… and his organs are demolished! The blood won't stop! I thought that injection might be able to help, but…What do you think?"
Lando rushed over and helped the red-haired recruit up.
Levi took back the hand that was about to give Eren the syringe.
"Huh?" Eren said. "Captain?"
Lando and the recruit put Erwin down and Lando checked to see if he was still alive.
"He's breathing…" Lando said.
"He's alive…" Levi said.
"Inject him," Lando said.
"I'm using the injection… on Erwin," Levi said.
Eren got up and ran at Levi stopping in his face.
"You said…" Eren mumbled. "You'd use it on Armin!"
"I'm… reviving the one that will save humanity," Levi said.
Mikasa took out her swords as everyone looked at her, even she had a terrified look on her face.
"Lando get ready…" Levi said. "You guys… what are you doing? It's Erwin. The Commander of the Scouts. And you're saying to watch him die. There's no time for this. Stay out of my way."
Eren put his hands on the syringe and Lando was waiting to see what his Dad ordered.
"Keep your emotions out of this," Levi said.
"Keep my…" Eren said. "Emotions out? Tell me… how come you didn't hand over the syringe right away?!"
"Because I was considering the possibility Erwin might still be alive," Levi said.
"You couldn't have known Floch would drag the Commander here!" Eren said. "There's just no way you knew!"
"You're right but…" Levi said. "The fact that Erwin is now here means I get to use it on him."
Eren tried to grab the syringe but Levi punched him in the face as hard as he could, sending Eren flying. Mikasa ran at Levi faster than Lando could react holding a blade to his throat, Lando ran over and put Mikasa in a chokehold before slaying her on the ground and pulling out the only blade he had left his father's dagger.
"Move and the blade will go deeper into your neck, the more you squirm the closer you get to death. Think about it, Eren's still alive, you can't die before him." Lando told Mikasa.
"You should know as well as I do," Levi said to Mikasa. "Without Erwin's talent, humanity can't beat the Titan."
"That's right Mikasa!" Floch said as Mikasa still was squirming to get out of Lando's hold. "Let's stop with this madness already!"
"It's…no different…if we lose…Armin." Eren said while he was still on the floor.
"Eren!" Mikasa screamed.
"Hasn't it…always been like that?" Eren said. "He's the reason why we saved Trost by plugging it with a rock. He revealed Annie's identity. It was Armin who came up with the idea of moving at night! The only reason we uncovered Reiner's hiding spot…and the only reason we defeated Berthold…was because of Armin! The one who isn't gonna save humanity isn't me or the commander! It's Armin!" Eren finished with tears rolling down his eyes.
"Don't listen to him Dad," Lando said. "If it wasn't for everybody else Armin would be dead at least ten times by now. The only thing he brings is being smart and Erwin is too. Armin isn't a leader, he is weak-minded. Don't mess this up, Erwin is the only answer."
"Please give it to Eren!" Mikasa said to Levi who still hadn't made a move yet.
"The one who will save humanity…" Floch said to Mikasa. "Is Commander Erwin."
"Shut up!" Mikasa said, still trying to get out of Lando's chokehold.
"I will not shut up," Floch said. "Don't think you're the only ones who've had it rough! You might not know but…" Floch pointed over the wall. "On the other side of that wall, there isn't a single living soldier. Everyone died when the Beast Titan threw boulders at us. I didn't think anyone could be saved. But Commander Erwin was the only exception. He thought of a plan for us to bite back at the Beast Titan…and we did. We were smashed to bits just as planned. And I'm sure the last thing that they felt… was fear. When I found the Commander alive I was about to finish him off. But..that's going too easy on him. I thought to myself that he ought to taste more of this hell. And then… I understood. The only one that can lay waste to the Titans…is a devil! And if I can bring back the devil, that must be my mission in life! That's why I survived as a coward when everyone else died! So stand out of his way!"
Hange and the others arrived at the scene of Mikasa getting held down while Eren lying on the ground Erwin injured and Armined burned.
"Hey…you've got to be…kidding me…" Jean said.
"No way…" Conny said.
"You can't…be serious…" Hange said.
Levi pulled out the syringe looking at Erwin and Mikasa started screaming and crying fighting out of Lando's hold. Lando said the dagger part as a bluff but he actually had to put the dagger to Mikasa's throat as Mikasa screamed and wailed, it cut her a little bit and blood started to drop down from her throat.
"Mikasa!" Hange yelled. "You have to know how much we need Erwin! We can't let the flames of hope extinguish inside the walls!"
"But…Armin could…do that….to!" Mikasa screamed.
"No, he can't!" Lando said. "He never could and he never will!"
"It's true Armin is exceptional!" Hange said. "But he doesn't have Erwin's experience and leadership!"
Mikasa finally stopped trying to get out of Lando's hold.
"You're not the only one who wants to bring people back," Lando said.
"You know, don't you?" Hange asked. "No matter who it is, there comes a time to say farewell. I know it's impossible but you have to accept this. There will be times when you can't keep your sanity. It's tough. Very tough. I know. Even so, we have to keep moving forward."
Levi was finally about to inject Erwin and felt Eren grab onto his foot.
"Captain…" Eren said. "Do you…know about…the sea? No matter how far you look it stretches past the horizon. It's a gigantic lake. Armin said-"
"Hey!" Floch said restraining Eren. "Cut it out!"
"There's a sea beyond the walls…and he said we'd go there together! But… that was our dream since we were little, and I forgot it long ago! Avenging my mom…killing the Titans….The only thoughts in my head are full of hate! But…he's not like that! Armin cares about more than just fighting! He has dreams!"
Levi stood up.
"Everyone get out of here!" Levi ordered. "I'm going to have Erwin eat Berthold!"
Floch, Eren, and Lando were the last ones left after everyone left.
"Pick Erwin," Lando said. "There is no other choice."
Lando followed Floch as he held Eren.
The three of them sat in silence and they saw yellow lighting come from the sky, everyone came back and saw Erwin lying on the rooftop of the house still and a Titan Armin walking toward Berthold.
Floch and Lando didn't say anything.
"Hey guys!" Berthold yelled. "Help me! Annie! Reiner!"
Berthold's head got crushed inside the Titans mouth and Armin ate him.
"I hope you know what you just did," Lando said to Levi. "I don't think humanity will come back from this unless somebody else takes on the Erwin mantle. Because, Armin won't be the one to do it."
"I know…" Levi said.
It was now Hange, Levi, Floch, and Lando standing over Erwin's body.
"Captain…" Floch said ."Why…did… you…"
"Do you think… you can forgive him?" Levi asked Floch. "He had no choice but to become a devil. It was us who wished for that. And in the end, when he had finally been set free from hell, we wanted to bring him back once more. But I think…it's finally time to let him rest."
Armin's Titan fell to the ground.
"Erwin…" Levi said. "We promised we'd kill the Beast Titan, but…It's going to have to wait."
"He's…dead," Hange said, opening his eyes.
Levi had a rare sad look on his face while the others freed Armin from the Titan's nape.
Lando sat down right next to Levi and said nothing, his Dad would never admit it but he needed some company. He needed someone to not say anything to him; he needed someone to just be there for him.
End of Chapter 47.