Although it sounds very fantastical, the world is just that strange. Under Armin's painstaking explanations, by making use of Eren's Titan power, there was hope of retaking the Trost District—and even of reclaiming Wall Maria in the future.
Armin's explanation was well-reasoned and convincing; even Squad Leader Rico was somewhat persuaded. And so, in the end, Captain Kitz chose to… fire!
Fortunately, at the critical moment, Commander Pixis arrived and stopped Kitz, who was about to give the order, and showed great interest in Armin's idea.
And then, the scene before them came to be.
The reinforcement troops brought by Commander Pixis, together with the surviving Garrison soldiers and the trainees, were reorganized into a force of nearly a thousand soldiers.
Now, they had received the order to prepare to wrest the Trost District back from the Titans once more!
Yago drew out a blade. Its polished surface gleamed, reflecting Yago's face. Around him were many uneasy and agitated soldiers—both trainees and Garrison troops—thrown into confusion by Commander Pixis's order.
They couldn't understand it. They had barely managed to retreat from the Trost District—so why go back? Why return to hell? Wasn't this just marching to their deaths?
This could be seen clearly in Sasha, who pretended to have a stomachache and tried to slip away near Yago, and in Daz, who had already completely broken down.
"You coward!" one Garrison soldier shouted angrily, pointing at another. "You're trying to run away, aren't you?!"
"Why not?" the accused soldier retorted righteously. "Either way we'll die if we go back to Trost! I want to see my family again!"
Scenes like this were far from rare among these soldiers.
"Everyone… what's wrong? Why are you all so scared?" Historia asked timidly, looking at the restless crowd around her.
Ymir supported Historia. "Historia, remember—if we fight, you must not leave my side," Ymir said, uncharacteristically serious.
"Attention!!"
A deep, powerful voice rang out clearly from atop Wall Rose, reaching every soldier's ears and suppressing the unrest.
Yago raised his head, not expecting Commander Pixis to have such a booming voice.
Soon after, Yago no longer had the mind to listen to Commander Pixis's address. Having just stayed by Eren's side, Yago already knew the concrete plan for the battle to retake Trost. He turned and headed for the wall, using the Vertical Maneuvering Equipment to ascend. It was already nearing dusk, and the sky was tinged with a yellow glow.
Yago narrowed his eyes as he looked down at the Trost District below. Commander Pixis's attitude toward Eren gave him a measure of comfort—at least there were still humans willing to believe in someone as special as Eren.
Commander Pixis was willing to risk the lives of over a thousand soldiers, staking everything on Eren. That alone earned Yago's deep respect.
But Yago hadn't forgotten the faint killing intent in Commander Pixis's words that day. Eren, at least, had grown up as a citizen within the walls—but what about himself? Would they believe someone whose origins were once unknown, and who also possessed overwhelming Titan power?
"What are you thinking about?"
A cool, clear voice came from behind. Yago recognized it at once.
Annie stood beside him.
Yago said, "Ah… nothing much. I was just thinking about whether Eren can really succeed. After all, turning into a Titan—it really is hard to believe, isn't it?"
Suddenly, Yago turned to face Annie and said, "Annie, if there were something I'd been hiding from you all this time, what would you think?"
Annie was startled by the question. A powerful wave of guilt surged in her heart. Impossible—had Yago found out?
"I… I believe you," Annie said softly, lowering her head.
Yago got his answer and smiled with satisfaction. At the very least, this power could be used to protect the girl standing before him.
Yago also noticed that Annie's expression seemed a bit off, but at a moment like this, he didn't suspect her.
Bang!
In the distance, a white signal flare—signaling the start of the operation—shot into the sky.
Yago turned to Annie and said, "Annie, protect yourself!"
With that, Yago ran off. He and Annie belonged to different combat units.
...
After Yago left, Annie covered her face.
"Why… why does it have to be like this? Yago, I'm sorry. I'm the one who lied to you. We… we are the demons."
Against the wall at dusk, a lonely girl shed silent tears.
...
Yago leapt down from the wall. His Vertical Maneuvering Equipment carried him flying in a certain direction. The battle plan had already been finalized: the main force would lure the Titans away, while the Titan Eren transformed into would be responsible for lifting the massive boulder near the breach to seal it.
The other combat soldiers were tasked with ensuring that while Eren lifted the boulder, no Titan could approach him. If necessary, they were authorized to use any means to guarantee Eren's safety.
Yago requested to operate alone. For this powerful trainee, the Garrison Squad Leader in charge of commanding him did not refuse. Sometimes, the strong were simply solitary by nature.
Yago landed atop a sharp spire. His Vertical Maneuvering Equipment clattered with metallic sounds as his body swayed. Looking into the distance, he saw large numbers of Titans being drawn away by the sound of artillery fire.
Yago admired Commander Pixis. Faced with soldiers lacking morale, Pixis went straight to the heart of the matter. For those who now wanted to flee the war, Pixis declared them not guilty—but he pointed out that if Wall Rose were to fall, humanity's fate would be utterly severed.
"You should all understand this clearly! Four years ago, in the so-called operation to retake Wall Maria, humanity lost twenty percent of its population—but that was nothing more than a measure by the government to relieve population pressure. You should be glad you weren't part of that twenty percent. And now?
If Wall Rose falls, Wall Sheena won't even be able to support half of humanity's current numbers. When that time comes, how many of you do you think will survive? Tell me—would you rather fight the Titans here to the death for humanity's future, or collapse beside Wall Sheena and starve in despair?"
These profound words struck every soldier's heart like a hammer, allowing everyone to regain their confidence. For five years, humanity's battles against the Titans had almost all ended in failure—but this time, humanity was still filled with fighting spirit.
After the Titans were drawn away, quite a few still remained near the breach. These were Yago's targets.
Suddenly, a dazzling flash of yellow lightning erupted not far away. Yago knew at once—Eren had transformed. He quickly moved toward the direction of the massive boulder. He had to ensure the success of the operation. Humanity needed a victory.
As he sped past a rooftop, Yago suddenly came to a halt. His gaze trembled. Before him lay two horribly mangled corpses—but he still recognized the two faces, twisted with pain and terror.
"Thomas… Ilse…"
Yago murmured the names of his two comrades, their figures rising in his mind.
"I don't really know either. My father is my only family. Maybe I'll join the Garrison someday, then find a wife, and just live out my life like that…"
"Don't worry, Yago. I'll take good care of everyone…"
Yago closed his eyes and took a deep breath. When he opened them again, his gaze was incomparably resolute.
"You won't have died for nothing!"