Mikasa, Eren, and Armin's faces flashed through my mind like sparks in the dark.
"I will… offer my heart to humanity!!"
The vow tore itself from my throat.
––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––
Armin was the only one who knew the truth—that I'd been reassigned to the vanguard and sent charging ahead alone. Meanwhile, the 34th Cadet Squad, under Eren Jaeger, marched as part of the middle guard.
"Hey, Armin… don't you think this is a good opportunity?" Eren nudged him, noticing the trembling in his friend's eyes.
"If we show what we can do in our first real battle—before even joining the Scouts—we could skip straight to being elite rookies."
Armin forced a shaky smile.
"…You're right."
"Besides," Mina chimed in, "this year a ton of people volunteered for the Scouts."
"Last time I was slower than you, Eren," Thomas declared. "But this time I'm beating you for sure!"
"Hah, you really think so?" Eren grinned.
"Let's see who kills more Titans!" Thomas said confidently.
"Just don't lose count," Eren shot back.
"34th Squad, advance! Support the forward units!" the stationed soldiers shouted.
Eren inhaled deeply.
"All right… let's go!"
"Ohhhh!!"
Led by their hot‑blooded team leader, the 34th Squad ran toward the direction of the vanguard—toward the carnage they had no idea was already nearly wiped out.
Toward where I was headed.
Toward the corpses.
––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––
Oren refused to move, refused to fight, refused to think.
I couldn't waste another second.
This was a battlefield.
Lingering meant death.
So I left him—and leapt forward alone.
Roof to roof, the foul stench of blood thickened.
The wind pouring through the massive breach carried the stink of death: soldiers torn apart, limbs scattered, bodies emptied of life.
I vaulted onto the Trost wall—and froze.
Dozens of Titans roamed below.
If I slipped, if my footing faltered, I'd be swallowed instantly.
I waited.
The other two members of the vanguard should have arrived by now.
Ten minutes passed.
Too long.
White and Tress… whether they fled or were eaten, I would never know.
The Titans near the gate scattered slightly.
Seven or eight drifted farther away, leaving four directly beneath the wall.
With half a tank of gas left, I exhaled, opened my eyes wide—and allowed the afterimages to flood in.
One 6‑meter Titan, two 9‑meters, and one 15‑meter bloated Titan.
Target one: the 15‑meter. The furthest from the others.
I dove.
The afterimages multiplied—seven possible attack patterns.
It could choose any of them.
Or all of them.
The most complex pattern I'd seen yet.
Then suddenly—
All afterimages vanished.
My body froze an instant too long.
Behind me—
A blur. A shriek.
A sprinting abnormal.
I spun, horror ripping through me.
No space.
No height.
No escape.
"Damn it—!"
I fired what gas I had left, twisting midair.
The Titan's jaws snapped just behind me.
I crashed hard across the stone ground, tumbling.
The world rang.
But I forced myself up—
Only to find five Titans heading straight toward me.
Four normals.
One abnormal.
And more shadows stirring in the city behind them.
Everything trembled.
My breath turned shallow.
My fingers tightened around my blades as the afterimages flickered wildly.
The ground around me was littered with mangled soldiers—limbs, uniforms, half‑chewed torsos.
No reinforcements.
No allies.
No one within shouting distance.
Just me.
"…I…"
Fear clawed at my throat.
"I am…"
The Titans closed in. My heart pounded. My vision shook.
"I am…"
Sandra Gant.
And I will not die on my knees.
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