Mikasa said nothing. She simply walked to the front of the group, turning her back on them to face the distant Titan army alone. Levi glanced at her and took his place beside her.
"I'll go!" Marlowe was the first to shout, stepping forward without hesitation.
"Marlowe..." The soldiers stared in shock.
"Since when do rookies like you get to make heroic sacrifices? If anyone's going, it's me! Gunther, Elderdin, are you coming?" Oruo stepped forward and shouted.
Gunther and Elderdin exchanged a look and cried out, "Yes!"
"Oruo... Gunther... Elderdin..." Tears filled Petra's eyes.
"I'm going too!" Petra shouted.
"What? Why would a woman like you go? Hey! Are all you men cowards?" Oruo yelled at the Survey Corps.
"I'll go!"
"Me too!"
Caught up in their fervor, the recruits began volunteering one after another.
"The hell you are! Luo Ang, get back!" Connie stepped forward to stop a chubby young man and planted himself in front of him.
"Squad Leader Connie... I..." Luo Ang seemed shy, but he still wanted to step forward.
"You have a newborn sister at home, don't you? Your mother's the only one left to look after her, and you still want to go? You ungrateful son!"
"Squad Leader Connie, but aren't you also... uh..." Luo Ang lowered his head, then gathered his courage and looked up at Connie.
Connie's face was already streaming with tears and snot.
"Mom! I'm sorry! I'm sacrificing myself to protect Ragako Village!" Snot ran into Connie's mouth.
Watching the crying Connie from a distance, Sasha felt terrible. She desperately wanted to volunteer, but she was still searching for signs of enemy ambushes and couldn't make a sound.
Watching his seniors accept a mission that meant certain death, Dennis was deeply moved. Swept up completely in the spirit of