The wall had been breached again.
As the residents of Trost District realized what had happened, they began fleeing toward the inner gate in terror. They had never expected the Colossal Titan to appear again, much less breach Trost District's gate this time.
"Run! The Titans are coming again!"
"It's over! Humanity is finished!"
"Is Wall Rose going to fall too?!"
Fear and despair spread through the crowd.
"How could this happen..." Christa watched the unfolding events in horror.
Mikasa and Ymir looked equally shaken.
"Quick, report to headquarters and get ready to fight," Arthur said to the three girls, immediately regaining his composure.
"Right," all three answered.
They used their Omni-Directional Mobility Gear to fly toward headquarters, helping evacuate fleeing residents along the way.
After a long, winding journey, the four finally reached headquarters.
The atmosphere there was tense.
Almost all the cadets of the 104th Training Corps had gathered there.
Arthur breathed a sigh of relief when he saw Eren, Armin, Sasha, and the others safe and sound.
After all, the Colossal Titan had appeared near where Eren and the others had been.
"Eren, are you all right?" Arthur asked with concern.
"I'm fine, but that bastard suddenly disappeared." Eren explained how the Colossal Titan had vanished into thin air while he was fighting him.
"Into thin air?" Arthur was startled. He had never imagined something so enormous could suddenly vanish without a trace. How was that possible?
No matter how hard Arthur thought about it, he couldn't figure it out.
But he had no time to dwell on it now.
Bad news had arrived.
"What?! The advance force was wiped out?!" Kitz Weilman, the highest-ranking officer present, blanched at the news delivered by the panicked soldier before him.
He had never expected the advance force to be destroyed so quickly. They hadn't bought even a little time, and more than half the residents still hadn't evacuated.
He was already overwhelmed and had no idea what to do.
Forcing himself to calm down, he gathered all the soldiers.
"Soldiers! The Titans have invaded again! If we lose Wall Rose as well, humanity will face annihilation! For the king, for humanity, dedicate your hearts!" Kitz shouted.
"Dedicate your hearts!" Everyone raised their hands in salute.
"Good! Humanity's future rests on you. I will now assign your missions!" Kitz continued.
He then took out a list and began assigning their roles in the operation.
Unexpectedly, Arthur and Mikasa, who had ranked first and second, were assigned to evacuation work in the rear, while Eren, Armin, Christa, and the others were placed in the vanguard and middle guard to intercept the Titans.
"Sir, we're strong fighters. We want to fight the Titans too!" Arthur told Kitz.
"Shut up! That's an order, soldier! Do your assigned duty!" Kitz shouted in a tone that brooked no argument. He hadn't expected Arthur to be so ungrateful and fail to recognize his good intentions. He was trying to save Arthur from being eaten by a Titan and prevent such talent from going to waste.
"Sir!" Arthur tried again to request a posting on the front line, but Kitz ignored him entirely.
"You!" Veins bulged on Arthur's forehead as his anger surged.
If Mikasa and Christa hadn't held him back, he would have beaten Kitz senseless. The man didn't deserve to be called an officer.
"Don't worry, Arthur! We'll definitely come back safe." Christa reassured him, brimming with confidence.
"Relax, Arthur. I'll lead my squad and wipe those Titans out." Eren was equally confident. He was already imagining himself slaughtering enemies left and right.
"All right. Promise me you won't act recklessly or try to do more than you can handle. If there's really no other choice, retreat. Mikasa and I will come find you as soon as we finish organizing the evacuation," Arthur urged.
"Right." Both nodded.
"Armin, make sure you keep an eye on Eren. Don't let this idiot throw his life away," Arthur told Armin. After all, Armin was the only one who could rein Eren in.
"Okay, Arthur. I understand." Armin nodded in agreement.
"Mom should be all right, shouldn't she?" Eren asked, worried about Carla.
"Aunt Carla should be with Instructor Keith. I'm sure he'll get her safely behind the inner wall." Since Carla was at the Training Corps, Arthur figured she should be safe and wasn't too worried.
"That's good. Well, Arthur, Mikasa, we're off! See you on the battlefield!" Eren said goodbye to Arthur and Mikasa, then pulled Armin along to leave.
"Eren, remember this! You're leading a squad now. Don't let your emotions get the better of you! Keep your comrades in mind, and don't let them sacrifice themselves for nothing. Think before you act, no matter what you're doing. Don't forget!" Arthur shouted after him.
"Got it!" Eren smiled back and waved.
"Arthur, we need to leave too." Seeing that her squad was ready to go, Christa also said her goodbyes.
"Right. Christa, make sure you stay close to Ymir. Be careful, understand?" Arthur repeatedly cautioned the girl he had been intimate with.
"Yes. You too, Arthur." Christa nodded obediently.
"Mikasa, make sure you protect Arthur," Christa said, turning to Mikasa beside him.
"Huh? Yes, I will." A faint blush appeared on Mikasa's face as she nodded, then added, "Christa, make sure you come back safe."
"I will. I'm off, then." Seeing her teammates and Ymir calling for her, Christa waved goodbye to the two, hurried back to her squad, and left with them.
"Mikasa, let's get moving too. The sooner we finish our mission, the sooner we can find Eren and the others," Arthur said.
Mikasa nodded, and the two used their Omni-Directional Mobility Gear to fly swiftly toward the inner gate.
Along the way, they found fleeing residents and escorted them to the inner gate.