After evacuating all the civilians, Arthur and Mikasa raced toward the front lines.
Along the way, they saw countless brutal, bloody scenes. The Titans' assault had already inflicted heavy casualties.
In that brief stretch alone, they saw many dead soldiers and wounded survivors fleeing in defeat.
Worried sick about Christa and Eren, Arthur gritted his teeth and shouted to Mikasa beside him.
"Mikasa, pick up the pace! We need to find Eren quickly. Things are looking really bad."
"All right." Mikasa nodded.
They increased their gas output and sped toward the area where Eren and the others had been assigned.
Arthur slew every Titan blocking their path. Not to be outdone, Mikasa used her superb skills, exceptional composure, and physical prowess to take down several towering Titans on her own.
The two fought their way forward.
As they advanced rapidly, a girl's voice rang out.
"Arthur!"
Hearing that familiar voice, Arthur looked back and spotted Christa. Ymir was beside her, and both girls were standing on a rooftop, waving at them.
"Christa!" Arthur was pleasantly surprised. He had been worrying about her all this time, and seeing her safe at last brought a sigh of relief.
"Mikasa, come on. Let's meet up with Christa and Ymir first," Arthur said. Mikasa nodded, and they used their Omni-Directional Mobility Gear to fly toward the girls.
The moment they landed on the rooftop, Christa rushed into Arthur's arms and hugged him tightly.
Mikasa's expression instantly turned cold. Ymir stared at Arthur with envy, jealousy, and resentment, her gaze fierce enough to cut him into a thousand pieces.
"Christa, are you all right...?" Feeling awkward under the two girls' stares, Arthur quickly changed the subject and asked after Christa, who was still in his arms.
"I'm all right... but our squadmates were all... the Titans..." Christa trembled as she struggled to hold back her tears.
"..." Arthur knew that her squadmates' deaths had terrified Christa, as had the Titans themselves. He gently patted her back to comfort her.
"Are you two the only ones left in your squad?" Arthur looked up and asked Ymir.
"Yes. Just Christa and me." Ymir nodded, then recounted what had happened.
Once Arthur understood the situation, his head began to ache. He had never expected the front lines to collapse because Headquarters had fallen, leaving supplies unable to reach the soldiers.
Without blades or gas, the soldiers were lambs awaiting slaughter, helpless against the Titans. Their comrades' deaths had also broken the resolve of those with weaker nerves, leaving them terrified and afraid to fight.
That was a major reason the Titans had broken through the front lines so quickly.
"Christa, have you seen Eren and Armin?" Mikasa asked, seeking news of them.
"No. We barely have any gas left. We only just happened to spot you." Having steadied herself, Christa pulled away from Arthur's embrace and shook her head.
"I see... I hope those two boys, Eren and Armin, are all right." Arthur once again worried about the two, whose fate remained unknown.
"There's no time to waste. Let's get moving. Once we find Eren and Armin, we'll organize a withdrawal. Fighting Titans without any supplies is like walking straight into a tiger's jaws. Before that, we have to retake Headquarters."
Arthur stood up and transferred some of his gas to Christa, making sure she had enough to fly.
Mikasa also gave some of her gas to Ymir. Fortunately, she and Arthur had started out far behind the front lines, where they could replenish their gas in time, so both still had plenty.
"Christa, stay close to me," Arthur told her before they set off, knowing she was the weakest fighter among them.
"Okay." Christa knew this was no time to push herself beyond her limits, so she nodded.
The four used their Omni-Directional Mobility Gear to advance again, anchoring themselves to the buildings.
Soon, they spotted a group of soldiers gathered on a rooftop not far ahead. There were several familiar faces among them.
Reiner, Bertolt, Jean, Connie, Sasha, Annie, and Marco were there, among others, but Eren and Armin were nowhere to be seen.
Arthur felt a sense of foreboding.
The four quickly approached the group.
As soon as they landed, everyone crowded around them.
"It's Arthur! Arthur's still alive!"
"Mikasa's here too! Thank goodness! Maybe we really can break through."
Seeing Arthur, the top-ranked cadet, and Mikasa, who had ranked second, both safe and sound lifted the soldiers' spirits. Some of them knew very well how strong those two were.
They had been sinking into despair. With their supplies all but exhausted, they had been ready to give up.
"Arthur, Mikasa, Christa, Ymir! Thank goodness you're all safe!" Sasha cried happily.
"Yes. Arthur and Mikasa rescued us on the way," Christa replied.
"That's great! With you joining us, we have a much better chance of breaking through!" Marco, standing nearby, seemed to have found hope as well.
But Arthur had no time to worry about breaking through. All he cared about now was whether Eren and Armin were safe.
"Have you seen Eren and Armin?" Arthur asked the group.
At the mention of Eren and Armin, everyone froze, then turned to look in the same direction.
Arthur followed their gazes and saw Armin hugging his knees, his face buried between them. Connie and Jean were beside him, trying to talk to him.
As soon as they spotted Armin, Arthur and Mikasa hurried over.
Arthur had already guessed what had happened, but he did not want to admit it, nor did he dare to.
"Arthur! Mikasa!" Jean and Connie, who had been trying to get through to Armin, lit up at the sight of Arthur and called out their names.
Hearing their names finally drew a response from Armin. He raised his head and looked at them, but his face was utterly blank, like a walking corpse.