Thunder Spears

"Thunder Spears"

Erwin, he's gonna climb up.

All troops! Avoid clashing with the Armored Titan!

Stay away from him!

Roger!

Hange, why didn't he signal to attack? What's he thinking?

He's watching the enemy's movements.

Because Reiner and friends prepared some sort of grand welcome for us.

That quadruped type is carrying luggage on its saddle.

It wasn't one of those that just transformed.

In which case, is that the enemy's scout?

If it took notice of our approach and informed Reiner, that must mean...

That quadruped type down there is an Intelligent Titan.

No, there might even be others.

That Titan... has luggage?

What could it be?

They're moving! Multiple two- to three-meters approaching!

It's just like the raid at Utgard Castle...

They'll go after the horses first.

Their primary objective is to capture Eren, but...

To achieve that, they'll take away our only escape option.

With Wall Maria still being deep in Titan territory, we have no means to get back without horses.

Just by killing our horses, it completely blocks our escape and severs our supply line.

Whether it takes one week or a month, they can simply wait until there's nobody who can move.

Without any of the risks of battle, they can waltz in and take Eren once he's too weak to resist.

Right now, the fact that all those larger Titans are staying in formation is proof that their only purpose is to cage us in.

Commander! The Armored Titan is close!

And we still don't know where Bertholdt is!

Yeah, I know.

At this point, what I fear most...

...is that Reiner and Bertholdt slaughter our horses unchecked.

Therefore...

Are you finally ready to say something?

I could've had breakfast during the wait.

Dirk Squad and Marlene Squad!

Protect the horses at the gate with Klaus Squad!

Levi Squad and Hange Squad! Take down the Armored Titan!

Employ the Thunder Spears at your own discretion!

Achieve your objectives whatever it takes!

This moment! This battle!

The survival of humanity depends on it!

Once more, for humanity...

...give your hearts!

Yes, sir!

You hear that?! Turn the table on the Titans coming for our horses!

Sir!

Wait! Levi, Armin!

I did say Levi Squad, but I need you to stay, Levi.

To protect the horses and not Eren?

That's right.

And to strike him down when the chance comes.

You're the only one I can entrust to take on the Beast Titan.

Understood.

Since I failed to kill that armored brat earlier, I'll make up for it with the Beast Titan's head.

Armin, I have a plan for the Armored Titan.

Sir.

There are two halves in this battle for humanity's fate.

And one of them... I'm putting on Hange and your shoulders.

There they are... all gathered in one place.

I'll kill the horses and make a break for it.

That's good enough.

No matter how strong Captain Levi is, he's still no match for our War Chief.

That was close...

If I was any slower transferring my consciousness to my body,

I would've died instantly.

How did they even think to look inside the walls?

Armin? Was it you?

No... It doesn't matter.

With this, our long journey is finally coming to an end.

Erwin Smith...

Don't get distracted. I've got to kill the horses first.

Eren!

Why did he show up unprovoked?

They should be painfully aware that he's our main objective.

What are you thinking?

To flee south and escape over the wall?

If he's alone, he could escape as a Titan to Trost without a horse.

And were that to happen, we'd have no reason to stay here and fight.

Even if we did manage to annihilate the Scouts, we can't let someone who mastered hardening in two months back in the walls.

If he learns how to harness the Coordinate's full power, it'll be too late.

No, wait. This is weird...

If he really was escaping, he would've transformed after using ODM gear to scale the wall.

Why would he transform when Shiganshina is surrounded by walls?

I get it!

They're trying to...

...change my target from the horses to Eren!

Not giving me time to think, are we?

Dammit, Commander. And I climbed way up here...

Good! He took the bait!

He wants to use Eren as bait?

Yes, those were Commander Erwin's orders.

He'd resort to using Eren as bait just to protect the horses?

You're kidding... And what if Reiner chooses to kill the horses anyways?

No, he should chase Eren.

If Reiner does go after the horses, Eren will keep going and wrap around behind the Beast Titan.

With Levi, the Scouts, and Eren, they can pincer and fight the Beast Titan.

Erwin must have said that, right?

Yes.

Even if it doesn't go as planned, by having Eren flee like that, it'll confuse the enemy enough to break their ranks.

It all depends if Reiner can see that far ahead.

Knowing him, I bet that he will.

All right! We'll take on the Armored Titan in Shiganshina!

Hold on!

There's one more thing I'm worried about.

Bertholdt is still in hiding somewhere.

The last time they fought, Eren had Reiner on the verge of defeat, but...

...Bertholdt's attack caught him off guard and he ended up their captive.

It's a simple counter-strategy, but let's fight away from the walls.

It might've been a fluke, but...

I've beaten you once already.

I had it in the bag.

One-on-one, I can win.

When it comes to hand-to-hand combat, Annie was a tougher opponent by far!

Do you have any idea... where we're standing right now?!

This is the place...

...where I...

...where we...

...once called home!

I'm taking it back.

I'll slaughter you all...

...and take back what you stole!

All of it!

Recruits! Move the remaining horses west!

Protect the recruits with Dirk Squad!

Where, Marlo?!

Huh?

Where do we tie the horses?!

W-We were told not to put them all in one place.

Not here. Farther.

Three-to four-meters coming from the east!

That's... a Titan?

Captain Levi!

Now's our chance! Hurry!

Clean up the small ones already!

Do it before the Beast Titan moves!

And no casualties! Don't you dare die!

Sir!

sh1t, this is pathetic.

The weak ones die so fast.

Should've kept 'em up there.

Struggling with three- to four-meter Titans...

Casualties all over the place...

The Scouts aren't nearly as strong as they once were.

However, without all those sacrifices, we never would have made it this far.

When I was a cadet, I told the others about my father's theory which I also believed.

And that once I was a Scout, I would prove it.

But after I joined the Scouts, I stopped talking about it for some reason.

No, that's wrong...

It wasn't some reason. I had realized something.

That only I... was fighting for myself.

That only I... had a dream I wanted to see.

Before I knew it, I was giving people orders and inspiring my comrades.

Saying they should give their hearts to humanity.

Thus, I fooled my comrades...

Fooled myself...

And upon a mountain of their corpses...

...I now stand.

And yet, the basement lingers at the back of my mind.

Even if this plan fails, I might be able to reach the basement before I die...

The basement Grisha Yeager left behind...

The truth of our world...

Those experiments paid off!

These fists are all I need to fight!

By focusing the hardening on one spot, it gets even stronger!

Since his armor's spread across his whole body, I can smash it like thin ice!

Too slow, you big oaf!

sh1t!

Hange!

Not yet! Everything rides on the first attack!

Wait and trust Eren will give us a good opening!

That metal rod is your new weapon?

You could at least call it a spear.

The Corps of Engineers really pulled through for me.

Using technology kept secret by the Interior Police, that is.

I told them, basically, we needed a weapon we could use against the Armored Titan.

Against the Armored Titan?!

Our blades were all but useless against the Armored Titan.

As long as he didn't show an opening in his hardening, all we could do was watch Eren fight the Armored Titan from the sidelines.

It's true... We couldn't stop him taking Eren away even if we wanted to.

Back then, if the Commander hadn't drawn a horde of Titans to him...

Thus far, the only attacks effective against the Armored Titan have been Eren's strangles and locks as a Titan.

Also, we have high hopes for his "hardened punch" from recent experiments.

However, the mission won't succeed with only those as our weapons.

While it's important we plug the wall, more so than that, we must kill Reiner and Bertholdt, who are responsible for destroying the wall.

So you're saying... you want us to stab the Armored Titan with those spears?

It's easier just to show you.

Let's step outside.

It's powerful, as you can see.

It's like a strike of lightning.

Hence the name, "Thunder Spear."

However, is it enough to bring down the Armored Titan?

We won't know until we try.

It's effective against normal Titans, but to deal a blow to the Armored Titan, it'll take a little more work.

sh1t!

I guess biting Eren out of there isn't something I can do by myself.

I've got to resort to that...

Go now!

They're making a move?

I knew they've been gradually surrounding me, but...

What can they even do to me with their blades?

I've got hardened armor covering every inch of my body.

They can't even scratch me!

We did it?

No, not yet...

The Thunder Spears are so destructive, they're dangerous even to those who fire them.

If you anchor to the Titan as if to slash it like normal with your blade, you'll get caught up in the explosion.

Which means the only chance to use Thunder Spears...

...is when the target is surrounded by multiple standing objects.

We can only attack with Thunder Spears in situations exactly like this.

Right here and now, we've got to settle it!

W-We got 'em!

It worked! The armor on his nape is peeling off!

R-Really?

The spears worked!

Do it again!

Attack again with Thunder Spears and finish him off!

Reiner...

You guys!

I thought you were ready if it ever came to this!

Let's do it!

W-Wait!

If something had been said that day, could the future have changed?

For all the lives they carry on their shoulders, they wish for the death of each other.

Next episode: "Descent."