Another Ackerman - Ayanokoji x Snk

After a few seconds, I opened my eyes. Blood—both mine and the titan's—covered my face, slowly evaporating into the air.

Beneath me was Mina, her gaze distant and hollow, probably overwhelmed by the situation.

Staggering, I stood up and, with a hoarse voice, shook her slightly by the shoulder. "Can you move?"

She blinked several times, trying to regain control of herself. "N-no, I don't think so... I can't move my legs," she murmured weakly.

For a moment, it seemed like she was contemplating asking me to leave her there. However, tears welled up in her eyes, overflowing uncontrollably. Her words were caught in her throat, replaced by sobs.

I sighed and crouched down in front of her, offering my back. "If you can't hold yourself up..." I left the sentence unfinished, confident she understood the implication.

Understanding my words, she trembled before wrapping her arms around my neck.

Without wasting any more time, I propelled myself at maximum speed, zigzagging between buildings and avoiding the remaining titans. I kept the corner of my eye fixed on the old titan who had devoured Eren.

Armin, several meters ahead, remained frozen, hands on his head, eyes brimming with tears.

As I moved forward, I made no effort to hide the mutilated remains of our comrades, deliberately ensuring Mina saw them. After all, I'd already done her a favor: with her injuries, she'd be discharged from service sooner or later.

Upon reaching a nearby rooftop, I set Mina down against a wall. Before she could react, I knocked her out with a precise blow to the back of her neck.

Then I approached Armin, who was still trapped in his despairing trance. Placing a hand on his shoulder, I spoke in a low voice.

"Where's Eren?"

The boy visibly trembled, but his gaze remained lost and empty.

"It was your fault, wasn't it?" I spoke without any hint of compassion. "They devoured him."

"You're alive because he gave his life for you. Because he had courage when you froze, right?"

His body started convulsing, and his eyes filled with absolute despair.

"Why are you so cruel...?"

"Say what you want," my voice turned even more monotone, "but if you really want to stop being the reason others die, you need to fight to the end. Push through everything and carry only what truly matters."

"Your life is no longer your own, Armin. From this moment on, belongs to someone else."

I left him alone with his thoughts as I returned to Mina.

After a quick assessment, I confirmed what I already suspected: damage to her spine, a broken left leg, and several fractured ribs.

Finally, I sat down beside her, closing my eyes as the metallic stench of evaporating blood saturated the air.

"Armin!"

I heard Connie's shout as he approached rapidly, trying to snap Armin out of his trance.

"Armin!" he shouted again, filled with frustration.

Simultaneously, a brown-haired girl shook my shoulder.

"Hey! Are you okay?" asked Ymir.

"Yeah... no major damage, but I don't have enough gas to carry two paralyzed people back..." I lied without changing my expression.

Ymir nodded, understanding. "What happened to your gear?"

"I'm not sure... I got disoriented after killing a titan. When I saved Mina, I crashed into something. I barely managed to bring us here. Maybe Armin knows something."

Meanwhile, Connie was interrogating Armin with the same question.

"What happened, Armin?" he demanded.

But before he could get an answer, Armin began screaming in anguish, clutching his head.

"AAAAAAARGH!"

"Armin!" Connie tried to calm him down.

"Damn it, damn it, damn it! I'm totally useless! Just die already!"

"Hey, calm down, Armin! What happened...?"

Ymir interrupted, seemingly grasping the situation.

"It doesn't matter anymore, Connie. These are the only ones left alive."

"Shut up! Armin hasn't said anything yet!" Connie shouted furiously.

"Look around, birdbrain," Ymir scoffed impatiently. "We can't waste any more time."

"Why are they the only ones left?"

"I don't know, maybe they were mistaken for corpses. Who knows. Too bad for them, running into so many titans at once. But I'm not going to tip my hat to Eren and the rest just for dying uselessly."

Connie lost control. "You damn bitch!" He advanced, ready to hit her. "How about I make sure you never open your mouth again?!"

"Enough, both of you!" Christa shouted, stepping between them. She had finished bandaging Mina.

"That's my Christa!" Ymir exclaimed, hugging her. "When this operation's over, let's get married!"

At such stupidity, I placed a hand on my already bandaged forehead and stood up, keeping my face lowered and covered by my hair.

Connie, ignoring the spectacle, tried to help Armin up.

"Can you stand?" he offered a hand.

"Sorry for being a burden... I'll join the rear guard," Armin said, turning his back to them.

"Armin!"

I stopped Connie by placing a hand on his shoulder while carrying Mina. "I have to drop her off at the rear guard. Thanks for the help... goodbye."

At a moderate pace, I advanced by leaping from rooftop to rooftop, always keeping Armin a few meters ahead.

Then, just as I had anticipated, he slowly collapsed to his knees, sobbing uncontrollably.

From a nearby rooftop, invisible to him, I watched silently.

In front of him, Hannah knelt beside her boyfriend Franz, her trembling hands repeatedly pressing on his chest as tears streamed down her face.

"Hannah...?" Armin stammered.

"Armin!" she exclaimed, without stopping her desperate attempts at resuscitation. "Help me! Franz isn't breathing!"

Armin hesitated, horrified.

"Hannah..."

"I've tried so many times I lost count! But still..."

"Hannah... it's dangerous. Let's go back to the rooftops."

"I can't leave Franz! I have to save him!"

"You don't understand... Franz... Franz is..."

Armin's voice faded into a whisper.

Hannah continued pressing Franz's chest, unable to accept the truth.

"Stop it... Enough..." Armin closed his eyes, his voice breaking. "I can't take it anymore... I just can't..."

----

The landscape was desolate: the supply building crushed under the grotesque bodies of Titans, who peeked through shattered windows, furiously tearing apart anyone within reach. The screams of agony still echoed.

I had taken a moment to switch my gas tubes with Mina's. Mine, still usable, had been hidden in case things got complicated. Enough to escape beyond the walls.

I left Mina in a relatively safe corner, covering her with my jacket. Her life was no longer in my hands — now it depended entirely on her.

The rest of the recruits were scattered, some lying on the ground, others with their heads in their hands. Despair had overtaken them. I approached those arguing about their next move.

"We're doing nothing..." Jean sat at the edge of the roof, his voice bitter. "The retreat signal sounded, but here we are, out of gas, unable to climb the wall. We're all going to die..."

Contempt boiled in his tone. "I get losing the will to fight, but..." Jean pounded the ground in frustration. "Calling off the supply mission and leaving us stranded out here while they lock themselves inside HQ... that's just wrong."

Connie stood up abruptly, rage evident in every muscle of his body.

"Exactly!" he shouted, pointing toward the horizon. "We have no choice. Either we fight tooth and nail, or we stay here and die like them."

I ignored him and walked away from the conversation. It wasn't worth debating without a clear plan. I made my way to where Armin was leaning against a wall, with Sasha trying to persuade him to help her.

"Armin!" she shouted. "Help me convince them!" I placed a hand on his shoulder.

"Forget it. He's useless in this state."

"Kiyo..." his voice broke as he finally showed the fear he had been trying to contain. "What can we do?"

I shook my head, calm. "For now, nothing. Acting recklessly would only make things worse," I said before sighing. "I'm sure someone important will show up soon."

As if my words were a prophecy, a familiar voice cut through the air.

"Kiyotaka!"

I felt a sudden tug, followed by hands frantically checking my body. She quickly noticed the bandage on my forehead and asked, "What's this? What happened? Does it hurt?"

Maintaining my indifferent expression, I replied calmly, "Nee-san... it's nothing."

Her face relaxed with relief as she hugged me tightly.

"I'm so glad..."

I patted her back.

"Nee-san, not here... Besides, there's someone else who needs your help."

She blushed slightly before regaining her usual seriousness. As she scanned the area, her eyes landed on Armin.

"Armin!" she exclaimed, kneeling in front of him. "Are you hurt? Is everything okay? Is Eren here?"

Armin lifted his face, tears glistening on his cheeks.

"From Squad 34... Thomas Wagner... Samuel Schmidt... Mylius Zeramusky... Eren Jaeger... They fell in the line of duty."

Silence fell upon us like a heavy slab. Each recruit processed the news in their own way. Everyone was struck by the reality that someone like Eren, with his unyielding determination, had fallen.

"I'm sorry, Mikasa," Armin murmured, guilt-ridden. "He sacrificed himself for me."

Aware of Mikasa's reaction, I adjusted my gear and positioned myself at the edge of the building.

"Armin... calm down. This isn't the time or place to lose control."

Mikasa firmly lifted him by the shoulders.

"Come on, stand up."

Standing beside me, she turned to Marco.

"If we kill the Titans surrounding HQ, can the others resupply with gas and climb the wall?"

"Uh... yeah, that's right," he stammered. "But even with you two... there are too many."

"We can do it," Mikasa declared, raising her sword to the sky. "We're strong, extraordinarily strong! Much more than you! Together, we can kill every single one of those disgusting Titans."

She looked at them one by one, her words filled with disdain.

"You're all just a bunch of incompetent cowards without guts."

Her gaze met mine. I nodded slightly. She had learned something from me, after all.

"Hey! What are you talking about?" protested one of the soldiers. "It's impossible for you to do it alone!"

I spoke then, without even looking at them.

"Then your cowardice will be responsible for everyone's death. You'll have to bear a slow and pointless death because of your own incompetence."

I glanced at them sideways.

"And if we win, you'll be nothing but filthy trash that waited here doing nothing."

"There's no way to win... unless you try," Mikasa added, ready for combat.

Jean, surprisingly, stepped forward.

"I don't think letting comrades fight alone is part of our training! We all go, or we're just cowards!"

Reiner and his squad joined us.

"Didn't see that coming..." he said with a sheepish smile.

"Boo, cowards!" shouted Sasha mockingly, adding her energy to the formation.

"Freaks..." muttered another soldier, unsheathing his sword.

"Damn it... let's go get them!"

"ROAAAAAAA!"

The unanimous roar of the soldiers echoed loudly as we launched ourselves into the attack, moving across the rooftops at high speed until the first Titan came into range.

Mikasa cut it down with ease, but I soon noticed it: it wasn't skill but an excessive use of gas.

Predictable.

Finally, her equipment ran empty, and she began to fall. Without hesitation, I dove after her, catching her mid-air in a princess hold. I landed on a nearby roof.

"Idiot... I knew you'd do something stupid, that's why I supported your attack idea... fool."

... After a few seconds of silence,

Tears slid down her face.

"Why...? Why is this world so cruel?" She clung to my chest.

"I'm so tired... everyone always dies around me. It's my fault... it has to be."

"The world isn't cruel; it simply doesn't care."

She trembled slightly, but I continued.

"If you think everyone dies because of you, then do something about it. Cry afterward if you survive. But right now..." I paused briefly.

"There's only one thing that matters: keep moving."

Her eyes met mine, searching for something to hold on to.

"Besides... I'm still here, aren't I? No one is closer to you than I am."

My tone became barely perceptibly softer.

"And I'm still alive."

She took a deep breath, the trembling in her hands slowly fading.

At that moment, two Titans approached — one of outstanding size with long hair and striking green eyes, and another smaller one with a more generic appearance. They closed in quickly from both sides, making Mikasa shudder, though I showed no interest.

So that's what you look like...

Eren Jaeger.

At that moment, the larger Titan connected a powerful punch to the face of the other, then mounted it, relentlessly pummeling it without mercy.

This is...

THE WRATH OF HUMANITY.