Attack on Titan: A Blacksmith's Tale

Chapter 40: Full Pursuit

Never in his life had Jean been so determined to complete an objective. Usually, he was just acting out of desperation or fear to get the job done like the time he was a temporary leader in Trost. Now, he was more than ready to dive straight into Hell for the sake of his friends. He was going to make Reiner and Bertholdt pay for the humiliation that was brought upon them, and he was going to bring his real friends home.

He glanced over at Annie, who was riding next to him, and asked, "Got any tips on dealing with these guys?"

"Reiner can't stay in his Titan form for long periods of time like I can. He overheats too quickly," she responded, her voice rising over the sound of the galloping horses. "Reiner's armor is strong, but I should be able to break through it. Just concentrate on Bertholdt and leave him to me."

"Right." He set his eyes on the Forest of Giant Trees. "They won't get away this time."

"Jean, I need you to do me a favor," Annie requested. "Once I get Dillon, I need you to get him out of here and back inside Wall Rose."

He gave her a dumbfounded expression. "Are you kidding me, Annie? With his abilities and your Female Titan, we can take these guys down."

She glared at him. "Do I need to remind you of everything he's gone through in the last 24 hours? He's going to be more of a hindrance than an asset by this point. I can't focus on keeping him alive and keeping the other Shifters at bay."

"Why pick me?" Jean asked.

"Because I know you'll get him home whatever it takes. You may be a prick, but I trust you with Dillon's life more than anyone else," she said with complete sincerity.

Jean was in disbelief, but he quickly swallowed it, steeling himself. "I won't let either of you down."

"Thank you," she replied, sounding relieved. "Knock him out if you have to. Knowing him, Dillon's not going to want to leave me behind."

"Just make sure you do get back to him, okay?" Jean replied. "He needs a break from suffering for a while."

"I couldn't agree more."

On the right wing, red flares were shot into the sky as a couple of Titans began charging towards them. Erwin, however, commanded them to stay the course and merge with the center wing. If anyone got picked off, there would be nothing they could for them. The only thing that mattered was getting Eren, Ymir, and Dillon out of there.

"Mikasa," Hannes yelled as said Ackerman was riding faster than her group. "Hey, Mikasa. Hello?"

She snapped out of her hyper-focused state and looked back, slowing down a little.

"Stop pushing so hard," he rebuked. "You're drifting up into the vanguard. You wanna break the whole formation? Look, I know how you feel, but what did I tell you? Eren's not gonna let those assholes get the best of him without a fight. Agreed?"

Mikasa pursed her lips and gave a single nod.

"Kid just doesn't have it in him to give up," Hannes added. "All we gotta do is have a little faith he'll hold his own until the rest of us get there. Always has, always will."

Close to the vanguard, Erwin with two Scouts flanking him watched as several red flares pierced the skies to the right, signaling that the Titans were beginning to converge onto the Scout Regiment. Still, the plan was to keep moving forward and that's what they were going to do. He fired off a green flare to signal a directional change. Unfortunately, he was taken aback when he saw four red flares directly in front of him.

"The hell?" Erwin asked.

"Commander Erwin, we're surrounded," the Scout on his right exclaimed.

"There is a way around," the Scout on his left point out. "Should we head towards it?"