Monster

4. Decision

Out of the population of twelve thousand in Nagoya, only six children were saved, and the rest perished, excluding the Titans, including all the Celestial Defenders, who died by getting crushed under the meteor. One of the reasons so many people died was the absence of elite soldiers, that is, the Titan Regiment. Out of the hundred Titans who had gone to secure a path to Okizaki, returned only fifty.

At the same time, Mahito's mother was shot dead,  the commander of the Titan Regiment spotted Shibatian soldiers flying in the sky.

"Oi, Mizuki! See!" said the Commander, Yoshiko, pointing his finger towards the sky.

"Huh?! Why're those Shibatas flying?!"

"Say commander, this is the first time we see them flying, right?"

"Mhm. Their behaviour is peculiar. Our report and analysis indicate that these mindless beings only react when they see humans and attack us. If they're flying up there, then there's only one explanation: they are being manipulated by an 'intelligent' Shibata, probably Genjiro."

"Amazing, no, Commander?! You calculated so many things just by seeing them flying..."

"Yeah! That's what you would have expected from him!"

"Way to go, Commander!"

"Oi, enough brats! Yoshiko, if what you're saying's correct, then that means..." said Mizuki.

"Mhm, Genjiro is trying to invade, or perhaps, already has! In any case, we must hurry!" 

"Oi, brats! Increase the speed of your horses!"

"Mizuki, you go ahead and tell Ginko to quickly enter in the mountains and go to the royal castle...the king must be fighting as we speak!"

"Sir! But where's he?"

"In the assault squad!"

And so that's how things ended up. 

Only three kids — Mahito, Hanako, and Izumi — survived from the village in the north, while three from the southern one. The villages in the east and west, being the closest to the royal castle, were completely destroyed, and not a single person survived. 

These kids were saved by the Titan Regiment soldiers and were later assembled on the outskirts of Nagoya, where now stood Commander Yoshiko with his fifty soldiers army. 

"Young boys and girls! I'm Yoshiko Ogawa, the commander of the Titans Regiment. As you all now have witnessed the terror of Shibatas, I wonder if any of you feel pity for them, do you?"

"NO! NO ONE WOULD, RATHER SHOULD, FEEL PITY TOWARDS THOSE RASCALS! THEY ARE TRULY DEMONS! THEY MUST PERISH!" 

"YEAH! THEY DESTROYED OUR HOMETOWNS, WE MUST PAY THEM BACK!"

"I understand that you guys hold a lot of hatred towards them. But you know what, currently neither you guys nor us have the strength to defeat them. Even our strongest soldier, Ginko can't defeat Genjiro, their leader. Now, I have a proposal for you all! I'll be straightforward, you can either join us or perish!"

"Huh! What do you mean!"

"Listen, everyone. Today marked humanity's first victory as we secured a path to Okizaki. However, we don't have time to celebrate just yet. Our next move is to the Okizaki District, the last place where humanity survives. The people there are clever and will likely only let us in if we agree to help them by creating powerful soldiers. So, if you're willing to pledge to become powerful soldiers, you can join us and gain entry, inside the fortified Okizaki District. So the decision's yours now! Those of you who're willing to help us shall stay here, rest all step back!"