"We can't retreat! We have to hold our ground. At the very least, we have to live up to the bloody fight Chen Si and the other soldiers are putting up!" Ian said through clenched teeth.
"But what's the point of killing a hundred Titans? If the breach isn't sealed, Titans will just keep coming endlessly! Eventually we'll be surrounded from all sides. No matter how strong Chen Si is, how many can he hold back by himself? Sooner or later we'll all die here!" Rico replied, acknowledging Chen Si's strength but arguing from reality.
"Eren, you idiot!"
Suddenly, a blood-soaked figure rushed toward them, trailing long streams of steam and crackling arcs of electricity behind him.
"Did he just take a bath in Titan blood?" Mitabi said in astonishment.
"What is he trying to do?" one member of the elite squad asked as Chen Si walked straight toward Eren.
Chen Si jumped onto Eren's face. In the center of his palm, a thick mass of energy gathered.
"This slap is on behalf of Aunt Carla. It won't be too hard."
As soon as he finished speaking, he swung his hand across Eren's face.
The blow twisted Eren's head ninety degrees to the side, leaving a scorched mark on his face.
Eren opened his fierce green eyes and glared at Chen Si.
"Oh? Still acting tough, huh?"
"This slap is for my Mikasa!"
The energy in Chen Si's palm suddenly flared even brighter. He swung again, slapping Eren so hard that his entire face was smashed into the ground.
The earth exploded apart with a thunderous crash.
However, Chen Si controlled his strength carefully. He only intended to cause superficial injuries. Intelligent Titans were much tougher than mindless ones—if it had been a pure Titan, that slap would have blown its head apart.
"Chen Si? Is that you talking?"
Eren looked toward Chen Si outside the window as he punched toward him.
"What nonsense are you talking about, Eren? I've been right in front of you the whole time."
Chen Si smiled calmly while holding a teacup.
"Mikasa? Mom? Why are you hitting me for them?"
Eren hugged his blanket and glanced at Mikasa and Carla, who were washing dishes together nearby, before slowly closing his eyes.
"Brother!"
Mikasa quickly flew over to Chen Si using her ODM gear. She took out a handkerchief and wiped the blood from Chen Si's face.
After hearing his domineering words earlier, her heart felt sweet, and a faint blush appeared on her cheeks.
"Brother, why did you hit him so hard? You should've gone a little lighter. What if you broke him?" Mikasa said while glancing at Eren lying on the ground.
"Ahem… alright, I'll be gentler next time," Chen Si replied awkwardly.
For some reason, what Mikasa said sounded a little strange.
The blood covering Chen Si slowly began to evaporate. To conserve electricity, he simply let the Titan blood evaporate naturally.
Seeing the two standing together like that, Eren's green eyes gradually cleared.
But he still didn't stand up.
"Brother, I think you knocked him back to his senses!" Mikasa said happily when she saw that Eren had begun to rise without attacking them.
Chen Si looked at Eren's limbs and frowned.
"Strange… he's awake, but why haven't his limbs regenerated yet?"
He thought about it for a moment but couldn't figure it out.
I remember in the original story that once Eren woke up, his limbs recovered. Maybe he woke up too quickly before they finished regenerating?
"Maybe Eren is just too tired. Let him rest for a while," Mikasa said worriedly.
Chen Si wanted to say that Titans wouldn't get tired from something like this, but since he couldn't explain it either, he simply looked at Eren's eyes again.
Hmm?
Why were they closed again?
Did he knock himself out after hitting himself so hard?
"Everyone listen to my command! No matter what happens, we cannot abandon Eren Yeager!" Ian ordered immediately. "Rico squad, deal with the 12-meter Titan!"
"Ian! He just stood up—he hasn't actually…" Rico began to protest.
"We absolutely cannot abandon any soldier! And he's humanity's most precious hope. From here on out, we will do everything we can to protect him!" Ian said firmly.
"All for that useless so-called 'human weapon'? In this single battle alone we've already lost hundreds of people! Are we supposed to recover him just to repeat this meaningless death over and over again?!" Rico shouted angrily.
"Yes! That's right!" Ian answered without hesitation.
"No matter how many people die, we must keep challenging, keep trying—even if you die or I die! Do you understand?!"
Rico and Mitabi stared at Ian in disbelief.
"Ian, are you serious? Have you lost your mind?!" Rico yelled.
"Then tell me, Rico! Aside from this, what other way is there to lead humanity to victory? What other way is there to reclaim our land?!" Ian shouted back.
"If we refuse to abandon our humanity, refuse to sacrifice lives, yet still want to defeat the Titans' overwhelming power—tell me, how do we do it?!"
Rico narrowed her eyes but said nothing.
"Don't worry. Eren will wake up. He probably just needs a little time to recover."
Chen Si and Mikasa landed in front of Ian and the others.
"Really? That's great," Ian said, visibly relieved. He trusted Chen Si's judgment.
Rico turned and began to walk away.
"Hey! Rico!" Ian called after her.
"I think you're right," Rico said without turning around.
"Let's show those monsters the terror of humanity's last desperate struggle. I'll follow your orders—for now. At the very least, I refuse to just sit here and die."
"That 12-meter Titan is mine."
"Hey! If you make it back alive, I'll introduce you to a boyfriend!" Chen Si shouted, waving.
"Get lost!" Rico shot back as she launched away with her ODM gear.
Hmph. No appreciation for kindness, Chen Si thought to himself.
"These two Titans are yours. Mikasa, help them. I'll handle the Titan horde in the distance," Chen Si said to the group.
"Be careful," Mikasa told him.
Chen Si smiled softly at her.
"I'll listen to Mikasa."
"Thank you," Ian said with a nod.
"I'm a soldier," Chen Si replied seriously.
After Trout's death, Chen Si was no longer the same person who viewed war like a game.
Ian was briefly stunned before saluting him.
Chen Si returned the salute and launched into the air with his ODM gear.
"Alright then, Ackerman. Let's go. The faster we deal with these Titans, the sooner we can support your lover," Ian said as he drew his blades.
"He… is family," Mikasa said quietly, lowering her head as her cheeks turned red.
"Is that so? The way you look at him doesn't seem like how a sister looks at her brother," Ian said as he flew away with his ODM gear.
He didn't see the faint steam rising from Mikasa's blushing face.