Crushing Blow

Hammer is the third chapter in the seventh volume and the 29th chapter overall.

Summary
After witnessing his teammates in Rivaille's Squad die at the hands of the female titan, Eren assumes his titan form and goes on the attack. Landing directly on top of her, Eren pins her to the ground and attempts to deliver a massive blow to her face. The effort works against him when she quickly moves her head causing Eren to break his arm from the impact. Unaffected, he draws back with his other arm to strike her, only for it to happen again, this time breaking his hand. Staring down at her, he starts to blame himself for the deaths of his friends and the other scouts. However, even after thinking things would have been different if he had changed earlier, he ultimately blames her. Full of anger at this realization, Eren gets inches from her face and lets out a roar that is heard througout the forest. Each in a different area, both Rivaille and Mikasa know immediately that it's Eren and head in the direction of the sound.

Seizing the opportunity, the female titan wrestles her way from under Eren and kicks him in the stoamch, sending him crashing into a tree. Instantly recovering, Eren gets to his feet and directs an uppercut at her head, barely missing her. Without any wasted movement, he uses the momentum to draw back for a left hook. She throws herself out of the way, while the force sends Eren tumbling in the opposite direction. Eren regains his footing first and is on top of the female titan before she realizes it. She is hardly on her feet before Eren starts throwing a series of punches. Although managing to dodge the flurry, he keeps her off balance and unable to counter. After she gains a little distance between them, she is finally able to set Eren up for an attack of her own. Both swinging at each other, she impacts his jaw with enough force to tear it off. Undeterred, Eren uses the opening to uppercut her in the stomach, hurling her into the air, then crashing into a tree some distance away. As she sits there dazed, Eren lunges toward her with a flying knee. Barely making it out of the way in time, Eren ends up hitting the tree instead.

They both stare at each other for a brief second before the female titan swings an open hand, taking Eren's head off at the base of the skull and the tree behind it. Eren's body slumps over helplessly at the tree as the female titan walks over. Opening her mouth wide, she bites Eren at the nape of the neck, tearing open the skin and revealing Eren's human body. Mikasa arrives just as the female titan is about to take him into her mouth. Seeing this, she calls out to him but to no avail. She gets up, wipes her mouth and walks away, leaving Mikasa in despair.