Victors

"Please...be quiet...why...won't any of you...just let me...die in peace...?"

- Reiner bitterly stands to his feet

Victors (勝者) is the 2nd chapter of the 26th volume and the 104th chapter overall of the Attack on Titan manga, written and illustrated by Hajime Isayama.

Overview
Armin Arlert emerges from the nape of the Colossus Titan, watching the destruction he just caused on the harbor, and thinking that this is the same scene Bertolt witnessed 9 years before. Jean tries to finish off the Cart Titan with a Thunder Spear, but he is hit by a burst of steam launched by the Titan and misses his aim. After an unconscious Pieck emerges from the Titan, the Survey Corps try to attack her, but they are repelled by Magath and Marleyan soldiers, allowing Falco and Gabi to escape with Pieck.

Eren and Mikasa have difficulty battling Galliard due to his Jaw Titan's speed, while Gabi and Falco take refuge inside a building, while commenting on Pieck's injuries and discussing Reiner's status. They then see an airship approaching, commanded by Hange Zoë, which is coming to rescue the Corps. Galliard attempts to attack the ship but Mikasa ambushes him and slashes his legs, an opportunity which is taken by Eren who dismembers the Titan and uses its jaws to break Lara Tybur's crystal and ingest her fluids. As he tries to eat the Jaw Titan too, Reiner is awakened by Gabi and Falco's screams, and appears as an un-armored Titan. Eren quickly knocks him down but Reiner manages to rescue Galliard. Eren comes out of the Attack Titan and flees towards the airship along with Mikasa, but they are pursued by Gabi who is determined to kill Eren, as Jean orders the Corps to kill all enemies below.

Summary
The Colossus Titan walks through the destruction it caused on the harbor, and Armin Arlert then emerges from its nape. As he prepares to leave the Titan's body with his anti-personnel vertical maneuvering equipment, he comments that this must be the same scene Bertolt witnessed during the Fall of Wall Maria.

Jean Kirstein continues his attack on the fallen body of the Cart Titan despite Falco's pleas to stop; however, just as he shoots a Thunder Spear at the Titan in order to finish it off, he is hit by a burst of steam released from the Titan's wound, and the Thunder Spear hits the ground instead. Jean wonders whether it was the steam which made him shift its aim or if he truly missed.

A severely injured Pieck emerges from the Cart Titan into Falco's arms, and is witnessed by the Survey Corps coming off the roof of the building, who quickly surge into the attack. However, they are repelled by Theo Magath and Marleyan soldiers, and Jean orders his comrades to maintain the distance while Magath commands Gabi to help Falco. As Marley's army continues fighting the Corps, Magath covers Falco and Gabi who escape carrying Pieck.

Infuriated by the seeming demise of Zeke and Pieck, Galliard's Jaw Titan charges against Eren's Attack Titan, evading an ambush by Mikasa in the process. Eren punches him in the face but Galliard stops the punch by biting Eren's hand and crushing it. He attacks Eren's face with his claws, ripping out one of his eyes, and Eren stops a second attack by using Lara Tybur's crystal as a shield. Eren notices surprised that the Jaw Titan's claws were able to scratch the crystal, and Mikasa attempts a new ambush but Galliard swiftly escapes again, with Mikasa commenting on his speed and how he almost seems like a different Titan from Ymir's.

Taking refuge inside a building, Falco and Gabi watch astonished the state Pieck has been left in. Falco observes that her injuries are so serious that her body is not repairing itself fast enough, and Gabi adds that the Cart Titan is not as tough as some of the others, including the Armored Titan. Gabi asks Falco about Reiner, and Falco responds that he does not know, as he was below the building behind the stage during Eren's attack, and he thinks that they should not disturb him. Gabi is shocked at Falco's words, reminding him that Udo, Zofia and many others have been killed by Eren.

Gabi then notices something out of the window, and she, as well as Magath, Galliard and other soldiers are surprised to see an airship coming to Liberio; with Jean and Connie relieved to see it arriving on time. The airship is piloted by Onyankopon, a new ally under the command of Hange Zoë, following the path directed by the lights set earlier by the Survey Corps, and is carrying Armin and other soldiers. Hange talks about Armin's plan of entering Liberio by using the low-level airspace, moving alongside the lights to collect their troops; a very dangerous mission as everyone has only one chance to board the ship, and the ship can also be shot down. Hange questions whether Armin is possessed by Erwin's ghost to come up with such a risky idea, but Armin replies that he wishes this was the case if that could give them strength; but at that moment, if they are unable to retrieve everyone and Eren, they will have no future.

Galliard deduces that the Corps plans to use the airship to escape and goes to attack it, but Mikasa was already awaiting him to do so and ambushes him as he jumps, slashing his legs and making him lose his balance and fall to the ground. Eren takes the opportunity to grab him by the hair with one hand as he removes the Titan's arms with the other; he then puts Lara Tybur's crystal inside the Jaw Titan's mouth and presses his jaws, using them as a nutcracker to break the crystal and crush the human inside, drinking her fluids as a shocked Galliard is unable to do anything to stop him.

Gabi and Falco witness this scene in horror, and even more, when Eren attempts to bite through the Jaw Titan's nape in order to inherit his powers as well. After Eren pummels Galliard to the ground and incapacitates him, the children desperately yell for Reiner to save him.

Below the ruins of the building, Reiner hears their screams and mutters for them to stop and let him be in peace. As the screams continue, he finally surfaces as the Armored Titan, but without any suitable armor. He heads towards Eren but is punched and knocked down by him, although he manages to take Galliard away. Eren emerges from his Titan's body and remarks that they are done. Mikasa tells Eren that they should go home as Reiner attempts to stand up. She grabs Eren and they leave using her vertical maneuvering equipment. Eren watches Reiner fall down again and bids him farewell.

Deciding that she will not let them run away, Gabi takes a rifle and runs out of the building, claiming that she will kill Eren, and the rest of the Survey Corps, as Jean orders the soldiers following the ship to not let anyone attack the ship and to use all their remaining firepower to retaliate.

Trivia

 * Hajime Isayama has named the fight between the Attack and Jaw Titans as his favorite scene in the series.
 * Eren's dialogue on the last panel of page 41 and first three panels of page 42 reads as: 「...さすがに 打ち止めだ. 力はもう 残ってねぇ. ライナーは... ...今は 殺せやしない. 」 Due to the nature of the Japanese language, it is ambiguous whether Eren is referring to himself or Reiner being out of strength, as well as who is unable to kill who.  has translated this as "...I think we're done here. He's out of strength. As he is... ...Reiner... ...won't be able to kill us right now."

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