Mercy

"You know it's true, right? That Annie is the Female Titan."

- Mikasa reminds Eren of their discovery

Mercy (慈悲) is the 2nd chapter of the 8th volume and the 32nd chapter overall of the Attack on Titan manga, written and illustrated by Hajime Isayama.

Overview
After Annie reveals her true identity, Armin fires a signal for hidden soldiers to immobilize her. However, she manages to wound herself with her ring and trigger a transformation, killing those restraining her. Eren, Mikasa and Armin are then trapped under the tunnel where they planned to lead and capture her, fearing that Annie will crush them if they go outside. After a little debate, Eren attempts to transform but is unable to once again. He remembers the details of Armin, Erwin and other soldiers creating this plan and theorizing that Annie was the Female Titan. However, Mikasa tells him that he must not hesitate and to remember what she has done. Because Eren is still unable to transform, Mikasa and Armin split up and exit the tunnel from both entrances, even though Eren pleaded for them to reconsider. Eren then realizes just how cruel the world is and is able to pull himself together. He then transforms into his Titan and lands a strike on the Female Titan right away.

Summary
With Annie's secret out, Armin fires off a signal flare to tell the hiding surrounding soldiers to restrain her. They manage to grab her but fail to restrain her properly before she flicks her ring, revealing a spike and then allows her to slash her thumb and transform. Mikasa, noticing the ring, grabs Armin and Eren and pulls them to safety down the stairs. As they round the corner, Annie explodes into her Titan form and sends the mangled bodies of her would-be captors flying down the stairs.

Reacting quickly, Mikasa pulls her friends further into the tunnel as the Titan arm of Annie reaches in trying to grab them. Starting to second guess his plan, Armin begins to lose confidence. Mikasa reminds him of the situation and gets him to focus on what they should do next. Agreeing, Armin tells them to follow through with plan B and to meet the next group in the tunnel to get it underway. As they approach the Team 3, they barely manage to give the order when Annie stomps through the street above and into the tunnel, crushing Team 3 underfoot. Armin, seeing the risk Annie took with collapsing the tunnel, realizes her desperation to capture Eren. They then realized that they are trapped. If they move forward, Annie will see them through the hole she created and if they stay still, she could stomp down again and kill them. With no other choice, Eren decides to transform to protect them as he did when blocking the cannon shell. He grabs his hand and bites down, but nothing happens. Armin tells him to focus on his goal, but it is no use. Mikasa wonders if Eren doubts that it is actually Annie and reminds him of all of their comrades that she killed.

Eren thinks back to a couple of days earlier in the aftermath of the failed expedition. He and Levi sit at a table together and after light conversation, Eren apologizes again for the decision he made. Levi tells him that there was no way they could have predicted that outcome. Soon after, Commander Erwin walks in with Mikasa, Armin and few other soldiers. He tells the two that they know who the Female Titan is and states their plan to capture her. In order to draw her out, they will hand Eren over. Though the plan is risky, it is the only move they have left. Erwin tells Eren that it was Armin who discovered her identity. She was the one who killed the Titans used for research, and she is a member of the 104th Training Corps. The information triggers a memory of fighting her in the Titan Forest and then of hand-to-hand combat training with Annie. He remembers that at that time, she had used her signature kick to land the critical blow that defeated him.

Shocked, Eren can not believe that Armin would accuse Annie. Armin solemnly gives his reasons: she knew what Eren's face looked like, as she was actively looking at people's faces before she killed them, and she reacted to his nickname of "Suicidal Blockhead" a name no one outside of their class would know. He further states that, when everyone's vertical maneuvering equipment was inspected after the Titan specimens were killed, Annie turned in Marco's equipment instead of her own. Levi, seemingly unconvinced, asks for more proof. Mikasa says that their faces look similar, causing Eren to question the decision even more. In the end, Armin says that if they do not act on this information, Eren will just become a sacrifice for the capital. Still in disbelief, Mikasa tells Eren to think back to his fight with her and to note the similarities causing Eren to finally concede.

Still trapped in the tunnel, Armin comes up with a plan. He and Mikasa will both leave the tunnel at the same time and head in different directions. This will cause Annie to have to choose one or the other and give Eren and the other survivor their chance to escape. When Eren asks how they can go through with this, Mikasa replies, "What else can we do? The world is a cruel place,". Eren, worried for his friends as they get in position, agrees with her. Now having the motivation he needs, he bites down on his hand and bursts through the tunnel to the surface. Catching Annie by surprise, he delivers an uppercut that sends her flying through the air.

Trivia

 * Annie's uniform prior to her transformation is consistently drawn with the Survey Corps' logo, rather than the Military Police Brigade's logo.

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Chapitre 32