Clash of the Titans arc

Clash of the Titans Arc is the fifth story arc of the Attack on Titan series. Suddenly, a group of Titans appears inside the wall, signalizing a possible breach of Wall Rose. The members of the 104th Trainees Squad find themselves in a bloody fight against those mysterious Titans, however, unbeknownst to them, there is a danger lurking within the group, one that Eren Yeager and others will have to face in a decisive battle.

Summary
Hange and Mikasa inspect the damage caused by the Female Titan's rampage in Stohess district. As Mikasa inspects the Walls, she sees a Titan looking out from within the Wall. Pastor Nick quickly orders the head to be covered and not to be exposed to sunlight. Hange realizes that Nick had known about the Titans within the Walls all along. She threatens to drop him off the edge if he does not say more, but Nick was defiant, ready to die for his faith. Later, as he watches refugees flooding the town, he has some change of heart. While he does not betray his faith, he tells the Survey Corps about a girl under a false name from a family that has ties to the Wall Cult, and that she could tell them information. Eren and the others realize that he is talking about Krista Lenz.

Arc du choc des TitansAs Erwin concludes his inquiry with the Stohess officials, a messenger bursts into the room with the news that Wall Rose has been apparently breached, and that Titans are pouring in. Soldiers disperse to assist in evacuations and locate the source of the breach. Meanwhile, some members of the former 104th Trainees Squad and Ymir have been stripped of their gear and are being kept in an isolated part of Wall Rose on suspicion of being an accomplice to Annie Leonhart. They do not know the reason they are being kept this way, however, and are only forced to regroup when the news of the breach reaches them. Their superiors, including Nanaba and Mike, are killed by the first horde that approaches them. Mike, however, becomes separated initially and encounters the Beast Titan, who is surprisingly able to speak. The Beast Titan questions Mike about his 3DMG, and seems to be aware of his weakness, referring to it as being "within [our] necks". Mike, however, is either too shocked or horrified to respond, to which the Beast Titan orders some of his Titans to kill Mike. As Mike dies screaming as he is ripped apart, he helplessly begs for mercy. This surprises the Beast Titan somewhat, but he then walks away from the bloodbath.

The surviving recruits, including Reiner, Bertolt, Connie, Sasha, Ymir, and Krista flee with their surviving superiors, while Sasha hears that her native Dauper Village is possibly under siege. She immediately separates from the group and travels to her village. She enters the first house she sees and sees a 5 meter class Titan eating a dying woman's leg. A small child is cowering nearby; Sasha shields the child and savagely attacks the Titan with an axe at its nape, but the wound is not deep enough. This, however, delays the monster, and Sasha and the child flee on foot. Sasha manages to make the child run for help, and then takes up a bow and some spare arrows she had found earlier, and manages to fend off the Titan. She then flees, not stopping until she encounters her father and some other villagers, who had found the child she had helped.

Meanwhile, Reiner, Bertolt, Connie, Ymir and Krista arrive at Ragako Village, Connie's native town. There, Connie sees no sign of the villagers, although all the horses are in the stables. The houses, however, appear as if every single one had experienced an explosion that occured from the inside. When Connie reaches his house, he sees an immobile, 7 meter Titan who looks vaguely like his mother. While they are leaving, this Titan speaks to Connie, saying broken words like "Welcome back". Surprised, Connie states this to Reiner, but he and Ymir incredulously shrug it off, confusing Connie. The small group continues moving as night falls, and decide to take refuge in Castle Utgard. The hours pass by, and as Ymir looks for food, she encounters Reiner, and they two briefly converse about the current situation. Ymir is able to read foreign words off of a tin can accurately in the dark, which leads Reiner to think that Ymir knows more than she is letting on. However, they are suddenly attacked by a Titan horde that can be surprisingly active at night. The castle starts to crumble, with the recruits almost defenseless without their 3DMG. Reiner saves Connie from an attack and is wounded in the process, while the last superior officer is torn apart while reaching for a sip of alcohol as his last act. As dawn approaches, Ymir makes Krista promise to go back using her real name, and then jumps off the edge, wounding herself in midair. Instantly, she transforms into a 7 meter Titan, and starts ripping other Titans to pieces. Everyone reacts in extreme shock, especially Reiner and Bertolt, who remember in horror the Titan that ate their friend Marcel five years ago. They now realize that Ymir is the same Titan. Ymir starts to tire, and she emerges from her Titan form, but everyone is saved in the nick of time by the arrival of Hange's squad, along with Eren and Mikasa. Eren manages to kill a Titan with his 3DMG, his first kill as a Survey Corps scout. Ymir fades into unconsciousness, but not before Krista reveals her real name: Historia.

As they head back to the Walls, Reiner starts to act strangely. He states he wants to talk to Eren, and confesses to Eren under pressure that he is the Armored Titan and that Bertolt is the Colossal Titan. He goes on to state that Eren must come with them to their homeland, promising to never touch Walls again if Eren consents. Bertolt reacts surprised, asking if Reiner is okay in the head, and Eren is also surprised. However, Eren and the others have already been debriefed by Hange about their suspicions about Reiner and Bertolt, so he plays it off as Reiner being simply tired. Reiner states he does not know whether what he is doing is right or wrong, but that he will fulfill his duty as a warrior. He gets ready to fight Eren, but Mikasa intervenes in a flash, and seriously wounds Reiner and Bertolt. She moves to finish Bertolt, but Reiner throws her off the edge at the last moment, and the bloodied duo transform into their respective Titan forms. Bertolt starts wreaking havoc on the top, eating an unconscious Ymir and another soldier, while Reiner catches Eren, who calls the pair "fucking traitors" and is able to transform into his own Titan form.

As Eren and Reiner fight, Hange and her squad attempts to eliminate the Colossal Titan, but a massive cloud of scalding steam from the behemoth forces all the soldiers back. Instead, Hange orders an assault on the Armored Titan in an attempt to aid Eren. Mikasa goes for Reiner's neck, but finds to her alarm that his nape is also protected by rock hard skin. She aims for the back of the knees instead, and the armor finally starts to weaken. Eren seizes the chance and starts to tear off each successive piece of armor with insane fury. Reiner desperately screams in his Titan form, at which Bertolt throws his Colossal form off of the Wall and body slamming Reiner and Eren, causing a massive explosion which wounds scores of soldiers. In the moments where the troops are temporarily blinded, Reiner and Bertolt (who was carrying Ymir and the other soldier's 3DMG) escape with Eren, and flee towards Wall Maria.

The wounded soldiers regroup atop Wall Rose. Mikasa openly cries at how Eren always runs off on his own and gets into trouble. Hannes and Armin both comfort her, saying that although Eren is reckless, he has inspired many people in the military, and has kept the spirit of humanity alive through his actions. This helps the other gain new confidence that they will be able to locate Eren and Ymir. Hange, who is wounded, manages to deduce that the traitors may have taken temporary shelter in the Forest of Giant Trees.

Meanwhile, and sure enough, Reiner and Bertolt have stopped for the night in the Forest of Giant Trees, with Ymir and Eren both healing from injuries. Reiner states that there is no hope for humanity in the Walls, enraging Eren, who screams that the two gave up being human, that they are mass murderers, and promises to make their deaths as excruciating as possible. Ymir intervenes, saying that if Reiner and Bertolt die, Eren will have made a serious mistake. Eren demands that Ymir tell him everything she knows, but before she can say anything, Reiner states that their goal is to look for something called the "Coordinate", and he thinks Eren might be in possession of the power. He asks Eren and Ymir to join their side. Eren furiously refuses, but Ymir, thinking only about Krista (about whom Reiner offers assurances) joins them, and refuses to answer Eren's queries. Bertolt states that no one will understand their predicament except each other, and he never wants to come back to human lands, and Reiner agrees. However, he teases Bertolt to confess his feelings for Annie when they get back, making Bertolt blush and offer a weak prostest. However, they are cut short by signal flares in the sky, indicating that soldiers have followed them. Reiner attempts to get Eren, but Eren violently resists, trying to punch Reiner with the stumps of his arms.

The group flees on, with Reiner and Ymir transforming. Ymir seeks out Krista and kidnaps her when she comes into sight. Bertolt, who has tied the unconscious Eren to his back, hangs onto Reiner while Reiner charges through a horde of Titans. The Garrison, Survey Corps, and the Military Police have all banded together to assist in Eren's rescue. The former top 10 of the 104th confront Reiner and Bertolt over their betrayal, causing Bertolt to emotionally break down, stating that he truly considered them friends, and that not everything was false. He still refuses to give Eren back, saying that someone has to stain their hands with blood. Before anyone can respond, Hannes shouts a warning that Erwin Smith is luring a Titan horde straight towards the Armored Titan. Meanwhile, Ymir emerges from her Titan form and confesses to Krista that she is using Krista so she can be saved. Krista surprisingly states with a smile that she will always be on Ymir's side. Just then Armin arrives and taunts Bertolt and Reiner, stating that Annie has been captured, and lies and says that she is being tortured. This shocks Reiner and enrages Bertolt, who declares that he will kill everyone; Erwin seizes the chance and frees Eren from Bertolt, and immediately orders a full retreat. Just then, the Armored Titan begins to throw Titans to block the soldiers' escape, causing mass hysteria. Eren and Mikasa fall to the ground only to get up and face the same Smiling Titan that devoured Eren's mother 5 years ago.

Just then, Hannes springs onto the Smiling Titan, stating that he has been waiting for this moment, and that this time he will destroy the Titan and avenge Eren's mother. However, it is useless, as Hannes is suddenly caught by the Titan. The children he once saved are forced to watch as he is devoured by the same Titan. Eren screams with insanity and screams that nothing has changed, and that he is useless as ever. Mikasa, however, states that what he said isn't true. As their comrades around them desperately fight, flee or die, she leans closer to Eren, and blushes, thanking him for being with her, for teaching her how to live, and for wrapping the red scarf around her. This shocks Eren, and Mikasa starts to cry tears of joy. As she moves closer (most likely to kiss him), Eren moves away, and stands up. He tells Mikasa that will wrap the scarf as many times as he needs to. As the Smiling Titan reaches for him, Eren screams and punches the Titan with all his might. Suddenly, the Coordinate power manifests, and a massive horde of Titans fling themselves at the Smiling Titan, ripping it to shreds in seconds. Reiner, Bertolt and Ymir sense the Coordinate and react with shock and horror, with Reiner thinking that the worst person to have the power is Eren. He starts charging towards Eren, who, using his newfound power, screams at the pair to stay away, threatening to kill them. The horde reacts to Eren's words, and charge at Reiner and Bertolt. Ymir starts to flee with the other soldiers, but upon hearing Bertolt screaming, offers an apology to Krista, gently stroking her hair. She then runs back towards the carnage, fending off a Titan about to snatch Bertolt. The Shifters continue fighting, and after a while, manage to make it to the ruins of Shiganshina District. Unhurt but deeply shaken by the two day ordeal, they sit atop the wall, wondering about their next move. Bertolt struggles to hold back tears of gratitude, while Reiner, quiet and thinking, attempts to persuade Ymir to save herself. She refuses, and offers herself as a prisoner, as they cannot go back empty handed. She states that she wants to atone for her crime, which is probably eating Marcel. Thinking of Krista, she smiles and states that playing Goddess isn't so bad.