The first volley landed successfully.
On the commander's order, the artillery crews began recalibrating their firing arcs.
Inside the command headquarters, the officers tensely weighed their next move.
Step one had been simple: fire a probing barrage as a feint, lure the "Titan power" inside the Walls into responding, and then concentrate fire to wipe it out.
But it seemed to have failed. They waited and waited, yet Roger never transformed into any Titan at all to meet them.
Had he really gotten scared? the commanders whispered among themselves.
"Don't rush. Keep watching. Once you've corrected the shell trajectories, take a short rest," the commander-in-chief said. "But don't let your guard down. Assume the enemy could strike at any moment, and be ready to return fire immediately."
"Yes!" the other commanders answered.
"Marley told us that even when they airdropped Titans into the Walls, they still couldn't completely eliminate that troublesome bastard Roger," one commander added. "So we need to be careful—careful, and then even more careful. Even with the strongest firepower the world can muster, we can't act rashly. If they don't leave the city, we do not initiate a direct assault. Otherwise we might walk straight into their trap."
"Then what are we supposed to do?" someone asked.
"Wait. Once all shells are fully loaded, we fire another rapid salvo until we force everyone inside the Walls out into the open. And remember—under no circumstances do we hit the Wall itself! If the Wall is damaged, we could disturb the inner 'human wall' made of Titans. If they're exposed to sunlight, they might awaken. And if that happens… there will be countless Colossal Titans waiting for us to deal with."
"Understood!"
The commanders acknowledged the order.
Next, they instructed their men to load more shells, preparing for the second shot, the second wave of attack.
After a brief pause, the commander-in-chief gave the order, and every artillery battery immediately began bombarding the interior of the Walls.
At the outermost perimeter, Wall Maria—the farthest Wall—had already been completely overrun. The people of the Maria district had been blasted into scattered ruin, with no news of any survivors.
The thunder of shells stunned everyone inside the Walls. From the outer Wall inward, the news spread in an instant.
The government convened an emergency meeting, trying to decide how to handle the situation.
But no matter how they turned it over, they couldn't find a solution. They were trapped inside the city. If the enemy was willing to pay any price and keep bombarding without restraint, sooner or later everyone inside would be blown to pieces.
And when that happened… everything would be over.
"Are we just going to sit here and wait to die?!" an official shouted, furious.
"Of course not," the President said. "We've already dispatched our most elite forces from the Survey Corps and the Military Police in an organized reconnaissance beyond the Walls. Once we locate their positions, we strike back immediately!"
Hearing that, everyone nodded.
Meanwhile, at the very front line, the Survey Corps, the Scorpion Corps, and elite Military Police units had already used their ODM gear to reach the gate.
Mounting their warhorses, they prepared to charge out and fight the enemy to the death.
But the horses had never heard anything as terrifying as artillery fire before. They panicked, balking and refusing to advance, unwilling to burst through the gate.
And if the horses wouldn't move, then no matter how brave the riders were, their combat strength would still be cut dramatically.
Hange saw the situation clearly. Pride didn't matter anymore. She immediately told Levi and Nelly, "Then we'll do it your way. Bring your leader here. Ask him to fight for us!"
With the captains of the Survey Corps and the Military Police finally relenting, Levi and Nelly exchanged a look, nodded, and sprinted toward the prison where Roger was being held.
They fought their way through the chaos. Shells struck in terrifyingly close places—more than once they nearly got blown apart—but their luck held. Aside from being dusted with ash, they weren't seriously hurt as they reached the prison entrance.
By then, the prison was completely empty. Not a single guard remained, and it seemed the inmates had been released.
In a disaster like this, whoever could run, ran. Whoever could live, lived.
Even so, they still found Roger in a familiar cell, lying motionless on the bed.
It was as if he hadn't heard the explosions outside at all—no reaction, nothing—just peacefully sleeping.
Levi opened the cell door and stood beside him.
"Now is when you move. If you still won't, everyone inside the Walls is going to be dead soon."
"Oh? Is that so?"
At that, Roger finally sat up. When he saw that Levi and Nelly only had minor injuries, he let out a quiet breath of relief.
Scratching at the side of his nose, he stood and walked to the washstand, calmly arranging his hair.
Like a noble maid obsessively preserving her appearance, Roger combed his hair strand by strand, braided it neatly, then took a razor to shave his beard, even trimming his eyebrows—methodical, unhurried.
As if the war outside had nothing to do with him.
"There's no time, boss! If you don't go now…" Nelly said anxiously.
Roger stepped to the window and looked out at the scene beyond.
Yes. It was hell.
And yet he still didn't intend to go.
"Wait a little longer. This isn't the moment."
"What the hell are you waiting for?" Levi snapped, impatience sharp in his voice. He couldn't understand why, even now, Roger still refused to lower himself.
"Are they getting on your nerves?" Levi asked.
"No," Roger said. "I'm just waiting for a moment."
"What moment?"
"A moment that lets me go out."
Nelly and Levi stared at each other.
They felt like they understood—and like they didn't.
But at that point, there was nothing left to ask. They backed away, intending to report this to Hange and let her decide what to do.
Then, before they'd gone far, the shelling outside suddenly stopped.
Another round was over. The enemy had entered a new loading interval.
And in that gap, people began crawling out from the rubble, supporting each other as they struggled to stand.
Without being told, they all turned to look in the same direction.
That direction was the direction of their hope.
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