Before the Royal Government arc, Attack on Titan had been, in the eyes of many, little more than an excellent action anime about humans fighting monsters.
An exceptional anime, certainly, but still simple in its premise.
It was only with the beginning of the Royal Government arc that the true scale of its world started to emerge. Eren recovered fragments of his memories of devouring his own father, long-held certainties began to collapse, and now, with the operation to retake Wall Maria underway, the story was growing more intense with every passing episode.
Throughout the latter half of the third episode and into the fourth, the audience finally came to understand the true nature of Erwin's dream.
He wanted to uncover the truth.
He wanted to know what had happened in the history of their world, why so many things had been hidden, and what reality lay beyond the lies that had sustained society within the walls.
And yet, when the basement of Eren's home - and the truth Erwin had pursued his entire life - was finally within reach, he made his choice.
For the sake of victory, he abandoned the dream that had carried him this far.
He abandoned the truth.
And he chose to sacrifice his own life, turning himself into bait to create Levi's one and only chance to launch a surprise attack.
For the entire week, that part of the story remained lodged in the minds of Attack on Titan fans around the world. As the days passed, the scene only seemed to grow heavier, slowly transforming into a legend within anime culture itself.
The way the series explored the idea of freedom had long since gone beyond the superficiality of empty slogans.
It was different from so many other anime in which the protagonist shouted things like, "This is what I want to do!" or, "This is my dream!" while the audience watched without ever truly connecting with those ambitions.
Here, things were different.
Ever since the previous episodes, viewers had begun asking themselves what kind of freedom Eren was really pursuing.
There was Erwin's ideal.
The desires of Reiner and Bertholdt.
The choices made by every character.
The contradictions of people who fought, betrayed, killed, and sacrificed themselves for what they believed in.
The audience could genuinely feel the weight of the hardships each of them endured.
In just one week, Attack on Titan's rating in Japan had climbed to an astonishing 9.8.
Overseas, countless entertainment outlets had also turned their attention toward the series, promoting the anime with even greater enthusiasm than before.
It had been an especially difficult week for Attack on Titan fans across the world.
Erwin was dead.
This time, there seemed to be no room left for doubt.
Even so, no one would forget that he had sacrificed his own life to create, with his blood and the blood of his soldiers, the one opportunity Levi needed to reach the Beast Titan.
And then, that day finally arrived.
From five in the afternoon onward, Southern Alliance Television's ratings began to rise steadily.
Online, terms related to Attack on Titan occupied five of the top ten positions among the most searched topics on NatsuYume.
As though that were not enough, the Blu-rays for the latest part of Attack on Titan had already surpassed four hundred thousand copies sold worldwide during their first week of release.
Anyone in the Japanese animation industry with even the slightest instinct for market trends could already tell.
That night, Attack on Titan was about to explode.
The previous week's episode had nearly broken through a 7% television rating.
And this week...
Expectations across the entire industry were even higher.
"I can't wait to see Levi massacre that Beast Titan."
"Don't get too excited. I don't think the Beast Titan will be completely helpless once Levi gets close. Didn't Annie, in her Female Titan form, manage to fight Levi for a while? Maybe the Beast Titan only looks like a giant monkey that throws rocks, but he could secretly be an expert in close combat!"
"Come on. Anyone who's ever written a novel or manga knows how unlikely that is. If the Beast Titan's long-range attacks are already this absurd and he can still fight Levi evenly in close combat, then the character would simply be too perfect."
"Levi is furious. And so am I! I don't care what happens. Kantoku Sora had better make sure that monkey gets absolutely destroyed in this episode!"
"I still haven't accepted Erwin's death. I always thought someone as charismatic as him couldn't possibly die that easily... but I guess that's exactly what happened."
"It's tragic, sure, but at least his death had meaning. Erwin died for a reason. The audience suffers, but they can understand it. What I can't stand are anime that kill characters for no purpose at all. Nagisa Furukawa in Clannad is the most obvious example. Her death was completely absurd. If she hadn't come back later, Clannad would have ruined everything."
"I'm still hoping for some kind of twist in this episode. Maybe Erwin isn't really dead. Otherwise... it's just too hard to accept."
From the middle of the afternoon until early evening, new discussions about Attack on Titan continued appearing across the forums.
Time passed.
Before long, it was seven thirty in the evening.
The moment she finished work, Rui stepped off the subway and practically ran home. The first thing she did after entering was turn on the television, terrified that she might miss even a single second of the new Attack on Titan episode.
While waiting, she took the opportunity to search for more information online.
"Come to think of it... the official website said the second half of Attack on Titan Season Three will have ten episodes."
Rui's eyes quickly moved across the screen.
"And they also confirmed there'll be a final season after Season Three ends..."
She paused.
Then she realized something.
"Wait... doesn't that mean the final season of Attack on Titan and Battle of the Two Cities will air during the same season?"
The mere thought was enough to make Rui, who had followed Sora's work for four years, instantly excited.
For the next twenty minutes, she remained in the fan group, eagerly discussing the possibility with the other members.
Then, at last, the clock struck eight.
The fifth episode of the second half of Attack on Titan Season Three officially began.
The opening appeared on the screen.
The same classic song.
Powerful. Intense. The kind of music that made the blood race before the story had even truly begun.
Then the episode continued exactly where the previous one had ended.
Erwin led the remaining members of the Survey Corps in a suicidal charge beyond the wall, advancing directly toward the Beast Titan.
As they rode, the soldiers fired signal flares into the sky without pause, filling the battlefield with thick clouds of smoke in an attempt to disrupt the enemy's vision.
From above, the man controlling the Beast Titan watched the destruction caused by his own hands.
There was almost something resembling pity in his expression.
But no true emotion.
On the ground, another rain of stones came crashing down upon the soldiers.
Bodies were torn apart.
Blood and flesh scattered through the air.
It was horrifying.
Cruel.
And, at the same time, almost disturbingly beautiful.
[I'll turn every last one of you into beautiful chunks of meat!]
The moment Rui heard those words coming from the Beast Titan, a chill ran through her entire body.
Right.
That bastard really was awful.
A genuine villain.
And someone who absolutely deserved everything that was about to happen to him.
Levi...
Don't let us down!
Attack on Titan possessed an almost frightening ability to manipulate its audience's emotions.
The fifth episode had barely begun, and Rui was already furious.
One after another, the members of the Survey Corps rode toward the front line.
The fear of death was written plainly across every face.
They all knew they were going to die.
Every one of them wanted to run.
But no one retreated.
They screamed in despair and continued charging forward.
Rui realized she was holding her breath.
She had spent the entire week trying to prepare herself emotionally. She had tried to accept what had happened in the previous episode.
But now, watching it all unfold again, watching those soldiers ride knowingly toward their deaths, the pain felt even worse.
So...
This was war.
At that exact moment, the Beast Titan suddenly realized that something was wrong.
The mindless Titans positioned around him as protection were falling.
One after another.
While all of his attention had been focused on massacring the Survey Corps, something had slipped through his defenses.
Rui's eyes instantly lit up.
"Levi! Finish him!"
Within the area covered by the green smoke of the signal flares, a steel hook shot forward and buried itself deep in the muscle of the Beast Titan's arm.
Rui's eyes widened.
A silhouette emerged from the smoke.
Levi's face was covered in Titan blood.
His expression was savage.
The killing intent in his eyes was so intense that it almost seemed tangible.
In the next instant, he appeared directly before the Beast Titan.
[Huh?!]
The enormous ape let out a furious roar.
Its long, massive arm came crashing down, trying to crush Levi.
And then it began.
The famous scene that, in Sora's previous life, would have been known by nearly every anime and manga fan.
Levi's legendary massacre of the Beast Titan.
No one in the Japanese animation industry of this world had ever seen anything like it.
Now, for the first time, the scene appeared before the eyes of millions of viewers.
Levi moved.
His figure spiraled around the Beast Titan's enormous arm like a dragon twisting through the air.
Blades tore through flesh.
Once.
Twice.
Dozens of times.
All in less than half a second.
Before the Beast Titan could even understand what had happened, one of his arms had already been completely shredded.
Blood exploded into the air.
Yet the viewers sitting before their televisions felt no horror.
They felt ecstasy.
The Beast Titan twisted around and reached for Levi with his remaining arm as the captain flew past behind him.
Too late.
Levi dodged.
In a single movement, he closed in on the giant's face.
His blades flashed.
The Beast Titan's eyes were destroyed.
Blinded.
And Levi still wasn't finished.
Without losing momentum, his body plunged toward the enemy's legs.
A brutal sound of tearing flesh echoed across the battlefield.
The tendons were severed.
The enormous Beast Titan lost its balance and crashed violently to the ground.
Its nape was exposed.
Levi moved.
His blade tore through the flesh.
In the next instant, he ripped a blond, bearded, middle-aged man out from inside the Titan.
The entire sequence had lasted less than five seconds.
Rui was frozen.
She simply couldn't react.
That...
What the hell had she just watched?!
Had Levi's movements always been that smooth?
Had he always been that unbelievably incredible?!
The Beast Titan...
Had really been defeated just like that?!
That easily?!
Across Japan, countless viewers were in exactly the same state as Rui.
Stunned.
Everyone had believed Levi would win.
Some had imagined a victory achieved only after a brutal battle.
Others had expected an evenly matched fight in which both sides would suffer terrible injuries.
But no one...
Absolutely no one...
Had imagined that Levi would simply massacre the Beast Titan in his very first attack.
So that was it.
That was what Captain Levi looked like when he went monkey hunting.
He was that absurd.