Previously

"I'll do it," he said quietly.

Then, louder, with all the conviction he could muster:

"I'll do it! I don't know if I can plug the hole or not. But... I'll do it!"

The wind whistled through the breach as if in answer. Far behind them, the 00's eyes glowed softly, the machine standing as a silent guardian above the shattered district.

https://youtu.be/K0HYnG4IgbE

Song: Re:Rise by spira spica

(Yakusoku no kotoba) The camera rapidly pans backward. Y/n is falling backward into a boundless, shimmering blue digital abyss—the world of the Core System—gazing up at a distant, walled horizon.

(Zutto koko ni aru kara) Cut to Shiganshina District. A colossal shadow falls over the town. The hand of the Colossal Titan grips the top of Wall Maria, sending shockwaves through the ground.

(Nando demo te o nobasu nanda) Y/n, amidst the chaos of Chapter 1, fiercely reaches a hand toward a floating holographic interface.

(Boku ga egaku ashita e) The screen flashes blinding white, and the Core Gundam bursts from the light, launching into the sky with its thrusters roaring!

(Instrumental) The Core Gundam flies directly at the camera, drawing its beam saber. As it slashes across the screen, the fiery crimson title appears: Attack On Titan: Core

(Kyou mo sora wo miageteyru) Eren, Mikasa, and Armin are shown standing on a boat during the evacuation, staring back at the falling Wall Maria with expressions of despair and burning vengeance.

(Ano hi kara zutto iro wa aseta mama) A melancholic split-screen transition. On the left, Y/n sits alone in the refugee camps, silently maintaining the miniature armor pieces of the Earthree system. On the right, Eren stares blankly into the distance, consumed by hatred.

(Marude boku no kokoro mitai) Flash-forward to the 104th Training Corps.

(Sagashimono wa mada, mitsukari sou ni nai) Quick cuts show Y/n training alongside Reiner, Bertholdt, and Annie in hand-to-hand combat. Y/n looks skyward, feeling the weight of an alien technology locked inside them.

(Nando mo omoidasu yo, kimi no kotoba tachi wo) Commander Keith Shadis walks down the line of recruits, glaring at them. The camera pans across the faces of Jean, Marco, Sasha, and Connie, all sweating under the pressure, followed by a lingering shot of Eren's determined eyes.

(Egao ni kakushita omoi ni, aa imasara) The Trost District and The Colossal Titan suddenly materializes out of thin air behind the wall, its steam blast blowing the recruits backward. Mikasa leaps forward with his ODM gear engaged.

(Kizuku nante honto, baka da) Pure chaos in Trost. Titans breach the city. Quick, dramatic cuts show the 104th recruits fighting for their lives. Armin cowers in terror as a Titan reaches for him, only for Eren to dive into its maw. Y/n is standing atop a roof, he glowed his eyes. A massive pillar of blue light erupts from the sky.

(Kitto kono sora no moto de) The music explodes into high energy. The Core Gundam: TN Type emerges from the light!

(Boku-ra hitorihitori ga yowasa wo dakaete iru no wa) The Titan Eren (Attack Titan) roars fiercely, punching through a 15-meter Titan, while the Earthree Gundam hovers above, firing its precision beam rifle to blast the heads off approaching Titans.

(Hitori de ikitekanai tame) Mikasa slashes through a Titan's nape in a blur of speed, landing seamlessly on a roof just as the Earthree Gundam flies past her, its thruster wake blowing her scarf in the wind.

(Tsunagari au koto de umareru kiseki) They share a brief, reluctant, trusting nod. The Attack Titan roared and comes after the Titans.

(Hoshi ga oshiete kureta kara) Y/n's Gundam stands guard in front ines, deploying its weapons and firing a massive, continuous beam torrent to vaporize a horde of incoming Titans trying to devour everyone.

(Kono te wo nobashite miyou) Levi and the Survey Corps make their grand entrance, cutting down Titans with effortless precision.

(Mou ichido shinjite miyou) Levi glances up with a sharp, calculating stare at the giant mechanical machine fighting alongside humanity.

(Issho ni egaku ashita wo!) The Attack Titan slams into the gate, and Y/n's Gundam hovers above the wall, eyeing the anomalies incoming to this world.

(Instrumental) The camera pans across the entire 104th Cadet Corps standing together in formation and Y/n standing on top of Wall Rose, looking out into the vast, Titan-infested territory beyond, as the Core Gundam stands tall behind them like a guardian deity.Eren answers Pyxis' question with more dedication

Pyxis smiled faintly. "Well said. You're a real man."

With an easy wave of his hand, he called his staff officers below to assemble and draft the operation plan together.

Armin's eyes went wide. "Huh?! You can't be serious! It was just some half-baked plan I came up with on the spot! We're actually going through with it?!"

Y/n reached out and tapped his shoulder. "That's why we're going to need more to make it full-baked."

"He's right," Eren added. "There's no point if it's just us. Commander Pyxis must be envisioning something we can't see—but Vidar can."

"Something we can't see...?" Armin echoed, uncertainty tightening his voice.

Y/n's gaze drifted toward the horizon. "Also, we think there's a bigger issue that needs to be brought up before the plan can be set in motion. Knowing the Commander, he's already aware of it. Just like I am."

Armin swallowed. "Which would be...?"

Eren's expression hardened. "That the Titans aren't the only enemy we're facing."

Armin gasped, his thoughts spiraling. What could Eren mean by that? Did Vidar know? Did Y/n? And if Y/n knew... where was he now, truly, behind that mask?

Pyxis straightened, the momentary stillness around them broken by his firm tone. "Time is of the essence. We're counting on you, young soldiers."

They all nodded. Below, mutters rose among the gathered troops, and several soldiers turned toward Y/n.

"Wait," one of the Garrison men asked, hesitant. "How is he gonna... you know?"

Y/n scratched his cheek behind the mask, suddenly awkward. "Oh, uh... maybe later."

A few minutes later, murmurings spread like wildfire through the ranks. Rumors of reclaiming Trost rippled from squad to squad.

"An operation to retake Trost?!" someone blurted.

"They can't be serious!" another shouted. "We have no way to plug the hole in the gate!"

"What is the top brass thinking?! Setting foot in Trost now is just a pointless death!"

"Since we can't block the hole, defending Wall Rose's gate is our only real option left!"

"Damn it! They want glory that badly?!"

Daz stared out toward the broken city, his face pale. "Back into that hellhole again...?" he whispered.

Something in him snapped.

He grabbed his head and began to shake, voice rising into an unhinged wail. "No! I don't wanna die! Let me see my family!"

"Hey, Daz! Not so loud!" Marco hissed, trying to calm him.

A nearby soldier turned sharply toward the outburst. "You, there! I heard that! Do you intend to abandon your duty?!"

"Yes, I do!" Daz yelled back. "There's nothing to be had or gained by this pointless act of mass suicide!"

The soldier's hands tightened around his blades. "What do you take humanity for? What do you take the rules for?! It's within my authority to execute you on the spot!"

Daz yanked his own blades free, despair burning in his eyes. "Fine by me... It's a hundred times better than getting eaten by Titans!"

Marco lunged forward, wrapping his arms around Daz from behind. "Stop it now, Daz!"

"Stop! Let go! I refuse to go back to that hellhole!" Daz thrashed in Marco's grip.

The display froze everyone in earshot. Murmurs buzzed through the assembled soldiers like a rising storm.

"Whoa, did you hear that?" Jean muttered.

"Can't say I blame him..." another soldier admitted quietly.

A pair of cadets from the Garrison exchanged a nervous look.

"Hey... do you think any of us will be traitors too?" one asked.

"I wish I could choose how I die..." the other muttered.

"You two!" a soldier snapped, turning on them.

The cadet flinched. "I—I was only joking!"

"Do it," the soldier ordered.

"Huh?" the cadet blinked.

"Make all sorts of noise. As many of you as possible," a Garrison man explained in a low, urgent voice. "Lots of us in the Garrison Regiment are unhappy about this too. I'll use the commotion to slip out."

Jean frowned. "To get out of here and go where?"

The man's eyes softened with stubborn resolve. "To see my daughter. They're gonna break this wall anyway."

High above, Pyxis walked the ramparts alongside Eren and Vidar, the wind teasing at the commander's coat. Below them, the city of Trost churned with fear and motion.

"It is said," Pyxis began, gazing out past the cannons that lined the wall, "that before the Titans ruled the land, humankind consisted of people of different races and creeds, and that they perpetually fought with and killed each other. Supposedly, someone back then said that if a powerful, non-human enemy ever appeared, humanity would likely cease its fighting and come together as one. What is your opinion, young man?"

Eren blinked. He had never heard that story before. "I'd say... it's a pretty laid-back attitude," he answered at last. "It's enough to make me yawn."

Pyxis laughed softly at the blunt reply. "You have a twisted mind, just like me."

"Even now," Eren went on, jaw set, "when a powerful enemy has driven us into a corner, I would hardly say we've 'come together.'" He glanced at Y/n. "And you, Mr. Vidar?"

"For me..." Y/n's voice was thoughtful behind the mask. "If that time comes, they might finally see why understanding is sometimes the key to achieving peace—not force. Machines like mine might be capable of armed intervention and destruction in battles like these, but they might also create something else... something beyond war. However, the rest... is up to humanity."

Pyxis studied him, intrigued. "You're quite a strange man indeed. You are both correct; if we don't get our act together soon, even fighting will be difficult."

They passed the cannons where Hannes was busy checking the turret mechanisms. Grease smeared his hands, his attention fixed on his work—until a familiar voice drifted closer.

He looked up, and his eyes went wide.

"Eren?!" he blurted, then let out a breath of relief. "He's all right..."

Eren met his gaze for a moment, expression flat, then gave the barest gesture for Hannes to stay focused on his work.

"Focus on my work?" Hannes thought, exasperated but oddly fond. "Who does that punk think he is, bossing a superior officer around? Judging from his attitude, Mikasa and Armin must be okay too."

His gaze shifted to Vidar. Unease tugged at him.

"That man..." Hannes thought. "There's something strange, but also familiar about him. Who is that guy with Eren? And why are they at the commander's side?"

Pyxis casually uncorked a bottle and took a swig of alcohol, then extended it to Eren.

"You want?"

"Thank you, sir," Eren said politely, taking the bottle.

The instant the liquid touched his lips, he sputtered and spit it out. Pyxis stared at him with a deadpan expression.

"I told you, Eren," Y/n muttered.

But before Eren could respond, a commotion rose from below—shouts about execution, desertion, and suicide. Y/n's eyes narrowed.

"The sanity of every soldier right now..." he thought. "They're just like her... I hope my comrades down there aren't losing their minds like that guy."

They reached the top of the gate, flags snapping in the wind. Pyxis stepped forward, back straight, and cleared his throat.

"ATTENTION!" his voice boomed across the district.

The chaos below died at once. Soldiers turned, craning their necks to look up at the trio standing high above them: the commander, a boy with steely eyes, and a masked figure in strange gear.

"I will now explain to you the details of the Trost Recovery Operation!" Pyxis announced. "The objective of this operation is to seal the hole in the demolished gate!"

Jaws dropped across the battlements. The rumors were true—they were actually going to try to take back the district from under the Titans' very noses.

"What?" a soldier whispered.

"Seal it? How?" Marco breathed.

"As for how we'll accomplish this," Pyxis went on, "let me start by introducing these fellows." He gestured with an open hand toward Eren. "This is Eren Jaeger, a member of the Cadet Corps."

Eren snapped to attention and saluted.

Shock rippled through the ranks as they recognized him standing beside the commander and Y/n.

"E-Eren?!" Connie stammered.

Mina's voice cracked. "W-What?!"

Jean could only stare.

"He is the successful result of our top-secret Titan transformation experiments!" Pyxis declared. "He is able to fabricate a Titan's body and control it at will!"

Connie gaped. "Uh, the commander isn't making much sense. It's not just because I'm stupid, right?!"

"Just be quiet, you idiot," Ymir muttered.

"And the last one," Pyxis continued, turning his other hand toward Y/n, "is the soldier named Vidar."

Y/n stepped forward and delivered a precise Cadet soldier's salute without needing to put his other arm behind his back. His mask glowed faintly green for a moment.

"No way..." one of the Garrison soldiers whispered.

Reiner stared at him, a memory from the past flickering at the edge of his mind. "So this is the guy who piloted 00, named Vidar..." he thought grimly. "Why bring it up now...?"

"It knows the salute?" Bertholdt murmured, unsettled.

"He has long been proven a soldier who has guarded humanity's front lines," Pyxis proclaimed. "Using the Mechanical Titan known as OO and its armors, he seeks to eradicate conflict and contradictions such as this battle. He has witnessed wars like these destroy his own hometown outside the walls. He can only be viewed as an ally to humanity's front lines. But if he is threatened by our own, he will deem you a scared, cowardly soldier who seeks only to abandon their duty—or worse, a selfish one."

"A young boy..." Franz whispered.

"Using the OO..." Hanna added, eyes wide.

"To eradicate conflict..." Rico finished quietly.

"Did he just say... armors?!" a soldier gasped.

Krista watched silently, thoughts racing. "If the one controlling the OO is Vidar... then who is Vidar?"

Pyxis raised his voice again. "In Titan form, Eren Jaeger will lift that giant boulder near the front gate, carry it to the wrecked gate, and seal the hole! As for you, when Vidar has control over the OO, you must help him. Clear a path for Eren Jaeger to reach the boulder and transform. After that, you are to defend Eren Jaeger alongside Vidar from the Titans while he carries the rock!"

Behind them, Mikasa watched Eren in silence. Nearby, Armin stood with Pyxis's two assistants, hastily organizing the finer points of the strategy.

"There's no need to fight the Titans?" Pyxis's right-hand officer repeated, struggling to keep up.

"I—I'm sorry!" Armin stammered. "I didn't mean to interrupt. I know I'm just a cadet..."

"That's all right," the man said. "Continue."

"Right." Armin steadied himself. "Normally, Titans respond to large groups of people by pursuing them. So if we were to use a large group to lure them to the edge of the wall, I believe we could draw the Titans away from Eren without having to fight—and let Vidar provide cover fire."

He continued, confidence steadily building. "Additionally, once these Titans have been lured away, we could take them out with cannons without incurring any casualties. However, we can't afford to leave Eren defenseless, so a small squad of elites will need to go and protect him. The same goes for Vidar. And there's no avoiding the Titans that come through the hole. The elites will need to be able to handle them—including Vidar, depending on what armor he deploys."

"Very well then," the right-hand officer said. "We'll rethink the plan around that."

Pyxis continued his speech while Armin explained the details to the staff.

"However," Armin admitted softly, "this is all based on the assumption that Eren can pick up the rock and seal the hole—and that Vidar can protect us. I have my doubts about carrying out this plan with so little assurance to go on."

"You're right to have misgivings," the right-hand man replied. "Sending people to their deaths based entirely on one big 'if' is... hard. But I understand Commander Pyxis's assessment too."

"Yes," the left-hand woman agreed. "One of the main issues is time. As we speak, Titans continue to pour into the town. The more crowded it becomes, the worse our chances of successfully retaking it."

"And the chances of them breaking through Wall Rose go up too," the right-hand man added grimly.

"There's one other issue..." the woman said.

Both men turned to her.

"People can only be driven by fear for so long. Just like that crazy man Hallelujah, whom Vidar mentioned, once said. He saw wars where people were driven by fear... and then into madness."

On the ground, the cadets struggled to grasp the enormity of the plan.

"He's going to pick up that humongous rock?!" one yelled.

"Is that really possible...?" another murmured.

"That masked man—can he really control that Titan? Has humankind finally surmounted the Titans?!"

"You're lying!" Daz shouted, voice cracking. "I refuse to give my life for this ridiculous nonsense! What do you take us for?! We're not disposable blades, you know!"

Sasha trembled, hands balled into fists.

"He says they're human weapons!" someone spat.

"He's obviously just lying!"

"Treating us like fools...!"

A Garrison soldier shook his head. "I ain't gonna die here today. I'm out of here!"

Several others began to bolt from the formation.

"This isn't good," Ian muttered.

"Indeed," Rico agreed. "We'll lose all order if we don't do something."

Kitz's voice suddenly cut above the chaos.

"Prepare yourselves, you lousy traitors!" he bellowed, unsheathing his blade. "I'll cut you down where you stand!"

High above, Pyxis, Eren, and Y/n had seen enough of the panic. So he pulled out his gun, making Eren look to him in shock, but Pyxis, hearing the slight sigh from him despite the mask, he lets him. The gun fires multiple times upward until its magazine empties, letting everyone hear it and be frightened by him. But Y/n ignored them and let Pyxis continue.

"By my order," Pyxis declared, voice dropping into something colder, heavier, "all who leave now are freed of their crime."

The words stunned Kitz into silence. The deserters froze mid-step. Eren turned to stare at Pyxis in disbelief, while Y/n looked down at the soldiers from behind his blurred visor.

"Those who've succumbed to the Titans' terror once before can never face them again!" Pyxis continued. "Anyone who has already experienced their horror may leave! And those who want their family and loved ones to experience that same horror may leave as well!"

Images of loved ones torn apart by Titans surged unbidden into the soldiers' minds. A father saw his little girl crying behind a flimsy door. A wife imagined her husband devoured in the streets.

"Anything but that..." one soldier whispered. "My daughter is... all the hope I have left."

He slowly stepped back into formation. One by one, others did the same.

Sasha clenched her fists tighter, a memory flashing before her eyes—Y/n teaching her how to hunt when the food storage had run dangerously low, the cadets ordered to bring back meat and provisions. She remembered his patience during hand-to-hand and ranged combat training, the way he'd told her to plant her feet, breathe, and never look away.

"I won't," she vowed silently. "I will never be the same coward I was as a child. He taught me how to fight, no matter what happens. If I have to die, then I'll die with honor—for him."

All of Y/n's and Eren's friends were pulled back into fragments of the past: late-night discussions, grueling drills, shared fear and laughter. They remembered how far they had come alongside the two boys now standing at humanity's front line.

"Let Vidar speak of four years ago," Pyxis said, his voice ringing over the hushed crowd. "Namely, the operation to retake Wall Maria."

Y/n stepped forward. His hand brushed the side of his mask, dialing up the voice modulator's volume. When he spoke, his words boomed across the square.

"I'm sure none of this needs saying," he began. "Calling it a 'recovery operation' gave it a nice cover, but it was essentially a way to dispose of the unemployed masses this government couldn't support. The reason no one has spoken out about it is that sending them outside is what allowed us to survive inside these caged walls. All of humanity—officers and myself included—is guilty on this issue."

He paused, letting the words settle.

"Conflict never arose simply because Wall Maria's citizens were in the minority," Y/n continued. "And what about now? If Wall Rose falls, humanity will lose more than twenty percent of its population today. Little Wall Sina wouldn't be able to support even half of the people still alive. If we humans reach the brink of extinction, it won't be because we were eaten by Titans. It will be because we killed ourselves off in petty, unrelated things instead of finishing the job."

His voice rose, filled with fierce conviction. Pyxis finishes the speech, connecting it to Vidar's.

"We cannot afford to die any further inside. No more. I ask you all: die here, on the battlefield, serving as soldiers who helped push mankind away from extinction—down to your very last breath!"

A hush fell across the ranks. Then, as if moved by a single, silent command, they all raised their hands and saluted, answering his call like true soldiers.

For a brief moment, some of them saw something impossible: a blurred image of Y/n with vast azure wings unfurled behind him, a phantom born from half-remembered visions—Setsuna, Riku, and the other Gundam pilots whose memories had brushed their minds.

Eren stared out at the trembling troops. "I don't know if I can lift that rock with my Titan ability or not," he admitted to himself. "But I understand what my role is. Even if it's all a lie, I have to succeed—or rather, we must succeed. We have to serve as everyone's hope."

Beside him, Y/n's voice was low, edged with grim satisfaction. "Payback time..."

Inside the walls, soldiers scrambled into position. Cannons were loaded and readied. Crates of ammunition were rushed up stairways and onto battlements. Y/n headed for his Mobile Suit, climbing toward the towering frame as crews cleared the area around it.

Meanwhile, Pyxis summoned Rico, Ian, and Mitabi, gathering them in a secluded corner of the ramparts.

"Looks like you're all here," he said. "You have but one mission: to protect Eren Jaeger and eliminate any risks that arise during the operation. It will probably be the most dangerous and difficult mission of the entire plan. I've gathered someone else for Vidar's squad as well. It's no exaggeration to say that how you fare out there will decide the fate of all mankind."

Rico stepped forward, eyes steady. "Sir, may I ask a question?"

"What is it?" Pyxis replied.

"Are you really sure about this 'human weapon' and Mechanical Titan of yours?" she asked.

Ian's jaw tightened. "Quit it, Rico."

"You have your doubts too, don't you?" she shot back quietly.

Mitabi folded his arms. "Sir, this plan is based entirely on the incredible uncertainty that is Eren Jaeger and Vidar. If they don't do as planned, many soldiers will die for nothing."

Pyxis stroked his moustache thoughtfully. "Troubling, indeed," he murmured. "Are you that fond of losing to the Titans?"

All three stiffened at the question.

"Personally, I hate it," Pyxis continued. "I hate losing more than anything else. But astonishingly enough, I've been on the losing side all my life."

Rico frowned in confusion and glanced at Mitabi, who only shrugged.

"I want to win against the Titans," Pyxis said quietly. "I want to prevail over those oafs, no matter what it takes."

"N-No, we feel the same way, sir!" Rico replied, shaken.

"Then the only option," Pyxis concluded, "is to take a gamble on those two. Because what you call 'an incredible uncertainty' is our one and only opportunity to achieve victory over the Titans."

A Garrison soldier hurried up the steps toward them.

"Sir," Gustav reported. "It's time for the decoy operation to begin."

Pyxis nodded once. "Mm." He turned back to the trio. "Ian Dietrich. Rico Brzenska. Mitabi Jarnach. You are the best and brightest of the Garrison Regiment. The fate of humanity is in your hands."

They straightened and saluted sharply. "Yes, sir!"

"Ian," Pyxis continued. "You'll lead the squad. I leave all on-site decision-making to you."

"Huh? But, sir, that—" Ian began.

"I have no objections," Rico interrupted calmly.

"Neither do I," Mitabi added.

"Please, sir," Ian protested. "I'm not competent enough—"

"Now, now," Pyxis said. "You appreciate alcohol, do you not?"

Ian blinked. "Sir...?"

"You know a good vintage," Pyxis remarked. "You know a shoddy one as well. So, there it is."

Ian stared at him for a moment, then bowed his head. "Yes, sir."

Nearby, Eren watched the exchange from a short distance away. Armin approached hesitantly.

"Eren... I'm sorry," Armin said, lowering his gaze. When Eren looked at him, he continued, "I didn't mean to force all the responsibility onto your shoulders like this. Vidar... I apologize to you as well."

Y/n knelt with one knee braced on the stone, looking down toward the preparations below. "No need," he said. "Besides, I told you—you have the riskiest, but also a good plan. You're making the right call."

Eren nodded. "I told you before, remember, Armin? You have the ability to make the right call. I have faith in that."

"Eren," Mikasa started, stepping forward. "I really think I should—"

"Don't even think of coming with me," Eren cut her off. "They assigned you to the decoy squad."

"But I can't leave you alone! It'll happen again if—"

"Enough already!" He leaned forward, trying to headbutt her, more to shake her emotionally than to truly hurt her.

Mikasa dodged, surprised by the suddenness of it.

"I told you before," Eren said fiercely. "I'm not your little brother or your kid."

"He's right," Y/n added, rising to his feet. "You can't just protect him forever. He's growing up, maturing. He can decide what's right and wrong now."

Ian jogged up to them. "Ackerman," he called. "Join the elite squad that'll protect Jaeger. We'll need your skills. Vidar, rally with your squad. They should already be at the rendezvous point."

"Yes, sir," Y/n replied, saluting.

"Let's go," Ian said. "It's time to begin."

Eren turned to Armin and Y/n, tapping their shoulders. "See you, Armin, Vidar. Don't die on us, you hear?"

Armin nodded firmly. "You too, Eren."

"Good luck," Y/n added.

They split, each heading to their assigned positions.

Before the operation fully began, Armin caught up with Y/n. "Wait," he said. "How are you going to change armor?"

"Don't worry," Y/n replied with a faint smile. "I've got this."

He rolled up his sleeve, revealing a compact device strapped to his wrist. With a practiced tap, he activated it.

Far away, the OO Core Gundam's eyes flared to life. Servos whined as it shifted, then launched into a rocket-assisted jump, soaring high enough to clear the wall and descend into Trost.

"Core change," Y/n intoned. "Cannon to Tekkaman."

From a hidden base in the mountains, a fighter ship launched from its catapult, rocket engines blazing as it streaked toward the Gundam's position.

The now-familiar roar echoed across the district—a sound many remembered from five years ago. Armin and the others looked up to see the fighter hovering above, the Gundam leaping to meet it even as Y/n's body dissolved into a swarm of luminous pixels, streaming into the machine's core.

The OO Core Cannon shed its armor piece by piece. New plates unfolded and locked into place: the armor of Tekkaman. The Gundam's color shifted from black and red to white and red—the hue of a prize recovered from GBN. Its belt reconfigured into a samurai-style waist guard, additional armor forming around the lower back and along the legs. Plates slid into place down to the feet, creating a layered, martial silhouette.

The torso reverted to the classic 00 form, but now housed a GN Drive 2.0 on its back, an evolved fusion of the former GN Cannon and Drive. 

Its head adjusted, ear pieces lengthening into sleek blade-like fins. A polearm slid into its waiting hand, gripped firmly as the GN Sword Vs reattached to its shoulders.

The transformed machine—OO in Tekkaman armor—landed heavily, using the spear like a walking staff to steady itself.

The squad assigned to operate alongside Vidar and his machine came forward:

Sasha. Mina. Connie. Jean.

Jean stared up at the machine, then at the masked pilot. "I can't believe we've gotta stick with this thing again," he muttered.

Sasha, chewing quickly on a bit of food, shrugged. "Well... at least it's more efficient."

"For once, I agree," Mina said under her breath.

"At least I won't be stupid when I'm with him," Connie added.

"You're still stupid," Y/n replied flatly. "Even now."

"Eh?!" Connie yelped.

Mina giggled. "I'm sure he didn't mean it."

"Yeah," Y/n said, a hint of amusement slipping through his tone. "Just making sure your attitude is still intact."

High atop the wall, Ian's squad raced toward the shortest route to the boulder.

"He called you a top-secret human weapon," Ian said to Eren as they ran, "but as long as you can seal that hole, I don't care. We'll protect you at all costs. We're counting on you."

"Right!" Eren answered.

A loud slicing sound cut through the air. The squad glanced down to see the OO in motion, its polearm whirling. The Gundam hurled the weapon through a Titan's neck from behind, then gestured sharply to Sasha. She reacted at once, zipping in to slash the exposed nape. The Titan collapsed, and OO recalled its spear, already pointing out the next target as the team moved on.

"Still though," Mitabi said, watching the display with a mixture of awe and revulsion, "to think we've become so desperate... desperate enough to rely on a mechanical monstrosity and a 'top-secret human experiment' like yourself... It really shows how dire things have become."

"Hold your tongue, Mitabi," Ian snapped. "Us relying on the OO or Cadet Jaeger—or both—is a trivial matter. The only thing that matters is whether they can seal the breach. Remember that."

"Whatever you say, Ian," Mitabi muttered. "It still feels surreal and... flabbergasting. Not only that the Military Police had a top-secret human experiment, but that the OO revealed itself and returned at such a convenient time. What are the odds of that happening?"

"Best not to ask about the odds," Rico said lightly, "unless you wish to overthink them."

Mitabi smirked. "Look at you now—cracking a little joke, Rico."

"Eyes forward," she replied, though there was the faintest curve at the corner of her lips.

Mikasa shifted closer to Eren as they advanced along the wall.

"Eren," she asked quietly. "Are you all right?"

"Yeah," he answered quickly.

She watched him carefully. "Eren."

"Seriously, I'm fine!" he insisted. "I'm much better than when we were surrounded."

"Quit playing house, Jaeger," Rico said sharply.

"It isn't even like that!" Eren protested.

"Enough, all of you!" Ian barked. "We're almost at the shortest route to the boulder."

They reached the turning point and peered down. The OO was already there, sweeping the area clear of Titans. The Gundam signaled that the route was safe, then ignited its thrusters and boosted back toward the decoy team.

"I don't see any Titans in the vicinity," Ian noted. "Their decoy tactic must be working."

On the other side of the city, soldiers braced themselves at the edge of rooftops and streets, ready to plunge into chaos.

"Listen!" a leader shouted. "All we have to do is lure them into a corner of town! The machine can take care of them! Avoid unnecessary fighting!"

Back near Eren, Rico stepped closer, her eyes fixed ahead.

"Just so you're aware, Jaeger," she said evenly, "more than a few will likely die during this operation. All for the two of you. Our colleagues, our seniors, our juniors. They're prepared to die, of course. They're soldiers. But they aren't faceless pawns—like Vidar would say."

"Let's go!" Ian shouted.

They launched their ODM gears, hooks firing as they swung toward the boulder. The OO followed below them, a metal shadow at their backs.

Eren transformed. When they landed near the massive stone, however, his Titan form stood unnervingly still.

'That boulder would be impossible to lift by any normal human means,' Mikasa thought, eyeing the colossal stone. 'But in Eren lies the strength to lead us...'

Then Eren's Titan head turned slowly toward her.

"Eren?" she called.

Y/n's voice crackled urgently across the line. "Mikasa, evade to the side!"

The Titan's fist crashed down where she had been standing a heartbeat before.

To be continued...

https://youtu.be/kWUCdTngVjk

(Ending Song: Yoko Hikasa - Utsukushiki Zankoku na Sekai)

"A silent silhouette of the dormant 00 CORE Gundam half-buried in stone and overgrown vines inside Wall Maria. Its optic camera briefly flickers with a single pulse of soft blue light before dimming down again and zooming into the cockpit."

(Sono yume wa kokoro no ibasho

Inochi yori kowareyasuki mono)

"Camera slowly pans across a sequence of static, hand-drawn stills of Y/n sitting alone on the balcony of the apartment where he's currently living in real life looking out at the endless horizon, holding a Gunpla of SD Exia gifted by his sister."

(Nando demo sutete wa mitsuke

Yasuraka ni sā nemure)

"Transition to Y/n walking slowly through the dark, shadowed trees in the GBN until he was transported in the Forest of Giant Trees. Their shadow on the ground stretches out, transforming from human form into the tall, sharp silhouette of a Mobile Suit holding a beam saber or blade."

(Myaku utsu shōdō ni negai wa okasare)

"Fast cutouts in black and white: Dead titans looming over the walls and on the ground, followed by cold mechanical enemies destroyed in front of Y/n and his Gundam. Y/n looks to the 104th Training Corps squad members (Eren, Mikasa, Armin, etc.) standing together in darkness, facing away."

(Wasurete shimau hodo mata omoidasu yo)

"Y/n stands slightly apart from them, closing his eyes as if he can never be forgiven for what he has done. Clutching the controls in his cockpit the GBN device glows brightls as he was shocked when the light engulfed him and the cockpit he's in shattered."

(Kono utsukushiki zankoku na sekai de wa

Mada ikiteiru koto "naze" to tou bakari de)

"When he opened his eyes, he saw the dream of this world he wished for in this world. A beautiful city where there's no such power like the Titans or his Gundam are just a fiction, an action figure or a toy. He was shocked at what he's seeing and suddenly he felt some people walking towards him."

(Ā boku-tachi wa kono tsuyosa yowasa de

Nani o mamoru no darō mō risei nado

Nai naraba)

"He saw Eren and others in their civilian clothing but he turns away from their gaze, as outside the cockpit, the 00 CORE Gundam is forever knelt down with the rain going on and the waters from the rain are on the eyes of the gundam and flowing down from it, almost as if crying that such fantasy really never existed the moment he knew something horrible of the reality he's in."