Tokyo: Earth Online Manga Artist.

On the previous page, he was still talking to others, but on the next page, he was kneeling on the ground with his friend's unrecognizable corpse in front of him.

This sudden turn of events left Ueno Taku speechless.

He recalled that in the previous chapters, Marco had been laughing and discussing with Jean which military unit to join after graduation. Jean said he wanted to join the Military Police, while Marco said he wanted to join the Survey Corps because he wanted to do something for the future of humanity.

The scene was quite heartwarming back then, with the two of them standing by the fence of the training field, the setting sun shining behind them.

As a result, those images have now all turned into knives.

"You're really ruthless for not eating pears."

Ueno Takuto couldn't help but say that.

He continued scrolling down.

He knelt beside Marco's body, feeling as if all his energy had been drained away.

But no one seemed to suspect that Marco's death might be suspicious, because the death of a recruit in the face of Titans was perfectly normal.

Even if this recruit had excellent grades in the training corps.

But at that moment, Ueno Taku saw the scene of the three fellow villagers who followed.

Reiner stood beside the crowd with a strange expression on his face, not sadness, but more like some kind of tension.

Bertholdt, on the other hand, remained the same, somewhat timid, with that usual kind-hearted air about him.

But the usually aloof Ani looked lost in thought, especially when facing Marco, seemingly dazed...

"These three people..."

Ueno Taku frowned, suddenly sensing something was wrong, and said, "It seems Marco's death is related to them..."

But what exactly is the relationship?

He didn't think about it in detail, especially since this wasn't a classic mystery novel and the comic didn't offer many clues.

He continued reading.

The Survey Corps soldiers faced their own decision after the war.

Especially the top ten graduates of the training corps, as the best soldiers, are qualified to choose which corps they go to.

Generally speaking, most outstanding soldiers choose to join the military police.

The military police were stationed on the innermost layer of the wall, farthest from the front line, where they lived a comfortable life and did not have to face the Titans.

In particular, Jean made it clear from the beginning that he would definitely join the military police.

He didn't want to die, he was afraid of giants, and he wanted to live a peaceful life in the mainland—he openly stated all of these things.

But Marco died.

This brought him to a period of reminiscence, and he thought of Marco.

The scene flashes back to the last time Marco and he had a conversation, and finally... during a conversation with his friend reminiscing...

Surprisingly, he chose to join the Survey Corps, which he had previously said he least wanted to join.

Reiner, Sasha, Connie, Mikasa, and others all chose the Survey Corps without exception.

Then comes the scene of the new recruits attending their first official Survey Corps assembly.

Commander Erwin stood at the front of the formation.

He was dressed in a crisp uniform, draped in the Survey Corps' iconic green cloak, the Wings of Liberty emblem on his back fluttering slightly in the wind.

He stood there, and without saying a word, he had already silenced the entire square.

"I am Erwin Smith, commander of the Survey Corps."

In the comic, he says to the soldiers in front of him, "First, I want to tell you a fact... When the Survey Corps carries out survey operations outside the walls, the casualty rate exceeds thirty percent."

Nearly a third of you will not live to see the end of your term.

The air in the square seemed to freeze.

No one speaks.

Erwin's gaze swept across the face of each new recruit.

"If any of you want to quit now, you can stand up. No one will laugh at you, because the fear of death is a human instinct."

He paused for a few seconds.

No one stepped forward.

Then Erwin placed his right hand on his left chest, fingers together, palm against his heart.

All the Survey Corps veterans behind him made the same gesture at the same time.

"Then... offer your hearts!"

Taku Ueno stared at this page for a long time.

The recruits in the video follow Irwin in making a heart-off salute.

Rang placed his hand on his chest, his expression still showing fear, but his eyes had changed.

Mikasa's posture and expression both seemed to be making a vow.

Each of those new recruits had their own reasons: some for revenge, some for their beliefs, some to follow someone, and some simply to avoid being looked down upon by themselves.

But their hands were all placed in the same spot.

heart.

"This heart-offering ceremony was so moving."

Ueno Taku put down the magazine, leaned back in his chair, and let out a long sigh, his chuunibyou spirit burning brightly once again.

He picked up the cola and took a sip. The icy liquid slid down his throat, but the feeling in his chest remained.

Marco is dead.

This led the person who had initially said he wanted to escape to the Military Police to choose the Survey Corps instead.

Reiner and his two companions harbor a secret.

Commander Erwin's words weren't meant to boost morale; they were to tell them the harsh truth and then let them choose for themselves.

Everyone chose to stay and to "donate" their hearts to humanity.

"It's really exciting! The plot of Attack on Titan is inexplicably thrilling!"

He repeated it again, but this time he didn't seem to be complaining.

He reopened the magazine, turned to the double-page spread of Commander Erwin offering his heart, and stared at the Wings of Liberty logo for a long time.

"Give me... your heart!!"

Ueno Taku once again unleashed his inner chuunibyou (a Japanese term for someone with delusions of grandeur), and whispered.

But just then...

"Xiao Tuo...get ready to come down for dinner!"

Just then, her mother's voice came through.

"Okay! I'm coming right now!"

Ueno Taku quickly put the magazine away and stood up to respond.

……

Meanwhile.

Shueisha.

They will be facing another popular survey this week.

In the large office, the editors had already finished compiling the reader survey postcards sent back from all over the country.

As before, the postcards were categorized, counted, and compiled by artwork before being sent to the editor-in-chief's desk.

In the conference room, the editors sat around a long table. The previous rankings had been erased from the whiteboard, and they were waiting to write the new ones.

Ibaraki Masahiko stood in front of the whiteboard, holding a statistics sheet in his hand.

But ahead is still...

"Number one: One Piece"

"Second place, Naruto."

"Third place, Bleach."

……

The status of Dead Fire Sea is undoubtedly unshakable, and the editors are already used to it.

You'll feel the same way if you hear the same name at these kinds of meetings for several years in a row.

Anyway, the top three are already locked in, it would be strange if a challenger suddenly appeared.

Ibaraki Masahiko continued reading. The works ranked fourth to eighth were not much different from before, with only one or two swapping positions, but they were still the familiar faces in the top ten.

When he read out the eighth place, he paused and turned to the next page of the statistics table.

"Ninth place..."

His gaze fell on the statistics table.

"...Attack on Titan."