This prequel to megahit Attack on Titan answers the questions: How did Captain Levi of the Survey Corps go from street thug to humanity's strongest soldier? And how did Commander Erwin become a cold, calculating leader, ready to sacrifice anything to save the human race? The fires that forged this bond of loyalty and trust were intense indeed!
 
(Source: Anime News Network, revised)

Several hundred years ago, humans were nearly exterminated by titans. Titans are typically several stories tall, seem to have no intelligence, devour human beings and, worst of all, seem to do it for the pleasure rather than as a food source. A small percentage of humanity survived by walling themselves in a city protected by extremely high walls, even taller than the biggest of titans. 
Flash forward to the present and the city has not seen a titan in over 100 years. Teenage boy Eren and his foster sister Mikasa witness something horrific as the city walls are destroyed by a colossal titan that appears out of thin air. As the smaller titans flood the city, the two kids watch in horror as their mother is eaten alive. Eren vows that he will murder every single titan and take revenge for all of mankind. 
(Source: MangaHelpers)

The young Erwin Smith is a rising star in the Survey Corps, humanity's only hope of defeating the man-eating monsters known as Titans. Ruthless and dispassionate, Erwin's mind is devoted to strategies and intrigue. But beneath Erwin's feet is another world, the Underground, where humans are born and die surrounded by the garbage the Capital throws away. Here, the criminal Levi survives on his wits and agility. But when these two ambitious men cross paths, who will prove himself stronger?
 
(Source: Kodansha USA)
 
Note: Includes the prologue and 2 extra chapters.

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