"This non-material particle, I call it the Spirit Particle."
"Spirit... Particle?"
Grisha looked confusedly at the diagram Asahi placed before him. He could understand particles, and he could understand spirit, but he could not visualize a Spirit Particle.
Asahi rubbed his forehead, an expression of helplessness appearing on his face. He now somewhat understood the plight of geniuses who preceded their time, of brilliant scientists facing a "primitive" world around them.
If one hasn't reached their level of insight, one can never truly understand.
He was no genius, but his will had grown so strong that it broke the limit, undergoing a qualitative change naturally without any intervention.
The System said this type of power was called by hundreds of thousands of different names, but the name Spirit Particle was the most intuitive, pointing directly to its essence. The Spirit Particle is the constitutive element of the spirit, mind, or even the soul; there is something more mystical to it, but for now, this suffices. In general, the Spirit Particle is like the molecules or atoms of the physical world.
As for will, it is even harder to define. To Asahi, it resembles an abstract concept of self-definition, the "I," the affirmation of existence. At least, that is his will. Regarding the Paths, will is the "anchor" that allows the Titan to appear in the physical world. The Paths only need to continuously supply Spirit Particles to maintain the Titan's perpetual regeneration, unless someone cuts off that "anchor."
And because it only needs to be sustained by the host's will, in a twisted way, Titans are almost immortal. Even if the prolonged time of torment leads to the collapse of the will, that period far exceeds the lifespan of any living creature.
"Grisha, honestly, this is very difficult to explain. Could you close your eyes?"
Grisha was doubtful but honestly complied. When his eyelids closed, the familiar darkness when everything is covered appeared. But just one second later, he felt something penetrating him. It carried no malice; on the contrary, it unlocked some kind of restriction. Grisha was stunned, like opening his eyes for the first time at birth.
"This... is a part of the world in my view."
As Asahi's voice echoed in his ears, everything changed. Black was still black, but speckled points of light appeared in Grisha's "vision." They were everywhere, unevenly bright, but generally not too different from each other.
Only the position where Asahi should have been was different. If those speckled points of light were stars in the night sky, then the thing appearing at his position was the sun, dazzling and incomparably magnificent.
"Asahi, these things..."
"That's right, they are all spirit. Look to your left."
Grisha followed, trying to look closely. He saw a massive figure assembled from countless Spirit Particles. The only thing maintaining its form was a tiny, faint point of light located at the nape.
Spirit Particles with will are usually bright, while those without are dim.
"This is the nature of the Titan. Your current situation is the same."
"Alright, Grisha, you can open your eyes."
Everything returned to normal. Grisha Yeager breathed heavily, looking in astonishment at his own hands, then back at Asahi. He was not foolish; otherwise, he wouldn't have become a doctor. He had, of course, understood what Asahi intended to express.
The host's connection to the Titan is not merely physical but also spiritual and willful, culminating in the Paths. It binds the will of the Eldian people while simultaneously providing an unending torrent of Spirit Particles to the Titans.
"It's like a stake hammered into the ground, half above, half below. The top half is the physical manifestation, such as the serum or something similar. The bottom half is the spiritual entity, invisible and intangible."
"If my hypothesis succeeds..."
In mid-sentence, Asahi suddenly stopped, because the communication device had been activated. The only person who could do so was none other than Kenny.
He signaled for Grisha to wait and moved to a different corner.
"What's wrong?"
Asahi quickly established contact, but the only sounds continuously transmitted were those of destruction and explosions, as if a great disaster was occurring. Although separated by a communication line, he could sensitively detect that these impulses were directed straight at Kenny. Kenny had not spoken since opening the connection; even the sound of his breathing was absent. When a person "holds their breath and stills their spirit," it can only mean they require the highest level of concentration.
This meant Kenny was facing a massive threat, significant enough that he had to dedicate all his energy to coping, not daring to be distracted at all.
To create an impact of that magnitude, it could only be heavy artillery from the military, or Titans. The possibility of Titans was far greater.
"Damn it... it's them."
Asahi was silent. Since learning the truth from the diary Grisha recorded, he had been certain that the ones who directly breached Shiganshina and Maria were the Titan shifters. Based on the records, they were likely from that special training program.
He had always been on guard because he was 100% sure they had infiltrated the area. But ultimately, caution could only buy time; he currently could not utilize any power other than his physical body and equipment. If the enemy continued to hide, he had no way to find them. Furthermore, Asahi had many other things to do.
It takes a long time to explain, but the time that elapsed was only a mere three seconds since he established contact. After three seconds, his chain of thought was complete, and he disconnected.
"Grisha, you can rest. The plan will be temporarily halted."
Without waiting for a reply, his armor instantly enveloped his entire body, and he launched himself out of the research institute.
...
The world in Frieda's eyes seemed to freeze. The wind blowing, the falling leaves, the crowd... everything was silent.
As if sensing something, she turned her head back and saw a dazzling yellow bolt of lightning tear across the sky, striking straight down onto the area where the refugees were gathered to eat.
"I'm so sorry..."
She didn't know whose voice echoed in her ear, but Frieda no longer paid attention. Because right before her eyes, a colossal figure rose from the void, radiating enormous heat like a raging fire. Those closest bore the brunt of it; although the heat wasn't enough to burn them to ashes, it was comparable to throwing people into boiling water. Immediately, horrifying screams erupted. However, even that was not the most terrible tragedy.
The Titan's figure fully manifested. Its entire body was covered in muscle and hardened plates resembling metal. The Armored Titan, the one that had breached Wall Maria.
With every movement it made, the shockwave killed dozens of people. Frieda watched with her own eyes a child she had personally scooped food for being flattened into a pile of smashed flesh. The people she had personally smiled at and given food to were all tragically dead.
The bright red color of blood obscured Frieda's vision.