After Asahi left, Hange carried out the final tasks he assigned.
First, she took all the research results accumulated over time. Second, she separated the two "important specimens," Reiner and Bertolt, and they split up to leave, ideally avoiding the sight of others. Meanwhile, she would personally take her trusted associates to protect one of the most crucial people—Frieda, who had been relatively quiet since the incident.
The research institute and the remaining miscellaneous things could be ignored. There were a lot of spies in there, and as long as the key personnel were gone, the ordinary people would be safe.
Grisha's family had presumably been warned early, as they had left not long ago, taking the still-weak Grisha with them.
"Hey ya... this is so boring..."
On horseback, thinking about having to live in exile for a while, camping on the grass with no warm blankets or soft mattress, and no longer being immersed in research like an addict, Hange Zoe felt utterly distressed. Nevertheless, she had to accept it.
Even a fool could see that something was wrong, especially when trying to track down Erwin's whereabouts.
In contrast to the atmosphere outside, the inside of the carriage held a vastly different air.
Heavy and silent.
Kenny Ackerman was in full armor, with his body and face completely covered, making it impossible to discern his expression. Opposite him was Frieda, sitting silently to the point of being listless, leaning her back against the carriage wall.
She had been like this since the accident—reserved and quiet. Before, despite being surrounded by many things, Frieda was at least a normal young woman, but now, she seemed to be losing herself.
Regarding this, even though Asahi had tried to counsel her, there wasn't much progress.
"Queen, is there anything that makes you uncomfortable?"
Kenny's low voice came from behind the mask. Frieda slightly glanced at him, not answering, but that look seemed to conceal something.
"You've changed, the Queen inside the Walls. Before, you wouldn't dare look at me like that."
"Everyone changes. Haven't you as well?"
"Transforming from a hired thug into a protector of the royal family, and then into the subordinate of a man who intends to save the world."
Hearing this, Kenny couldn't help but laugh as if mocking himself.
"Regardless, I'm still just a hired thug... just working for free."
While they were talking, the soldiers gradually spread out their formation. All of them drew their guns, aiming straight into the carriage. Everyone's face was as taut as a bowstring, clutching the gun butts until their knuckles were white. Hange, in front of the carriage, showed no change in expression, but her grip on the reins had tightened unconsciously. A large, pea-sized bead of sweat ran down from the top of her head.
She only prayed that none of this was real and that the protectors would withdraw their weapons. Otherwise... they would have to confront one of the most dangerous targets, and Hange did not want to imagine the scene.
"It's true, I feel quite cramped. The carriage is narrow, and less than 2 meters in front of me is a skilled butcher. Who wouldn't feel stressed?"
"But you don't, Queen."
The boring conversation ended, but the atmosphere in the carriage did not disperse. Both remained silent, but what they were contemplating was unknown.
The convoy continued to move, but it never stopped to rest or for any other reason. Frieda slightly glanced toward the back of the carriage; she saw a rather familiar tree quickly whizzing past, something she had seen half an hour ago.
But she didn't react, nor did she speak or look at Kenny Ackerman.
"He can kill me in a blink."
That was what flashed through her mind.
Indeed, the distance of less than two meters with someone like Kenny was practically zero. With just a slight, unusual movement, the small, sharp blade attached to his arm guard would cut off her head. Standing before such a overwhelmingly superior foe, Frieda, in her human form, didn't have a single chance to resist.
A rather perfect preparation.
Seeing this situation, Frieda couldn't help but feel a little confused. Throughout the past period, she didn't think she had let slip any flaws; if anything, everything was as normal.
Just a second later, Frieda's gaze fell upon the wooden seat she was sitting on, and an idea suddenly sparked in her mind.
...
He tensed his muscles, pushed the boulder pressing on him away, and with a swing of his arm, broke the obstructing wooden beam.
Asahi's figure was a bit shaky and unsteady, emerging from a rubble-filled site, or more accurately, a section of the Stohess District that had been reduced to ruins. Around him, Titan corpses lay scattered, billowing smoke. They rested on top of buildings, creating holes in the main road, making the scene utterly chaotic.
It was all a trap, waiting for him to fall into the net.
There wasn't a single civilian in this entire area. All he saw were suicide soldiers trained by the government.
Truthfully, suicide soldiers alone wouldn't have been enough to make Asahi struggle like this; if anything, he would have overwhelmed them all with absolute superiority. But for some reason, they had all transformed into Titans. A squad of armed suicide soldiers and a squad of Titans are absolutely not on the same level. One side is just a normal army; the other is something enough to sweep across an entire nation in this era.
And that was the scene that greeted Asahi.
Countless structures of flesh emerging from nowhere, along with the roars of the Beast Titan.
The fight had been going on until now.
The Beast Titan scooped up a handful of rubble and looked down at where Asahi was standing with a pensive expression.
Monster.
That was the only word it could use to describe the person before it.
When first warned, it had fundamentally never thought it would have to use this word. A true monster.
Whoosh!
The Beast Titan's long arm swung out, throwing the pile of rubble in its hand like a baseball with terrifying speed. The nature of the rubble made the throw much more dangerous and unpredictable, like widespread bombing.
From the beginning of the battle until now, it hadn't personally rushed down to engage like other Titan shifters. The Beast Titan mostly controlled other Titans to tangle with Asahi, while its core body sat comfortably high up, throwing firepower.
The sun was about to set, and the battle was drawing to a close as the number of cannon fodder was nearly exhausted. Seeing Asahi still fiercely cutting down Titans without rest, the Beast Titan gradually became more anxious. Furthermore, his wide-area "bombardment" was completely blocked by Asahi's armor. The destructive power of these attacks, while comparable to bombs and bullets for ordinary people, was still fundamentally just disparate material.
Just at this moment, a colossal sound suddenly echoed, causing everyone to simultaneously stand still.
This sound... it truly resembled footsteps, only magnified a thousandfold. It grew louder and louder; even the ground faintly trembled.
Finally, the thing appeared.
From a low angle, it was a creature that towered above the clouds. The colossal Wall, 50 meters high, only reached near the base of its leg. Its sheer size made even the Colossal Titan feel inferior.
The Founding Titan.