"Ah, and Warrior Captain Zeke—we've met once before too, haven't we?" Yago said to Zeke.
Reiner and Bertholdt were extremely shocked. How did Yago know Captain Zeke?
Zeke pushed up the glasses on the bridge of his nose, his head slightly lowered so his expression couldn't be seen.
"Although I don't know who you really are, do you think that just because you seized the Female Titan's power you can act so arrogantly in front of us?"
"What?! Seized the Female Titan's power? Captain, are you saying that Yago—he—took Annie's Female Titan power?" Bertholdt asked Zeke in disbelief, his eyes wide.
As hosts of the intelligent Titans, they of course knew what it meant to seize a Titan's power—only by turning into a Titan and devouring the previous intelligent Titan could one inherit that power.
If Yago had inherited Annie's Female Titan power, that proved that Annie had already been…
No matter how Bertholdt tried to hide it, he had to admit that deep in his heart he had always harbored feelings for Annie. But later, as Annie grew closer and closer to Yago, the indecisive Bertholdt ultimately buried that feeling deep inside.
Reiner was equally shaken, his body trembling slightly, fists clenched tight.
Zeke, however, calmly pointed at Yago and said, "You can ask him directly."
Bertholdt roared like an enraged lion, shouting, "Yago! Did you really take Annie's Female Titan power?!"
Yago would not miss this opportunity. As long as they continued to believe that the Female Titan's power had been taken by him, Annie's father would remain safe.
Yago shot back coldly, "Hypocrite! Bertholdt! Do you know how many humans died after Wall Maria was breached? And aren't you the very culprits who caused all of this?"
Yago continued, "You—murderers who destroyed the walls—Bertholdt, Reiner, Zeke, Pieck, and Annie—all of you are guilty."
"I'll atone for Annie," Yago added silently in his heart.
"You!" Bertholdt was filled with fury. Instinctively he wanted to transform into the Colossal Titan and send Yago straight to hell, but Zeke reached out and stopped him.
Zeke turned to Reiner at the side and said,
"This isn't the right time for the Colossal Titan. I think that as the Shield of Marley, Reiner should be able to resolve this, don't you?"
Reiner's expression was conflicted, struggling, but in the end it hardened with resolve as he looked at Yago.
Yago, on the other hand, looked utterly composed.
"Reiner, do you remember Ilse and Thomas?"
Reiner froze. "What? Could it be—no—did Annie tell you?"
Yago didn't answer directly, instead saying, "I saw everything in Annie's memories."
Reiner fell silent for a moment, took a breath, and asked with a complicated look in his eyes,
"Did you really eat Annie? Why? She trusted you so much."
Yago's smile vanished. His nails grew wildly, slicing into his palm. He raised the blood-dripping hand.
"Because you all… are traitors."
Slash! A sharp knife likewise cut into Reiner's palm.
There were always memories one didn't want to face, but Reiner constantly told himself,
"I am a Marleyan warrior. A warrior should never hesitate or be cowardly!"
Two surging bolts of yellow lightning engulfed Reiner and Yago, flesh and bone intertwining into two massive bodies.
Amidst billowing steam, the Armored Titan—its body covered in hardened plating like armor—stomped onto the ground. The skin on its face, originally sealed like a visor, split apart to reveal its mouth, letting out a deep, muffled roar.
Opposite it stood another equally towering Titan, crimson eyes blazing, muscles taut all over its body, a mouth full of sharp fangs. The oppressive presence of the Fate Titan was no weaker than that of the Armored Titan.
After a brief standoff, the two colossal beings charged at each other in a frenzy.
Visible to the naked eye, the Fate Titan's right hand became coated in a layer of transparent crystal, and it slammed a ferocious punch straight into the Armored Titan's chest.
The hardened skin of the Armored Titan—something the Survey Corps had been helpless against and could only barely crack with massive fixed artillery fire—shattered to pieces under that single blow.
"A fist with localized hardening really is harder than the Armored Titan's overall hardening," Zeke mused thoughtfully.
"Pieck, Bertholdt—we can't allow the Female Titan's power to be lost while it's right in front of us. Understood?" Zeke said.
Bertholdt replied, "But didn't you say this place isn't suitable for the Colossal Titan to appear?"
"Under normal circumstances, yes. But at a time like this, shouldn't reclaiming the Female Titan's power take priority?" Zeke said with a meaningful smile.
Pieck followed her superior's orders without hesitation.
"Understood, Captain." With that, the Cart Titan dashed off to the side.
The battle between the Fate Titan and the Armored Titan continued, but it was clear that the Fate Titan held the upper hand. The Armored Titan's movements were still far too clumsy, relying solely on its astonishing defense to endure.
Eren's Attack Titan had been defeated by Reiner precisely because it couldn't penetrate the Armored Titan's defenses. Yago, however, had no such concern—his hardened fists hammered down with full force, shattering the Armored Titan's armor piece by piece.
A contest of endurance was even more laughable. The Fate Titan, inexplicably enhanced by the Female Titan's power, possessed stamina nearly on par with the Female Titan herself—and the Female Titan's endurance was famously immense. In Annie's memories, she had transformed and carried Reiner and Bertholdt while running for nearly an entire day and night.
"Roar!!" Another heavy punch landed. The Armored Titan could no longer maintain its balance and collapsed straight to the ground, utterly battered, steam pouring endlessly from its body.
The Fate Titan naturally pressed the advantage, charging toward the fallen Armored Titan to deliver the finishing blow.
Yellow lightning tore through the sky. The Fate Titan rushing forward suddenly twisted around, both hands guarding the nape of its neck.
Countless stones of all sizes tore through the air and smashed into it. In an instant, the Fate Titan's entire body erupted with sprays of blood, its left leg even being shattered outright.
"Roar!" As the hail of stones ended, a massive figure lunged out from the side.
Despite Yago's best efforts to dodge, his entire right leg was torn off by the Cart Titan.
Crunch, crunch—the Beast Titan, shaped like a gigantic ape, crushed the massive boulders in its hands into countless fragments.
"What a pity. We can't just watch the Female Titan's power right in front of us and not take it back," the Beast Titan spoke in a human voice.
The Cart Titan stood to the left. The Armored Titan also staggered back to its feet. Behind them, almost imperceptibly, Bertholdt stood atop a building, his left hand already gripping a dagger tightly.
Yago was surrounded by Marley's warriors.