With a ripping sound, the nape of the Beast Titan split open, and Zeke emerged with a grim expression.
The already ruined village was now even worse off. Dozens of Titan corpses lay scattered across the ground in every direction.
Those Titan bodies were shattered beyond recognition, all smashed apart by the enraged Beast Titan hurling massive rocks. As for the one who had taken the Female Titan's power, he had long since vanished without a trace.
Bertholdt also dragged the unconscious Reiner out from the nape of the Armored Titan. Earlier, Reiner had been bitten and torn at by more than a dozen Titans while trying to save him, and his stamina had already been completely exhausted.
"Yago Norman, we'll meet again," Zeke murmured while gazing into the distance.
...
"What should we do next?" Annie held a towel damp with water and gently wiped the blood from Yago's face.
Enduring the pain, Yago clenched his teeth and made a ruthless decision, directly using a blade to cut off the arm whose bones had been crushed by the Cart Titan. That way, it would actually heal faster.
"We can't rush things right now. We'll take it slowly. First, I at least need to confirm my mother's safety," Yago said, thinking of that noble young lady. He hoped she would truly keep her promise.
After Yago spoke, Annie's expression dimmed slightly.
Yago knew what Annie was thinking. With his still-intact right hand, he grasped Annie's hand.
"Annie, don't worry. I'm here."
Annie froze for a moment, then smiled faintly and continued wiping Yago clean.
...
Bang! The door was shoved open violently. Erwin set down the book in his hands and looked toward the newcomer. Hange burst in recklessly with Moblit at her side.
"Things have turned out differently than we expected," Hange said, gulping down a large glass of water before gasping for breath.
Erwin: "What? Was Eren taken away?"
Hange shook her head.
"No. Levi successfully escaped with them. But—a new Titan has appeared!"
Erwin: "A new Titan?"
"It's a new recruit from the Survey Corps named Ymir. Also, yesterday, Central Military Police infiltrated the Military Police unit and tried to capture Eren and a new recruit named Historia. It was at that time Ymir transformed into a Titan and killed those Central Military Police."
As Erwin listened to Hange, his brow unconsciously furrowed tighter and tighter. A new Titan? It seemed the waters were far deeper than he had imagined. The Central Military Police were different from Nile's Military Police; they took orders directly from the royal government—from the king within the walls.
"Who else knows about Ymir's identity as a Titan?" Erwin asked sternly. If the Central Military Police found out, certain people in the capital would surely seize the opportunity.
"Only Eren and those new recruits saw it. No one else knows. Ymir is currently with Levi and the others."
Hange added, "But it's not all bad news. At least things didn't go exactly as planned. For now, the Survey Corps is still safe."
Erwin's original plan had been to have the Survey Corps find an opportunity to take Eren away. The royal government's desire to obtain Eren was definitely suspicious. But the sudden appearance of a Titan had become a turning point. The chaos conveniently covered Eren and the others' retreat.
"Speaking of which, Erwin, what comes next might be rather shocking. You should be prepared," Hange suddenly said seriously.
Erwin: "What is it?"
Hange said each word carefully: "The king within the walls is a false king."
The room instantly fell silent. After a long while, Erwin's voice finally sounded.
"Who said this?"
Hange: "Pastor Nick of the Wall Church. He revealed this secret before he died."
Erwin: "The Wall Church? Was he killed by a Titan?"
Hange: "No. He was killed by the Central Military Police. When the Titan first appeared, Nick suddenly came to me and told me this secret. He also mentioned a new recruit in the Survey Corps—Historia—the little girl protected by Ymir's Titan. When I saw Nick again, he was already dead. I'm certain the Central Military Police killed him."
Erwin fell silent once more. He had suspected the secrets of the Wall Church before, and he was even certain that the Wall Church and the royal government were hiding something. But now, the Central Military Police had murdered a Wall Church priest. And the one sitting on the throne—was he truly a false king?
Before Erwin could say anything, Hange added, "Historia's real name is Hiss—no, Historia Reiss."
"Reiss? The noble Reiss family?" Erwin suddenly seemed to understand something.
"Hange, I need to see Commander Pixis. No—first, help me send a letter to Commander Pixis."
Erwin was merely under suspicion, and the Survey Corps had only been ordered to temporarily disarm and halt all expeditions beyond the walls. Aside from Erwin himself, the Survey Corps soldiers still retained their basic freedom.
...
"Why did the Central Military Police appear? Why didn't our Military Police receive any orders?" Nile stared grimly at the man before him who wore the same uniform.
The difference was that on the man's chest insignia was a small crown symbol, marking his identity—the First Central Military Police Brigade, commonly referred to as the Central Military Police. Though they were also called Military Police, the Central Military Police held far greater authority than ordinary Military Police.
For one reason alone: the Central Military Police answered only to King Fritz. That alone was enough for them to be arrogant.
"Commander Nile, my apologies, but you do not yet have the authority to question the Central Military Police's missions. When you become the commander of the First Central Military Police Brigade instead of the Military Police, then you may question us."
The Central Military Police officer's attitude was extremely arrogant, but Nile could only grit his teeth in resentment. He truly couldn't do anything to them.
The Central Military Police officer continued,
"Regarding the Titan that suddenly appeared yesterday, we have sufficient reason to believe it is connected to Survey Corps Commander Erwin Smith. Therefore, we recommend that the Military Police detain the entire Survey Corps."
Giving as good as he got, Nile retorted bluntly,
"Sorry. If the Survey Corps is to be detained. The Central Military Police have no authority to make such a demand."
The Central Military Police officer was momentarily choked by the reply, but did not flare up. After all, their target wasn't the Survey Corps to begin with.
"Good day," the Central Military Police officer said curtly as he left. Nile watched as the other man exited the room.
...
Inside a dim building, Levi leaned half against a wall.
"Squad Leader, what should we do now?" Petra came to Levi's side and asked worriedly.
Levi replied indifferently, "Wait."
"Wait for what?"
"Wait for Hange to figure out what those damn Central Military Police are up to."
On an ordinary wooden bed, the badly injured Ymir lay unconscious, wounds still emitting faint wisps of steam.
Historia had tears welling in her eyes.
"It's all because of me. I'm sorry, Ymir."
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Pls Drop some Power Stones
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