Under the starry sky, a bonfire illuminated four heavy-hearted children.
"Reiner! I'm sorry." Marcel, the brown-haired boy, suddenly spoke to Reiner in front of him.
What answered his words was Reiner's puzzled expression.
"I'm sorry, Reiner. You could have avoided being chosen as the Armored Titan. It was me—I praised you before the military and belittled Porco, and that's what changed the military's mind."
At this point, Marcel, always the core of the group, couldn't help but let tears fall.
"I'm sorry, Reiner. I just wanted to protect Porco, to protect my younger brother."
Faced with Marcel's overwhelming guilt and apology, Reiner stood there blankly, at a loss for words.
Annie had no interest in a situation like this. After losing that boy, she had almost lost all feeling for this world. The only belief supporting her now was the promise she had made with her father.
...
The accident happened without any warning at all. Just as the sun was rising, while the four-person squad was still drowsy in sleep, a colossal being suddenly burst out of the sandy ground beneath them.
They had fought as Titans for Marley, but only when they truly encountered a Titan did they truly experience the fear of Marley's former enemies.
Marcel shoved away the stunned Reiner standing before the newly awakened Titan, but was himself grabbed and stuffed into the Titan's mouth.
Reiner lived up to his bottom-ranking performance among the warrior candidates—facing the Titan, he turned and ran.
Reiner's flight also shattered Annie and Bertholdt's mental defenses. Almost at the same time, they fled after Reiner, completely ignoring Marcel's screams behind them.
Annie glanced back. Half of Marcel's body was still outside, and the vicious gaze of the five-meter-tall Titan met Annie's eyes.
The image of the Titan was seared into her heart. Annie ran even faster, because her father was still waiting for her in Marley—she could not die here.
Annie had never imagined that one day she would see that Titan again. Now Ymir was transforming right in front of her, so...
"Marcel… was eaten by her..." Annie murmured, momentarily dazed.
...
A Central Military Police officer who had been lying in wait seized the moment when Annie, this killing machine, revealed an opening and immediately rushed forward.
Detach the empty barrel, reload, chamber, aim—smooth and seamless. In just three seconds, the Central Military Police officer completed his attack preparation.
The corners of his mouth even lifted, as if he already foresaw the death of the Survey Corps soldier before him.
Slash! Bang! Blade flash and gunshot erupted simultaneously. The officer's smile froze; blood sprayed from his neck, and the bullet lost its target and slammed into the wall.
Yago flicked the sticky blood from his blade and sprinted toward Annie.
"Are you okay, Annie?" Yago asked with concern. Annie snapped out of her daze and shook her head hesitantly.
"Be careful. Don't get hurt."
After the reminder, Yago accelerated straight to the front of the others.
At this moment, the Survey Corps was being suppressed by the powerful firepower of the Central Military Police.
Using building after building as cover, they barely managed to contend with the Central Military Police. Kira and Sasha desperately held back the impulsive Mikasa.
But now the situation had changed.
The five-meter-tall Ymir Titan sprinted wildly, using all four limbs. Sharp claws and fangs covered both hands and feet, allowing Ymir to climb up and down the city with ease.
Unfortunately, the Titan's appearance plunged the people of Trost, this already battered conservative city, into panic once more.
Many people fled in all directions in terror, and news of the Titan's reappearance spread to every corner.
Yago landed on a rooftop, his expression somewhat grave. Half of the Central Military Police's firepower had been drawn away by Ymir.
Sadly, the name "Vertical Maneuvering Equipment" for fighting humans was not mistaken—firearms that were unstoppable against humans were nothing more than a tickle when hitting a Titan.
Yago recognized this Titan called Ymir—at least, he had seen it alive in Annie's memories.
"So Ymir inherited the power of the Jaw Titan after eating Marcel?" Yago confirmed Ymir's identity.
"Ah!!" A Central Military Police officer, caught completely off guard, was bitten in half by the Jaw Titan, which had suddenly leapt high using a building as leverage.
The Central Military Police launched another volley. It had to be admitted—their performance was outstanding; almost every bullet hit the Jaw Titan.
Unfortunately, all that rose from the Jaw Titan's body was billowing steam.
"Vice Squad Leader Traute! What should we do? We can't effectively attack this Titan!" The Central Military Police officer driving the carriage looked frantic, repeatedly glancing back at the rapidly approaching Jaw Titan.
Traute calmly finished loading a new barrel, her peripheral vision noting that they were already very close to Wall Rose.
"Full speed ahead! Everyone else, scatter!" Traute raised her firearm high in her right hand and shouted the order.
The Central Military Police obeyed orders absolutely and immediately dispersed.
On the other side, the Survey Corps was no longer suppressed. Though they didn't understand what the Central Military Police were planning, they decided to seize the opportunity to rescue Eren.
Bang! Traute pulled the trigger. The wind brushed past her ears, lifting her blond hair. A small knife was embedded in the horse's hindquarters, and the startled horse burst into what might have been the fastest sprint of its life.
Boom! A purple signal flare exploded in the sky—this was a signal unique to the Central Military Police.
"What is that?" Jurgen's brow jumped violently. His instincts told him this flare meant nothing good.
"Do you see it?! A Titan has appeared inside Trost District! Do I need to force you to open fire?!"
A Central Military Police officer in a unicorn-emblazoned uniform pointed at the Jaw Titan chasing the carriage madly outside the wall and berated the garrison Squad Leader responsible for the fixed cannons on the wall.
Originally, the garrison Squad Leader had been forced into position by the Central Military Police and was full of complaints, not understanding what these high-and-mighty MPs were here for, so his attitude was extremely perfunctory, even resistant.
At his instigation, the garrison soldiers under him deliberately dragged their feet as well.
Who the hell would have thought that a Titan would really appear inside Trost District!
So the fixed cannon crew that had dawdled for two hours completed their battle preparations in just two minutes.
The Central Military Police watching from the side had veins bulging on their foreheads.
"Fire!!" With a furious roar from the garrison Squad Leader.
More than a dozen menacing fixed cannons atop Wall Rose let out terrifying roars.
The cannon fire naturally reached Jurgen's ears. His expression instantly turned to horror, and with the loudest shout of his life he yelled,
"Don't get close! Everyone, scatter!"
Shock—utter shock. He had never imagined that the Central Military Police even controlled the fixed cannons. But Jurgen now understood that they absolutely could not confront this head-on, or they would gain nothing.
The dense barrage from more than a dozen cannons rained down toward Ymir.
The Jaw Titan was recognized as the most agile of Titans, but in such an isolated situation, no amount of agility could help.
Terrifying shells had already encircled Ymir.