Boom boom boom!
A series of terrifying cannon blasts thundered out as shells smashed into the ground and exploded, the massive clouds of smoke they kicked up engulfing Ymir's Jaw Titan and the carriage even farther ahead.
"Adjust the gun position! Reload again! Move!" the Garrison Squad Leader shouted orders at the soldiers under his command.
Most members of the Garrison's fixed artillery teams were elites—after all, not just anyone could handle those cumbersome fixed cannons.
As the smoke gradually dispersed, what came into view were several buildings blasted into utter ruin by the shells. Their owners had naturally fled long ago, terrified by Ymir's Titan.
Ymir herself was in dire straits. Half of her body had been blown apart, steam billowing everywhere as Titan power continuously repaired her shattered Titan form.
But if one looked closely, it was clear that Ymir's regeneration was extremely slow—barely stronger than that of an ordinary Titan.
Seeing that Ymir was still struggling, the Garrison Squad Leader's voice turned shrill.
"Reload! Hurry! Hurry! Hurry!"
"This is bad! Ymir has lost her mobility! What do we do?!" Armin immediately realized that Ymir was now in grave danger.
But they were all ordinary flesh-and-blood humans—how could they withstand the terrifying fixed cannons?
Off to the side—"Mikasa! Calm down! You can't go out now, it's too dangerous!"
Mikasa's eyes were bloodshot as she struggled wildly.
"Let me go! I'm going to save Eren! Let me go—Eren! Eren!"
Petra, Kira, and Sasha had to work together just to hold Mikasa down.
"Eren, Eren, Eren…" Even while restrained, Mikasa kept calling Eren's name, two streams of tears flowing from her reddened eyes.
"Annie, I know this is presumptuous, but right now… the only one who can save Ymir and Eren is you," Armin said carefully, probing Annie.
Armin didn't truly dare believe Annie just because of a few words from Yago, but in a situation like this, it seemed that only Annie, who possessed the Female Titan's power, could turn the tide.
After all, everyone had personally witnessed how formidable the Female Titan was.
Annie hesitated when she heard this—save the one who had eaten Marcel?
"That's—Yago!" Jean suddenly shouted in surprise, pointing in one direction.
Everyone looked over. In front of the shattered Jaw Titan, Yago had somehow already rushed over.
"Fire! Why aren't you firing?!" the Central Military Police barked angrily.
The Garrison Squad Leader hesitated.
"But… there seems to be someone in front of that Titan, and it looks like a Survey Corps soldier."
The Central Military Police officer grabbed the Garrison Squad Leader by the collar and roared,
"That's a traitor! The Survey Corps has already betrayed humanity and colluded with the Titans! I order you to fire immediately! Otherwise, you're traitors to humanity too!"
Naturally, the Garrison Squad Leader didn't dare bear the label of betraying humanity. Gritting his teeth, he ordered the cannons to fire.
The cannons roared once more.
Yago glanced sideways at the city wall.
"Damn it, we've really been calculated against to the extreme. Completely passive… but…"
He looked at the Jaw Titan before him, which had completely lost its ability to move.
"The Jaw Titan…"
A bolt of yellow lightning seemed to split heaven and earth, its surging brilliance making even the roaring cannons seem insignificant.
Flesh and bone intertwined as a brand-new Titan body appeared before everyone's eyes.
A massive frame, crimson eyes, a furious roar—the Fate Titan had arrived!
Crack! The moment Yago transformed into the Fate Titan, a layer of hardened skin immediately formed across his back.
Boom! Boom! Boom! Shells slammed into the Fate Titan's back, kicking up enormous shockwaves, yet the Fate Titan stood firm as a mountain.
Seizing the moment while the fixed cannons were reloading, the Fate Titan opened its mouth, bristling with sharp teeth, bit open the nape of the Jaw Titan, and swallowed Ymir—her face covered in blood—whole.
At this moment, soldiers on both sides fell into panic.
"That—he turned into a Titan right in front of us!!" the Garrison Squad Leader stared wide-eyed in disbelief.
Seizing the moment amid the shock, the Central Military Police declared,
"I told you! The Survey Corps is colluding with the Titans to destroy the walls! Continue firing immediately! Eliminate the traitors!"
During this time, the carriage carrying Eren and Historia had already sped into Wall Rose. Rescuing Eren now seemed hopeless for the moment.
The Survey Corps here was also in utter shock—after all, Yago had transformed into a Titan right before their eyes.
Jean stammered, "Yago, he… he's a Titan too?!"
Aside from a handful of people, no one knew that Yago also possessed Titan power.
Even Petra and Jurgen of the Survey Corps' ace Levi Squad now wore faces of utter astonishment.
Once again, artillery fire covered the Fate Titan.
"Yago!" Annie was deeply worried and wanted to rush over to help.
Under such intense firepower, Reiner's Armored Titan might barely endure it here, but Yago's Fate Titan probably couldn't last long.
Yago didn't let everyone worry for long. While the cannons were still roaring, a pale-faced Yago, carrying the unconscious Ymir on his back, used his Vertical Maneuvering Equipment to reach the group behind them.
"Are you okay?!" Annie supported Yago, asking anxiously.
"I—I'm fine. Let's go first. We can't stay here… we…" Before he could finish, Yago collapsed.
Yago wasn't injured—rather, another kind of power had entered his body.
"Retreat!" Eren couldn't be rescued for now. They could only withdraw first and wait to regroup with the Captain.
"No! Eren!" Mikasa was of course unwilling to give up on saving Eren, but no one was going to let her risk her life alone.
When the smoke finally cleared, a massive Titan body could be seen slowly evaporating amid the ruins.
The Garrison soldiers atop Wall Rose burst into cheers.
The Central Military Police officer frowned slightly and said to the Garrison Squad Leader,
"There are still their accomplices inside Trost District. Immediately order martial law. Understood?"
The Garrison Squad Leader quickly clenched his right fist to his left chest in salute.
"Yes!"
The Central Military Police's second signal flare rose into the sky.
...
Bang! A bullet grazed past Levi's face, lightly scraping his cheek.
Kenny and Levi had fought their way from the east of the city to the south, with no victor yet decided.
Suddenly, two purple signal flares appeared in succession in the sky. Kenny knew the plan had succeeded. Being able to toy with the little guy Levi so thoroughly left Kenny very satisfied.
"Hahahaha! Levi, you lost. No improvement at all. See you next time!" Kenny fired again, forcing Levi back as he exposed himself, then immediately withdrew.
"Kenny!!" Levi said through clenched teeth.