Outside, life-and-death battles raged, yet the deepest part of the crystal cave was utterly silent.
Tears streamed from Historia's eyes. She remembered—she remembered everything. That blurry figure in her memories finally became clear.
So it turned out that when she was little, there had always been an older sister who came to keep her company every single day.
The girl with black hair and eyes as bright as the stars, who gently told her stories beneath the tree—that was the sister who had always cherished her, Frieda Reiss.
"Sister… she, she…" Historia's voice trembled, because not only had she recovered the memories sealed away by her sister, she had also seen her sister's fate.
Rod Reiss thought of his eldest daughter, and anger surfaced on his round face.
"That's right, Historia. Your sister—my eldest daughter, Frieda Reiss—was brutally murdered by the usurper Grisha Yeager, the father of Eren Yeager! And the other innocent children of the Reiss family as well! All of them died at that man's hands!"
Boom! It was as if his mind had been bombarded. Bound tightly, Eren's green eyes shook violently. No! How could that be? His father was a respected doctor—how could he possibly do something like that?!
Even if it meant death, Eren refused to believe that his father had committed such horrific acts. But during those few short seconds of contact with Historia, a massive surge of memories flooded into his mind as well.
A scene unfolded before Eren's eyes:
"I am Dr. Grisha Yeager from the Shiganshina District of Wall Maria. You are the king within the Walls! Please, use the power of the king to drive away those Titans! Save my wife and child!" Grisha, his clothes in disarray, stood inside the crystal cave.
Before him stood Frieda and the other children of the Reiss family, all dressed in white robes.
Eren couldn't hear what they said. He only saw his father's expression suddenly turn ferocious as he raised a scalpel and viciously slashed toward his palm.
Surging yellow arcs of electricity wrapped around Grisha. A sharp-eared Titan with fur covering its face and chest let out a roar.
Across from him, Frieda's originally calm expression also twisted. She shoved her family aside and bit down hard on the webbing of her hand.
A female Titan, smaller than Grisha's Titan by a full measure, appeared and charged at Grisha with a howl.
Eren was utterly shocked—his father had turned into a Titan.
The outcome had long been decided. With his overwhelming size advantage, Grisha's Titan easily tore the Titan that Frieda had become into two pieces.
Opening its mouth, it bit down on the entire nape of Frieda's Titan and swallowed it whole. Then the Titan turned its gaze toward several children trembling in the corner—some of them couldn't have been more than four or five years old.
Eren seemed to guess what his father was about to do. Forgetting that this was a memory, he shouted, "Stop! Dad!"
Eren watched helplessly as his father tore those children apart. Yet the trembling fat man in the corner was ignored.
"Why… why, Dad? Why did you do this?"
Past memories suddenly became even clearer. With a guilt-ridden face, tears streaming and an agonized expression, Grisha pressed Eren down tightly, holding a syringe in his hand.
"Eren! You must go back to Shiganshina. In the basement is the answer to every secret. I'm sorry, Eren—please forgive me! And %$*, don't let Eren @#%%$…"
The last words his father spoke in that memory were somewhat blurred, but a sharp pain yanked Eren out of the recollection.
Eren's left cheek swelled up. It turned out that Rod, furious beyond measure, had viciously slapped him.
"Historia, the enemy is right in front of you. Inject this serum, reclaim the power of our Reiss family, and complete your sister's mission!" Rod took out a box and opened it.
Inside, red velvet cradled a syringe and two small vials.
"These are also drugs that can strengthen Titan power. Historia, you will become a king even greater than your sister!" Rod's eyes burned with fervor.
"But I… I…" Historia fell into struggle. Eren was, after all, her companion. They had been through so much together.
Rod grew anxious. Grabbing Historia by the shoulders, he shouted at her,
"Historia! What are you hesitating for?! Your sister died at his father's hands! And your brothers and sisters—all dead! What are you still hesitating for?!"
...
Bang! Clang! Crack! The sound of gunfire, blades being drawn, daggers colliding with knives—within just a few seconds, Levi and Kenny exchanged several rounds.
Clang! Another collision. The blade in Levi's hand locked against Kenny's dagger.
They were no more than a fist's distance apart. Their eyes met. Because of the difference in height, Kenny looked down at Levi slightly.
"You're already old, Kenny. Old men like you should just lie obediently in a coffin!" Levi sneered.
Kenny gave a cruel grin.
"Don't talk big. Ever since the moment I dragged you out of that rotten brothel, I've been able to kill you anytime!"
Their stalemate ended when Kenny, the first to tire, broke away.
The white bandages tied around his arm were soaked red with blood, and even Kenny himself was breathing a little heavily.
Levi clearly noticed the wound on Kenny's arm and said,
"You actually got injured? Then again, trash like you can even join the Military Police. Getting hurt isn't that impossible, is it?"
Kenny raised his gun. "Looks like the shorty's grown too. Seems I have to settle things with you right here today!"
Levi's gaze sharpened. The Vertical Maneuvering Equipment activated, and his whole body became like a spinning top as he charged at Kenny.
"Squad Leader! The left side has been cleared!" Moblit flew over to Hange and reported.
"Alright! Less than half the enemies remain! Let's wipe them out in one push!" Hange cheered.
But suddenly, a gunshot rang out by her ear.
"Squad Leader, watch out!" In the critical moment, Moblit threw himself forward and shoved Hange away, but a spray of blood burst from his arm and thigh.
Moblit let out a scream and fell. Hange was horrified. "Moblit!"
Fortunately, Nifa and Kira arrived just in time and caught Moblit.
Traute removed the still-smoking barrel of her gun, her expression tinged with regret. She had noticed early on that the bespectacled woman was likely the commander—what a pity to miss such a good opportunity.
"Hey, you shameless sneak-attacking bastard—get ready to face my wrath!" Hange was rarely this furious. A cold glint flashed behind her lenses.
Traute showed no fear at all, even provocatively shaking her gun.
A battle between the two women was about to begin.
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Pls Drop some Power Stones
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