Hange Zoe, one of the Survey Corps squad leaders, is obsessed with Titans and has an eccentric personality. In the eyes of soldiers within the Survey Corps, this squad leader usually seems unserious all day long.
But Hange can be said to be one of the few true brains within the Survey Corps. Compared with the other squad leaders, what everyone acknowledges more is Hange's achievements in combat strategy.
Levi, Mike, and the others possess formidable combat power and serve as the face of the Survey Corps. Hange's wisdom is the shining point of the Survey Corps. With Levi and the others' overwhelming strength, everyone subconsciously ignored Hange's fighting ability, instinctively treating Hange as a weak administrative officer.
But today's battle made everyone present realize that the twin blades raised by Hange are just as sharp as Levi's.
Bang! The scatter shot shattered the surface of a crystal pillar, instantly sending countless tiny crystal fragments flying.
Several scratches were left on Hange's specially made goggles.
In the next moment, Hange swiftly activated the Vertical Maneuvering Equipment, eyes locked tightly on the blonde Traute reloading ahead.
And Traute, personally selected by Kenny as vice-captain, was absolutely not someone to be underestimated.
Seeing that the opening two shots missed and Hange took the opportunity to charge in, Traute immediately realized that there was no time left to change the barrel.
"In this situation, the advantage of firearms is completely gone! Close combat with blades holds the absolute advantage!" Traute realized this clearly.
"Vice-captain! Watch out!" Several Central Military Police noticed Traute's situation. One of them hesitated as he looked at the Survey Corps soldiers closing in on him from all sides, then gritted his teeth fiercely.
Within two breaths, Hange had already rushed in front of Traute.
"Die!" Hange roared angrily, swinging both blades together.
Clang! Traute raised her twin guns, blocking Hange's blades.
The round gun barrels were fundamentally unsuited for close combat, while the Survey Corps blades were incomparably sharp.
The sound of blades colliding with gun barrels echoed continuously. Traute was tightly entangled by Hange, forced into a very passive defense against Hange's attacks.
She wanted to widen the distance from Hange, but Hange gave her no such chance at all. Each strike was ruthless, pressing straight toward Traute's vital points.
"Hey! Weren't you doing great with sneak attacks just now? Why so quiet now?" Hange didn't forget to mock her even while attacking.
"You know, I'd much rather use my blades to cut Titans. Slicing open the skin and blood vessels of those cute little guys is far more interesting than fighting you."
Traute dodged a slash somewhat awkwardly, breathing slightly heavily, and snapped back,
"In the end you're just an idiot who knows nothing."
Rip— a sharp pain surged through Traute's arm as the keen blade easily cut open her forearm, blood instantly gushing out like a fountain.
Traute's hand gripping the gun began to tremble uncontrollably.
If this continued, Traute would sooner or later die on the spot. Just as Hange thought victory was assured, a gunshot suddenly erupted from behind Hange.
In that instant, warning signals flashed wildly in Hange's mind. The powerful reflexes honed through countless battles with Titans saved Hange's life.
Pulling the trigger, gas sprayed out violently, and the rear fan of the Vertical Maneuvering Equipment immediately carried Hange surging to the side.
At the same time, a cluster of explosive scatter shot pierced through the position Hange had just occupied. The two were practically inches apart, and Hange could faintly smell the pungent odor of gunpowder.
"Ah!" Along with the gunshot came a scream. A Central Military Police officer loosened his grip on the still-smoking firearm, which was aimed directly at where Hange had just been. A blade soaked in fresh blood withdrew from the Central Military Police officer's neck.
"Squad Leader! Are you alright!?" Kira kicked away the already limp corpse of the Central Military Police officer and rushed toward the somewhat disheveled Hange with concern.
That Central Military Police officer had already been surrounded by several Survey Corps soldiers. Unexpectedly, at the final moment, instead of choosing to save himself, he had gambled his own life to resolve Traute's crisis.
This display of ferocity from the Central Military Police earned a faint sense of respect from the other Survey Corps soldiers, including Kira.
By this point in the battle, more than half of the Central Military Police had already been lost, yet the remaining ones were still fighting like mad.
However, with the arrival of Survey Corps reinforcements, more and more Wings of Freedom poured into the crystal cavern, and the balance of victory had completely tipped toward the Survey Corps.
Traute, having disengaged, did not choose to continue attacking. Instead, she immediately pulled back to observe the battlefield.
The Central Military Police were being forced back step by step by large numbers of Survey Corps soldiers. If this continued, total annihilation was only a matter of time.
...
On the other side, where Levi and Kenny were fighting, the terrifying intensity of their clash made soldiers from both sides afraid to intervene.
Blades and bullets, grappling hooks and daggers, even elbows and fists— the battle between the two Ackermans was brutal in the extreme.
"Throat-Cutter Kenny! Kenny, I only found out your full name a few days ago! Kenny Ackerman!" Levi's dead-fish eyes were now filled with killing intent.
As for Kenny, the killing intent in his eyes was no less, yet after hearing Levi's words, he didn't say anything. This struck Levi, who was used to Kenny's sharp-tongued remarks, as rather strange.
Clang clang clang— in an instant the two exchanged dozens more blows. But age was ultimately Kenny's weakness. The Levi he had personally trained was just as powerful as Kenny had been in his prime, yet Kenny himself had grown old.
A sharp blade kicked up a spray of blood. Kenny let out a pained grunt and clutched his abdomen. Beneath the simple armor plates of the Anti-Personnel Vertical Maneuvering Equipment, the white shirt was instantly soaked red with blood.
Seeing Kenny wounded, Traute immediately gave the order: "All units, fall back! Follow me to the last line of defense!"
Upon receiving the command, the Central Military Police immediately regrouped around Traute. Dense gunfire temporarily blocked the Survey Corps' pursuit.
Taking advantage of this, the Central Military Police rapidly retreated.
Turning around, Traute saw Kenny clutching his wound, with the Survey Corps soldier known as humanity's strongest relentlessly pursuing him.
Bang! Bang! Without hesitation, Traute raised her hand and fired two shots.
The scatter shot blasted toward Levi, but he easily dodged the bullets with a few swift maneuvers.
Yet in that brief span of time, Kenny quickly shook off Levi's pursuit and plunged into the main body of the Central Military Police.
"What a sorry-looking captain," Traute said upon seeing Kenny's condition.
"Heh." Kenny tugged at the corner of his mouth, about to retort, but Traute cut him off.
"Captain Kenny, go protect the ritual. We'll hold the last line of defense!" Traute said decisively.
Kenny froze for a moment upon hearing this, a trace of shame and annoyance rising in his heart. What did this mean— was she looking down on him?
Yet the words of refusal wouldn't come out. After all, his objective was right in front of him.
"Heh, just as I thought. Good luck to you, Traute. Don't die too ugly."
"We won't die!" Traute led the final dozen or so Military Police and stopped in front of a cave entrance.