The long-haired Titan rampaged, killing other Titans as if they were humans—not to eat, just to kill.
It stomped on their heads in rage, smashing skulls with each kick. The observing soldiers were stunned.
They had served for years and seen many abnormal Titans, but a Titan attacking others with such hatred was unprecedented.
Still, it was promising. If there were more Titans like this, the Survey Corps would have an easier time. This one seemed far stronger than normal Titans, taking down three or four in mere moments.
Strangely, its movements resembled human combat more than usual—throwing straight punches like a trained fighter.
Thud—crash!
Another Titan fell, its head and neck crushed underfoot.
"Number eight!"
"This abnormal Titan is insane!"
"Something feels… off."
The observing soldiers exchanged opinions, while those on the walls also watched intently.
"That bastard is strong," Levi said, watching the long-haired Titan from afar. "And…" He didn't finish the sentence, but Erwin understood his meaning.
"Yes, possible," Erwin nodded.
The others were confused—they hadn't been outside the walls and didn't hear Erwin's earlier deduction about Titan intelligence.
"Operation plan change," Erwin decided. He turned to a tall, muscular man with a head of blond hair. "Mike, take your squad and engage."
"Yes, sir."
Mike, second only to Levi in strength within the corps, was no slouch in battle. With his extremely keen senses, he could track and judge opponents with great precision.
Mike led his elite squad down from the wall, charging straight toward the long-haired Titan.
"Lillian, that Titan… it's really strange," Krista said, puzzled. "But the weird part is… I feel like I've seen it before…"
"Really?"
Lillian thought: Krista had been neglected by her biological mother, so the person she was closest to was naturally her "sister," Frieda Reiss, who had often read with her. Frieda had possessed the power of the Founding Titan.
Later, that power was taken by Grisha and passed on to Eren. So it made sense that Krista felt a sense of familiarity with the Titan Eren transformed into. Whether it was Eren himself or the power of the Founding Titan—that was unclear.
He glanced at Ymir, who had been frowning silently ever since seeing the long-haired Titan. Rarely did she look so serious.
Even she could tell that the rampaging Titan wasn't a mindless one, but an intelligent Titan, like herself. She was just curious who was inside its nape.
After wreaking havoc, the long-haired Titan finally exhausted itself. Intelligent Titans are priority targets for mindless Titans, so four fists proved too many for its two, and it collapsed quickly.
Mike and the observing soldiers felt a twinge of regret—it was indeed a powerful abnormal Titan, having taken down nearly twenty Titans alone. If it could survive… but its fall was also opportune.
Mike drew his dual blades, eyes locked on the fallen Titan.
He had been outside the walls and had listened to Erwin's deductions. If this was truly an intelligent Titan, it would differ greatly from normal Titans.
Then, at the nape of the long-haired Titan, something appeared… no, someone!
Of course!
Seeing a person emerge, Mike's eyes went wide. He shouted, "Everyone! Stop the other Titans from approaching! Bring that person back!"
"Yes, sir!"
In an instant, everyone observing sprang into action. Mike fired a flare signaling for support.
Erwin, noticing this, immediately led his men forward. Many of the 104th trainees, sensing something, also rushed out. The fastest were the three soldiers, followed by Lillian and Mikasa, then Krista and Ymir.
"Hey! What are you doing?!"
Jean and Connie shouted at the trainees, thinking they should stay put since the Survey Corps elite were there. Damn it!
They couldn't help themselves and followed, though most others still avoided the Titans. Levi remained immobile, silently standing at the edge of the wall, hands constantly on his blades.
The group leapt forward, quickly reaching the scene. Seeing the remains of the Titan and Eren at its nape, everyone's expressions turned to disbelief.
"Eren…"
"Wait!"
Mikasa ignored Erwin's commands and charged straight at Eren. Lillian spoke up, "Commander Erwin, that's Eren Yeager—he's a fellow trainee of ours."
Erwin glanced at him. "You are…" He clearly remembered Lillian but said no more. Then, looking at Eren, there was a strange yet excited gleam in his eyes. His hands trembled slightly but immediately steadied.
Lillian heard him mutter, "Good," before returning to his resolute demeanor and taking command of the operation.
---
Half an hour later—Inner Wall.
"Ugh… my head hurts…"
Eren frowned, slowly opening his eyes. The world around him gradually came into focus. He tried to touch his head, but a metallic clink rang out.
Startled, he looked down to find his hands cuffed.
"Wh…"
"Eren Yeager."
Someone called his name. Eren realized several prominent figures were standing before him.
"Commander Erwin, Captain Levi, Commander Pixis… Armin?"
They looked down at him, and he felt confused, not even understanding why he was handcuffed.
"Looks no different from a normal human," Pixis said casually, holding a flask, making Eren uneasy. "Doesn't seem like a Titan at all."
"A Titan? I…?"
"Eren," Erwin said, staring at him. "According to Armin's testimony, you were eaten by a Titan while trying to save him. Yet just now, in Titan form, you defeated nearly twenty Titans, and your limbs are intact. Can you explain this?"
"H…ha?!" Eren's mind spun. "I… in Titan form… how… ugh! My head hurts!"
He tried to stand but Levi stomped on his head, pressing him to the ground with a loud thud.
"Don't move if you don't want your head chopped off."
"Captain Levi…"
From a distance, the others watched. They couldn't hear the exchange but could see Eren pinned under Levi's foot.
"That shorty!" Mikasa frowned, moving forward, but Krista grabbed her. "Mikasa, we can't go!"
"Let go! Didn't you see how he treated Eren?!"
"That's necessary," Ymir said calmly. "Titans are humanity's enemies, and Eren just transformed. They're worried he might transform again."
"Mikasa, if you care about Eren, don't act impulsively," Lillian said. "Right now, they just want to confirm that Eren isn't an enemy. Going there will only cause trouble, not help."
"…"
Mikasa looked at him, paused, and quietly moved aside, sitting down and pulling her scarf over her neck.
"Wait… Eren is a Titan?!" Jean exclaimed, holding his forehead in disbelief. "This… this is insane! Someone tell me what's going on here!"
"That guy…"
"I think… if Eren is a Titan, he's a good one," Marco said. As he finished, all eyes turned toward him. He scratched his cheek awkwardly. "I mean… he only attacked Titans, not humans, right?"
"…."
Indeed, that was true. But even so, such a shocking revelation wasn't something most people could accept immediately.
Of course, some could accept it faster.
Lillian glanced at Reiner, who, although pretending to be shocked, was likely thinking: Finally found him.
'Finally found him…' Reiner's mind raced. He hadn't expected the one with the power to be this guy. Compared to others, this one was undoubtedly more dangerous. Eren had openly expressed extreme intentions to "kill all enemies" more than once—a very radical "hawk."
Still, it wasn't a huge problem. Eren had just awakened his powers and probably couldn't control them fully yet. Defeating him should be easy. Reiner thought that if he could capture Eren, they could finally return home—no need to linger in this land of devils.
However…
He subtly glanced toward the group questioning Eren. Now that the human leadership had noticed Eren's presence, taking him away wouldn't be easy.
But the three of them were within the army. Intelligence should be easy to acquire, and with Titan power, the task wouldn't be too difficult. Five years had passed… it was time to go home.