At the edge of Stoheis District, the Survey Corps' operation had entered its most vulnerable stage. Long iron elevators creaked and rattled as they carried soldiers, equipment, and supply wagons slowly up the towering city wall before lowering them again on the exterior side. The process was painfully slow—an unavoidable consequence of the royal government's decree to seal all gates.
Without functioning gates, the elevators were their only path beyond the wall.
The Corps had no choice but to endure this inefficiency. With hundreds of soldiers and wagons, it took nearly half an hour to get the bulk of the forces onto the wall. The remaining supply carriages lined up in the shadow of the inner wall, waiting for their turn.
It was at this critical juncture that Captain Levi appeared—swift as a shadow. Leaping from rooftop to carriage top, he slipped through the narrow opening of one wagon without so much as stirring the horses.
"You're here," Lock said, unsurprised.
Levi's sharp gaze swept across the interior. Petra and Ymir sat opposite Lock. When his eyes lingered on Ymir, his voice dropped to a low warning.
"I'm not sure if they'll attack," Levi said, his tone clipped and cold, "but you'll be ready when they do."
Ymir, usually sharp-tongued, merely nodded. Before the Captain, the hostility she sometimes displayed melted away, replaced by instinctive caution. She could sense it clearly: despite his small frame, Levi radiated lethal intent.
Lock nodded silently. Levi lowered himself onto the wooden floor, cross-legged, hands resting lightly on his blades. He said nothing more, but his presence alone tightened the air inside the carriage.
The quiet became heavy—like the pressure before a storm.
Lock took a slow breath and closed his eyes, conserving energy for what was to come. He knew well that this mission followed two possible paths:
The first was to capture or kill Reiner, Bertolt, and Annie here and now, if they revealed themselves.
The second was to push northward after departure, toward Wall Maria, to assess its current state and plan a full-scale operation to reclaim their homeland.
The second path was inevitable regardless of what happened. Humanity could not survive indefinitely within its shrinking cage. Retaking Wall Maria wasn't just an ambition—it was a necessity.
Minutes passed. Eventually, it was Lock's carriage's turn. Without unloading, the wagon rolled onto the iron platform. Chains groaned, and the elevator began to ascend, carrying them slowly toward the sunlight above.
That was when it happened.
Above, on the ramparts, the Garrison soldiers suddenly stiffened. One man pointed toward the open fields beyond the district, his voice cracking.
"Titans—huge ones!"
Another shouted, panic rising.
"There's an entire group—heading this way!"
Smoke trails from their movements curled into the sky. At their head, unmistakable even at a distance, charged the Armored Titan. The sight sent a shudder through every soldier on the wall.
The elevator operator froze. His hands slipped on the levers. The platform jerked to a halt mid-air, leaving Lock's carriage suspended between ground and wall.
Inside, Petra's eyes widened.
"Lock, we—!"
"Don't move," Lock cut her off sharply. "Trust the Captain and the others."
Petra swallowed, then nodded.
Beside her, Ymir's palm had gone cold. Petra placed her hand over it gently.
"Don't worry. I'll protect you," Petra whispered.
Ymir's eyes hardened, and she replied quietly but firmly:
"No. I'll protect you."
Levi's eyes flicked toward them, puzzled by their exchange, then shifted back to Lock. The boy only shrugged faintly, his focus unwavering. His hands rested on the hilts of his blades, mirroring Levi's readiness. Both were like coiled springs, waiting for the moment steel would sing.
Above, on the wall, Erwin Smith stood tall against the wind, his eyes locked on the fast-approaching figure of the Armored Titan. Dust and steam billowed in the distance as the Titan thundered toward the city with terrifying speed.
"Prepare for battle!" Erwin's voice rang out, unwavering.
The order rippled across the wall like electricity.
The Garrison soldiers, pale but resolute, began evacuating civilians from the district's periphery. Messengers raced through the streets, urging the populace to flee toward the inner gate.
Panic erupted almost instantly. Those who moments ago had been watching the Corps' departure with curiosity now screamed and shoved their way toward safety.
Yet not everyone ran.
Among the refugees from Wall Maria, the sight of the Armored Titan awoke something different. Fear, yes—but also hatred. Deep, festering hatred.
These people had already lost everything: homes, dignity, families. They'd spent years crammed into slums, begging for relief, treated like burdens by their fellow countrymen. What more did they have left to lose?
Their eyes bloodshot, they seized whatever they could—rusted tools, spears, farm equipment—and ran toward the wall.
They didn't run away. They ran toward the coming Titans.
They weren't fearless. They were broken people with nothing left but rage. If death were inevitable, they would meet it on their feet, not their knees.
Soldiers on the wall and within the district froze in shock at the sight of this ragged wave of civilians charging toward their own destruction.
"Are they insane?!" Bertolt hissed from his hiding place.
Annie's expression flickered for just a heartbeat—something like recognition—before hardening again.
"They're desperate," she replied flatly. "Just like us. Enough waiting. We move now. The target is inside that carriage."
Her gaze fixed on Lock's suspended wagon.
She stood, withdrew a knife, and without hesitation, on dragged it across her palm.
Lightning split the sky.
The transformation flash tore through the air like a cannon blast. Every soldier's head snapped toward the source.
On the wall, Erwin's eyes sharpened.
"As expected… they're making their move here."
Below, inside the carriage, Lock felt the surge before he saw it. Levi's eyes flashed, and in the next heartbeat, he was gone—bursting through the window and streaking through the air toward the source of the explosion.
His target: the Female Titan.
The lock didn't move yet. His role would come soon.
Above, soldiers scrambled into position. The ground trembled as the Armored Titan continued its charge, the smaller Pure Titans trailing behind in a grotesque pack.
This was it.
The bait had been taken.
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