"Frieda, I knew you wouldn't accept this... so, forgive me."
Rod Reiss said in a low voice, a look of cruelty appearing in his eyes. He waved his hand behind him, and immediately, a squad of Military Police soldiers, pre-positioned in ambush, emerged. This was the specialized squad trained to protect the true Royal Family.
Although Kenny Ackerman was no longer their ace, it could not be denied that this was an elite troop. Dozens of men held their weapons, unanimously aiming at Frieda.
Her only chance to escape was to transform into a Titan, but Rod understood her nature. Transforming into a Titan would inevitably mean killing the soldiers blocking her path, and a benevolent person like Frieda would not do that; on the contrary, she would be restrained.
She knew this too, however, Frieda had prepared herself.
From nowhere, a terrifying figure darted to Frieda's side. This person was clad in black armor, and also wore an ODM Gear.
The appearance of this person caused Rod's face to drain of color. The terrifying memories of the previous day flooded back, causing the old man to tremble incessantly. But looking closely, he realized that although this person resembled Asahi, there was a slight difference between the two.
"Yo, Rod, long time no see. Are you still well?"
"Kenny... you... betrayal?"
Fear was replaced by fury. A blue vein pulsed on Rod's forehead. He clenched his jaw. How dare one of their tail-wagging dogs betray them?
"You... you..."
"Don't act so surprised, Rod. I know what you think of me. It's just... I serve Uri, and this young lady here. Not you, Rod Reiss."
"You have no right to mention Uri, you treacherous dog!"
"Tsk, don't act like you're so great, Rod Reiss. You're the one who has no right to mention Uri."
"Kenny, take me away."
Frieda, with a cold face, dismissed their verbal sparring. She just wanted to leave this cursed place as soon as possible. The other members of the Reiss family, and even her descendants, might judge her as a criminal, but she had made up her mind. The Reiss family did not deserve to hold the destiny of an entire race, nor did they deserve to suffer such a fate.
King of the Walls? It sounded grand, but in reality, it was just a tool to maintain the Founding Titan and preserve the power of a small group of people.
"Kenny, if you give up and leave, I won't pursue anything."
"Are you deaf, old man! You're the one in trouble here!"
Kenny roared, his figure darting forward. He didn't need a weapon now, because the armor wrapping around his body was the best weapon!
This armor itself had extremely high durability; constant scratching from a 21st-century rifle wouldn't break it, let alone the pistol-grade weapons in the hands of the Military Police soldiers.
Bup!
With a dull thud, Kenny's fist slammed directly into the abdomen of one Military Police soldier. The man's eyes widened, the whites turned upwards, and he spat out saliva before collapsing unconscious. Being on Asahi's side, although he didn't agree, he still tried not to kill, unless the situation was unavoidable.
Besides, this Military Police branch was personally trained by him; killing them would be a waste.
"What's wrong with you?! Don't just stand there! Come here and kill me! Have you forgotten everything I taught you?!"
Kenny laughed loudly while shouting. His masterful skill in using the ODM Gear, enough to make others furious, was displayed exquisitely at this moment, continuously dancing in the air as if performing a choreography. Kenny realized that the most advantageous aspect of this armor was that it could integrate various other combat equipment without becoming cumbersome or obstructive. On the contrary, it provided the best support.
Kenny became more and more spirited as he fought. Perhaps it was because he hadn't had such a satisfying fight in many years that he continuously provoked the Military Police. Finally, he drove them mad; they rushed into a chaotic fight, bullets flying everywhere, to the point where Rod Reiss had to retreat in fear of being hit by a stray bullet.
Finally, Kenny walked out of the pile of groaning guards on the ground. He approached Frieda and bowed courteously like an artist who had just finished his performance.
"Shall we go, Miss Frieda?"
"Lead the way."
Frieda put on a large cloak, covering her entire body and more than half of her face. She didn't look back, didn't judge, and didn't utter any poisonous words, but walked straight up toward the chapel entrance. She paid no mind to the angry, even hateful, gaze from the man she called her father.
"Haha, Rod. You truly look like a beaten dog."
Kenny laughed nastily, walking past Rod Reiss, who was furious and helpless. Above, a horse-drawn carriage was already waiting.
Kenny personally took the reins as the coachman, and Frieda sat in the back. Even though this carriage was the most common farmer's cart, jolting and uncomfortable, it was still far better than those suffocating luxurious carriages.
For the first time, she ran away from home. For the first time, she defied her father. For the first time, she felt free.
Although still filled with anxiety and a slight apprehension, Frieda's heart couldn't help but secretly rejoice. She eagerly anticipated what she would face next.
However, things were not as she had hoped.
Frieda suddenly felt her body becoming heavy, as if a stone was pressing down on her. Her entire body stiffened, and her head began to ache violently.
"Ah..."
She groaned in agony, collapsing in the carriage. The commotion startled Kenny in the front. He turned his head and, seeing the girl's condition, couldn't help but ask.
"Huh? Miss Frieda?"
Frieda didn't answer, or perhaps she couldn't answer. She screamed incomprehensible words, her hands clutching her face until the skin began to tear and bleed. This action utterly terrified Kenny. He looked directly into her eyes, which had changed exactly like the moment she inherited the Founding Titan, when she was no longer herself. When her will was replaced by the 145th King's will.
A sense of impending death descended, making Kenny's hair stand on end. His mind went blank. In that instant, the warrior instinct hidden in the Ackerman bloodline awakened him. Kenny used his strongest force to push himself away by momentum, as far from the carriage as possible. It was also the moment yellow lightning streaks began to coil in the air.
CRACK!!!
A bolt of yellow lightning struck down, causing the surrounding ground to shake. Simultaneously, a massive pressure crushed the air; the carriage and horse were torn apart, shattered into a messy pulp. Kenny was blown several dozen meters away, sprawled on the ground. He carved a meter-wide furrow in the earth. If not for the protective armor, he would have likely sustained multiple bone fractures, even if he survived.
A dreadful roar echoed. The Titan body, approximately fifteen meters tall, emerged, towering over the ground. This was Frieda; she had been taken over by the Founder's will and transformed into a Titan.