In Yago's eyes, red and black signal flares rose from the right side.
Captain Ness frowned as well. Red meant a Titan had been discovered, black meant an abnormal. Had the right-side scouting unit encountered an abnormal? Most of the right-side unit were still new recruits, with limited combat capability; they were not at an advantage against an abnormal.
Yago's heart jolted as well. The right side—Annie was in the right-side scouting unit.
"Captain Ness!! The right-side scouting unit has encountered a large number of Titans! There's also an abnormal! There's no time to retreat! We urgently need reinforcements!" a bearded Survey Corps soldier shouted while galloping on horseback.
Ness's brow furrowed tightly. Everything had happened too suddenly. The Long-Distance Enemy Scouting Formation was meant to avoid Titans as much as possible, but now the entire Survey Corps line was already somewhat chaotic, and rash action was impossible.
If the right-side unit really had an abnormal locked onto them, then they truly needed support.
"Hiss, take the elite combat squad to reinforce them. Remember—if you can break away, do not get entangled!" Ness said to Hiss beside him.
"Yes! Captain!"
Before Hiss could finish speaking, a figure beside them burst forward at top speed.
"Hey! You brat! Don't act on your own!" Ness shouted at Yago's rapidly receding back, feeling both helpless and worried. Even though Yago possessed formidable strength, he was still a new recruit.
At this moment, Yago couldn't care about any of that. Once he knew the right-side scouting unit was in danger, there was no way he could sit still.
Staring at the smoke rising from the right-side scouting unit, Yago grew increasingly restless. He didn't dare imagine—if something happened to Annie...
Boom—! Suddenly, Yago felt a thunderous rumble that made the ground tremble, as massive clouds of dust rose in the distance.
Yago focused his gaze, his pupils shrinking at once. A blond-haired Titan was running, followed by a large group of Titans—by rough count, at least twenty.
That blond Titan didn't have the bloated build of ordinary Titans, but instead was slender and well-proportioned, carrying a strange kind of beauty. Its chest even had protrusions resembling female characteristics.
Don't Titans have no gender? Yago pondered, while also preparing for battle. The Female Titan was advancing directly toward Yago's position—there was nowhere to dodge. He could only prepare for a fight to the death.
Facing so many Titans, if Yago didn't use Titan power, survival was almost impossible—and that Female Titan was extremely strange as well!
Shing! Yago drew his blades—but suddenly, something bizarre happened.
In an unbelievable maneuver, the Female Titan suddenly made a sharp turn and charged off in another direction.
Yago was stunned. What was going on? Had the Female Titan avoided him? Though shocked, Yago reacted quickly and immediately fired a red signal flare into the sky.
Watching the direction the Female Titan departed, Yago felt uneasy. This strange Titan might also possess intelligence—most likely, it too was transformed from a human.
But right now, Yago was even more worried about Annie. Making up his mind, he spurred his horse and continued racing toward the right-side scouting unit.
...
On the other side, Chiro roared as he sliced open the nape of a Titan. The last Titan crashed to the ground.
Chiro wiped the cold sweat from his forehead. Around him were several Titan corpses that were already evaporating.
"Squad Leader, I almost thought we were done for," a Survey Corps soldier said with relief.
Chiro said, "Yeah. But that Female Titan was even stranger—it ran off without attacking us, and those Titans followed it."
"Then, Squad Leader, what do we do now? Rohan has already gone to seek reinforcements."
"Ah, things changed too suddenly. I hope it didn't affect the overall formation of the corps. It's just that—we lost an outstanding new recruit," Chiro sighed.
When Yago finally reached the right-side scouting unit, he didn't see Annie's figure.
He managed to spot a familiar face from the training corps, but the person silently pointed toward Chiro.
"New recruit Annie? She was a brave soldier. She fulfilled her original vow and gave her heart for humanity," Chiro said regretfully as he handed a cloak to Yago.
Yago seemed to guess something. With trembling hands, he opened the cloak. One corner had already been completely soaked dark with blood.
Yago's breathing stopped. It felt as if his heart had been viciously clenched. His whole body trembled, his gaze shook, and his body swayed slightly.
Inside the cloak was a severed arm. On the pale hand, a silver ring gleamed painfully bright. How could Yago not recognize it? That ring—it was the one Annie always wore.
"How is this possible?! What happened?" Yago couldn't believe it. How could Annie have sacrificed herself? Just that morning, Yago had finally gathered the courage to confess. How could this happen? A deep wave of despair and grief surged in Yago's heart.
"We never expected a large group of Titans and a strange blond Female Titan to appear. By the time we reacted, new recruit Annie had already been swallowed by the Female Titan. This arm was all that remained," Chiro said, unable to bear Yago's grief, but still explained the circumstances of Annie's sacrifice.
Yago said nothing. He silently removed the ring from the severed arm and clenched it in his hand. A terrifying killing intent suddenly erupted from him, so intense that even Chiro felt a chill down his spine.
"New recruit, what are you—?" From others, Chiro already knew Yago's identity. For this new recruit known as 'Little Levi,' Chiro had heard plenty.
After learning about Yago's relationship with Annie, Chiro could understand. After all, no one would want to see their beloved die before their eyes. Chiro wanted to say a few words to console Yago.
But Yago interrupted him.
"The blond Female Titan—was it that one?" His tone was calm, but beneath that calm lay rage like a volcano on the verge of eruption.
The Female Titan—it must have been the one Yago saw on his way here.
Yago closed his eyes. In his mind appeared Annie's every smile and frown. In his heart, this girl was so important.
In that instant, Yago felt an urge to destroy everything. Beneath his tightly shut eyelids, his originally pitch-black pupils turned completely crimson. In his clenched fists, his nails pierced his palms, and faint wisps of steam began to rise.
"Hah..." Yago opened his eyes. His pupils were black once more, but devoid of their former light. He rewrapped the bloodstained cloak together with the severed arm, secured them close to his body, then nimbly mounted his horse and galloped madly in one direction.
"Hey! New recruit Yago! Where are you going?" Chiro tried to stop him. That kid wasn't going to hunt down the Female Titan for revenge, was he?
But Yago rode hard and soon disappeared from sight.
Hiss led the elite combat squad and arrived at the right-side scouting unit. After quickly understanding the situation, he immediately realized the severity of it. A strange Female Titan? This had to be reported at once.
"Where's Yago? Damn it—this kid really might have gone to seek revenge on the Female Titan," Captain Ness thought. Though he wanted to look for Yago and stop him, he couldn't disrupt the entire corps' deployment for one person. He could only pray that foolish kid wouldn't be so impulsive.
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Pls Drop some Power Stones
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