"Who knows—maybe joining the Survey Corps wouldn't be such a bad choice."
Yago's mind once again replayed Annie's familiar voice and expression.
A powerful wave of shame surged up in Yago's heart. Back then, he never should have asked Annie that question. Her choice to join the Survey Corps was absolutely, to a large extent, because of him.
Gripping the reins tightly, Yago's gaze hardened. Though rage was burning fiercely inside him, he had not yet completely lost his reason.
Following the route he had taken before, Yago returned to the place where he had once encountered the Female Titan. Staring at the empty plains, Yago narrowed his eyes.
The behavior of that Female Titan was strange. Yago guessed that it was very likely that the Female Titan, too, was a human who had transformed. At that thought, the icy killing intent within him grew even stronger. Annie and his mother were almost the last lines he would never allow to be crossed.
Yago lifted his head. One black signal flare after another rose in the distance. Judging by the situation, an Abnormal was steadily approaching the center of the Survey Corps' Long-Range Enemy Scouting Formation. With such an obviously purposeful movement, Yago was almost certain that it was the suspected human-turned Female Titan.
"Why the center? Is that Female Titan trying to destroy the command unit?" Yago speculated about her objective.
Without further hesitation, Yago immediately charged toward the center of the formation.
...
"Armin!"
Jean sprinted at full speed, slashing with all his strength and cutting open a Titan's nape, saving a terrified and stunned Armin from the jaws of a ten-meter-class Titan.
Armin fell from the Titan's grasp, and Bertholdt quickly caught him.
"Are you okay, Armin?"
Armin finally recovered from the terror of being grabbed by a Titan. Still shaken, he looked toward the already distant back of the Female Titan.
"That Titan… it was a human who transformed!"
Bertholdt's expression turned strange.
"Armin, what are you talking about?"
Armin, however, looked absolutely certain.
"That strange Female Titan is definitely a human who transformed! Its movements were far too purposeful—it went straight for the center of the formation!"
Jean frowned. "So what? Why would that Titan rush toward the center?"
Armin replied seriously, "Its target might be Eren! Remember when it stopped as it approached? It seemed to be observing our faces. That proves it was searching for a specific Survey Corps soldier—and the only one with a special identity, the one who can turn into a Titan, is Eren!"
Reiner wiped sweat from his forehead as he approached with dual blades in hand.
"Armin, that's a brilliant analysis. But our situation right now isn't good. That big-hipped Female Titan has more than a dozen Titans following behind her."
The four of them looked at the dozen-plus Titans charging toward them, their expressions all complicated.
"There's no room to deploy Vertical Maneuvering Equipment here. We're not far from the Giant Tree Forest. Let's draw the Titans over there first!" Armin suggested.
The others nodded in agreement. Everyone had always trusted Armin's judgments.
They mounted their horses, luring more than a dozen Titans toward the Giant Tree Forest, and fired red signal flares as a warning.
...
"Captain Levi! Emergency situation! A blonde Female Titan is rapidly approaching the center of the formation. Many Titans are gathering behind her. Commander Erwin orders the Special Operations Squad to enter the Giant Tree Forest ahead of time!"
A Survey Corps soldier hurriedly delivered Erwin's command to Levi's squad.
Eren, who was in the squad, stared at Levi in shock after hearing this. Levi, however, remained expressionless as ever.
"Captain, what should we do?" Petra, the only woman in Levi's squad, asked worriedly.
Levi glanced at Eren and gave the order.
"Full speed into the Giant Tree Forest."
"Yes, sir!"
At the same time, the Female Titan also took long strides, rapidly closing in on the Giant Tree Forest.
...
"Squad Leader! This Titan is too fast! We can't catch up at all!" a Survey Corps soldier shouted to their Squad Leader.
"Damn it! We have to deal with this strange Titan here! Ahead, Ett and Zoe are already lying in ambush. We'll draw its attention!"
The Squad Leader quickly laid out the battle plan.
Under the pursuit of the Survey Corps, the Female Titan entered a long-abandoned village.
Atop a deserted windmill, two Survey Corps soldiers were already hidden. They cautiously peeked out, seeing that the Female Titan had drawn near.
The instant the Female Titan passed the windmill—
"Ett! Go!" a soldier roared.
Bang!
The Vertical Maneuvering Equipment activated, gas blasting at full output. The grappling hook stabbed fiercely into the Female Titan's nape, and the soldier drew his blades, charging forward with a furious shout.
The other soldier also launched his attack, aiming for the Female Titan's heel.
Seeing this, the Squad Leader smiled in triumph. These two soldiers were the finest under his command, both outstanding in combat ability. As long as one of them succeeded, they could immediately deal with this Female Titan.
Severing the nape would kill the Titan outright, or cutting the heel to immobilize it would also resolve the threat.
In the blink of an eye, the two Survey Corps soldiers closed in on the Female Titan—just as everyone thought the outcome was decided.
The Female Titan suddenly leaped. In midair, she whipped her leg up in a high kick, flinging off the grappling hook embedded in her heel. The soldier lost his support and fell at her feet.
"Damn it! I'll send you straight to hell!"
The soldier targeting the nape raised his twin blades high and slashed down viciously at the Female Titan's nape.
Crack!
Before the soldier's eyes, filled with disbelief, the skin on the Female Titan's nape suddenly crystallized. The blades struck it—and shattered on the spot.
As the soldier froze in shock, the Female Titan suddenly grabbed his cable, hoisting his entire body into the air.
Hanging upside down, the soldier trembled.
"Ah! No! Let me go!"
Overwhelmed by terror, he was lifted before her face like a toy yo-yo. He could clearly see her mouth split wide to her ears and feel the hot breath she exhaled.
The soldier felt his blood nearly freeze. Just as he thought the Female Titan was about to eat him, his body suddenly went light, and he was thrown from midair.
Crack!
The Survey Corps soldier's face went pale as he felt both legs break from the fall. Lying beside him was his comrade. Seeing his companion's equally pale face, he knew that his fellow soldier had also lost the ability to fight.
Boom, boom, boom!
The Female Titan ignored the two "little ants" at her feet and continued charging thunderously toward the Giant Tree Forest.
"Ett! Zoe!"
Their Squad Leader chased after them. Seeing his two severely injured subordinates, his face darkened.
"This Female Titan is anything but simple. We must inform the Commander! You take the two of them and withdraw. I'll go report to the Commander!"
After issuing the order, the Squad Leader cracked his whip and pursued the Female Titan.
...
On the other side, after a full-speed chase, Yago finally drew close to the Giant Tree Forest.
From the mouths of Survey Corps soldiers he encountered along the way, he learned about the strange Female Titan.
"She never actively attacked the Survey Corps? What's going on?" Yago frowned deeply, utterly puzzled. Why hadn't this Female Titan attacked the Survey Corps directly? Along the way, it was almost always the Titans behind her who attacked.
"Were those Titans just tools she used to draw in the Survey Corps? But her own strength doesn't seem weak at all. Could it be that…"
Yago seemed to have guessed something.
...
This chapter is for your Power Stones. Thanks for the support