"Commander, up ahead is the Giant Tree Forest." Looking at the towering trees before him, Erwin calmly issued the order.
"Order the central combat squads and the wagon escort squads to enter the forest. All other units are to bypass the Giant Tree Forest and continue forward."
"Yes!"
As the order was given, the Survey Corps immediately split into three parts.
Szzrt! Reiner severed the nape of a ten-meter-class Titan and, frowning, returned to the top of a tall tree.
"Squad Leader, I don't understand. Why are we holding the Giant Tree Forest? The trees here are insanely tall—we can't conduct effective reconnaissance at all." Armin voiced the doubt in his heart to the Survey Corps Squad Leader standing at the forefront atop the giant tree.
Originally, he had planned with Reiner, Bertholdt, and Jean to lure the Titans into the Giant Tree Forest and then slip away at the right moment.
Unexpectedly, they ran into many fellow new recruits here—Ymir, Historia, Mina—working together with other combat units, they wiped out more than a dozen Titans.
Then they received the order to hold the outer perimeter of the Giant Tree Forest at all costs and not allow a single Titan to enter.
Jean complained, "Damn it, why are we guarding this tourist attraction? Wouldn't it be better to just go around it?"
The Survey Corps Squad Leader ignored Armin, leaving Armin to speculate on the Commander's deeper intentions by himself.
Bang! A black signal flare rose from within the Giant Tree Forest.
"What? Has the Female Titan already entered the Giant Tree Forest? Commander Erwin must know the Female Titan's target is Eren. Then why choose a place like the Giant Tree Forest, where visibility is severely restricted?" Armin's palm gripping his blade was already slick with sweat.
Ymir looked toward where the black smoke rose, her expression gradually darkening. Subconsciously, she pulled Historia slightly behind her.
"Ymir, what are you doing?" Historia glanced at Ymir in confusion. Ymir replied with a faint smile—some things still couldn't be told to this lovely girl.
"Hey, that person—isn't that Yago?" A new recruit pointed at a Survey Corps soldier approaching on horseback.
Armin took a look and exclaimed in surprise,
"It really is Yago. Isn't he in Captain Ness's elite combat squad? Why is he here?"
Yago also spotted his comrades atop the giant tree. Activating his Vertical Maneuvering Equipment, he flew up and landed on the tree.
"Yago, what are you doing here?" Reiner asked. But Yago didn't answer. Instead, he coldly asked,
"Did the Female Titan enter the Giant Tree Forest?"
"Huh? What?" Reiner froze. This was the first time he had seen Yago so cold. In everyone's impression, Yago had always been easygoing and lazy.
"The Female Titan did indeed enter the Giant Tree Forest just now. But Yago, what's wrong with you? You seem off," Jean answered Yago's question while also noticing that something wasn't right with him.
Taking a deep breath, Yago's gaze sharpened.
"I finally caught up. I'm fine. Armin, can I borrow your horse?"
Armin: "Ah—sure, of course. But the Female Titan's target should be Eren. Yago, what are you planning to do?"
Yago murmured thoughtfully, "Eren? So it's Eren she's after?" Then he leapt down from the giant tree, mounted Armin's horse, and charged toward the depths of the Giant Tree Forest.
"New recruit! What are you doing? Come back!" the Survey Corps Squad Leader shouted at Yago's retreating figure, but Yago paid no attention.
Right now, Yago had only one thought: catch up to that Female Titan, and make her pay for Annie—be buried with her!!
"Whoever you are, wait for your life to be forfeit!" Yago chased with all his might.
...
"Captain! That thing is about to catch up!" Oluo shouted anxiously as he looked at the Female Titan charging wildly closer from behind.
Up ahead, Levi remained calm as ever. Jurgen clenched his teeth and said,
"Captain, give the order! That Female Titan is too dangerous!"
Eren stared wide-eyed at the Female Titan in pursuit. Two Survey Corps soldiers finally managed to catch up to it, but the Female Titan seemed extremely impatient. One hand guarded her nape, while the other moved at an unbelievable speed, swatting the two soldiers away like flies.
The two Survey Corps soldiers spat blood as they fell, their fate uncertain.
Petra saw this and couldn't help herself as comrades of the Survey Corps fell. "Captain!?"
"You need to understand—our mission right now is to ensure this kid's safety. We can't allow Eren to suffer any harm," Levi finally spoke.
Hearing this, Eren was deeply shaken. Was this to protect him? Eren had always thought Levi Squad was there to monitor him.
As the Female Titan drew closer and closer, Eren couldn't hold back anymore. Looking at his own hand, he hesitated over whether to bite down.
"All personnel, full acceleration!" Levi suddenly roared. Everyone instinctively obeyed and urged their horses into a full sprint.
Whoosh! As Eren suddenly burst through a relatively wide crossroads, he locked eyes with a pair of eyes to his left.
"Fire!!" The sudden furious shout stunned everyone.
"Commander Erwin?" Eren recognized the person he made eye contact with—it was Commander Erwin standing on a tree.
At the Commander's command, thunderous explosions erupted throughout the forest!
Survey Corps soldiers hidden among the giant trees fired countless steel cable anchors, viciously piercing into the Female Titan's body as she chased Levi Squad. In an instant, the Female Titan was turned into a pincushion. The sturdy steel cables bound her tightly, leaving her unable to move.
Levi Squad also came to a halt. Eren stared in shock at the scene before him. Commander Erwin was calm and composed—he had long anticipated that such Titan-shifters would set their sights on Eren.
Moreover, Erwin was certain those people were hidden among the new recruits. That was why, during recruitment, he had deliberately leaked Eren's existence and the secret of the basement.
Now, after laying the groundwork for so long, they had finally caught one. What secrets could be extracted from their mouth? Erwin suddenly felt a trace of anticipation.
As Erwin pondered, Levi flew to his side.
"The plan succeeded?" Erwin nodded.
Levi stared emotionlessly at the Female Titan's nape.
"Then let's see who's hiding in the flesh of that nape."
"ROAR!!!" Suddenly, the Female Titan struggled violently, shaking her body nonstop. Under the taut steel cables, her body was torn apart as she consciously tried to break free of the restraints.
"Not good!" Levi's pupils shrank as he rapidly activated his Vertical Maneuvering Equipment and rushed toward the Female Titan's nape.
But as if prepared in advance, the Female Titan's nape suddenly exploded. A figure burst out at incredible speed—so fast that no one could make out the person's face.
Levi was fast, but in the end, he was one step too slow, brushing past the figure.
That figure, after escaping from the Titan's nape, bypassed everyone and charged straight toward the still-dazed Eren.
Erwin was no longer calm. He hadn't anticipated that the Female Titan could still break free.
"Protect Eren!"
The next instant, before Eren and everyone else's eyes, a dazzling yellow bolt of lightning descended from the sky.