The giant crack echoed through the forest. Annie and Ymir, along with Reiner—already transformed into his Titan—stood on a large tree trunk, stunned, as Lillian "plowed" into the tree itself.
"Crap…"
Lillian pulled himself out of the trunk, hands gripping the bark. He suddenly remembered: the power he had just acquired from the Colossal Titan… it had only been a few hours, and he couldn't fully control it! Let alone use it effectively in combat!
What's wrong with his body…
Reiner stared in shock. That kind of strength—how could a human possess it?! Yet, Lillian seemed unable to control it properly.
Realizing this, Reiner leapt forward, kicking at Lillian! But Lillian nimbly dodged, propelling himself five or six meters away, then uncontrollably crashed into another tree trunk.
What the hell…
Nearby, Annie and Ymir watched, their expressions caught between shock and awe.
Meanwhile, below them, a dozen or so Titans were waiting, crouched or hiding behind trees, seemingly ready to feast on whoever fell.
But the trunks were sturdy; even massive Titans could stand on them. Reiner had to be careful not to fall, which limited the flexibility of his attacks. Meanwhile, Lillian, smaller and more agile, had the advantage.
In this terrain, smaller size meant easier dodging and movement. Reiner was slightly constrained—exactly why the Survey Corps had chosen this forest to ambush the intelligent Titans.
Damn it! Just let me land a single hit!
Both Reiner and Lillian thought the same thing. Reiner had to be cautious with every move; Lillian, trying to control his power, found it increasingly uncontrollable. Every exertion risked chaos. For a moment, neither could land a blow on the other!
"This is the first fight I've ever seen like this, haha."
Meanwhile, Ymir, still managing to smile, caught Annie's glare. Annie, focused on the battle, was annoyed. To her, both Reiner and Lillian were significant, regardless of who won or lost—she wouldn't be happy either way.
Right!
Annie suddenly remembered and asked Ymir, "Earlier, when Reiner asked why he's still alive, you… also had that 'I just saw a ghost' expression. Why? Did you think… Lillian was dead?"
Ymir looked at her, realizing belatedly: "Oh, right. After you transformed, you ran off—you didn't see what happened behind you."
"…"
"So… do you want to know what happened next?"
Annie nodded.
"Alright, I'll tell you. Judging by how those two are going at it, it seems this fight won't end anytime soon," Ymir began. "To put it simply, Lillian was punched by Reiner, sent flying, broke an arm, and was basically half-dead."
Annie's heart skipped a beat. She instinctively glanced at Lillian, who was now struggling to control his speed and direction.
"And then your other companion, that huge guy Bertholdt, fell from the Wall… Lillian was right below him. I saw him turn to ash with my own eyes. And yet, not only did he survive, he's now completely fine, fighting Titans barehanded… I mean, should I really not have that 'I just saw a ghost' expression?"
"…"
For a moment, Annie thought Ymir was joking. It was absurd! But then she remembered Reiner—Ymir might have a lot of mischievous tendencies, but Reiner's reaction had been genuine. What she had seen was truly incredulous and impossible… which meant Ymir was telling the truth.
Then…
She recalled seeing Lillian on the rain-soaked plains, wearing a fitted shirt and shorts. Something about him had always seemed strange. Could this be related to his "resurrection"? But how could that even work?
Watching him now, Annie realized he carried many secrets—and real courage. Joining a group like the "Eldian Restorationists" was something most Eldians wouldn't dare do. Getting caught meant death, or worse than death. But he… he must have been only about ten years old at the time, maybe even younger.
A life like that had to contain extraordinary stories. For now, though, Lillian hadn't shared them… and if he knew what Annie was thinking, he'd probably just honestly say: "Sorry, I really don't have some tragic backstory. I'm just an ordinary person."
"Reiner is about to reach his limit," Ymir said suddenly.
"…"
Annie could see it too. Though Lillian hadn't landed a single hit on Reiner in all this time, Reiner's stamina seemed insufficient. His movements were slow, and he couldn't even harden his whole body.
Normally, the Armor Titan could control its hardened plates. While running, the joints would stay soft for mobility, but in combat, the entire body would harden, leaving no openings.
Right now, only his head, chest, and neck were hardened; the rest remained soft to conserve energy. If this kept up… watching Lillian's calm, unflustered demeanor, it was clear Reiner would run out of steam first.
But it didn't matter anymore.
After about ten minutes, Lillian had finally gained enough control over his speed and trajectory. And this strike… would not miss.
Whoosh!
He shot forward like a bullet aimed at Reiner. Reiner, instead of dodging, braced himself, seemingly ready to decide the fight with a single blow.
Clang!
Reiner hardened his elbow and twisted his body, meeting Lillian head-on with his right elbow.
Crack!!
The impact sent not just a shattering sound, but also a nearly invisible shockwave rippling outward!
Boom!
Reiner slammed into a tree and fell. His elbow armor had completely shattered, and a hole tore through the flesh beneath!
Impossible…
As he fell, Reiner saw Lillian standing above him, looking down. His right hand was completely shattered, yet steam rose as it rapidly healed… like a Titan.
"See you next time, Reiner."
Thud-thud-thud-thud!
Finally! Someone was falling!
The Titans waiting below pounced toward Reiner. Annie moved, but then froze, unsure. Reiner roared, punching a Titan away and smashing through the crowd, running for the forest edge!
Lillian didn't give chase. In fact, he hadn't intended to catch or kill Reiner—at least, not right now.
Then dust settled. Lillian turned and saw a small figure approaching from afar using the ODM Gear. She noticed Lillian first, hesitated, then boosted forward with the gas thrusters and landed in front of him.
"Krista, I…" Lillian started, but she grabbed his left hand, voice trembling: "Am I… dead? Did I see a hallucination?"
"…"
Above them, Annie and Ymir watched silently, unsure what to say. But their eyes were fixed on Lillian, with a strange sort of judgment, a silent "enough already?"
Lillian shivered under their gaze and said, "It's not a hallucination. You didn't die, I didn't die, Ymir was saved—she's up there."
"Ah!" Krista quickly let go, stepped back, and looked up to see Ymir and Annie above.
"Krista, come on, hold my hand too."
"Ymir…" Krista's lake-blue eyes were full of confusion. She glanced at Lillian again, feeling… something wasn't right. It was strange.
---
Outside the Giant Tree Forest, Commander Erwin and the Survey Corps had arrived. Upon learning about Krista, they rushed over immediately.
Indeed, that's the harsh reality: when you're unimportant, people let you do as you wish. But when you're important, other people's lives serve your sake. Eren had experienced it; Krista too.
"Then—!"
Erwin raised his blade, but just then, vibrations approached.
"A Titan?!"
"TITANS are coming!"
"Move aside!"
The groups parted, and in the next instant, a Titan burst from the forest. Annie looked at the approaching figures, accelerated, and instantly dashed past everyone.
"That is…"
"The Female Titan! Annie!"
"Hey! Did you see that?! Krista's sitting on her shoulder!"
"And there are two more people with her! Who are they?!"
"Quick—chase them!!"