"EVERYONE, GET UP!!!!"
Lynne's desperate scream pulls me out of my thoughts as she rushes down the stairs.
"GET TO THE ROOF THIS INSTANT!!!!"
The moment we reach the top, the sight awaiting us is suffocating. The ruins are completely surrounded by at least a dozen titans of varying heights, all clawing and hammering at the walls, desperate to devour us.
Finally, the moon emerges from behind the clouds... and that's when I see them.
"HOW THE HELL...?!"
Gelgar's shout cuts through the air like a whip. His breathing is erratic, his body drenched in sweat despite the night's cold.
"HOW CAN THEY STILL MOVE?! IT'S BEEN HOURS SINCE NIGHTFALL!"
He's not the only one shaken. Krista clutches a hand to her mouth, struggling to process what's happening before us.
"W-what's going on..." Her voice trembles, reflecting the uncertainty gripping everyone.
But my focus shifts elsewhere.
A presence... something completely out of place.
"HEY, LOOK! OVER THERE!" Connie's voice snaps my attention back.
And then I see it.
A towering, grotesque silhouette, with abnormally long limbs and a body covered in thick fur. Its eyes... they don't have the vacant, mindless stare of a typical titan. No. There's something else. A silent judgment. A consciousness.
"What the hell is that thing?!"
No. There's no way that's just an Abnormal.
Not when it walks with absolute calm, completely ignoring us, heading towards the wall with a clear purpose.
A shifter.
The murmurs of the soldiers blend with the tense snorts of the horses.
"A titan...? But it looks more like an animal, doesn't it?" Connie mutters, his face twisted in confusion.
I don't answer.
Because I'm no longer paying attention to him.
My eyes move between the faces of Reiner and Bertholdt.
Frozen.
No—more than just shocked... they're terrified.
Ymir too.
That same expression.
It's not like Krista's confusion, nor Gelgar's horror. It's something else. Something deeper. Instinctive.
And that's when I understand.
So you too, Ymir... I miscalculated.
This will be your fault.
Now I'll have to give up on saving everyone.
No... those aren't the right words.
Thanks to your sacrifice, someone is bound to reveal themselves...
Ymir. Reiner. Bertholdt.
At the very least, your love for Krista is genuine. A real bond. Something I can use.
I've always disliked acting with so little information, forced to adapt to every unexpected turn. But that's the nature of this world.
A board where the pieces are lives, and mistakes are paid for in blood.
And yet...
If I had to say it, this place is helping my development far more than the White Room ever did.
Here, every moment is a test. Every decision, a gamble.
And most importantly...
This body is much more appropriate.
At that moment, the tower shakes violently, teetering on the brink of collapse from the force of a titan's blow.
"Oh... sh—!!!"
Everyone grabs onto whatever they can to avoid falling as our gazes snap downward, to the entrance below.
Titans.
Three-meters tall, forcing their way inside.
"HEY!! HEY!! HEY!! HEY!!!"
Gelgar's furious scream rings out.
"THIS HAS TO BE A JOKE!!! WHY THE HELL ARE THEY COMING IN THROUGH THE DOOR?!"
He grits his teeth, pulling out his blades as he steps to the edge.
"YOU'VE GOT TO BE KIDDING ME!! I DIDN'T EVEN GET TO DRINK THAT WINE!!! DAMN YOU MONSTERS!!!!!"
Finally, those of us with gear take a step forward, our resolve absolute.
"Rookies, fall back... from this moment on—"
"It's the turn of the Vertical maneuvering equipment."
The veterans leap into battle, leaving me standing on the edge, the last one.
My gaze lingers on each of them for a second.
Then, I launch myself forward.
My anchor buries itself into the tower, and I descend swiftly, gravity pulling at my body as the others scatter to engage the titans.
Beside me, Nanaba maneuvers gracefully through the air, her sharp eyes rapidly analyzing the battlefield.
"Kiyotaka."
Her voice is firm, but there's something else in it. Not fear... but conviction.
"If this gets worse, I want you to run."
I don't answer right away, simply observing the carnage unfolding below.
"Pass everything on to Erwin," she continues, her gaze still locked on the approaching titans. "I don't understand it yet... but you're too important to die here. Humanity needs you."
I turn to her.
"Fine..." I say indifferently.
"So make sure I don't have to escape."
The corner of my lip lifts ever so slightly—a subtle attempt at reassurance.
Nanaba lets out a faint chuckle, though it carries no real amusement.
"Now all that's left is for you to say 'Shinzou wo Sasageyo,' right?"
Before I can respond, Gelgar throws himself at a titan nearing the tower, slicing through its nape in one clean motion.
"DIE, YOU BASTARDS!!!" he roars, his voice echoing over the chaos.
Nanaba is already moving, finishing off another titan with his help. Its body crashes to the ground, crushing several smaller titans attempting to force their way inside.
It's time to act.
I release the tension in my anchor and propel myself forward with a calculated burst of gas.
My target: a five-meter titan trying to enter.
Before it can react, I glide behind it and sever its nape with surgical precision.
But just as I land, my gaze locks onto the shattered entrance.
"They broke through!!!" I call out loud enough for the others to hear.
Lynne immediately relays the warning, searching for a way to block the opening.
The stench is unbearable.
Red, steaming blood coats the ground in thick, sticky layers, making every surface treacherous. Dense plumes of vapor rise, obscuring visibility.
The sound of flesh tearing, bones crunching, and the ragged breaths of my comrades fill the air.
But none of it stops.
It doesn't matter how many titans fall.
It doesn't matter how many bodies collapse lifelessly onto the ruined tower.
For every one we kill, another takes its place.
This isn't just an attack.
It's a siege.
And it's starting to feel endless.
I launch forward, my blades slicing through another nape with cold efficiency.
It falls, lifeless.
But before I can reorient myself, another is already lunging at me.
I fire my anchors, twisting in the air at the last second.
Its teeth snap shut on nothing but air.
Time loses meaning.
Cut. Move. Evade. Anchor. Attack.
The same sequence, repeated over and over, like a clock with no hands.
Gelgar fights like a frenzied demon, his laughter half-hysterical, mingling with curses and ragged breaths. His strikes carry more frustration than strategy, but he's still alive.
Nanaba, by contrast, is methodical. Precise. But exhaustion is creeping in—the fraction of a second longer it takes for her next strike betrays it.
Lynne and Henning are near the tower, desperately trying to keep the titans from overrunning what little remains of our shelter.
I don't know how long it's been.
Five minutes. Ten. Thirty.
My legs feel heavier than usual. Not from fatigue, but because this is simply... irrational.
Nanaba moves to take down another titan. Her grip on her blades is just a bit tighter than before.
Her eyes carry a silent question.
"When is this going to end?"
But it doesn't.
The titans keep coming.
The sky remains dark.
And dawn is still so far away.
-----------------------
The stench of blood and steam still clings to the air, but for the first time in what feels like an eternity, there is a moment of respite.
Hanging from the tower, our ragged breaths are the only thing breaking the silence, aside from the occasional click of the omni-directional mobility gear adjusting.
Gelgar wipes a forearm across his face, clearing away the mixture of sweat and hot blood that has stuck to his skin. His smile still has that wild edge, but his tone is more stable when he says, "Alright, with this, the big ones are easier to deal with."
His voice is rough, but he shows no signs of weakness.
Nanaba, still scanning the battlefield, slowly nods. "We're lucky there isn't another tower here," she comments with a hint of relief. "It's not often that we fight them in terrain that works in our favor."
Gelgar lets out a brief laugh. "Yeah, we actually have an advantage for once." Those words sound strange coming from him, like he's trying to convince himself.
Before anyone can respond, a pair of figures approach the tower with heavy movements.
Lynne and Henning finally reach the structure, their bodies reflecting the exhaustion we all feel. The fight has been too long. Too intense.
Lynne takes a moment to catch her breath before straightening her back with determination. "I'll go check on the others..."
Nanaba gives her a brief glance but nods.
"Understood..."
Her voice is firm, but there's something else in it. Maybe relief at the brief pause. Maybe a false sense of security.
And then, after a few seconds, everything changes.
SHUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUM!!!!!!!!!!!
A sound.
Sharp. Distant.
"Hnn...?" Nanaba murmurs, her brow furrowing.
"What is that sound...?"
It's not natural.
Something cutting through the wind at an incalculable speed.
My senses snap to full alert before I even understand what's happening.
It can't be...
But before the thought fully forms—
BOOOOOOOOOOOOM!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
The explosion obliterates the stable in a deafening roar.
The shockwave hits us like a storm, shaking the tower, ripping away debris, and filling the air with the unbearable stench of burning flesh and shattered wood.
Chunks of stone and metal rain down around us. The remains of our only escape route are now scattered on the ground, consumed by fire.
"...!!!!!"
The silence is broken by Nanaba's cry.
"What...?! Our horses...!!"
Gelgar and Nanaba freeze, their eyes reflecting the same horror as the others. Henning and Lynne, from the top of the tower, curse under their breath.
My thoughts race in a thousand directions at once.
A projectile, launched with devastating force.
From the wall.
Which means...
There's no time.
I'm already moving.
No time for warnings.
No time to think.
Instinct takes over.
SHUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUM!!!!!!!!!!!
!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
The same sound.
My eyes dart to the top of the tower, where Lynne and Henning still stand.
"Eh...?!!!!!" Lynne's lips part slightly, but her voice barely reaches me.
"It's not over yet...?"
"What was... that sound...?" Henning seems frozen.
There's no more time.
"JUMP!!!"
My shout cuts through the air. There's no panic in my tone. No desperation. Just a cold, absolute order.
But it's too late.
BOOOOOOOOOOOM!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
A massive rock crashes down with unimaginable force.
The top of the tower explodes in a storm of debris and blood.
For the first time in a long while, my spine shivers.
"LYNNE!!!!!"
"HENNING!!!"
Gelgar and Nanaba scream their names with raw desperation, as if calling them could bring them back.
But there's nothing left of them.
I climb to the top of the smoldering wreckage. The smell of blood is suffocating.
The bodies... barely recognizable.
I don't linger on their faces.
There's no need.
They're already dead.
"They died on impact."
My voice pulls them from their trance.
Gelgar grits his teeth. Nanaba only lowers her head, her face shadowed by her hair.
Footsteps on the stairs signal the arrival of more people. Connie and the others reach what remains of the rooftop and come to an abrupt halt.
The corpses before them are impossible to ignore.
Fear creeps into their expressions, freezing them in place.
"Stay sharp." Gelgar is the first to break the silence, his tone tense, razor-sharp. "The rock came from the wall..."
"Oh no..." Krista, pale-faced, raises a trembling hand to her mouth.
"From the wall?" Ymir narrows her eyes, suspicion burning within them.
"IT'S HIM!!!" Connie shouts, his desperation palpable. "THE ONE WE SAW EARLIER!!! THE BEAST TITAN DID IT!! WOAH!! MORE TITANS ARE COMING!!! TWICE AS MANY AS BEFORE!!"
My eyes narrow.
Twice as many.
"What did you say?!!!!"
Gelgar grits his teeth. Not in anger.
His head is still lowered, his breathing uneven.
He's struggling to stay conscious.
We don't have much time before exhaustion takes him.
"Look at the timing they chose to appear..." Nanaba finally breaks her silence. Her voice carries something deeper. Something more unsettling. "...All of this seems suspicious."
Yes.
Too coordinated.
Too precise.
"It's like they're following a plan..." Nanaba finishes.
Krista swallows hard. "Are you saying...?"
"As if..."
My gaze slowly drifts toward the wall.
"They were toying with us."
And then, I see it.
Atop the wall, barely visible through the haze of battle, a colossal figure stands against the moonlight.
Its arms raised in what looks like a primal scream, a silent declaration of dominance.
It was obvious.
From the very beginning...
—-------------------------
20 hours after the titans first appeared.
My breathing is steady. My grip on my blades, firm.
I haven't made a single mistake so far.
My anchors fire with precision, piercing into the crumbling walls of the tower. I propel myself forward, feeling the pressure of the gas push me with just the right force—no excess.
A 12-meter titan looms below. Its lifeless, glassy eyes fixate on me as I pass over its head.
It turns clumsily, raising its arm to grab me.
Too slow.
Too predictable.
With a minimal shift in my posture, I use its own movement to my advantage.
My anchor buries into its back.
Fwoosh!!!!!
The gas propels my trajectory into a perfect arc.
My blades catch the moonlight a split second before slicing through its flesh.
—SHLAAAAAASH!!!!
The cut is clean.
I feel the resistance of its muscle give way beneath my steel.
Its nape separates in a single motion.
The titan crashes to the ground, raising a cloud of dust and steam.
And as soon as I land—
My eyes flick to my gear's gauge.
The needle is dangerously close to empty.
Low gas... maybe a few more bursts left...
My mind processes the information in an instant as I retreat to a safe height.
"Tch...."
A few seconds later, Gelgar and Nanaba take position beside me.
"I'm running out of gas... you guys?" Nanaba says, her voice heavy with exhaustion.
"Almost empty..." I reply.
"Same... and I'm out of blades..." Gelgar lifts his completely broken sword. "You two only have one left, right?"
I nod slowly as Nanaba responds. "Yeah..."
"Heh... I wonder how many we've killed, just the five of us..." Gelgar's voice is quieter now.
"Idiot... we don't have time to count," Nanaba responds in her usual harsh tone, but I interrupt her.
"Thirty-seven..." Seeing Gelgar's body sway slightly, his face darkening, I continue speaking "We did well... too well."
He smiles faintly as blood seeps from his chin.
"I see... I'm so glad... I wish I had some wine or anything else..."
"Gelgar...?" Nanaba's face fills with fear as Gelgar keeps talking.
"I'm sorry... I hit my head... and I... I don't have the strength... to fight anymore..." His cable snaps, and he lets himself fall straight into the grasp of a Titan, completely unconscious.
"GELGARRR!!!!!" Nanaba screams in despair, throwing herself down with maximum power. She propels herself to the Titan's nape, slashing desperately, making it drop Gelgar through a crack in the tower. "GELGARR!!!" She screams again from below me.
"Ugh...! DAMN IT, I'M OUT OF GAS!!!!!!!"
...
...
...
...
...
"WHO WAS IT!!!!! WHO DRANK IT ALL!!!!???"
...
...
CRUNCH!!!!!!!!! CRUNCH!!!!!!!
...
...
"NO!!! DAD!!! PLEASE!!!!! NO!!! DAD, I WON'T DO IT AGAIN!!!!!!"
...
...
CRUNCH!!! SQUELCH!!!!
...
I'm tired...
The truth is, for the first time in my life, the feeling of exhaustion translates into action.
I've had enough.
Of incompetence.
Of useless despair.
Of watching them die meaninglessly.
Spending my last burst of gas, I land precisely on the tower's roof.
The others are a mess.
Some are on their knees, faces buried in their hands, murmuring nonsense.
Others are standing, breathing heavily, still gripping their swords as if trying to convince themselves there's still a battle to fight.
Nanaba's screams fade completely in the distance.
My gaze drifts over all of them, ignoring their expressions of pain, rage, or resignation.
They don't matter.
They're meaningless.
I walk with steady steps toward Krista, stopping directly in front of her.
"K-Kiyotaka...?" Connie's voice trembles, filled with raw pain, barely able to process what's happening.
I don't answer him.
"Kiyotaka...?" —This time it's Reiner, his voice heavy and deep, but still hesitant.
I keep ignoring them.
Nanaba's screams are gone.
Krista looks at me, her breath unsteady, fear barely disguised by her confusion.
"K-Kiyotaka, what—?"
I don't let her finish.
My fingers close around her neck with surgical precision, lifting her off the ground in one motion and holding her over a direct fall to the Titans.
The air leaves her throat in a strangled gasp.
The first hints of light break the darkness, painting the sky in pale shades of blue and orange.
But the blood on my hands is still just as red.
Krista clings desperately to my arm, coughing violently as she regains air in her lungs.
"Gh... hhhgh..."
Her nails dig into my skin with unexpected strength.
An instinctive attempt to avoid the fall, to survive.
Human instinct is fascinating.
Even now, her body fights to stay alive, even though her mind hasn't yet grasped what just happened.
The others remain frozen in place.
Connie looks like he's about to say something, but his mouth opens and closes without a sound.
Reiner clenches his fists, his jaw tight with restrained fury.
Bertholdt takes a step back, his gaze darting between Krista and me, unable to decide what to do.
And Ymir...
She's the only one still looking straight at me.
She hasn't stepped forward.
But her expression is filled with a mix of fury, helplessness, and...
Something else.
Something that sets her apart from the others.
My eyes remain locked onto hers as I speak "I'm done waiting..." My tone is monotonous, devoid of emotion, but the sentence behind my words is undeniable "Ymir... I think you understand the situation, don't you?"
Her teeth grind together, her whole body tense, as if restraining herself from doing something.
"Y-you...!!!!!!!" Her words come out half-formed, choked by her own frustration.
I don't respond.
I don't need to.
My fingers loosen slightly around Krista's neck.
"Aahh!!"
Gravity pulls her body instantly.
She gasps, her legs kicking wildly in the air, her body twisting in pure panic.
But at the last moment, her instinct makes her grab onto my arm with both hands, using all her strength.
Her breathing is erratic, her chest rising and falling frantically as her throat recovers from the strangulation "Hgggh... haah... haah..."
She coughs violently, her desperate grip on my wrist the only thing keeping her from a certain fall to death.
Her fingers tremble.
Her eyes are wide open, reflecting something beyond terror.
Something deeper.
Something she might not even understand herself.
The others are still paralyzed.
No one dares to move.
But the most interesting thing about all of this...
Is that Ymir doesn't move either.
Slowly, without breaking eye contact with Ymir, I lift my other hand and point at Connie "Give her your knife."
Connie looks at me like I've lost my mind "W-what?"
My eyes lock onto his, empty and relentless "Give it to Ymir."
He swallows hard.
"W-what for...?"
I don't answer immediately.
I simply tilt my head slightly—a gesture that makes Connie take an unconscious step back "You're in no position to question anything." My voice is so devoid of emotion that even I notice the faint shudder in his body.
His hands tremble as he slowly pulls out his knife.
His gaze wavers between Ymir and Krista.
But in the end, with no other choice, he holds it out with a shaky hand toward Ymir.
"Take it..."
Ymir grits her teeth.
She doesn't move.
She doesn't reach for it.
She just stares at me, her brow furrowed, her jaw clenched.
"Why?" she spits through her teeth.
A hint of defiance, even now.
Interesting.
"Because you can't keep hiding."
Her body tenses.
Her breath catches for a second.
And then, in the silence that follows my words, I add "Is there anything real about you? Even your name is fake, but I already found the answer..." I keep my gaze fixed, and my voice comes out with a barely perceptible hint of disgust "The only real thing you have is your affection for Krista, isn't it? Then you decide."
Ymir's expression changes instantly.
Her pupils shrink.
Her lips part slightly, as if she wants to say something...
But she doesn't.
Because she knows it's true.
I don't need to say more.
I don't need to threaten her, yell at her, or try to convince her.
She already knows what I want.
She already knows what I'm demanding.
The knife still lingers in the air, in Connie's trembling hand.
Only one movement remains.
Just one step to cross the line.
Ensuring there's no more doubt, I utter the final words that will seal her fate.
"Now...
...
...
"Show yourself... Titan shifter..."
---
VOTE + FOLLOW + COMMENT!!!!
Well, I guess it's time for a little message!!! This is chapter 30!!! 30!!! More than 50,000 words in total!!! Almost 6 hours of reading!!! Honestly, this is the first story I've ever written, the very first time I've taken the time to write something in my life... and seeing how much you all enjoy it, I couldn't be happier!!! Thank you all so much ❤️
If you have any ideas or requests for a special chapter,Just Comment!!!
(I need a new cover for the story 😭)