She really knew how to act.
Tatsuki couldn't help rolling his eyes as he watched Furina's messages in the chat.
He had seen her every move—the way she jumped into the livestream, immediately panicked and exited, then cautiously joined again after composing herself.
He could already picture it—that haughty yet secretly anxious goddess squealing before timidly peeking back in.
Nami: "Those two giant creatures—what are they?"
Mikasa: "Titans."
Silver Wolf: "Straightforward name."
Kisara Tendo: "So those two are today's enemies?"
Tatsuki: "The smaller one with the armored skin is the trial-taker—Reiner Braun."
March 7th: "A new enemy? What's a 'trial-taker' supposed to be?"
Tatsuki: "I went through his memories. I'm not sure who grants it, but apparently some unknown existence selects individuals as 'trial-takers,' giving them missions. When they complete the trials, they gain immense power."
Kiana: "Wait—that's kinda like us, isn't it?"
That made everyone pause. Indeed—it sounded just like the chat group. Missions, travel between worlds, power rewards.
Tatsuki shook his head. He'd already noticed the similarity but never mentioned it. Even his own reincarnation into this world wasn't much different from those chosen heroes.
Still, conspiracies were pointless without strength.
Tatsuki: "Enough conspiracy theories. Think about it when you're strong enough—otherwise, you'll just waste your sanity."
Silver Wolf: "Fair. No point worrying if we're not as strong as an Aeon yet."
Saeko Busujima: "I'm more curious—what was this Reiner's trial mission?"
Emilia: "Yeah, what was he supposed to do?"
Tatsuki: "To kill several targets—one of whom is Mikasa."
The group fell silent. Tatsuki's gaze flicked toward Ymir and Christa. "And those two are also on the list."
From Reiner's memories, completing the task would grant him the power of other Titans—and eventually, even the Founding Titan's ability. His current mission's targets were Mikasa and her team.
"Thank you for saving me, sir!" Christa bowed deeply.
She didn't fully understand what had happened, only that this man had saved her life.
"Thank me?" Tatsuki thought back to Horobi's apology and replied instinctively, "You gonna repay me with your body?"
"Eh?" Christa blinked in confusion—she'd never heard of that kind of gratitude.
"What are you thinking?!" Ymir rushed forward, shielding Christa protectively.
Tatsuki chuckled. "Relax, I'm joking."
Ymir still looked tense. "How did you… stop those Titans? Time… froze?"
"Superpowers," Tatsuki said simply, clearly uninterested in explaining further.
Now that he understood what "trial-takers" were, he turned his attention to the two frozen behemoths.
One of the Nine Titans, the Armored Titan, was Reiner. Another, the Colossal Titan, was Bertolt. Both were Marleyan warriors, childhood comrades from beyond the walls.
Tatsuki smiled faintly. "They say, 'Not born the same year or day, but dying together is enough.' Seems fitting for them."
Crossing his index and middle fingers, spatial energy gathered between them. A box-like space formed around the two Titans, compressing rapidly toward the center.
The collapsing space pulled everything within like a swirling vortex. The two Titans' bodies twisted grotesquely, dragged into the void—like being swallowed by a black hole.
[Ding! Target Reiner Braun has been eliminated. Apocalypse Expedition complete!]
[Tatsuki received 100,000 Apocalypse Points!]
[Mikasa received 20,000 Points!]
[Tingyun received 10,000 Points!]
Ymir and the others watched in utter disbelief.
The sixty-meter Colossal Titan and the fifteen-meter Armored Titan disintegrated in seconds, their flesh shredded and devoured by the spiraling void—gone without even a drop of blood left behind.
Ymir screamed, "Wh-where did they go?! Those Titans—what happened to them?!"
Mikasa calmly sheathed her Device: Narukami. "They're dead."
"Dead?" Ymir and Christa exchanged looks—it was beyond anything they'd ever seen.
Giants stopped in time, then vanished into thin air… as if the air itself had devoured them.
Meanwhile, Mikasa walked to Tatsuki's side as if nothing was unusual.
Tingyun tilted her head curiously. "So… it's over? This humble lady hardly did anything. It feels improper to accept such generous points—perhaps I should transfer them to you, my lord?"
Tatsuki waved it off. "Keep them. They're guaranteed rewards for all expedition participants."
"I see. Then I must simply confirm my return, correct?" Tingyun asked softly, glancing around in fascination—clearly eager to test more of the chat group's features.
"You may," Tatsuki said, before his tone sharpened. "But before that…"
He turned toward the trees. "Come out already. You've been watching long enough."
Ymir and Christa followed his gaze.
"…"
After several seconds of silence, a figure emerged from the shadows of the forest.
A girl in a Survey Corps uniform stepped forward—tan jacket, white hoodie beneath, pale skin, golden hair, and cool blue eyes filled with quiet melancholy.
"Annie?" Mikasa frowned.
Only three of them had been dispatched here—so how had Annie followed them?
Christa's eyes narrowed. "Annie, where's your maneuver gear?"
Ymir's expression hardened. "You weren't sent on this mission, were you? Were you following us?"
Annie didn't answer them. Her gaze was fixed entirely on Tatsuki. "Where are Reiner and Bertolt?"
She meant the Armored Titan and the Colossal Titan. She had witnessed everything.
"They're dead," Tatsuki said plainly, his golden eyes gleaming with quiet dominance.
Annie's pupils shrank. Her hand twitched—trying to clench—
"My hand?"
She looked down, shocked to find her right hand lifting uncontrollably. Her left hand followed suit, moving on its own.
On her raised finger glinted a silver ring—its inner side tipped with a sharp hidden pin.
"Planning to prick your finger and transform into a Titan?" Tatsuki sneered. "Didn't you see what happened to the last two?"
Before Annie could react, her own left hand snatched the ring off and flung it away.
"What did you do to me?! Why can't I move my hands?!" she shouted.
Mikasa turned to him, puzzled. "What's wrong with her?"
"She's a Titan," Tatsuki said calmly. "Same as the ones just now."
The statement hit them like thunder.
"Annie's a Titan?!" Ymir and Christa cried out together.
She was a member of the Survey Corps—how could she be a Titan?
"Let her explain herself," Tatsuki said, and with a small motion, Annie's lips moved involuntarily.
"My name is Annie Leonhart. Born in Marley, of Eldian descent. Holder of the Female Titan's power. My mission was to infiltrate Paradis Island and obtain the Founding Titan."
"Marley… Founding Titan…"
Mikasa frowned. "What's Marley?"
But Ymir froze. Her body went rigid, memories flooding back.
She had once been a beggar in Marley, nameless and starving—later worshiped by misguided Eldians as the 'miracle girl Ymir.'
Captured by the Marleyan authorities, she had taken the blame to protect others,
claiming to be the real Ymir before being injected with Titan fluid and exiled to Paradis Island.
For sixty years, she had wandered aimlessly outside the Walls—until she devoured a Titan and regained her humanity.
"Marley is… the nation beyond the Walls," Annie replied flatly.
Mikasa's eyes widened. "There are people outside the Walls?"
Annie nodded. "Yes."
Ymir clenched her fists—this was not a conversation she wanted to continue. "Then why were you following us?"
Annie's lips trembled, but the forced confession continued.
"Reiner planned to find Eren Yeager within the Survey Corps. But when we didn't find him, he decided we should kill you instead. The sudden Titan appearances inside the Walls were orchestrated by us—to scatter the Corps."
"Why kill us?" Christa asked, confused. "To what end?"
Annie's eyes quivered. "I… don't know. Reiner only said we had to."
....
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