Eren and Armin had been searching for Kenny for over an hour. They already knew what he looked like thanks to the drawing Jake had made with Darian's help.
However, no matter where they looked, they couldn't find him. Just as they were beginning to think they had missed their chance, they noticed a large crowd gathering near an old building.
"What's happening there?" Armin asked a nearby man.
"Oh, nothing much—just another fight. Happens all the time around here," the man said with a casual laugh. "But this time, one guy took down thirty-six people. Pretty impressive, huh? Hahaha!"
Eren and Armin looked at the man with disgust. The people in the Underground City seemed to have a few screws loose. They actually enjoyed watching people fight and die.
Of course, not everyone was like this. Some were simply trying to survive. But over time, many developed this twisted mindset.
'Damn, these people seriously need psychological counseling.' Eren sighed, but he knew there were no hospitals here. In fact, even within the Walls, there were very few doctors.
The literacy rate was also painfully low. Only the children of the rich—or those who could somehow afford it—received an education. The military also provided some education during the three years of training for soldiers, but the majority of the population remained illiterate.
Even Eren's own mother, Carla, was illiterate.
"Well, let's go check it out," Eren said. Armin nodded.
They squeezed through the crowd with some difficulty.
What they saw left them stunned.
It wasn't the sight of dead bodies—they had already seen, and even caused, more carnage than this before.
What shocked them was how it was done.
All thirty-six bodies had been taken down in a single strike.
It wasn't that Eren couldn't do something similar—but only by using multiple loops to perfect his attack.
And these weren't just random weaklings. The people in the Underground City lived in constant life-or-death situations. For someone to kill thirty-six men—all skilled fighters—in such a clean and efficient manner…
'He really lives up to his name. I wonder if he was injured at all.' Eren examined the bodies. Seven had been shot, while the rest had either had their throats slit or had been stabbed through the heart.
"This happened more than half an hour ago. Do you think he's already gone?" Armin asked after gathering some details from the crowd.
"Hmm… I don't know, but it seems like we might not—"
Just then, a bolt of light flashed across the sky.
They instinctively turned toward it.
"W-What was that?" murmurs spread through the crowd.
Eren and Armin, however, recognized this all too well.
"H-How…?" Armin muttered in disbelief.
----
A Few Minutes Earlier
Annie had continued searching for Kenny after breaking the old man's arm.
Finally, she spotted him walking through an alleyway and began tailing him quietly.
'Hmm? I smell a rat.'
Kenny, who had been casually walking, instantly noticed he was being followed. He smirked and turned a corner.
Annie quickened her pace, making sure not to lose sight of him. But when she turned the corner—
He was gone.
Surprised, she barely had time to react before—
"A lady like you taking an interest in an old man like me? I'm truly flattered," Kenny's voice came from behind her.
She spun around, her body tensing.
'Damn it, he noticed me!'
Thinking quickly, she blurted out, "Daddy!"
"Huh?" Kenny blinked, momentarily thrown off.
"My mother was a prostitute. She told me about you before she died," Annie continued, trying to buy time.
Kenny's sharp eyes narrowed. "Nice try, kid. But I made a promise to my sister—so your little lies won't work on me."
Annie felt the danger closing in on her.
"You're so mean, Daddy," she said with a smirk before launching a kick at his face.
Kenny dodged at the last second, but the sheer force of her kick cracked the wall behind him.
'Huh. She's got some power,' Kenny noted.
Annie took the chance to run.
Kenny sighed, pulling a gun from inside his coat.
"She's at her rebellious phase," he muttered before taking the shot.
BANG!
The bullet pierced her leg.
Annie collapsed onto the ground, blood soaking into the dirt.
Kenny walked toward her, his usual smirk widening.
"Sorry, sweetheart. Daddy's tired today, so I'll just end this game now. Time for you to meet your mother."
His gun gleamed under the dim light.
Fear gripped Annie's heart.
'I can't die here!'
She gritted her teeth, her mind racing.
There's no other choice.
The Transformation
A flash of light.
The air trembled.
The ground cracked beneath her.
Then—an explosion.
A violent shockwave of heat and steam erupted from her body.
A deafening, monstrous roar tore through the sky.
Her bones expanded.
Her muscles coiled and stretched.
Flesh knitted itself over a towering, feminine frame, its surface gleaming with hardened, armor-like skin.
As the steam cleared, two piercing ice-blue eyes snapped open—burning with inhuman clarity.
Kenny, who had been thrown back by the impact, stared in shock.
"What the hell…? She's a…?" His eyes widened as realization hit him.
But he had no time to process it.
The Female Titan moved, her enormous hand reaching for him.
Kenny's instincts screamed at him.
He dodged—just as her fingers nearly closed around him.
To be continued…
-----
Hey give me your stones.