That's...
Before Eren could finish his thought—
Thump— Thump—
The ground trembled.
Far in the distance, a horde of beasts stampeded across the terrain, fleeing from something unseen. Their hooves pounded the earth in a frantic, synchronized rhythm, like war drums in retreat.
Eren's eyes sharpened.
I almost forgot… I came here for the meat.
Without wasting a second, he launched himself forward—darting through the trees, leaping from branch to branch. His newly-learned sword arts surged through his body, guiding each step like instinct—though still rough, still wild. Every movement felt like riding a wave he hadn't yet mastered. His footing slipped once, bark tearing beneath his sole, but he didn't stop as he reached the clearing.
And then—in the distance—he saw it.
A maiden with torn clothes — locked in battle against a towering beast—at least twice Eren's size. Its massive claws slashed down with brutal force. She dodged nimbly, but not without consequence—deep scratches painted her arm red as she rolled to the side.
Aghh You! she growled, pain and defiance mixing in her voice.
Her chest rose and fell with labored breaths as the beast charged at her — she swung her sword in a wide arc. The blade met its claws—but the creature didn't yield. It rammed through the strike, its weight overpowering her. The force threw her backward, and she crashed hard onto the ground several paces away.
The sound of metal echoed— CRACK!
Her sword snapped in two, the broken half landing beside her in the dirt.
"Tch…" she hissed, biting her lip as pain laced her side.
The beast began to approach—slow and delibearate movement. It didn't pounce immediately. Instead, it halted a few steps away, studying her, its primal eyes narrowing as if analyzing whether she still had any fight left.
Then, with quiet finality, it raised its paw. Its claws glinted in the light as it arched the limb upward—preparing a single, clean swipe to end her life.
The girl didn't flinch.
Neither did she cry out.
Her eyes locked onto the descending claw, her vision unwavering even as death came rushing toward her.
So, this is the end...? she thought.
The moment stretching like eternity.
But then, suddenly—
A shadow ripped through the canopy.
A blur—fast, reckless, violent.The beast recoiled, its eyes snapping toward the sudden movement.
A figure—a boy—came crashing down from above. No armor. No polished blade.Just a jagged twig of a branch clutched in his hand, like a makeshift sword, aimed right at the monster's skull.
For the briefest second, the beast raised its claws in defense. Then as if sensing—its instincts kicked in — with a guttural growl, it quickly leapt to the side.
CRACK!
The earth split open where it had stood a moment before — a clean fissure tearing across the ground as the twig struck down like a judgment bolt.
Only Dust and silence followed.
The maiden's mouth hung open, eyes wide—disbelief painted across her face.What she had just witnessed didn't make sense.
The boy glanced at the broken twig still in his hand—as it crumpled to dust.
"So much for the sword arts," he muttered, tossing the splinters aside.
Then, without any useless words, he stepped forward and extended a hand to the fallen warrior—his expression unreadable, yet his gesture calm and certain.
"Get up. I might need your help finishing this." He said.
The maiden, at first, hesitated—but then took his hand as she rose shakily to her feet.
Her pants barely held together, dirt-stained and torn. Her right breastplate was missing, exposing the thin, torn up, sweat-soaked cloth beneath.
She was still reeling from what had just happened.
But the threat in front of them was far more pressing.
"I know you're good with sword arts," she said, eyes narrowing.
"But—how are you supposed to defeat that?"
Her gaze dropped to his waist."You don't even have a blade!"
WHAM!
Suddenly—Eren shoved her to a side.
A massive claw gouged the ground where they'd just been a moment ago, the force kicking up dirt in a wave.
"We don't have time for that right now!" he yelled, breath sharp, adrenaline taking over.
His eyes locked onto the creature—calculating his next moves.
"We'll have to make a strategy. Right now!"