The whole area in front of him was devastated by boulders. The streets were broken, houses collapsed, and ruins lay everywhere.
But there was no Titan in sight, nor was there any sign of Aunt Karal, which eased Lock's tense heart just a little.
Still, the distant Titans roaming the streets reminded him that now was not the time to wait and see. He had to check the situation closely and leave this area as soon as possible.
If nothing unexpected happened, this place would soon become a gathering point for Titans—a disaster zone.
"Aunt Karal should be fine…" Lock whispered with concern.
Suddenly, at a nearby street intersection, Eren and Mikasa appeared anxiously—but Armin was nowhere in sight. He had probably gone back home or fled. At this stage, Armin was far from the courageous person he would later become. Timid and cowardly, he was struggling to face the crisis.
"How brave…" Lock muttered sarcastically, preparing to activate his maneuver gear.
But before he could, a three to four-meter-tall Titan emerged from behind a broken wall near Eren and Mikasa, taking large steps toward them. The distance closed rapidly.
"Everything is different now…"
With a complicated expression, Lock drew his two swords, pulled the triggers, and rushed toward Allen.
"It's a Titan! Run! We'll be home soon!" Allen screamed.
"Don't talk, just keep moving!"
Compared to Eren's panic, Mikasa displayed a composure beyond her ten years.
But neither of them was tall enough, nor fast enough, to outrun the approaching Titan.
As it neared, both Eren and Mikasa instinctively turned to look back, only to see a huge face with round, cold eyes staring directly at them.
"Am I going to die?!" thought Allen.
Mikasa, dazed, thought: "This is it… It's finally over… Dad… Mom…"
At that moment, a sharp whoosh sounded.
A beam of light shot from a nearby rooftop, slicing across the back of the Titan's neck, spraying blood mist into the air.
Sniff!
With a numbing slash, the charging Titan suddenly stopped. Its head and neck were cleanly severed. The body collapsed, rolling twice beside Eren and Mikasa before coming to rest.
Gudong~
Allen swallowed hard.
Mikasa's eyes widened as she looked toward the figure who saved them—a familiar face.
"Brother Lock…" she murmured.
"Brother Lock, why are you here?" Eren also recognized Lock.
Landing steadily in front of them, Lock lightly smacked Allen on the head and scolded, "Didn't I tell you to stay put? Why did you come all the way here by yourself? Do you know how dangerous this place is now?"
"I came to look for…" Allen began, but Lock interrupted.
"I already checked your house. Aunt Karal and Uncle Grisha aren't there. They must have left."
Lock pointed toward the direction of Wall Maria and ordered, "You two, get into Maria's wall immediately. Do you understand?"
"As you command!"
Knowing his family was safe, Allen didn't hesitate further. He ran toward Lock with Mikasa.
Watching their backs disappear, Lock sighed in relief.
"I'm almost a babysitter now," he thought helplessly.
He made his way toward Allen's house to double-check. Finding no sign of Aunt Karal, Lock turned toward Armin's nearby home.
But before he could proceed, Hannes dashed out from a corner in panic, followed closely by a familiar Titan.
It was the Pure Titan transformed from Dyna Fritz—the same one Lock had encountered in the Giant Forest before.
"Lock, run!!!" Hannes shouted instinctively.
Puff~
Lock surged forward, propelled by a gust of air, toward Dyna Fritz, under Hannes's shocked gaze.
Her identity as Grisha's ex-wife and an Eldian royal was meaningless now. She was just a mindless Pure Titan.
Confident in a one-on-one fight, Lock didn't think Dyna Fritz could be much of a threat.
Flying low, he closed the distance and faced her outstretched hands, slashing both of them cleanly with his swords.
Sniff~
After precise strikes, both her hands and feet were severed.
Lock stood five meters ahead of Dyna Fritz, now writhing helplessly on the ground like a broken toy.
He whispered coldly:
"Just keep living. If everything goes well, I'll restore your human form next time we meet."
Then he turned and approached Hannes, who stood frozen in disbelief.
"You… you…" Hannes pointed at the Titan, unable to say more.
The once mighty, terrifying Titan—seemingly unbeatable—was now powerless.
Lock ignored it all. His gaze shifted to the three-dimensional maneuver gear strapped to Hannes's waist.
"Uncle, can I borrow your gas tank?"
"When?" Hannes answered subconsciously, still in shock.
Without hesitation, Lock skillfully removed the gas tank from Hannes's gear and attached it to his own.
He sighed in relief.
Because of his haste, he had used up most of his gas—now less than a third remained. More battles were coming, and this was far from sufficient.
It would be ideal if gas capacity could be increased…
Glancing toward Uncle Harry's house, Lock spoke to Hannes, still dazed:
"Let's hurry to Wall Maria's entrance. It must be chaotic by now."
Without waiting for a reply, Lock activated his maneuver gear again and flew into the air, passing across rooftops, heading toward Uncle Harry's home.
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A/N: Advanced Chapters Have Been Uploaded On My Patreon
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