The members of the Survey Corps, aware of the Armored Titan's intentions, led by Captain Levi and Squad Leader Mike launched a fierce offensive against it.
"Clang! Clang! Clang!"
The sound of metal striking hardened armor was relentless. Sparks flew in every direction, but the Armored Titan, with its joints and vital points shielded by impenetrable plates, ignored the attacks and charged toward the position of the Colossal Titan, which was beginning to collapse.
This made Levi's eyes narrow in fury.
Even with his blades upgraded to the finest steel available within the Walls, Levi knew their limitations. The Armored Titan's plating was too dense—he could cut through sinew and flesh, but armor this thick turned every slash into a mere scratch.
"We need better weapons," Levi thought coldly. "Otherwise, we're fighting a losing battle."
Meanwhile, several soldiers were swatted aside like flies, their bodies crashing against the stone walls or falling to their deaths. The sight only hardened Levi's resolve. He activated his ODM gear and launched himself at the Titan, spinning through the air like a falcon. His movements were so fast and precise that it almost looked as if he had grown wings.
Reiner, inside the Armored Titan, felt his frustration rise. No matter how many times he swung, Levi slipped through his defenses. Each near miss cost him precious seconds, and parts of his arms—where the armor was thinner—were now sliced and bleeding steam.
Squad Leader Miche, watching Levi's movements, quickly signaled to the surrounding soldiers to hold back.
"This is Levi's fight. Don't get in his way," he commanded.
It was the most sensible decision. Crowding the air around Levi would only hinder him. Against an opponent like the Armored Titan, teamwork here meant staying out of Levi's flight path.
Miche's eyes scanned the battlefield, his expression tightening.
"Where's Lock and the others…?"
There was no time to dwell on it. Pure Titans continued to flood through the breach in the Wall. Corps members were fighting desperately to hold them back, while others surrounded the immobilized Female Titan, ensuring she couldn't escape. Oruo and his squad were visibly exhausted but refused to retreat.
Gritting his teeth, Miche made a quick decision. He left twenty soldiers to hold the current line and led the rest toward Oruo's position. The captured Female Titan was too valuable to risk any mistakes.
His mind flashed back to the devastating battle at the outpost outside the Wall, where his squad was nearly annihilated. His expression hardened. This time, they would take revenge.
With a burst of gas, Miche accelerated, leaving his squad trailing behind. His urgency was palpable.
Meanwhile, Levi fought with everything he had. Even with his unmatched skill, he couldn't stop the Armored Titan's advance completely. The equipment simply wasn't strong enough to break through the Titan's plating. At best, he could stall Reiner—but not indefinitely.
Reiner finally broke through the last line of resistance and reached the Colossal Titan's side. Bertholdt was in dire straits; his arms were shattered by Erwin and his team's previous attacks, and his nape was dangerously exposed.
Seeing his comrade's state, Reiner tensed inside his Titan. Without hesitation, he slammed his foot down and prepared for evacuation.
Realizing Reiner's intent, Bertholdt activated his steam ability.
The battlefield erupted. A scorching wave of superheated air burst out like a pressurized geyser. Soldiers were forced to retreat; anyone caught in the steam would be burned alive within seconds. The Colossal Titan's massive body began to dissipate at a speed visible to the naked eye.
Erwin's jaw clenched. The situation was clear: Bertholdt was escaping, and the heat made pursuit impossible. He scanned the battlefield—devastation was everywhere. Buildings were flattened, the ground was scarred with craters and bloodstains, and Titan corpses were strewn about like discarded dolls.
The massive breach in the Wall loomed ominously. Shiganshina's fate hung in the balance. Pure Titans kept flooding in, clashing with the Survey Corps. The Corps was stretched thin. They had over 500 soldiers deployed, but with three intelligent Titans and countless pure Titans to deal with, their forces were at the breaking point.
Erwin turned his gaze back toward the Colossal Titan, only to find both Bertholdt and Reiner gone. Only their massive footprints remained atop the Wall.
"When Bertholdt began to release steam, Reiner must have carried him over the Wall… Quick and calculated," Erwin thought grimly. "But—"
His eyes shifted to the Female Titan still pinned to the ground. His expression hardened, then a sharp gleam flashed in his eyes.
"Even if they escaped, capturing Annie is a significant victory."
He didn't need all three Titan shifters to win this battle. One captured shifter was more than enough to deliver results to the government. It was a blow to Marley and a monumental gain for humanity inside the Walls.
Meanwhile, outside the Wall—
"Lock, are you sure it's wise to go after them like this?" Petra asked anxiously, glancing back at the Wall that was growing smaller behind them.
She and Lock were riding on Ymir's Titan form, perched on her shoulders as they pursued the fleeing Armored Titan. They were about a kilometer behind but closing the gap steadily.
Lock's expression was calm but resolute, his eyes fixed on the distant figures of Reiner and Bertholdt.
"We can't let both of them return to Marley," he said quietly. "One of them must fall."
Ymir roared, her Titan legs pounding against the earth as they raced across the plains. The wind whipped past Petra's face, but her heart was heavy. She knew what Lock intended. Capturing or killing either the Armored or Colossal Titan here would change the balance of power forever.
Back inside the Wall, Levi finally descended onto the battlements, breathing heavily. The Armored Titan had gotten away, but the Female Titan was still trapped. Miche and his team secured the perimeter while engineers began reinforcing the spikes pinning Annie down. Steam rose from her eyes and severed limbs, but her human form inside remained unconscious, unable to escape.
Erwin stood beside Levi, his usual stoic demeanor tinged with exhaustion.
"Heavy losses," Erwin said quietly.
Levi didn't reply. His gaze lingered on the horizon where Reiner and Bertholdt had vanished.
"Lock's out there," he finally muttered. "Let's hope he knows what he's doing."
The breach in Shiganshina still loomed, and countless Titans still roamed the battlefield, but for the first time that day, a glimmer of hope had been carved out: Annie Leonhart had been captured alive.
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