"You can't do this! This is blasphemy against the God of the Walls!"
From a distance, Lock heard a sharp, indignant cry. When he looked over, he saw dozens of men and women in plain clothes blocking the construction team's work. At their head stood a man dressed in priestly robes, his arms raised theatrically.
"Father Nick?" Eld Jinn asked in surprise.
Lock turned his head toward him. "You know him?"
"Yeah," Eld replied, frowning slightly. "We've had some contact before. Father Nick is a priest of the Church of the Walls."
"Church of the Walls?" Oluo muttered, confused. Several soldiers nearby gave him equally puzzled looks.
Eld sighed, crossing his arms. "The Church has existed for a long time, but after Wall Maria fell, many civilians turned to them for comfort. They believe the Walls are the work of God and must never be altered—no reinforcement, no modification. They think any change is blasphemy."
"Tch. People actually believe that nonsense?" Oluo said with open disdain.
"Yes," Eld replied, pointing toward the group of civilians rallying behind Father Nick. "And their numbers have been growing fast. They even tried to recruit members from the Survey Corps a while back. I turned them down."
Günther frowned. "And they think they can interfere with reconstruction? Who gave them that authority?"
Eld lowered his voice after glancing around to make sure no outsiders were listening. "I've heard the Church is backed by powerful figures in the royal government. That's why they act so arrogantly."
"Powerful people…" Oluo muttered, helplessness flickering across his face.
For groups protected by the upper echelons of the government, even if their doctrines were absurd, ordinary soldiers couldn't do much. Confronting them outright could be dangerous.
"Lock, are we really going over there?" Petra asked quietly, concern in her voice. She already understood enough about the Wall Cult to know they were a sensitive subject.
Ymir, following just behind Petra as usual, said nothing—but the disgust in her eyes said it all. She didn't like the Wall Cult and clearly didn't want any involvement with them.
Eld and the others felt the same. But Lock couldn't just walk away. The nearby Survey Corps soldiers stationed at the site noticed his arrival and immediately approached. They saluted sharply, relief flashing in their eyes.
"Captain Lock!"
Father Nick noticed it too. Seeing Lock's higher rank, he quickly gathered his followers and walked toward him, his expression filled with self-righteous authority.
"Great… can't walk away now," Oluo muttered, rubbing his forehead. The others looked equally resigned.
Before anyone could speak, Father Nick raised his voice. "You are the one in charge here! Order your people to stop this work at once. The Walls are sacred—God will not tolerate this blasphemy!"
Lock regarded him coolly, a faint smile touching his lips. "Is it really because of God?"
The smile unsettled Father Nick. "What do you mean by that?"
"I mean exactly what I said," Lock replied evenly, stepping closer. "You're fighting so hard to stop the reconstruction… Is there some secret within the Walls you don't want us to discover?"
The moment Lock said "secret," Father Nick's pupils contracted sharply. It was subtle, but Lock caught it.
"You… Do you know what you're saying?!" Nick barked, his voice suddenly tense.
"I do," Lock said calmly. He took another deliberate step forward. "And I want to know what secrets you're guarding so desperately. No one treats ordinary stone like a god. So what are you hiding?"
"You will be punished for this!" Father Nick shouted, pointing at him. "Everyone—seize this blasphemer!"
At his command, the believers surged forward. More than sixty civilians rushed at Lock, emboldened by faith and the priest's authority.
"Captain!" Eld, Oluo, and the others tensed, ready to jump in. The Survey Corps soldiers nearby stepped forward instinctively, hands on their weapons.
But Lock raised a hand, stopping them. "No need. I can handle this."
"Hey, there are more than sixty of them!" Oluo warned. "Don't get reckless!"
Petra added urgently, "Lock, let us help—"
Before she could finish, Lock had already moved. Like a tiger leaping into a flock of sheep, he slammed into the first wave of attackers. Two believers charging ahead went down instantly, sprawling across the ground.
These were ordinary civilians—zealous, but untrained. Against Lock's strength and honed combat instincts, they were helpless. Every punch and kick he delivered knocked someone down, and once they hit the ground, they weren't getting up anytime soon.
Believer after believer fell before him. Within moments, half of the group was rolling on the ground, groaning in pain. Lock weaved through them like a storm, precise and unrelenting.
Father Nick's face paled. He was used to wielding influence through fear and religious fervor, not dealing with overwhelming physical force. Under royal protection, the Church of the Walls had expanded freely. Their followers had grown by the thousands across the Walls, and no one had ever dared to lay a hand on them.
Until now.
Today, Lock shattered that illusion.
"Is… is this really happening?" Oluo muttered, wide-eyed as he watched believers fall one after another.
Survey Corps soldiers who witnessed the fight looked on in disbelief. If it weren't for the seriousness of the situation, they might have cheered.
In less than a minute, more than sixty zealots were downed. Lock stood in the center of the chaos, rolling his shoulders casually as if warming up after a light exercise.
"That's all you've got?" he said lightly. "What a disappointment."
Father Nick trembled with rage and fear. His so-called "holy army" had been wiped out by one man.
"You… You'll pay for this! The royal government will hear of your blasphemy!" he shouted, pointing a shaking finger at Lock.
Lock met his gaze without flinching. "Then let them. But remember—faith won't stop the Titans, and it won't rebuild the Walls."
His calm tone only made Nick more furious, but he could do nothing. Surrounded by unconscious or groaning followers, his authority suddenly seemed hollow.
Lock turned to the Survey Corps soldiers. "Resume work. Don't let anyone interfere again."
"Yes, Captain!" they replied, reinvigorated by his decisive handling of the situation. The construction crews quickly returned to their tasks, reinforced by the soldiers' presence.
As Lock and his team walked away from the scene, Petra glanced at him. "That was… intense."
Lock shrugged. "They were just civilians."
"Yeah, but that's not what worries me," Eld said quietly, glancing back at Father Nick, who was glaring at them with pure venom. "The Church of the Walls is backed by people in the government. He's not going to let this go."
Lock didn't look back. "Good. Let them come."
The wind carried the sounds of construction behind them. The breached section of Wall Rose still loomed like a scar, but now, with each stone laid and each beam set in place, humanity was taking back control.
The Wall Cult might be loud, but it couldn't stop reality.
As they returned to base, Ymir finally spoke up, breaking her usual silence. "I hate people like that. Blind faith. It's disgusting."
Petra gave a small nod. "It's dangerous, too. That kind of belief can make ordinary people do terrible things."
Lock didn't respond immediately. His eyes drifted toward the Wall in the distance, its shadow stretching across the land. Beneath those stones were secrets—secrets the Church would kill to protect.
And sooner or later, he intended to uncover every one of them.
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