"Was it this little girl who fought me just now? How annoying…"
As the Female Titan's massive body evaporated into steam, Annie's human form was revealed within the dissipating smoke — her slender frame and calm, delicate features emerging under the moonlight. Kenny Ackerman's expression twisted with displeasure.
To be forced into such a situation by a girl so young was humiliating for him. He had faced killers, soldiers, and Titans before — but this… this stung his pride. He strode toward Annie, fully intending to drag her out of the steaming remains before she could react.
But the moment he reached for her, Annie's closed eyes snapped open, glowing faintly in the moonlight. She didn't even look at Kenny — her gaze locked onto Lock instead.
And then it happened.
Her entire body began to crystallize, shimmering with hardening at a speed visible to the naked eye. A translucent cocoon of crystal spread over her skin, locking her into place.
Even if he didn't understand the details, Kenny immediately sensed danger. If she sealed herself completely, he'd fail his mission. He lunged forward to grab her —
"I wouldn't do that if I were you," Lock's calm voice cut through the night.
Kenny froze for a fraction of a second — long enough for Annie's hardening to advance. He jerked back instinctively, then raised one gun and fired.
Bang!
The bullet struck the forming crystal and ricocheted as if it had hit solid steel, grazing Kenny's cheek and drawing a thin line of blood.
"What the—!" His eyes widened.
Within seconds, Annie's transformation was complete. She was sealed inside a crystal cocoon, her figure encased in an unbreakable shell like a silkworm chrysalis. Through the translucent surface, her eyes were still open, staring at Lock with a mixture of cold defiance and resignation.
Lock exhaled slowly. "What a troublesome girl."
Kenny unsheathed a blade and began hacking at the crystal. The sound of steel clanging against an immovable surface echoed through the street. Lock shook his head slightly.
"Don't waste your strength. That kind of crystal can't be destroyed by us. Unless she willingly releases it… or…"
"Or what?" Kenny snapped, glaring up at him with sharp, murderous eyes.
Lock met his gaze steadily. "Ask your boss. He knows."
Kenny's eyes narrowed into slits. "You seem to know a lot of things you shouldn't."
Lock didn't deny or explain. He merely watched him, silent and unreadable, calculating how best to turn this situation to his advantage.
This silent stare unsettled Kenny. His instincts screamed that this boy — barely twenty by the look of him — wasn't normal. He replayed Lock's movements against the Female Titan in his head, considered his gear, his technique, and the quiet confidence with which he'd intervened.
In the end, Kenny didn't attack.
Lock had been prepared for it — his posture and grip made that clear — and when Kenny held back, Lock's faint smile betrayed that he'd anticipated this outcome.
"Kenny Ackerman," Lock said quietly, "Captain of the Central Military Police Anti-Personnel Control Squad. A cutthroat, ruthless bastard… your reputation precedes you."
Kenny smirked. "Thanks for the compliment."
"You're confident," Lock said, stepping closer. His gaze flicked down to the crystallized Annie between them. "But for all that confidence, you couldn't even beat a girl. If I hadn't stepped in, she would've slipped right through your fingers."
Kenny's eyes flashed dangerously. "Are you mocking me?"
"Yes," Lock replied without hesitation. "I'm ridiculing you."
Before Kenny could retort, Lock continued, lowering his voice slightly. "Now that you've witnessed this power with your own eyes… tell me, don't you want it for yourself?"
Kenny stiffened. Lock hadn't named it directly, but the meaning was obvious. The power of a Titan.
His voice dropped into a growl. "Kid, what exactly do you know?"
"I know everything about you," Lock said with an unsettling smile.
Under that gaze, Kenny felt as if he were standing naked, stripped of all defenses. He didn't like it.
"Knowing too much can get you killed."
Before he finished the sentence, Kenny lunged — blades flashing.
Lock was already moving. Their weapons collided midair with a sharp metallic clang. Sparks danced between them. Kenny was shocked. Even holding back, his strength far surpassed that of ordinary men — but Lock met it evenly.
He's just a kid… How the hell is he this strong?
Kenny pressed the attack. His dual blades whirled through the air, arcs of cold light under the moon. His speed and killing intent were terrifying — the skill that had earned him the title "Reaper of the Underground."
But Lock did not retreat. His twin Ultrahard Steel blades moved with impeccable precision, intercepting every strike without a single gap.
His blades were slightly longer than Kenny's, giving him better reach. He maintained a steady defense, slipping in calculated counterattacks that forced Kenny to reposition repeatedly.
The clash echoed through the empty streets — steel on steel, breath against breath — until the sound of distant hoofbeats rolled over the rooftops. Reinforcements were approaching.
With a crisp final strike, they disengaged. Both stepped back in unspoken agreement, lowering their weapons.
"I won," Lock said calmly.
Kenny's lip twitched. "If I'd pulled the trigger earlier, you'd be dead."
"But you didn't," Lock answered evenly. "So I won."
Kenny froze for a heartbeat, then let out a low laugh, choosing to shift the subject. "Lock… you're strong. I'll remember that."
Lock tilted his head slightly. "And you're strong too. But your current boss isn't worthy of someone like you."
Kenny's eyes narrowed. The fact that Lock already knew about Rod Reiss and his involvement made something cold crawl down his spine. For years, Kenny and the Central Military Police had operated in the shadows, unknown to the majority. To have their secrets laid bare so casually was unsettling.
"Since you think Rod isn't worthy," Kenny said slowly, "then who is?"
Lock's expression didn't change at all.
"Why don't you try living for yourself? He said softly. "Don't you want the power of a god?"
For the first time, Kenny was silent. The words hit deeper than he expected.
Lock saw the flicker of thought in his eyes and smiled faintly. "You don't have to answer now. When you make up your mind… come find me. I'll be waiting."
Kenny Ackerman was a man driven not by wealth or status but by the allure of absolute power. Lock knew exactly which strings to pull.
---
A/N: Advanced Chapters Have Been Uploaded On My Patreon
Support: patreon.com/Narrator_San