"Sniff—!"
With one sword, Lock activated his three-dimensional maneuver gear and soared to the top of the city wall. He dodged the massive palm of a nearby Titan, his blade slicing through the back of its hand. Blood sprayed like rain. His body spun in mid-air as the anchor shot straight into the Titan's eye, yanking him forward with a burst of compressed air.
"Sniff—!"
Another clean slash, and the 11-meter Titan before him collapsed backward, steam billowing as its body began to evaporate.
Without a moment's hesitation, Lock sprinted along the edge of the wall, scanning the battlefield below. His expression remained composed, but a crisp system notification echoed in his mind:
"Ding — The host faces danger head-on, leads by example, marches through the night, and fights bravely. Willpower +1!"
Ignoring the voice, Lock pressed the trigger, disengaging the anchor. The burst of gas propelled him forward like a cannonball toward the city gate.
This was the entrance between the Shiganshina District and Wall Maria — the hardest-hit area by far. Among the four major wall gates, this section had the largest number of Titans pouring in. Its geographical position made it closer to the drop point, naturally attracting more Pure Titans. And of course, Marley's Titan forces had played their part in driving the horde here.
According to Lock's plan, the army had already arrived at this position and begun the crucial task of clearing out Titans at the gate. Behind them, a massive boulder was being slowly transported to the wall. The intention was obvious: to seal the breach caused by the Armored Titan, trap the remaining Titans inside, and prevent further incursions.
This approach could even mean abandoning the Shiganshina District itself, narrowing the defensive perimeter to strengthen other fronts. After all, Shiganshina was a jar city — a small enclosed area. If other territories could be retaken, it would ease the population and territorial pressure significantly. Strategically, this was the most practical choice.
But the Titans were relentless. Many ignored the Corps and volunteers entirely, rushing straight toward the transport team hauling the boulder. This created immense pressure on the defenders.
Lock and his team had been assigned to protect that transport unit — a task as dangerous as it was critical.
"How do these Pure Titans manage to strike directly at the core every time…? Unless… has Zeke already arrived?"
The thought flashed through Lock's mind, but he dismissed it and refocused on the battle. Around him, Corps soldiers and volunteers witnessed Lock's attack — a relentless storm of steel. He didn't allow the Titans even a second of reprieve, dispatching them with surgical precision, each strike decisive and clean. His ferocity electrified the exhausted ranks.
"Captain Lock is truly the strongest!"
"As long as we follow him, we'll win!"
"Come on! Follow Captain Lock — kill those damn Titans!"
"Kill the Titans!"
"Kill them and take back our home!"
Lock's presence became the heart of the battlefield. The volunteers, though weary and ill-equipped compared to the Corps, responded first. Even in the face of fear and exhaustion, they did not retreat. Their resolve burned fiercely.
Everything was for humanity.
For the future.
The fight grew more intense. As the transport team neared the breach in the wall, the Pure Titans seemed to sense the plan. They surged toward the boulder convoy, increasing the pressure on Lock to unbearable levels.
"This can't go on—!"
He beheaded a Titan with a clean arc and rocketed to the top of the wall. After swapping out his gas tanks, he didn't return to his previous position. Instead, he dove into Shiganshina itself, deliberately drawing the attention of the Titans still within the city.
They turned, snarling, and began to chase him.
"Come with me…"
Lock's face hardened. He couldn't afford to stop — if he did, he'd be ripped apart. Using the rooftops as his runway, he zipped between buildings, drawing more Titans after him. As he moved, his sharp gaze scanned the layout of the Shiganshina District.
This was the first city ever breached. Its proximity to Marley made it a prime landing zone for Pure Titans. The number here was staggering. With the current strength of the Corps and the volunteers, it was unrealistic to eliminate them all in one sweep. A longer strategy was needed.
Lock's mind sharpened. The more he assessed, the clearer the option became: abandon this section of wall and seal it off permanently. If they could fortify the gate using massive boulders — or even Titan bodies — the wall itself would hold. Neither the Armored Titan nor the Colossal Titan had ever broken through the wall directly; their only breach points had been the gates.
If they could fortify those gates to withstand another assault, life inside the walls could continue.
The key was whether Marley had only dispatched Titan warriors or if their main army was on its way. A land march through Titan territory would be costly and slow. But the skies… were another story.
Lock knew the truth: Marley would eventually attack by airship, as history had shown.
"We have to be ready for that," he thought grimly.
By now, Lock had reached the central sentry tower in the heart of Shiganshina. He looked down — waves of Pure Titans crowded the streets, drawn by his maneuvering. He had accomplished his diversion perfectly. Nearly half the Titans in the entire city were trailing him, leaving only a few scattered at the gate. The combined army quickly cleaned up those remaining.
Lock ignored the monsters around him for a moment and fixed his gaze on the distant entrance. The boulders were finally in place, sealing the breach. Green signal flares burst in the sky — the Corps' sign for mission progress.
He could return now.
But then… a familiar, massive silhouette emerged from the haze.
"...Dana Fritz. It's appeared again… and this location—"
Lock's eyes narrowed.
The Titan's presence here wasn't random. Its sudden reappearance carried a sense of inevitability, as if fate itself had circled back to this ruined district. The air around the sentry tower grew heavy as Lock steadied his grip on his blades.
Steam rose like curtains between him and the approaching threat.
And below, the Titans, sensing his stillness, began converging from all sides.
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