"Kill! Kill them all!"
"Recapture Shiganshina District!"
"Take back your home!"
Three kilometers north of Shiganshina District, the Expeditionary Force clashed with a massive horde of Titans. Among them were at least five or six Abnormals, and the plains offered no terrain advantage. Without rooftops or forested cover, their omnidirectional mobility gear could not be fully utilized. The sheer number of Titans made the battle a brutal, grinding test of endurance from the start.
Unlike the previous swift victories that had boosted morale, this time the volunteers' confidence crumbled. The old terror they had buried deep resurfaced. Many froze mid-air or faltered under pressure. It often took hundreds of volunteers working together to hold back a single Titan, and even then, kills were slow. Casualties mounted rapidly.
The Survey Corps, hardened by years of combat, handled the chaos with far more composure. Though they, too, suffered losses, their morale didn't break. Under Erwin's sharp, calm command, they prioritized eliminating the Abnormals first, before turning their blades on the pure Titans, pushing forward steadily despite the bloodbath.
On another flank, Lock led his squad to take down two Abnormal Titans almost immediately.
"...Hah…"
Lock stood atop a ridge overlooking the battlefield—a hell of steam, corpses, and writhing Titans. His expression had grown colder with every passing second.
"In war, human life really is the cheapest thing," he muttered under his breath. "All we can do is minimize the losses."
If they could overcome this wave, the rest of the campaign would unfold as planned.
Without pausing longer, Lock plunged back into the fray. He moved like a blade through smoke, cutting down Titan after Titan. He lost count of how many swings he had made, how many comrades had been devoured before his eyes, how many times he had retched at the overwhelming stench of blood and steam, or how often he had replaced gas canisters in the heat of slaughter.
Only when the battlefield fell silent did he finally stop.
He stood atop a mound of steaming Titan corpses, both blades hanging loosely in his hands, their tips buried in the dirt. His chest heaved as he gulped in air, staring up at the blue sky.
The killing intent that had consumed him began to ebb away. For a moment, his focus relaxed. He glanced around—his team was nowhere in sight. All that remained were the steaming remnants of nearly twenty Titans, their massive bodies disintegrating around him.
The sharp hiss of gas broke the stillness.
"Pffft—pffft—!"
Petra and Ymir darted through the mist, their ODM cables hissing as they anchored nearby. Because Lock could not reveal his Titan powers here, he had fought as a human soldier throughout the engagement. The two women, who had been holding the rear lines, rushed toward the pillar of steam to find him.
"Lock, are you okay?!" Petra called out, her voice laced with panic.
Ymir, usually sharp-tongued and detached, looked genuinely worried. "You're covered in blood…"
Lock forced a grin. "Don't worry. It's all Titan blood."
He was soaked head to toe in steaming crimson, his smile unnervingly fierce against the backdrop of corpses. Petra's relief was immediate and obvious. Ymir, though trying to hide it, exhaled slowly, her tension fading.
Lock didn't bother to wipe away the blood or clean his blades. It would evaporate soon enough.
"How's the situation?" he asked.
Ymir frowned. "You're half-dead and still asking about the battle. What's wrong with you?"
Petra tugged on her sleeve and replied, "The fighting's over. Aside from the Titans we engaged, a huge number came from Shiganshina's direction. The volunteers took the worst of it—casualties are heavy. Honestly, it was tragic. But…" She took a deep breath, and her eyes hardened. "We still won."
Lock nodded quietly. "As long as we win. I can accept sacrifices, but not failure."
He sheathed his blades and stepped down from the pile of corpses. His gas reserves had long since run dry.
The fight had honed his skills even further. His ODM maneuvering, swordsmanship, and coordination had all sharpened. His raw combat ability now bordered on inhuman—a one-man army in human form. And he knew this was only the beginning. With each battle, he grew closer to true invincibility.
The three regrouped with Erwin, Levi, and the remnants of the Survey Corps.
Erwin had led from the front, personally fighting to maintain morale. He was injured, but still standing. Levi, like Lock, was splattered with Titan blood from head to toe, evidence of his own relentless slaughter. The Survey Corps had taken heavy losses and was in dire need of rest.
Lock's squad had fared surprisingly well—thirteen soldiers were still combat-ready. They had learned to adapt, supporting Lock's rampages rather than trying to match them. Early in the battle, they'd tried to keep up, but Lock's pace quickly became overwhelming. Realizing they would only get in the way, they shifted their focus to cleaning up isolated Titans, thereby minimizing risk. The result was one of the lowest casualty rates of any unit on the field.
When Lock approached, Erwin exhaled in relief. "It's good to see you made it."
Lock gave a faint smile. "Am I that fragile in your eyes, Captain?"
He glanced toward Shiganshina's walls in the distance and sighed. "I don't think we'll be entering the district anytime soon."
Erwin nodded heavily. "Yes. We need to regroup and rest."
Behind him, Levi and several officers wore grim expressions. The losses were severe—like having their bones shattered. Morale was dangerously brittle.
Lock suddenly remembered Petra's earlier words. A sharp thought flashed through his mind, and he spoke before hesitation could stop him.
"Captain," he said firmly, "I think we need to advance on Shiganshina's gates overnight. Right now is our best opportunity. We can't afford to waste even a second."
Erwin blinked. "...What?"
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