"Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang~~~!"
The deafening roar of gunfire echoed through the underground chapel. When the smoke cleared, only two members of the Reiss family remained — Frieda Reiss and Rod Reiss, now cornered by Petra Rall and Ymir.
Ymir's body loomed tall and monstrous, the Jaw Titan glinting with predatory menace beneath the flickering torchlight. Rod's throat tightened as he stared up at the sharp-toothed grin that could crush him in a heartbeat.
An intelligent Titan… here?
His mind spun. Why would one of them appear now? Why would this Titan side with Lock? Was this man truly one of the people beyond the Walls — those mysterious beings the royal family had always feared?
Everything he thought he controlled was unraveling before his eyes. He had believed this operation would be precise, predictable — that all threads led back to him. But reality had shattered that illusion. Lock had thrown everything into chaos, and even Kenny Ackerman, once his sharpest blade, now acted of his own accord.
"Why are they doing this to me? I am their king!"
The words remained trapped in Rod's throat. His trembling body betrayed his fear as Ymir's Titan hand gripped him effortlessly and began walking toward Lock.
From the stairwell at the far end, Grisha Yeager emerged — his coat covered in soot and blood, his eyes fixed on the scene ahead. The manor above had fallen completely under Lock's control. Kenny's men and Lock's own soldiers surrounded every exit.
And there — in the dim chamber below the chapel — stood Dina Fritz, restrained and trembling, her eyes wide with the desperate hunger of an incomplete Titan form.
Grisha's steps quickened. He knew what was about to happen.
Lock turned toward the captured king and smiled faintly.
"Running away, Your Majesty?"
The tone was polite, but the smile — that cold, knowing curve — struck Rod like a blade.
To him, Lock's grin was not human. It was the smirk of a devil.
From behind, Kenny snorted in disgust.
"What a pathetic sight. Can't believe I wasted years protecting trash like this."
He rested his gun on his shoulder, expression dripping with contempt.
"So," he muttered, "are we finally gonna see how this little Titan power transfer works?"
Lock glanced his way, calm as ever.
"Not us, not you. Someone else will inherit the Founding Titan's power today."
That caught everyone off guard.
Kenny's brows furrowed.
"And who the hell would that be?"
Even Petra and Ymir exchanged uncertain looks. They had trusted Lock's judgment without question, but now unease rippled between them.
Lock's tone dropped to something grave, almost heavy.
"Those bound by the King's vow can never act freely. So the only way forward is to let another bearer — one with royal blood — carry the true responsibility of that heritage."
His eyes shifted to Grisha.
"It's time."
Grisha nodded, though the weight of what was about to occur pressed down on him like lead. His gaze lingered on Frieda — the young woman who, moments ago, had wielded the Founding Titan's power, now broken and dazed. There was pity in his eyes, fleeting but real.
He knew what had to be done. To move forward, to break the chains of the King's ideology, the Founding Titan had to be passed on — no matter the cost.
Petra's stomach churned. The floor beneath her boots was slick with blood, the corpses of soldiers and servants strewn about like discarded dolls. She clenched her fists and averted her eyes.
Necessary sacrifices...
That was what she told herself. It didn't help.
Rod Reiss, meanwhile, began to shake violently, his terror twisting into fury.
"You… what are you planning?!"
Ymir, still in Titan form, squeezed him between her claws. The crunch of bone and the scream that followed echoed through the hall.
"Can I kill him now?" she growled, voice reverberating from the Titan's throat.
"You dare—! Do you know who I am?!" Rod bellowed, voice cracking between agony and arrogance. "Unhand me, you filthy—"
Kenny let out a bark of laughter.
"Still playing king, huh? Look around you, Rod. You're not ruling anything anymore."
Lock exhaled, almost in disappointment.
"Pathetic."
He gave Ymir a signal. The Titan released Rod, who collapsed to the floor wheezing. Lock stepped forward — and with one fluid kick, sent the man flying into a stone pillar. The impact cracked the bone. Rod slumped unconscious.
"We'll deal with him later," Lock said calmly. "For now, we finish what we came for."
He nodded toward Frieda.
"Bring her to Dina."
Kenny grinned.
"Now this, I gotta see."
He dragged Frieda by the arm, ignoring her weak resistance, and tossed her in front of Dina Fritz like a butcher presenting meat to a starving beast.
The air grew thick with dread. Dina's body trembled. Even without her limbs, she crawled forward — inch by inch — drawn by the instinctive hunger that burned inside all Titans. Her blank eyes flickered with recognition and bloodlust.
"Dina…" Grisha murmured.
But it was too late.
With a wet, guttural sound, Dina lunged. Frieda's scream lasted less than a second before it was swallowed whole. Blood splattered the stone floor, seeping into the cracks like dark ink.
Petra turned away, hand over her mouth, trembling. Ymir shut her Titan eyes, jaw tightening in disgust.
Lock said nothing. His face was unreadable.
He remembered the stories — how Titan power was transferred, how countless times throughout history, one human devoured another for the sake of strength. It was barbaric, and yet… it was the world they lived in.
Petra couldn't hold it anymore. She leaned against the wall and vomited. Her mind flashed back to her own transformation — the blood, the pain, the moment when she herself had taken a life to survive.
That same hunger… the same madness.
Ymir reached out her Titan hand to steady her, silent.
Kenny, on the other hand, looked almost euphoric.
"Well, damn," he said with a twisted smile. "That's one hell of a family reunion."
Lock gave him a sidelong glance.
"You really are disturbed, you know that?"
"Takes one to know one," Kenny shot back, grinning.
The sound of chewing faded. Then Dina froze — her form convulsing, light flaring from her body. A burst of steam filled the room. The stone floor cracked beneath her as her body began to transform.
Grisha stepped back, shielding his eyes from the brightness.
When it cleared, Dina stood tall — human again, trembling, gasping — but her eyes now glowed faintly with power.
The power of the Founding Titan.
Lock's expression softened slightly. He stepped forward and placed a hand on her shoulder.
"It's done."
Dina blinked, confusion and horror warring on her face.
"Grisha… what have we done?"
Grisha's voice cracked.
"What we must."
For a moment, silence fell. Only the faint hiss of dissipating steam filled the air.
Then Kenny broke it with a chuckle.
"So, what now, commander? You got your Titan queen. You planning to start your own kingdom or something?"
Lock ignored the sarcasm. He looked to Grisha and Dina, then to Petra and Ymir — his allies, his witnesses — and finally back toward the unconscious Rod Reiss.
"No kingdoms," he said quietly. "Just freedom. For everyone."
His words hung in the air — heavy, dangerous, almost sacrilegious.
Even Kenny seemed momentarily subdued.
Petra straightened, wiping the blood from her mouth. Ymir's Titan body began to shrink, steam rising as she returned to human form beside her.
Grisha closed his eyes. He could feel it — the pulse of the Founding Titan's power awakening once more in Dina's blood.
The old order was dead.
And with it, the false king's reign had ended.
Rod Reiss groaned, slowly regaining consciousness. His vision swam, catching glimpses of Dina's towering form and the shattered remnants of the chapel around him.
"No… this can't be…"
Lock turned his gaze on him, cold and final.
"It's over, Rod. The world you built on lies is gone."
Rod's eyes filled with terror.
"You… you'll destroy everything!"
"No," Lock said, stepping closer, voice almost a whisper. "We'll rebuild it. Without walls built on deceit."
He drew his blade — the steel reflecting the torchlight — and raised it.
"The age of kings ends tonight."
The blade flashed.
And the chamber fell silent once more.
---
A/N: Advanced Chapters Have Been Uploaded On My Patreon
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