Gunfire echoed brutally through the cavern.
Bang—bang—bang—bang—!
When the last shot rang out, the floor of the Reiss underground chapel was littered with bodies. The entire Reiss bloodline—save for Frieda and the unconscious Rod—lay motionless. Only Petra and Ymir stood guard, weapons raised, breath steady despite the harshness of what had just unfolded.
Ymir, still in the Jaw Titan's massive form, released a low rumble that shook loose dust from the ceiling. Her eyes burned with territorial intensity as she held Rod Reiss dangling helplessly between her claws. Rod's face drained of color.
An intelligent Titan—here?
And siding with Lock?
His mind spun.
Had Lock come from outside the Walls?
Had everything been part of a plan far larger than Rod ever imagined?
He had believed he controlled the board.
Now he finally understood—he had only ever been a piece.
"I am the king," Rod screamed inwardly, but no sound came from his trembling lips.
Ymir's Titan teeth clicked shut inches from him, and he nearly fainted again.
Behind her, a set of hurried footsteps approached. Grisha Yeager, covered in dirt and sweat, burst into the cavern. On his way down, he had passed numerous soldiers—some under Lock's command, others belonging to Kenny Ackerman. Together, they had surrounded the entire estate.
When Grisha saw Dina Fritz's mindless Titan chained nearby, he broke into a sprint, eyes blazing.
Lock's faint smile did nothing to ease Rod's terror.
"My king," Lock said lightly, "why run? I thought rulers were supposed to stay calm."
The smile, soft and almost pleasant, hit Rod like a demon's grin. His legs gave out entirely.
"Tch. Pathetic," Kenny muttered. He looked genuinely disgusted. "I worked under this trash? Makes me wanna gag."
Then he jabbed Lock with an elbow. "Well? Let's get on with it. You said I'd finally see how Titan power gets passed on."
Lock shook his head calmly.
"This time, neither I nor you will inherit anything."
Petra and Ymir exchanged confused glances. Neither understood who the next inheritor would be—but they trusted Lock enough not to question him.
"The process is bloody," Lock said, voice steady. "But necessary. You Ackermans can't inherit the Founding Titan. You're immune to the vow. You'd break it. So only a true royal can shoulder this burden."
His gaze shifted toward Grisha.
"It's time."
Grisha inhaled sharply, his expression twisting—part resolve, part guilt. When his eyes landed on Frieda, who lay on the ground with her dislocated arm and blank expression, a flicker of pity crossed his face. But it didn't last.
Necessary sacrifices.
That was all he could allow himself to see.
Petra swallowed hard. Something in her eyes trembled, but she remained silent. She had chosen this path; she would face what came with it.
Ymir tightened her grip around Rod's torso. The bones in his ribcage creaked.
"Can I kill him?" Ymir growled through Titan's jaws. "I hate his face."
Rod shrieked, "Do you know who I—?! Let me go! Let me go right now!"
"Still pretending to be king?" Kenny scoffed. "Buddy, look around. You lost."
Lock stepped forward. "Enough."
He motioned for Ymir to release Rod. She dropped him unceremoniously to the ground. Before Rod could crawl away, Lock drove a hard kick straight into his ribs, launching him across the cavern. Rod collided with a stone pillar and slumped, unconscious.
"We'll deal with him later," Lock said coolly. "First, the succession."
He gestured at Kenny.
"Bring Frieda."
Kenny grinned. "My pleasure."
He dragged Frieda by her unresponsive arm and tossed her beside Dina Fritz like she was a sack of grain.
The transformation was immediate.
Dina's Titan eyes ignited with feral hunger. Even bound, with stumps where her limbs had once been, she lurched forward with a frantic, animalistic desperation. She strained toward Frieda, teeth gnashing, the desire to devour overwhelming every other instinct.
Kenny stepped back, smirking. "Now this is interesting."
He glanced at Lock. "Don't tell me I gotta turn into a mindless Titan first if I want that kind of power?"
"Watch," Lock said. "You'll understand."
Kenny clicked his tongue. "Just how I like it."
He lifted his rifle and snapped a shot—so precise that the ropes restraining Dina snapped instantly, one by one. His accuracy was almost inhuman.
Lock narrowed his eyes. A demonstration? How childish.
Still, Kenny Ackerman was a blade—deadly, useful, and ultimately something Lock believed he could control. And if he couldn't?
He would turn Kenny into a Pure Titan and be done with it.
As the final rope broke, Dina surged forward.
Frieda's fogged eyes flickered. For the first time since arriving, something like fear crossed her face.
But it was too late.
Dina's jaws clamped down.
A wet, tearing sound filled the cavern.
Blood sprayed, spattering the stone floor.
Petra turned away instantly, gagging. The memory of her own transformation—the horror of being devoured and surviving it—flashed violently through her mind. Ymir clenched her fists, jaw tight.
Lock didn't look away.
Neither did Kenny—his expression twisted into perverse fascination.
Grisha shook with anticipation, fists trembling uncontrollably.
When Dina swallowed the last of Frieda Reiss, the cavern fell eerily silent.
Somewhere deep within Dina's Titan form, something began to change.
Grisha exhaled—shaky, desperate.
"It's happening…"
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A/N: Advanced Chapters Have Been Uploaded On My Patreon
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