Annie throws that punch with all her might.
The punch, hardened with the crystal, tore through the air and landed squarely on Kevin's right cheek, causing his head to be tilted to one side.
A surprise expression appears on Annie's face; she clearly feels how easily Kevin took her punch. It seems like she had struck a thick column of stone.
Slowly, Kevin straightened his face, the punch still connected to his face.
On the right cheek, where the punch is connected, a hardened shell-like layer seems to have grown, which clearly protects Kevin from the devastating punch.
His cold red eyes stared at Annie, who instantly felt like a predator had locked on her. In panic, she tried to retrieve her hand to form a distance from Kevin, but faster than her, Kevin held her hand in a tight grip and landed his own punch at Annie's head.
Looking at the zooming hand, Annie grits her teeth and tries to form a hardening crystal on her face.
The hand, as large as her own head, landed on the right side of her face.
Bam
Teeth mixed with broken pieces of her flesh flew out of her mouth; the right side of her face, layered with the hardening crystal, cracked like a mirror, with a spiderweb formed on her face.
Annie, inside her titan's nape, looks in disbelief at the power gap between her and Kevin.
The large twenty-meter-tall titan body of Kevin nearly dwarfs the fifteen-meter-tall titan form of Annie.
At that moment Annie feels the true power gap between them that can't even be bridged with the help of Reiner.
Soon after the fallen Armored Titan, Reiner, stood up and again attacked Kevin, but all of his actions became futile as both he and Annie weren't able to land any solid hits on Kevin, and even if what they hit didn't do anything to him, instead all of Kevin's casual strikes sent them sprawling and greatly damaged.
The scene was like how Reiner and Annie had beaten Eren when he arrived, but now the situation changes as Kevin gives them a beating.
The houses and buildings all collapsed like they were made up of clay instead of bricks and stones.
The soldiers and civilians who were running in panic trying to save their lives now look in shock at this scene—The Clash of Titans.
.....
Thud
Boom
Bam
The sound of broken buildings and falling bodies continues to reverberate throughout the Trost district.
The ground shakes and buildings quiver in the aftermath of the fight of the titans.
In a house away from the center of the battle, Armin looks at Eren.
A deeply concerned expression etched on his face, smeared with ashes and blood of the fallen, with his one eye covered in bandages, he looked completely tired; the short and deep breath escaped from his mouth.
His one hand gripped the blade while his other hand tightly held Eren's hand.
Now being away from the immediate danger, his muscles take a slight relaxation; with every breath he feels the pain in his lungs.
A purplish mark spilled on his shoulder, spreading up to his neck, showing the signs of internal bleeding and torn muscles.
"Eren!!!"
His hoarse voice sounded in the silent house, trying to wake up the unconscious Eren.
"Hm?"
Eren's eyelid twitched slightly, and a frown formed on his face.
Seeing his reaction, hope surged inside Armin's heart.
"Eren, wake up, Eren!!" He repeatedly calls out his name and nudges at him, trying to make him as conscious as fast as he can.
So he can instantly move away from there, move away from the danger, the Trost district; he doesn't want to fight anymore, nor does he have the will to fight for humanity. For now, what he cares about is his friend, his brother, and that is all that matters to him.
Even in the rush and this tense and dangerous situation, he still understands the significance of Eren appearing out of the nape of the Titan.
The doubts and confusion that have plagued his head all become clear to him.
The appearance of the Colossal Titan, Armored Titan, and Female Titan now makes sense to him.
Looking at the half-opened eyes of Eren as he grimaces in pain, Armin again calls out to him.
Desperately trying to wake him up.
Next second—
Swish
Swish
The familiar sound of the ODM gear rang in Armin's ear.
He immediately becomes alert; his tense eyes land on the broken gate of the house.
A faint feeling of anxiousness rises in his heart.
Shadows flicker outside the house.
And soon, with the boots falling on the cobblestone, a figure moves inside the house.
Ian Dietrich, entering inside the house, looks at Armin and Eren with an unreadable expression on his face.
His solemn eyes landed on the unconscious Eren.
Behind him, the other soldiers also enter inside the house; their eyes all land on Eren, some with fear in them and some with shock.
Remembering how Eren, a human, comes out of a Titan body, they all feel the shattering of their worldview.
The way they look at the Armored, Female, and Kevin's titans changed, knowing that a human may be inside them.
Armin instantly notices the look inside the eyes of the soldiers.
His grip on the blade tightened, and a worried expression appeared on his face.
"Armin." Ian calls out to Armin, who instantly looks at him, still guarded.
"Are you alright?" Ian started walking up to Armin, like he wasn't affected by Eren.
"Y-yes sir, I am fine." Armin replies, although still guarded, but against Ian, the man who fearlessly charges at the Colossal Titan, he feels like he can trust this man.
"Are you sure?" A small smile appeared on Ian's face; glancing at the various injuries on Armin, he remembered how Armin had replied the same when facing the colossal titan.
"Absolutely, sir." Armin replies, and then, considering the pain and tiredness he feels, he replies, "Well...sir, I am indeed fine, but I don't think I will be able to move for some time."
"Don't worry, soldier." Ian replied, "You have done enough for humanity, so take a rest and let us help you."
"Yes, sir." A sigh escaped from Armin's mouth, releasing some tension from him.
"Now, why don't you introduce your friend?" Ian then looks at Eren.