Chapter 128: Assault on the Ape Titan, and the Arrival of Kyubey!
Deep within the Royal Capital.
The cold light of the crystal chapel. The air was heavy, filled with the lingering smells of blood and energy. The ceremony had just ended.
Louise huddled on the floor, her body trembling slightly. She had inherited the Female Titan's power. Faint Titan markings flickered on her skin. Her eyes were empty, as if she hadn't yet recovered from the flood of new information.
Daz leaned against a wall, gasping for breath. The price for inheriting the Colossal Titan was an abnormally high body temperature. He was burning up, his face pale, and he felt an instinctual terror of the power within him.
Samuel stood nearby, his fists clenched. The instincts of the Armored Titan he had inherited made him try to harden his skin. A faint cracking sound was heard as his knuckles turned white. Pain and confusion warred on his face.
Eren Jaeger stood in the shadows, his emerald eyes calmly sweeping over the three of them. Reiner. Bertolt. Annie. The images of his former comrades flashed in his mind, a sharp sting of pain. But he suppressed it. He couldn't give the enemy any more advantages. If they had lived, "it" would have certainly tempted them, made them sign contracts, and turned them against him.
To save more people, to protect his cherished comrades, he had to make this choice.
"This is a necessary sacrifice," Eren whispered, so low only he could hear. "To protect more people… to keep you—Mikasa, Armin, Jean, Connie—from ever having to beg 'it' for power in the future… I will bear this sin."
He recalled the process. He had used the captured Titan serums. It was done with the tacit approval of Erwin, Hange, and Levi, and only a very few others. Mikasa wasn't told. Armin wasn't told. Not a single one of his 104th comrades knew.
These three fanatical followers were now the vessels for the curse. They needed time to adapt, and time to hide. The air was oppressive. The secret weighed on his heart, a heavy, transactional finality. This would remain a secret from the vast majority of the Survey Corps, forever.
…
Survey Corps Headquarters, Emergency Briefing Room.
The atmosphere was grim. The officers, fresh from the political upheaval, had sharp, focused eyes. Eren stood before a map. No preamble.
"I've called you all here because the situation is urgent. Based on recent analysis of abnormal activities within the Walls, and partial intel on Marley's infiltration strategies gleaned from interrogation…" He pointed to a southern region on the map. The area near Ragako Village, south of Wall Rose.
"Connie's hometown. Its location is strategic, and its defenses are weak. I feel a potential threat lurking there." Eren's gaze swept over the officers. "Based on information the Marleyan Warriors let slip, they favor flank attacks to create internal chaos. The information is vague, but the risk cannot be ignored. Time is short. We must conduct an armed reconnaissance mission, immediately."
His tone was resolute. Though he used words like "feel" and "risk," he had no better excuse. He could only rely on his current prestige and his past record.
Connie's head snapped up. The name of his hometown made his heart clench, his face instantly filling with worry.
Erwin looked at Eren, his gaze deep. He had a good idea of what Eren was hiding. This boy from the future always had his reasons. Strategically, eliminating a potential threat was logical. He nodded. "Eren's judgment is worth taking seriously. The southern region does indeed require our immediate attention. All troops, prepare to move out. We will execute this reconnaissance mission at once."
An order was an order. Hange muttered something about Eren's "feeling." "A feeling again?… Can't you think of a better reason… oh, whatever." She quickly began planning the reconnaissance formation.
Levi wasted no words. "If we've decided, let's move." Efficiency was everything. The expedition order was given. The main force of the Survey Corps mobilized once again.
…
The plains within Wall Rose.
The Survey Corps rode at a full gallop, their horses' hooves a thundering rain. The sky was overcast, the clouds hanging low. The wind carried the distant smell of dust.
Connie was hunched low over his horse, his heart pounding. The road home. He was full of anticipation, and dread. He thought of his mother's smile, of the days spent bickering with his father, of the familiar faces in his village.
"Hey, Connie, you'll treat us to some meat when we get back, right?" Sasha's voice called from his side.
"Yeah… you bet!" Connie forced a smile. "And I'll finally settle the score with Jean—" He tried to use chatter to disperse the gloom in his heart, but the closer he got to his home, the heavier the anxiety became, as if something was squeezing his throat.
…
The outskirts of Ragako Village.
On the horizon, the village's silhouette was just visible. The Survey Corps had made extraordinary time. Eren's "urgent" reasoning had pushed everyone to their limits. They didn't see ruins. Instead… they ran right into the enemy as they were preparing to act.
At the edge of a forest stood a massive figure, covered in dark, long fur. Like a giant, standing ape. The Beast Titan.
Beside it, a smaller, quadrupedal Titan was unloading supplies. The Cart Titan. They seemed to have just arrived and were setting up. A few vacant-eyed Pure Titans wandered nearby, like sentries, but they weren't from Ragako. The village itself was still intact. Faint, panicked shouts could be heard from the distance. Zeke Jaeger was just about to begin his "work."
The arrival of the Survey Corps interrupted everything. Both sides spotted each other at almost the same time.
Connie's pupils shrank, his heart stopping. His home was still standing! But those two massive, Intelligent Titans! That ominous pressure! "No— No! What is that—?!"
"More Intelligent Titans?!"
"What are they planning to do to my village?!"
Terror washed over him, his hope shattering.
A cold understanding flashed in Eren's eyes. So it is.
Without a shred of hesitation: "All troops! Charge formation! Target: the Beast Titan!!" He dug his heels into his horse, the first to charge. The horse leaped forward at an astonishing speed.
Erwin and the others instantly understood that Eren's "premonition" had come true. The enemy's presence proved his judgment.
"Follow Eren! Maintain formation! Prepare to evade!!" Erwin's command thundered over the troops. The order was relayed. The Survey Corps instantly switched from a high-speed march to an all-out charge. Hooves churned the earth as hundreds of soldiers formed a sharp arrowhead, aimed straight at the threat.
Zeke Jaeger watched the charging tide of the Survey Corps, a strange expression on his face. "What are they doing? This is just a meaningless suicide charge… How pitiful… being herded to their deaths like this." He waved his hand, signaling Pieck and the few Pure Titans to engage. At the sameS time, he bent down and picked up a massive boulder, his muscles tensing. "Nice weather today. Perfect for a good throw."
Eren, at the very front, shouted a warning. "INCOMING!! HE'S THROWING!!" He pressed his body flat against his horse, pushing it even faster. A green light flowed from his body, seeming to empower the animal. Not far behind him, Samuel, Louise, and Ymir followed, galloping furiously. Behind them, Mikasa and Levi stuck close to the first wave.
"Eren! Can you take the first hit?!" Armin yelled from the rear.
"No problem!!"
"Roger!" A flash of resolve in Erwin's eyes. He trusted Eren's confidence. "All troops! Follow Eren as the arrowhead! Contract into a single-line impact formation! Put your trust in him!!"
The order was relayed. The charging line immediately tightened, soldiers tucking in behind one another, forming a narrow, sharp line. They placed all their hope for survival on the single figure at the very front.
The next second! WHOOSH—!!!
A terrifying scream tore the air. A massive boulder, thrown with Zeke's full strength, spun through the air, carrying a devastating force and pressure, aimed right at the front of the line—at Eren. The very air in its path seemed to ignite. The shadow of death fell over the vanguard. The horses neighed in terror. The soldiers held their breath, committing their fates.
Facing this world-ending strike, Eren, at the very front, had eyes as cold as iron.
He raised his right hand. Emerald-green magical light gathered, solidifying, as the air itself warped around the condensing energy. The boulder of death was almost upon him.
…
Meanwhile, in a distant, deep forest of giant trees, a pure white, small creature with long ears and ruby-red eyes appeared out of thin air, a faint ripple in space marking its arrival.
Kyubey.
It stood still, its red eyes looking around in confusion.