[If we reach 100 Power Stones this week, I'll release 10 bonus chapters as a thank-you to everyone's support!]
....
"Ah—it hurts…"
Zeke almost winced himself. They were enemies, yes, but watching Annie's fists hammer Reiner's wounds stirred an unexpected pang of sympathy.
She looked so small, so fragile—a pretty girl at first glance. But the way she pounded on him, relentless and merciless, was as savage as Titan jaws tearing into flesh. Blood spattered across the stones.
Brutal. Almost too brutal.
At last, the soldier who had carried Reiner down from the wall snapped to his senses. He threw himself between them, shielding the wounded boy. "That's enough! How can you beat someone this injured? What if he dies?"
"I wish he would die!" Annie hissed, her eyes burning.
The soldier gaped. "How can you say that? This child just barely escaped a Titan's mouth!"
"I…" Reiner croaked, but the moment he tried to speak, Annie's fist twitched upward. Reflexively, he hunched over, arms guarding his head like a dog that had been kicked too many times.
Zeke exhaled slowly. Good. Let them believe it's just a fight between children. In truth, the standoff was impossible. Annie's fury, Bertolt's trembling silence, Reiner's fragile façade—if the Survey Corps looked too closely, everything would unravel.
But appearances could be their shield. To the soldiers, Reiner was only a wounded boy, Annie a violent sibling.
They would step in eventually.
"Enough," Zeke cut in, voice firm. "Ani, we've no time for this. We need to get to the next dock. That's where the person we're looking for will be."
For a moment, Annie's glare lingered on Reiner.
Then, with a sharp nod, she stepped back, her silence taut with unspoken rage.
Reiner sagged in relief.
Zeke swung down from the horse. "We'll need a carriage," he told the soldiers. "Too many of us for one mount."
The request jolted them into action. Within minutes, a wagon was wheeled forward. Zeke helped lift Reiner into the back himself, careful to keep close—close enough to act if Reiner betrayed them, close enough to kill him quietly once they were out of sight.
Erwin approached, his expression calm but eyes sharp. He crouched at the carriage edge, studying Reiner's bandages. "Are you managing?"
Reiner blinked, uncertain.
"Here." Erwin pressed a small bottle into Zeke's palm.
"Hemostatics. Painkillers. Make sure your brother takes them." Then his gaze shifted to Annie, stern now. "And you—whatever quarrel you have, you mustn't strike an injured sibling. That kind of wound can kill."
Annie clicked her tongue and turned away, muttering under her breath.
Zeke nearly smirked. If only you knew, Commander. Half an arm? He'll be fine before dawn.
Straightening, Erwin addressed them all. "We'll escort you to Shiganshina Town. The rest of us will hold this gate. As long as we stand, no Titan will breach the interior."
"…Yes," Zeke murmured, forcing a nod. If only you realized all the monsters are already in your cart.
Erwin turned to his men, voice rising into a command that shook the stones beneath their feet.
"Listen well! These individuals must reach Shiganshina Town. At any cost, see them safely to the dock!"
The escort squad placed fists to hearts, voices uniting: "Dedicate your hearts to humanity! We will complete the mission!"
"And we," Erwin thundered, "will hold the line! This gate is our shield! Even if it costs us our lives, Wall Maria will not fall here!"
His cloak caught the wind, the wings of freedom snapping bright against the smoke of Shiganshina.
The carriage jolted forward, wheels rattling over stone. Inside, silence weighed heavy. Through the slats, Zeke watched the Survey Corps array themselves before the ruined district, swords raised high.
Heroes. Real heroes.
Captain Keith's voice cut through the chaos like steel.
"This gate is salvation! We hold it until every last civilian passes through! As long as one life remains in Shiganshina, the gate stays open! Soldiers—give your hearts!"
"Give your hearts to humanity!" the chorus rang, thunderous, resolute.
Even as distance carried them away, the sound reverberated through the Marleyans' chests. A vision seared forever into memory—the battered gate, the unwavering soldiers, the cry of devotion that refused to break.
"John, Peter—lure the Titans away!" Keith barked. "Barton, Bramble, Brook, Robert, Hulk, Oscar—search for survivors and bring them here!"
"Yes, sir!"
"The rest of you—hold the line! If Titans come, they'll step over our corpses before they pass this gate!" Keith's blade flashed upward, pointing to the walls. "Eyes sharp! Twenty meters up!"
"Sir!"
Steel anchors fired with a chorus of sharp thwacks, cables hissing as the soldiers swung into position along the towering wall. Dozens of blades caught the light, ready for the storm.
The carriage rolled on, further from the gate, further from salvation.
Inside, Bertolt's trembling hands slipped something into Zeke's palm. A blade.
Its weight was perfect for flesh.
Reiner was shoved deeper into the cart, Annie and Bertolt pressing him down—one pinning his arm, the other clamping a hand over his mouth.
Zeke leaned close, voice low and venomous. "Don't make a sound, boy. Or I'll take your head clean off. And if you manage to survive that trick once—well, I'll keep cutting until nothing's left but pulp."
Above, on the wall, Hanji narrowed her eyes at the departing carriage. "That girl… she's skilled."
Erwin's gaze never left the battlefield, but his voice was thoughtful. "Yes. Trained."
Hanji's lips curled into a sly grin. "And she's not the only one, is she?"