"It's alright, Mikasa. You can choose any life you wish to live. That is your right, and I will be responsible for protecting that right for you," Kanzaki said with a doting smile.
Upon hearing Kanzaki's words, Mikasa was moved and recalled the tragic scene of her father's death.
Mikasa looked at the back of the person in front of her, who, despite their brief acquaintance, was one of only two remaining family members in the world, and her eyes welled up with tears.
Kanzaki suddenly charged out, and the floor cracked and shattered once again.
He delivered a powerful punch to his back, and simultaneously, a sweeping kick brought the tall, strong man to the ground. Eren landed on his bottom, coughing incessantly.
Eren's eyes widened as he watched Kanzaki's fluid fighting technique, feeling immense admiration and envy. However, he didn't know that Kanzaki had never learned any combat skills.
He was simply relying on the Ackerman bloodline's speed and strength, mimicking how others fought.
Kanzaki stomped heavily on his back, and with a 'crack,' the sound of a breaking rib seemed to reach Kanzaki's ears. Great strength was indeed good.
Kanzaki slammed his face into the floor, making his already deformed face even uglier. He had been facing away from him just now, so he hadn't seen his face clearly. Now that he lifted his head, that face was simply unbearable.
How had Eren looked at his deformed face so expressionlessly just now? This was the same man he had punched in the jaw earlier.
After waking up, he had intended to exact revenge while Kanzaki was asleep, but the fat man stopped him, saying that damaged flesh wouldn't fetch a good price. The poor man lost his last chance for revenge.
"You little brats, I'll sell you all to the Underground City sooner or later, and let your mothers be tortured in front of you, so you can all..." The deformed man's curse was cut short.
At this moment, all 639 muscles in Mikasa's body suddenly burst with cracking sounds. Her entire circulatory system began to clear, and streams of air enveloped her body. The wooden floorboards beneath her feet instantly shattered, sending wood chips flying.
I will protect Mama! I will protect my brother! I will let them all live well!
Mikasa's eyes narrowed, and she plunged a dagger fiercely into the deformed man's heart. The deformed man's eyes widened in disbelief, staring at the seemingly frail little girl in front of him.
"Brother, I can't bear to let you face this cruel world alone." Mikasa's eyes were resolute at this moment. The principle of natural selection and survival of the fittest entered Mikasa's heart at this instant.
"Good!" Kanzaki was also moved upon hearing this and immediately responded to Mikasa.
Eren saw that Mikasa had also killed someone, and his perception of her changed. He began to curiously observe Mikasa.
Kanzaki looked at Eren's changed gaze towards Mikasa and was momentarily speechless. Was Eren a born warmonger? His personality was completely opposite to Grisha and Carla. Why was that? Kanzaki also fell into thought.
At this moment, Mrs. Ackerman slowly woke up, her mouth agape in horror as she saw the three corpses before her.
Mrs. Ackerman immediately understood what had happened. Regardless of how these three children had done it, she knew she had to take the children away from this dangerous place immediately.
That night, Dr. Yeager arrived on the mountain with members of the Military Police Brigade. The Military Police soldiers looked at the three bloody corpses, one of which was particularly gruesome and unrecognizable.
"Did three children really do this?" Both soldiers broke out in a cold sweat.
"Eren, didn't I tell you to wait for me at the foot of the mountain? Do you know what you've done?!" Grisha Yeager reproached Eren.
"Eliminating evil for the people! They were nothing but beasts in human skin," Eren retorted stubbornly.
"Dr. Yeager, it's not Eren's fault. He was very brave; he saved our family," Mrs. Ackerman quickly interjected, trying to stop Grisha from scolding Eren.
"Madam, you've been through a lot. Please accept my condolences." Grisha also felt great sympathy for Mikasa's family's plight at this moment.
Mrs. Ackerman held Kanzaki and Mikasa tightly, her eyes filled with tears as she remained silent.
"If we waited for the Military Police, they would have already moved on. It would have been too late," Eren continued to argue.
"Even so, you were just lucky, Eren. I want to tell you not to put yourself in danger so carelessly!" Grisha looked at the still defiant Eren, speaking to him with utmost seriousness.
"Dr. Yeager is right, but Eren wasn't just lucky. He possesses a bravery that ordinary people can't hope to achieve. Let alone children, many adults can't do it. This isn't just about luck," Kanzaki suddenly interjected.
Mikasa turned to look at Kanzaki, her lips slightly parted, her eyes fixed on Kanzaki's mature words. Eren, on the other hand, stared at Kanzaki with sparkling, grateful eyes, tears subtly welling up. Eren felt as though he had finally found a kindred spirit.
Kanzaki saw Eren's grateful and joyful gaze and turned his head away.
Eren, although I admire you greatly, I truly cannot accept Mikasa suffering for you again for her entire life. She deserves to pursue her own true happiness. I'm sorry, Eren.
Grisha was also lost in thought for a long time after hearing this, then glanced at Eren as if pondering something. A moment later, he slowly walked towards Kanzaki and Mikasa. He noticed the bloodstains on Kanzaki's clothes and the faint, dried bloodstains on his fingers, feeling a mixture of surprise and relief in his heart.
Grisha's peripheral vision caught a glimpse of an empty space. Kanzaki also subconsciously looked over, but there was nothing there, and he didn't pay it any mind.
Grisha looked at Kanzaki and said, "You are Mikasa's brother, aren't you?"
"Yes," Kanzaki replied.
Mikasa looked at Kanzaki's unwavering answer, and light occasionally flickered in her eyes.
"Yes, Kanzaki is also a child of our family," Mrs. Ackerman also spoke.
"What a brave child, well done," Grisha praised with a smile, his attitude completely different from how he had treated Eren just moments before.
"Thank you," Kanzaki smiled faintly, like a boy next door.
Eren's eyes widened, unable to comprehend why his father was so biased.
Grisha then looked at Mikasa. "Mikasa, do you still remember me? We met a few times when you were little."
Upon hearing this, Mikasa sadly lowered her head, her eyes filled with confusion as she said:
"Dr. Yeager, our father is dead..."
"So cold..."
Kanzaki quickly walked to Eren's side and said to him, "Eren, may I borrow your scarf for a moment?"
Eren, whose admiration for Kanzaki, the master fighter, was at its peak, unhesitatingly took off his scarf and handed it to Kanzaki.
"Here."
"Thank you, Eren." Kanzaki took the scarf and walked to Mikasa's side, carefully wrapping it around her. Mikasa's eyes gradually brightened considerably, and she stared blankly as Kanzaki put the scarf on her.
"Mikasa, whether it's sadness or pain, it no longer has any meaning. We must be strong. Auntie is still here, and I am still here. You just need to know that I will always be by your side. I will use everything I have to protect you all. So, be strong!" Kanzaki held Mikasa's cheeks with both hands, gazing gently at Mikasa, his words full of power.
Upon hearing these words, every single one was deeply imprinted in Mikasa's heart. Her tears immediately gushed out.
It was as if a genetic lock that had been slightly opened within her body completely shattered at this moment. The Ackerman bloodline bloomed to its peak.
Mikasa suddenly lunged into Kanzaki's embrace, causing him to stumble and almost lose his footing. Mikasa cried loudly in Kanzaki's arms. She had suddenly found the person she would hold onto for the rest of her life.
Seeing this, Mrs. Ackerman's painful emotions were somewhat alleviated, and she looked at the two children with relief.
Kanzaki hugged Mikasa tightly, gently patting her back, giving Mikasa ample shoulder to cry on, foreshadowing Mikasa's most steadfast haven in the future.
In Mikasa's innocent eyes, his simple actions at that moment instantly condensed into a mist, shrouding several springs and autumns.
Kanzaki never truly realized the destructive power of his words. In the world before his transmigration, even the most moving declarations of love couldn't sway hearts as hard as stone. Locks that couldn't be opened by emotion were often smashed open by reality.
But for those as pure as a blank sheet of paper, these were what they cherished most.
In that world, Kanzaki also had a girl he loved. He had also experienced their unconditional mutual devotion. He had once enveloped others in love, and had also been deeply enveloped by love.
The most fervent embraces in the most intense love—he couldn't believe that love at that time was fake, but he understood that love was like a flame, hot and fleeting.
However, Kanzaki didn't know, and probably couldn't comprehend, that an eternal love, which he never believed in, was gradually enveloping him... After Mikasa had cried enough, she silently lifted her head from Kanzaki's shoulder. Seeing the wet patch on Kanzaki's shoulder, she felt more embarrassment than gratitude, her face slightly flushed as she dared not meet Kanzaki's eyes.
"Kanzaki, Mikasa, Mrs. Ackerman, why don't you all come and live with us?" Grisha said at this point.
"Huh?" Mikasa was stunned.
"Thank you, Dr. Yeager, but our family has always lived here. My husband's body is not yet cold, and I still wish to stay here," Mrs. Ackerman politely declined.
"Madam, these three human traffickers are clearly part of an organized gang."
After Grisha finished speaking, he leaned close to Mrs. Ackerman and whispered, "You don't know that the people these traffickers sell are all taken to the Royal Capital of Wall Sina! They probably have nobles behind them, so this will definitely not be the last group of traffickers!"
"How could this be..." Mrs. Ackerman understood the seriousness of the situation upon hearing this.
Upon hearing this, Kanzaki's ill feelings towards the nobles Inside the Walls also sharply increased. One day, he would surely completely overturn the upper echelons Inside the Walls.
"So why don't you all live at our house? We have an extra room. You and Mikasa can sleep there, and Kanzaki and Eren can sleep together," Grisha still strongly urged.
Kanzaki always felt that Grisha seemed very eager for them to stay at his house, but he also knew that Grisha was a very kind doctor, so he didn't feel there was any problem and thought it was quite normal.
"I will move, but how can we impose on your family like this! Dr. Yeager, I will go find a house; we can't trouble you all," Mrs. Ackerman repeatedly refused.
"You are currently suffering immense pain. You need to find a stable place to rest and recuperate, and finding a house isn't something that can be done instantly," Grisha continued.
"That's right, Kanzaki, Mikasa, come live with us. It's no trouble at all, Mrs. Ackerman." After saying that, Eren walked over, took Kanzaki and Mikasa's hands, and looked at Mrs. Ackerman.
"Let's go, come home with us," Eren said, looking at Kanzaki and Mikasa.
"Mm..." Kanzaki also thought it would be better to move. With Grisha's connections, he could definitely get them onto a ship escaping to the inner wall of Wall Maria when the Titans arrived.
"Thank you," Mikasa said, a little shyly, feeling a bit moved and her good impression of Eren increasing significantly.
"The children are getting along well too. Let the three of them be companions," Grisha continued to persuade.
"This... Alright, you're really going to a lot of trouble, Dr. Yeager..." Mrs. Ackerman said, a little embarrassed.
"Okay, thank you, Eren."
"Thank you, Dr. Yeager."
Kanzaki looked at Eren, then at Grisha.
After Kanzaki finished speaking, he looked at Mikasa and said:
"Mikasa, let's go, we're going home."
"Mm, home." Tears welled up in Mikasa's eyes again.
Grisha watched Eren leading Mikasa's family at the very front, staring blankly at Eren's back.
Eren, can this child really change the future...?