Like a streak of light, Lucien charged straight into the Survey Corps' formation, the curved Nichirin blade in his hands gleaming under the sun. He moved like a predator among prey, each motion swift and merciless.
"Scatter! Scatter!"
Armin's voice trembled as a cold dread ran down his spine.
If the Female Titan had no weapons, then with Captain Levi, Mikasa, Zhou Wei, and the others present, there would be nothing to fear. They could overwhelm her with coordination alone.
But this time… the Female Titan wielded a weapon. And that changed everything.
Armin didn't believe for a second that it was just for show.
"Damn it," Levi muttered, his expression grim and uncharacteristically tense.
The pressure radiating from the Female Titan now was completely different from before. Even Levi could feel a chill running down his back—a rare sensation of danger.
"Pfft… Pfft…"
Lucien moved through the soldiers like a tiger among sheep, his blades slicing effortlessly through men and horses alike. Bodies fell before he even stopped moving. Even a single sweeping kick sent shockwaves across the ground, leaving craters where soldiers once stood.
"Everyone else, keep advancing!" Levi ordered, even as he prepared to strike.
"Whoosh!"
Both Levi and Mikasa darted forward, splitting off in opposite directions as they searched for an opening.
"Captain!" Jean shouted, his face pale as he and Connie maneuvered around to flank the Titan.
Meanwhile, Zhou Wei remained still, watching the chaos unfold.
He had already guessed the truth—the Female Titan wasn't Annie.
The sudden appearance of the Nichirin blade was proof enough.
The story had already spiraled beyond anyone's control, but Zhou Wei knew one thing mattered most now: protecting the Son of Destiny.
Lucien didn't pursue the retreating soldiers. He stood tall, gripping his twin blades, eyes locked on Levi and Mikasa. Neither side moved first.
"Damn it," Levi muttered again, sweat dripping from his temple. Though the Titan's nape was exposed, he didn't dare strike carelessly.
Mikasa stood opposite him, equally tense. The air between them was suffocating with killing intent.
"Whoosh…"
Lucien moved first. The Nichirin blade in his left hand slashed toward Mikasa with blinding speed.
Levi reacted instantly, flashing beneath the Titan's left foot to slice through her heel and cripple her movement.
But Lucien was ready.
"She jumped!" Levi's eyes widened as the Female Titan soared upward, dodging the strike completely.
Mikasa used that opening to attack from behind, aiming for the nape—but Lucien twisted midair, his right foot slamming toward Levi while his right hand lashed out, severing Mikasa's anchor cable.
"Ah!" Mikasa gasped as her maneuvering gear snapped. She lost control and plummeted to the ground.
Levi barely dodged the descending foot, his hook embedding into the Titan's back as he swung upward, slicing through her leg.
Blood sprayed like a fountain. The Female Titan's right leg gave out, and she fell to one knee.
"Pfft!"
Lucien's left hand swung backward, the blade narrowly grazing Mikasa as she tried to evade. Blood spurted from her shoulder as she hit the dirt, gasping and unable to move.
Levi pressed the attack, rising swiftly along the Titan's back. He dodged her counterstrike perfectly and reached for the exposed nape.
But before he could strike, the Nichirin blade in Lucien's left hand vanished. She was ready to defend the weak spot.
Levi feinted toward the nape, then suddenly dropped low, slashing at her left foot instead.
Blood gushed from the wound. Lucien felt her Titan leg fail completely, her massive body collapsing forward.
Levi soared above the wreckage, cautious but focused. He didn't press the attack yet.
"Did… did he do it?" Mikasa groaned weakly, unable to move. Pain racked her body; her ribs and organs felt crushed, and her right leg twisted unnaturally.
Levi hovered midair, waiting for movement.
Then, a hiss of steam rose from the Titan's nape.
A figure stood up within the mist.
"Indeed," the voice said calmly, "against someone like you, Titan power only gets in the way."
Steam swirled, revealing Lucien Graves. His short black hair fluttered as blood streaked down his face. His muscular torso glistened with sweat and crimson.
"Lucien…" Levi muttered, landing lightly on the ground.
Mikasa's eyes widened in disbelief.
No one could have predicted this.
Lucien—the same person who once fought beside them—was the Female Titan.
"So Armin's theory was wrong," Levi said coldly. "The Female Titan isn't Annie. It's you."
"No," Levi corrected himself after a pause, brows furrowing. "That can't be. You were killed by the Female Titan before."
Lucien gave a faint, mocking smile. "It's simple. I killed Annie and took her Titan power."
He leapt down from the Titan's neck, a new Nichirin blade forming in his hand.
"Now I just need to confirm one thing," he said evenly. "Are you my enemy?"
Levi's eyes narrowed, his face as cold as ice.
"Not before," he replied. "But now, you are."
"Then die," Lucien said flatly.
Levi didn't hesitate. The moment the words left Lucien's mouth, Levi moved—a blur of motion slicing through the air like lightning.
Lucien didn't move. He simply waited, calm and poised.
The distance vanished. Ten meters. Eight. Six. Five.
In a flash, Levi's blade was at Lucien's throat—mere inches away from drawing blood.
"Swish!"
Time seemed to stop.
Levi's eyes widened in shock. Lucien had vanished.
In the next instant, pain erupted in his chest. A crystalline Nichirin blade pierced clean through his heart from behind.
"Pfft…"
Lucien stepped back, pulling the blade free as blood sprayed onto the ground. Levi staggered forward two steps, then collapsed, his lifeblood pooling beneath him.
"Captain Levi!" Mikasa screamed, her voice trembling.
It couldn't be real. Levi Ackerman—humanity's strongest—defeated in a single strike.
Lucien stood before Levi's fallen body, his expression unreadable. He raised his blade once more.
Levi was still alive. Barely.
Among the few special bloodlines within humanity, some possessed extraordinary physical resilience.
And Levi Ackerman was one of them.
"Clang!"
With his final strength, Levi swung upward, the blade scraping across Lucien's leg. Sparks flew as steel met steel.
Lucien blocked effortlessly, his left hand flashing with deadly precision. A red line appeared across Levi's throat.
Blood gushed freely. Levi's body went limp, his head falling from his shoulders.
The light faded from his eyes.
Lucien exhaled softly, then turned his gaze toward Mikasa.
In a blur, he closed the distance—
and in a single motion, ended it.
Mikasa's body fell still, crimson blooming beneath her.
Shaking the blood from his blades, Lucien looked toward the approaching Pure Titans in the distance.
Then, stepping lightly, he used Geppo, propelling himself into the air and soaring toward the Giant Tree Forest.
_______
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