Yi Shi looked at the Titan in front of her in terror, her expression completely broken by fear. She was screaming, yet she could only watch helplessly as the massive hand drew closer and closer to her.
Slash!
With the sound of a sharp blade cutting, a large amount of blood sprayed from the back of the Titan's neck, splashing onto the ground. The hand reaching toward her stopped mid-air, and the smile on its face froze.
Thud!
The Titan's corpse was kicked aside, and a figure stood behind it, waving to her.
"Senior Sister Shi Shi!"
The familiar voice allowed her nerves to relax for a moment. She slumped onto the ground, wanting to say something but unable to control her body, which had just struggled out of the grip of terror.
She could only sit blankly on the ground.
This made White Fish scratch his head in embarrassment. He looked around; in the distance, a ten-meter-tall Titan was slowly walking past, though it hadn't noticed them due to the angle.
The other Titans were quite far away, so it should be safe for a short while. Even so, this was not a place to linger.
He originally wanted to ask something, but then he saw the familiar clothes on the half-corpse nearby. The words died in his throat, and his gaze lowered slightly in sadness, though he had no intention of staying.
Watching White Fish sheathe his Long Blade, he walked toward Yi Shi, knelt down, and found a specific spot on her body to pinch hard.
"Ah!"
The sudden pain made Yi Shi cry out, her body twisting reflexively, which allowed her previously rigid muscles to loosen up.
Before Yi Shi could say anything, White Fish squatted down in front of her with his back toward her.
"Hurry, Senior Sister Shi Shi, we need to leave here immediately."
Although White Fish had just helped her muscles relax, that instinctive scream had attracted two nearby Titans, which were now walking toward them step by step.
Seeing the Titans gradually approaching in the distance, she understood the urgency. Looking at the boy who was younger than her, she didn't have time to think and simply hugged White Fish from behind.
Feeling the weight on his back, White Fish noted she wasn't very heavy. Watching the nearby Titans, he urged Yi Shi to hold on tight while he adjusted his Omni-Directional Mobility Gear; after all, things could go wrong if it wasn't properly balanced while carrying another person.
"Senior Sister Shi Shi, hold on tight. If you move around while we're in the air, we'll both end up as Titan food."
Hearing the slight hint of teasing in White Fish's voice, he seemed not at all nervous or afraid. However, her mind was a mess, and she instinctively used all her strength to cling to the boy's back.
White Fish felt a grip so strong it seemed like it would tear through his clothes; he estimated the skin underneath might even bleed, but this level of strength actually put him at ease.
He wasn't afraid of her using too much strength, but rather of her not using enough.
"Ready, Senior Sister Shi Shi? Let's go."
The next moment, with the Omni-Directional Mobility Gear ready, his Long Blade was drawn once more, and the wires at his waist shot out, anchoring into a distant rooftop.
The wire mechanism retracted rapidly, and the gas from behind provided propulsion as they flew toward the distant river channel.
While in the air, Yi Shi clung to White Fish for dear life as the scorching wind blew past them.
Titans were walking toward the area where people were gathering, while others stopped in place as if they were digging for something.
A Titan in the distance spotted them and reached out to grab White Fish mid-air, causing Yi Shi's eyes to widen in terror.
"Don't worry."
White Fish suddenly spoke, throwing the blade in his right hand with force. It spun rapidly through the air, followed by the sound of flesh being sliced.
The Achilles tendon was severed, and the Titan instantly lost its balance, crashing to the ground. It still tried to reach for White Fish, but although it wasn't dead, it could no longer reach him.
Although killing that Titan wouldn't be hard, he had Shi Shi on his back; he didn't want her to suddenly let go and fall because of fear.
Well, safety first.
Thinking this, he pulled another blade from his scabbard.
Behind him, Yi Shi looked at the boy she was holding in utter disbelief.
They avoided two or three Titans along the way, not lingering for a fight at all.
Fortunately, it wasn't far from the river. They descended directly from the air, the gas behind him offsetting the gravity; otherwise, they likely would have broken their legs falling from such a height.
There was a river here that connected to the interior of the walls. Ships from here could go all the way into Wall Rose, so there were vessels here helping the people of Shiganshina District evacuate.
The riverbank was already crowded with people. Two large wooden ships were docked; the first one had already begun to depart toward the inner regions.
White Fish saw Xiate, Eren, and the others at the front of the crowd. They also saw White Fish descending from the sky and waved to him, but they were swept into the next ship that had just docked by the surging crowd.
Because White Fish and the others arrived late, they could only stay on the outskirts of the crowd. He could see that nearly half the people here probably wouldn't make it onto a boat.
There weren't enough boats. Perhaps realizing this, the people on the shore scrambled even more frantically toward the ships, terrified of being left behind to be eaten by Titans.
White Fish pulled his cloak tight and used the Omni-Directional Mobility Gear to fly onto the ship with Yi Shi. The soldiers who wanted to stop them were forced to give up due to the trampling crowd.
Before long, the gangplanks were removed. Although many people had not boarded, the ship could hold no more.
Many people huddled in corners. Those on the ship looked back at their Titan-occupied home with terror and the relief of having survived.
In the depths of their hearts, there was nothing but fear.
White Fish squeezed into the corner where Xiate was. Yi Shi had already gotten off his back and followed blankly behind him.
Seeing White Fish arrive, Xiate rushed forward. She didn't speak, only hugged her brother tightly, while Yi Shi sat down nearby with her hands around her knees, the light gone from her eyes.
Eren and the others nearby also gathered around. Seeing Yi Shi alone, Eren wanted to ask something, but Mikasa held him back.
Yi Shi's father was the man who had been eaten in the tavern earlier...