Erwin quickly departed, not forgetting to cautiously glance around with a scrutinizing look. The route he had deliberately taken "secretly" was, in fact, intentionally made by him, deliberately designed to be "secret."
And the purpose? To lure someone out, of course.
The burning anxiety in his heart was absolutely genuine, but it was by no means based on one-sided worry.
As mentioned before, Erwin's resume was genuinely sparse, but some qualities are not only expressed through "longevity."
That quality is "talent."
Through deep analysis, combined with almost every detail revolving around the situation, Erwin had come to the conclusion that Darius Zackly was absolutely not the mastermind standing at the very back. And the reason? After eliminating all possibilities, unexpected events, and factors too difficult to materialize, he was certain Darius fundamentally had no reason, nor the guts, to do this.
Unless...
"Something that can bring the balance between us and his forces to equilibrium... Titans? Possible... No, not enough."
"It must be overwhelming, or at least capable of victory."
"With the advantage currently tipping towards us with Asahi, he must win. But... how?"
While immersed in his chain of deduction, Erwin's entire body suddenly froze. His eyes widened, rigid, his pupils contracted to the extreme. An intense sense of death radiated toward him, causing a violent reaction in his body.
It was like... walking a tightrope.
"Dodge!"
With virtually no preparation, Erwin threw himself off the horse, falling sharply to one side. In that instant, he saw something flash about a hundred meters away, concealed among the leaves.
That something was the glint of metal.
It was also the light of death.
Bang!
Accompanied by a prolonged echoing sound in the air, a large section of the horse's neck was missing. Flesh and blood splattered backward due to the momentum. Had Erwin still been seated, the outcome for his guts and abdomen likely would have been no different from the horse's neck.
It whinnied pitifully before collapsing to the ground, conveniently creating a natural shield that obscured the vision of the attacker. Seeing this, Erwin's mind worked furiously. He used the Omni-Directional Mobility Gear, aiming straight for a nearby tree and zipped toward it. He absolutely dared not move in the air, because one lapse was enough to blow him to smithereens.
Bang!
Another gunshot rang out, but Erwin had successfully managed to hide behind the tree. However, his left arm wasn't so lucky. The assassin had fired right at the edge of the tree just as Erwin lunged for cover. The bullet shattered, most of the fragments embedding themselves in the tree trunk, but one piece still pierced his left arm.
"Ugh!"
One hand, clutching the sword hilt, hung limply due to the pain. Erwin's expression darkened.
The entire research facility suddenly descended into chaos. For reasons unknown, the sample Titan in the storage area had broken free from its restraints, despite that section being regularly inspected.
"Damn it! Over there, don't panic like that! It's only one Titan!"
Hange shouted loudly, constantly stabilizing the rapidly escalating chaotic situation around her. At the same time, she was equipping her Omni-Directional Mobility Gear to quickly jump into the fight. Although the research facility's private security force was engaging in combat, the entire event was clearly too strange.
"Commander-in-Chief. Commander-in-Chief... Please come out quickly!"
Hange muttered under her breath.
And in that place, the battle between man and Titan was unfolding in a profoundly different way. It certainly displayed superior destructive power due to its massive physique, but this Titan didn't intend to eat people like a normal Titan; in a sense, it only wanted to... break the siege?
Boom!
A section of the research facility's architecture collapsed. The Titan stepped out, bending down to move on all fours instead of walking sluggishly upright as usual. It ignored the rushing security team and moved straight toward the staff living quarters. Whether intentional or accidental, the location it chose was the farthest from Asahi's central area.
Panic spread widely; screams echoed incessantly from all directions. The Titan paid no attention to any of it, nor did it care about the people frantically crowding to evacuate. It targeted a building, slamming its entire body into it.
The place the Titan attacked was precisely where Reiner Braun—the host of the Armored Titan—and Bertolt Hoover—the host of the Colossal Titan—were being detained.
Bang!!!
The solid brick wall crumbled, exposing the two young Titan hosts, who, having grown accustomed to the darkness, couldn't help but squint as the external light streamed in. They were bewildered, staring blankly at the sight of a colossal head right before their eyes. At the same time, they both discovered the existence of the other.
It turned out that Bertolt and Reiner had been separately locked in adjacent, soundproofed rooms.
The Titan reached in, its hand heading straight for both of them. But in that exact moment, a black shadow appeared with frightening speed, fast enough to create an afterimage that drifted in the air. A curved line slashed through the space, severing the Titan's head, leaving it suspended in mid-air for a moment. Without stopping, the cut transformed from horizontal to vertical, directly splitting the Titan's nape in half, ending this cursed "life."
Asahi, holding his sword in one hand, cast a grim look at Reiner and Bertolt, who were shaking uncontrollably nearby, then glanced at the security team and Hange rushing over.
"Commander-in-Chief, I... I..."
"It's alright, you did your best."
He closed his eyes to conceal the bloodshot threads in his pupils, rubbing his forehead with two fingers. He had indeed surpassed all human limits, both physically and mentally, but the super load during the surgery to separate the Titan from its host was still a relatively heavy toll. Especially with an "aged" host like Grisha, whose bond was excessively tight.
Fortunately, no one perished this time.
However, the "opponent's" goal was now crystal clear: they targeted the hosts possessing the Titan power. This was no different from taking a stance opposite to his, which was why Asahi's expression was so somber.
According to his initial estimation, the area inside the Walls might not become an iron bucket working with one heart, but it should at least maintain a subtle balance between the factions. Only with stability could Asahi proceed to cooperate in dealing with the outside world.
But now, that balance had been broken.
Whether it was a third party stepping in, or whether the existing opponent had changed their strategy, remained a mystery.
"Commander-in-Chief, Squad Leader Erwin sent this earlier."
Asahi accepted the note from Hange and opened it. In just two seconds, his eyes narrowed, as if he had read some shocking news. Before Hange's astonished gaze, he tore the letter to shreds, then turned to ask her.
"Hange, when was this sent?"
"Just... just now."
"Mobilize all personnel. Quickly sweep the area 5 kilometers around the research facility. If nothing is found, continue expanding the search."
"Understood!"
The fragments drifted in the wind behind the solitary figure of the man. For a moment, from a certain subtle angle, the small pieces formed a single word.
Stohess.