At one in the afternoon, Eren, Connie, and a few others—led by a squad leader from the Garrison Regiment's elite team—were busy inspecting the cannons and other defensive measures atop the wall.
The air felt calm and almost peaceful. These were easy tasks, and everyone's mood reflected that. After all, graduation was near. Soon, they could choose between the Survey Corps, the Garrison Regiment, or the Military Police Brigade.
Only the top ten graduates could enter the Military Police Brigade.
Eren's goal, however, had always been the Survey Corps.
"Connie, any problems on your side?" Eren called out after finishing his section.
"I've got a small issue here, but I can fix it in about three minutes!" Connie replied, wiping the sweat from his forehead. The day was warm, though strong gusts occasionally swept across the fifty-meter-high wall, bringing a brief, welcome chill.
"Alright, I'll check the other sections," Eren said.
"Got it."
Just as Eren turned away, a golden bolt of lightning struck from the heavens, tearing through the clouds. A deafening crack echoed across the wall as steam exploded outward—and then a massive head emerged behind Eren.
The Colossal Titan had appeared.
Its entire body was exposed muscle—red, raw, and pulsing—and it exhaled waves of scalding steam.
Eren and Connie were thrown off their feet, tumbling across the wall. Gritting his teeth, Eren fired his anchor, securing his 3D Maneuver Gear to the surface before he was blown away. His gaze locked on the monster towering behind him.
The Colossal Titan's eyes glowed with eerie light, emotionless and ancient.
Eren's anger flared. "It's been five years since we last met!"
He launched himself into the air, slicing through the heat. The steam seared his skin, but he didn't care. His anchor embedded in the Titan's shoulder, and he rocketed toward its neck.
The Colossal Titan didn't react. Instead, it raised its massive right leg—and kicked.
The impact was like the end of the world.
The outer gate shattered instantly. A thunderous roar reverberated across Wall Rose. Rubble rained like meteors, obliterating buildings and burying countless people beneath. Blood splattered the stone; screams filled the air.
A hurricane of destruction swept through the district. Within moments, a radius of five hundred meters had been flattened.
"Dong... dong..."
The warning bell echoed across the city. Panic erupted everywhere.
"The Titans breached the wall!"
"Run!"
"It's happening again!"
"My child—someone save my child!"
Chaos consumed the southern district of Wall Rose.
Far away, standing on a rooftop, Lucien watched the scene unfold. The strong wind nearly knocked him off balance as he secured his 3D Maneuver Gear. His eyes narrowed at the sight of the gigantic, skinless head looming outside the wall.
"As expected of the protagonist," he muttered quietly.
Even from a thousand meters away, Lucien could see Eren charging at the Colossal Titan. Brave, reckless—and doomed to fail.
A moment later, the Titan released a burst of scorching steam and vanished into thin air.
Eren landed on the wall, staring at the crater where only two enormous footprints remained.
"It disappeared…"
Connie limped over, his arm singed. "Eren, did you—did you kill it?"
"No," Eren said through gritted teeth. "It vanished. Just like five years ago."
"All our wall equipment's been destroyed!" another soldier cried, terror in his voice.
The memory of that day—the fall of Wall Maria—flashed through every soldier's mind. Was Wall Rose doomed to the same fate?
"Fall back to the inner wall!" someone shouted.
They used their 3D Maneuver Gear to descend rapidly, flying across rooftops toward safety.
Inside the inner district, Captain Kitz barked orders. "All personnel, prepare for defense! Titans have breached the outer wall! Mindless Titans are pouring in!"
"Captain, we're short on men!"
"The 104th trainees are still here. Have them equip their gear immediately! No one lets those monsters advance further!"
"Yes, sir!"
"Move!"
"Prepare for battle!"
"Understood!"
Lucien remained on the rooftop, eyes scanning the nightmare below. Dozens of Titans shuffled through the broken gate—some three meters tall, some ten or even twelve.
Deformed, grotesque, and horrifying.
"It's my first time seeing real Mindless Titans up close," Lucien said, drawing his dual blades.
A seven-meter Titan lumbered beneath him, bald and bloated, its stomach grotesquely round. It looked like a warped old man.
Lucien's anchor shot forward, embedding into the Titan's shoulder. He swung forward, twisted, and with a clean strike—severed its nape. Flesh sprayed, and the creature toppled instantly.
"Too easy," he muttered.
But before he could retract his gear, another Titan lunged—five meters tall, mouth wide open, teeth like piano keys.
"Persistent," Lucien hissed.
He vanished in a blur, using Geppo to leap through the air. Appearing beside the Titan, he slashed once, cleaving its neck cleanly.
The beast collapsed.
---
Somewhere else
[Mission Log Updated]
Mission 1: Hunt ten Mindless Titans — Reward: 1,000 points
Mission 2: Rescue ten soldiers (Training Corps, Garrison, or Survey Corps) — Reward: 1,000 points
Mission 3: Join the Survey Corps — Reward: 1,000 points
Mission 4: Protect the Son of Destiny from the Darkness for six months — Reward: 50,000 points
Mission 5: Hunt a creature of Darkness — Reward: 100,000 points
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