Zeke's vision was suddenly drowned in a sea of blood-red, and the last thing he saw was the cold gleam of the blade in Levi's hand.
The sharp blade effortlessly sliced apart the Beast Titan's eyeball.
"AAAH!!" The Beast Titan let out a howl, reaching out to grab Levi, but having lost its sight, the Beast Titan was doomed to grasp at nothing.
Levi's gaze was razor-sharp as he twisted his body and adjusted his trajectory, the hook anchors of the Vertical Maneuvering Equipment stabbing straight toward the Beast Titan's nape.
"No—quick! Harden!"
Although Zeke had lost his vision, his basic perception of the Titan body remained. He realized that the soldier from just now had already locked onto his nape.
In shock and fury, Zeke also realized that he had underestimated the soldiers on this island. Not only did they know that a Titan's weak point lay in the nape, they even had weapons made specifically for that purpose.
Crystal-like hardening began to condense around the Beast Titan's nape.
"This trick again?"
Levi was no stranger to it. He had encountered Titan hardening many times before. If it were just ordinary blades, breaking through would indeed be impossible, but—
As the thought crossed his mind, Levi changed direction midair and pulled a small black crystal from his pocket.
"Hange's newest invention—perfect timing to test it on you!"
The small black crystal was tossed straight onto the Beast Titan's nape. Immediately after, Levi pulled out a signal gun, aimed, and pulled the trigger.
The flare's flame touched the black crystal.
A terrifying sense of warning suddenly exploded in Zeke's mind. The next second—
BOOM!!!
Like a heavy grenade detonating right in front of his face, the blast instantly blew the Beast Titan's entire head apart.
There wasn't even time for a scream before the Beast Titan's massive body collapsed.
The charred flesh at the nape split open. Bare-chested, Zeke struggled desperately out of the gore, gulping air in huge breaths. The explosion had truly shaken him—its power was enough to rival the Marleyan military's TNT explosives.
But before Zeke could catch his breath, a sharp blade had already pierced through his shoulder blade.
The searing pain forced Zeke to cry out.
"Got you."
The voice behind him sounded like a demon from hell to Zeke.
Boom!!
A massive boulder smashed into the ground, kicking up clouds of dust. The Fate Titan released the rock.
The breach created by the Colossal Titan was successfully sealed. The soldiers erupted into cheers—this operation was a complete victory!
The Titans inside the city had also been wiped out. Although the soldiers' casualties were not small, the results they achieved were extraordinary.
Yago also emerged from the Fate Titan's nape and turned back to look in the direction of the Beast Titan.
"As expected of the Captain, truly—"
Before Yago could finish his praise, two dazzling yellow arcs of electricity suddenly burst out in the distance.
"What is that?"
Yago's expression tightened as he immediately sensed something was wrong. He broke away at once and activated his Vertical Maneuvering Equipment, racing toward it.
...
"Cough, cough… you're incredible. You're Levi, aren't you?"
Zeke asked through blood-filled coughs.
Levi frowned slightly. He had no interest in answering an enemy's questions. If not for the intelligence value this enemy possessed, Levi would much rather cut off his nape right here and now.
"I underestimated your strength. Paradis Island really isn't that simple. But that just suits my tastes even more, you know?"
Zeke lifted his head, ignoring the blade still embedded in his shoulder, and looked at Levi as he spoke.
"Destroying you from outside the island wouldn't be difficult. The most terrifying thing in this world isn't the power of Titans."
Levi was somewhat puzzled, but still replied coldly,
"Enough talk. Be a good prisoner. Say one more word and I won't mind cutting off your arms and legs first—after all, you can just grow them back, right?"
But a strange glint flashed across Zeke's glasses as he said,
"Unfortunately, I'm afraid I don't get to decide whether I become a prisoner."
Levi instantly sensed something was wrong. Without the slightest hesitation, he drew his blade like lightning and slashed toward Zeke's nape.
At the same time, a handgun of a completely different design from anything on the island appeared in Zeke's left hand. If Yago were here, he might find it familiar—he might even recall that this was a Luger pistol, a German sidearm from World War II.
Bang!
Slash!
This was a clash between gun and blade—a duel between humanity's strongest soldier and the most brutal weapon ever devised by humankind.
Levi's pupils contracted. A patch of vivid red blood blossomed across his abdomen. Firearms from outside the island were on a completely different level from the island's gunpowder weapons—their power was naturally incomparable.
The brass bullet pierced straight through Levi's body, though fortunately it didn't remain lodged inside.
Zeke wasn't faring well either. A blade had already sunk halfway into his neck.
Seizing the moment while Levi was wounded, Zeke struggled with all his strength to the edge of the rooftop. By now, more than half of the Beast Titan's body had already evaporated.
Zeke looked down from the building, over ten meters high. Without any hesitation, he jumped.
Levi clutched his wound, cold sweat beading on his forehead. Zeke's bullet had been coated with a potent neurotoxin, leaving Levi temporarily unable to pursue. He could only watch helplessly as Zeke escaped.
In midair, a massive mouth caught Zeke. The Cart Titan landed on all fours and bolted away as fast as it could, while large numbers of soldiers were already closing in on the area.
"Levi… cough, cough… I'll remember you."
"Captain! Are you alright!?"
The arriving soldiers immediately noticed something was wrong with Levi. By coincidence, the one who came to support him was an old acquaintance—Kira.
Seeing the cold sweat on Levi's forehead and the bloodstain on his abdomen, Kira panicked completely. In the end, amid Kira's frantic shouting and the surrounding soldiers' noisy chaos, Levi closed his eyes and lost consciousness.
...
"Reiner has engaged the Attack Titan."
"The Attack Titan… Eren Yeager? Yeager…"
The blade in Zeke's wound had long since been removed, steam now slowly rising from it as he softly repeated the familiar name, Yeager.
----------------
Pls Drop some Power Stones
+100 chapters and support me on Patreon(.)com/Jixo