The flames were forcibly split apart, "Roar!!" The scarlet light in the Fate Titan's eyes grew even more vivid as it suddenly leaped up. After a violent roar, it swung the half-melted hardened shield in a full arc and smashed it toward the Crimson Flame Titan's head.
The somewhat sluggish Crimson Flame Titan failed to react at all. By the time it noticed the shield hurtling toward its head, it was already too late.
Bang!! A Titan's head burst apart, exploding completely. Scalding Titan blood splattered everywhere, and the gas leaking from its mouth dispersed into the air, ignited by the sparks that leaked out as well. In an instant, clusters of fireballs flared up midair before quickly extinguishing.
The Fate Titan's strength was terrifying. It completely overturned the Crimson Flame Titan, sending its headless body spinning as it flew backward.
Bill's eyes widened as he watched the enormous headless body grow larger and larger before him. Scalding blood had already begun dripping onto his face.
"Idiot!" Before his words even finished—
Boom!! The Crimson Flame Titan crushed the entire top floor of the villa into powder, burying Bill beneath the rubble.
The headless Titan body twitched as large amounts of steam rose from the severed neck—its Titan power repairing it.
Pfft! A thick, crystal-like hardened pillar suddenly surged up from the ground, lifting the Crimson Flame Titan's massive body entirely into the air.
Bill, his face dark and gloomy, walked out from the ruins. His butler's uniform was tattered, covered in dust, grime, and bloodstains.
He tore off the strands of flesh stuck to his face and looked around. There was no trace of the Fate Titan anywhere!?
At that moment, a timid figure approached Bill's side. Judging by his appearance, he was a thin man with a slightly haggard expression, looking uneasy and anxious.
The man carefully spoke, "M-Mr. Bill, c-could you give me my wife's medicine?"
Bill looked at Newt, who wore a flattering smile, and rage surged within him. With a vicious kick, he knocked Newt to the ground, cursed him as useless trash, and then turned to leave—completely failing to notice the anger and hatred in Newt's eyes.
Lara Tybur was injured and unconscious. The Louis family manor was in ruins. Half the guards had fled. The Crimson Flame Titan had been utterly useless. He himself was in a sorry state. And all of this was because of a single person! And just a brat at that!
"Eren Yeager!?" Bill muttered the name. He had read the Marleyan Warrior Unit's report and naturally knew who Eren Yeager was—the holder of the Attack Titan and the Founding Titan on Paradis Island. How had he come to Marley?
Were the ordinary powers of the Attack Titan and the Founding Titan alone truly this strong? Even with the War Hammer Titan and the Crimson Flame Titan sent out one after another, they had failed to keep him. It seemed the master's plan would need some adjustments.
Bill frowned, biting down on the cigarette in his mouth, the smell of tobacco on him still as pungent as ever.
.....
On the other side, leaning casually against a road at the edge of the forest, Yago toyed with the dagger in his hand. Pulling it from its sheath, the blade gleamed coldly, still stained with faint traces of blood—the key point being that the blood showed no sign of drying.
Yago took out a small glass vial, removed the cap, and aimed the tip of the blade at the mouth of the bottle. A few drops of blood slid down the blade and into the vial. He then sealed it again.
Gazing at the small glass vial, Yago smiled faintly. The good news: he had obtained the War Hammer and the power. The bad news: Doctor Ebson creating intelligent Titans seemed to be true. Thinking of this, Yago's smile faded.
He slipped the vial into the inner pocket of his coat. A soft clink of glass sounded—inside the pocket was another identical vial containing Titan blood, its label reading "Colossal."
From afar, he saw a carriage approaching along the road in his direction. Yago raised a hand to signal it. After boarding the carriage, he departed calmly.
.....
Shell after shell slammed into the Armored Titan holding up a massive shield, but in the end, they only produced dull explosions in vain. The Middle Eastern soldiers atop the fortress were nearly in despair.
To deal with the Armored Titan, the Middle Easterners had long since developed specialized weapons—or rather, weapons to deal with all Marleyan Titans—anti-Titan artillery. However, those cannons were still in rear fortresses and had not yet been transported to the front lines.
Make no mistake, this was not the Middle Easterners' fault. It was entirely because they had initially failed to anticipate how weak Marley's combat strength would be. In the early stages of the war, the Middle Easterners had advanced rapidly, seizing a vast stretch of Marley's colonies.
The smooth progress of the war shocked the Middle Eastern generals and high command. The vast territory they captured threw their logistics into temporary chaos, which was why those specially made anti-Titan weapons had not arrived in time.
"Where are the navy's large-caliber heavy guns!? Didn't I order artillery support!?" The red-eyed Middle Eastern commander roared at the messenger.
But the messenger pointed despairingly toward the distant harbor. The commander raised his binoculars and looked—only to see that where their fleet had been anchored was now a sea of flames.
Fragments of warships floated on the ocean. Countless Middle Eastern sailors flailed in the water in despair, crying for help.
On the last remaining warship, every Middle Eastern sailor wore a look of hopelessness. The captain frantically ordered fire toward the seemingly calm sea surface, but it was futile.
From the once tranquil sea, a massive white dorsal fin suddenly rose—like the scythe of death—charging straight at the warship under the terrified gazes of the soldiers.
Like a hot knife through butter, the entire warship was quickly reduced to fragments, followed by a violent explosion.
The Middle Eastern commander watched his fleet be annihilated, his eyes nearly splitting with rage. But before he could say anything, a massive shadow suddenly enveloped him. He looked up and saw only a pair of enormous crimson eyes. In the next moment, a white bone spear pierced straight through his body.
As the Warrior Unit's Titan warriors opened a breach, Marley's army stormed into the fortress. Yet the Marleyan general in command could not smile at all.
The losses were far too great—far beyond his expectations. Dejected, he said to his adjutant,
"Report the battle situation to General Calvi, and... request reinforcements."
When the Ministry of National Defense received the battle report, though angered and unwilling, they could only dispatch additional reinforcements. Batch after batch of Eldian troops boarded the trains. Even the Marleyan troops were mobilized this time. On the streets of the capital, more advertisements appeared calling for Marleyan youth to enlist.
For certain ulterior purposes, Marley's high command also began encouraging young men from old noble families to join the army, promising various benefits, interests, and prestige. They successfully persuaded a large number of young Marleyan nobles to head to the battlefield—hot-blooded and unaware of the true intentions of Marley's leadership.