The ruptured and exploded train had turned into a sea of fire. The scorching air was filled with a choking stench of burning, along with the heart-rending wails of passengers who had miraculously survived.
Crack, crack—beneath a heap of twisted iron came the sound of crystal grinding. Bang! With a crisp shatter, several hardened crystal pillars pierced through and blasted away the train debris.
Yago clutched his chest and rose to his feet. A flash of golden light flickered through his eyes. In his hand he held a shattered glass vial; even though the label had been torn, the words "War Hammer" could still faintly be seen.
Around Yago, layers upon layers of hardening wrapped and encased them. Annie and Mr. Leonhart also staggered up beside him, still dizzy.
What met their eyes was a scene like hell itself. Annie, startled, instinctively grabbed Yago's hand.
"W-What… what just happened?"
Mr. Leonhart's pupils trembled violently as well, unable to find the words.
Yago took a deep breath, tossed aside the broken vial in his hand, and as fragments of memory flashed through his mind, he murmured with a hint of emotion, "Tybur…."
Annie looked up. "What?"
Yago reached out and pulled Annie into his arms.
"It's okay, Annie. You're not hurt, right?"
"I'm… not."
"Ahem, ahem."
Hearing the cough, the two of them suddenly remembered someone else was there.
"Oh! Mr. Leonhart! Are you alright?"
"Father! How are you?!"
Mr. Leonhart shook his head, indicating he was fine.
With a wave of Yago's hand, the hardened shell surrounding them suddenly flowed away like water and dispersed. The power of the War Hammer Titan! Come to think of it, since hardening could be undone, why hadn't Lara Tybur dismissed the weapon taken by the Fate Titan during the battle at the Louis manor? (Lara: ! What kind of ability is this!? Even I can't do that!?)
The train, hundreds of meters long, had been completely destroyed. Everywhere were burning wreckages of train cars and burning… corpses.
Yago frowned. This time it wasn't that he had reacted quickly—before the explosion, a sudden sense of crisis had surged in his heart, along with a voice in his mind from nowhere: "Danger!"
Without the slightest hesitation, he had immediately pulled Annie and Mr. Leonhart over, taken out the War Hammer Titan's blood from his coat, and bitten the glass vial open.
Deep within Yago's consciousness, a cluster of blue light had appeared. The ability to freely manipulate hardening had been grasped by the Fate Titan. Yet Yago himself could wield hardening at will in human form. Perhaps it was just as Founder Ymir had said—Yago himself was the Fate Titan. Of course, Yago had no idea.
After withdrawing the hardening, Yago led Annie and Mr. Leonhart along the railway tracks, stumbling step by step.
Tragic. Miserable. Absolutely horrific. Those were the only words Yago could use to describe the scene before him. The front and rear sections of the train were the areas hit hardest by the explosion. In those dozens of cars, not a single person had survived. The ground was littered with burning severed limbs and dried blood baked by the flames.
Only when they reached the middle section of the train did they see scattered survivors. Some groaned in agony from burns, some screamed with severed arms and legs. A few who weren't gravely injured huddled together, trembling.
A mother clutched her child and cried her heart out. The child's two legs had become a mangled mass of flesh and blood. Looking closely, it was the boy from Yago's carriage—the one who had cut his finger—and his mother.
None of the other passengers from Yago's carriage had survived. This mother and son had escaped death because they had gone to the restroom—but the boy…
The female doctor who had bandaged the boy's finger earlier was now kneeling beside him. Her white coat was covered in dust, her face anxious. The medical kit lay tipped over, supplies scattered everywhere. She was giving emergency treatment to the boy's legs—but in this wasteland, hope was slim.
Yago watched in silence. The Rumbling he had seen in older Eren's memories had looked much the same—just as desperate. Compared to the trampling of countless Colossal Titans, an exploded train almost seemed insignificant.
Looking ahead, the rear half of the train was even more unbearable to behold—utterly an inferno. The front section still had identifiable remains, but the entire rear section was likely nothing more than heaps of charred ash. And those cars in the rear had been transporting Marleyan soldiers and officers.
...
A slab of iron was lifted aside, revealing a face frozen in despair. Blood trickled from the corner of his mouth. A steel pipe from somewhere had pierced through the young officer's neck. He was fortunate—the explosion in his carriage hadn't been severe. He was unfortunate—having escaped the fatal blast, only to lose his life to a steel pipe. Even the lieutenant colonel insignia on his shoulder had been scraped by it.
Yago stared at the face before him—one strikingly similar to his own. Then he took an identification card and a silver ring from the officer's pocket.
The ring bore an "L" insignia. Opening the ID, Yago saw a blurry black-and-white photograph along with the information inside.
Loya Russell, Lieutenant Colonel.
Annie and Mr. Leonhart had also come over by then. Seeing the dead Loya, both were somewhat shocked.
Yago folded the officer's ID and turned to Annie. Annie met his gaze, as if she already sensed what he was about to say.
"Annie, this is a good opportunity. Take Mr. Leonhart and return to Paradis Island first. Just find Ms. Shimizu and that'll be enough. Oh, and help me pass a message to Commander Erwin…"
Annie's eyes were filled with worry. "What about you?"
Yago gently ruffled her hair. "Don't worry. I know what I'm doing."
Annie hugged Yago tightly and whispered in his ear, "No acting on impulse. No taking risks. If anything happens, you must protect yourself!"
Yago took the opportunity to kiss Annie and said with a grin,
"Understood! I'll listen to my dear Annie!" The term of endearment made Annie's face flush slightly—but she liked it.
Mr. Leonhart patted Yago's shoulder as well. He seemed to understand what the young man intended to do. With no other instructions, he simply said,
"Kid, don't keep my daughter waiting too long. Otherwise, I'll make your legs end up like mine."
Yago thumped his chest. "Don't worry, Mr. Leonhart!"
Mr. Leonhart raised an eyebrow. "Hm? Afraid to admit it? You've won my daughter's heart and you still address me like that?"
"Ah?? Then… f-father-in-law?"
"You brat! My daughter isn't even of age—what are you trying to do!?"
Yago: "????"
The sun was about to set. The Marleyan rescue teams and large contingents of troops finally arrived at the site of the train explosion.
...
A green military truck cut its engine. A Marleyan soldier stepped out, saluted, and said,
"Lieutenant Colonel Loya! Please step out of the vehicle. By order of headquarters, you are to assume command as the commander of the Third Regiment of the Eldian forces! Please follow me to take up your post!"
After delivering the order, a young Marleyan officer stepped down from the truck. The lieutenant colonel insignia on his uniform was still damaged.