"Floch! Wait, Floch!" Hearing someone call his name, Floch, who had been planning to return to the dormitory, stopped in his tracks.
When the person behind him finally ran up, panting heavily, Floch raised an eyebrow.
"Daz? What is it?"
That's right—the companion standing before Floch with a bitter expression was Daz, who had transferred with him from the Garrison to the Survey Corps. Come to think of it, Daz had been in the same training corps class as Queen Historia and the others. It was said that during the snow mountain training, when Daz fainted, he wasn't abandoned by his teammates only because of Queen Historia's insistence.
However, Daz himself never spoke about the matter, and Floch understood. After all, in that story, Daz had been nothing but a useless, cowardly burden.
"What do you want with me?" Floch asked bluntly.
Daz had chased Floch all the way from the barracks to the dorms, and now he was panting like an ox.
After finally catching his breath, Daz stated his purpose.
"Have you thought about what we talked about the other day?"
Floch frowned slightly. He knew exactly what Daz was referring to. Or rather, it was something that had recently become a hot topic throughout the entire Survey Corps.
Some time ago, a ship from the outside world had delivered a group of Eldians from Marley. They belonged to an organization called the Eldian Restorationists. It was said that Yago, who had infiltrated the outside world, rescued them and saved them from the Marleyans.
Originally, these Eldian Restorationists hadn't caused much of a stir on the island. They didn't seem interested in doing anything in particular. But not long ago, everything changed.
Some of the younger members of the Eldian Restorationists suddenly became as if injected with adrenaline, spreading their ideology everywhere and telling their comrades about the miserable lives of Eldians under Marleyan oppression.
For reasons unknown, the ideology of the Eldian Restorationists rapidly spread throughout the Survey Corps, the Garrison, the Military Police, and beyond. Their stories even reached civilian society. The suffering of their compatriots beyond the island instantly shocked and stirred sympathy among the people within the walls.
Although the High Council quickly noticed the unrest among these Restorationist members and immediately ordered a blockade on information about the outside world, placing the Eldians from beyond the sea under control, public opinion was something the council could not restrain.
Under the influence of certain individuals working behind the scenes, an organization extremely hostile toward the humans outside the island was slowly taking shape. For now, it existed only as a vague framework, but quite a number of soldiers had already chosen to join. What the future held was uncertain. And Daz had come precisely to recruit Floch for this organization.
Ever since the battle to reclaim Wall Maria, Floch had seemed like a different person. During every Titan-clearing mission, he was always the first to charge to the very front of the formation. In this period, his Titan kill count had skyrocketed at an astonishing rate.
By now, Floch had slain more than fifty Titans. Because of his fervor for killing Titans, soldiers in the Survey Corps had privately given him the nickname "Titan Slayer." Someone like him was exactly the kind of talent everyone wanted to recruit.
"Floch, join us! We need someone strong like you!" Daz said sincerely.
But Floch merely replied coldly, "Sorry, Daz. I'm not interested. I don't have the time or energy to join your organization. For me, exterminating Titans is what I should be doing."
With that, Floch turned and walked away.
Watching his back, Daz shook his head regretfully before leaving as well. There were still others he needed to visit. He intended to persuade as many people as possible to join.
...
On top of the towering Wall Maria, Yelena stood with her hands in her pockets alongside several Marleyan volunteers, gazing into the distance at Shiganshina District below.
"Yelena, is this really okay? It feels like the tension on the island has been rising lately. I even think some Eldians have started becoming wary of us," Onyankopon, dark-skinned, complained to her.
The wind atop the wall was fierce, whipping through Yelena's short golden hair. She lifted her head and remained silent for a moment before speaking.
"No. Only this way can we accomplish the goal of our volunteers. Only this way can we ensure the smooth progress of the Eldian euthanasia plan."
"But..." Onyankopon clearly wanted to say more, but Yelena cut him off as soon as he opened his mouth.
"Onyankopon, don't have so many misgivings. Remember who you are. You're one of us volunteers. Then you should understand the importance of the Eldian euthanasia plan. We absolutely cannot allow failure. Do you understand!?"
Onyankopon subconsciously clenched his fists, but in the end he relaxed them and let out a sigh.
"Yes, I understand."
Yelena nodded in satisfaction. "Continue monitoring things. And remember—intensify the propaganda about the Eldian Restorationists and the living conditions of Eldians in the Marley internment zones. It's best if everyone on Paradis Island can see how the Marleyans and the rest of the world's humanity despise and loathe the Eldians."
"Understood."
After giving her instructions, Yelena turned and walked to the other side of the wall. Looking out at the scenery beyond, she murmured,
"Zeke, so far everything has been going very smoothly. I believe that under your leadership, we will definitely succeed."
...
"Ah!!"
"Help me!"
"It's on fire! Get water!"
On the plains, a towering fortress had already turned into a sea of flames. Countless Middle Eastern soldiers desperately beat at the fire consuming their bodies, screaming in agony.
A grotesque Titan's head protruded between the twin shields raised by the Armored Titan. The Titan opened its massive jaws, and a terrifying, blazing column of fire poured forth continuously, turning half of the Middle Eastern fortress into an inferno. The shields raised by the Armored Titan covered the Crimson Flame Titan as it unleashed its assault.
Massive rocks were crushed into smaller fragments within the Beast Titan's broad palms. Raising its arm high, it hurled them with all its strength.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
Countless shards of stone rained down like artillery shells upon the Middle Eastern fortress, plunging the already panicked soldiers into even deeper despair.
At the same time, violent explosions and the roars of Titans erupted from the other side of the fortress. It seemed the Cart Titan's operation there was also proceeding smoothly.
Zeke emerged shirtless from the nape of the Beast Titan, his expression calm. He looked at the Crimson Flame Titan, still spewing fire without pause, as if lost in thought.