BOOM—!!
Even though the Colossal Titan had only partially transformed—just its upper body—its sheer mass, combined with the acceleration from sixty meters above the ground, was enough to cause devastating localized destruction.
A rock falling from sixty meters could kill someone.
Let alone half of the Colossal Titan.
So although Levi had retreated quickly while carrying Eren, the shockwave from the explosion still sent them flying.
As for Lillian and Ymir—
They were swallowed whole by the blast, disappearing instantly.
"Lillian! Ymir!!"
Krista, who had already equipped the injured female soldier's ODM gear, was about to jump down when Mikasa—clinging to the Wall—grabbed her.
"Krista! Wait—!"
"Move!"
Krista's forcefulness left Mikasa momentarily stunned. The next second, Krista shoved her aside and leapt from the Wall.
Gas erupted as she accelerated downward, while the heatwave from the explosion scorched her skin instantly.
Then—
The Armored Titan burst out of the swirling smoke.
Reiner charged forward, Bertholdt standing on his shoulder, his expression exhausted.
Ymir lay unconscious on Reiner's back.
Reiner wasn't in good condition either.
Though his hardening allowed him to withstand the Colossal Titan's impact, the stamina cost was enormous. Combined with his earlier fight against Eren and Ymir, he was no longer capable of sustained combat.
Not yet at death's door—but close.
Thud—thud—thud!
Reiner charged toward Levi and Eren.
Even though he had captured Ymir, Eren was the real priority.
When they came to the island, there had been four Warriors—four Titan powers.
Now, the Female Titan Annie was missing and clearly couldn't be brought back.
The Jaw Titan was merely a recovered loss—hardly a merit.
So they had to take another Titan with them.
Only then could they redeem themselves.
"All units—attack!!"
Erwin had already leapt from the Wall.
He knew this was the decisive moment. If they escaped now, the consequences would be catastrophic.
"Humanity's fate will be decided here! Dedicate your hearts!!"
"YES!!"
Every soldier still capable of fighting surged forward, flying in from all directions toward the Armored Titan.
They knew their blades couldn't harm him—
But the man standing on his shoulder was still human.
At the same time—
Eren, whom Levi had rescued, hadn't been hit by the Colossal Titan's impact.
His stamina wasn't fully depleted.
He could still fight.
"You two bastards aren't going anywhere!!"
Eren roared—and in the next second, transformed into a Titan once more.
Reiner's expression darkened instantly.
Right now, he had to use both hands to protect Bertholdt. Otherwise, the Survey Corps soldiers would slice him to pieces.
But if both hands were occupied protecting someone, how could he fight Eren?!
For a split second, Reiner considered shoving Bertholdt into his mouth—
But there was no time.
Eren's fist was already flying toward him.
BOOM!!
Reiner twisted his body, ramming Eren head-on. But this time, Eren didn't stubbornly rely on brute force. With experience gained, he knew that raw power couldn't overpower Reiner.
He withdrew his punch, dropped his center of gravity, and wrapped both arms tightly around Reiner's right leg!
"ROAR!"
With his leg locked, Reiner couldn't advance at all.
At that moment, several elite Survey Corps soldiers landed on his body—and the strongest among them was, of course, Levi.
Though he had been blown away by the heat wave earlier, he'd suffered nothing more than burns. For an Ackerman, that kind of injury didn't hinder combat in the slightest.
Now he stood calmly atop Reiner's head, eyes cold.
"Hey, Reiner. The moment you open your hands, I'll cut that guy named Bertholdt into pieces."
"…"
"Reiner! Bertholdt! Why?! Why are you doing this?!"
"Come out and explain yourselves!"
"Were you lying to us this whole time?! That's unforgivable!"
"You bastards—get out here!!"
The recruits of the 104th Cadet Corps had also landed on Reiner's body, shouting angrily.
Reiner struggled desperately to shake Eren off—but Eren refused to let go.
In terms of raw strength, the Armored Titan was no weaker than the Attack Titan. If this stalemate continued… once Reiner's stamina ran out, he wouldn't even be able to escape.
Damn it!
"Reiner!"
Bertholdt, sheltered in Reiner's hands, finally understood how dire the situation was.
He made his decision.
"Let me out."
Bertholdt?!
Even though Reiner couldn't speak in Titan form, he could still hear him clearly.
Bertholdt continued, not caring who else heard:
"Reiner, if this goes on, neither of us will escape. You run. My Titan can't move quickly on open ground, and I've already burned too much stamina releasing steam earlier."
What are you saying, Bertholdt?!
"Bertholdt, you bastard! None of you are getting away!"
Hange slammed the hilt of her blade against Reiner's arm. "Come out! Get out here!"
"Reiner! Don't hesitate!" Bertholdt shouted. "I'll hold them off!"
Hearing this, Reiner clenched his teeth.
At the same moment, Levi—standing atop Reiner—realized what was about to happen and shouted:
"Get away from him—now!!"
Whoosh—whoosh—whoosh!
Everyone leapt off Reiner's body.
Just then, Reiner released his grip.
Bertholdt jumped free—and while still in midair, bit down hard on his own hand.
BOOM—!!
The Colossal Titan transformed once more.
The shockwave blasted over half of the pursuing soldiers to the ground. Even Eren, still gripping Reiner's leg, was knocked sprawling without any time to brace himself.
The fully transformed Colossal Titan looked down upon the land below.
Reiner glanced up at him, remained silent for a long moment—
Then turned and fled.
'I'll come back for you, Bertholdt. I swear it.'
"Damn it!! Reiner!!"
With no horses, no one could chase him.
Erwin made the call instantly:
"Forget the Armored Titan—capture the Colossal Titan!"
This time, the Colossal Titan's frame was noticeably slimmer.
Just as Bertholdt had said—he had vented steam for several minutes atop the Wall, an ability that consumed enormous stamina. Then he had crashed down from the Wall as well.
Though unharmed, his strength was clearly depleted.
He couldn't maintain this form for long.
Still…
As long as Reiner made it back, perhaps someday in the future… they would meet again.
Thinking this, Bertholdt looked at the soldiers charging him from all directions, his gaze hardening with resolve.
---
"Careful—his lower leg is broken!"
"Sorry—!"
"Someone help over here!"
"That bastard's arms and legs were all cut off, right?"
"Damn it… one of them still got away."
"How many did we lose…?"
The battle ended six minutes later.
Levi severed the Colossal Titan's nape.
Bertholdt's human body had all four limbs cut off—but thanks to his regenerative ability, his life was not in danger. He had merely fallen unconscious.
The Survey Corps, however, had suffered heavy losses—at least thirty soldiers had died.
And more importantly—everyone looked toward the massive crater beneath the Wall, left behind by the Colossal Titan's fall.
The soldiers of the 104th were gathered there.
"Krista… we… we should go back," Mikasa said softly.
Krista didn't respond.
She kept digging into the earth with her bare hands, as if she hadn't heard anything.
"He's not dead!" Krista shouted, glaring at her.
Connie and Sasha stepped forward to try to calm her down.
"There's nothing left anymore, Krista! That bastard fell with a body that huge, and at that temperature… there's really nothing left."
"Lillian… he's not like Eren or Ymir. He isn't a Titan like them. He's just… human. No matter how strong he was, he was still just a human, just like us!"
"No, I don't believe it!" Krista insisted, forcing herself to stay upright as tears welled up in her eyes. "Lillian was so strong… there's no way he died! I don't believe it!"
"..."
"I'm sorry, Krista."
Eren, supported by Armin, walked over at that moment. His body was extremely weak, but he still insisted on coming.
"It's all my fault…" His face was filled with pain, guilt, and self-blame.
"If only I had been stronger… if back then, I had used my body to block it…"
"Eren, stop blaming yourself. There was nothing you could have done."
"..."
A muffled sob suddenly broke the silence.
It wasn't Krista.
It was Marlo.
He stood at the edge of the crater, covering his face with both hands as he cried.
"Deputy Commander Lillian… how could this happen…? Didn't you tell me not to talk like I was going off to die…? Why… why didn't you keep your word?!"
"..."
Everyone looked at him in surprise. No one had expected such deep feelings from him.
"We agreed we'd change this rotten system together!" Marlo roared in agony.
"Without you, how am I supposed to do that on my own?!"
After shouting that, he suddenly turned and ran off, no one knowing where he was headed.
"Hey, look at this!" A soldier suddenly shouted.
Everyone turned to see him holding a pendant.
The moment Krista saw it, she rushed over and snatched it away.
"It's his… it's Lillian's!"
"How did this end up here? This is pretty far from the crater."
"This pendant meant a lot to him…" Krista couldn't stop the tears from falling.
"He must've thrown it with the last of his strength so it wouldn't be crushed…"
"…That's enough, Krista."
Hange walked over and gently wrapped her arms around her, speaking softly.
"Lillian's sacrifice made an enormous contribution to humanity. We're allowed to grieve… but we still have to keep fighting. We still have to bring Ymir back."
"…Yeah."
The suppressed sobbing finally spread through the crowd.
At some point, the sky had filled with dark clouds, and cold rain began to fall.
It soaked the soldiers.
And it also fell upon… Lillian.
"So cold…"
Lillian slowly opened his eyes.