Lock interrupted Historia's sentimental moment and pointed at Eren.
"Alright, let's go save Eren."
"Yeah." Historia wiped the corners of her eyes and nodded heavily.
She picked up the black cloth bag from the ground and stepped up the crystal stairs in a few quick strides.
Lock followed slowly behind her.
Coming behind Eren and hearing the muffled whimpering from his mouth, Historia removed the gag from his mouth.
Immediately, Eren's annoying wailing and crying broke out.
"Historia! Hurry up and eat me, that's the only way to save the world, isn't it?"
"You have to eat me, you're the one with the chosen bloodline!"
"I'm not, I'm not special at all. If I keep living like this, I'll only bring disaster to humanity!"
Lock originally wanted to laugh, but hearing this, he couldn't quite bring himself to.
While Historia was frantically trying the keys to the locks, Eren was still howling: "Just eat me! I'm in so much pain I don't want to live anymore!"
Growing impatient with Eren, Historia couldn't help but punch him: "Shut up, you idiot crybaby! Just shut it."
She unlocked the chains around Eren's waist.
Lock sat down to rest against the wall at the far end of the platform.
The battle just now had cost him a great deal of mental and physical energy.
In order not to let anyone who knew the secret of his Titan form escape, he first used the Power of the Titans to create a small part of a body and a large amount of white steam, pretending to endure over a dozen gunshots before lying on the ground and playing dead.
Taking advantage of the twelve Soldiers descending from the air, Lock suddenly attacked and fully transformed, blowing up and killing six on the spot.
But it wasn't enough; the others, including Kenny, reacted immediately and flew toward the ceiling.
Lock had no choice but to exit his Titan and use the Omni-directional Mobility Gear to hunt them down.
Relying on his nearly immortal body, Lock traded injuries for kills, eliminating the last six Soldiers in the fastest way possible.
Only Kenny remained.
After successfully forcing him to the ground, Lock did not hesitate to transform again and seized him with a Titan arm.
Lock emerged from the nape of a half-finished Titan lying on the ground.
He walked up to Kenny, whose ribs were all broken, and most of his internal organs were damaged by that grip...
Lock took the box of Titan serum that Kenny had stolen from his coat.
As he was about to leave, Kenny suddenly grabbed him.
Lock was about to shake him off, but then he heard Kenny's raspy voice, full of pain:
"Kid, tell me..."
"Tell me... when you got... this power... cough cough..."
"What... did you see..."
Looking into Kenny's eyes, which were filled with an intense longing, Lock's mind was flooded with Annie's memories.
Lock didn't speak for a moment.
Kenny grew anxious, his voice sounding as if he were on the verge of tears: "Please... tell me..."
"Tell me..."
Finally, Lock spoke: "I saw a paradise..."
"Just like what Uri said, a true paradise belonging to humanity."
"There are no Titans there, no conflict, and everyone lives there happily..."
He watched Kenny's eyes gradually dim and said, "I also saw Uri waiting for you there."
Kenny flashed the last smile of his life: "You kid... lying to me again..."
Then he died... just like that... but that smile remained on his face, never fading...
Rod tremblingly rushed toward the spot where the serum was, holding the dagger Lock had just discarded.
The liquid leaking from the broken syringe on the ground was rapidly evaporating.
"Father... Uri... Frieda..."
He used the knife to cut a slit in his own tongue.
"Wait for me... I'm coming right..."
He lay on the ground and licked it with his wounded tongue...
Light flared up in the Underground Chamber once again, and it was as if a sun had risen in Lock's eyes.
A massive skeleton soared upward, shattering the surrounding crystal pillars and crashing into the ceiling.
A violent gale and heatwave swept through the surroundings.
Historia, who was unlocking Eren's leg irons, was blown back by the wind, tumbling until Mikasa suddenly appeared and caught her just before she hit the wall.
"Mikasa!" Historia was both surprised and delighted.
Lock, who was nearby with his hand outstretched, curled his lip.
Levi landed on the platform and said to Mikas, "Quick, give me the keys!"
Eren also shouted: "Captain! Everyone!"
Lock, sitting against the wall, shouted to Levi: "The second one on the left is for the leg irons, and the first one on the right is for the handcuffs."
Levi glanced at Lock, then turned and said, "Jean, Connie, hurry!"
"The ceiling is going to collapse!"
With Lock's tip, the three of them quickly unlocked all the restraints binding Eren.
The three immediately retreated, dodging the boulders falling from overhead.
Before their eyes, an incredibly massive Titan was kneeling on the ground, trying to push up the ceiling and stand up!
Countless stone pillars and the dome shattered into rocks that rained down on the ground.
It was clear that this place would soon collapse, and no one would escape death.
Levi's brow furrowed, and the rest of the group looked toward Eren.
Seeing the hopeful eyes of his companions, Eren cried out: "I'm sorry, everyone, I can't help at all!"
"Actually, from the very beginning, I was never humanity's hope..."
Jean interrupted: "What are you saying? Are you playing the tragic hero? When has there ever been a time you got anything done with just your own strength?"
Connie also mocked: "So spineless. It's not like this is the first time we've seen a scene like this."
Sasha said while whimpering, "But that doesn't mean we want to get used to it!"
Lock couldn't stand listening anymore and shouted, "Eren, come here, I have a way."
Everyone looked toward Lock again.
Lock took the box of Titan serum he had just gotten from Kenny out of his coat.
He opened the box and took out a syringe and a needle.
Then he picked up the reagent bottle labeled 'Armor' that had just rolled out of Rod's bag.
Lock skillfully drew the liquid from the bottle into the syringe and then looked at Eren.
"Quick, this is the medicine that will let you use Hardening."
Everyone looked at the syringe in Lock's hand with surprise.
Mikasa hesitated, but Levi said, "There's no other way. Let's trust this double agent just this once."
The needle pierced Eren's arm, and Lock slowly injected the medicinal liquid into Eren's body.
Lock patted Eren's shoulder: "There, Eren. Believe in yourself and try to save everyone."
"You can definitely do it!"
Eren gritted his teeth and dashed toward the edge of the broken execution platform.
In this collapsing world, the light appeared once more!
The Titan Eren transformed into a completely hardened form, extending toward the surroundings and the ceiling.
Finally, it fixed itself completely, propping up the section of the dome that was about to collapse.
Once everything was completely stable, the group began looking for a way back to the surface.
Lock, who didn't have his Omni-directional Mobility Gear, remained where he was while Jean and Mikasa tried to dig Eren out.
Soon, Sasha dropped down from the top and cheered to those below: "Captain! The exit has been secured!"
"Well done!" Levi gave a rare word of praise.
"Captain!" Lock called out.
Levi walked over to Lock and frowned: "Look at you. You look like you just crawled out of a pile of shit."
Lock smiled and handed the head tucked into his belt to Levi.
"Captain, take this as compensation for me taking Eren and Historia away without permission."
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