"Are they here already?"
Annie, mid-run, glanced back at the Soldier's figure rapidly approaching from behind, feeling a sense of annoyance.
If she wanted to make it to Wall Maria, her current stamina wouldn't allow her to maintain her previous speed.
But at this rate, she wouldn't be able to shake them off.
"Give Eren back to me!" The voice from behind made Annie pause.
So it was Mikasa; no wonder she was so fast.
Annie raised her left hand to protect her nape, having no intention of getting entangled with her.
Mikasa's blades were swift; in the blink of an eye, several more wounds appeared on her body.
But Annie only dodged attacks aimed at her vitals, ignoring everything else.
Clang!
The blades in Mikasa's hands shattered into countless pieces.
Annie deactivated the hardening on her left hand and continued forward without a single glance back.
It's fine. If she maintained this speed, they wouldn't be able to pursue once they cleared the forest.
The turbulent sound of gas thrusters came from behind again, and Annie noticed another person had joined Mikasa.
Judging by their positioning, the newcomer must be an officer from the Survey Corps.
Do they think they can stop me with just two people?
Ignoring Mikasa, who was clearly there to distract her, Annie carefully sensed the movements of the person behind.
He just silently and slowly closed in.
Casual, yet filled with an indescribable sense of pressure.
Annie's expression grew grim; she knew she couldn't let him get any closer.
She stopped and turned instantly, throwing a straight punch.
In the blink of an eye, the opponent vanished, only to reappear right before her eyes.
Annie watched helplessly as the opponent plunged a blade into her eye.
So fast!
So strong!
Is this really the strength of a human?
With her vision plunged into darkness, Annie had no choice but to protect her nape with both hands again and lean against the nearest tree trunk.
She could feel countless blades slicing across her body; his speed was actually faster than those three elites combined!
Who would have thought a single person could achieve this?
Her leg tendons were also severed, and Annie slumped to the ground.
Her body's regeneration couldn't keep up, and the opponent was too agile; her hardening couldn't cover the areas he targeted in time.
She could only wait—wait for him to lower his guard, wait for him to attack her nape.
Annie's hands hung limply, and her head slowly bowed, exposing her defenseless nape.
Soon, she felt a grappling hook pierce the skin of her rear shoulder.
Here it comes!
Her left shoulder could no longer be raised, but her biceps and hand were still intact; she raised her forearm but caught only air.
Before she could react, blades sliced open both of her cheeks.
Her jaws were forced open, and Eren slid out.
No!
No... Eren was quickly snatched away by the opponent.
After seizing the target, the opponent didn't linger in the fight and retreated immediately.
I failed... I can't go back... Father... Annie sat paralyzed where she was, the surrounding giant trees seeming to turn into bars of a cage.
In the darkness before her eyes was her hometown, which had now become unreachable... and her only relative.
Tears soaked in sorrow... Only after her injuries had fully healed in the Forest of Giant Trees did Annie leave the spot.
The mission was a failure; she could only return to the Military Police Corps for now and wait for the next opportunity.
Running across the wilderness under the setting sun, Annie somehow remembered what Lock had said to her the day before.
Annie suddenly wanted to see him again.
To listen to him talk, to eat the sweets he brought.
He must have gone home by now, but he would surely return to the Royal Capital.
[Annie, why must you avoid everyone?]
[Annie, come with me.]
I'm sorry, Lock, I can't promise anything... Scaling Wall Rose using hardening, Annie crossed the wasteland and headed straight for Wall Sina.
Night fell, and the massive Wall Sina appeared before Annie's eyes.
This was a southeastern section of Wall Sina, near Stohess.
There were no guards on the wall, so she could scale it at will.
Reaching the base of the wall, Annie emerged from the Titan's nape and left its body.
She carefully checked her Omni-Directional Mobility Gear; everything was intact.
She breathed a sigh of relief and looked at the full moon rising in the sky, her eyes filled with exhaustion.
Whether physically or mentally, she had long been exhausted.
Hitch must be asleep by now.
By the time she got back to the dormitory, it would probably be past midnight.
She had to wake up early tomorrow, too; what a pain.
The grappling hooks shot out, and Annie began to climb the wall.
Just as she was about to reach the top, Annie suddenly saw a figure standing directly above her.
The person was pointing a gun at her.
Bang!
A sharp pain shot through her shoulder. Annie instantly retracted her hooks and moved quickly eastward along the outer wall.
Countless questions and conjectures surfaced in her mind.
"Who is it?"
"Is it a coincidence? Or were they waiting here specifically for me?"
"They're using a gun, so it's probably not the Survey Corps."
The sound of gas thrusters from behind made Annie look back.
She saw the person was wearing a strange outfit, like a variation of the Omni-Directional Mobility Gear.
In their hands, they held two strange guns.
Then, Annie noticed the corps emblem on the opponent's breastplate.
"The Central Military Police Brigade? How could they be here?"
"And what is this gear?"
Bang!
Annie released her hooks, dodging a shot by going into a free fall.
Taking advantage of the opponent reloading, Annie drew her blades and charged upward from below.
Clang!
The blades collided with the metal gun barrels, sending sparks flying.
Annie saw clearly that the opponent was also wearing a strange mask.
This person is so strong... Her blades were forcefully parried away.
Annie's pupils constricted as she crossed her arms in front of her chest, blocking a direct kick from the opponent.
Bang! Another shot.
The blade in Annie's hand was shattered by the bullet, the sharp fragments slicing her cheek.
Seeing the opponent switch hands, Annie used the gas thrusters at her waist to accelerate, turning instantly in mid-air.
Bang!
Clang!
Annie's face turned pale; although the shot hadn't hit her body, it had destroyed the thruster at her waist.
She fell helplessly from the air.
Thud! Annie slammed heavily onto the ground.
Her mouth was full of the taste of blood; fortunately, the grappling hooks at her waist had absorbed some of the impact of the fall.
She at least could still move for now.
Both her legs were broken, but her waist was fine.
Annie propped up her upper body with her hands, watching as the person, suspended by a single hook, landed slowly not far from her.
She spoke with difficulty, "I am a Military Police Officer from the Stohess District, currently on an external mission."
Clink, clink.
Two empty gun barrels fell to the ground, making two crisp sounds.
The person seemed not to have heard Annie's words, skillfully sliding on two new barrels from the outside of their thighs.
Then, they walked toward Annie at an unhurried pace.
Annie spat out the blood in her mouth, suspecting that the person had just seen her emerge from the Titan's nape.
It seemed she had to kill them here.
Closer, just a bit closer... The person walked up to Annie and looked down at her.
Then, they slowly raised the gun in their hand.
Facing the dark muzzle, there was only coldness in Annie's eyes.
Walking right up to me like this... are you trying to humiliate me?
How stupid!
Golden lightning overflowed from her body, and an explosion instantly erupted between the two!
A massive fist lunged out of the smoke, sending the person flying!
Annie stood up from the smoke, her injuries fully healed.
She pulled her hand out of the giant fist's muscle; her right sleeve had vanished in the high heat, revealing a pale arm.
Blood kept pouring from her nose, and her physical exhaustion had reached its limit—this was the side effect of overusing the Power of the Titans.
She desperately needed rest, but she still had to take that strange Omni-Directional Mobility Gear from the person, or it would be difficult for her to return to Stohess.
Annie walked through the white mist and saw the mysterious Central Military Police Soldier lying on the ground.
No one could take a punch from a fourteen-meter class Titan head-on.
Annie walked straight over.
Suddenly, she stopped.
Annie watched in shock as the person actually sat up slowly!
The smiling mask with bloody tears on its face was covered in cracks; due to the movement of sitting up, it finally shattered completely.
Fragments fell like snowflakes... revealing a face Annie was all too familiar with.
Annie stood frozen in place, as if countless storms were surging in her mind.
Like a machine, she murmured the person's name:
"Lock..."
Blood covered the corners of Lock's mouth, and his face wore the signature smile that hadn't changed in the three years since he had met Annie.
"Yo, Annie! Long time no see!"
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A/N: Advance Chapter Has Been Uploaded. Please Check It Out. It will really help me out and will keep me motivated to continue.
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