The Female Titan's beast-like roar completely jolted this wealthy and peaceful city awake.
In their panic, everyone shared the same confusion—
Why would a Titan appear here?!
"Nile! Deploy all forces immediately. A Titan has appeared."
Erwin Smith looked at the dazed Nile Dok and spoke in a cold tone.
"How is that possible? This is Wall Sina."
He turned to look at the calm Erwin and suddenly raised his gun:
"Erwin, what on earth are you trying to do?"
Facing a line of Military Police rifles, Erwin said without changing his expression,
"To capture the enemy of humanity."
Golden light descended from the sky again, and the sound of a second explosion reached everyone's ears.
"Is it that guy, Eren Yeager?"
Levi Ackerman looked at the sky:
"It looks like everyone here is about to witness the spectacle of a Titan battle."
"What did you say?" Nile was already becoming quite confused.
Levi continued,
"Nile, hurry up and arrange for the evacuation of the citizens. Don't just stand there doing nothing."
Lock looked at that bolt of lightning, his eyes filled with an irrepressible excitement.
Mentioning Marco to his face was indeed the best way to provoke Eren; otherwise, who knows how long the kid would have hesitated.
Waving away the Survey Corps Soldiers who intended to approach, Lock looked at the Titan appearing in the golden light:
"Come on, Eren! Let me see your rage!"
The two Titans stood at opposite ends of the same street, facing each other from a distance, while the Survey Corps Soldiers stood guard on the nearby rooftops, none daring to go up and interfere.
Armin Arlert stared at the Female Titan as if he had discovered something, whispering,
"The Female Titan's appearance... seems to have changed?"
"And, it's... gotten taller! Is this also part of the Power of the Titans that we don't understand?"
"Hah!"
Watching Eren charge with a roar, Lock assumed Annie's classic stance.
When Eren got close, Lock hardened his right calf and delivered a high roundhouse kick straight at Eren's neck.
Eren raised his arms to block, but he was still sent flying by Lock's kick.
Boom!
Powerful winds and dust swept in all directions, forcing everyone to keep their heads down.
Eren smashed right through a five-story building, his entire body becoming embedded in it.
"Is this... the power of the Female Titan?"
Every member of the Survey Corps paled.
"Eren!" Mikasa Ackerman's face was full of worry.
Power surged through his body, and Lock once again experienced that sensation of omnipotence.
"Come again, Eren! Get up!"
His voice was filled with a thirst for battle.
Smoke billowed in front of him, and Eren roared as he burst through it again, lunging at Lock.
With Eren grabbing his waist, Lock immediately pressed his body forward, his legs digging into the ground for nearly five meters before coming to a stop.
The two sides were at a stalemate, the two fifteen-meter Titans locked in a test of strength.
"Eren, knock her down!"
"Go, Eren!"
Mikasa lunged at the back of Lock's knee with her blades, but she was blocked by Lock's precise, localized Hardening.
She didn't give up, attacking other areas, but all were instantly neutralized by Lock.
Having lost all her blades, Mikasa returned to the rooftop, her face full of disbelief:
"How can Annie's reactions be this fast?"
"It feels like a completely different person from last time."
Lock leaned down and wrapped his arms around Eren's waist, exerting his full strength to lift Eren head-down before falling backward with the momentum.
Boom!
The two Titans triggered a minor earthquake at that moment, shattering all the window glass of the houses on both sides.
Lock broke free from Eren and stood up again.
Let's end the play here; next, I need to prepare for the final performance.
Lock looked at Eren, who was lying on the ground and struggling to get up, a confident smile appearing on his lips.
Eren, I'm not afraid of you anymore!
The future is set; the winner will be me, Lock!
Of course, that smile became extremely terrifying on a Titan's face.
The Survey Corps Soldiers were frozen in place, terrified by the scene.
Before they could react, Lock turned and began running toward the gate of Stohess.
"Where is she going?!"
"No matter where she's going, we have to stop her!"
After a few agile turns, Lock successfully reached the main road of Stohess; the terrain here was wide open, making it difficult to use Omni-Directional Mobility Gear to harass him.
He looked at the panicked crowds fleeing on the ground and jumped directly into the riverbed, beginning to run along it toward Wall Sina.
The sound of Eren's chasing footsteps grew closer and closer behind him.
Lock ignored it, crossing a stone bridge and continuing to push forward through the riverbed.
Boom!
Eren smashed through a building and appeared from the side in front of Lock.
Falling debris randomly killed many innocent passersby, not to mention the residents inside the building.
Lock couldn't help but click his tongue, waiting in place.
He tilted his head to dodge Eren's oncoming right fist, then swung his hardened left elbow upward, striking Eren's chin hard.
Despite taking a blow that would definitely knock out a normal person, Eren acted as if it were nothing, striking Lock's abdomen with his left fist.
This time, Lock really didn't react in time and was sent flying by Eren.
Bang!
Lock landed on the riverside road, his massive body crushing many people who were fleeing.
[Host's adrenaline levels detected to be rising, System evaluating]
"Is this your willpower? It's truly terrifying, Eren."
Lock stood up, setting aside his previous contempt.
"No wonder Annie lost to you."
[Levels have not reached the threshold, System self-activation failed]
Seeing the opponent charge again, Lock changed his stance.
The expressions of Mikasa, Jean, and Armin, who had caught up, changed.
"Isn't that Lock's fighting stance?"
"Has Annie already learned it?"
The sixteen-character spirit of the Eight Extremes Fist legacy, the latter eight characters are—
[Sacrifice oneself without ego, face danger first]
A trace of ruthlessness appeared on Lock's face.
I'll see who's tougher today!
Lock also charged toward Eren with all his might!
The two great Titans instantly closed in and collided violently in the riverbed!
Boom!
A dull thunderclap rang out over the riverbed, and everyone clutched their ears and fell to the ground in pain.
Eren was sent flying back.
Lock retreated several steps, but in the end, he remained standing.
He opened his mouth to exhale a breath of turbid air, dispelling the Hardening on his right shoulder and elbow.
"Eren!" Mikasa hurriedly jumped down from the rooftop.
Jean muttered,
"Eren, still can't win?"
Armin stared intently at the Female Titan's stance, his suspicion deepening:
"Is that really... Annie?"
Lock glanced at Eren, who was still struggling to get up, and continued running toward the gate.
"Is she trying to destroy the city gate?"
"We can't let her succeed!"
While running, Lock could already see the transport convoy coming in from the gate on the main road.
Unlike the panicked Military Police Soldiers, Lock noticed that Erwin was standing in place waiting for him to approach, his expression exceptionally calm.
Immediately after, Lock noticed that Levi was nowhere to be seen on the field.
He stopped instantly, coming to a halt just a few meters away from Erwin.
Time seemed to freeze at this moment. This epic scene was etched into the minds of everyone present—
A mortal confronting a Titan.
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