Chen Si slashed down fiercely, but the gas in his gear was completely exhausted.
His electricity was reduced to the faintest trace. Just now, in order to withstand the blast of steam, he had unleashed everything without holding back. But Bertholdt had also gone all out, burning through nearly all of his flesh and blood.
Feeling the emptiness beneath his blade, Chen Si's eyes snapped open.
Gone?
"Below!"
Chen Si leapt down from the wall. Dozens of Titans surged toward him from all sides. He scanned the area but found no trace of Bertholdt.
Eaten? Impossible. The Pure Titans around him showed no change at all. What was going on?
Did he escape during the steam explosion?
His perception had been locked onto the nape the entire time—he could always sense Bertholdt's presence. But with his electricity nearly depleted, that perception had weakened.
Forget it. I'll let you live a few more days.
Chen Si wasn't concerned. Even without electricity, he was still a 100% pure-blood Ackerman.
Looking at his empty gas reserves and dwindling electricity, then at the ring of Titans surrounding him, he frowned. This was troublesome.
He couldn't fly anymore. Not sure if I can still handle this efficiently.
A three-meter Titan reached from behind, clawing toward him.
Chen Si turned and severed its hand with a single slash. Using the explosive speed granted by his Ackerman bloodline, he darted beneath it, sliced off both its legs, and then drove his blade into the nape of its fallen body, ending its miserable existence.
At that moment, Eren leapt down. Seeing the countless Titans below, he grabbed Chen Si and carried him back toward the wall.
Chen Si did not resist. As he rose into the air, he confirmed that without gas and electricity, he could still kill Titans—just inefficiently. Better to recover his electricity as soon as possible.
He sensed inwardly. Good. Ten minutes of sleep should fully restore him.
"Eren, I'm a little sleepy. I'll take a nap. Just put me somewhere I can lie down."
With that, Chen Si closed his eyes and peacefully fell asleep. One benefit of exhausting his electricity—no insomnia.
"No! Chen Si, don't sleep! Stay with me!" Eren shouted, tears filling his eyes as he gritted his teeth to keep from crying.
What Chen Si didn't know was that Eren thought he had been gravely wounded and was dying.
Chen Si's request to "find somewhere to sleep" made Eren think he was asking to be laid to rest.
Chen Si had always been optimistic. Eren believed this was just his way of softening the blow.
Upon reaching the wall, Eren gently set Chen Si down in silence.
Seeing Chen Si sleeping peacefully and the tear-streaked face of Eren, everyone showed expressions of grief. Mina and the other girls couldn't help but sob. Sasha began wailing loudly.
"Damn Titans…" Connie growled through clenched teeth.
"Cadet Corps Top Graduate Chen Si fought with everything he had, drove back the Colossal Titan, and has been gravely wounded! Salute to the top graduate!" Eren roared.
Everyone raised their right fists to their chests in salute.
The commotion made Chen Si roll over.
Everyone froze in shock. Sasha rushed forward and checked his breathing.
"He's still breathing! He's still breathing! Chen Si is still breathing!"
Joy spread across their faces. Eren felt overwhelming relief.
Eren lifted Chen Si onto his back to carry him to the rear. Chen Si had already done more than enough. At that moment, an endless fighting spirit surged within Eren.
Chen Si, I'll avenge you!
At the breach in the wall—
Sawano Kawa pulled Bertholdt along as they retreated. His face was twisted with rage.
He could not accept that there was another transmigrator in this world—and one far stronger than him. At the very least, he didn't dare confront Titans head-on.
Only now did he realize that his invisibility ability was good for terrorizing ordinary humans at best.
His heart burned with endless resentment.
When he arrived at Wall Rose, he heard people discussing the top graduate of the 104th Training Corps.
At first, he assumed they were talking about Mikasa Ackerman and paid no attention.
Until he saw the government notice posted in the capital: Top Graduate of the Training Corps—Chen Si. Second place: Mikasa.
Rage and jealousy exploded in his heart.
That name—clearly someone from his previous life in China.
He swore he had never seen this person in the original story. This was absolutely another transmigrator like himself.
He even imagined that Mikasa had already fallen for Chen Si, that Chen Si had spent three years alongside beauties like Historia.
His jealousy twisted into killing intent.
In the royal capital, he had been relentlessly hunted by Kenny Ackerman, even chased out of the city.
Kenny regarded Sawano Kawa's escape as the greatest humiliation of his life and issued a kill order. The entire Military Police Brigade began hunting him down.
He wouldn't even get the chance to be imprisoned—once discovered, he would be executed on the spot.
The nobles within Wall Sina offered him no help after he fell from favor.
Under the Military Police's heavy bounty, many minor nobles eagerly provided information on him. After all, Sawano Kawa had frequented their estates and toyed with their women.
Enraged by their betrayal, he slaughtered those opportunistic nobles indiscriminately—killing every male and abusing the women to death.
Because of these atrocities, he had no place left within Wall Sina and fled to Wall Rose.
Pieck, seeing that he was completely exposed, stopped assisting him.
She had also discovered that the royal capital's top combat power wasn't limited to the Founding Titan. Kenny made even her wary.
Pieck planned to bring Kenny's intelligence back to Marley, then observe the soldiers at the Wall Rose front before returning to the continent.
Pieck's abandonment only deepened Sawano Kawa's fury and twisted his heart further.
He swore he would one day force Pieck beneath him—and Annie as well, who had always ignored him.
Years of resentment left Sawano Kawa's once mushroom-like haircut missing a chunk on top—shaved off by one of Kenny's flying knives.
Unlike Chen Si, he had no extraordinary regeneration.
If he ever learned that his was merely a "standard system" while Chen Si had a "VIP system," he would likely grow even more unbalanced.
Wall Rose — Territory of Duke Baldo
Commander Dot Pixis was playing chess with Duke Baldo.
"Pixis, as a commander, you're this bad at chess? How do you manage soldiers?" the duke mocked, undoing a move and replaying it.
"Commander Pixis! Urgent report! The Colossal Titan has appeared in Trost District—the gate has been breached!"
A messenger burst into the hall, ignoring the butler's attempts to stop him.
Smash.
The duke's wine glass shattered on the floor as sweat beaded across his forehead.
Pixis glanced at the chessboard before him.
There were eight different ways he could checkmate Baldo.
He had only been humoring the duke to secure more funding for the Garrison.
Now, the game was over.