When Ian saw Eren lift the massive boulder, his entire spirit was lifted.
"Everyone, hold the line! Even if every one of us dies, we must ensure that Eren Yeager reaches the gate! Do not let the Titans get anywhere near him!" Ian shouted loudly.
When Mikasa saw Eren moving forward, she smiled.
In the middle of her excitement, a twelve-meter abnormal Titan that an elite squad had been cautiously guarding was instantly cut down—Mikasa sliced its nape in one clean strike.
"Such combat ability…" Ian stared at Mikasa in shock, his blade still raised.
Holding her swords, Mikasa looked toward Eren in the distance. She examined the growing number of Titans gathering nearby, her eyes sharp and resolute before launching back into the air once more.
On the roof of a building along a street in the central defense area.
"Reiner… what should we do now…?" Bertholdt asked, sweating nervously as he watched Eren carrying the massive boulder—and the lightning-like figure weaving through the Titans.
Reiner stared warily at that lightning-fast figure darting through the Titan horde.
"Chen Si is a powerful guy," Reiner said seriously. "But for now, his actions align with our interests. Eren can't die here. Our mission is to take him back."
Looking at the Titans surrounding Eren, Reiner thought to himself that if Eren truly fell into danger, he might have to reveal himself and intervene.
"We should kill that man named Chen Si if possible. He will become the greatest threat Marley faces."
A gloomy voice suddenly spoke from beside Reiner.
"Who's there?!" Reiner's hair stood on end. He immediately raised his sword and looked toward the empty air beside him.
"It's us."
As the voice spoke, two figures gradually appeared—Sawano Kawa and Marcel.
Reiner's face lit up with joy.
"You've finally appeared! With you two here, the mission will definitely succeed."
He had been troubled by Chen Si's combat strength, and he had also heard that the Survey Corps were already returning. The man called Levi—said to be humanity's strongest—made him wary of acting recklessly. But now that Marcel and Sawano had appeared, they could finally make their move.
"Wait! Where's Annie? Where did she go?" Bertholdt looked around Sawano and Marcel anxiously but couldn't find Annie.
"Annie? Wasn't she with you the whole time?" Marcel asked in confusion.
"Annie?" Reiner frowned.
"She'll be fine. Focus on the mission first," Sawano said with an irritating expression. "Have you thought about the consequences of failure? If we fail, the only fate waiting for your families is death. Personally, I don't really care."
No one became angry at Sawano's words.
Because what he said was true.
As Eldians, once they lost their value, even their families would be executed.
Everyone's expressions turned extremely grim.
"Bertholdt, come with me. I have a task that requires your help," Sawano suddenly said with a dark expression and an extremely sinister grin.
"Bertholdt? Just him alone?" Reiner asked in confusion.
"You don't need to worry about it. You two go hold back the main forces of the soldiers inside the Walls. Find an opportunity to kill Chen Si, dig Eren out, and then we'll head back to Marley. Before I leave, I want to give the people inside the Walls a little surprise," Sawano said with a twisted smile.
"You mean… you want Bertholdt to destroy the people inside the Walls…?" Reiner's pupils shrank in shock. "That would kill countless residents…"
He clenched his teeth, unable to bear the thought.
Marcel's expression hardened.
"Reiner, there's no time! If we've spent five years here accomplishing nothing, do you know what the consequences will be?! Our families will all die! And besides, the people inside the Walls are nothing but naked devils. They deserve to die!"
Marcel shouted wildly.
Scenes of tragedy kept flashing through his mind—Jack dying miserably, the horrific fate of the Ilene couple. When he once returned home from buying medicine, he found that Ilene had already hanged herself.
Marcel clenched his fists tightly and swore that the people inside the Walls would pay the price.
Hearing Marcel speak, Reiner fell silent.
Marcel had always been the leader among them—the person Reiner looked up to. He no longer argued.
Meanwhile, Bertholdt—the one who would actually carry out the act—had trembling legs. His face was pale with terror as he collapsed onto the ground.
He was about to personally kill tens of thousands of people.
"Bertholdt, what are you hesitating for?" Sawano coaxed coldly. "Do you want your family to die because of you alone? Think about it. If you complete the mission, I'll definitely put in a good word for you with Magath. Your family will receive better treatment."
Bertholdt's face twisted in agony.
"Bertholdt! You owe me two lives, remember?" Sawano shouted coldly.
Hearing this, Bertholdt seemed to lose all strength. He said nothing, but his silence was clearly acceptance.
Soon, Sawano and Bertholdt disappeared once more.
"Reiner," Marcel said seriously, placing a hand on his shoulder, "we are Titans. We are warriors. We have our mission. Go. Capture Eren Yeager. I'll hold these soldiers off."
"Alright," Reiner nodded. "Marcel, be careful. I'll handle Eren. But watch out for that man named Chen Si—his strength rivals that of a Titan, and his speed is like lightning."
"Why should you be careful of Chen Si? And why are you trying to capture Eren?"
A voice suddenly came from the sky.
Two figures descended from above.
It was Chen Si and Annie.
When Annie saw Marcel, her eyes shrank slightly. She knew that Marcel and the others were about to act. But she didn't see Bertholdt.
A horrifying thought flashed through her mind.
Marcel also noticed the newcomers and looked toward Chen Si.
Killing intent flashed in his eyes.
He didn't dare gamble on whether Chen Si had overheard everything.
He didn't dare gamble on whether Chen Si might pretend not to know and escape to report them.
He couldn't take that risk.
Too far!
His speed wasn't enough to kill Chen Si instantly. If Chen Si escaped and reported that they were Titans, everything would be over.
Countless countermeasures flashed through Marcel's mind.
Then a ruthless light appeared in his eyes.
His reaction was extremely fast.
He instantly drew the sword from Reiner's waist and sliced open his own palm.
A yellow bolt of lightning struck from the sky.
The resulting explosion created a shockwave that blasted Chen Si and Annie into the air.
As elite soldiers, the two quickly stabilized themselves and landed on another rooftop.
"ROAR!"
Marcel instantly transformed into the Jaw Titan, his massive claws seizing Reiner.
His fierce roar echoed across the entire Trost District.
Marcel's Jaw Titan had terrifying claws and a savage appearance. Unlike Ymir's version, this Titan's muscles bulged powerfully, its body covered in layered scales, and its face looked as though it wore an armored mask.
And it was standing upright.
Twelve meters tall.
"Holy crap…?" Chen Si stared in disbelief.
Why was it so much taller than Ymir's?!
It looked vastly stronger than Ymir's Jaw Titan.
Marcel truly deserved his reputation as a carefully selected elite and the leader of their group.
Annie froze in shock.
What was going on?
Had Reiner disobeyed orders?
Chen Si, however, understood instantly.
Marcel is impressive.
Because Chen Si had discovered them discussing their plans, Marcel immediately reacted—taking the blame upon himself and even "kidnapping" Reiner.
Chen Si couldn't help but feel a trace of admiration.
Now Reiner had effectively cleared himself of suspicion.
And Chen Si no longer had a reason to attack him.
Around them, soldiers were already beginning to gather.
Marcel truly was a meticulous and elite warrior.
However, this action had completely exposed a critical truth—
Titans were humans.
But that was fine.
Because Chen Si had already planned for the people inside the Walls to learn that truth during this battle anyway.