Although the startled expressions from Petra and Elder stroked a bit of Lock's pride, he forced himself not to relax. The battlefield wasn't done with them—not with the ordinary Titans that had begun to lumber closer, not with Oruo, who was still locked in a desperate struggle against two Abnormals.
"Support Oruo!" Lock shouted, already sprinting back to his horse.
He vaulted onto the saddle and charged across the field. Petra and Elder reacted instantly, wheeling their mounts to follow. As they rode in his wake, Levi's figure flickered unbidden across their minds—the way Lock carried himself, the cold urgency in his voice. But the thought vanished as quickly as it came; now wasn't the time for comparisons.
They had to finish this fight before the regular Titans converged. Out here, with nothing but flat earth in every direction, there was no cover, no forest to anchor their gear. Once surrounded, survival would be near impossible. Worse, gas wasn't unlimited—burn too much on evasive maneuvers, and their blades would never reach a Titan's nape.
The three arrived just as Oruo twisted past a massive hand, barely avoiding being crushed between two Abnormals. His gear screamed as he pushed it to the limit, dodging and darting like a moth in firelight. But all he could do was defend. Every opening closed before his blades reached it.
When Lock shot into the air, Oruo's relief was plain. His shock followed right after.
The rookie had already taken down one Abnormal—too fast, too clean. Now he was coming for a second.
"Tch... maybe it's not so unfair I lost to him before," Oruo muttered under his breath. Even he couldn't deny it.
He spun away from another clawing hand, buying time, while Lock blurred past his flank. The Abnormal barely shifted its attention before Lock's blades flashed. Twin arcs of steel, swift and merciless—one more Titan dropped, collapsing like a felled tree.
"The third one's still standing," Lock murmured.
He landed back in the saddle, sparing a glance at the others. Oruo, Petra, and Elder were working together seamlessly, circling the last Abnormal in tight rhythm. Lock knew better than to interfere. He was most effective alone—just like Levi.
Instead, he drove his horse toward the cluster of regular Titans closing in from the rear. He couldn't allow them to interrupt.
Compared to Abnormals, the shambling brutes felt almost predictable. Their steps telegraphed their path; their arms swung slowly and heavily. With his current strength, Lock cut through them one after another, their steaming corpses cratering the field in his wake.
Behind him, Oruo and the others finally brought their Abnormal down. The four regrouped without hesitation and pushed their horses hard, racing back toward the convoy.
Not long after, the battlefield they had abandoned was filled with more Titans. Ordinary ones, but in numbers enough to choke the earth. They lumbered in the direction the squad had fled, late to the slaughter.
Lock didn't look back. He caught up with the convoy, and the collective breath of relief was palpable. One more step slower, one more moment of hesitation, and they would have been lost.
"If we hadn't broken through when we did, the convoy would've been torn apart," Elder admitted, his tone heavy.
Petra's brow furrowed. "I just hope the other convoys were luckier. Supplies are everything for the outposts. If even one is hit like we were..."
Elder's voice dropped. "It would cripple the mission. And the Corps can't afford that." He glanced at Lock, calm in his saddle as though the battle hadn't shaken him in the slightest. A sigh slipped out before he could stop it.
"Lock... you're made for this. For the Survey Corps. You adapted outside the Walls faster than anyone I've ever seen. It took me months to stop shaking at the sight of a Titan."
Before he could continue, Petra cut him off sharply. "Save it. Look ahead."
Signal flares rose in the distance. Too many. A warning.
"Damn it," Oruo cursed. "Patrol units are already engaged. If those Titans break through, they'll be on top of us next."
"We've fallen behind the main column," Petra said. "If we're slowed again, we'll be cut off."
Elder tried to steady them. "The horses are running thin. We can only push so far before they collapse..." His voice dropped again, almost a prayer. "Gunda... wherever you are, I hope you made it to command safely."
Lock stared south, where the sky bled into the horizon. His voice was quiet, but it carried.
"Maybe. Or maybe he didn't. Maybe none of them did."
Petra shot him a look, but he didn't falter.
"I saw no flare smoke from behind us. Only from the flanks. That patrol unit... they're gone."
The words hung heavy in the air, heavier than the silence that followed.
The convoy pressed onward, horses straining, while behind them, the plain was already filling with more Titans.
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