Boom
The sudden sound of destruction tramples upon everyone's heart.
Children, adults, civilians, military, male or female—it doesn't differentiate between age, gender, or profession.
The beat of terror struck alike regardless of any status.
For a moment, everyone stood paralyzed, fear gripping their heart.
Having already suffered through the past week full of unpleasant events, the sudden chime of this explosion sounded as the catalyst of the catastrophe.
Stationed above the walls, Armin Arlert looks at the smoldering black smoke.
The anguish-filled wails tormented his ears, almost wobbling him up.
"W-what is going on?" Confusion clouded his mind.
He doesn't understand what is happening and why it is happening; he only knows that, one after another, calamity seems to have struck the Trost district.
Since the day of their arrival here—in the Trost district for the last part of the training regiment, to gain the experience—a chain of tragedy seems to have followed them every day.
First, the sudden change in the action of the military, after which the abduction of Ymir and Cristia, then the case of the abduction of the military personnel—that all looks like a prelude to something bigger.
And now, looking at rising black smoke from the center of the Trost district and the cries of pain, it all seems like the Trost district is in angst.
The people from the area where the explosion occurs rush out of their houses, running in a frenzy, trying to find a shred of safety to comfort their shaken hearts.
Watching this, Armin suddenly remembers that tragic day, causing a chill to rush up his spine.
He stood frozen in fear, just like that day.
Similar to him, other soldiers also stood rooted in their spot, looking bewildered at the sudden turns of the event.
"Attention!!!"
It was the roaring of a captain, which woke them up from the stupor.
On the instant, hearing the command of their captain, the soldiers immediately move in formation, some moving to handle the chaos spreading everywhere, while others become alerted and hold their post, ready to tackle any other rising of the problem.
Armin gets the orders to remain stationed in his current position.
Looking at the soldiers, who using their ODM gear immediately sprang into action, causes him to have a breather.
Now, having his mind somewhat cleared up, Armin's thoughts start churning up, and the question rises up in his mind. 'What is the cause behind all of these events?'
'Why had they suddenly happened, and specifically why in the Trost district?'
'Who abducts Ymir, Christia, and other military personnel? Why did they do that?' His mind flashes with question after question.
'Who is the one behind this explosion?'
'What is their motive? Is there any organization that is rebelling against the government? Or is it something else? Why are they spreading chaos?'
Armin has hundreds of questions and doubts, but he didn't get a single answer; instead, it all caused his mind to spiral.
Inhale~
Exhale~
Taking a deep breath, Armin calms down, blocking his mind from the chaos.
With a still mind, Armin takes a broader view of the Trost district, and then his thoughts start to move towards the beginning, from where everything starts.
He couldn't find the cause of this explosion.
Couldn't guess the reason behind the case of abductions.
Then he thinks about the unusual decision by the government to increase the concentration of the soldiers inside the districts surrounding the wall.
How they piled up the cannons upon the top of the wall, and how the number of the soldiers is ever present stationed there.
"Huh?"
Suddenly, a thought emerges in his mind, recalling the comment of one of his comrades when the military started to increase the number of cannons above the top of the wall.
Connie had said that they seemed to be preparing for the arrival of the titans. Initially, that speculation behind the action of the government spread everywhere, but then the sudden turns of events made everyone forget about that, but now Armin suddenly recalls that.
Looking at his surroundings, he notices the decrease in the number of soldiers stationed over the walls.
As most of them have moved downward inside the Trost district on the orders of their captain.
Watching the empty posts on the cannons, Armin suddenly has a bizarre thought: 'Is it a distraction?'
But the next second Armin shook his head, throwing out the guess from his mind. 'What am I even thinking? How can that be real?'
Armin dismisses his own thoughts. Not intending to believe that for even a second.
But the next second—
Ragrhhh~
A bestial roar sounded from outside the walls; startled, Armin instantly turned around and looked in the distance.
Squinting his eyes, what he saw shocked him.
A storm of dust seems to be moving in the direction of the Trost district, in which many figures of titans can be seen running towards the wall.
Looking at the horde of the titans, disbelief gets painted on Armin's face.
"How?"
A single question repeated again and again in his mind.
"How can this be real?"
"Was that earlier explosion really a distraction?"
What he previously discarded as impossible suddenly emerges in his mind; the possibility stood within his own eyes.
He suddenly recalls that horrified image, a titan overlooking the wall, whose one strike breached these sturdy walls, causing one-third of humanity to be lost altogether.
A stiffness arrives in his heart, his breath caught in his chest, Armin looks at the terrifying scene of the horde of titans, in front of which runs a strange female titan, which seems to lead them.
Looking at this strange titan, Armin thought of the Armored Titan, who had appeared during the fall of the Shiganshina District.
His eyes immediately search for it, but the distance causes him to be unable to distinguish it.
Sweat drips from his brows, but the only thing that causes him to still stand is that there was no appearance of the colossal titan.
Having a somewhat relieving thought, Armin then looks at the number of cannons placed there, knowing that no matter how many titans arrive, they will be unable to breach the wall; only that colossal titan poses a threat towards the wall.
HUFF
'If there is no colossal titan, then there is nothing to fear.'
As that thought arrives in Armin's mind.
A sudden golden thunder strikes.
The figure of the colossal titan manifested in front of his eyes.
Armin's wide-eyed looks in horror at the colossal titan, who similarly gazes at him.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The next chapters are going to be full of action, and we are close to the conclusion.
Thank you guys; please point out the error and the area where I can improve myself.
And don't forget about the power stones.
power stones
power stones
power stones
power stones
power stones
power stones