Five minutes earlier
When he heard that the Survey Corps had discovered those Eldians who had been hidden within the Shiganshina District, Zeke knew his opportunity had arrived.
To be honest, this contingency was something Zeke had arranged out of excessive caution. Repeated failures had filled him with a sense of powerlessness toward the situation, leaving him both furious and anxious, which was why he had requested, in his reports to Marley, the transfer of a group of Eldian criminals injected with special spinal fluid.
Now it seemed he truly had reason to be grateful for that arrangement.
But Zeke suddenly thought of Yago, his brows knitting tightly. That soldier who looked extremely young made Zeke feel extraordinarily troubled.
Especially because Yago had spoken, right in front of him, of the secret plan Zeke had kept buried deep in his heart—a plan known only to himself and a very small number of subordinates absolutely loyal to him.
Zeke did not believe that any of those who knew his plan would leak it. Even if it were leaked, it should have been impossible for the people on this island of Paradis to know.
"So, Yago Norman… who exactly are you?" Zeke muttered to himself.
Raising his head, the steam emanating from Zeke's wounds gradually dissipated. A trace of blood slid down from the corner of his mouth, while faint yellow arcs of electricity appeared in his eyes.
This was Zeke's secret, hidden from everyone. The power of the Titans always prioritized repairing the host's physical injuries, which meant that when a Titan shifter's human body suffered severe damage, they would be unable to transform. Yet Zeke had overcome this problem—or rather, barely overcome it.
By halting the healing of his wounds, he forcibly awakened a portion of the Titan power.
But this state was extremely dangerous. Not only would the transformation time be greatly extended, both the human body and the summoned Titan body would be exceedingly fragile.
Looking at Scott and Floch outside the cage, Zeke chose to gamble. As for what Yago had said to him earlier, though there were hints of cooperation in those words, Zeke did not like passive cooperation.
Zeke's abnormality caught Scott's attention. The flickering arcs of electricity on Zeke's body made Scott, who had witnessed Eren's transformation, feel a sense of dread, and he instinctively reached toward his waist.
But the gas in Scott's Vertical Maneuvering Equipment had already been exhausted. In order to reassure Floch, he had not had time to replenish it up to now.
"Logistics squad! All soldiers! Frank! Rush over there! Stop that guy! Cut off his nape!" In this situation, Scott could only shout loudly to the surrounding subordinates, while drawing his blades and running toward Zeke himself.
Many logistics soldiers were momentarily stunned, but they quickly noticed that something was wrong with Zeke and immediately surged forward together.
However, the other soldiers were all quite far away.
The closest one was Floch, who was also the first to reach Zeke's cage.
Just as shocked as the Survey Corps soldiers were Pieck and Reiner inside the cage. They too were stunned that Zeke could still transform while in such a grievously wounded state.
Pieck stared at Zeke, crackling with electricity, her face filled with disbelief, yet at the same time a glimmer of hope for escape surged within her.
Pieck's Cart Titan could only transform repeatedly until exhaustion when she was uninjured.
Floch rushed to Zeke's front, gripping his blades tightly. Zeke lifted his head and stared straight at Floch.
"Floch! Cut off his nape!" Scott's shout came from behind. Trembling, Floch raised his blades, his eyes locking with Zeke's. The arcs flickering in Zeke's eyes made Floch unbearably tense.
As long as the blades fell, everything would end, and Zeke would certainly die.
Yet the raised blades could not come down. Perhaps his comrades' mockery was right—Floch was too cowardly.
Scott rushed to Floch's side and raised his blade to stab at Zeke, but it was already too late.
Boom! A violent shock burst the cage apart, and Floch was blown away as well.
"Roar!" Accompanied by intense arcs of electricity and blinding light, a horribly shattered Beast Titan appeared. Below the head, everything was a mangled mass of flesh, with only that fuzzy head barely intact.
But that was enough. The Beast Titan let out a terrifying roar.
Floch scrambled up from the ground in a sorry state, staring blankly at his surroundings as countless yellow pillars of light rose all around.
"Titans!" A comrade's shout snapped Floch back to reality.
Several Titans suddenly burst into Floch's field of vision, charging madly in his direction.
Terrified, Floch clutched his head and crouched down, but the Titans ignored him completely, leaping over him and charging toward the Beast Titan.
As if endowed with awareness, the Titans dug Zeke out from the Beast Titan's nape, then picked up the cage holding Pieck and Reiner, and immediately fled at full speed toward the distance.
"Quick, pursue them! All logistics soldiers! We can't let them escape!" Scott, coughing up blood, struggled to prop himself up. That shock had truly injured him badly.
After sacrificing countless comrades' lives to finally capture Zeke and the others, Scott could not watch them escape.
"Yes!" More than a dozen Survey Corps soldiers immediately activated their Vertical Maneuvering Equipment and gave chase.
Floch staggered over to Scott's side, shame and guilt overwhelming him as he slapped himself several times.
"Squad Leader, it's all my fault. I'm a ridiculous coward. I—I don't deserve to be a soldier of the Survey Corps."
Scott shook his head with difficulty. A dull, stabbing pain throbbed in his chest—he had probably broken several ribs.
"Floch, the Wings of Freedom must overcome the fear in one's heart. I believe you will become a qualified soldier in the future."
Before Scott could finish speaking, his expression suddenly changed, and he shoved Floch aside.
In the next instant, blood sprayed everywhere. Floch's eyes widened as he watched the Titan in front of him bite down on Scott's body, blood streaming from the Titan's mouth. Its emotionless eyes turned toward Floch.
"S-Squad Leader…" Floch stared blankly at the scene before him.
...
Rip!! Seeing the situation grow far too chaotic, Yago directly abandoned using Vertical Maneuvering Equipment to slay Titans. He sliced open his palm, hardened claws spreading over it, as the Fate Titan burst forth amid steam and arcs of electricity.
But now the entire Shiganshina had become a battlefield. The Survey Corps soldiers were trapped in every corner by scattered Titans, completely unable to organize a counterattack.
"Damn it! What should I do?" Against these ordinary Titans, the Fate Titan held an absolute advantage. Before the sharp claws empowered by the Jaw Titan, the Fate Titan was almost one claw per Titan, easily tearing off a Titan's head along with its nape.
Yet facing hundreds of Titans scattered across all areas, even Yago was at a loss. Every extra second wasted meant greater casualties for the Survey Corps.
At that moment, Yago sensed two forces and looked toward the wall. He could feel that one of them was Eren—Eren had also used the power of the Attack Titan.
And then, the Fate Titan turned its head, gazing at that Jaw Titan crowned like royalty as it slaughtered everything in its path.
A thought suddenly emerged in Yago's mind. Though extremely risky, it was worth trying!
Without hesitation, half of Yago's body emerged from the nape as he shouted downward, "Annie!!"
Annie, who had just slain a Titan, heard Yago's call and immediately activated her Vertical Maneuvering Equipment, flying to the Fate Titan's shoulder.
"Annie, there's no time. Find Eren and get him here! It has to be fast!"
Seeing the unprecedented seriousness on Yago's face, Annie nodded firmly, then leapt down. The spike on her ring pierced her finger.
The Female Titan appeared, crouching low as it charged in great strides toward Eren's position. The surrounding Titans were too scattered and too numerous—using Vertical Maneuvering Equipment to travel would be too slow. She could only risk using the Female Titan's power. At a time like this, there was no room left for concealment.
Yago did not remain idle either. He returned to the Fate Titan's nape and sprinted wildly toward the Jaw Titan's direction.
"The power of the Founder should be able to change the situation!"