"Annie…."
Zeke paused mid-drink, then looked at Reiner. Behind his glasses, his gaze was deep. "Reiner, I recall your report—Annie was captured, right?"
Reiner's face turned pale when Pieck mentioned Annie. When Zeke asked, he was completely at a loss for how to respond.
Pieck watched Reiner curiously. Reiner forced himself to speak: "She… might…"
"Maybe she was persuaded to defect after being captured," Zeke naturally continued. Reiner stared, surprised that Zeke would cover for him.
"Annie, really?" Pieck remained prone, her hands supporting her chin. "If you mean that girl would betray anyone… I'm not so sure. But if the intel you provided is correct, the people with Annie are that Lillian you mentioned and Ymir, who regained her power after consuming Marcel."
"Really?!"
"Yes." Pieck glanced at Reiner, who looked astonished. "It fits the description you gave. Boy with black hair and eyes; tall girl, with a few freckles on her face."
"It's them!" Reiner confirmed, his face worsening. "It's Lillian and Ymir."
"I'm curious about the two of them," Zeke said with a smile. "You don't know, the Marley military lost their minds when they learned Lillian was that boy from back then. Twelve years old, killed a general's child, boarded a ship, and wiped out all the soldiers. It was a huge embarrassment for Marley. They instructed me to capture him at all costs."
"…"
"As for Ymir, she's… tragic too," Zeke continued, his eyes reflecting memories. "I once read a military file. Over sixty years ago, some Eldians secretly founded an underground religion. Somehow, they got a little girl they called 'Ymir' and worshipped her as a deity. Later, the Marley military crushed the religion, but the girl was blamed as the culprit… then sent her to Paradis for experimentation." Zeke looked at them both. "Do you think… that's a coincidence?"
The two fell silent. Obviously, they didn't believe it was a coincidence.
No wonder Ymir always joked in a certain way… In reality, at her true age, she could legitimately claim it.
She had wandered the island in her Pure Titan form for sixty years, and later, by coincidence, consumed Marcel and regained human form. That was the story.
"Poor girl," Zeke said softly. "She didn't understand anything and was burdened with a name she couldn't handle."
Pieck added, "Our mission also includes bringing her back."
"Yes. Let me count… we need to bring back four Titans in total. Honestly… might have been easier just to bomb them from a plane. What do you think, Reiner?"
"Uh… uh…" Reiner, anxious, barely heard Zeke's question and shifted topics instead. "Warrior Chief, you mustn't underestimate him! That Lillian is incredible—his body… it's human, but his strength and speed surpass even a Titan! And he also wields a—"
"Alright, alright, you've already reported all that. I know," Zeke interrupted casually, waving his hand. "More than that, I want to know why the three of them came here. They can't know we're here, can they?"
"Impossible!" Reiner analyzed, then suddenly had an idea. "Maybe… they're coming to seal the wall!"
"Huh? Annie and the Jaw Titan haven't gained hardening yet, right?"
"Well…"
"Forget it," Zeke said, standing. "Our target is four Titans. Two just showed up on our doorstep, along with that Lillian kid. Saves us some trouble. Get ready to welcome our guests."
"…Yes."
---
Meanwhile, at Wall Rose, the Survey Corps was preparing to depart. This time, it was a full-scale operation, carrying a large amount of supplies.
After all, they had to cross the Titan-infested plains to Wall Maria and deal with any Titans blocking the gates. Tons of blades and gas were essential.
Thanks to glowing stones, nighttime combat became much safer. Previously, they had to hold torches while moving at night, which was inconvenient. Now, with "nuclear flashlights," they could march en masse at night, minimizing Titan threats.
"We'll reach the Forest of Giant Trees by dawn, then arrive at Wall Maria the following night," Hange told Erwin. Their route coincided with Lillian's, but Lillian could traverse the plains during the day, whereas the Survey Corps had to wait until nightfall.
"Mm," Erwin nodded. Hange added, "Too bad—if Lillian helped, we wouldn't have to wait until night."
"No matter. His situation is complicated now; it's fine we don't cooperate."
Hange understood Erwin's meaning. Only a few days had passed since the previous incident. If the Survey Corps acted with Lillian now, parts of the military would treat them as allied with him, creating more problems.
Erwin didn't want that. He only sought to drive out Titans and discover the world's truth. Otherwise, he would have joined the Military Police long ago, and the corps' leadership wouldn't be Nile.
"Get ready. We move now."
"Yes!"
---
Traveling at night was relatively safe because Pure Titans generally didn't move after dark. Only in special circumstances—driven by the Coordinate or other anomalies—might they be active at night, but such cases were rare.
At this moment, Lillian didn't have Annie transform to speed up the journey. Instead, all three of them rode horses at full gallop. Glowstone flashlights were strapped to the horses' heads and backs, so visibility was no longer a concern, and there was no worry about a Titan suddenly leaping out from the darkness.
This also preserved Annie's energy—she would need it for sealing the wall later. Hardening was extremely taxing for Titans, so it couldn't be overused.
"We're almost there."
Lillian gazed at the massive outline of Wall Maria in the distance. He glanced at the horse beside him; his war scythe rested on its back. If all went according to plan, blocking the gate would be straightforward. Then they would wait atop the wall until dawn, and as the Titans became active, they would eliminate them one by one.
Why not strike while they slept at night? Simple—it would be far too troublesome to locate them individually, and Lillian didn't want to waste that effort.
But…
"Be careful, there may be other enemies around."
Lillian's sudden warning made the other two curious.
"What do you mean, shortie?" Ymir asked. "Other enemies?"
"I'm not sure."
Lillian was certain what he had seen in the Forest of Giant Trees wasn't a hallucination. Something had been watching them from the shadows, and when discovered, it had quickly vanished.
It couldn't have been human—nothing could move that fast or be so perceptive. If it was a Titan… then the enemy was from across the sea. Could Reiner have returned already?
He glanced at Annie, noticing she was also staring at him. Their eyes met for a brief moment, both startled.
Next, Annie quickly turned her head. Lillian thought to himself: if Reiner appeared again, would she show mercy this time?
"The clouds have cleared," Annie said suddenly.
Lillian looked up. Indeed, the thick clouds that had covered the sky were gone. The moon appeared, casting silver light that pushed the darkness into the earth.
"No need for the glowstones now," Lillian said. The moonlight expanded their vision, revealing a figure standing high on the wall, a kilometer away.
"What?!"
Annie's face went pale, and Ymir's expression immediately turned anxious. "Beast Titan?!"
"Damn!"
Watching the Beast Titan's arm movements, Lillian shouted: "Transform immediately!" He leaped from the horse, grabbing his war scythe from its back.
Whoosh—whoosh—whoosh!
In the next instant, countless rushing sounds pierced the air. Annie leapt from her horse in front of Lillian, biting his finger to initiate her transformation.
Boom—!
Crack, crack, crack!
Rocks and debris flew in every direction. Annie's Titan opened her arms; Lillian remained unharmed, but smoke rose from her body. The Beast Titan's throwing power at this distance made even small debris hit with the force of bullets—or more.
"Run at full speed!" Lillian jumped from Annie's hand to her shoulder's rear, glancing at Ymir, who had also transformed and charged toward the wall.
Thump, thump, thump, thump!
Annie's Titan ran swiftly. She knew Zeke was thier Warrior Chief, the one who had mastered Titan power best. Yet she could not retreat.
"It's okay, Annie," Lillian whispered. He had noticed her fear of Zeke before she transformed. "Nothing to fear. I'll cut off that throwing arm soon enough!"