Chapter 115: Eren... What Kind of Monster Are You!!!
Trost District, high above Wall Rose.
The wind howled at this altitude, and the hiss of steam from below was even more piercing.
Eren became a meteor, tearing straight through the scalding steam curtain radiating from the Colossal Titan. He didn't retreat from the heatwave; he advanced. The sound of his hooks firing and retracting was a sharp ZRRRT as they dug deep into the giant's crimson muscle fibers.
He attacked. A frenzied assault.
ZRT! ZRT! ZRT!
His speed completely surpassed the limits of visual tracking.
Through the Colossal Titan's slow and massive senses, Bertolt could only register a series of blurry afterimages and the feeling of being violently sliced apart. Every cut landed precisely on critical muscle fiber nodes, the blades vibrating as they scraped against bone.
SHINK! SHINK!
The blades ripped through muscle, sending chunks of scalding tissue flying. Eren's slashes were brutally efficient, with no wasted motion, serving only pure destruction. He circled the massive body, his target locked on the only weak spot—the nape! He was going to drag Bertolt out right now!
Bertolt's heart seized with fear, almost stopping. The intense pain and the threat of death pushed him to the brink of collapse.
This guy… Eren… What kind of MONSTER is he!!!
How could he keep fighting in this temperature? The most terrifying part was that every single slash was getting closer to the vital point! His blades had almost breached the final, hardened layer of muscle protecting the nape! Is this the skill of the top-ranking graduate?!
I can't let this go on! A few more cuts and he'll get through!
"I can't drag this out!" Bertolt suppressed his terror, forcing himself to calm down. Reiner is waiting below. Destroy the gate. Complete the mission. That's the priority!
He focused his entire mind, mobilizing the Titan's full power and converting that energy into a furious defense.
FWOOSH—!
An inferno erupted. A more violent, more intense, scalding steam—hot enough to melt steel—blasted from every pore of the Colossal Titan. The range and power were immense, instantly scorching, warping, and vaporizing the surroundings.
Eren, in the middle of a high-speed upward slash, tensed. There was nowhere to dodge. The destructive, all-encompassing steam had completely sealed his airspace. The very air seared his skin.
In a split second, Eren's core strength exploded. His body performed a mid-air stop and flip-turn that defied the laws of physics, his flexibility and power far beyond human limits. At the same time, a magical barrier flickered into existence for an instant. The high temperature and burns had no effect on his movements. He didn't even let out a grunt.
He didn't spare a single glance at the injuries that would have sent a normal person into shock. As the steam blast sent him flying high into the air, his eyes remained locked on the Colossal Titan. He caught Bertolt's intention. Target: the gate!
"Dammit!" He was too far. The steam had blasted him too far away. He couldn't stop him.
…
On the Wall below.
The Wall shook violently. The cadets on duty reacted on pure training instinct.
"Brace yourselves!"
"Anchor to the inner wall!"
Amidst the panic, they fired their ODM hooks, pressing their bodies flat against the cold stone to ride out the intense vibrations. Cold sweat soaked their backs. They managed to hold on and looked up at the outer wall, just in time to see the giant, skinless head rise up, and the insane figure of Eren launching himself at it over and over.
Shock, fear, and chaos overwhelmed the new recruits.
"Eren is fighting that monster?"
"It's too big… there's no way he can win…"
"He's going to die! Eren's going to die!"
They watched helplessly as Eren fought in the steel-melting steam. Watched him charge the Titan without flinching. Watched the Colossal Titan's apocalyptic, terrifying power. A suffocating pressure washed over them, freezing their courage and their ability to think. Their minds went blank. All the skills and confidence from the training grounds felt like a powerless, pathetic joke in the face of this reality.
Then, they saw it.
The Colossal Titan violently lifted its giant foot and kicked the Trost District gate with all its might.
BOOM—!!!
The earth shook as a deafening roar nearly tore their eardrums apart. The earth groaned. The sturdy gate, and the wall surrounding it, shattered like blocks. Massive boulders shot into the city, crushing houses and sending plumes of dust into the sky. Wall Rose, the shield that had protected humanity for a hundred years, had been brutally torn open, leaving a dark, gaping hole.
"The Wall… the Wall is breached…" Fear echoed in the voices of soldiers and civilians, spreading rapidly. The tragedy of Shiganshina, five years ago, was replaying itself in an even more direct and cruel fashion.
The instant the gate was destroyed, the Colossal Titan's body froze. Then, it began to rapidly evaporate and disintegrate. A massive cloud of white-hot steam expanded, enveloping the entire area and obscuring all sight.
In the thick, hot steam, Bertolt, exhausted, reverted to human form. He fell hard, his body convulsing from the exertion. The relief of survival, mixed with the lingering terror of Eren's combat power, made him weak, wanting only to escape immediately.
"ROAR!"
BOOM!!
A heavy impact shook the ground nearby. A figure covered in hardened armor emerged from the billowing steam. It was Reiner, transformed at the perfect moment. He snatched the limp Bertolt, shielding his human body from view.
The Armored Titan had barely appeared when Eren was already diving from above. His figure flashed, stabbing straight at Reiner's chest. Blades hit armor, sparks flew. The Armored Titan raised an arm to block, the hard plating vibrating from the impact.
Eren didn't pause, rolling low to the ground to dodge Reiner's heavy punch. He sprang back up, his dual blades now glowing with energy, and landed a cross-slash. A high-pitched screech of metal! A gash was torn in the armor.
"What?" Shock flashed in Reiner's eyes. His proud armor… had been cut open! This guy!
Eren fired his hooks, launching himself over Reiner's head. He ducked under a block, blades slashing for the nape. Reiner barely twisted in time, the blades scraping his neck armor, sending fragments flying. The Armored Titan stumbled backward, a rare look of terror in its eyes. Impossible! What's wrong with his blades?! My armor has been breached three times!
Alarms rang in Reiner's head. He burst with all his strength, stomping the ground and shattering the stone. In the cloud of dust, he took the chance to turn and flee with Bertolt.
Eren landed on the outer wall, his eyes ice-cold. Reiner… Bertolt. He prepared to give chase.
ROAR!! ROAR!!
Piercing, greedy roars echoed from the breach below. Eren snapped his head down. In the massive hole in the Wall, the dust was starting to settle, revealing Pure Titans of all sizes. Lured by the sound of the breach and the scent of life, they were swarming the opening. The first few were already forcing their way through.
Eren's fists clenched. Chasing Reiner and Bertolt was important. But letting the Pure Titans into the city… the consequences were unthinkable.
His parents! His home! Mikasa! Armin! Jean! Connie! Sasha! His comrades from the 104th! They would all die!
The thought of pursuit was instantly extinguished. Protecting the people behind him was the only priority now.
He took a deep breath, suppressing the urge to give chase. The power of his Soul Gem flowed silently, mending his body's injuries. Then, with a ZRRRT of his gear, Eren launched himself through the dust cloud again.
This time, his targets were the Pure Titans swarming the breach.