When Zeke fell from the crumbling rooftop, he bit into his palm. A jagged bone jutted from his back, lightning split the night sky, and in an instant his body swelled into coarse fur and sinew. Standing tall at seventeen meters, the Beast Titan let out a guttural roar that shook the rubble beneath him.
There was no time to delay.
Before his feet even settled into the ground, Zeke tore a chimney loose with his massive hand, crumbled it into gravel, and hurled the debris at the Armored Titan clawing his way back to his feet.
"!!!"
The barrage slammed into Reiner's armored body, pelting him like a storm of boulders.
"I told you before—you're just a paper shield," Zeke mocked, his voice low and coarse through the Beast Titan's throat.
"You still don't believe me? I'll beat you the same way I did in my past life. Armor is nothing without resolve. If your heart is weak, then no plate of steel can save you!"
He leapt forward on all fours, his long arms pounding the earth like the legs of a gorilla, his body lurching with unnatural speed.
Walking upright? Only so fast.
Running on arms? Faster.
And back when Marley tested him, he made sure never to reveal everything.
Besides—running on all fours was unsightly.
His plan was clear: disable Reiner, tear open the nape, and drag the boy out before he could do more damage. Out of the three warriors, Reiner was Marley's most obedient dog. But the chaos in Shiganshina proved otherwise.
Reiner would cling to the mission, no matter the cost. That kind of loyalty was dangerous.
Keeping him alive would only invite disaster.
But then—
A golden bolt of lightning ripped through the street and slammed against Zeke.
Before he could even react, a towering figure burst forward. A slender giant with golden hair drove her fist into his jaw, sending the Beast Titan crashing into the neighboring house in a cloud of brick and dust.
His head rang. Stars burst in his vision. He spat rubble and blood from his mouth.
And then he saw her.
Good news: the one who hit him was beautiful.
Bad news: the beauty wasn't finished.
The Female Titan stood tall, blue eyes burning with cold fire, her fists tightening for another flurry.
"…Annie."
…
On the streets below
The townsfolk stared upward, pale with terror. Their fragile hope—the hope they had placed in Zeke—crumbled as another Titan appeared.
"Why… why is there another one?"
"This is worse than before…"
Little Eren stood frozen, his lips trembling. His small fists shook as he whispered, "Brother Zeke…" His eyes dulled like glass, color draining away.
"Move!" barked Hannes, gripping Eren's wrist and pulling him away. He supported Carla, limping with her injury, and shouted back at Mikasa, "Stay close! Don't look back. We head for the docks!"
"Yeah…" Mikasa pressed her red scarf against her face, muffling a sob.
She reached for Hannes's sleeve, her dark eyes wet but determined.
The group stumbled forward, but Eren twisted his head again and again, staring at the rooftop battlefield.
Above the roofs, the Beast Titan struggled against the golden-haired warrior.
Their massive forms towered against the night, illuminated by fire and starlight.
Tears blurred Eren's vision.
"It's my fault…" he whispered. "I let him go… Zeke was just human, like us. It's my fault… all because we're weak. Do the weak only cry? Only hide in cages? Have everything stolen—our lives, our dreams… even my brother?"
…
In the ruins
The Beast Titan staggered up from the rubble.
"Ani…" he growled, rubbing dust from his fur.
But Annie didn't give him the chance.
Her fists shot forward like pistons.
One punch. Two punches. Three.
Her blows landed in a relentless storm, pounding Zeke backward. His bones groaned, his furred body bruised purple beneath the armor of hardened skin.
"Damn it—" He barely managed to harden his forearms, catching Annie's strike before it shattered his skull. Sparks flew where their hardened flesh collided.
Among the three warriors, Annie was the one he feared most.
Speed, agility, power, all sharpened like a blade. Close combat was her specialty, and once she closed the distance, even the Beast Titan's reach meant little.
She was faster.
She was sharper.
And his throwing arm—the source of his true strength—was nearly useless at this range.
That was why he had dreaded facing her above all.
They planned this, he realized. Annie had been waiting in ambush. They knew he would betray them, knew he'd interfere, and so they placed her here—ready to stall him long enough for Reiner to finish the job.
Smart. Very smart.
But not smart enough.
He was still their captain.
He refused to lose to a soldier.
Zeke gritted his teeth.
He endured Annie's barrage, waiting for her rhythm to falter. Her punches slowed, her breathing grew heavy.
That was his chance.
With a snarl, Zeke lunged and seized both her wrists.
"Did your instructor tell you…" he rasped, tightening his grip, "…to beware the monkey's hands?"
Before she could kick, he squeezed.
CRACK.
Annie's forearms shattered like twigs, her hardened skin splintering under his crushing grip.
Her leg swept into his ribs, toppling them both. They crashed into the earth with a thunderous impact.
But Annie suffered worse. With her arms broken, her boxing advantage vanished.
Zeke had already planned for this. His short legs couldn't block her kick, so he had allowed the fall. And as they hit the ground, his long arms coiled like snakes around her head.
Be careful of the monkey's hands.
With all his might, he clenched.
SQUELCH.
The Female Titan's skull burst in his grasp. Steam hissed from the wound, and the blonde girl inside was revealed, her small form slumped and limp.
Zeke's yellow eyes narrowed, cruel and cold.
"You lose."
He reached into the broken nape, wrapped his hand around Annie, and pulled her out. Her body was slick with steam and blood, trembling faintly.
The time had come to reclaim the Female Titan's power.
He raised her toward his maw, his jagged teeth parting.
But then—
A droplet hit his fur.
A tear.
Zeke froze.
Her eyes were shut, but two lines of tears ran freely down her cheeks.
Annie Leonhart, the coldest and most distant among his warriors, was crying.
"Captain…" her faint voice echoed in his memory, fragile and small. "Will you take us home? Will I ever… see my father again?"
Zeke's jaw hung open, trembling. For the first time in battle, he hesitated.
...
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