Yago stared fixedly at the abnormal Titan in front of him, both hands gripping the hilts with force.
Finally, the abnormal Titan moved first. With a sudden leap, it jumped more than ten meters high and pounced toward Yago.
Whoosh! Yago swiftly activated his Vertical Maneuvering Equipment. The steel cables pulled his body away in an instant, narrowly dodging the abnormal Titan's attack.
Bang! The abnormal Titan smashed heavily onto the rooftop where Yago had just been standing, making the entire house sway violently. Yago steadied himself, his gaze sharp, pulled the trigger, and fired the grappling hook toward a building beside the abnormal Titan. Before the Titan could even react, Yago shot forward at full speed and closed in on it.
He raised his twin blades and struck. In one clean motion, half of the abnormal Titan's arm was severed. Enraged, the Titan swung its other hand, slamming at the rooftop where Yago stood.
Yago sprinted a short distance to evade it. Taking advantage of the moment while the Titan's arm was still regenerating, he aimed the sharp grappling hook and thrust it toward the Titan's nape. Unfortunately, the abnormal Titan reacted far too quickly—it opened its massive mouth wide and lunged to bite Yago.
Once the bow is drawn, there is no turning back. Yago steeled his heart. Gas erupted from behind him as he spun several times in midair. The blades on his legs rotated with him, forming two arcs of deadly light.
Rip! Blood sprayed everywhere. Scorchingly hot Titan blood splashed all over Yago's face. The abnormal Titan let out a miserable howl, its intact hand covering its injured eyes. Yago naturally did not miss this perfect opportunity. He darted behind the Titan, but the blades were already badly worn. This was the price of pursuing sharpness—the blades were too thin and light, easily worn down and dulled. Yago knocked away the blunted blades, drew two new ones from their sheaths, and cleanly sliced through the abnormal Titan's nape.
The abnormal Titan swayed and collapsed. Yet Yago's expression remained grave, because Titans in the distance were gathering in greater and greater numbers. The situation was far too abnormal. Almost the entire vanguard area was filled with Titans. It seemed the vanguard unit was likely already doomed, and the other trainees were probably in danger as well.
...
He arrived beside Lisa. She was still somewhat dazed, seemingly unable to process that the terrifying abnormal Titan had already been slain by the trainee standing before her.
"There's no time, Miss Lisa—excuse me!" Without waiting for her response, Yago scooped her up by the waist. Fortunately, she wasn't wearing any long skirts or the like; otherwise, it would have been awkward to carry her.
After lifting Lisa, Yago did not hesitate. He immediately activated his Vertical Maneuvering Equipment and sped toward the inner gate of the Rose Wall. The inner gate was the only passage from Trost District into the Rose Wall, and it was heavily armed with artillery, primarily defended by the rearguard unit.
Yago had just slain a Titan, and the smell of blood inevitably clung to him. Stimulated by the pungent stench, Lisa finally came back to her senses. She couldn't help but study the young man in front of her—jet-black tousled hair, eyes like stars, and Titan blood still on his face, though it was rapidly evaporating.
A handsome boy, she thought. But Lisa was also very rational. She would never take those theatrical stories seriously—heroes saving damsels and being repaid with devotion sounded far too fantastical. What's more, she still had…
Even so, Lisa was deeply grateful to this young trainee. If given the chance, she would definitely repay him properly. As the only daughter of Duke Wald, Lisa had that confidence. Even if Yago wanted to join the Military Police, it would only take a word from the Wald family. But judging by his formidable strength, he probably didn't even need such help.
Holding Lisa, Yago soon spotted the inner gate of the Rose Wall. Yet something felt off. By this time, so much time had already passed that the civilians should have almost completely evacuated. But now, at least a thousand civilians were still gathered at the gate.
Moreover, on an open area not far away, there was a Titan corpse that was still evaporating.
Yago leapt forward and landed steadily among the crowd. Seeing that he was a soldier, the surrounding civilians consciously made space, allowing him to set Lisa down.
Lisa bowed in thanks. "Thank you for saving me."
Yago waved his hand, but it seemed an argument was unfolding ahead. He pushed through the crowd. Before his eyes, a trainee wearing a red scarf was holding a blade to the neck of a plump merchant.
"Mikasa?" Yago exclaimed in surprise. The one pointing the blade at the merchant was indeed Mikasa. Beside her were several burly men with unfriendly looks, and two garrison soldiers, sweat on their brows, trying to mediate.
At this moment, Dimo Reeves was also in a difficult spot. As the president of the Trost District Merchants' Association, which garrison soldier had ever not treated him with utmost respect? Yet now, just because he wanted his goods to pass through the wall first, this trainee had actually pointed a blade at him!
If not for the fact that she had effortlessly slain an abnormal Titan earlier, Dimo would have wanted to teach this young trainee a harsh lesson.
Just as the standoff showed no sign of resolution and Dimo resigned himself to compromise—after all, he feared this hotheaded trainee might really strike—Yago, having understood the situation, approached with Lisa.
"President Reeves, please don't make things difficult. Let the civilians pass first. If you suffer any losses, the Wald family will compensate you."
Dimo looked over. As president of the merchants' association, he naturally recognized Duke Wald's daughter. Since they were offering him a way out, Dimo had no reason to object.
"I'll follow your arrangement, Miss Lisa." He then ordered the carts to be moved aside.
Yago found a captain of the rearguard unit and explained the situation. Upon hearing that it was Duke Wald's daughter, the captain immediately took it seriously and prepared to dispatch several elite soldiers to escort Lisa into the Rose Wall.
After that, Yago went to Mikasa and asked why she was here. Mikasa shook her head and said she had been reassigned to the rearguard unit.
The garrison Squad Leader beside Mikasa, upon hearing that Yago had slain six Titans, including an abnormal one, invited Yago to join the rearguard unit.
Yago declined. "Sorry, but my mission is already complete. Now I need to find the members of my own class."
Though it was a pity, the Squad Leader couldn't say much. Yago bade farewell to Mikasa and prepared to leave for the front line to rendezvous with Class 34. At the same time, he was also very worried about Annie's situation.
Mikasa still had duties to perform and couldn't leave her post easily. Only after all the civilians had evacuated would she be free to act.
So, just as Yago was about to leave, Mikasa grabbed him and said,
"Yago, please—if you see Eren, protect him well!"
Yago smiled. As expected, Mikasa was still worried about Eren. But under Thomas Wagner's command, there shouldn't be too many problems.
"Don't worry, Mikasa. Leave it to me."
Just as Yago was about to depart, another voice called out to him.
"Um, excuse me, I still don't know your name." Yago turned back helplessly. Lisa looked a bit embarrassed—she really didn't know the trainee's name.
"Yago. Yago Norman. Miss Lisa, take good care of yourself. If fate allows, we'll meet again!" With that, Yago swiftly left the ground and leapt onto the rooftops.
"Yago Norman? I'll remember it. The Wald family always repays its debts of gratitude. My name is Lisa Wald. If you ever run into difficulties, just come to the capital to find me!" Lisa shouted toward Yago's departing back.
...
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