At a temporary training ground several kilometers away from the military camp, Commander Magath invited General Skor and several other high-ranking Marleyan officers to observe the abilities of the new Titan Warriors.
Yago sat casually on the raised platform with one leg crossed over the other. His current rank was Colonel, which already counted as a quasi–high-ranking officer within Marley. Using Bagge's name as leverage, he had also managed to slip into the visiting group.
Commander Magath and General Skor exchanged a few polite words on the platform, then Magath waved his arm directly, signaling for the demonstration to begin.
A figure stepped onto the open field first—it was Litt, his face cold and expressionless. Being watched by so many people made him feel like a monkey in a zoo. Although he was extremely annoyed inside, he still took out a dagger and cleanly sliced open his palm.
Boom!
Almost instantly, golden lightning erupted across the field below, forming a pillar of golden thunder that shot straight into the sky.
Steam began to spread. Through the steam, one could see strands of crimson muscle continuously appearing, wrapping around the white skeleton that had already formed. The muscles intertwined and thickened, and the steam grew denser and denser.
Gradually, streaks of blood-red lightning arcs appeared within the golden pillar of thunder. The golden light illuminated everyone's faces present, and some officers with poor eyesight even had to close their eyes.
Yago, however, dropped his previous attitude of disdain and began observing seriously. The more he observed now, the greater the advantage he would have in the future if these artificial Titans ever became enemies.
Suddenly, two enormous shadows slowly emerged from the steam. Before anyone could react, a powerful gust of wind instantly blew away all the steam. Many Marleyan officers standing directly opposite the platform were caught off guard, sand blown straight into their eyes.
But Yago beside the platform wasn't affected at all. Instead, he simply widened his eyes as he looked at the massive figure revealed after the steam dispersed.
A slender body fourteen meters tall.
Both hands and feet were equipped with razor-sharp claws that reflected light. Crimson eyes glowed ominously, and savage fangs protruded from its mouth.
But the most eye-catching feature was the two massive flesh wings on the Titan's back, like those of a bat, covered in short black fuzz.
Two wings—each one nearly the size of the Titan's entire body.
As the Titan gently flapped its wings, Yago could feel gusts of wind brushing against his face. Looking at the savage creature, he even began to wonder if a vampire from some storybook had appeared.
Magath flipped through a booklet and pointed toward the Titan Litt had transformed into.
"This is the Airwing Titan!"
Suddenly, the Airwing Titan spread its wings.
Under everyone's watchful gaze, it beat its two enormous flesh wings and shot straight into the sky. Amid the crowd's stunned expressions, the Airwing Titan flew higher and higher. Its body grew smaller and smaller until it finally became nothing more than a tiny black dot.
"A Titan that can fly… worth paying attention to."
Yago stared up at the sky. After pondering for a moment, he decisively took out paper and a pen from his pocket and hastily scribbled a few notes.
At that moment, the black dot in the sky began growing larger and larger. A sharp, piercing screech soon reached everyone's ears.
The outrageous shriek made everyone's heads ache. Yago, whose hearing was particularly sharp, found it even more unbearable—it felt as if twenty thousand chickens were clucking right beside his ears.
Just then, the Airwing Titan suddenly dove downward, spreading its claws that glinted with cold light.
Below it were several already damaged and worn train carriages.
Crack! Crack!
Several crisp sounds rang out. The irritating shriek disappeared, and the train carriages on the ground were instantly shredded into countless fragments.
The Airwing Titan folded its wings inward, wrapping them around its body so that only a pair of crimson eyes remained visible.
The demonstration ended.
Litt released his Titan form and left the open field. The people on the platform began discussing animatedly, while the Marleyan Warrior candidates below also watched everything that had happened.
Zeke stood with his arms folded, silent, already pondering the suddenly appeared Airwing Titan.
Next to step onto the field was Ivanor—a blonde with blue eyes and a curvaceous figure.
Ivanor calmly brushed her hair back, then gave a reassuring wink toward Airi, who was sitting below the platform.
Seeing this, Airi's hair practically stood on end.
So scary!
"Ugh, I have to cut myself again. I hate it. Isn't there a more elegant way to transform?"
Ivanor muttered complaints while slowly and reluctantly slicing open her palm.
Instantly, golden lightning descended upon the field once again.
This time, the momentum of Ivanor's transformation was even greater than Litt's. The surging lightning arcs were nearly twice as massive.
Within the spreading steam, a complex and strange skeletal structure began to form.
Blood vessels, muscles, and skin covered it layer by layer, the crimson flesh releasing massive clouds of steam.
Clack… clack…
A strange sound echoed across the field.
It sounded like the footsteps of a Titan stepping on the ground—but at the same time, not quite like something a Titan would make.
Clack! Clack!
The sound grew clearer and clearer until a massive figure suddenly burst out of the steam.
"This is…?"
Yago stared at the huge figure before him, momentarily stunned.
Crimson eyes.
Layer after layer of white bone armor covered the Titan's upper body like the armor of a medieval knight. Even the entire head was wrapped in white bone plating, while behind the skull flowed a large bundle of long black hair, swaying like a ponytail.
Why say that the bone armor covered only the Titan's upper body?
Because the lower half was what truly shocked Yago.
Like a horse magnified a hundred times, the Titan's lower body was actually the powerful body of a warhorse. The muscle lines were clearly defined and bulging, and its hooves occasionally struck the ground with sharp clacking sounds.
No wonder the chaotic clacking noise had been heard earlier.
It wasn't standing on just two legs at all.
Magath looked at the Titan, which resembled a centaur, and introduced it:
"The Paladin Titan!"
Because of the horse-like lower body, the Paladin Titan's full height reached a terrifying twenty meters.
Simply standing there, the terrifying aura emanating from its crimson eyes was enough to make enemies tremble.
The Paladin Titan twisted its body. Its hooves clacked against the ground as its crimson eyes locked onto a pile of stacked train carriages not far away.
Its hooves stomped down.
Dust rose into the air.
The rumbling thunder-like sound exploded across the field, and the earth itself seemed to tremble beneath the pounding hooves.
At such a moment, anyone standing before the Paladin Titan would surely have their courage shattered by the overwhelming pressure and terrifying momentum.
Creak—crunch—
A series of teeth-grinding sounds of twisting steel rang out.
By the time people came back to their senses, the train carriages had already turned into piles of twisted scrap metal scattered across the ground.
Beneath the iron hooves of the Paladin Titan, even steel would be crushed to pieces.