Inside the command headquarters of Fort Slava,
"Enough! All this shouting—what kind of conduct is this?!" The elderly Middle Eastern general slammed his fist heavily onto the table as he looked at the officers arguing fiercely in front of him. Only then did the command room, which had been as noisy as a marketplace, finally quiet down.
As the highest-ranking and most senior general among the Middle Eastern officers present, Wassel held absolute authority in their eyes.
However, the problem placed before the Middle Eastern officers right now was extremely real—should Fort Slava be defended, or abandoned?
If they abandoned it, it would mean that all the efforts the Middle Eastern Union had made over the past years would go completely to waste. They would lose everything they had seized in Marley. Worse still, if Marley chose to continue the war, they might even advance straight into Middle Eastern territory.
Abandoning it would also mean that the Middle Eastern Union officially acknowledged defeat, once again bowing their heads to Marley, continuing to endure Marley's oppression, and giving up the peninsula they had fought so hard to capture. For every Middle Easterner, that was an extremely hard thing to accept.
But defending it was hardly any easier.
Although the war had continued until now and the Marleyans seemed to be triumphantly reclaiming lost territory, only the high command on both the Marley and Middle Eastern sides clearly understood the truth: the advantage had always been with the Middle Eastern Union.
The casualties suffered by Marley's army were several times greater than those of the Middle Eastern forces. And because the war was being fought on Marley's own soil, it was the Marleyans who bore the destruction caused by the fighting.
In fact, if this momentum had continued, the Middle Easterners would ultimately have been the final victors.
Because Marley was essentially burning through its own lifeblood to fight this war. The war was consuming Marley's vitality, while the Middle Easterners could simply wait calmly. Once Marley exhausted itself, they would harvest victory with ease.
But unfortunately, Marley was not only burning through its lifeblood—it was also cheating.
The power of the Titans was their cheat.
Although the Middle Easterners had made extensive preparations specifically to deal with Marley's Titan power—anti-Titan artillery and all sorts of specialized weapons were fully prepared—once the war truly began, they realized they had underestimated Marley's Titan warriors.
It could be said that it was precisely because of those Titan warriors that the Marleyans were able to retake fortress after fortress from the Middle Easterners.
Although the most troublesome Colossal Titan was gone, the remaining Titan warriors in the Marley Warrior Unit still caused the Middle Eastern forces endless suffering.
Especially the Claw Titan, the Sea-Diving Titan, and the Crimson Flame Titan.
The appearance of these new Titans shocked the Middle Eastern Union to the core. These new Titans completely crushed their confidence.
And the intelligence sent by spies the Middle Eastern Union had planted within the Marleyan military became the final straw that broke their resolve.
Three new Titan warriors had appeared in the Marley Warrior Unit—and their strength was terrifying.
This revelation completely ignited internal conflict within the Middle Eastern Union.
Within their nation, opinions regarding the war had split into two factions.
One faction advocated abandoning the war, seeking peace proactively. After all, surrendering meant losing only half—Marley had suffered far greater losses than they had anyway.
The other faction insisted on fighting Marley to the very end. The Middle East had already endured enough humiliation; they were unwilling to admit defeat again.
Overall, the pro-war faction still held the upper hand.
But the upper leadership of the Middle Eastern Union was not on the front lines and did not truly understand the crisis unfolding there.
As the current supreme commander of the front line, however, Wassel knew the situation all too well.
The intelligence from their spies was extremely detailed.
Looking at the information on the Airwing Titan, the Paladin Titan, and the Fortress Titan, Wassel felt a chill in his heart.
These Titans seemed as if they had been born specifically to conquer fortresses.
Although Fort Slava possessed tremendous firepower and extremely tight defenses—seemingly impregnable—nothing in the world was absolute.
In the harbor of the fortress was anchored nearly the entire fleet of the Middle Eastern Union.
This fleet was essentially the foundation of their nation.
If it were destroyed here, the Middle Eastern Union might not recover for decades.
Wassel did not dare to gamble.
That was why he had convened this meeting—to hear the opinions of his subordinate officers.
And as expected, the meeting had devolved into endless arguing.
Amid the shouting, Wassel also learned of the order issued by the High Command.
Looking at the words on the paper—"Defend Fort Slava to the death!"—Wassel felt his vision darken and his head swell with pressure.
But he had no choice.
He could only issue orders for the army to prepare for battle.
This command immediately triggered cheers from the pro-war officers present.
Soon afterward, the meeting was dismissed.
As everyone was leaving, Wassel stopped the deputy commander of the combined fleet—Obishi.
Although this might very well send him to a military court, Wassel could only do this for the sake of the Middle Eastern Union.
Through a secret order, he instructed Obishi to take half the fleet along with the reserve forces inside the fortress and return to the Middle Eastern homeland.
He declared the matter top secret and strictly forbidden from being revealed.
Obishi had been personally promoted by Wassel and deeply respected and supported him.
Without much hesitation, Obishi stated that he would carry out the order without fail.
Watching Obishi's departing figure, Wassel sighed.
At least let him leave behind some seeds for the Middle East.
They truly could not all be buried here.
...
Yago stared blankly at the two people in front of him, almost unable to believe his eyes.
Just moments ago, the spy that Hizuru had planted within the Marleyan army had not only delivered intelligence about Paradis Island to Yago—but had also brought two people he never expected.
When the person before him slowly removed the mask, revealing the face deeply engraved in Yago's heart, he could no longer hold back.
Trembling, he said,
"A-Annie? You… how did you come here?"
That's right.
The people brought by Hizuru were Annie—who had crossed the ocean to see Yago—and A-One, who had accompanied her.
The moment he saw Annie, Yago didn't even have time to feel touched.
Suddenly remembering something, his expression changed.
This was Marley!
Not only Marley—but the Marleyan army!
The Marley Warrior Unit was right here.
Zeke, Reiner, Pieck… all of them knew Annie.
If her identity were exposed even by accident, how dangerous would that be for her?!
At that thought, Yago's face immediately darkened.
He scolded Annie sternly,
"This is too reckless! Do you even realize where this place is? Annie, what if someone recognizes you? Do you know how dangerous that would be?! Why would you take such a risk?!"
But in the face of Yago's scolding, Annie said nothing.
Her watery blue eyes simply stared at him blankly.
She stared at the boy she had missed day and night for the past two years.
A sour feeling instantly rose to the bridge of her nose.
Meanwhile, Yago continued lecturing Annie about how reckless she had been.
But before he could say anything further, a figure suddenly rushed straight into his arms.
Yago didn't react in time, but instinctively he still caught and embraced the figure.
A soft body fell into his arms.
A familiar faint fragrance drifted into Yago's nose.
All the thousands of words he had wanted to say disappeared the moment he heard the girl's soft sobbing.
They condensed into a single sentence.
"It's okay. I'm here."
A-One tactfully turned his back.
But from the corner of his eye, he kept watching the reflection in the mirror beside him.