The contents of the letter were very simple. From what was written inside, it seemed to be sent to Loya by a neighbor or perhaps a friend.
There were very few words in the letter. It only informed Loya that his grandmother's condition had worsened again recently and hoped that he could find time to return from the front line to visit her. After all, his grandmother was his last remaining relative.
At the end, however, the words in the letter made Yago frown. From it, he could sense the writer's cold and perfunctory attitude, because the letter ended bluntly by asking Loya for money.
It said that his grandmother was now blind and unable to take care of herself. The caregiver hired for her needed to be paid, daily expenses had to be covered, the money borrowed from some Kastner family before he enlisted had to be repaid, along with various taxes. If Loya failed to send money on time this month, their ancestral home would be mortgaged and sold off.
Yago put the letter down, a puzzled expression on his face. Bagge lifted his teacup and observed Yago. Seeing his poor expression, he asked, "Loya, did something happen at home?"
Yago slowly shook his head. To be honest, what did the contents of the letter have to do with him? The one it concerned was the Loya now lying buried beneath the wasteland.
Still, Yago hadn't expected that such a short letter could reveal quite a lot. So this Loya was carrying debts? And at home, there was only a seriously ill, blind grandmother. Also… the ancestral house?
For some reason, Yago had a faint feeling that the person who wrote the letter seemed to have their sights set on Loya's ancestral home. The letter didn't specify who the sender was—could it be someone from that so-called Kastner family?
Before long, Yago's mind spun out a whole melodramatic storyline—something about a fallen young noble burdened with heavy debts who joins the army, achieves great merit, returns home in glory to slap the faces of those who once humiliated him, and then meets a goddess-like woman and becomes a winner in life.
Shaking his head, he tossed those ridiculous thoughts aside, stuffed the letter into his pocket, and casually continued chatting with Bagge.
...
On the battlefield, a Marleyan officer wore a nearly crazed expression. Ignoring the artillery fire flying all around him, he shouted hoarsely at the Eldian soldiers under his command,
"Move! Charge, all of you! The Middle Easterners' fortress is about to fall! You must be the first to rush in! Move!!"
In front of him, two enormous figures had already charged to the base of Fort Slava.
Ssshhk! The Armored Titan's faceplate slowly opened, revealing blood-red gums and ghastly white teeth. It lifted its head as white steam continuously poured from its mouth.
Crack! Crack! The armor plates across the Armored Titan's body shifted with a series of sounds. At the joints, even more—and thicker—hardened plates emerged. The bone shields on its forearms were further covered with a crystalline layer of hardening.
With a heavy stomp, the ground split with cracks. The Armored Titan raised both shields in front of itself. Under the protection of those shields, the Crimson Flame Titan's scarlet eyes flickered.
It opened its grotesquely distorted mouth. From one side of its maw, gas compressed to the extreme burst forth instantly—followed by a spark.
A towering pillar of flames erupted into the sky, illuminating the entire battlefield in an instant. The fire slammed into the massive gate of Fort Slava, immediately engulfing the iron-clad entrance.
Under the terrifying heat, the four-to-five-centimeter-thick iron plating covering the gate began to melt. The solid wooden gate beneath started to creak and warp.
At the same time, countless Titans descending from the sky had already swept across the entire Fort Slava. Everywhere within the fortress echoed with the terrified screams of Middle Eastern soldiers and the horrifying sounds of Titans devouring humans.
Facing the Armored Titan and the Crimson Flame Titan, only a handful of Middle Eastern soldiers on the walls could barely mount any resistance. Bullets striking the Armored Titan's bone shields did nothing but spark useless flashes, while the occasional shell from small artillery pieces only chipped away tiny fragments of the hardened surface.
Very quickly, the fortress gate was completely warped and deformed under the devastation of the Crimson Flame Titan. Molten iron pooled onto the ground, forming uneven slabs, while the wooden gate beneath had turned blackened and brittle.
The Armored Titan let out a deep roar and threw a punch—
Boom! Crack!
The wooden gate of Fort Slava shattered into countless fragments. Fort Slava… had fallen!
Seeing the gate breached, the Marleyan officer's excitement nearly overflowed from his face. Pointing forward, he roared,
"Charge! Move! The glory is right in front of you!!"
As long as he led his troops into the fortress first, he knew his future would be secured. Well-versed in the unspoken rules of the military, he understood that whether for the sake of Marley's image or practical battlefield needs, the first unit to enter the fortress would always be heavily rewarded. The military would not only widely promote the unit's bravery, but the commanding officer would also receive unimaginable rewards.
Promotion and wealth were right before his eyes—and the price might only be the lives of these Eldian soldiers under his command. But so what? Wasn't it worth exchanging lowly Eldians for overwhelming merit?
Eldians should be grateful—grateful that Marley had given them this opportunity, allowing them to fight for Marley and atone for their devil ancestors. They should carry gratitude in their hearts as they sacrificed themselves and earned glory for Marley.
The Marleyan officer grinned foolishly, as if he could already see a bright future beckoning him—high rank, wealth, beautiful women, all within reach!
But he didn't notice that the Eldian soldiers around him were looking at him with increasingly vicious eyes. Even the Marleyan members of the supervising squad under his command were beginning to sense something was wrong.
Click.
A brown-haired Eldian soldier pulled back the bolt of his rifle, expressionless as he chambered a round.
Only then did the Marleyan officer react. Seeing that the Eldian soldiers made no move, he froze for a moment. Then, unable to suppress his fury, he exploded in rage, roaring at them,
"What are you doing?! Didn't you hear my orders? Charge! Move! All of you, charge! Damn Eldians! Move!!"
But the Eldian soldiers still didn't move. The atmosphere instantly became eerie. The supervising squad under the officer also seemed to sense the tension, their hands gradually reaching toward their weapons.
The Marleyan officer, seeing no response, completely lost his temper. He rushed up to an Eldian soldier, snatched the rifle from his hands, and smashed the butt of the gun down hard.
"Damn you! What are you doing?! Damn Eldians! Damn devils! What the hell are you useless trash doing? Want to die!?"
Suddenly, the Marleyan officer stopped.
Because a dark gun barrel had been pressed against his forehead.
He stiffly raised his head and saw an expressionless face—the brown-haired Eldian soldier was pointing his rifle at him, staring coldly.
The Marleyan officer's pupils trembled. Th-this… what was this Eldian trying to do? How—how dare he?
"You—!"
Bang!! The gunshot rang out!
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Pls Drop some Power Stones
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