Click, Wassel, with a desolate expression, cocked the pistol in his hand and slowly raised it, aiming at his own temple.
"What a… great pity."
Bang! Hearing the gunshot from inside the room, the guards standing outside couldn't help but tremble, while a deep sense of sorrow filled their hearts—because in this war, the Middle Easterners had lost.
...
On Fort Slava, the seventeen-meter-tall Beast Titan sat leisurely atop the wall. Crack, crack—the boulder in its hand quickly turned into a pile of gravel within its massive palm.
In the distance, a heavily damaged armored train lay crippled on the tracks. This was the power of Marley's spear—even an armored train with steel plating dozens of centimeters thick couldn't withstand a full-force strike from the Beast Titan.
Raising its furry head, the Beast Titan tilted it slightly and looked into the distance.
"Well, looks like it's almost all occupied. Then it's time to deal with the rest."
The Beast Titan took a deep breath and then let out a roar that echoed through the sky.
"ROAR!!"
Almost at the same moment, the remaining Pure Titans inside Fort Slava all stopped moving simultaneously, then reached toward the backs of their necks. Some Titans, too deformed to tear their own napes, simply began biting each other instead.
Many Middle Eastern soldiers who had just surrendered witnessed this bizarre scene. A seven-meter Titan in front of a watchtower had just been chewing on half a body—then the next second, it tore off its own nape, and its body collapsed and began to dissipate.
Most horrifying of all, the soldier whose body had been half-eaten was still alive. Spitting blood, he reached out toward his companions for help—but those Middle Eastern soldiers were already scared out of their minds.
...
On the sea, countless warship wreckages floated, along with innumerable Middle Eastern navy soldiers struggling to survive. The lucky ones managed to cling to a few pieces of debris to catch their breath, while many more, exhausted from struggling, sank into the depths.
The gray-white head of the Sea-Diving Titan emerged above the water, looking at its results. A total of forty-three warships had been completely destroyed, and the number of Middle Eastern naval soldiers killed likely reached into the thousands.
"Sorry… but I didn't have a choice…" Airi could only apologize in her heart to those soldiers. Even though they probably had families, wives, and children—this was war. A cruel war.
This war, which had lasted nearly two and a half years between the Marley Empire and the Middle Eastern Union, finally ended with Marley capturing Fort Slava and eliminating all of the Middle Eastern Union's strongholds on the continent, securing final victory. Both sides paid an extremely heavy price.
The Middle Eastern side not only lost nearly one hundred thousand elite troops, but also all of the fortress strongholds they had painstakingly built over decades. In the war, they even lost a veteran general—Wassel.
Although the losses were severe, thanks to Wassel's last-minute decision before the battle, the Middle Eastern Union still preserved a large portion of its forces and half of its fleet.
Compared to them, Marley's losses were no small matter either—nearly two hundred thousand casualties. Although most of them were Eldian troops, such losses were unprecedented. Beyond military losses, since the war took place along Marley's borders and colonies, all the destruction had to be borne by Marley itself.
The Minister of Finance of Marley was probably the only high-ranking official with a grim face upon hearing the news of victory. Compensation, post-war reconstruction, refugee resettlement… just thinking about these made the Minister consider hanging himself at home.
Though the war had ended, its aftershocks had not disappeared. Beneath the seemingly calm global situation, just how massive were the undercurrents brewing?
...
Inside a seemingly simple yet exquisitely decorated small estate,
"There are results from Marley's war with the Middle East." A maid stepped forward with small, quick steps, placing an intelligence envelope on the table before bowing and retreating.
Azumabito Kiyomi, dressed in a kimono and seated on the floor, set down her teacup and slowly opened the envelope. After a while, she murmured,
"As expected… but why choose to act at this time? Could it be that Yago-san predicted Marley's next move?"
...
"Amazing! Wha—wha—what is that thing?! It's so—so cool!!" Hange flailed excitedly in place, pointing at the massive object in the sky and shouting.
The Survey Corps soldiers around her didn't look much better—they were all wide-eyed, stunned with shock. Following their gaze, high in the azure sky, a massive pure-white airship was slowly descending.
In the distance, Yelena stood with her hands in her pockets, watching the Survey Corps receive the Hizuru airship with a cold expression. She knew that people from their Marleyan Volunteer Army were on board—Onyankopon was even piloting it.
"Is it time to act?"
...
"Brother, it's time for lunch." Lara Tybur bent slightly as she spoke. In front of her, Willy Tybur stood on the balcony, gazing into the distance in a daze.
Seeing no response, Lara raised her voice slightly. "Brother?"
Willy finally snapped out of it. "Ah? What is it?"
"It's time for lunch."
Willy forced a faint smile. "I see… alright. Thank you, Lara."
Lara said nothing. She could see her brother's worries. Ever since news of Marley's victory arrived from the frontlines, Willy hadn't shown any sign of happiness. And she knew exactly what he was troubled about.
But this time, she would definitely clear away all obstacles for her brother.
Perhaps in the past, she had been too confident in the power of the War Hammer Titan, and had trusted too much in the strength passed down through generations, barely training herself. But that defeat had been unforgettable. Now, Lara was no longer the same.
"The Louis family… should not exist in this world!"
A flash of ruthlessness crossed her eyes.
...
"Marley won, but the Middle Easterners managed to withdraw half their army in the end. They've preserved some strength," Bill said while standing behind Ebson.
Ebson chuckled. "Seems the Middle Easterners still have someone with a brain. Go make the arrangements quickly—certain people's hostility toward us is becoming quite obvious now." He waved his hand, signaling Bill to leave. Bill nodded and turned to go.
With his hands behind his back, Ebson looked up at the cloudless sky and slowly revealed a strange smile, muttering:
"The real show is about to begin… Norman, Norman Russell… watch closely. I am the one who is right!"
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Pls Drop some Power Stones
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