Bang!! A sharp explosive roar echoed across the empty training ground, accompanied by an ear-piercing cracking sound.
Looking up, two enormous Titans were locked in a clash of fists, struggling against each other in a deadlock.
One of the Titans possessed a tall, slender frame. Layer upon layer of artistic bone armor covered its entire body, while beneath its wild black hair was a cold and stern bone mask concealing a terrifyingly savage face. Against the pale white bone mask, the crimson eyes of the Fate Titan looked exceptionally sinister and demonic.
The other Titan was equally imposing. Its physique was robust and powerful, every bulging muscle packed with explosive strength. The corners of its mouth stretched all the way to its elf-like pointed ears, while faint steam poured from the mouth of the Attack Titan. Beneath the same black hair, its green eyes were filled with unyielding determination.
The punch exchanged between the Fate Titan and the Attack Titan was the very source of that thunderous explosion just now. As for the grating cracking sound—if one looked carefully, the hardened crystal covering the Attack Titan's arm was beginning to fracture with countless fine cracks. Meanwhile, the white hardened bone armor on the Fate Titan's arm remained perfectly smooth and unscathed.
"ROAR!!"
The Attack Titan opened its jaws and let out an enraged roar before suddenly withdrawing its strength, retreating backward while dodging the Fate Titan's follow-up punch.
In the end, the Fate Titan was still superior in raw power.
But Eren had no intention of admitting defeat.
Crack, crack—
Layers of hardening once again spread across the fractured areas, covering them with even thicker and tougher crystallized armor before another punch was hurled toward the Fate Titan.
Not far from the battle between the two Titans, a large crowd of soldiers had gathered to watch the show.
Connie, who loved excitement, had secretly started a betting pool after being egged on by Sasha.
"Yago versus Eren, round five! Place your bets, place your bets! Bet on Eren and win big with a small stake! And just so you know, Yago promised he won't use any extra Titan powers in this match!"
Many curious soldiers were instantly drawn over.
The sparring matches between Yago and Eren were no secret among the soldiers of Paradis Island. Plenty of soldiers had already witnessed the battles between the Fate Titan and the Attack Titan.
Unfortunately, the previous four fights had all ended without suspense.
The Fate Titan had crushed the Attack Titan every single time.
So logically speaking, Connie's little betting game shouldn't have attracted much attention at all. After all, everyone already knew the result—who would be stupid enough to bet on Eren?
But if what Connie said was true...
If Yago's Fate Titan really wasn't using the powers of the other Titans...
Then there actually might be a chance!
After all, everyone had seen Eren's strength with their own eyes.
As a result, many soldiers immediately became interested, pulling out their meal tickets and slamming them onto the table.
"Two days' worth! Six meal tickets! All on Squad Leader Eren!"
"I'm betting on Squad Leader Eren too! Three meal tickets!"
"I'm putting down five!"
"Damn it! I'm betting my entire month's food allowance! No turning back now!"
...
The heated soldiers all began throwing in their bets enthusiastically.
Of course, these meal tickets weren't actual money. Running out of meal tickets didn't mean someone would starve.
In fact, meal tickets were part of a new system introduced within the new military.
Since the military prioritized nutrition and convenience in their meals, the food didn't exactly taste great. Thus, meal tickets were born.
Soldiers could use the monthly meal tickets they received to improve their meals in the cafeteria, or exchange them for daily necessities and other supplies.
So in a sense, meal tickets had become a kind of internal military currency.
This time, perhaps because the previous battles had been so one-sided, most soldiers still bet on Commander Yago.
However, quite a few excited soldiers also wagered their precious meal tickets on the Squad Leader Eren they believed in.
If Eren lost...
Some of them might really end up crying while eating bland nutrient rations for an entire month.
That's right—Eren had officially been promoted to Squad Leader.
Squad Leader of the Survey Corps Third Squad.
And there was no questioning it.
This position was earned entirely through Eren's own strength and efforts. During the campaigns to exterminate Titans, Eren's contributions ranked among the very best.
Speaking of which, it was also worth mentioning the other members of the 104th Cadet Corps.
They had all achieved impressive accomplishments as well.
Thanks to her almost monstrous marksmanship, Sasha had successfully become a sniper instructor for the new military of Paradis Island.
Yes—the kind of instructor who could punish people by making them run fifty laps without food.
Connie and Jean had also become squad leaders in the new military through their strength and combat records.
Armin's exceptional intelligence had likewise earned recognition and appreciation from the military high command. He was now an apprentice strategist for the new military.
If he weren't so young, some of the existing strategists might have voluntarily stepped down just to serve as Armin's assistant.
Even Ymir, who had basically been irrelevant for hundreds of chapters, reluctantly joined the new military and became a Squad Leader.
Not just them—
Marlo, Hitch, and many outstanding soldiers from other regiments had also joined the new military of Paradis Island and taken on backbone roles within the organization.
As for Mikasa, one of the absolute strongest combatants of the 104th generation, there was naturally no way she would leave Eren's side.
Even when the new military tried recruiting her with the rank of division commander, Mikasa remained unmoved, continuing to stay beside Eren as his deputy.
"Without using any other abilities and relying solely on the Titan's raw power... looking at it this way, Eren isn't completely without hope. Don't you think so, Levi?"
Mike watched the two Titans beating each other senseless while lowering his head to ask Levi, who stood nearby with his usual sour expression.
Levi glanced at the two Titans on the battlefield but didn't comment much.
Although he hated admitting it, Levi still had to acknowledge one thing:
Without anti-Titan weapons like the Thunder Spear, these two Titans would indeed be troublesome for him.
After all, ordinary blades couldn't cut through Titan hardening crystal.
Of course, for humanity's strongest soldier, Levi only considered them troublesome at best.
Given enough time, he still had the confidence to take down either Yago or Eren.
"Yago won't lose."
Annie lazily stretched her body before speaking casually.
Behind Annie, Pieck and Porco had changed into military coats without the emblem of Paradis Island, and they too were watching the battle between the two Titans.
Seeing Annie so confident, Pieck jokingly teased her.
"Annie, how can you be so sure? Yago already admitted that the reason he's so strong is because he possesses enhancements from other Titan powers. If he doesn't rely on those powers this time, Eren might not necessarily lose."
Hearing Pieck's words, Annie turned around and spread her hands, rolling her eyes adorably.
At that moment, Hitch suddenly leaned against Annie's shoulder, her eyes sparkling brightly as she exclaimed in surprise:
"Annie! Lately you've suddenly become so pretty! Your whole temperament feels different now! It's like you suddenly became mature and beautiful all at once! How did you do it? Teach me! We're good sisters, aren't we? Pleaseee~"
Annie: "....."
(Confused face)
But when Hitch mentioned maturity...
Could it be...
For some unknown reason, Annie's face suddenly turned red.
Hitch: "?? Annie, hurry up and tell me already~ Why are you blushing?"