Annie undid the crystal seal of the War Hammer Titan, and the crystal instantly dissipated into white steam.
Losing support, Annie was nearly exhausted. Her body, somewhat contorted from the previous high-intensity combat and crystallization, slumped toward the ground.
Just then, a warm green light filled with vitality lit up beside her.
Unohana Retsu had arrived at some unknown moment.
She gently reached out and steadily caught the limp Annie in her arms.
An emerald green halo of Kaido swirled around her fair palms, continuously mending the muscles and nerves within Annie's body that were on the verge of collapse.
"You've worked hard, Annie."
Su Modie's voice rang in Annie's ear.
As a C-Class Avatar, Annie had already tried very hard. The Hulk was indeed no ordinary opponent, not to mention... Annie was only sixteen now, truly the little sister among Su Modie's Villainesses, and two years younger than Su Modie herself.
Unohana Retsu also looked up, wearing a reassuring smile: "Next... leave this place to us."
Meanwhile, a series of hurried, complaining breaths came from mid-air.
Perona, holding her burgundy parasol, finally arrived at the battlefield.
Even floating through the sky as a ghost, the long-distance journey still left her panting.
She looked down at the mess below, and just as she was about to complain, the sound of bricks and stones rolling echoed from the ruins.
Hulk, who had just been kicked through a wall by Reze, shook his dust-covered head and crawled out from the pile of rubble.
He first froze instinctively upon seeing so many people suddenly appear, then almost the moment his gaze swept over Perona, the memories of that night in Harlem were instantly awakened.
He arched his back, which was full of knotted muscles, and a series of hostile and defensive low growls rolled from his throat.
It seemed Hulk remembered not only Reze but also Perona.
At this point, the situation on the battlefield became eerie.
Perona in the air, Lux holding her battle-axe, Reze blocking the front, and Unohana Retsu staying at the very back.
The four of them vaguely formed a circle, entering a delicate standoff with Hulk.
Annie, whose fatal injuries had been healed by Unohana Retsu, still felt completely drained of strength.
She knew very well that she had exhausted her stamina; even if she forcibly transformed into the Female Titan again, it would be a waste of effort.
Taking advantage of Hulk's attention being completely drawn by Reze, Perona, and the others.
Annie decisively chose a tactical retreat.
"I'll leave it to you..."
She lowered her body, using the lingering dust as cover, and silently slipped out of the battlefield.
To avoid being discovered by S.H.I.E.L.D. or anyone else that she was actually the Female Titan.
After rounding a few street corners, Annie had just slipped into a quiet back alley when two familiar figures approached her.
"Annie-chan!"
Avril's eyes were still red as she almost threw herself at Annie, carefully checking her from head to toe to see if she was missing any limbs.
Camilla, following behind, looked displeased with her arms crossed over her chest: "That green-skinned, muscle-brained idiot—is he crazy? Why did he attack you? We're from S.H.I.E.L.D., we're the good guys!"
"Truly a brainless Beast."
Watching Camilla curse at Hulk, Annie blinked blankly, unable to help but mutter to herself.
Does anyone insult their own father like that?
If Camilla knew that 'brainless Beast' was her biological father...
I really wonder what kind of expression that girl would have.
Camilla was cursing enthusiastically when her gaze landed on Annie's face, and her voice came to an abrupt halt.
Because she had also consumed the Spinal Fluid of the Armored Titan and the Colossal Titan, after Annie undid her titanization, several dark red blood veins like cracks remained around her eyes and on both sides of her cheeks, becoming even more'severe.'
It looked as if the surface skin had vanished, directly exposing the muscle tissue underneath.
Coupled with Annie's usual icy expression, it inexplicably exuded a different kind of eerie beauty.
"Your face..."
Camilla leaned in closer, her arrogant attitude softening slightly, her tone carrying a hint of concern she hadn't even noticed herself.
"How did it get so disfigured... doesn't it hurt?"
As she spoke, she couldn't help but reach out a finger, wanting to poke those exposed deep red muscle lines.
Annie rolled her eyes in annoyance and swatted away Camilla's curious hand.
"It doesn't hurt. It'll heal on its own in a while."
She sighed and turned her face away. "Don't touch it."
Camilla, having her hand swatted away, curled her lip and pulled her hand back.
She gave a feigned indifferent hum, glanced toward the battlefield outside the alley where the roaring continued, and turned to the two of them.
"Fine, since you're okay, let's get out of here quickly. If we don't go back now, I'm afraid the teacher will suspect we're slacking off, and then we'll get scolded again..."
As she walked, Camilla solemnly coordinated their stories with Annie.
"If the instructor asks where you went later, just say you had a stomach ache and went to find a bathroom. Don't worry, we definitely won't tell anyone you're that cool Female Titan."
Avril nodded vigorously beside her, her hands cupping her cheeks, and her eyes even sparkled with infatuation: "Exactly, exactly! And... Annie-chan looks so good even when she turns into a titan, especially that beautiful blonde hair; it's practically glowing~"
Looking at the hopeless 'blonde-lover' beside her, Annie felt slightly embarrassed.
But listening to the two of them chatter about how to cover for her.
A long-absent warmth flowed through her heart, which was usually as tense as walking on thin ice.
The feeling inexplicably reminded her of the days when she was an undercover agent in the 104th Training Corps.
It seemed... having two good friends who truly looked out for her like this felt quite nice?
Although these two didn't look like normal people no matter how you sliced it...
The figures of the three girls gradually disappeared into the depths of the alley.
On the other side, the clash on the main battlefield had reached a fever pitch.
Perona saw her chance and waved her hand to release several Negative Ghosts.
This move could be called Hulk's nightmare.
He flinched, his Beast-like body rolling nimbly on the ground, actually managing to dodge the ghosts' trajectory.
Seeing the control move fail, Reze and Lux unhesitatingly stepped to the front line, engaging Hulk in close-quarters combat.
Unohana Retsu stood at the very back of the group, her hands naturally at her sides, with no intention of making a move.
Not until Reze was hit by a heavy punch from Hulk, flying backward and spitting out a large mouthful of blood.
Only then did the Fourth Division Captain unhurriedly raise her hand, and the emerald green light of Kaido lit up.
In the blink of an eye.
Reze's broken ribs and damaged internal organs were restored to their original state, and she charged back into the battlefield as if nothing had happened.
Under Su Modie's remote command, a seemingly flawless team-fight lineup was perfectly formed atop the ruins.
Ãdvåñçé çhàptêr àvàilàble óñ pàtreøn luffy1898