"Thank you, Lock."
Eren stood up and pulled up his hood.
Hange turned back and asked, "How is your body?"
Eren said firmly, "No problem, I can continue with the next step according to the training process."
Hange nodded. "Then head to the inner gate! Keep your face hidden while moving, just in case!"
During the transfer, Eren turned back and asked, "Did I really plug the hole?"
Lock replied, "Really!"
Eren asked again, "Just like that?"
Mikasa said, "Please believe in your own power!"
Levi, ahead of them, turned back. "It's not over yet! As long as those guys are still around, the wall will be destroyed no matter how many times you plug it."
"Until we kill all the enemies like Reiner and Bertholdt, this operation isn't complete. Do you understand?!"
The marks left by the transformation around the corners of Eren's eyes crinkled. He said in a low voice, "Yes... I understand perfectly!"
...Lock frowned as he looked down at Shiganshina District.
After the outer gate was plugged, there was still no sign of the enemy nearby.
What are they waiting for?
Where will they emerge from?
Without his precognitive ability, Lock's own grades in tactical deduction class were originally average—of course, by "average," Lock only meant relative to the top student.
Just like his past scores in Omni-Directional Mobility Gear.
Even if he knew the enemy's general abilities, it was difficult for him to predict what methods they would use to attack.
Could Marley even send a direct airship support? But if so, how could the Survey Corps possibly win in the end?
I hope the Commander and Armin can start making moves soon...
Bang!
A trail of red smoke rose from the inner gate wall in the distance.
"Operation suspended?" Hange was full of doubt.
But she immediately said to those behind her, "Everyone, scatter on the wall and stand by!"
Levi looked at Eren, Mikasa, and Lock. "We're going to regroup with Erwin."
"Yes!"
When Lock reached the inner gate wall, he noticed many Survey Corps Soldiers tapping on the outer wall with their blades.
Lock immediately realized that Erwin or Armin suspected the enemy was hiding inside the wall.
Indeed, there was enough space to hide within the wall; Lock had used this method himself in Stohess District.
Then why hadn't he thought of it?
Lock shook his head and didn't dwell on it further.
If that were the case, the enemy would likely choose to hide in the upper part of the southern wall, where the view was clear.
Lock came to the edge of the wall, listening to the sound of the Soldiers tapping while slowly unsheathing the blades at his waist.
Levi glanced at Lock and said, "Don't you move recklessly, kid."
Lock smiled. "Captain, leave it to me in a moment."
"Huh?" Levi was puzzled.
Thud, thud!
Two unusual sounds reached Lock's ears.
Lock instantly leaped from the edge of the wall, grabbed the collar of the Soldier who was about to fire a Signal Flare, and threw him aside.
The wall in front of him was "opened," and a blade thrust straight toward Lock's chest!
Prepared, Lock dodged to the side. He grabbed Reiner's neck with his right hand, pulled him out directly, and threw him into the air behind him.
With a horizontal slash from his left hand, Lock instantly severed Reiner's raised right hand and cut halfway into his neck.
Blood splattered everywhere!
But Lock knew it wasn't enough!
A pistol quickly dropped from his right sleeve. Lock shoved the muzzle directly into Reiner's wide-open mouth, pressed it against his upper palate, and fired!
Bang! Another shot!
Bang! One more shot!
This custom Rapid-fire Revolver was commissioned by Lock and made by a craftsman who had been captured by the Central Military Police Corps; Lock had provided the key ideas.
Though it only had a three-round capacity for now, Lock was quite satisfied.
All of that had happened in an extremely short time; the two had only fallen less than three meters together.
Lock looked at Reiner, whose skull had been blown open, but immediately fired his Grappling Hook to catch the wall and stop his fall.
He let Reiner fall, his expression grim.
Lock knew Reiner had already transferred his consciousness to the spinal cord below his neck; he could transform at any moment.
"Lock!" Armin shouted.
"Failed! That guy Reiner really is hard to kill!" Lock spat as he watched Reiner hit the ground.
Countless golden sparks of electricity enveloped Reiner's body below.
Lock brought Armin back to the top of the wall as the light below gradually dissipated.
A fifteen-meter-tall giant covered in armor lay flat on the ground.
Erwin called out loudly, "Keep a close eye on the surroundings! Find the other enemies!"
A blinding light flashed behind everyone, dyeing the entire wall golden.
Lock turned his head in shock as hundreds of spherical lightning bolts connected into a massive golden arc.
The dust from the explosions was quickly blown away by a strong wind, and hundreds of Titans stood tall along that arc, forming a wall of Titans.
The Survey Corps' path of retreat was completely sealed off.
Lock looked toward the hairy, ape-like Titan in the center, and the one next to it,t walking on all fours, rs carrying cargo.
He gritted his teeth and whispered, "Zeke... Pieck... I didn't expect you both to be here."
Seeing the deep pits at the feet of those Titans, Lock realized Zeke had buried Eldians who had absorbed his spinal fluid underground in advance.
Just waiting for the Survey Corps to walk into the trap themselves.
No matter how good Lock's hearing was, he couldn't have detected living bodies lying motionless underground.
Not to mention the interference from the sound of horses' hooves at the time.
"If Mike were still here, maybe he could have detected them..." Lock thought randomly.
The Beast Titan grabbed a boulder beside it with one hand, shouldered it, and then threw the boulder into the air with a fairly standard shot put motion.
The boulder traced a parabola and came straight for the wall!
Erwin roared, "Incoming rocks! Get down!"
Lock remained expressionless and motionless.
"Boom!"
The boulder landed right in front of them, smashing into the large hole at the inner gate.
Dirk ignored the cold sweat on his face and looked down, saying, "Did he miss?"
"No!" Erwin's gaze was solemn. "He threw it very accurately."
"He plugged the hole in the wall, specifically so the horses can't pass through."
Erwin said in a low voice, "Targeting the horses and cutting off our retreat with Titans—they intend to annihilate us here."
On the other side, the Armored Titan slowly rose from the ground and looked up at the people on top of the wall.
Erwin unsheathed the blade at his waist. "Humans... Titans..."
"We both hope to have our final settlement here..."
"Then let's see who survives until the end!"
...Lock also drew his twin blades and said to the Captain, "Sorry, Captain, I couldn't finish that guy off."
"Yeah, I saw."
Levi's tone was calm. "If even that couldn't kill him, try cutting his head off completely next time."
Then he said to Erwin, "Erwin, the Armored Titan is about to climb up."
Erwin ordered, "Everyone, be careful to avoid direct conflict with the Armored Titan as much as possible. Do not get close to him!"
"Understood!"
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