CHAPTER 23: THE SMILING COLOSSUS
The ground trembled.
The Colossal Titan stood taller than the broken buildings of Shiganshina. Its flesh steamed. Its eyes—empty yet somehow focused—stared directly at Sukuna.
And it was smiling.
"That's not Bertholdt," Mikasa said.
"No," Sukuna replied. "It's not."
The Interior Police soldiers froze. Their weapons shook in their hands.
"What... what is that?" their leader stammered.
"Death," Sukuna said. "Run."
They didn't need to be told twice. The soldiers scattered like leaves in the wind.
The Colossal Titan raised its massive foot.
"Move!" Sukuna shouted.
He grabbed Mikasa and Armin and threw them behind a collapsed wall.
The foot came down.
The ground exploded. Dust and debris filled the air. The Yeager house collapsed into rubble.
Sukuna stood alone in the open, staring up at the giant.
"Who are you?" he asked.
The Titan didn't answer.
It just kept smiling.
Then a voice came from above.
Not from the Titan. From someone on the Titan.
A figure stood on the Titan's shoulder. Small. Human.
"Eren Yeager," the figure called down. "We finally meet."
Sukuna squinted.
The figure jumped down. Landed softly on a pile of rubble.
A young man. Pale skin. Dark hair. Glasses.
And eyes that burned with the same fire as Zeke's.
"My name is Colt Grice," he said. "I'm one of Zeke's followers."
"Zeke sent you?"
"He sent the Titan. I came along for the ride."
Colt smiled.
"Impressive, isn't it? A Colossal Titan that follows orders. No screaming. No rampaging. Just... obedience."
"How?" Sukuna asked.
"Zeke's power. The Beast Titan. He can control Titans with his scream. Even special ones like this."
Mikasa emerged from behind the wall. Her blades were drawn.
"Stay back," Sukuna said.
"I'm not letting you face this alone."
"You're not facing anything. This is between me and him."
Colt laughed.
"Him? I'm just a messenger, Eren. Zeke wants to talk. That's all."
"We already talked."
"Not about what matters. Not about the plan."
Colt reached into his jacket and pulled out a letter.
"Read this. Then decide."
He threw the letter. It landed at Sukuna's feet.
Then he whistled.
The Colossal Titan reached down. Colt grabbed its finger, and it lifted him back to its shoulder.
"Three months, Eren. The fleet is coming. Tick tock."
The Titan turned and walked away. Each step shook the ground.
Within minutes, it had disappeared into the distance.
Sukuna picked up the letter.
He opened it.
"Eren,"
"The fleet will reach our shores in less than three months. Marley is sending their best. Their Titans. Their warriors. Their ships."
"If we do nothing, everyone inside the walls will die. Your friends. Your comrades. Everyone you've ever known."
"But if we act first... we can stop them."
"I have a plan. A way to end this war before it begins. But I need you."
"Meet me at the old castle. The one where you camped during your first expedition. Come alone. Come at night."
"And bring the books from your father's basement."
"Your brother,"
"Zeke."
Sukuna folded the letter.
"What does it say?" Armin asked.
"He wants to meet."
"Don't go," Mikasa said.
"I have to."
"Why?"
"Because if I don't, everyone dies."
They rode back to Wall Rose in silence.
The books from the basement were tied to Sukuna's horse. The truth about Grisha Yeager. About Marley. About the world.
Armin kept glancing at them.
"Can I read them?" he asked.
"Not yet."
"When?"
"When I understand them myself."
They reached the barracks at nightfall.
Shadis was waiting.
"You're alive."
"Barely."
"What happened?"
"A Titan. A big one. It followed us."
Shadis's face hardened.
"The Colossal?"
"Yes."
"But Bertholdt is here. I saw him an hour ago."
Sukuna's eyes narrowed.
"What?"
"Bertholdt is in the mess hall. He never left."
Sukuna ran.
He burst through the doors of the mess hall.
Bertholdt was sitting at a table, eating bread. His face was calm. Normal.
"Eren?" he said. "What's wrong?"
Sukuna grabbed his collar.
"Where were you today?"
"Here. Training. Eating. Why?"
Sukuna stared into his eyes.
No guilt. No fear. Just confusion.
"It wasn't you," Sukuna whispered.
"What wasn't me?"
Sukuna released him.
"Nothing."
He walked out.
That night, Sukuna sat on the roof.
Mikasa joined him.
"Bertholdt didn't do it."
"I know."
"Then who controlled the Colossal?"
"Zeke. Or someone working for him."
"But how? The Colossal Titan is a single power. It can't be in two places at once."
Sukuna looked at the stars.
"Unless there's more than one Colossal."
Mikasa's eyes widened.
"That's impossible."
"Nothing is impossible anymore."
Armin climbed up.
"I've been thinking about the books. About what your father wrote."
"And?"
"If he came from Marley, and he had the Founding Titan, and he gave it to you... then you're the most powerful person in the world."
"I know."
"But power like that comes with a price."
Sukuna looked at him.
"What price?"
"The world will hate you. Fear you. Try to control you. Or kill you."
"I know that too."
"And you're okay with that?"
Sukuna was quiet for a moment.
Then he said, "I've been hated before. Feared before. Hunted before."
"This is nothing new."
END OF CHAPTER 23