"Reiner!" Eren roared furiously from the nape of the Attack Titan. The two Titans that had fallen together off the wall were both giving off steam, but it was obvious that Reiner's Armored Titan was far less injured.
The Armored Titan swayed as it stood up, then—boom!—stomped heavily on the ground and charged like a mad beast toward the Attack Titan.
The Attack Titan tried to stand as well, but the steam pouring from his legs showed just how badly they were injured.
"Eren!!" Mikasa watched helplessly as the Armored Titan slammed Eren's Attack Titan away, sending him crashing into a forest outside the wall.
A terrifying killing intent burst from Mikasa.
One Survey Corps soldier only felt a violent gust rush past him. When he came back to his senses, he saw Mikasa sprinting at full speed after the Armored Titan. He cried out in alarm,
"Hey! New recruit! Don't be reckless!"
But Mikasa couldn't hear a single word. Right now, she only wanted to slice open the Armored Titan's nape and cut that bastard Reiner—who dared bully Eren—into a hundred pieces!
At the same time, large numbers of Survey Corps soldiers slowly formed an encirclement, gradually surrounding the Armored Titan.
In a corner of the wall that no one noticed, two figures hid to the side. Bertholdt saw that Reiner was about to be surrounded and couldn't help growing anxious. Although their Titans were extremely powerful, transforming into Titans also consumed enormous stamina.
If Reiner were surrounded by the Survey Corps, it was very likely he would be captured again once his strength ran out.
"Pieck, what should we do? Where is the Warrior Captain right now? Reiner's about to be surrounded." Completely at a loss, Bertholdt could only look to Pieck beside him.
Pieck's usually lazy expression faded. She spread her hands helplessly and said,
"The Cart Squad isn't here. What kind of combat power could a weak woman like me possibly have? Bertholdt, it still has to be you."
"Me? But…" Bertholdt lowered his head and looked at his hands. Was he really going to use the power of the Colossal Titan?
Clack! A crisp snapping sound rang out as a blade broke. At some point, Mikasa had already circled behind the Armored Titan's nape, her twin blades chopping down fiercely.
Yet the result was shocking. When the sharp blades struck the Armored Titan's nape, they shattered against its hardened skin.
"What!? How can this be? Is the nape protected like the Female Titan's?" Mikasa froze for a moment—but the Armored Titan's massive hand was already swatting back toward its nape.
However, to an Ackerman's keen perception, the Armored Titan's movements were slow as a turtle's. With a light leap, Mikasa dodged the attack.
"Tch!" Reiner spat darkly from within the Armored Titan's nape. But now wasn't the time to worry about these Survey Corps soldiers. Their blades couldn't cut through his hardened skin anyway.
Shing! Knocking away the broken blades, Mikasa drew two brand-new ones again. Just as she was about to charge forward, Levi's voice called out from behind her.
"Mikasa, stay calm at all times! We don't have enough intelligence on the Armored Titan—don't act rashly!"
"But—!"
"If you want to help Eren, then calm down!"
Mikasa stopped arguing. But watching Eren being pinned to the ground and brutally pummeled by the Armored Titan made her fury impossible to suppress.
"Captain! I think we can break through the Armored Titan by targeting its joints! There's no way the skin at the joints is protected too!" Petra reminded him.
Levi thought for a moment, then nodded.
"Jurgen, lead Squads One and Two to draw the Armored Titan's attention. Petra, go up to the wall and notify the fixed artillery to prepare. Mikasa and I will attack the Armored Titan's joints."
"Yes!"
The Attack Titan lay on the ground, his entire head already unrecognizable—he had been beaten horribly. The Armored Titan's defensive power was simply too strong; even with all his strength, Eren's punch could only blast a few cracks into its hardened skin.
As for the Armored Titan, it naturally looked far better off than the Attack Titan. But Reiner's labored breathing inside the nape showed that he, too, was nearing his limit.
Bang! Bang! Bang! Numerous grappling hooks pierced the Armored Titan's body. Survey Corps soldiers flew past all around it. Countless blades struck its skin uselessly and then shattered.
Reiner ignored them, covering his nape with one hand as he charged straight toward the fallen Attack Titan.
However, beneath Reiner's feet—ignored while he was entangled by the Survey Corps—a sharp shout rang out: "Now!"
Two figures moved with extreme speed, both rushing toward the Armored Titan's heels.
"Not good!" Reiner suddenly felt his body destabilize, his expression changing instantly.
Slash! Blood sprayed everywhere. Just as expected, the Armored Titan's joints were its weakness. Seizing the moment, Mikasa and Levi took only a few breaths to sever the Armored Titan's popliteal fossae, Achilles tendons, and elbows, directly robbing it of all mobility.
"Retreat!" Levi drew his signal pistol, fired a green flare into the sky, and shouted the order.
The Survey Corps soldiers who heard the command didn't hesitate, quickly pulling away from the Armored Titan's body.
...
On top of the wall.
Beside rows of upgraded fixed artillery, many Survey Corps soldiers waited for orders. The upgraded cannons had sturdier, thicker barrels and could fire shells with twice the power of before.
Seeing the green signal flare fired by Levi, Erwin immediately gave the order: "Fire at full power!"
Boom! Boom! Boom!
Deafening cannon fire roared as shell after shell howled toward the Armored Titan. Each shell carried an impact comparable to a full-strength blow from Eren's Attack Titan. Though a single shell couldn't damage the Armored Titan, an unending barrage would surely grind it down.
Unable to move, the Armored Titan could only lie there and endure the bombardment. Gradually, its massive body began to deform under the relentless fire.
"Don't stop! Keep firing!"
...
Just as everything seemed to be going perfectly, beside Wall Rose, an unprecedentedly enormous bolt of yellow lightning appeared. The terrifying lightning seemed to pierce heaven and earth itself, stunning everyone present.
Erwin reacted instantly, shouting to the Survey Corps atop the wall, "Evade! That's the Colossal Titan!!"
Countless masses of flesh and blood intertwined, and an incomparably gigantic body slowly took shape beside Wall Rose.