Bang! The massive body of the Attack Titan collapsed to the ground and immediately began to vaporize and evaporate.
"Eren!" The people watching from afar hurried over, all hands grabbing and pulling Eren out from the Titan's nape.
Taking a careful look at the surroundings, it was an open clearing. At this moment the ground was already full of craters, looking thoroughly ravaged.
"Squad Leader, Eren's Titan strength seems much lower than Yago's Titan, especially that white crystallization ability. Eren's Titan doesn't seem to have that kind of crystallization at all." Moblit from Hange's squad was holding a small notebook, recording something.
Beside him stood Hange with her arms crossed, a circle of bandages still wrapped around her head.
Three days had passed since the fall of the Orvud District. The Garrison carried out an emergency operation, meticulously inspecting the entirety of Wall Rose, but in the end discovered that Wall Rose showed no signs of damage at all.
In the end, combining the intelligence obtained from Survey Corps member Yago Norman, the spearhead of suspicion pointed toward an intelligent Titan from Marley—the Beast Titan, Zeke Yeager.
Through roaring in Titan form, he could turn humans who had drunk his spinal fluid into Pure Titans under his control.
There was also a great deal of other intelligence about the world beyond the island. Yago and Annie had disclosed a considerable portion of it. At present, Survey Corps Commander Erwin and other high-ranking military figures were urgently convening a meeting in the royal capital.
Yago, Annie, Eren, and Historia—who had obtained the power of the Jaw Titan—remained in the Orvud District. Historia's accession ceremony was also being planned. However, the people within the walls already knew they had a benevolent and brave queen, and the unrest caused by the military government's rule was gradually calming down.
As for the holder of the Colossal Titan, Bertholdt Hoover, after Yago's proposal, he was temporarily imprisoned and guarded using Yago's hardening ability.
And so, during this period, the holders of Titan powers who had nothing to do began stirring up trouble.
Yago proposed helping Eren and Historia better master their Titan powers, which led to the opening scene.
Crack, crack—the white hardening receded from the Fate Titan's fists.
Yago broke open the Fate Titan's nape and lightly landed on the ground using the Vertical Maneuvering Equipment.
And Eren, called out to by Armin and Mikasa, slowly opened his eyes.
Not far away, Annie was scribbling in a notebook. Historia sat obediently beside Ymir, listening as Ymir seemed to be muttering something under her breath.
Sasha had probably gone to the cafeteria again, while Jean, as usual, kept stealing glances at Mikasa.
Connie—Connie hadn't been in a good state lately. Because of the intelligence about the Beast Titan, the source of the Titans that had once appeared inside Wall Rose seemed to have been confirmed, and the crippled Titan Connie saw that day had, after verification, indeed been Connie's mother.
Yago looked at this scene around him, feeling an inexplicable emptiness in his heart.
"Armin, Mikasa, you guys… why are you here? Is everything over?" Eren, with his eyes open, seemed extremely confused, speaking without really understanding what he was saying.
"Ymir? Didn't she get taken away?"
The nonsensical words left Armin and Mikasa at a loss.
Mikasa asked with concern, "Eren, what's wrong? Are you feeling unwell?"
At this moment, Yago also heard Eren's words and moved closer, asking, "What's wrong with Eren?"
Who knew that Eren's next sentence would leave even Yago stunned.
"Who are you? How do you know me?"
Yago froze.
"Ah! It hurts!" Before Yago could figure it out, Eren suddenly clutched his head and cried out in pain.
"Eren! What's wrong? Don't scare me!" Mikasa quickly hugged Eren and shook him.
"I—I'm fine. Sorry, Yago, my head's a bit messy." Eren shook his head hard and said apologetically.
Yago looked completely puzzled, his hand unconsciously reaching to Eren's forehead. "A fever?"
However, the instant his fingers touched Eren's forehead, it felt as if they were stabbed by a sharp needle, and his hand trembled violently.
Hiss—a small wound appeared on Eren's forehead, a cut accidentally made by Yago. A drop of blood smeared onto Yago's fingertip.
With Titan power, the wound on Eren's forehead healed almost instantly.
Yago withdrew his hand, staring blankly at the trace of blood on his fingertip.
For reasons unknown, Yago hesitated for a moment, then actually opened his mouth and swallowed that drop of blood.
In an instant, Yago's pupils contracted sharply.
...
In the next moment, Yago's consciousness once again arrived in that pure white space.
Yago looked at the familiar surroundings. "Next I'll see Eren's memories, right? Can the Fate Titan replicate the Founding Titan's power?"
However, what happened next completely exceeded Yago's expectations—or rather, overturned his imagination.
There were no puzzle-like memory fragments. Instead, there was a blurry figure, holding a cluster of green light in his hands.
The figure gradually walked up to Yago, and Yago could clearly see that familiar yet unfamiliar face.
"You are?!" Although it was only a consciousness, Yago still felt a strange sensation that made his hair stand on end.
"Hello, Yago. Nice to meet you for the first time. My name is Eren Yeager." The familiar yet unfamiliar face spoke that name.
Eren Yeager?! Looking at the face that resembled Eren by ninety percent, Yago felt it was absurd beyond belief, yet strangely, his heart did not reject it.
"Eren? You're Eren?" Yago examined him closely. The Eren before him seemed different from the Eren Yago knew—tall and slender, with long hair and a cold expression. Most shocking of all were his eyes.
Those green eyes were utterly dim. Yago could not see even a trace of hope or light in them—only gloom and despair.
"You're not Eren!" Those cold, emotionless eyes made Yago immediately deny his identity.
But the guy who called himself Eren didn't seem to want to argue.
Instead, he conjured a chair out of thin air and sat down.
"I am indeed Eren—just the Eren from a world where you never existed, where the Fate Titan never appeared."
"What?!"