The imagined searing pain never reached her brain. Airi only felt a slight sting at her neck. Confused, she slowly opened her eyes.
The tip of the dagger was stained with a few threads of Airi's blood. Yago examined it for a moment, then directly brought the tip into his mouth. The scene left Airi and Serena completely stunned.
When he had pressed the dagger to Airi's neck, Yago had truly harbored killing intent. But this wasn't something he could act on impulsively. Killing Airi, this Marleyan Titan warrior, carried risks—Yago couldn't be certain whether her Sea-Diving Titan power would vanish or end up being used by Ebson again.
The Sea-Diving Titan power was different from the Nine Titans. It was an artificial Titan created by Ebson, and there were too many unknown variables. If Yago had a syringe of Titan spinal fluid in his hand right now, perhaps he would choose to let Serena inherit Airi's Sea-Diving power.
But again, there were too many uncertainties. Yago felt as though his hands and feet were tied. After much hesitation, he decided to first see if he could claim the Sea-Diving Titan's power for himself. Judging from the battle just now, the Sea-Diving Titan wasn't weak even on land. In the ocean—its home ground—it would likely be even stronger. That prospect was undeniably tempting to Yago.
The instant he swallowed Airi's blood, Yago's head sank heavily. If this had been the Yago of the past, he might have fainted from consuming Titan blood. But now, after multiple enhancements from Titan powers, he could barely withstand the wave of weakness.
Once again, he entered the familiar pure-white consciousness space. Yago was no longer surprised. Fragment after fragment of Airi's memories began to reassemble before him, her experiences and life unfolding in their entirety.
Time seemed meaningless in this space. It didn't take long for Yago to witness Airi's life from childhood to the present. The tension in his heart gradually eased.
At that moment, the scene shattered once more into fragments of memory. A streak of light began to gather, and Yago's gaze turned solemn. Clusters of light started emerging from his consciousness form.
The golden Female Titan power.
The earthy-yellow Jaw Titan power.
The green Attack Titan power.
The blue War Hammer Titan power.
And finally, the pure white Fate Titan power.
Five clusters of light revolved endlessly around Yago as he watched Airi's Sea-Diving Titan power slowly take shape. But as time passed, his astonishment grew. Airi's Sea-Diving Titan power gradually condensed into the same pure white light as the Fate Titan power.
The Sea-Diving Titan power shot toward Yago. Yet, unexpectedly, it did not flow into his body. Instead, it plunged straight into the white light belonging to the Fate Titan.
In an instant, the Fate Titan's radiance flared brilliantly. Dazzling white light illuminated the entire consciousness space, giving Yago a small shock.
As the blinding glow faded, the five Titan powers resumed circling him slowly.
Yago stood there blankly for a moment before finally reacting.
"Where's my Sea-Diving Titan power? That huge chunk of Sea-Diving Titan power—where did it go?"
That's right. Yago felt no enhancement whatsoever from the Sea-Diving Titan power, nor had he gained any of its abilities.
He bristled immediately.
"What the hell is this? Nothing at all? I'm not asking for much—just give me a freezing ability! … Or at least a tail! … If that's too much, how about a pair of fins!?"
But after all that shouting, nothing happened. Airi's Sea-Diving Titan power had done nothing more than show Yago a record of her growth and briefly stimulate the Fate Titan power like a lightbulb—after that, absolutely nothing.
"Are you kidding me? Ebson, you're really something else!" Frustrated, Yago could only curse Ebson to vent before willing himself out of the consciousness space.
What Yago didn't notice, however, was that the faint dark-red threads coiled around him had lightened slightly.
...
Meanwhile, in a laboratory far away, Ebson suddenly sneezed several times, as if sensing someone cursing him behind his back. Behind his black-framed glasses, a trace of dark-red lightning flickered in his eyes.
...
When Yago regained consciousness and saw the two women staring at him with wide eyes, he merely shook his head gloomily.
Then he took the dagger and walked over to Airi. Thinking he was truly about to make his move this time, Airi hurriedly shut her eyes.
But the next second, she felt her body lighten. The tight restraints binding her were suddenly loosened. Opening her eyes, she realized that Yago had cut the ropes tying her up.
Not only Airi—even Serena was utterly shocked. She immediately pressed her hand against the grip of her pistol and turned to question Yago.
"What are you doing??"
Airi also looked at Yago in confusion. He had been radiating killing intent just moments ago—why was he untying her now? Was he planning to capture and release her seven times like in some story?
But Yago merely shook his head.
"Miss Airi, I know your family is in the Liberio internment zone. I also know the hardships your family has endured. But you must understand—there are countless Eldian families in Liberio suffering just like yours, or even worse. Because of Marley's oppression, more Eldians will endure the same pain in the future. The goal of our Eldian Revival Army is to end all of this—to truly bring revival to the Eldian people. You… are you really unwilling to join us?"
Yago's words struck directly at Airi's heart. It was true—there were many more Eldians suffering in Liberio. Her family was only one among many. If the Marleyans continued their oppression, more Eldians would inevitably suffer the same fate.
Struggle appeared on Airi's face. After a long silence, she finally spoke in a pale voice.
"Commander Loya… you're right. But… I still can't abandon my family. Maybe I'm too selfish. Too cowardly. Y-you should just kill me. I don't want to be your enemy. I support your goal. If one day you truly achieve it… please take care of my family."
After speaking, Airi lowered her head and clenched her fists tightly.
Yago sighed. The girl seemed to have misunderstood him.
"Don't worry. That's not what I mean. Our Eldian Revival Army needs a Titan warrior to operate undercover within Marley. You won't have to expose yourself. Only Serena and I will know your identity. As long as you remain undiscovered, your family won't be in danger. So… are you willing?"
"Ah?" Airi looked up at Yago in stunned disbelief.