By the ti Bertholdt and Armin noticed A-Five rushing toward them, it was already too late—an Ackerman's speed was simply too fast.
Under the sunlight, the blade in A-Five's hand glead with a dazzling yet terrifying cold light.
Armin's eyes widened. He wanted to stop A-Five and explain that this was all a misunderstanding, but it was already too late.
In those brief two seconds, if Bertholdt had the will, with the little bit of stamina he had recovered while talking with Armin, he could have barely managed to transform into the Colossal Titan in ti to protect himself. But now, Bertholdt seed to have completely lost his instinct to survive. Facing A-Five's blade, he simply stood there, staring blankly.
Puchi! The blade pierced flesh, blood splattering everywhere. A-Five's originally calm expression instantly turned into one of extre shock.
"Armin? What are you doing?!"
Armin's face was pale. He clenched his teeth tightly to keep from crying out in pain. At that mont, the sharp blade had deeply embedded itself into his shoulder and half of his palm, with blood continuously dripping along the blade.
Bertholdt was also stunned. A few traces of emotion returned to his originally lifeless eyes. He looked at Armin with a complicated expression and murmured,
"What an idiot."
Enduring the intense pain, beads of sweat covered Armin's forehead.
"A-Five, this is a misunderstanding. Listen to explain..."
The commotion at the prison entrance quickly drew the attention of other soldiers. Soldiers wearing the uniforms of the Garrison and the Survey Corps began gathering here.
After a long while, under the dual supervision of A-Five and the arriving A-Four, Bertholdt was escorted back into the prison. Before leaving, he said a few final words to Armin, who was having his wounds bandaged.
"Armin, I hope the one who inherits the Colossal Titan's power won't be an idiot like you."
Wrapped in bandages, Armin stood there in a daze, watching Bertholdt walk back into the prison.
Looking at the scattered hardened fragnts on the ground, A-Five frowned and asked Bertholdt beside him,
"How did you get out from inside?"
Bertholdt replied,
"How did I get out? I don't know either. In that mont, I just felt that the hardening wasn't holding anymore, and after moving a bit, I got out."
A-Five's frown didn't ease. Earlier, Yago had told him that unless under special circumstances, only Yago could undo Bertholdt's restraints, or they would need Historia's Jaw Titan to bite him out. So what was going on now? Could it be that sothing had happened to Yago?
In an instant, A-Five thought of A-One, who had left behind a note not long ago and followed Annie to the outside world beyond Paradis Island. Could sothing have happened to her too? The thought imdiately unsettled him. Among them, what they feared most was their A-One's safety.
Suddenly, A-Five recalled the plan Hange had ntioned during a Survey Corps eting. At once, he made up his mind—to take a few of his comrades and follow the Survey Corps to the outside world, and safely bring A-One back!
So, back to the main point—why did the hardening shatter?
...
Not long ago, inside Russell Manor.
In the quiet room, only the sound of heavy breathing could be heard. The curtains blocked the sunlight from outside, leaving the room dim, with only a pair of eyes glowing with a crimson light.
Yago staggered, supporting himself against the wall. His entire body was weak, and his head felt as if soone had stabbed a sharp blade into it, violently stirring his brain, causing excruciating pain.
The veins on his neck, arms, and other parts of his body suddenly bulged. The darkened veins looked especially terrifying.
Because of the intense pain, Yago's expression beca sowhat twisted. The stabbing pain in his head struck his consciousness over and over again.
In his hazy state, Yago seed to see, in the darkness, a massive crimson hand reaching out, grabbing fiercely toward his heart. That hand, with its pitch-black claws, brutally pierced into his chest, grasping his organs and pulling them violently. The sensation forced a low, painful groan out of Yago.
Thud! Finally, unable to endure any longer, Yago collapsed to the ground. The noise imdiately attracted Annie and A-One from the next room.
Hearing Yago's groan, Annie was startled. She rushed out of her room like a sprint, pounding on Yago's door while loudly calling his na. When there was no response, panic overtook her. Annie lifted her leg and delivered a fierce side kick, smashing the door open.
"Yago!!"
Seeing Yago collapsed on the ground, unconscious and with a twisted expression, Annie's face turned pale with fright. Without a second thought, she rushed forward, throwing herself onto him and hugging him tightly, calling out to him in panic.
"Yago! Yago! What's wrong with you? Yago? Don't scare ! What's happening to you? A-One, what's wrong with Yago? Is he sick? Yago, wake up!" Annie shouted anxiously.
On the other side, A-One had never seen such a scene before. Her expression was equally panicked, at a complete loss for what to do.
Annie bent down, cradling Yago in her arms, their foreheads pressed together. She could still feel Yago's body temperature—it was frighteningly high. Tears stread from Annie's blue eyes, falling onto Yago's face.
"Yago, don't scare ... I'm really timid... wake up..."
Whether it was Annie's cries that worked or not, before A-One could go find a doctor, Yago slowly opened his eyes. The crimson glow in his eyes faded, and the bulging veins gradually subsided.
As soon as Yago opened his eyes, he saw Annie's face pressed closely against his. Even her tears had fallen onto his face, so reaching the corner of his mouth.
"Mm... a little salty..."
His soft murmur was heard by Annie. Still on the verge of breaking into sobs, Annie froze when she saw Yago looking completely fine, her tear-streaked face not yet dried.
That day, the wind outside Russell Manor was especially noisy—mixed with a few screams.
Yago didn't understand what had just happened. It just felt like, for a brief mont, he had lost control of his body, as if his soul was about to be torn out.
...
At the sa ti, a crimson light flickered in Ebson's eyes. However, as ti passed, the smile that once hung on his lips had long vanished, replaced by an expression of fury and frustration.
"No! Why?! Why is it just a tiny bit short?! Why exactly?!"
In a rage, Ebson swept all the test tubes and instrunts in front of him onto the ground, producing countless shattering sounds.
He clutched his head in collapse.
"Where did I go wrong?! Damn it! Norman! Were you lying to all along?!"
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