Chapter 28: Let’s Fight Together!

Because all seven small Titans in the basement were dealt with by Sikong Xu and Mikasa, the trainees of the Training Corps replenished their gas and rushed toward the wall.

Standing atop the supply room, watching this scene, Sikong Xu felt quite emotional. Had he not gathered all the trainees together during the battle, more than half of them would have been devoured by Titans. Now, with the main quest completed—and accidentally accomplishing a hidden task as well—he had gained quite a lot. Yet, when he thought of his second main quest, Sikong Xu’s expression darkened.

Main Quest Two: After Eren Yeager reveals his Titan identity, protect him until he joins the Survey Corps. Reward: 150 credits.

This task wasn’t exactly difficult, but it was definitely troublesome. Soon, Eren’s identity would be exposed, and the Garrison Regiment dispatched by the government would arrive to eliminate him. Sikong Xu would inevitably clash with them to fulfill his mission.

And then there was the operation to retake Wall Rose, which was the most headache-inducing part. If he had to protect Eren, participating in the battle to reclaim Wall Rose was unavoidable. Sikong Xu didn’t believe things would go as smoothly as in the original story, with Eren surviving by sheer luck.

“What’s wrong, Xu?” Mikasa, having finished replenishing her gas and equipment, saw Sikong Xu lost in thought and approached him to ask.

Seeing Mikasa come over, Sikong Xu smiled and said, “Just thinking about some things.”

“Is it about the Titan that helped us?” Mikasa tilted her head slightly, her expressionless face oddly endearing to Sikong Xu.

“Are you reading my mind? You always know what I’m thinking.” Sikong Xu shook his head and laughed. “I’m wondering if that Titan could be an ally…”

“An ally?”

“Yes! If we can unravel the mystery surrounding this Titan and gain its help, maybe we could break the current stalemate. We might even retake the fallen Wall Rose, perhaps even Wall Maria… Hmm?”

Sikong Xu let out a startled hum. Following his gaze, he saw Titan Eren leaning against a half-ruined house, with several Titans gnawing at his body.

“Roar…”

After slaughtering Titan after Titan, Eren finally succumbed to the overwhelming numbers, letting out a weak, desperate growl. The muscles on half his body had been gnawed away, exposing stark white bone. Steam poured from his wounds, evidence of his Titan physiology rapidly healing him.

Unfortunately, the healing was so slow it was like a drop of water in a raging fire—utterly insignificant.

“Should we save him?” Mikasa asked.

“Of course!” Sikong Xu’s eyes flashed, ready to take action.

At that moment, an unwelcome voice rang out.

“Hah! Save him? He’s a Titan! Are you out of your mind?”

Jean had overheard Sikong Xu and Mikasa’s conversation. He’d thought they were just speaking hypothetically, but now realized they genuinely intended to intervene.

“Even if he attacks other Titans, he’s still one of them! You want to save him? What if you rescue him and he turns on you and eats you instead?” Jean protested vehemently. He had no fondness for Titans, let alone any intention of saving one.

“If he hadn’t kept the Titans around the supply room busy, at least half of us would have died trying to break through, maybe you and I included,” Sikong Xu fixed his gaze on Jean. “So, he indirectly saved us. That’s why I’m going to help him.”

“But…”

Before Jean could finish, Sikong Xu had already moved.

Swish! The steel claws of the maneuver gear shot out, latching onto one of the Titans attacking Eren.

Whoosh! Gas propelled Sikong Xu forward with a powerful thrust, sending him flying like the wind.

“That guy!” Jean cursed angrily. When he glanced at Mikasa, he saw she had already flown out as well, making him even more anxious.

Swish! A flash of steel, a flash of white—one large Titan fell beneath Sikong Xu’s blade, earning him five credits.

Perhaps because all the Titans’ attention was focused on Eren, it was easy for Sikong Xu and Mikasa to slay them. These witless Titans had no idea two reapers stood behind them, ready to harvest their lives; even if they did, they wouldn’t know how to react.

“Roar—”

Titan Eren seemed to notice Sikong Xu and Mikasa’s actions. As the pressure on him lightened, he suddenly roared, mustering his last strength to throw off the Titans clinging and biting at him.

“Roar—”

Titan Eren stood up from the half-collapsed house. Due to the other Titans’ attacks, half his body was stripped of muscle, leaving only bare bone—a truly miserable sight.

Though his wounds were healing rapidly thanks to his Titan physiology, it would take time to fully recover.

“Roar—”

Eren unleashed another skyward roar, his limbs thrashing as he slaughtered the surrounding Titans. His injuries didn’t seem to dampen his ferocity in the slightest.

Yet, as Sikong Xu and Mikasa cut down Titans, they noticed a troubling issue. Despite their constant killing, the number of Titans wasn’t decreasing; it was actually rising.

“Could it be…”

Sikong Xu deftly dodged an attack from two Titans that appeared from nowhere.

Could Eren’s repeated roars have attracted all the Titans from other areas?

Sikong Xu’s expression grew grim. More and more Titans were appearing all around.

Though he kept earning credits, at this rate, Titan Eren wouldn’t hold out much longer, and even they would be in danger.

“Ugh! More Titans!”

Suddenly, Sikong Xu found himself surrounded by four Titans. Landing on a rooftop, he looked around—he couldn’t use his maneuver gear to escape, as the Titans blocked every angle.

Not far away, Mikasa noticed Sikong Xu’s predicament, but she was herself beset by three Titans.

“Ah... this is troublesome.” Sikong Xu gripped his steel blades, steeling himself for a desperate fight.

Shhkk!

Just then, the sound of a blade slicing through muscle rang out, and two Titans near Sikong Xu crumpled to the ground.

“Haha, Sikong Xu, are you alright!”

A lively boy with a buzz cut dropped from the sky, landing beside Sikong Xu and patting him on the shoulder. “We’re here to help!”

“You guys…” Sikong Xu looked around, seeing the top ten trainees join the battle, even the usually timid Lance locked in combat with a Titan.

“I really underestimated you all…” Sikong Xu realized their skills matched their impressive rankings.

“Let’s fight together.” Sikong Xu smiled.

“Yeah! Let’s kill these damn Titans!”

In the end, with the assistance of Sikong Xu, Mikasa, and the top ten graduates, Titan Eren finally cleared the area of Titans.

“Huff…”

Witnessing Eren crush the last Titan’s skull and rip out its nape, everyone exhaled heavily—the threat was temporarily resolved.

Titan Eren did the same. After killing the last Titan, he let out one final roar and collapsed to the ground.

Thick smoke billowed from Eren’s Titan body, his nape muscle dissolving into white vapor bit by bit.

As the Titan’s body disappeared in a cloud of smoke, everyone saw a human figure at the nape—one that looked unmistakably familiar.

“It’s… Eren!”

Eren’s form suddenly appeared from within the Titan’s body!