Chapter 29: Confronting the Stationed Corps

“What should we do, Xu…” Mikasa stared blankly at Eren, who lay among the corpses of titans on the street.

“We’ll rescue him first.” With that, Sikong Xu was about to descend, but someone was faster.

Armin, who had gone mad with worry upon spotting Eren, was already rushing forward, digging Eren’s body out from the gigantic skeletal remains of the titan.

“Eren! Eren! Are you alright?” Armin pressed against Eren’s chest, breathing heavily. “Thank goodness, his heart is still beating…”

“How could Eren be here? According to Arnold, wasn’t he… eaten by a titan?” Reiner stepped forward, carefully examining Eren’s body.

“That’s not a question you should be asking me.” Sikong Xu looked at Reiner with a half-smile, half-sneer.

“What do you mean?” Reiner’s heart skipped a beat. Could the other know something? If that was the case…

“I think we should keep this under wraps. Of course, that’s just my opinion as Eren’s friend.” Sikong Xu no longer looked at Reiner. “But with something this big, I doubt you’ll avoid reporting it.”

“True, we need to inform the higher-ups. After all, coming out of a titan’s body is… utterly unimaginable,” Jean nodded from the side.

“In that case, we’ll take Eren with us for now.” Sikong Xu said, then turned to Armin and Mikasa. “Armin, carry Eren. Mikasa, let’s go.”

Thunk—

The steel claws of the Vertical Maneuvering Equipment shot out. In the blink of an eye, Sikong Xu’s figure had vaulted over a rooftop.

Mikasa and Armin exchanged a glance, then likewise carried Eren and leapt away.

“Why are they in such a hurry?” Conny scratched his head, puzzled, looking at Jean.

“Tch, they’re trying to protect Eren. If we report this to the higher-ups, they’ll target him, no matter what,” Jean said angrily. “So, we’ll wait a bit.”

…

In the town, three figures darted and soared through the air, pursued by dozens of shadows. Clearly, all were after the trio ahead.

At last, the three stopped at the base of the city wall.

“We’ll halt here. If the negotiations fail, we take Eren over the wall immediately—they won’t dare follow. Are you ready?” Sikong Xu’s steel claws retracted, and he landed smoothly. Mikasa and Armin, carrying Eren, did the same.

Sikong Xu gazed at Armin and Mikasa, fully aware of the gravity of his words. Beyond this wall lay the world of titans—a realm full of humanity’s mortal enemies.

“No matter, I’m not afraid to cross the wall. If not for Eren, I’d be dead. All I can do as a useless failure is help him as much as I can,” Armin said with self-deprecation.

“Wherever you go, I’ll go,” Mikasa replied, her expression calm as ever.

“Hmm? They’re here!”

Ahead, dozens of figures landed simultaneously, forming a circle around Sikong Xu and his companions. Sharp steel blades were drawn.

“You must be Sikong Xu!” One man stepped out from the ranks, his voice harsh.

He was tall, about six foot three, meant to be imposing and fierce. Yet now his eyes were sunken, brows furrowed, his thick arms and legs trembling, and his speech lacked vigor. He was Captain Kitz Willman of the Garrison Regiment.

“You dare harbor a titan? Are you betraying all of humanity?” Willman glared fiercely at Sikong Xu from atop the steps.

“The Garrison Regiment’s captain?” Sikong Xu smirked at the supposedly formidable, but in truth cowardly captain. “Funny, you weren’t so bold when facing titans.”

“How dare you! A mere trainee speaking to the captain like this!” One of Willman’s men barked, but his nervous expression betrayed his fear.

“Bunch of cowards.”

Sikong Xu scanned the ranks; the Garrison soldiers stood in neat lines, seemingly imposing. But a closer look revealed their trembling limbs and anxious faces—the pressure from Eren’s titan form had shaken them deeply.

“Humanity’s future is hopeless…” Sikong Xu sighed in disappointment. Even the soldiers were such cowards—no wonder mankind kept losing ground to the titans. Hopefully, the Survey Corps would be made of sterner stuff.

“Trainee Sikong Xu! I’ll ask again: are you hiding the titan behind you? If so, you’ll be treated as a traitor to humanity!” Willman barked once more.

“A traitor to humanity? Quite the accusation.” Sikong Xu glanced at the raised steel blades, smiled. “If your swords continue to point in the wrong direction, then we must be ready to make sacrifices!”

“Sikong Xu, what is the meaning of this?”

Swish! The soldiers’ blades trembled in unison, a threat.

This time, Sikong Xu didn’t answer, but slowly drew the special steel blade at his waist and raised it toward them.

“Xu! Put the blade down! Do you know what this means?” Armin, behind Sikong Xu, was nearly scared out of his wits. If only he had handled the negotiations—he never expected Sikong Xu to do something so drastic.

“I know exactly what it means,” Sikong Xu replied gravely. “But I’m utterly disappointed in this bunch of cowards.”

“But you can’t just draw your sword—that’s declaring war! These weapons are meant for titans, not humans!” Armin protested.

“For titans? Haha, naive.” Sikong Xu laughed mockingly. “You say they’re for titans, yet look at them.”

He pointed at the line of soldiers with their swords raised toward him and his companions.

“This…”

At that moment, Eren, who had been unconscious on Armin’s back, suddenly awoke and shouted.

“Continue… I want to keep killing!”

Eren’s eyes snapped open, and in a dazed state he uttered those words. Armin’s face grew even paler, and Mikasa’s worry deepened.

“You heard him…”

“Yes, he said…”

“He said he wants to kill us…”

“That guy wants to eat us all…”

The Garrison soldiers’ faces darkened further upon hearing Eren’s words.

“What’s happening…” Eren asked in confusion.

“Eren, are you clear-headed? Can you move? Tell them everything you know. They won’t make things hard for you!” Armin clutched Eren’s shoulder, flustered.

“No memory of before?” Sikong Xu said from the side. “In short, Eren, these people want to kill you.”

“Xu… your sword…” Clearly, Eren noticed Sikong Xu had his blade pointed at the Garrison soldiers.

“It’s not a big deal. They drew first, after all. You should clear your head and let Armin explain everything to you.”

Sikong Xu shook himself, his gaze coldly fixed on the soldiers ahead.