"Hah… Hah…"
Eren panted heavily, struggling to rise from the ground after his fierce battle against Reiner. His Titan form was already exhausted, with steam rising from the wounds that were slowly healing.
Around him, Mikasa, Adam, Jean, Krista, and the other soldiers steadied their breathing, remaining on high alert for any further attacks from Reiner and Bertholdt.
But then—something unexpected happened.
BOOM!
A thick cloud of smoke exploded from the other side of the battlefield.
From behind the rubble, a nimble 5-meter Titan emerged, moving swiftly—and everyone's eyes widened in shock.
"NO WAY…!"
"YMIR?!"
Mikasa gripped her swords tighter, her eyes wide with disbelief.
Christa stood frozen in place, her face drained of color. "Ymir…?"
The small Titan locked eyes with Eren, then without hesitation, leaped straight at him!
"STOP!" Mikasa shouted, instantly firing her ODM gear to intercept, but it was too late!
With a swift motion, Ymir's Titan grabbed Eren's human body and immediately leaped away!
"DAMN IT!" Adam cursed, launching himself forward at full speed.
Reiner and Bertholdt, who had just been trying to retreat, instantly moved to support Ymir.
This was a trap.
They had planned this all along!
Mikasa and Adam soared at full speed, chasing after Ymir's Titan as she carried Eren.
Adam fired his cables at a building, flipping onto its roof to try and cut off Ymir's escape route.
"YMIR! WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING?!" he shouted.
But Ymir's Titan only growled, nimbly leaping over the debris.
Mikasa, her expression cold as steel, aimed her blades directly at Ymir's nape.
"Let go of Eren, or I'll cut you down!"
But before her sword could strike—
"Don't!"
Christa's voice rang out loudly, echoing across the battlefield.
Mikasa hesitated for a brief moment, her sharp eyes darting toward Christa.
"Ymir… why…?" Christa whispered, tears welling up in her eyes.
Ymir, despite being in her Titan form, glanced at Christa for a second. There was guilt in her eyes—but she still continued her escape alongside Reiner and Bertholdt.
Adam clenched his jaw.
This was bad.
They were already exhausted from fighting Reiner and Bertholdt. Now, they had to deal with Ymir's sudden betrayal.
Jean and Sasha finally caught up, their breaths ragged from exhaustion.
"What do we do?!" Jean shouted. "Do we chase them now?!"
Mikasa was silent for a few seconds.
If they pushed themselves too hard… they could fall into another trap.
Adam also balled his fists. This was a tough choice.
They had just won this battle… but now they were losing Eren again.
"…Damn it," Adam muttered, watching as Ymir's Titan disappeared into the distance with Reiner and Bertholdt.
Mikasa bit her lip before finally speaking in a cold tone.
"We retreat. We need to regroup and come up with a new strategy."
Christa stood motionless, her hands trembling.
She couldn't accept this.
Ymir had promised to protect her… yet now she was leaving with Reiner and Bertholdt.
Why?
Adam, standing beside her, looked at Christa with concern.
"…Are you okay?" he asked softly.
Krista lifted her head, her tear-filled eyes meeting Adam's.
"…No."
Then, without warning, Christa suddenly embraced Adam tightly, burying her face against his chest as she let her tears fall.
"…Why is this happening?" she whispered, her voice full of pain.
Adam was taken aback but didn't push her away.
He simply stood there, gently patting Christa's back.
"…I don't know either," Adam murmured, gazing up at the sky with a serious expression.
They couldn't let Eren fall into enemy hands.