Chapter 18: Useless Effort

The battle against the Jaw Titan raged on, the titan's agility making it an unrelenting adversary. Captain Mike and Levi's squads, Petra and others maneuvered relentlessly, slicing at the titan's limbs to slow its movements. Despite their efforts, the Jaw Titan's sharp claws and speed outmatched most of the soldiers, leaving a trail of injuries in its wake. 

"Focus your attacks on the joints!" Captain Mike barked, rallying the remaining soldiers. Yet even with coordinated strikes, the titan managed to break through their formations, sending soldiers sprawling with its sweeping claws. 

The Jaw Titan began moving toward the center of the battlefield, its sharp teeth gleaming as it set its sights on a cornered soldier. 

Levi, perched atop a nearby roof, narrowed his eyes. His grip on the maneuver gear's triggers tightened. "Not on my watch," he muttered. With a sharp hiss of gas, he launched himself forward, his speed increasing as he pressed the gear to its limits. 

Leaping from building to building in an almost imperceptible blur, Levi reached the soldier just as the titan's jaws closed in. He twisted mid-air, sliding between the titan's claws, and yanked the soldier out of harm's way. In the same motion, Levi pivoted and launched a counterattack, his blades flashing. 

One slice. Ten slices. Hundreds!

Levi's movements were precise and relentless, his strikes carving deep wounds into the titan's body. The Jaw Titan roared, thrashing in pain, but Levi didn't let up. Each maneuver was calculated, his blades never missing their mark. 

"Levi! Keep it alive!" Mike's voice cut through the chaos. 

Levi's cold gaze remained fixed on the titan. He altered his approach, redirecting his attacks toward subduing rather than killing. With one powerful strike, he severed the tendons behind its legs, bringing the titan crashing to the ground. 

The titan writhed, attempting to stand, but Levi darted behind it, delivering a final slice to the nape of its neck. Steam burst forth as the titan's transformation unraveled, revealing a small figure—a girl—within. 

Levi landed softly, his breathing steady despite the exertion. The girl slumped to the ground, unconscious and weak. 

"It's her," Captain Mike confirmed, signaling to the soldiers. "Secure the shifter." 

Ymir, now fully exposed and defenseless, was quickly restrained by the soldiers. Her transformation had failed to achieve its goal, and she had underestimated the overwhelming strength of Levi and his squad. 

Levi sheathed his blades, sparing her a single, disdainful glance. "She was fast. But not fast enough," he murmured, already moving to rejoin his squad. 

---

Ymir was thrown roughly to the ground, steam still rising from her body after her recent transformation. Her face bore the marks of a Titan shifter, the scars unmistakable. As she lay on the ground, coughing and exhausted, three bound figures—Reiner, Annie, and Bertholdt—stared at her in shock.

Reiner's eyes narrowed, his expression twisted with confusion and fury. "You… you're the one who ate Marcel!" he shouted, his voice shaking with raw emotion. He struggled against his bindings, the ropes biting into his skin. "Why are you here? Why?"

Ymir didn't meet his gaze at first. She took a ragged breath, coughing before she forced herself to sit up. "Why?" she repeated, her tone bitter. "I followed you. I overheard your plan to break the wall and infiltrate the interior. I found it… interesting." She scoffed, a humorless smile on her lips. "I figured it was about time I paid back my debt, or maybe I just got curious. Doesn't matter now."

Reiner's hands clenched into fists, his body trembling. "You followed us? After everything, you—" His voice cracked, and he glared at her.

Before Ymir could respond, Erwin strode forward, his presence commanding as always. His piercing eyes locked onto her as he spoke. "Good work," he said coldly. "Now… tell me. Why did you come here?"

Ymir stayed silent, her defiance written across her face. Levi stepped forward without hesitation, his boot slamming into her stomach. Ymir gasped in pain, doubling over.

"Answer him," Levi said sharply, his tone as cold as ice.

Ymir coughed but refused to cry out. After a moment, she looked up at Erwin. "What's the point?" she said weakly. "You already know everything. What I did, why I'm here… it's all useless now. There's nothing left to say."

Erwin's gaze didn't waver. "Tell me anyway. Is your goal to save them?" He gestured to Reiner, Annie, and Bertholdt, bound and unable to move. "Is that it?"

The three warriors were silent, though fear and anger flashed across their faces. Annie and Bertholdt remained still, their bindings digging into their skin, while Reiner gritted his teeth, his eyes darting between Erwin and Ymir.

Ymir's lips curled into a bitter smile. "Save them?" she asked, her voice laced with sarcasm. "I don't care about saving anyone. I just…" She paused, her expression darkening. "I was tired of the darkness. Sixty years. Sixty years trapped as a mindless Titan, wandering aimlessly. Eating Marcel woke me up. I saw you three, and I followed. That's it. No grand plan, no noble cause."

Hanji stepped forward, her eyes alight with curiosity and excitement. "Well, isn't that convenient?" she said with a grin. "Now that you're here, we can finally put all this power to good use. No need to waste time hunting you down one by one."

Reiner's head snapped toward her, his expression filled with disbelief. "What do you mean, put it to good use?" he demanded. "What are you planning to do with us?"

Hanji's grin widened, her tone playful. "Oh, that's a secret! But let's just say, we've found a way to extract Titan powers without all the messy business of eating someone alive. Fantastic isn't it?"

Reiner's face twisted in shock. "Ho-how did you know how our titan works!? That's impossible! There's no way your technology has surpassed ours. Eldia's technology is ancient compared to Marley's!"

Hanji laughed. "Ah, but that's where you're wrong. Let's just say we've had… help."

Ymir let out a sharp, bitter laugh. "Help? Is that what you call it? Don't kid yourselves. You're just as brutal as Marley. All your high-minded talk about saving lives—you think I didn't see your soldiers fall? They were crushed, eaten, torn apart. All while you stood here, pretending to be righteous."

Her laughter was cut short by a calm, chilling voice. "None of them are dead."

All eyes turned to Niikaz as she stepped forward. Her dark hair flowed behind her, and her crimson eyes glowed faintly, sending a shiver down Ymir's spine. For the first time, Ymir felt something she hadn't felt in years—fear.

"What?" Ymir said, her voice trembling. "That's not possible. I saw them! I saw them die!"

Niikaz's gaze bore into her. "What you saw was an illusion," she said simply.

Grisha, observing from the sidelines, finally broke his silence. "Is it true? Not a single soldier was lost?"

Erwin stepped forward, his expression as stoic as ever. "Of course. Why do you think we brought only 200 men? These aren't just ordinary soldiers. They're an elite force, veterans who've faced titans countless times. And they follow orders without hesitation or question."

The surrounding soldiers stood firm, their expressions unflinching, a testament to their discipline and experience.

Unbeknownst to Ymir, Niikaz had been the key to their survival. Before the mission, she had handed Hanji small vials of a mysterious red liquid, instructing her to distribute them to every soldier.

Once reached to Shiganshina District, she passed to levi and his advanced squad. "Drink this," she had said. "It will protect you for 42 hours. No harm will come to you."

During the battle, soldiers who should have died emerged unscathed, their bodies surrounded by a faint, glowing barrier that repelled attacks and exploded outward with destructive force when struck.

Hanji wrapped an arm around Niikaz, grinning. "Aren't we lucky to have her on our side?"

Reiner stared at Niikaz, his mind racing. "Are you… are you the Founding Titan?" he asked, his voice barely above a whisper.

Niikaz didn't answer. Instead, she smirked, her crimson eyes gleaming as she looked down at him.

Reiner's heart sank. Fear, anger, and confusion swirled inside him, but above all, he felt a crushing sense of dread.