Rain of blood

"Like I said, Mikasa," Sasha commented excitedly as she rode beside her. "Pork is delicious, but when you use the right seasonings from the forest, it gets even better. My father taught me an amazing recipe."

Sasha's words floated in the air, but Mikasa barely heard them. The sound of the horses' hooves, the wind brushing against her face—everything was a blur. Her thoughts were entirely focused on Eren, on the danger he was about to face. A wave of worry swelled inside her, suffocating everything else.

Right behind them, Annie watched the two with calculating eyes. Kazuya had asked her not to attack Mikasa, but Annie wondered if that was truly necessary. She knew she could defeat Mikasa if she wanted to. To Annie, the warrior was nothing more than an obstacle. A task that, if it came to it, she would eliminate without hesitation.

Bertolt, riding beside Annie, was lost in his own thoughts. "Will this mission end soon?" he wondered, looking at the distant horizon. Exhaustion weighed on him, and the desire to go home seemed stronger with each passing second. "I just want this to be over."

*

The forest seemed alive with the sound of rustling leaves and wind blowing through the trees. Reiner advanced with fierce determination, his heavy breathing as he ran, pushing through the dense vegetation. In the distance, he spotted Kazuya and Eren's squad.

The soldiers of the Survey Corps, alerted to the presence of a Titan, were on the move. But Reiner's arrival was swift and brutal. Trees were torn down like toys, and the team members who tried to stop him were decimated in mere seconds.

"What is that?" Eren shouted, shocked at the sight of the Armored Titan appearing before him. The magnitude of the situation hit Eren like a punch, and Levi's words of warning started to make sense.

From afar, Kazuya observed the scene. His gaze was cold and calculating, though he feigned surprise. "Right on time," he thought, as he drew his blades and awaited Levi's orders. The captain remained calm, and in a firm tone, ordered everyone to prepare.

Petra Rall was the first to act. She launched herself toward Reiner with precision, her blades slicing through the air in a perfect motion. But the Armored Titan's armor was impenetrable. The impact of her blades against Reiner's carapace was brutal, and Petra was thrown like a rag doll into a tree. The sound of breaking bones echoed through the forest, and she fell to the ground, motionless, her body bloodied and distorted by the force of the impact.

Oruo Bozad, seeing Petra's fate, charged desperately. His quick, precise cuts barely scratched Reiner's armor, and when his blades broke, Reiner hit him with a powerful kick. Oruo was flung against a tree, his body colliding with a terrible thud, leaving a trail of blood in his wake. His death was instantaneous, but the horror of his mangled body was marked on the landscape.

Eld Gin tried a different approach, seeking a weakness in Reiner's armor. He advanced cautiously, but before he could attack, Reiner grabbed him mid-air and smashed him into the ground with a devastating blow. The sound of breaking bones was deafening. Eld Gin was pulverized, his body an unrecognizable mass of blood and crushed bones.

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!" Eren screamed, a cry of pure rage and despair. He ignored Levi's attempts to calm him. "I'm going to kill you!" Eren growled, transforming into a Titan and furiously charging at Reiner.

The fight between the two Titans began, each blow shaking the ground. Punches were exchanged, trees falling all around — it was a chaos of destruction. The battlefield was transformed into a sea of debris.

Levi, from a distance, watched everything with sharp eyes. He knew he couldn't get directly involved in that fight. Kazuya, standing beside him, pretended to focus on the battle, but something gleamed in his eyes. With swift movements, he pulled out a signal gun and fired into the sky.

Levi, noticing the movement, glared at him. "What are you doing?"

Kazuya ignored the question, his thoughts already far away. "Levi is just an obstacle." He activated his quirk, Strongarm, and his muscles swelled. His punches were fast and powerful, but Levi, with his legendary agility, dodged each blow with ease.

"Ackermans," Kazuya growled, irritated.

Deciding he needed a new strategy, Kazuya activated his ODM gear and retreated, repositioning himself. Levi followed, blades in hand, ready to attack. Kazuya tried to block with his own blades, but Levi's agility was unmatched. Small cuts began to appear on Kazuya's body, blood staining his green uniform.

A loud crash echoed, and both turned to see Eren's Titan falling heavily to the ground. Reiner, victorious, was now running toward Kazuya.

Seizing the distraction, Kazuya retreated again, thinking of a new strategy. But Reiner charged at Levi, creating a crucial opening. Kazuya, seeing his chance, propelled himself with his ODM gear and attacked with all his might.

His punches hit Levi with immense brutality. Levi tried to dodge, but Kazuya was too fast. Finally, a precise blow struck Levi's head, and the impact was devastating. Levi's body fell, lifeless, as blood and brain matter splattered through the air.

Panting, Kazuya fell to his knees, his body covered in cuts and bleeding. He looked up at the sky, trying to catch his breath. In the distance, he heard a familiar voice.

"EREN!"

Kazuya lifted his head and saw Mikasa approaching quickly, with Annie and Bertolt right behind her.