The closer she got to the wall, the higher the temperature became, it was truly becoming unbearable.
Ellie, while running, consciously reached out her left hand to press against the medicine box lined inside her chest.
“Please, spinal fluid, don’t break!
My life entirely depends on you!”
According to the original plot, after Bertholdt kicked open the outer gate, the body of the Colossal Titan would quickly evaporate and disappear and as for his human form, he would quietly slip away under the cover of steam and dust to reunite with Annie Leonhart and Reiner Braun.
The time left for Ellie Reiss to act was only a few short minutes!
If Bertholdt managed to slip away by mingling into the fleeing crowd, finding another opportunity to consume him would be extremely difficult!
“Huff…
Puff…”
Ellie Reiss grit her teeth and ran desperately.
The surrounding air was mixed with scalding steam and flying dust, every breath felt like sparks drilling into her lungs, burning her chest with sharp pain.
Yet her pace not only failed to slow down, but instead grew faster and faster.
Faster!
Even faster!
Finally, a lift platform originally used for transporting supplies appeared in her field of vision!
Several Garrison soldiers responsible for operating the lift were already frightened out of their wits, frantically preparing to pull the levers to run for their lives and not far away at the damaged city gate, a massive Pure Titan had already bent down and was slowly crawling into the urban area!
“The Titan is in!
Raise it up!
Quick!”
The soldiers desperately pulled down the gear switch but just as the instant the wooden lift platform rose a little over a meter off the ground, a petite golden figure leaped out from behind the ruins!
Ellie Reiss’s hands grabbed the railing at the edge of the platform, and flipped up using the momentum, land steadily on it!
“Brat?!
Are you insane?!
Get down!” a soldier roared in panic.
“Shut up!”
Ellie wiped the cold sweat off her face and forcefully pulled the lift’s rope and accompanied by the violent friction of thick iron chains, the wooden platform began to rise rapidly.
While pulling the rope, Ellie looked down from above, Shiganshina District under her feet rapidly shrank in her field of vision.
The once lively and bustling streets had now completely turned into a living purgatory, everywhere there were houses crushed by flying stones, and raging fires continuously spread along the wooden roofs.
Thousands of civilians, like a swarm of ants that had lost their direction, desperately crowded into the narrow streets leading to the inner gate and behind and around them, several bizarrely shaped Pure Titans had already crossed the city gate and swaggered into the city.
“Hoo— Whoosh—!”
As the lift approached the fifty-meter-high wall top, a wave of heat enveloped her!
“So hot!” Ellie looked up.
At this moment, the Colossal Titan was releasing ultra-high-pressure steam at full power!
The overwhelming white smoke, like a snowstorm, completely submerged the entire wall top, it reduced her vision to a blank expanse of white, she was unable to see things even two meters away clearly.
Every breath she took made her throat burn painfully as if scalded by boiling water.
Yet Ellie’s eyes instead lit up.
“Good opportunity!”
The steam blocked all lines of sight; neither the Garrison nor anyone else who might be present could see the situation on the wall!
Seeing that the lift was only the last two meters away from the top of the wall, Ellie didn’t wait any longer.
She gripped the medicine box containing the injection tightly, directly vaulted over the guardrail, and lunged toward the wall top against the scalding white fog!
“Clack!”
“Hoo— Made it just in time!”
Ellie wiped the sweat from her forehead with her hand and planted her feet on the top of Wall Maria.
Amidst the blinding, scorching steam filling the sky, she locked onto the tall shadow ahead whose massive body was rapidly melting.
“Bertholdt…”
She pulled out the spinal fluid injection from her bosom with a dangerous smile.
I’ve finally waited for you!”
According to the original lore, after an intelligent Titan deactivated its transformation, the inheritor would detach from the nape of the Titan’s neck.
The body of the Colossal Titan was a full sixty meters tall; even if Bertholdt could actively accelerate evaporation, it was impossible to clear away such a massive body in an instant.
Moreover, he had just completed his transformation and kicked apart the gate of Shiganshina District.
At this time, both his physical strength and mental state were severely depleted.
Furthermore, Bertholdt was naturally an introverted guy.
Having witnessed countless civilians die because of his actions, he was probably already starting to break down mentally.
Therefore, now was the absolute best time to consume him!
“Where are you…
Bertholdt…”
Ellie pricked up her ears, catching the subtle movements around her.
Suddenly, about a dozen meters ahead, the sound of metal buckles colliding came through.
If she listened to carefully, she could even hear a boy’s frightened panting!
Found him!
A surge of joy welled up in Ellie’s heart as she quickly approached under the cover of the steam.
As the distance closed, a massive red skeleton rapidly dissolving vaguely appeared in the dense fog and at the nape of the skeleton, a tall, thin youth with short black hair was struggling to crawl out.
This youth was none other than Bertholdt Hoover!
He looked extremely disheveled, with deep strap marks left by Titanization on his face, his forehead covered in cold sweat, and a few droplets of liquid—whether sweat or tears—hanging at the corners of his eyes.
“Reiner…
Annie…
I did it…”
Bertholdt muttered to himself, “I broke the wall…
We…
can go home…”
“Ahem, yo, hello there,” Ellie Reiss softly said.
“Who?!
Who is it?!”
Bertholdt jerked his head around like a startled bird, his pupils instantly constricting, because there, less than three steps away from him, a petite little girl was looking at him with a smile.
In the girl’s hand was a glass syringe containing an unknown pale white liquid.
“M-Monster?
Why would you appear here?!”
Bertholdt couldn’t even think.
This was the top of a 50-meter-high wall!
The surroundings were entirely filled with ultra-high-temperature steam that could scald a layer of skin right off a person!
So how on earth did a little girl who looked completely powerless fly up to this place?!
Furthermore…
why was the way she looked at him as if she were looking at…
long-coveted prey?!
“Why am I here?
That’s not important.” Ellie grinned with a ghastly smile, looking at Bertholdt coldly.
“Y-You…
What do you want…”
Bertholdt shook his head in terror, subconsciously wanting to pull out the dagger at his waist!
But!
Right now, even the action of drawing his blade had become incomparably sluggish!
Ellie didn’t waste any words at all; she raised her right hand and immediately stabbed the injection fiercely into her own arm!
“Squish!”
“Are you crazy!
W-What on earth is that waaaahhhh?!”
Bertholdt widened his eyes and roared in terror.
Ellie pulled out the empty syringe, tossed it away casually, and cast a pitying glance at Bertholdt.
“Sorry, Bertholdt.”
“I know you are just a pawn pushed onto the battlefield by Marley, and in your heart you didn’t really want to kill so many people.”
“But, you still kicked down the gate of Shiganshina District.”
Ellie glanced down at the base of the wall, flames were spreading through the city, countless civilians were crying out and as they fled toward the inner gate, swarms of Titans continuously poured in from the breach.
“From now on, countless people will lose their lives because of the choice you made today.”
“So, don’t feel too aggrieved either, in the original future, you would sooner or later be eaten by Armin anyway.”
“Since the endings are pretty much the same, why not hand this power over to me!
That way, you won’t have to keep living with a sense of guilt!
I will put your power to good use to protect the people I cherish!
Now, please rest in peace!”
The next second, lightning streaked across the sky!
“Rumble-crack—!!!”
A dazzling bolt of golden lightning struck Ellie’s petite body!
Then, terrifying energy erupted from her body, forcefully tearing open a massive hollow in the surrounding dense steam!
“N-No way!
Aside from us…
how could there still be…
inside the walls…”
Bertholdt was knocked to the ground by the violent shockwave, watching in despair as the flesh and bones rapidly expanded amidst the golden light before him.
In just a short two seconds!
The golden light dissipated, and a Pure Titan standing about four meters tall, with slender limbs, short golden hair, and a face somewhat resembling Ellie Reiss’s, rose abruptly from the ground!
“Roar—!!!”
The Ellie Titan let out a roar, although her size could only be considered a dwarf among Titans, to Bertholdt, who was paralyzed on the ground at this moment, it was the arrival of the Grim Reaper!
She stretched out her massive palm and grabbed Bertholdt, who had completely lost the ability to resist.
“No!
Let me go!
Annie!
Reiner!
Help—!”
Bertholdt screamed miserably, his hands desperately prying at the fingers of the Ellie Titan but in front of the absolute gap in Titan strength, all struggles were futile!
The Ellie Titan tilted her head, then, like eating a ham sausage, opened her bloody mouth wide and hoisted Bertholdt up.
“Snap!”
Bertholdt’s bones shattered instantly.
At this moment, the power of the Colossal Titan changed hands!
================================================================ rip…
had to happen tho, bro just slimmed out hella people
================================================================