Shingeki no Jiyu

XVII

      Keith dismounted and approached the wooden stage slowly. Anastasia Yelts lay on her back, limbs sprawled like a discarded rag doll. The bullet was a clean singular shot between her brows and had exited cleanly through the back of her head. Her expression was somewhat peaceful, but it was offset by the speckles of blood staining her clothing and porcelain skin. Keith knelt down and tucked a portion of brown hair behind her ear.

      "I'm sorry Brant," he whispered.

      Turning his attention to the other corpse, he gave a small solute to Harrison's body and smirked at the unrecognisable body of the unfortunate Military Police member beside him.

        Nile shadowed him, sighing, "Burchard Rolf. . .one of the Thirty-Fifth. We're assuming that was Adria's work."

      "How could you not have known about this?" Keith snarled. "You're the Commander of the Military Police. . .your men must have collected Anastasia Yelts and her partner from Civil District."

      "I–I don't know," Nile averted his eyes. "I came when I saw the explosion but by then. . .it was too late."

      "Explosion?" Keith removed his coat despite the fresh sheet of rain beating against them. He gently lifted Anastasia's body and draped it around her body.

      "My men believe it was Ms Jørgens," Nile shrugged. "Neal won't tell us anything, we have him in custody for his own good, he's a raving lunatic."

       "Deliver him to Trost, I will deal with him later," Keith stood, giving one final glance to Anastasia. "Oh, and Nile? I'd watch my back if I were you. . .Adria will be out for blood for whoever sanctioned this assassination, and my guess is that you'll be her first target. Farewell."

      "W–w–what? But I told you I had nothing to do with this! Shadis? Wait!"

      Keith remounted his horse and nudged it towards the gate without another word.

      "None of this makes sense. Did His Majesty bring Adria here to witness her mother's execution? There were no charges," Hanji queried. "And look, the storm's worsening."

      "We better get to her quick before she destroys all of us," Mike charged ahead.

* * *

      Clouds circled overhead in an anti-clockwise motion above Adria. Her wires lost their hold against the wall and her blades hung loosely at her sides. Her head was thrown back and the animalistic scream seemed to have no end. She was suspended in mid-air above the wall surrounded by flashes of multicoloured lightening.

      Mike got to her first and propelled himself to the ground below. Beneath Adria, muscular Titan legs reinforced by bone-like spikes and armour had appeared. With each lightning strike or rumble of thunder, particles of muscle and tissue manifested and coiled themselves around the pre-existing limbs to grow the calves—if they didn't stop it, they'd have a new Titan to deal with.

       He braced himself against the raging storm and struck his wires into the ground by the Titan's ankles. Biting hard into the leather covering his shoulder to maintain his focus, Mike swung his blades back and struck. However, before they could properly make contact with the steaming flesh, an invisible force seemed to be pushing back against his swords causing the steel to splinter before breaking the blade entirely. Mike quickly dove out of the way to avoid impalement and signalled with a black flare that they weren't dealing with a normal Titan.

      Hanji adjusted their goggles and made a B-line to Adria. They didn't bother arming themselves, Hanji wanted to incapacitate Adria with the hilt of the mechanism. But again, as soon as Hanji got within reach of Adria, she was thrown back towards the wall.