Chapter 18

Bang!!!

The sound of the sound bomb echoed throughout the entire headquarters. The overwhelming volume of the explosion, resembling a Titan's roar, struck the surrounding soldiers' ears like a painful slap.

The soldiers, suddenly engulfed by the sound bomb's pain, all covered their ears in agony.

But they were better off. Nike and Kitz, who were closer to the blast, had it much worse.

For a moment, Nike couldn't hear anything. Not even the usual ringing sound was present. However, she didn't panic and immediately charged at Kitz.

Kitz, who had experienced the sound more intensely due to the direction of the barrel, was still disoriented. Nike tackled him to the ground.

Both Nike and Kitz tumbled to the floor. Kitz still hadn't regained his senses, while Nike quickly got up and handcuffed both of his hands, subduing him.

"Ouch, my ears..."

By the time the situation settled and everyone's hearing recovered, the smoke from the signal flare had drifted out through the broken window.

As everyone began to recover from the pain caused by the sound bomb, Nike looked around. Christa, Connie, and Ymir had successfully taken down the soldiers who tried to apprehend her.

Kitz, whom Nike had subdued, was unconscious, with blood trickling from his ears.

Thanks to the surprisingly cooperative trainees, Nike was pleased that her plan was unfolding smoothly, and she allowed herself a small smile.

Then she addressed everyone in the room.

"...Now, who is the highest-ranking person here?"

The soldiers and Rico seemed utterly shocked by what the trainees, led by Nike, had done.

When everyone was looking around for an answer, it was Rico who raised her hand.

"Technically, I am."

"Good. Rico, I need you to revoke Kitz's retreat order."

Nike pulled another sound bomb from her bag. Without saying a word, she made it clear that if they didn't comply, she would blow their ears off again. Seeing Nike's silent threat, Rico turned to the garrison soldiers.

The soldiers who had vehemently agreed with Kitz earlier were now all watching Nike nervously. Rico, after observing them, clicked her tongue and carried out Nike's order.

"Follow the order immediately. Got it?"

"Yes, ma'am!"

The soldiers hurriedly ran outside to announce the revocation of the retreat order. Soon, the operations room was left with the soldiers who had stayed neutral during the confrontation, the trainees, Rico, and Nike.

Finally feeling that the situation had improved, Nike checked her femininity stat.

"It's already at 3... It seems to only slightly increase self-love for now. What's really going to change?"

The specifics were still unknown. The status window was both helpful and unhelpful in such matters.

However, Rico, the leader of the elite squad of the garrison regiment, saw it differently.

Being the daughter of the supreme commander, she was fighting at the forefront for the lives and supplies of soldiers in the battlefield. Rico found herself saluting Nike with a heart full of gratitude.

"Thank you, Nike."

But Nike, feeling uncomfortable with such formalities, lowered Rico's saluting arm.

"Just speak casually. You're older than me anyway."

"...Alright."

With that, Rico spread out a map on the round table in the center of the operations room.

The map detailed Trost District and the ongoing defensive battle.

Notably, the deployment of the trainees in the mid-section of the front line was meticulously marked with the names of all the squad members.

"Currently, the squads fighting at the front are almost annihilated. The remaining forces are in the mid and rear sections... How do we handle this situation? Any good ideas?"

The map showed the direction of the Titans' advance in red lines. Most of the red lines indicated that the Titans had broken through the front line and were now clashing with the trainees in the mid-section.

From the looks of it, the mid-section was almost entirely overrun.

"The most crucial part of the mid-section is this headquarters."

Regardless of what happens next, Nike believed that holding this headquarters, which also served as a gas supply station, was of utmost importance.

At least until Commander Pixis ordered a retreat. They had to hold the headquarters.

However, the number of soldiers had significantly decreased due to the ongoing defense, making it uncertain how long they could hold out.

'...It seems we'll need Eren Yeager's power.'

In the original story, Eren's transformation into a Titan, known for killing other Titans, left a strong impression. They needed his power to defend the headquarters.

But...

"For now, Rico, you keep defending the headquarters. You there! Fill the first floor with this signal flare."

"Yes, ma'am!"

"Leader Rico! More Titans are approaching from the front line!"

Was it because of the sound bomb Nike had fired? A soldier rushed in with an urgent expression, informing them of the approaching Titans from the front line.

As the soldier said, many Titans were heading towards the headquarters from the distant front line.

The number of Titans was beyond what the headquarters could handle. Without reinforcements, they would have to fight to the death.

If they didn't find Eren soon, the situation might become even worse than in the original story.

"Damn it...! Nike! I'm counting on you to command the headquarters!"

Leaving those words, Rico exited through the window and switched to maneuvering gear.

With Rico gone, Christa, Connie, and Ymir couldn't take their eyes off the approaching Titans.

Having narrowly escaped the Titans several times, Ymir and Connie were sweating slightly.

"Hey... Isn't there any other way?"

"Just wait a bit longer!"

Nike began searching for Eren's squad in the mid-section of the front line. However, the city of Trost District was so vast that finding them took a considerable amount of time.

"If we stay here, we'll all die!"

"I found it! Let's go! Move me to the front line! I have a plan!"

Nike, having memorized the location of Eren's squad, ran towards Christa and jumped into her arms.

"To the front line! Quickly!"

"Got it!"

Christa didn't fully understand but decided to trust Nike's calmness and resourcefulness.

With Nike in a princess carry, Christa switched to maneuvering gear and exited the window.

"Hey, where are you all going?"

"If you don't know, just follow! Let's trust Nike for now!"

With Christa and Nike leading the way, Connie and Ymir also exited the window and followed them.

Of course, Ymir, thinking about the human resources she had today, was determined to get paid for this ordeal.

...

Nike's group exited the headquarters using maneuvering gear.

'What are they doing? Where are they going?'

Rico, witnessing their departure, initially thought they were fleeing and was about to curse them as cowards. However, she stopped herself and instead widened her eyes in surprise.

Nike's group was heading to the front line, where seven Titans were converging.

Using maneuvering gear, they were flying towards a near-suicidal mission.

In such a desperate situation, Nike took out a sound bomb from her bag.

"Let's lure them by firing the sound bomb and then head east!"

"If we die, it's your fault!"

Nike skillfully loaded the sound bomb into the launcher. Having fired it several times, the launcher was beginning to show signs of wear and tear.

But that didn't matter. Nike was heading towards the location of Eren's squad. Once there, the launcher wouldn't be needed anymore. She hoped it would hold out a bit longer.

Nike's group and the Titans were now less than 50 meters apart. In a few seconds, the Titans would be upon them. Nike raised the launcher high.

"Cover your ears!"

Bang!!!

Another sound bomb exploded. The noise was so loud that even the people at the headquarters could hear it.

Thanks to the deafening noise, the Titans' attention shifted from the headquarters to Nike's group.

The Titans approaching from all directions turned towards the source of the sound bomb.

"Now! Head east!"

Nike pointed precisely to the location of Eren's squad. Christa, Ymir, and Connie all changed direction accordingly.

In the distance, hidden behind buildings, was a unique Titan.

Its entire body was muscular, and its eyes glowed emerald green.

The Titan that kills Titans.

To utilize the "Attack Titan" filled with rage, Nike hoped the launcher would hold out just a bit longer.

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