Early in the morning, the three military branches were already fully assembled and ready to depart.
Byakuya and Eto stood at the head of the formation.
They were leading the elite troops of the three branches stationed at Trost District, preparing to launch the assault from the southern gate.
Byakuya and Eto rode side by side on horseback at the very front of the formation.
What made them stand out even more was that neither of them wore any standard military uniforms, nor were they equipped with any ODM gear.
Eto didn't need such equipment, and Byakuya even less so.
Using the ODM gear would have required time to adapt, and frankly, it was already borderline "sci-fi" — a type of black-tech unique to the world of Attack on Titan.
"Who are those two up front? Why are their outfits so different from everyone else's?"
"No idea what the higher-ups are thinking, but those two must be important. You don't ride at the front of a joint military operation unless you're someone special."
"Maybe nobles from the capital? Come to boost morale?"
"..."
Every time the Survey Corps headed out, it drew massive crowds.
But this time was different — this was the joint operation to retake Wall Maria, a mission that would decide humanity's fate. The streets were packed shoulder to shoulder with spectators.
Eren, Mikasa, and Armin had managed to find a high spot, just enough to see over the adults in front of them.
"Glad we made it in time!"
Just as Eren was catching his breath, he spotted someone in the front of the formation—and immediately froze.
"Wait, is that... Byakuya?! And Eto?! They're leading the charge?!"
Eren's eyes widened in disbelief.
"Why are Byakuya and Eto at the front?! Are they part of the military? They look like they're in charge!"
Armin was just as stunned.
"That explains it! No wonder Byakuya is so strong!"
Eren cupped his hands and shouted at the top of his lungs "Good luck!"
Byakuya, hearing Eren's voice, turned his head and smiled, nodding in acknowledgment.
"Mikasa, let's cheer for them together!"
Eren turned to Mikasa, who was planning to stay quiet, but reluctantly joined in with a half-hearted, "Good luck."
…
Despite the cheers from the crowd, the elite soldiers of the three branches remained stone-faced and serious.
This wasn't just another mission. Most of them had already accepted the likelihood of death.
Even if their commander had emphasized safety above all else, they were still prepared to give their hearts without hesitation when it came time to face the Titans.
They were elite for a reason—trained far beyond the average soldier.
As the massive gate creaked open, the Garrison troops stationed on the wall fired their cannons at the mindless Titans lingering near the entrance.
Though the cannons couldn't kill Titans easily, the goal wasn't to kill — they just needed to slow them down.
The blasts would injure the Titans, triggering their regeneration and buying enough time to open the gate and let the elite units charge out.
The soldiers halted just before the now-opening gate, hearts pounding in their chests.
Tension rippled through the ranks as the gate rose higher.
Then, as one, the formation surged forward — charging out beyond the Walls!
Immediately outside, several Titans could be seen —damaged by cannon fire, missing limbs or heads, but still regenerating.
Byakuya made his move.
In the blink of an eye, he vanished from his horse and reappeared atop the shoulder of a regenerating 10-meter Titan.
In his hand, now materialized, was a massive greatsword of black and white— his quinque, STK.
The soldiers had barely begun splitting off into groups as planned when they realized their commander was suddenly gone.
Looking around in confusion, they finally spotted him —standing on a Titan's shoulder, wielding a massive blade, despite wearing no ODM gear.
How the hell did he get up there?! they thought.
The sight was so surreal that it stopped them cold.
Standing on a Titan's shoulder was an extremely risky move. Instinctively, several tried to shout a warning.
But in the next instant, Byakuya swung his blade—and cleanly sliced off the Titan's entire head, including the nape.
[Ding! The host has defeated a Pure Titan. Reward: 5 Attribute Points!]
The power of an S+ rated quinque spoke for itself. Cutting through Titans like they were paper.
In the world of Attack on Titan, Titan flesh was extremely tough. The only known material capable of reliably cutting through it was ultrahard steel mixed with trace rare metals and used to forge the blades used by the corps.
But Byakuya's quinque operated on an entirely different level. It was like watching reality being overpowered by fiction.
The soldiers stood in awe.
They needed specially-made blades just to hack at a Titan's nape—this guy just lopped off the entire head like it was nothing.
Before they could react, the commander vanished again.
In a single breath's time, multiple Titans in the area collapsed, their heads severed and strewn across the ground — yet Byakuya was nowhere to be seen.
[Ding! The host has defeated a Pure Titan. Reward: 5 Attribute Points!]
[Ding! The host has defeated a Pure Titan. Reward: 5 Attribute Points!]
Having cleared the immediate area, Byakuya used Kamui's spatial transfer to return to his horse — completely calm, as though nothing had happened at all.