𝗛𝗶𝘀 𝗧𝗲𝗮𝗿𝘀 𝗨𝗻𝗱𝗲𝗿 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗥𝗮𝗶𝗻

𝐂𝐇𝐀𝐏𝐓𝐄𝐑 𝟏𝟏

XI. DEPRESSING YET STILL SEDUCTIVE STORM.

The expedition's long-awaited hour had come.

Mikasa, for the first time entirely separated from her friends, apprehended the turn that the rest of the day would take. She had to put her complete trust in Levi to protect them. She also had to trust him so that he would protect himself.

However, she endured more suffering when thinking about herself. She had to trust herself to protect all the newcomers placed under her surveillance.

With a lump in her stomach, she rushed towards the green plain with her horse, a bad feeling assailing her insides.

With each kick of the animal's hoof, the soldier looked around herself anxiously, searching with her sharp eyes for a possible source of danger.

Yet, apart from a few titans here and there that she herself could bring down, nothing had yet to present itself.

« Calm down Mikasa, everything will be fine, » she thought to herself, « there shouldn't be as many deaths as before. We'll just move on and try to find the ocean, we don't really have to fight. »

Gaining confidence with each passing second without disaster, the dark-haired woman managed to regain control of her nerves and to calm down.

Minutes passed in silence, then those minutes turned into hours. A few newcomers had died, but other than that, the expedition was going smoothly.

Mikasa was now entirely at peace, except for her usual fears, meaning the well-being of Armin and Eren, to which we could now add her beloved, Levi.

« Captain, » one of her recruits suddenly exclaimed, « a black smoke signal is coming from the squad in front of ours! »

Everyone's face, except for the high-ranking one, contorted in fear. The asian frowned, ready to spring into action.

The inevitable happened, and a titan appeared. The filthy, gigantic thing was running in a strange way, typical of its deviant species. Each of its feet left behind marks of its arrival at high speed, which would soon bring it to the humans' level.

« Deviate to the left and go around the titan, » Mikasa ordered, her face grimly closed.

Her comrades, all knowing the woman's famous skills, obeyed her without a word, their gazes petrified. They watched her spinning in the air from a distance as if it were as simple as cutting bread.

Despite the fifteen meter titan's unpredictable nature, the squad leader managed to dodge every punch it tried to throw at her.

Unfortunately, the same couldn't be said for one of her female recruits, who, obsessed with the spectacle playing out before her eyes, hadn't properly adjusted her mount's trajectory. The titan's hand fanned the air above the young woman, who couldn't see the shadow falling on her before it was too late.

Mikasa, with a shiver running down her spine, pulled the trigger causing the gas to propel out of its tank, which launched her towards the creature at full speed.

With a powerful blow, she severed the monster's extended member, which allowed the Ackerman to rescue her recruit.

Due to her uncontrolled speed, the veteran could not land properly on the ground, causing a fall in which she felt her right shoulder crack.

Getting up with difficulty, although not showing it, the soldier changed her broken blades so she could attack again.

Despite her less fluid movements, she still managed to reach the giant's weak point without getting hit again.