He did not know whether this thrill came from his racing heartbeat as he moved at extreme speed, or from the heartbeat of the prey he was hunting—probably both.
Once he activated Rhythm of the Hunt, Lianye's vision contained nothing but heightened awareness of his prey. He focused entirely on tracking the scent of the living, filled with bloodthirsty desire to kill...
Under normal circumstances, he would have sneaked up beside the strongest prey, the Colossal Giant, then struck and severed its head as proof of the Ultimate Predator's honor.
However, as Lianye, who had originally been determined to take the Colossal Giant's head, moved toward Wall of Maria, he inexplicably shifted his target midway through the hunt to the events unfolding around Eren and Mikasa.
The Rhythm of the Hunt, enhanced by the Ultimate Predator skill, allowed Lianye not only to sense the Colossal Giant's location, but also to detect the presence of the weak—low-level prey. Even without knowing the plot, Lianye could clearly "see" the tragedy taking place here.
Of course, the Yeager family was not the only one suffering such a disaster. Most residents of the towns near Wall of Maria had been caught up in the destruction of the wall, and the vast majority of those who ran too slowly had been caught and devoured by Titans. Even without deliberately sensing it, Lianye knew that humans were being eaten by Titans all across Shiganshina District.
But he was the Pride Stalker, whose goal was to hunt the strong, not some righteous companion who dreamed of protecting humanity. Even if humans were hunted and devoured by Titans, that was merely the inevitable result of the strong preying on the weak. Standing at the top of this food chain, he could not be bothered to save weaklings beneath his notice.
That said, Lianye's first attack after activating Rhythm of the Hunt was ultimately directed at an ordinary Titan. By some twist of fate, he saved Eren's mother.
—Because women with long black hair were all worth cherishing!
That was Lianye's philosophy as himself, as a human Summoner, rather than as a hunter—the Pride Stalker.
Especially women who wore their long black hair in a side ponytail and had the air of a good homemaker.
Memories of that girl with the side ponytail, who looked fragile yet had been so stubbornly strong—memories of his older sister—made it impossible for Lianye to devote himself completely to the hunter's path.
"What are you standing around for? Save your mother!"
Lianye turned and reminded the somewhat stunned Eren and the others.
—He knew that his entrance, turning visible after attacking from stealth, had been extremely eye-catching. It was only natural for them to be dazzled by his coolness, but they should still pay attention to when they chose to stand around in a daze.
"R-Right..."
Eren nodded repeatedly in gratitude, broke free from Hannes's grasp on his shoulder, jumped down, and staggered toward his trapped mother.
The house had collapsed because of the Titan disaster, but when the Titan reached in and pushed aside the rubble in an attempt to pull Carla out, it cleared away an obstruction that human strength could never have removed. Eren's mother was thus able to escape safely.
However, with her ankle injured beneath a fallen beam and the bones in her lower leg nearly broken, she could not move quickly enough to escape even after getting out from beneath the rubble.
Mikasa also confirmed that Lianye, who had turned back, was the man she had seen in the district earlier. But she had no time to question him in detail. Instead, she and Eren supported the injured Carla Yeager as they limped away.
Hannes let out a long breath. Although the man before him, whose origins were unknown, possessed a physique and strength as monstrous as a Titan's—he was clearly far more lovable than those ferocious Titans.
Still, Hannes found Lianye's attack beyond anything ordinary people could imagine. As a Garrison Soldier who had served in Shiganshina District for over a decade and knew a little about the Royal Capital's Military Police Brigade, Hannes had never known that such powerful humans existed in this world.
To dare confront such an enormous, terrifying Titan without ODM Gear required not only strength and a physique beyond ordinary humans, but also the courage to attack a monster several times one's size at close range—the spirit to reverse the situation and declare, "They are the prey. I am the hunter!"
Hannes was speechless. If it had been him, forget fighting without nimble ODM Gear—even with it, he would not have dared launch a close-range attack against a Titan.
The dense horde of Titans that had originally wandered outside Wall of Maria had spread out after entering the vast Shiganshina District. Until they encountered another wandering Titan, they were temporarily safe.
Hannes stepped forward. Though he looked embarrassed and ashamed, he still expressed his gratitude to Lianye. "Thank you for saving us. If it weren't for you, Carla would probably have already..."
Rubbing his nose, Hannes gave a bitter smile. "I didn't even have the will to save the person who saved my life. I'm really useless."
"Mm, you really are." Lianye nodded quietly.
Hannes immediately flushed bright red. It was true that he had been cowardly when he had wanted to flee from the Titan, but did Lianye really have to agree so readily?
However, Lianye could not be bothered with Hannes's pitiful thoughts. He immediately turned toward the collapsed section of Wall of Maria, activated Rhythm of the Hunt once more, and unleashed the Ultimate Predator's ability.
Before you continue