Hehehehe

As the sun set, the air was thick with the smell of gunpowder and scorched earth amidst the broken walls and ruins.

The ruins of the old Leiba Village have now become Hidan and Kakuzu's new hunting ground.

"Roar!!"

Just as a ten-meter-tall giant peeked its head out from behind the broken wall, a dark shadow suddenly flashed past.

"Ugh--!!"

A flash of blood appeared, and the hideous giant's head flew high into the air, the gushing hot blood staining half of the wall red.

Hidan leaped onto the giant's shoulder and mangled body, stepping on the rubble, and laughing as he slashed open his own chest with his sword.

"Night God Yagami—absolutely take the life of this monstrous creature!! Hehehehehe!!"

At the same time, the giant's corpse suddenly exploded in the chest, perfectly synchronized with Hidan's chest wound, as if in some indescribable resonance.

Kakuzu stood on a rooftop not far away, arms crossed, coldly surveying his surroundings.

"Kill confirmed, the nineteenth body." He said calmly.

Hidan turned and jumped off the giant's corpse, covered in blood, and was as excited as if he'd been injected with adrenaline. "Wow, I'm in great shape today! A few more, my blood array is still hot!"

Kakuzu ignored him, staring intently at the distant ruins. He could sense a fluctuation of energy, not Chakra, nor the thermal reaction of a giant, but more like... something hidden in the air.

He squinted. "Someone's approaching."

The next second, the ground suddenly shook!

"Boom!!"

Deep within the ruins, a massive stone slab shattered, and a gigantic figure covered in armor leaped out!

"Thump thump thump--!"

The hard armored footsteps pounded the ground, raising dust, and the figure was like a steel beast!

Hidan's eyes lit up. "Yo... what's this? It looks pretty cool."

Kakuzu didn't move; he immediately realized that this was no ordinary Titan.

It is conscious; its attack rhythm is not like that of those instinct-driven behemoths, but rather... calculated.

The next moment, the Armored Titan roared and pounced on the two of them!

Hidan without hesitation, his three-bladed scythe lashing out and drawing a blood-red arc in the air, striking his opponent squarely in the side!

"Clang!!"

A loud metallic clang rang out, sparks Hidan, and Hidan was thrown back by the recoil, crashing heavily into the broken wall.

"Cough--ha... this thing is much tougher than those useless guys from before!"

He leaped up from the rubble, licked the blood from the corner of his mouth, and became even more excited. He had obtained the giant's blood!

"Old man Kakuzu, I'll try out this one first!"

There was no reply from Kakuzu; he was watching the other side of the battlefield.

A group of Marley soldiers were retreating rapidly, including several teenagers.

"...I understand," Kakuzu said in a low voice.

"This guy isn't here to fight us; he's here to cover our retreat."

As Hidan lunged forward, Kakuzu activated his four Heart Masks, and the four elements of wind, fire, lightning, and earth Chakra circulated in unison, quietly forming a barrier-type control technique.

The Armored Titan seemed to have no intention of fighting for long; it protected the retreating troops behind it and only used its fists and feet to block Hidan's attacks.

"Bang!!"

Hidan was kicked away again.

"Hey! All you do is defend? What kind of fight is it if you don't fight back?!"

He roared, pulled out a short knife, and slashed his arm, blood spurting out.

The next second, a blood array formed beneath his feet.

"Let's go all out!!"

"Sacrifice initiated!"

"Gah--!!!"

Hidan's chest exploded, and a crack suddenly appeared on the Armored Titan's breastplate opposite him!

It groaned and knelt on one knee!

The Marley soldiers in the distance watched this scene in shock.

"Mr. Reiner... was injured in retaliation?! That human's self-harm actually affected Reiner?!"

Hidan laughed wildly, "Your iron armor might block one of my attacks, but can it block two, three, or ten?!"

"Hehehehe!! Today I'll definitely skin you alive in a metal can!!"

Kakuzu whispered, "This isn't the target."

"He is an intellectual giant, and he may trigger that... the 'opportunity' we need."

Hidan paused, then reluctantly slung the scythe back over his shoulder. "Tsk, they stop letting us kill halfway through, how annoying."

At this moment, the Armored Titan also took the opportunity to step back a few steps and raised its arm to block the retreating troops.

After a low growl, its entire body suddenly emitted scorching steam!

"Hiss--!!"

The hot fog spread, and it quickly "shed its shell" in front of everyone.

The Armored Titan deactivated its transformation.

The one whose body was exposed was Rainer Brown, covered in blood and panting heavily.

Hidan narrowed his eyes and looked at him. "Human, huh..."

"You... even when you're not a giant, can you still endure hardship?"

Kakuzu didn't step forward; he could tell that the guy was no longer capable of fighting.

Let's go.

"There are still remnants of giants active in the next area."

Hidan turned around, a smirk playing on his lips. "It's okay that this tin can got away—we'll peel it later!"

High up on the hillside, Hange, Armin, Eren, and Mikasa had already witnessed the entire process.

"... They are not one of our people at all."

Hange stared blankly, muttering to herself, "But they can inflict serious damage on intelligent giants... and even have the ability to retaliate..."

Armin frowned. "If... they can hunt down all the giants, then wouldn't our war end sooner?"

"They can control their killing intent and have no interest in humans... but what if one day they change..."

Mikasa coldly replied, "Danger, we cannot let our guard down."

Eren clenched his fists, remaining silent. A strange resonance still vibrated in his mind.

It was as if the power of those two people was also being sensed by the "Coordinate".

It was getting dark.

Hidan hummed an off-key song, hopping along in the night:

"A good haul today! I chopped up almost thirty giants. If the Jashin knew, he'd definitely reward me with a big bowl of... uh, blood soup?"

"However, those people who look human aren't so simple either!"

Kakuzu walked, he said coldly, "I sensed it... that armored giant just now caused a disturbance in the surrounding space."

"It's as if the world itself is trying to cover him up."

Hidan laughed, "Just like you said before, 'Not all Titans are purely Titans.'"

"Then they must be killed even more."

Kakuzu replied, "No, it's about determining who is truly 'connected to the core of this world'."

"We're not here to indiscriminately kill; we're here to make the world truly accept us."

Hidan rolled his eyes. "I know, I know... just keep beating it until it can't fight back anymore."

He grinned, laughing like a madman.

"I'm not going to stop anyway."

The two disappeared into the twilight forest.

In the distance, deep in the night sky, a faint light streaked across the sky.

Nobody saw it.

But some ancient consciousness is quietly stirring.