Transformation

By the time Bertholdt and Armin realized that A-Wu was charging towards them, it was too late; Ackerman was too fast.

Under the sunlight, the Blades in A-Wu's hand gleamed with a dazzling and terrifying light.

Armin's eyes widened. He wanted to stop A-Wu and explain that it was a misunderstanding, but it was too late.

In those brief two seconds, if Bertholdt had been willing, he could have barely managed to transform into Colossal Titan to protect himself, thanks to the little strength he had regained during his conversation with Armin. But Bertholdt seemed to have lost his survival instincts, and he just stood there, staring blankly at A-Wu's Blades.

*Thud! Blades pierced flesh, blood splattering. A-Wu's previously calm face instantly turned utterly astonished. "Armin? What are you doing?"

Armin's face was pale, and he gritted his teeth to keep from crying out in pain. At that moment, a sharp Blades was deeply embedded in Armin's shoulder and half of his palm, and blood dripped down the Blades.

Bertholdt was also stunned. A hint of emotion flickered in his previously dull eyes. He looked at Armin with a complicated expression and murmured, "What an idiot."

Armin, enduring excruciating pain, his forehead covered in fine beads of sweat, said, "A-Wu, this is a misunderstanding, let me explain..."

The commotion at the Prison gate also attracted the attention of other Soldiers, dressed in Garrison Regiment and Survey Corps uniforms, gathered around.

After a long while, Bertholdt returned to the Prison under the double supervision of A-Wu and the arriving A-Four. Before leaving, Bertholdt said his last words to Armin, who was bandaging his wounds, "Armin, I hope that the one who inherits the Colossal Titan is not an idiot like you. Also, don't tell Nico. Just find some excuse to make her forget me."

Armin, his arm wrapped in bandages, stared blankly as Bertholdt walked back to the Prison.

Looking at the Hardening fragments scattered on the ground, A-Wu frowned and asked Bertholdt beside him, "How did you escape from in there?"

Bertholdt: "How did I escape? I don't know either. I just felt that this Hardening wouldn't work anymore, so I moved my body and got out."

A-Wu's furrowed brows remained unchanged. Yago had previously told him that, barring unforeseen circumstances, only he, Yago, could untie Bertholdt's restraints, or Historia's massive jaws could bite them open. But what was going on? Had something happened to Yago?

Instantly, A-Wu thought of his Younger Sister A-Yi, who had left a note not long ago and gone to the outside world of Paradis Island with Annie. Could something have happened to her too? Thinking of this, A-Wu immediately became uneasy. The safety of his Younger Sister A-Yi was what he and his Older Brother were most worried about.

Suddenly, A-Wu remembered the plan Hange had mentioned at the Survey Corps meeting. A-Wu immediately made up his mind to lead a few brothers with the Survey Corps to the outer world and safely bring A-Yi back! (A certain monkey: Why am I getting chills down my spine?)

So, getting back to the main point, why does Hardening cause it to shatter?

Not long ago, at the Russell Manor.

The only sound in the quiet room was heavy breathing. The curtains blocked out the sunlight, and in the dim room, only a pair of eyes radiating a scarlet light could be seen.

Yago staggered, leaning against the wall, his whole body weak. His head felt like it was being stabbed with a sharp knife, his brain being violently churned.

The blood vessels in his neck, arms, and other parts of his body suddenly bulged, their dark color making them look particularly eerie.

Due to the intense pain, Yago's expression became somewhat ferocious, and the stabbing pain in his head assaulted his consciousness again and again.

In a daze, Yago seemed to see a scarlet hand reach out from the darkness, grabbing at his heart. The hand with black claws brutally pierced his chest, grabbing his internal organs and pulling them out forcefully. This stimulation successfully made Yago let out a low howl.

Thump! Finally, Yago couldn't take it anymore and fell to the ground, the noise immediately attracting the attention of Annie and A-Yi from next door.

Hearing Yago's cries of agony, Annie was startled and rushed out of the room almost like a 100-meter sprinter. She pounded on Yago's door and shouted for Yago. When there was no response, Annie became anxious and kicked the door open with a vicious side kick.

"Yago!!" Upon seeing Yago lying unconscious on the ground and his ferocious appearance, Annie turned pale with fright. Without thinking, Annie immediately rushed forward and hugged Yago, frantically calling out to Yago.

"Yago! Yago! What's wrong with you? Yago? Don't scare me! What's wrong with you? A-Yi, what's wrong with Yago? Are you sick? Yago, wake up!" Annie called out anxiously.

On the other side, A-Yi had also never seen such a scene before, and he was also flustered and at a loss.

Annie bent down and pulled Yago into her arms, their foreheads pressed together. Annie could still feel Yago's body temperature, which was frighteningly high. Tears streamed down Annie's and Yago's faces, staining their cheeks as well. "Yago, don't scare me! I'm easily frightened. Wake up..."

Whether it was Annie's call that had an effect or not, before A-Yi could go find a doctor, Yago slowly opened his eyes, the red light in his eyes faded, and the bulging blood vessels calmed down.

When Yago opened his eyes, he saw Annie's face pressed against his, and even Annie's tears had gotten onto his face and onto the corners of his mouth.

"Hmm... it's a little salty..."

Annie heard the whispered murmur, and Annie, who was almost crying with snot bubbles coming out of her nose, suddenly froze when she saw Yago acting as if nothing was wrong. Her tear stains were still on her face.

On this day, the wind outside the Russell Manor was quite noisy, but it was mixed with screams.

Yago didn't know what had just happened to him; he just felt as if, for a moment, he had lost control of his body and felt as if his soul was being ripped out.

Meanwhile, a crimson light flashed in Ebson's eyes, but as time passed, the smile that had been on his lips vanished, replaced by an expression of exasperation.

"No! Why! Why was it just a little bit off! Why!" In a fit of rage, Ebson swept all the test tubes and instruments in front of him to the ground, making a series of shattering sounds.

He clutched his head in despair, "What else did I do wrong! Damn it! Norman! You've been lying to me all along?!"