Annie's lingering defiance

A week had passed, and the Cadets were still holding horse stances. They had another week to go, but now each of them held a brick in their hands.

Bai Yu also told them that if they had more than two months in total, they would have spent at least a month practicing horse stances. Ming and Xiate had done it for two months back when they started.

While watching them hold their stances, Bai Yu, Ming, and Xiate sparred with one another, giving them something to watch and a little chance to relax.

Although Ming and Xiate still could not beat Bai Yu, they could at least exchange a few moves with him when they fought together.

And so, under the eyes of Eren and the others, Ming and Xiate were thrown to the ground again and again. But the onlookers understood that the two only lost to Bai Yu because their opponent was Bai Yu.

After pulling Xiate up from the ground, Bai Yu addressed the others nearby.

"All right, everyone. Put down your bricks and stand at attention."

Excitement spread across their faces at Bai Yu's words. They set their bricks beside their feet and stood ramrod straight. Bai Yu did not waste much breath on them; anyone who failed to stand properly was kicked straight to the ground.

Anyone who failed a second time would have another brick added during their next horse stance session.

He made a quick circuit around them.

Hmm, not bad.

Looking at Annie, he could not help chuckling inwardly.

Something else had happened during that week.

Once, after they finished holding their horse stances, Annie had seemed distracted, her mind somewhere else. Bai Yu had no idea what she was thinking, but he did not bother scolding her. He simply kicked her.

She instinctively tried to fight back. Bai Yu knew she had practiced Hand-to-Hand Combat for years, and her reactions were quite good, but her strength and speed fell short of his.

When she reflexively tried to throw Bai Yu over her shoulder, he drove a knee into her, then sent her briefly airborne with a side kick before she crashed heavily to the ground.

The others nearby could barely bear to watch. A short distance away, Armin looked as though he wanted to say something, but his lips moved without a word coming out.

Bai Yu was rather different as an instructor than he was in everyday life.

Annie raised her head from the ground and glared fiercely at Bai Yu. She was clearly angry, but Bai Yu paid that no mind and casually brushed the dust from his hands.

"I told you to step forward back then if you had any objections. If you fight back now, the consequences will be severe."

His voice was cold. He was not singling her out; even Eren did not dare act stubborn around Bai Yu when he was teaching.

During one sparring match, Eren had stubbornly refused to step down even after losing, and Bai Yu had beaten him rather badly. Then Mikasa had stepped up. Bai Yu figured she wanted to avenge Eren or something, so he had beaten her too.

Of course, Bai Yu had still gone over that evening to bring Eren some medicine. They were on good terms, after all, and could be considered companions.

Faced with Mikasa's icy expression, Bai Yu could only offer an awkward smile.

They understood his reasons, but for some reason, they occasionally wanted to act a little willful around him. Bai Yu was quite accommodating, except during training.

Because Bai Yu's own training had been forged through death.

Back to the scene at hand.

Bai Yu looked at Annie, whose eyes were full of defiance, and spoke calmly.

"Still not convinced? I'll give you one chance. If you can beat me, you can kick me back."

Annie had already climbed to her feet and assumed a fighting stance, her sharp gaze fixed on Bai Yu.

Bai Yu merely waved a hand.

"Spread out a little and watch from the side."

At his words, the surrounding Cadets formed a large circle around the two of them. They looked at Annie with some pity. None of them thought she could beat Bai Yu.

Bai Yu smiled, but Annie charged at him in an instant. He casually swung a punch, only for her to tilt her head aside and dodge it, taking advantage of the opening to close in against him.

But the next instant, just as she grabbed his clothes to throw him, her pupils contracted slightly.

The arm that had missed its punch bent, and his elbow slammed down hard.

Intense pain shot through her shoulder. Her right arm was dislocated on the spot.

In the instant she lost focus, Bai Yu coldly drove a knee into her, knocking her into the air. Then he pressed a hand against her chest and shoved upward hard, flipping her over before driving her down to slam heavily into the ground.

He could actually have slammed her straight down, but he did not want her landing on her face. She was a girl, after all, so he had flipped her over in midair.

Annie's mind was blank with shock. She had not even processed what had happened.

The pain in her right arm soon brought her back to her senses, but Bai Yu had already lifted her with one hand. With his left, he took hold of her right arm and gave it a tug, resetting it.

After helping her stand, Bai Yu turned to address the surrounding Cadets.

"Form up!"

Behind him, Annie finally snapped out of her daze and began gasping for breath. Her legs could barely support her, and she sank to her knees, staring fixedly at Bai Yu's back.

The Cadets spread out before him again and resumed their horse stances.

Now, however, they were all much better behaved. Bai Yu ate with them after training, and the Cadets of the 104th Cadet Corps gradually got to know him. They learned that he was a fairly easygoing person who simply loved sleeping.

But when Bai Yu was acting as their instructor, none of them dared cross him. He was utterly ruthless.

Boom!

A bolt of golden lightning descended from the sky!

Everyone jumped in shock, and Bai Yu's pupils contracted.

The next moment, they saw a Titan appear some distance from the training grounds, standing on all fours and roaring up at the sky.

Why was there a Titan here?

The same terrified thought ran through everyone's mind.

Bai Yu shouted to Ming and Xiate beside him.

"Go put on your Omni-Directional Mobility Gear!"

The three of them ran toward the nearby room where the Omni-Directional Mobility Gear was stored.

The Titan in the distance seemed to notice them as well and began running toward them.

Many of the Cadets collapsed to the ground in terror, scrambling backward on their hands and feet.

But Eren and the others snapped out of their shock and hurried toward the room holding the Omni-Directional Mobility Gear. It was their only means of fighting a Titan.