CHAPTER 189: IS IT TINGYUN?

Chapter 189: Is it Tingyun? Or the Great Lord of Annihilation Huanlong?

"Bastard!" Mikasa and Ymir simultaneously changed direction, turning back to charge towards the Titan’s back. Their blades were aimed at the nape of the Titan’s neck. As long as they cut off the nape, the Titan would die. That way, Krista would be safe.

"Haaah!" Ymir, who had leaped to the top of the Titan’s head using her Omni-Directional Mobility Gear, grimaced and tensed all her muscles, using all her strength to slash her twin blades at the Titan’s nape.

Clang! Only a crisp sound was heard. The blades sparked as they scraped against the pale yellow tissue. Ymir froze, unable to cut through. The blades were like striking incredibly hard armor.

She wanted to try again, but it was already too late; the pull of the Omni-Directional Mobility Gear had already carried her away. Unwilling, Ymir could only place her hope in Mikasa, who was following her. "Mikasa! His nape is covered in armor!"

Upon hearing this, Mikasa’s gaze became serious as she summoned her unique Spirit Gear, the Iai Katana, Narukami. In mid-air, golden lightning gathered around Mikasa’s body and onto her blade.

Then Mikasa transformed into a streak of light, charging at the Titan at extreme speed, her blade swinging, and golden lightning exploding. "Roar!" Blood splattered.

The Armored Titan seemed to roar in pain. He turned his head, glimpsing Mikasa’s blade and lightning piercing his armor. But unfortunately, with Mikasa’s current strength, she couldn’t completely cut off his nape.

The Armored Titan only paused for a moment. Realizing there was no immediate death threat, he turned his fist into a palm and slammed it down hard towards Krista.

Krista stared at the descending giant palm. She hadn’t expected her life to end here. Her life as Krista Lenz, this person she had disguised herself as. She was born on the farm of the Reiss noble family in the northern part of Wall Sina. Her mother was a maid of the Reiss family, and she gave birth to Historia with Rod Reiss.

Initially, she didn’t know her own identity. She had never seen her father since childhood, and her mother detested her. Her grandparents, who raised her, never spoke to her except to teach her necessary knowledge. She grew up with animals and got along very well with them.

A few days after the fall of Wall Maria in 845, one evening, her father, Rod Reiss, appeared before her for the first time, informed her of her identity, and intended to take her and her mother away. Immediately after, a group of men in black appeared before the three, coercing Rod and killing her mother.

Before Historia was about to be killed, Rod said that if Historia lived under an assumed name from then on, he would spare her. So, she was renamed "Krista Lenz" and sent to the frontier. Subsequently, she adopted the name "Krista Lenz" and joined the 104th Training Corps.

However, she never expected that even after changing her name and identity, she would still die in the end. Living... was truly difficult.

She slowly closed her eyes. The Armored Titan’s huge palm was about to descend. Just let me depart in peace, leave this world. This was the real Historia. An empty person, unloved by anyone since childhood, and not expected to come into the world. A person who deserved to die.

But the imagined end did not arrive.

"Krista!" Ymir’s anxious voice gradually approached. Krista felt safe and secure. This was the first time she had ever felt this in her life. The moment she opened her eyes, she saw stars, stars in golden, clear eyes.

Ymir raised her blade and pointed it directly at Ren. "Who are you?"

Ren gently landed, holding Krista, and carefully placed her on the ground. He shrugged and raised an eyebrow. "Isn’t it obvious? The one who saved your friend."

Ymir turned to see the Armored Titan frozen in its clapping motion, and she frowned deeply. "He’s cooperating with you so much; are you two working together?"

"You have a vivid imagination." Ren gently raised his hand. The Armored Titan’s hand moved again, pressing down. Ren pointed his hand again. The Armored Titan’s body became motionless once more.

Ymir’s eyes narrowed. She clearly saw the Titan’s muscles tense and its palm press down with force, so how could it suddenly stop? Those muscles clearly didn’t relax!

Mikasa descended from the air using her Omni-Directional Mobility Gear and nodded slightly, saying, "Thank you."

"Mm." Ren smiled faintly, then turned to the side. "Miss Tingyun, you seem to be a bit late."

The sudden appearance of the person to their side startled Ymir and Krista. It was a woman dressed very strangely, looking somewhat noble. Most importantly, she had a pair of fox ears on her head and a fluffy big tail behind her back. Would a normal person wear such strange ornaments?

Tingyun narrowed her eyes slightly, her voice soft and slow. "Young Master jests, this humble one is experiencing such a thing for the first time, so of course I had to think it over carefully." She did hesitate for quite a while before choosing to confirm.

Tingyun’s voice was indeed very pleasant to listen to, making Ren feel comfortable, and one couldn’t help but want to hear her speak a few more sentences. It was true that Tingyun spoke humbly and pleasingly. But facing this Tingyun, Ren needed to confirm thoroughly.

When his golden star-like eyes looked directly at her, he had already scanned through her memories and found no information related to the Great Lord of Annihilation Huanlong. Immediately after, his Dominator’s Eye transformed into the noble Mystic Eyes of Death Perception.

Tingyun’s fur bristled out of instinct. An intense, soul-shaking sensation permeated her entire body, and she barely managed to force out a smile, relying on her strong professional composure. She probed, "Young Master, what is the meaning of this? Could it be that Tingyun said something she shouldn’t have and offended Young Master?"

Ren retracted his Mystic Eyes of Death Perception, shook his head, and simply explained, "Not at all, I quite like the way you speak, and you’re very beautiful, and I bear no ill will." "I was just confirming whether you were possessed by someone or something."

"Possessed?" Tingyun was a bit confused; who would possess her? A Suiyang? Ren found it difficult to explain the matter of Huanlong, so he didn’t say much. At least, it could currently be confirmed that this Tingyun, whether from her memories or the lines of death she possessed, was Tingyun herself, not Huanlong.

Krista and Ymir didn’t understand the conversation between the two. Mikasa glanced at the Chat Group and understood that Tingyun was a newcomer who had just joined. Seeing that Ren was unwilling to say more, Tingyun dropped the matter and stopped asking questions. Instead, she curiously surveyed her surroundings. After her gaze fell upon the Armored Titan, which was stopped in a strange posture, her eyes showed a ripple of emotion.

"Why is this giant humanoid lifeform maintaining such a posture?"

Ren said indifferently, "It’s just a small trick to temporarily stop time."

"Stop time? A small trick?" Tingyun blinked her beautiful eyes; she didn’t feel that Ren was lying. But such an ability was too inconceivable.

Krista and Ymir also understood this sentence, and they were shocked in their hearts. If one looked closely, the Armored Titan really seemed as if a pause button had been pressed. It didn’t move, didn’t breathe, and didn’t even blink its eyelids! Was it really stopped in time?

Before the two could wonder, a rumble echoed. That Colossal Titan, with a body full of high-temperature steam, walked over step by step, shaking the earth, crushing forests, and creating pits. His eyes were fixed on the Armored Titan.

Ren scoffed, "You truly have an eternal friendship. Since you’re here, don’t leave." The King of Chronos’s ability activated again. The Colossal Titan also stopped moving after taking one step.

Thinking of Furina’s desire to watch a stage play, Ren leisurely started a live broadcast.

[Ding! Ren has started a live broadcast!]

[Furina has entered the live broadcast room!]

"Wah!" Furina, sitting in her seat, was startled, almost jumping up. After entering the live broadcast room, an extremely realistic image suddenly appeared before her eyes. The tall, terrifying, tens-of-meters-tall Titan scared her. It was true that she acted as the Hydro Archon every day. She performed with such elegance. She praised herself with such excellence.

But in reality, all of that was false. It was all part of her performance as the Hydro Archon. Furina clearly knew that she was just an ordinary person who had lived for a very long time. She would be happy and sad, brave and timid, smile and cry. When no one was around, she found it difficult to hide her emotions. Just like now.

Startled, Furina quickly exited the live broadcast room. She shrunk her head and looked around, finding that she was still in the Palais Mermonia. "Hoo..." She finally let out a long sigh, patting her chest. "Really, how can there be such a monster? It’s scary."

After thinking for a moment, she cautiously asked in the group.

Furina: "Can anyone tell me the meaning of live broadcast?"

Reinhardt: "Live broadcast means transmitting what the person who started the broadcast sees, for people who enter the live broadcast room to watch."

With the answer from the helpful Reinhardt, after Furina roughly understood, her eyes lit up, and she immediately re-entered the live broadcast room. Seeing the image of the Titan again, she was no longer afraid; wasn’t this just a stage play?

Furina: "What a wonderful stage play! Can it bring me more joy? I’m very much looking forward to it!"