Hange's expression shifted from playful to serious as she took a seat, signaling everyone to settle down. "I'm afraid I've uncovered the true king of the walls…" she declared, her voice steady but heavy with gravity.
The air thickened, and an uneasy silence fell over the room, shocking everyone into stillness. It felt as if the very walls were holding their breath, waiting for the revelation that could change everything.
"What?" Eren whispered, completely awestruck. "But... Section Commander, we've served the king for ages. How is this possible? King Fritz is the direct blood heir of the former king. He's neither adopted nor half-blood. How could—" Armin stammered, struggling to comprehend.
"That's where you're wrong, young man," Hange interrupted, her voice darkening. "After a little 'persuasion." she gestured toward the priest whose face was a mask of pain and humiliation, "he confessed that the current king is nothing but a puppet. Of the true king.... Rod Reiss."
"Rod Reiss?" Eren muttered, familiar with the name. Reiss, a noble family from the capital, had frequently summoned him and Levi for clandestine tasks when Eren worked as an assassin in the interior. However, Reiss had vanished without a trace, and though it had seemed suspicious, they had brushed it off at the time.
Eren's gaze flicked toward Levi, who remained stoic as always.
"How exactly?" Erwin's voice, though as calm as usual, carried a note of curiosity.
"I'm not sure, Erwin," Hange admitted, a hint of frustration slipping into her voice. "This bastard won't say anything more."
"I see…" Erwin replied, his gaze shifting to Eren, whose eyes now gleamed with an unmistakable intensity. Without hesitation, Eren grabbed the battered priest by the neck, slamming him into the ground with a force that shook the room.
"You know at first I thought Hange went a bit overboard with you... But I guess you deserve worse.." His voice, once calm, dropped to a menacing growl that sent chills through the air.
"Listen here, old fart," Eren hissed, his grip tightening. "Wall Rose is under attack. I don't have time to play games. So, let's make this quick. You're going to tell me everything you know... right now. Or I swear, I'll kill you in the worst way imaginable. Got it?"
Without waiting for a response, Eren released his grip from the priest's neck, his hand quickly seizing the priest's nail-less fingers. Without hesitation, he hoisted the priest up by his arm.
Then, in one swift motion, Eren snapped one of the fingers. The sickening crack of bone reverberated through the room, a chilling sound that made everyone freeze.
"AHHHHHHH!" The priest's scream tore through the air, eyes bulging in agony as tears streamed down his face. But Eren wasn't finished. His grip tightened, as he grabbed the other finger, snapping it back with brutal precision.
"You know, you're worse than the Titans," Eren growled, his voice low and venomous. "Your secrets have cost countless lives. Don't you dare think of yourself as human. You're nothing but a monster hiding in human skin."
Another snap. Another scream. The priest's broken body trembled, tears and saliva mixing on his distorted face. Eren's expression remained cold, almost as if he was savoring every second.
What was the difference between him and the other monsters? The thought flickered in Eren's mind as he tightened his grip on the priest's hand, eyes cold. "So, you want me to keep going, or are you going to say something?" His voice was low, almost calm, as he pulled at another finger.
"I... I can't... Ple... Please... St... Stop," the priest stammered, his voice breaking under the pressure.
"Very well," Eren muttered. He interlocked his fingers with the priest's, then with a vice-like grip, shattered every bone in the man's hand.
The priest yelped in agony as his broken hand fell limp. Eren released him, letting him collapse onto the wooden floor, writhing in pain, tears streaming down his face.
"Soldier!" Eren barked, his voice echoing through the room. A soldier rushed in, standing stiffly at attention.
"Sir!" the soldier replied.
"Prepare the Pit... Let's see how long he lasts there." Eren's voice was cold, and just the mention of the pit made the priest panic. He scrambled to his knees, clutching at Eren's feet with his good hand, begging desperately.
The Pit—a deep hole filled with venomous snakes, scorpions, and spiders—was a feared form of punishment. After some torture from these insects the pit was filled with dry wood and set ablaze, it was either a place for confessions or a fiery execution.
"As you say, sir!" the scouts shouted, rushing out in a panic, leaving the tense air behind. Mikasa and Armin sat there, staring at Eren. His aura had shifted—menacing, cruel, yet laced with an unshakable authority that sent shivers down their spines.
Levi, ever the critic, scoffed as he finally got up folding his sleeves a rare sight. "Why not break the rest of his bones, idiot? If you're gonna kill him, do it right. Didn't I teach you how to finish the job properly?"
Petra, too shocked by Levi's coldness, stayed silent, while Erwin simply watched, hands interlocked, observing the scene with unsettling calm.
The priest, wide-eyed and trembling, backed away. "Wa... Wait... Please..." His voice cracked as he realized he was now at the mercy of not just one, but two deadly Ackermans.
"I'll give you three seconds... Just bark already," Eren whispered, his boot pressing ominously against the priest's shin.
"Three..." Eren's voice was low and deliberate.
"I... I..."
"Two..."
"A..."
"One..."
Before the priest could finish, Eren twisted his foot with a swift, brutal force, shattering the man's shin. The scream that followed echoed through the room.
"Man, aren't you a loud one," Eren muttered, stuffing a rag into the priest's mouth to muffle the cries.
He looked over at Levi, a grim smile on his face. "Wanna take your turn, Levi?" Levi with a simple nod joined both Ackermans casting eerie shadows on Nick's face.
The priest, despite everything, remained stubborn, his faith keeping him from breaking even if faced with death. He believed that peace awaited him in the afterlife, where pain and agony would be nothing more than distant memories. His body, now numb, barely registered the torture—until Eren leaned in.
"Don't worry..." Eren whispered, his voice ice-cold. "I'll make sure your wife, Catherine, and your son, James, get the same treatment. Since they're priests too, I'm sure common folks won't be a pain protecting them, right?"
A guttural sound escaped the priest, muffled behind the fabric in his mouth. His teeth ground down on the cloth, his eyes welling with tears.
"Good boy..." Eren murmured, pulling out the gag. "Now, bark." He stepped back, both Ackermans standing with their gazes locked onto Nick, waiting.
"I'll tell... I'll tell you everything... Just don't hurt my wife and child..." Nick choked, the fight finally leaving his voice.
"Go on..." Erwin's calm, steady voice carried across the room. He hadn't moved from his desk but had watched everything unfold with quiet intensity.
Nick swallowed, trembling as he continued, "The only thing I know is that Rod Reiss is the true heir to the throne. His entire royal family... they were butchered by some mysterious man about one and half decade ago. But... There was one left...."
His voice cracked. "His Majesty was involved with several women, and one of them—one—ended up pregnant. She was exiled far to the south, with their daughter... That daughter, she's the key to everything. She knows secrets... things we can't even begin to understand.... You need to find her."
Levi's eyes narrowed as he stepped forward. "Uh-huh... and what's her name?"
The priest gulped, clearly terrified but too worn down to resist any longer. "What's her name?" Eren's voice had taken on a chilling tone, his eyes boring into the priest's soul.
"She... she joined the Scout Regiment this year..." the priest muttered, his voice shaking.
Everyone in the room went rigid. Erwin's eyes widened ever so slightly; the revelation hung in the air like a thunderclap. The girl they were looking for had been among them all along, right under their noses.
"Her name is... Krista Lenz."
"What? You mean that cute blonde from the 104th Cadet Corps? The one with the blue eyes and all that?" Eren asked, clearly confused, trying to piece it together.
The priest nodded. "Yes... that's all I know."
Suddenly, an eerie chill filled the room, the air turning heavy with a sense of impending doom. Eren felt it first, a strange, unsettling aura creeping up his spine. "Eh?" His gaze drifted to Mikasa, who stood just a few feet behind him, her expression dark, radiating jealousy like a cold storm cloud.
"Kill... kill... kill..." Mikasa muttered under her breath, so quietly that only Eren and Levi—thanks to the Ackerman's sharp senses—caught it. Eren's stomach flipped. Mikasa looked like she was ready to dismember someone.
But before he could even process it, Hange jumped in, her usual manic energy driving her forward. "But... she was sent to the front lines for evacuation! We need to move fast!"
The tension snapped back into the room. "Scouts, move out!" Erwin barked, standing abruptly and sending the room into action. His voice was as sharp as ever, authority dripping from every word. There was no time for delay.
"Retrieve Krista Lenz at all costs," Erwin commanded Eren, locking eyes with him. They had just uncovered a weapon, a secret that could topple the false king and change the course of history for the Eldians. Now, it was a race against time to secure that weapon before it was lost forever.
Eren, still shaken by Mikasa's muttering, nodded. "Understood."