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018 The Titan of Fate
🕑 Added 2025-12-24 02:04:06 +0000 UTCCrack, crack—the sound of boots snapping dead branches echoed through the forest, startling quite a few small animals.
Yago was wearing a trainee soldier's uniform. Today was a rest day, a rare holiday. Of course, it wasn't that Yago had no other clothes to wear; rather, wearing this uniform saved him a lot of trouble. For example, the forest he was currently in was no longer open to everyone due to population issues, and only a small number of hunters and soldiers were allowed in.
But that strictness was only superficial. The garrison soldiers guarding the forest didn't really care who you were—as long as you paid, anyone could get through. Still, Yago's status as a trainee soldier made them restrain themselves a bit. Who knew how far these new recruits might go in the future? They weren't about to make trouble for themselves.
So they casually let Yago into the forest. His purpose was clear—he headed straight toward the deepest part, a place even seasoned old hunters wouldn't dare step into lightly.
He raised his head. Towering giant trees pierced straight into the clouds. Yago carefully sensed his surroundings and confirmed that there were no other humans nearby.
He took off his coat and backpack and placed them on a rock. Rolling up his sleeves, he walked toward a relatively open area.
The corner of Yago's mouth curled into a faint smile. He raised his right hand and looked at his palm.
"Then let's begin."
As soon as he finished speaking, the fingernails of Yago's right hand suddenly grew longer, glinting with a metallic sheen in the sunlight.
Then Yago clenched his right hand tightly. The nails of four fingers easily pierced into his palm. Blood flowed, yet Yago's expression did not change. Sizzle, sizzle—yellow electric arcs flickered from the wound in his palm, and steam continuously rose.
In an instant, Yago's eyes turned crimson. Violent yellow electric arcs wrapped around him, generating a ferocious impact that snapped several nearby trees under the pressure.
Within the electric arcs, white bones emerged one by one. Fresh red, veined muscle followed, wrapping around the white skeleton. Billowing white steam constantly poured off the muscle.
Chest, arms, legs, and then the head. A crimson gaze appeared amid black hair, a mouth full of sharp teeth. A fifteen-meter-tall giant appeared out of thin air.
"Roar!!" The giant let out a deafening roar, shaking countless leaves from the surrounding trees.
A body packed with bulging muscles, an enormous frame—no matter how you looked at it, it was a terrifying giant. Yet the giant's crimson gaze was not dull and vacant like that of ordinary giants. This was the giant Yago had become.
At this moment, Yago felt as if he were soaking in a hot spring. The giant's vision was shared with him, the giant's body was under his control, and he could clearly sense that he was currently located at the nape of the giant's neck.
The Yago Titan raised both hands.
"This time I can clearly feel it—after transforming into a titan, everything is much smoother!"
Controlling the titan, Yago struck several poses: a horse stance, drawing in his fists, a bow stance pressing his legs. For reasons unknown, Yago even followed the images in his memory and struck an embarrassing pose—both hands raised high, then placed on top of the head, actually forming a heart???
If someone saw this, it would probably shock a whole crowd.
Yago tried jumping a few times as well. Each time the massive body landed, the ground trembled. With one punch, he pierced through a giant tree that would have taken more than a dozen people to hug. Thinner trees could be kicked down in multiples with a single leg.
Finally, after ravaging a large area of trees, the Yago Titan fell to the ground. Something at the nape of its neck began to wriggle.
Crash—the back of the titan's neck was forced open, and Yago's figure emerged. The newly emerged Yago looked somewhat bedraggled, with several strands of muscle still wrapped around him. There were also several marks beneath his eyes—these were all points where Yago had connected with the titan after transforming.
There was also titan blood and disgusting mucus stuck all over Yago's body, but it would soon evaporate. For some unknown reason, after a titan dies, its body always eerily turns into steam and disappears. A titan that had lost Yago was no exception—the massive body quickly dried up and shriveled, even the bones slowly decomposing.
Yago lay on the ground, looking completely drained.
"Looks like after turning into a titan, I can barely last less than two hours. If it's combat, the time might be even shorter."
After lying there for a while, the blood, mucus, and such on his body had all evaporated clean.
"At least it saves me from washing."
Yago patted his jacket, put his uniform back on, took a piece of bread from his backpack, and left while eating.
...
Suddenly, Yago stopped. With his extraordinary hearing, he caught several suspicious sounds. His mind stirred, and he slipped into the grass on the left.
After a while, a rumbling sound came through. A carriage slowly approached and arrived at the clearing. An elderly coachman driving the carriage jumped down. His face was full of thick flesh. Staring at the collapsed giant trees and scattered rocks before him, he was dumbfounded.
"Juke, come take a look—what the hell happened here?" A red-haired young man got down from the back of the carriage, wearing an impatient expression.
"What is it, old man? You're making such a fuss." Then he also saw the scene that looked as if it had been ravaged by a giant, and his face filled with shock as well.
"Hey, I'm asking you, old man—Wall Rose wasn't breached by giants, right?" the red-haired youth asked, swallowing hard.
The coachman was sweating coldly. "Probably not… Forget it. Anyway, it's the place arranged by the employer. Just hurry up and bury those firearms and that Vertical Maneuvering Equipment. Don't worry about the rest."
...
Hidden in the grass, Yago's heart stirred. Vertical Maneuvering Equipment?
The coachman and the red-haired youth took two iron shovels from the carriage and began digging pits, panting heavily.
After digging for a long time, they finally made a fairly large pit. Both of them were exhausted.
The coachman wiped his sweat and shouted at the red-haired youth,
"Hurry up, bury the firearms."
The two walked to the back of the carriage and opened the door. Several long wooden crates were stacked together. The coachman frowned.
"Why does it feel like something's missing?"
The sound of high-pressure gas being released suddenly came from above. Both of them changed expressions. The youth shouted angrily,
"What's going on? Did the Military Police catch up to us?"
In a flurry, the coachman pulled a short firearm from his waist. But the instant he drew the gun, a cold flash passed by.
"Ah!!" The coachman screamed as his hand and the gun fell to the ground together.
The red-haired youth's face turned deathly pale. Two sharp blades rested against his neck.
"Garrison of Wall Rose?" He trembled as he looked at several garrison soldiers wearing garrison uniforms in front of him.
"Squad Leader, that kid was telling the truth. There really are a few smugglers," said a garrison soldier with freckles still on his face as he lifted a plank and excitedly looked at the brand-new firearms inside.
The garrison Squad Leader—a very mature-looking soldier—nodded. His tone was calm, but the joy in his eyes couldn't be hidden.
"Not bad. Although hunting down smugglers is the Military Police's job, this is also a significant merit for us garrison soldiers."
"So we should properly thank that kid, right?"
"Mm. If we see that child again, don't take his money anymore. If he brings something along, just turn a blind eye."
"Understood!"
Yago watched as the garrison soldiers escorted away the still-screaming coachman and the dejected red-haired youth.
Yago rubbed his hands together and looked at the wooden crates by his feet. A flash of excitement passed through his eyes.
"Heh heh, Vertical Maneuvering Equipment."
