Chapter 23: Chapter 21 Killing Intent, Surrender
New Chapter, Also Last Chapter Of The Week. I won't upload on Saturdays, I also need to rest. So No chapters Tomorrow. I will automatically set the next Chapter to post on Sunday at 5pm WAT.
Or Just whatever Time Webnovel refreshes the weekly Powerstones rankings in your Location on Sunday.
Please Note that The MC's goals will be revealed by the 24th Chapter. Which most of you might have already have an inkling of by now.
Anyway, that's that. Hope you Enjoy The Chapter.
More Powerstones for This week's Last Chapter.
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Garrison Branch HQ
Trost,
The air was thick with tension as the cracking sounds of shotguns emerged in unison. All pointed in one direction.
In an instant, everyone on the expedition team stood petrified. Guns were being pointed at them. This …. wasn't a joke.
"Nile …" Erwin's face darkened. "… Explain to me what's happening?"
Nile Dawk, The Leader of The Military Police Force. The man raised an eyebrow before letting out a breath.
"Under orders of The Royal Government, to prevent public order from falling into chaos and humanity falling into a civil war …." Nile watched as several soldiers walked towards the Expedition team, guns armed. "… In the odd chances that The 35th Expedition were to succeed in your objective, His Majesty, King Fritz has ordered the results of your mission to be brought under the custody of The First Interior Squad under The Military Police Force …."
"…. Simultaneously, on the charges of unauthorized mobilization of The Garrison, all scouting activities of The Survey Corps will be suspended indefinitely until further notice. Starting today, the Survey Corps have been disbanded."
The Expedition team in the distance had their faces changed drastically.
"Hey! What do you mean by that?" Instantly, Hange let go of the horse reins and yelled. "Hey! Answer me! You can't do this, none of you can. The Survey Corps have shed so much blood to help humanity defeat the Titans."
She said, walking towards Erwin and Nile.
"Now, when we're so close … You're gonna shut us down?" Her voice grew louder with each passing second.
Seeing Nile remain stoic, she turned her attention to the second culprit.
"And you! What the hell are you doing outside your doghouse in the Capital? I always knew you people were no good. Have you no humanity …"
"Hange! That's enough." Erwin quickly intervened before she went too far. Djel Sannes had his face crumple.
"She's right, Nile. You can't do this, not now. Not when we are this close."
Nile was silent. "Is he? Is he really what you think he is?"
"I believe so, yes."
"Erwin, you understand the gravity of what you are implying right?"
"I do. And I am willing to take responsibility for it, if I have to."
'So … He's the real deal, huh?' Looking at Erwin persuading him, Nile's gaze shifted to the conspicuous individual in the cart before shifting back.
"Be that as it may, it's not my decision to make. My orders are clear."
Erwin's brows furrowed even more. The situation had spiralled out of his control.
"Why?"
"I'm sorry, Erwin …" At that moment, Dot Pixis stepped up. "All this is my fault."
With a sigh, he closed his eyes and explained. "According to Protocol, I sent a letter to The Capital, informing the Royal Government of our findings to receive lessen your burdens and receive more support in case The Expedition was a failure. I expected them to have opinions, but …"
The man turned his narrowed gaze to the side. Set on Djel Sannes, the officer leading this arrest.
".... I failed to anticipate the full extent of their reaction. Now, your objective has been labeled a First Class Threat and a significant risk to The safety and security of Humanity. The Garrison have been ordered to aid in his arrest, and detain him at all costs."
Hearing this, Erwin's frown deepened. Fully understanding the severity of the situation.
Just based on the orders of The Royal Government, his ability to influence the situation had been rendered ineffective.
"Seiji Uchiha!" Djel Sannes voice resounded through the quiet square.
"You have been deemed as an unknown factor that threatens the safety and stability of The Kingdom. I, Djel Sannes of The First Interior Squad, have been granted full authority to oversee your arrest. Step out of the cart and surrender, or we will resort to lethal force."
Instantly, Erwin's expression changed.
"No, you can't …"
Crack!
The sound of a cocking gun caused the man to halt as several Military Police officers in the crowd aimed their weapons at him.
"I'm sorry Erwin, but you are already on thin ice as it is." Nile's voice fell into his ears.
The middle-aged man in his late thirties uttered with a solemn expression. "If you act against orders, It is within my authority to execute you right where you stand."
Under such a threat, Erwin calmed down.
"You have no idea the gravity of what you are doing Nile. You're …"
"I'm trying to save your life." Nile cut in, feeling quite annoyed. As a Commander of a Military Branch, it wasn't difficult to put two and two together.
The gravity of what The Survey Corps had done wasn't something that could be ignored. For years, The Regiment had produced no valuable results whatsoever.
It was the smallest, least funded branch of the Military, barely existing only due to the support of the king.
Now, however, that had changed. The Survey Corps had found …. A person. Not just any person, one who didn't come from within the walls. One whose very existence contradicted the very information The Government had told their citizens for a hundred years.
Such an accomplishment, once revealed would be groundbreaking. But from the looks of it, it would be better if they hadn't. The moment the news was revealed, King Fritz, who had supported the existence of the Survey Corps for many years suddenly changed his tune.
Now, the scout regiment were to be put under investigation. Their Leader detained, and their regiment dissolved. Even an idiot could understand what was happening. It could be said that now, The Government had placed the Survey Corps in a freezer.
Nile understood that this matter was going to be suppressed. Never to see the light of day again.
Although he didn't understand why, but it didn't matter. How job was to follow orders.
If anyone stepped out of line now, then he or she would be made an example of. Hence, he couldn't let Erwin have his way.
"You can always plead your case upon reaching the chancellery. For now, don't do anything rash."
In response,"You've got it wrong Nile." Erwin responded, his face returning to normal. "… I'm trying to save all of yours."
Nile was confused. What did he mean by that?
"I suggest you stop him, if you don't want a Massacre on your hands."
"… Huh … Erwin, you can't be …"
"You have until the count of Three. One …" Djel Sannes uttered.
Everyone's gazes turned to the cart.
"Erwin, what is this?"
"Seiji, … I."
"Commander Erwin won't be helping you right now."
Djel uttered calmly. His voice ringing through the square. In response, Seiji didn't even look at him.
"Erwin, what is this?"
Djel's lips twitched slightly, his expression darkening for a brief moment before smoothing over into something more controlled. His irritation was barely contained, but his voice remained level.
He was the Leading Captain of The First Interior Squad, answering only to The Royal Government. Even Nile, his direct superior had little control over his actions, alongside the squad he controlled.
When had he ever been ignored like this?
Despite simmering with anger, his outward expression didn't show it.
"Hey! Are you listening? ... Or simply too dumb to understand the gravity of the situation."
Seiji paused. "I'm sorry, what?"
"Whatever agreement you had with the 13th Commander Of The Survey Corps is worthless now. He is no longer in control of this situation. The Survey Corps are done. The government has no need for them, and by extension, they have no need for you.""
His voice sharpened. "You no longer have the luxury of choosing who you speak to."
'This bastard! He's going too far'.
Nile's face turned ugly as he listened. Nevertheless, he said nothing.
"Oh .. and you are?"
"I am Djel Sannes. Captain of The First Interior Squad of The Military Police Force, although I don't expect you to understand what that represents. Just understand that I am the one who decides your fate now."
'I see ... The Government is taking over. Well, so much for diplomacy. It seems Rod Reiss wants to eliminate me before I can cause any trouble. The Survey corps are going to suffer for it as well. Time for plan B then.'
Seiji raised an eyebrow and nodded.
"Ok". Then turned back to Erwin. "Erwin, what is this?"
'Why … You little! ….' Djel seethed with fury.
"... Answer me Erwin. Is everything he said true?" Seiji interrupted. Erwin's face looked gloomy.
"Yes. Forgive me, I did not expect …"
"Then according to our agreement, I can act as I see fit, right?"
In response, Erwin frowned
"Do not kill anyone, Seiji. It will only make the situation more difficult." The man turned to Nile and Pixis. "I Just need some time to speak with The Council. They should …"
"… Enough already!" It happened then. Everyone's gaze fell on Djel whose face had turned completely gloomy.
Djel took a step forward, his gaze sharp as a knife. "You will step down from that cart now, or we will drag you out."
Seiji let out a small chuckle. "Is that so? You're treating me like some sort of criminal."
Djel's expression hardened. "That's because you are one."
At that, Seiji's brow rose slightly. For a moment, there was silence. Then—he sighed.
His voice was light, almost amused, as if he had just been told an entertaining joke.
"I see. Well, if you insist."
Djel clenched his fists.
The casual tone in which he spoke, It was getting on his nerves.
"Bind him this in …" It happened then.
SQUELCH!
Blood splattered on the floor.
Djel's voice froze.
A thin line of crimson appeared across his throat, revealing a cut that hadn't been there a second ago.
"... Ugh, You ..." The man opened his mouth, blood flowed as he fell to his knees. His eyes looking forward as the person a distance away had seemingly disappeared.
"Guess I'm an outlaw now, huh?" A familiar voice came from behind him.
In that spot stood Seiji, a bloodstained Kunai in his hands. "... Honestly, that was quick. Didn't even get a trial." He said, turning to the others. "Wouldn't you agree, Erwin."
" … " silence. Whether it was Erwin, Pixis, Nile, The Garrison, Military Police or the Expedition team, no one said a word.
"… Oh my …"
"He just … killed him."
"Wasn't he standing by the "
"… Am I seeing things? How did he? …"
Murmurs emerged from the Military Police behind Nile.
"He .. he just killed ... An Interior Officer …"
"This isn't good …"
"… By The Walls …"
The soldiers on the expedition team carried similar expressions, but for different reasons.
"Damn …" Levi muttered. "Things just got bad. There's no salvaging the situation now."
"Did you plan for this, Erwin?" Pixis uttered solemnly.
Erwin remained silent. Knowing his job just turned from difficult, to nigh impossible.
Nile's reaction affirmed this. Snapping out of his daze, the man gritted his teeth and ordered.
"Open Fi—!" It happened then. Nile's wide eyes, widened even more. His command cut off mid-sentence.
His breath caught in his throat.
Something had shifted.
The air grew heavy—unbearably so. A formless, suffocating weight pressed down on every soldier present, sinking into their bones, chilling them to the core.
A sharp, primal fear.
From it's widened state, Nile's pupils shrank as his fingers trembled, the weight of his rifle suddenly unbearable.
He could hear it. No—he could feel it. The sound of flesh being torn apart. The sensation of cold steel biting into his neck. The phantom pain of his limbs being twisted, snapped, broken beyond recognition.
Dying.
He was dying.
Not in reality—but in his mind.
Images flooded his vision. His body ripped to shreds, his screams unheard. His death, meaningless, inevitable, inescapable.
And he wasn't alone.
The soldiers of the First Interior Squad, the Military Police, even members of the Garrison—every single one of them was frozen in place, bodies rigid, breath stolen from their lungs.
Wide, unfocused eyes.
Faces pale as corpses.
Sweat dripping down trembling fingers.
Their minds screamed at them—run, run, run—but their bodies refused to move.
This was no ordinary fear.
This was pure, overwhelming killing intent.
Seiji Uchiha exhaled softly, his red eyes gleaming in the dim light.
"If I'm a criminal," he said, voice calm, almost amused, "then I should act like one, right?"
Nile couldn't speak. Couldn't even think.
He had faced Titans. He had seen death.
But this?
This wasn't normal.
This wasn't human.
Seiji took a slow step forward.
A dozen rifles were pointed at him, yet no one pulled the trigger.
Not because they didn't want to.
But because they couldn't.
Their hands wouldn't move. Their fingers refused to squeeze the trigger. The mere thought of opposing him sent fresh waves of horror crashing through their minds.
Erwin felt his body stiffen, his heart racing.
This was not the same person who had been escorted through the walls less than an hour ago.
This was something else entirely. His mouth opened and closed, trying to form words, but only a ragged breath escaped.
Nile, who had been in the midst of, giving the order, bore the brunt of it.
He saw it. His own death.
Not once. Not twice.
Over and over and over again.
Each time more violent than the last.
A cold sweat ran down his back.
'What… what the hell is this monster…?'
Seiji tilted his head. "You're awfully quiet now."
The air was thick with tension.
A suffocating wave of killing intent crashed over the soldiers in front of Seiji, freezing them in place. Those behind Seiji—the expedition team—though not aimed at, weren't spared from the overwhelming pressure. It was only lessened.
The Special Operations Squad instinctively reached for their blades, but none dared to move.
A few scattered voices, whispering, barely comprehending what was happening:
"What… the hell… is this?!"
"My legs are quivering."
"I … I can hardly move."
Oluo next to Levi couldn't help but curse
"Damn! Who the hell is this kid?"
This kind of feeling might be foreign for the Garrison soldiers, and even more so for The Military Police, but it was different for The Survey Corps.
The feeling of bone chilling fear, of near impending doom, it was what they experienced the first time they had to face Titans.
The Fear Of Death.
But before the paralysis could turn to chaos, Levi's weak yet firm voice cut through the silence.
"Stand down."
The squad hesitated.
"But, Captain—" one of them protested.
Levi's eyes were sharp. "If you want to meaninglessly lose your lives, be my guest."
The sheer finality in his tone rooted them in place. He wasn't exaggerating—if they moved now, they would die.
Levi's mind worked through the situation with cold precision.
'This idiot… does he understand what he's done? No, he does. And that's what's pissing me off the most.'
The 35th Expedition had sacrificed so many people, just to bring him back. Now, Seiji's actions could potentially mean the death of them. Levi couldn't understand what was running through his skull.
As if deciding the performance was over, Seiji withdrew his killing intent. The invisible pressure lifted, leaving soldiers gasping in its absence.
Erwin took a step forward. His gaze, sharp as ever, locked onto Seiji.
"Seiji, do you understand what you've done?"
Seiji's red eyes met Erwin's unwavering blue ones.
"I do."
A voice—shaky, filled with residual terror—cut in before Erwin could continue.
"No, you don't."
Nile Dawk. His hands clenched into fists, knuckles white, as he forced himself to speak through his still-racing heartbeat.
"You have no idea what you've done."
"Nile, calm down."
At that moment, Nile's eyes narrowed.
He turned to Erwin, voice rising with anger and fear.
"Do you not get it? The Royal Government won't let this stand. Not after this. He's an enemy now. A threat that must be eliminated at all costs."
"There's no room for leeway now. You and the Survey Corps … Will be imprisoned at best, and executed at worst."
Everyone who wasn't still trembling had their eyes widen.
The meaning was clear—Seiji Uchiha was now a condemned man. And the majority of them present would be condemned with him.
But Seiji merely exhaled, expression unreadable.
"I know," he said. "Which is why you're taking me in."
Silence.
Stunned disbelief swept through the square. Even Erwin, Levi, and Hange—those who had come to expect the unexpected from him—showed visible surprise.
"What?!"
The gathered soldiers stiffened, some exchanging uncertain glances, others visibly confused. Even Erwin's brows furrowed ever so slightly, trying to decipher Seiji's angle.
Nile froze for a moment. His face darkening.
"Is this some kind of joke to you?"
"Do I look like I'm joking? …"
"....."
"Alright, I'll admit." Levi broke the silence. "I'm very interested in your thoughts process right now ....."
In response, Seiji chuckled.
"Seiji, why?"
Erwin asked. To this, he responded plainly.
"Because I realized diplomacy won't work. I felt we could cooperate, but now I see your people's problems go far beyond The Titans. In that case, I no longer see a reason to be polite. Since they want me arrested, I'll grant them their wish." The young Uchiha shrugged.
"I'll decide my reaction once I hear whatever they have to say. Good or bad. It's that simple."
Erwin was silent, not knowing how to respond.
The man couldn't help wondering whether this was a good thing or a bad idea.
Nile, still tense, narrowed his eyes. "Then move. Now."
Seiji casually stepped forward, hands in his pockets. No resistance. No hesitation.
"Lead the way, Commander." He tilted his head with an easy grin. "Or do I have to escort myself to prison?"
The Military Police hesitated, confused by his sheer lack of resistance, before cautiously surrounding him.
Meanwhile,
Unseen by the soldiers, several figures watched the entire scene unfold from the shadows of a nearby rooftop.
One of them—a lean man with short-cropped hair—exhaled sharply, arms crossed.
"... Well, that was… intriguing."
Beside him, a woman with sharp eyes, blond hair and twin pistols strapped to her thighs scoffed.
"Intriguing? That's an understatement. I was expecting a battle."
The man nodded. "Indeed. His reaction is… odd."
Their uniforms, or lack thereof were unmistakable in the daylight. They were soldiers under Kenny Ackerman—trained killers, accustomed to dealing with dangerous targets.
And yet, here stood perhaps one of the most dangerous individuals they'd been ordered to monitor… surrendering without a fight.
"Do we still attack?" the man finally asked.
The woman glanced toward the square, studying the expressions of the remaining Survey Corps and Military Police. Then, after a pause, she released her grip on her weapons.
"No. Not anymore." she uttered while standing from her half kneeling posture.
"The rest of you, stay here and keep watching. Fire the flare if something changes. I'll report back to Captain Kenny. He'll want to hear this."
The man gave a low hum in agreement. His gaze following her as she leaped off the roof and grappled into the distance.
Duran let out a breath before turning his gaze elsewhere. 'What exactly is he doing …'
The more he thought of it, the more uncomfortable he felt.
"Something doesn't seem right." he muttered with a frown.
"Oh? …" another soldier next to him raised an eyebrow. "What do you make of it?"
"I don't know. But this kid isn't simple. Even now, I still can't understand how he moved that fast."
"… He's an outsider. If the Government wants him dead so badly, something about him has to be special."
"Thanks. Such Praise Makes Me Feel Flattered."
"…"
A lighthearted voice fell into their eyes. But it wasn't from either one of them.
For a moment, both men froze. The next, however, their hands reached for the guns on their waists as they dodged instinctively.
Too bad.
SQUELCH!
The air was split apart. Two sharp objects impacting the back of their skulls before they could even react.
Blood splattered on the roof, as both bodies lay down with a thud.
Standing behind them, Seiji examined their uniforms and clicked his tongue.
The real Seiji Uchiha.
"No uniforms. No emblems, yet in possession of … Modified ODM equipment, and are after me." It was the Anti Personnel Control Squad, no doubt. The special division of the Military Police, just like the First Interior Squad.
His gaze flickered toward Garrison Square, where his shadow clone continued its march toward imprisonment.
Then, without a word, he turned and disappeared into the night, silently tailing the departing female.
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