Chapter 19: Encountering the Eccentric Species Once Again

“Counterattack—begin!”

A resounding cheer erupted as every trainee raised their steel blades high, rallying themselves for the battle ahead. At this moment, each person summoned their utmost resolve, for they knew well that this would be a battle of life and death. Victory meant a chance to eke out a continued existence in this world; defeat meant becoming a meal for the giants, joining fallen comrades in their bellies.

Yet, despite the grim stakes, the eyes of the trainees shone with unwavering confidence. The source of their faith stood at the very front: a striking young man and woman, side by side.

Among all the trainees, Mikasa and Sikong Xu were undoubtedly the strongest. Still, there were others—exceptional cadets ranked among the top ten at graduation—who could hold their own against the giants and even slay them. Though their radiance was somewhat eclipsed by the overwhelming prowess of Sikong Xu and Mikasa, none could deny their considerable strength.

With a chorus of hissing gas, the elite squad—composed of the trainees’ finest—launched into action, maneuvering through the air with their omnidirectional mobility gear. The top ten of the 104th Cadet Corps were all formidable, and though Eren was not in the squad, he now fought alongside Sikong Xu as a giant himself. Such a terrifying lineup, bolstered by Sikong Xu, would give even humanity's mightiest force—the Survey Corps—pause before claiming superiority.

Perhaps sensing the surging morale, Eren—in giant form—pounded his chest and let out a thunderous roar skyward.

Then, with massive strides, Giant Eren charged toward a fifteen-meter class giant approaching from the opposite side.

“Everyone, focus! Teams of three—two distract the giant while one goes for the kill. Wipe out every giant in the vicinity!”

Unnoticed, Sikong Xu had assumed command of the entire unit. Ordinarily, if someone with his bottom-rank graduation scores were made commander, countless objections would be raised. But in the face of his overwhelming display of strength, all accepted his leadership without question, following his orders willingly—perhaps even Sikong Xu himself hadn’t realized this shift.

With a swift movement, Sikong Xu, controlling his mobility gear, raced to Giant Eren’s side. He deliberately ignored the giant locked in combat with Eren, instead setting his sights on several more giants surging forward. Among them was one whose speed sent chills down the spine—a rogue variant.

“A rogue variant…” Sikong Xu’s gaze sharpened as he watched it barrel forward, stirring up dust and whipping the air into swirling eddies. Its speed was at least three times that of an ordinary giant, perhaps even surpassing Eren’s. If this rogue variant broke through to the rear lines, it would surely inflict catastrophic losses; its velocity far exceeded what the mobility gear could match.

“It seems I’ll have to intercept it.” Sikong Xu exhaled softly. “Mikasa, hold off the other giants—leave this rogue variant to me!”

Letting this one break through was unthinkable. Casualties aside, the squad required a pillar—someone to inspire their courage. If he could slay this rogue variant, both goals would be achieved.

“No problem,” Mikasa replied coolly. While fending off these giants would be difficult, it was not beyond her abilities. She had little desire to stand out, content simply to guard Sikong Xu’s back.

Hearing her response, Sikong Xu smiled faintly and surged toward the oncoming rogue variant.

Thanks to rewards from completing the main mission and slaying giants, Sikong Xu had amassed 240 credits. Taking down this rogue variant would bring another ten, raising his total to 250—a number perhaps not the luckiest, but impressive nonetheless, considering he’d started in this fantasy world with none at all.

Very few first-year students ever reached such a high credit count in a single trial; those who did were the prodigies of Dawn Academy, the so-called “top scholars.” In other words, Sikong Xu now counted among their ranks. His ambition, however, reached further—he aimed to complete an entire trial.

No first-year had ever managed to clear all the main objectives of a trial. For freshmen barely a month into the term, this was a distant dream. Most would either die and return, or quit the trial with the help of their seal; actual completions were rare, even among seniors. To Sikong Xu’s knowledge, only one other freshman had ever managed two main missions—proof of the daunting difficulty.

Even with his own overpowering ability, “Infinite Martial Tempering,” Sikong Xu doubted whether he could truly clear this trial.

His thoughts drifted, but only for a moment. The rogue variant, closing the distance with terrifying speed, was now a mere hundred meters away—a gap it would cover in five or six seconds.

“It’s here!” Sikong Xu’s pupils suddenly widened as the rogue variant, roaring, hurtled toward him. Its reeking maw gaped wide, blank, soulless eyes bulged, and its grotesque expression grew ever more ludicrous. It seemed utterly convinced that consuming this human was inevitable.

This variant’s favored tactic was to hurl itself forward at lightning speed and snap its prey into its jaws—a move that had never before failed. But this time, it had met its match: a steel wall tough enough to shatter any bone that struck it.