CHAPTER - 21 { An Unwanted Life }

Boom!

The Female Titan slammed a soldier on a tree trunk crushing his entire body.

The ground was already half dyed with red blood, most of the soldiers from the rear squads were dead.

"Die!"

With red eyes, Mike swung between the Female Titan's legs and cut one of her tendons.

Bam.

Unable to balance itself, the Female Titan half kneeled while protecting its nape.

"Mike! Don't lose your mind! You will only end up like Vector!"

Shouted Rose with rage in her voice. She was also sad and depressed about Vector's death.

But now wasn't the time to express sorrow or grief, because the killer was still alive and in front of them.

Wuss!

A figure swung past Rose in a fast speed leaving behind others.

The Female Titan couldn't react as its other tendon was also cut off.

It looked at the figure who swung forward towards her face with the blades radiating bloodlust.

Slash!

The Female Titan tilted its head just in time before the blades could cut its eyes. But a huge part of the cheek flesh was ripped off.

The white bones of her upper jaw were now visible to the remaining soldiers.

"Vlad?"

Rose said with surprise because Vlad was holding his blades not pointing backwards as usual.

He held them in the proper style which was taught in the training camp.

"Mike, get Vector's body."

Ordered Vlad with a serious face as he spun around a tree and swung back at the Female Titan.

Mike stopped on a tree trunk and gritted his teeth. Taking in a deep breath, he finally cooled himself.

Vlad and a few soldiers surrounded the Female Titan. It came to a short stalemate before Vlad leaped at the Titan.

'I knew it. Getting closer to someone and then ending up dying in front of you, really hurts.'

Vlad wasn't angry anymore, it wasn't like it was his first time getting in such a situation.

"Rose, move left!"

As he distracted the Female Titan, he glanced at Rose and ordered with a low voice.

The change in his attitude made Rose feel odd and weird as well as frightened.

It was as if a sleeping beast had woken up.

"Vector, I have to thank you for bringing the real me back. Don't worry, I will avenge…"

Muttered Vlad, he slipped under the Female Titan's arms and cut her rip muscles.

Press.

The hooks shot on the Female Titan's chin, Ryan pulled the strings and released the high pressure gas.

Wuss!

As he was about to reach her chin, Ryan saw its hands almost grabbing him so he had to dodge them and retreat back.

Press.

The hooks shot on a tree branch and pierced the outer layer of dead skin.

Ryan swung towards the tree but when he pressed the switch for the gas, nothing came out.

"Tch. Is it broken? Or is it stuck?"

Ryan climbed the tree and came to a branch. His eyes watched the Female Titan stand up again on its feets.

'I need to hurry and fix this.'

Ryan opened the ODM gear on his waist and tried to check what the exact problem was.

He found that the pipe was jammed. It was then that the Female Titan chose to escape the enclosing soldiers.

"What's wrong?"

Rose came and asked hurriedly. Vlad explained and then sighed. Mike, below on the ground, was dragging Vector's corpse.

"Let me!"

Rose took the gear from Vlad and opened it up as she checked everything from the start.

It was not just the pipe which was jammed, the switch was also a little loose.

"You need to change your gear and also adjust some minor details. I can help you with that but now, I don't have the required materials."

Rose clenched her fists tightly. Without Vector, their squad was already suffering and now Vlad couldn't use the gas.

"We withdraw for now. I will take responsibility."

Vlad picked his gear and stood up. Rose looked towards Mike and Vector's corpse with a heavy feeling.

"We need to collect the bodies…"

Muttered Vlad. Rose stared at him as he slowly descended down with the help of the hooks.

"Vlad, I, I could have saved him…"

Tears dropped down his eyes as Mike gritted his teeth and punched the tree.

"No you couldn't. I have watched everything, Vector couldn't have escaped unless a miracle happened."

Said Vlad. He half kneeled and closed Vector's eyes with an emotionless face.

But deep within, someone was crying yet again.

Vlad then gazed at the numerous corpses of soldiers from the rear squads.

Thud.

Rose landed on the ground. She looked around and felt her heart tighten further.

"Let's get to work."

Vlad started dragging corpses in one place together with Rose and Mike.

* * *

There wasn't any good news.

More than half the number of soldiers died and almost all of the remaining were injured.

The sun was setting down as the soldiers gathered as many corpses as they could in one place.

"Get the bodies on the carriages!"

The senior soldier shouted. On one such carriage, Vlad sat down leaning on the side.

He had his head on his knees as many thoughts came in his mind. Next to him, was Vector's body which was tied up in white cloth.

"Vlad… about your eyes."

Rose walked to the carriage and asked Vlad with worry. Vlad raised his head and looked at her.

"It's fine. Doesn't really affect me."

Replied Vlad, the white lines in his eyes were now noticed by many of the soldiers.

Erwin already asked Vlad to get a medical check up after they return back to the town.

"Mike, he has been down since Vector's death. Our squad is crippled without him, and with Mike being as he is now, we won't be able to work in coordination."

Rose moved her head and stared at one tree where Mike was sitting with a depressed look on his face.

"He will have to get over it. When we joined the Survey Corps, we knew someone or even all of us could die. He can grieve about it after we go back to the town. Now, tell him to hold on."

Vlad got down from the carriage and placed his hand on Rose's shoulder and said with an emotionless voice.

"... Vlad, are you not sad? How can you be so calm?"

Rose looked at Vlad, tears started forming in her red eyes as she clenched her fists tightly.

"I am, no, I have always been…"

He turned around and walked away from Rose with a straight face. Not once did he look back at her.

Finally, Rose herself couldn't control her emotions as she cried while hiding her face.

"It has been a weight on me, but I can't lift it up or take it off my shoulders."

Muttered Vlad, he sat on a huge boulder and watched the setting sun.

"Tears won't fall from my eyes, and my heart won't stop hurting. My life, it's miserable…"

His voice lowered as he spoke until he finished what he wanted to say to himself.

It would have been good if he could share it with someone but only he knew what it felt like to die everyday.

Forgetting your emotions and affections slowly, won't he just turn into a heartless human?

Unable to feel sympathy for others, what will become of him in the future?

"Ha ha!"

A smile bloomed on his darkened face.

"How very interesting!"