Gunji tsūru (Military Tool)

Chapter Eleven (2/2)

Jaeger has the upper hand in strength, in size and in sheer bloody-minded determination, and if there is one thing that years on the front lines has taught Levi, it's that that will get Jaeger killed. The female titan watches him and reacts to his movements with unnerving clarity, one hand clamped firmly over the back of her neck. The problem, Levi realises quickly, is that Jaeger is still stuck in the mind-set of fighting her like she is an ordinary titan; what's worse is that she seems to be perfectly aware of that.

She fights like a human. It's been years since Levi's had to fight anything other than titans and, on occasion, himself, but he can remember it perfectly – he remembers the rush, the thrill that came for fighting for your life against a creature that actually knows how to fight back. He watches the female titan carefully, and recognises what she is doing; she has neither the height nor strength advantage, and her fighting style reflects that. She doesn't require either to knock Jaeger's legs from beneath him, and it is only his impressive reflexes that allow him to roll out of her way and back to his feet.

No movement, not even the slightest twitch, is wasted. She has absolute control over herself, control of a sort that can only come from years of extended training and practical application; Levi can see much of his younger self in her then, and it's almost enough to make him gag.

A few idiots – two from Mike's Squad, and another three that Levi knows only by sight – hurry down, thinking to take out the female titan's Achilles tendon while she is distracted by Jaeger, and Levi grits his teeth at their stupidity or remarkable courage; he isn't quite sure which. Against his will, his hands curl into fists when she leaps out of their path, crushing two, kicking one across the rooftops and leaving the others to swing around and try again, only to repeat the process. Beyond that, she shows no interest in them – she seems to have as little desire to eat people as Jaeger, yet unlike him she clearly has no compunctions about killing for the sake of killing.

All the while, she never once takes her eyes off of Jaeger.

Jaeger screeches at her, jaws opening impossibly wide in a challenge, and Levi can feel the echo of his rising frustration layered above his utter fury. Jaeger won't stop until one of them is dead, that much is clear, but at this stage Levi can't say much for his chances.

The titans come together with a crash like thunder, Jaeger's momentum pushing the female titan back a full step before she manages to duck away from him – Jaeger recovers his balance swiftly, but he has already lost whatever small advantage he had managed to gain, the female titan standing back to watch him through narrowed eyes. Jaeger's hands are up also, protecting his face, though why he would protect his face and leave the nape of his neck vulnerable when he is so clearly aware that it is a weak spot is beyond Levi.

However, he does seem to be catching on to the fact that none of his usual attacks will work – he is accustomed to fighting titans with no true understanding of what it means to fight. The female titan is different, and for now at least, he has stopped his flat-out attacks. Simple brutality and sheer strength have done nothing for him in this battle; he pauses, and Levi finds himself holding his breath as he watches them size each other up.

The female titan pivots suddenly, one foot lashing up to catch Jaeger just beneath his ribs, in the soft area unprotected by his arms. Jaeger makes no move to avoid her attack, breath knocked out of him in a cloud of steam, and Levi can see the way his stomach caves beneath the force of the blow. The titan staggers into the side of a building, hands clenching in the brickwork. From the corner of his eye, Levi sees Ackerman try to throw herself forward, only to be held back by Arlert and another of the hundred and fourth – Arlert hisses something at her, his face twisted by fear and anger, and she subsides. The female titan steps forwards, towards the steaming mess, and reaches down to Jaeger, to the exposed nape of his neck.