As they were making their way to their destination.

The broken blade warrior on the left flank broke the silence next, his tone less formal.

“We’re not the only ones on the move, are we?”

The captain shook his head.

“No. High command sent out dozens more. Too many people sending in requests, same problem everywhere. Titans.”

“And since these reports involved our branches, we needed to be involved.”

Another voice chimed in, low and curious.

“Since it is from the High command, then I suppose the True Lords aren't participating in this decision making?”

“The True Lords doesn't concern themselves with the mortals. The True Kings are even more indifferent to everything, awaiting for the creator's awakening to heed the call"

The man at the back gave a short laugh, humorless.

“Feels like the Adventure Guild in its prime. Requests piling up, but this time, it's a full scale invasion of an unknown race"

They kept moving.

Several hours later under their high speed movements.

A thin line of dark smoke was now visible on the horizon, faint but growing.

The soldier to the captain’s right asked the question they’d all been thinking.

“We have any idea where they came from? Titans don’t just appear. The database collected from over the region showed no signs of Titan in their history."

The captain’s reply was brief.

“No history, no sightings before three months ago. They just… arrived. And started feeding.”

"Perhaps, this has something to do with the Lord's presence in this world?"

The man behind him muttered, almost to himself.

“Potentially so... ”

The word hung for a moment before another voice cut in, tone flat.

“Doesn’t matter what they are. If it bleeds, it dies.”

That earned a faint metallic chuckle from another.

"Unless it doesn’t bleed red"

For the first time, the captain glanced back, visor catching the pale sunlight.

“Then you make sure it does.”

The plain began to slope downward, giving them a better view of the far-off city.

Even from this distance, the southern walls looked wrong, breached in several places, smoke curling upward from within.

The sound of distant, muffled crashes reached their ears in uneven intervals, like something massive moving between buildings.

One of the soldiers shifted his grip on the bolter at his thigh.

“We’re close enough to make out movement beyond the walls. Large figures. Could be them.”

The captain gave a short nod.

“Double-time from here. We hit the outskirts, split into pairs, and move street by street. No stray shots, only cleansing"

They adjusted formation without a word, the clink of armor and the heavy thud of boots synchronizing into a faster rhythm.

The smell of smoke was stronger now, and underneath it, something else, burnt flesh.

Somewhere ahead, the titans were still feeding.

The slope gave way to broken ground, soil churned and gouged as though something massive had dragged itself toward the city in a slow, deliberate crawl.

In the distance, the walls of the southern quarter were jagged silhouettes against the pale sky, sections caved in, others leaning at odd angles as if the city itself had been bent out of shape.

Closer now, they could make out the sound of heavy impacts, each thud spaced by the ponderous rhythm of something that did not need to hurry.

A titan’s gait.

The air smelled of burnt stone and blood.

The wind shifted, carrying with it the faintest echo of screaming.

The captain raised one fist, halting the column.

“Formation tight. We’re inside the outer perimeter. Keep your optics up, these bastards don’t announce themselves until they’re chewing on something.”

The rear guard grumbled, voice crackling through the comms.

“Sounds like half the city’s already in their gut.”

“Which means there’s still half to save. Move.”

The captain gave the signal, and they advanced again, quicker now, boots cracking through scattered debris.

The road to the gates was littered with smashed carts, broken spears, and the occasional blackened crater from failed resistance.

When they reached what had once been the southern gate, there was nothing left but splintered beams and twisted iron hinges.

The wall beside it had collapsed inward, creating a slope of rubble that spilled into the street beyond.

Through the gap, they saw the city’s ruin in full: stone buildings with their facades torn open, wooden beams snapped like kindling, and deep trenches carved into the ground where massive feet had trodden.

Farther in, something moved between the rooftops, a broad-shouldered silhouette easily fifteen meters tall.

“Visual confirmation. A lone Titan. Size class… fifteen meters. Maybe sixteen.”

"bmbig enough to smash a block. Not big enough to scare me.”

“You say that until it picks its teeth with your axe.”

The captain didn’t look back.

“Cut the chatter. We move now, pairs, like we planned. Priorities: civilians, and informations. In that order.”

They split as ordered, boots hammering the cobblestones as they fanned into the ruined streets.

It didn’t take long before the first sighting.

The titan had stepped into view, a grotesque, humanoid giant with skin the color of old parchment stretched tight over bulging muscle.

Its proportions were all wrong, arms too long, shoulders too broad, and its mouth hung open in a slack, hungry grin that showed rows of flat, crushing teeth.

In those teeth was a man.

Blood dripped from the corner of the titan’s mouth as it lifted the struggling civilian higher, jaws beginning to close.

“Not on my watch!”

The captain’s voice barked over comms.

“Three on me, left flank! The rest hold perimeter!”

The chosen three broke formation instantly, bolters swinging up.

Explosive rounds thundered down the street, slamming into the titan’s face and upper torso.

The blasts rocked its head back, teeth cracking under the force, but its grip didn’t loosen.

“Skin’s too thick! It’s shaking them off!”

The captain didn’t slow.

“Close range, now!”

They surged forward, boots pounding against the street.

The titan swung one arm down in a lazy, swatting motion.

The blow smashed into the cobblestones, sending chunks of stone skittering through the air, but the warriors ducked low, the impact glancing harmlessly off their armored shoulders.

The captain reached the titan’s leg first, his axe swinging in a brutal upward arc.

Steel bit deep, not enough to sever, but enough to rip a line of dark, steaming blood from its calf.

"It's black?"

The creature bellowed, its grip on the civilian faltering for the first time.

The flanker moved in next, using the distraction to jam his bolter directly into the joint behind the titan’s knee.

Boom!

“Chew on this, you ugly bastard!”

The round exploded point-blank.

The titan’s leg buckled, dropping it to one knee. The civilian slipped halfway from its grasp, dangling.

“Captain, head’s open!”

The captain was already moving, springing onto the bent knee, armor servos whining.

One step, then another, climbing the titan’s thigh as it thrashed.

He swung his axe in a full arc, burying the blade into the side of its skull.

Boom!

The impact cracked bone with a sound like splintering timber.

The titan shuddered violently, releasing the civilian entirely.

The man fell, only to be caught mid-drop by the rear guard, who grunted as the weight hit his arms.

“Got you, you damn twig. Don’t kick, or I drop you.”

The civilian gasped for breath, eyes wide.

“T-Thank you—”

“Yeah, yeah. Save it for when we’re not in a feeding ground.”

Above them, the captain wrenched his axe free, letting the titan sway on its knees for a moment before he drove the blade down again, this time between the eyes.

The giant toppled backward with a crash that shook the street, its skull splitting under the impact.

The captain dropped down from its shoulder, landing in a crouch beside the others.

“One down. We keep moving. This city’s got more mouths than we’ve got blades.”

The rescued man stared at them as if unsure they were real.

“Move along, civilian. Find cover and don’t open your damn eyes until this is over.”

The man nodded frantically and ran, disappearing into a side street.

The captain turned toward the heart of the city.

“Form up. Let's cleanse these infertile giant bastards”

And they pressed on, the sound of distant, heavy footsteps guiding their path deeper into the ruin.