Chapter 11: Tested Faith

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Miki had finished her story. She explained what she had seen inside Berlot's head; his plan to eradicate both humans and Titans alike.

"That's what he wants?" Connie said, "Our extermination? Why the hell would he want that?"

"I guess those crystals did more to him than we thought," Mikasa suspected.

"We have to go back." Sasha said.

"Why should we?" Jean asked, "Shouldn't we be after him right now?"

"Sasha's right Jean," Mobilt answered. "He's too strong. All of us together isn't enough against…whatever he's become. We'll at least need reinforcement, possibly more research and weaponry as well."

Eren couldn't help but stare at the fallen Kaiju, trapped and helpless inside his crystal prison. The only hope they had, which wasn't much, lies with the Great Predator. He had to get him out of there.

"You all go." He said.

"What?" Moll said.

"All of you go back, warn everyone, and get everyone to safety. We need all the help we can get." He said, "I'll stay behind. I'll find a way to get him out of there."

"Eren," Mikasa began.

"Just go!" he yelled, "There's no time to argue!"

"Alright," Hange said, "But I'm leaving Connie with you for backup."

"Right." Connie replied.

"And I will go with Eren as well." Lara stated.

"Are you crazy?" Sasha said, "You'll get killed out there!"

"Given the circumstances," Lara said, "It's a possibility for all of us right now. Besides, my telepathy might aid them with those creatures out there."

"Alright then," Miki said. "Be careful out there. Deliverance be with all of you."

"I'm staying with Eren." Mikasa said.

"No Mikasa," Eren argued. "Not this time. I'm going in without you."

"This may be hard for you to understand Eren," she insisted, "but like it or not I'm here to protect you no matter how much you-"

"This isn't a debate!" Eren yelled, "Humanity needs you right now. I'm just another soldier, and as such I'm obligated to lay my life on the line. I'm just as vulnerable as any of us right now. Protecting me isn't going do any more to stop that."

"That's the point," she said, "You're not just a soldier, you're my family. And nothing gets in the way of that, not even you."

Eren was utterly defeated. He looked over to Miki behind Mikasa's shoulder.

Care to help me out here? He thought, hoping she could hear his thoughts.

Apparently she did, shaking her head as a response. I guess psychic powers couldn't get past Mikasa's stubborn personality.

"Alright," Eren said, "the four of us will go. Now we need to move out!"

Both parties wasted no time at all, mounting whichever horses were left to them and darting off. Eren's group raced towards the gigantic crystal cocoon that encased their only hope for survival.

"What's the plan Eren?" Connie asked.

"We take out those crystals," he answered.

"Not much of a plan." Connie sneered.

"It's all we've got." Eren called back.

"If you say so." Connie replied, getting into the right mindset.

He did have a point. Usually, Armin came up with the plans. But right now, he was needed elsewhere. Those plans of his would be more useful for defending the humans. This time, Eren had to think on his own.

The horses had cleared the area of thick forest, onto the 2-mile wide open patch of debris from fallen timber. From far away, you'd never guess how much devastation was caused during the epic battle against two Kaiju. It almost looked like a bomb went off here.

Once they were close enough, Connie, Mikasa and Eren leapt from their horses. They wasted no time hacking away at the gigantic gemstones, flaring away with their blades. They gave all the strength they could muster up, fueling on pure adrenaline and determination to save their kind from extinction.

It was all or nothing now.

An hour later…

Reiner watched as Berlot sunk his teeth into another Kumunga. He had gone off earlier and brought back three Kumunga carcasses and two corpses that looked like fifty-foot Condors. The fight with his archrival left him with quite an appetite. Ymir guessed that this was some sort of victory feast.

It sickened him to watch him stick his face into those creatures, knowing full well the power he used to overcome them. Reiner was sure that power was what took his friend from him. What once had been the greatest friend he ever had was now twisted into a mass of flesh and gemstones.

The only sound that could be heard for at least a mile were the crunching sounds of teeth against bones and exoskeleton. Ymir was the only one brave enough to break the silence.

"Were do we fit in?" She asked.

This caught Berlot's attention. He looked to her as an enormous spider leg slithered down his throat.

"Your great plan for a new world," She continued, "Were do we fit in? What happens to us?"

Berlot stood still after she asked this. His expression turned to that of confusion, as if he was actually contemplating what she asked. He paused for a few seconds, then walked up to the crystal tower.

Once again, he placed his hand upon it. The blue crystal emerged once more, showing images of both the shifters. Berlot was using the Beast Titan's abilities and know-how to transform them, making them into Krystalaks like himself.

"So that's it?" Reiner said angrily, "You just make us into whatever you are, some kind of freaks like you?"

The images continued, showing Berlot, Reiner, Ymir, and even Anna, in their new Krystalak forms. They were standing on a large rock formation, towering above other Krystalaks. They almost looked like a cheering crowd.

Ymir and Reiner could tell that Berlot intended to rule over this new species alongside his fellow shifters. They weren't sure exactly what rank they would hold in this society. Dukes? Betas? But they knew he implied that he wanted his friends to have a part in power.

"That was never what we wanted." Reiner said. "That's never even what you wanted. You wanted to follow the mission, same as we all did."

"And what of our other friends?" Ymir asked, actually starting to get angry. "The ones who are stuck as Titans? And Historia as well? What happens to them?"

Berlot's response to that was smashing the blue crystal, shattering it with a single swipe of his tail.

"So you decided to turn your back on everyone?" she said. "All these months, we thought the Great Predator was a monster. We were wrong. He's an animal, which is better than what you've become!"

Berlot stomped over to Ymir with blazing eyes. She had just insulted the most powerful thing on the planet. Belrot lifted his hand, ready to smash her into oblivion.

"Wait! There's one thing you forgot!" Reiner said, hoping to interrupt Berlot's attack.

It worked. Berlot turned his head to face Reiner. He had to think of something, anything to keep Ymir alive.

"The…the humans," he said nervously. "And Eren too. They won't just let you do this. You may be powerful and larger than them, but they still outnumber you at least ten thousand to one."

Berlot hated to admit it, he couldn't admit it since his ability to speak vocally was gone. But Reiner had a point, letting the Survey Corps live was a terrible mistake.

Eren had the co-ordinate, which would allow him to use the Titans against him. Jean, Sasha, Levi, Mikasa, and Connie had great skill in killing Titans. Armin, Hange, and Mobilt were all brilliant, they could organize something against him now that they knew he was alive. It would be unwise to fulfill his new destiny without ensuring this didn't become a problem.

There was no doubt, the Survey Corps had to be taken care of first. And maybe the other humans of Tanikibo, just to be sure. Yes, they needed to be eliminated before anything else. He would need help with this…

And he knew just were to find it.

Berlot placed his hands on the tower once more. His facial expression looked like he was in immense focus, like he was concentrating on something. The tower slowly started to glow, as did the other crystal structures.

Brighter and brighter, the glow slowly grew from a slight aura to a blinding light. The power generated caused Reiner and Ymir to winch in pain, as their prisons were made from the same crystal. It was if he was redirecting energy from the tower itself.

In a sudden flash, the lightshow was over. The pain had finally stopped for the two shifters.

Suddenly, the ground began to shake, becoming more and more uneasy.

"I don't like this,"Ymir whispered.

The two Shifters couldn't see what was happening, but they could feel its dark intention. Berlot had just redirected the flow of the power from the crystals. They weren't just isolated towers and structures, they were part of a single, ever-expanding crystal mass with roots deep beneath the ground.

By Berlot's influence, the power filled the roots, emitting radiation through the forest's soil and caverns. With that much radiation over a mile beneath the surface, Berlot had awakened a sleeping giant.

Or perhaps, a thousand sleeping giants.

Meanwhile…

It was beginning to turn dark. Connie and Eren had been attacking Godzilla's prison to the point of exhaustion. Normally, any human this close to Godzilla would be doused in enough radiation to fill a nuke.

Thankfully, Berlot used a special Crystal for this, one that blocked Radiation. It was like 30 walls of lead between the monster and the hairless apes. This time, the humans were safe.

"Any luck over there Connie?" Eren asked.

"Not…even a scratch…" panted Connie.

"Whatever these things are made of," Mikasa said out of breath, "it's stronger than steel."

Eren looked deeply to the enormous crystals in front of him. The spot he attacked didn't have a single mark on it. There had to be a way to destroy these things. There just had to be.

His thoughts were interrupted by a loud crashing sound. Before he could respond to it, it happened again, shaking the ground a little.

"Look!" Lara said, pointing behind them.

They looked to see Anguirus, constantly curling into a ball against the crystals. Like a kid's ball bouncing off of their bedroom wall, Anguirus launched a multitude of curled-up attacks on Godzilla's prison.

He did notice the humans, looking to them and letting out a roar.

"He says he wants to help," Lara translated. "He hopes to 'earn his way back into the herd,' as he puts it."

"Good," Connnie said, "We could use as much help as we can get."

The group walked over to the faithful saurian, checking his progress. Like the others, it barely had any effect. He didn't stop, eager to complete the mission.

"I don't think his attacks are enough." Mikasa said grimly.

"I don't think he cares," said Lara. "He's too determined."

After five or seven more attacks Anguirus stopped, panting like a large dog. He slammed his head against the crystal, exhausted but refusing to give up.

"Nice try pal," Connie said, patting Anguirus's leg sympathetically. "But I don't think you're strong enough for this yet."

Mikasa felt something, something in her feet. The ground began to form a tremor, increasing by the second. A sound of rustling vegetation followed. Something was coming.

Once everyone noticed it, they looked to the forest, now hyper with activity. More Kaiju began to emerge, this time in a stampede form.

Rushing towards them was an onslaught of creatures; Kamacurases, Kumungas, Varans, Gorosaurs, a few Terror Birds, some Gorgonopsids, giant rats with multiple eyes, and more creatures they couldn't identify. All of them rushed in a primal frenzy.

In panic and instinct, Anguirus ran in front of the group. He went into a defensive curl, creating a shield for the humans. As the creatures rampaged, they washed over Anguirus like a wave of the ocean. They ran over him, but didn't really pay him any mind.

After two minutes, the stampede was over. Anguirus was practically unharmed, but thanks to his actions the humans avoided becoming squished by living fossils.

"Thanks pal," said Connie. "I think you've just earned your place in the herd."

Lara was crouched over, it looked like she'd seen a ghost.

"Are you alright?" Mikasa said as Anguirus uncurled himself.

"It was horrible," Lara said. "Their minds were like a mixture of confusion, rage, and hunger."

Eren could only think about one thing; the direction they were going. All of them were headed southward, towards the end of the forest.

Right towards Tanakibo.

"It has to be Berlot," Eren snarled. "This is what he meant earlier when he said we were next. He's unleashed them with his crystal powers to wipe us out!"

"What the hell are we supposed to do?!" Connie said in a panic. "We're an hour away for the city, an army of monsters is heading towards civilization, Berlot is on the loose, and our only hopes are locked out of the game!"

"I'm really starting to doubt Miss Seagusa's teachings." Lara said in a defeated tone. "If only all this happened outside the forest, then the three of us could've handled it with a little telepathy. I think Deliverance just abandoned us."

Eren looked to the horizon, watching the sunset's light trickle down on the last Crystal tower, one that Godzilla was after before Berlot attacked him. It was smaller than the others, in fact, just about the size of Eren's Titan form.

Wait a minute, he thought, outside the forest. That's it!

This time, Eren had a plan.

"Connie," he said. "How much spare gas do you have left?"

"Only one canister," he answered puzzled. "Why?"

"Fill up my gear," he said, "I have a plan."

Meanwhile…

Inside the temporary Survey Corps station inside Tanakibo, the remaining members stood inside an empty room. The only one who didn't have a look of concern on their face was Levi. The Survey Corps and the two priestesses had just gotten back into town about a half an hour ago, telling Levi the full report.

"So let me get this straight," he said sternly. "Not only are you telling me that there is an entire ecosystem of monsters living in that forest, but that they've been awoken by strange crystals. And above all that, Berlot has resurrected into some kind of super-monster that defeated the great predator."

"That's what we've witnessed out there." Hange answered.

"What kind of idiot do you take me for?" he said. "People cannot come back from the dead, let alone Titan shifters. How do you even know for sure it was him? It could have just been some new breed of Titan."

"Even if it was sir," Armin said calmly. "I think it's strong enough to be a concern. We need to get the message to Historia, get as many men as we can against this thing."

"I understand the concern." Levi said, "Really I do. But it would still take a week for the message to reach the walls, even if this is as high level of a threat you claim it to be."

Before Mobilt opened his mouth to possibly make a counter argument, a skinny man rushed into the room.

"Levi! Forgive me Sir, but it's urgent!" he said.

"What is it?" Levi said, sounding annoyed.

"There's been a flare," the messenger replied. "You may want to see this."

The group looked outside the window. Luckily, it had a good view of the forest. The trees began to shake violently. A few prehistoric creatures began to emerge slowly from their hideout.

"Get every man and women we have out there now!" Levi yelled, putting his gear on. "And get the civilians to the shelters, we're not losing any more citizens tonight!"

Meanwhile…

Eren made sure his pack was on properly. The gas had just been filled to the maximum.

"Alright," Eren said. "I'm ready. Are you sure you're going to follow the plan Mikasa?"

She thought for a moment, but not a long one. She didn't agree with one aspect Eren purposed, which involved splitting up. But this time it was life or death. If this didn't work, all of humanity might die.

"To the letter." She said reluctantly.

"Good." Eren nodded. "Anguirus?"

Anguirus stood above the four humans, nodding in anticipation.

"NOW!" Eren yelled.

In an instant, Anguirus scooped them up, forming his trade-make ball formation with the humans inside. Once curled, his full momentum caused him to roll rapidly into the forest. Traveling four times the speed of Survey Corps horses, the curled up saurian bulleted his way through the thick woods.

While tumbling, some unfortunate kaiju got in the way, becoming knocked over and trampled by a bony cannonball. Eren and the others could hear the squawks and howls of animals being run over by their reptilian friend.

Once outside the woods Anguirus uncurled himself, flinging the humans onto his back. Eren, not wasting a moment, ran up his back onto his tail.

"GO!" Eren yelled.

Anguirus answered the signal, whipping his tail as hard as he could to fling Eren upwards. Once he was high enough over the treetops, Eren let his gear launch him further upwards.

Mikasa and the rest of us wish you luck. Lara's voice said inside his mind. He looked down, spying the group darting off below. Already Anguirus was fighting off a few creatures. He looked back up, realizing he must be far enough above the trees.

He pulled up his hand, ready to test his theory. Biting into it harder than he ever did before, he focused all of his attention on the plan. He felt it this time, the change. His plan had worked! Thanks to the distance he was launched, he was far enough away from the crystals.

Now the Rouge Titan was back, falling from the sky and back into the forest. Rolling up into a fetal position, his body cannonballed into the woods, landing on his feet. Giving his Titan body all he had, he bolted towards the site of Godzilla's demise.

While he was running, he felt a burning sensation. The deeper and deeper he went in, the more pain he felt. The Crystals may not have been able to stop the transformation this time, but their power was taking its toll on Eren's Titan body.

He finally made it, Godzilla was right in front of him. Eren dashed towards the crystal tower, thankfully it was still intact. His running became slower the closer he came near it. Closer and closer he went, parts of his skin burning from the radiation.

He couldn't give up. He wouldn't give up. The Rouge Titan grasped the tower with both hands, pulling with all his might. After one final, painful budge, he separated the tower from the ground.

Eren hoisted the massive structure over his shoulders, carrying it towards Godzilla. He grew weaker with every step, a fifth of his flesh melting. Finally, he was close enough. He flipped the structure over, using every last ounce of strength he had left to use the tower as a weapon, smashing a large portion of the crystal cage off of Godzilla.

Finally too weak, he tossed the massive Crystal aside, sliding it near the Great predator's face.

Eren's Titan body, now more liquid than flesh, expelled Eren from the neck, unable to withstand any more radiation.

Eren watched, praying against all hope that this might work.

Godzilla's head finally moved. His nostrils flared in the direction of the crystal. Slowly, he opened his mouth. Eren watched with anticipation as Godzilla orally took in the crystal's power. Once the last ounce of power was drained, he pulled himself up, shattering the remains of his cage. That dose of power was what he needed. Even if the damage to his lower brain had been healed thanks to his regeneration abilities, he used up the majority of radiation he had in doing so. Thanks to Eren, he was now back to his regular strength.

"Yes!" Eren yelled out. "It worked! IT WORKED"

Godzilla let out a roar, signaling his intent to continue the fight. Godzilla looked down, straight into Eren's eyes. Eren didn't know why, but he felt like this was some kind of way of thanks. As if Godzilla was appreciating what a simple human has done for him.

Godzilla ran off to the North. Eren presumed he was off to fight Berlot once more. With his plan successful, he bolted in the opposite direction. He had to get to Tanakibo, help the others in the fight. Running as fast as he could, he noticed something.

A Kumunga was running off, late to rise for the cause the other Kaiju had already awoken for. Using his gear, he managed to get onto the spider's back. Thanks to this new mount, he would get there in no time at all.

But Eren's presumptions were only half right. Godzilla was planning on defeating Berlot. But he had to make a stop first. He sensed more energy, a massive source of power. Power he needed to destroy his rival. In a short run, Godzilla found Berlot's secret hideout. It took no effort for him to shatter the outside wall of crystals.

Reiner and Ymir, still imprisoned in crystal, looked in shock as Godzilla tumbled his way.

"Impossible." Reiner gasped.

Godzilla made it to the massive central tower, placing his claws on its surface. His spines grew brighter and brighter, practically slighting the night sky. He needed all of it, every last bit of power these crystals had. As he absorbed, he began to grow. His skin darkened, with his spines glowing a violent shade of red.

Once the tower fell, Godzilla resembled a giant mass of magma shaped like a Dinosaur. He absorbed all the power of the crystals, obtaining Critical Mass.

And he planned to use it to finish this fight once and for all.

To be continued…

A/N: Sorry if this chapter was a bit long, I didn't know when to stop. Tune in next time for the final battle! Thanks again for 100 reviews!