Once they had arrived at the Reiss Chapel, after Levi and Mikasa discussing the potential that they were indeed related after both admitted to feeling a great surge of power course through them at one point in their life, to which Levi explained that it had happened to Kenny as well, further deepening the likelihood that they were all related one way or another.
Inside of the chapel, Lukas wasted no time in showing them where the trap door was, and with that, everyone was getting ready, there was no time to wait for back up, they'd have to do this right here, right now.
"Hey, you guys." Lukas got their attention. "I know this is far from the ideal situation we've gotten ourselves into, and I don't know if any of you actually trust me to do anything for you, but thanks, for not killing me and letting me stick with you this far."
For all intents and purposes, he didn't expect anyone to say that they trusted him, he just wanted them to know he was genuinely grateful for what they'd done.
"When we were in Wall Maria chasing after Eren, we were in the middle of nowhere, surrounded by Titans. I could barely move, and Eren couldn't transform." It was Mikasa who had spoke up. "You were the one who came and rescued us, you even saved Hannes as well. You could've taken Eren and run, but you threw us all onto horses and stayed behind."
"You saved us without so much as a hint of hesitation." She continued on with. "I don't trust you as much as I trust everyone else here, but you can be sure as hell that I've got your back in there."
"I'm pretty sure he saved everyone's lives out in Wall Maria." Armin chirped in. "If you hadn't transformed and impaled all those Titans, I hate to think how many of us would've died if you hadn't done that."
"As long as you don't try and stab us in the back down there, I might trust you as far as I can throw you as opposed to how far I can kick you." Levi added in.
"Well, since we're on the topic of trust." Hange spoke up, pulling out the Mauser from one of the packs she was carrying. "I think we'll probably need to use this down there, but since none of us can actually use it, I think you'll get the best use out of it." Hange handed him the pistol.
"What about the other magazines?" Lukas asked, though Hange had no clue what that meant. "The other bullets." He clarified.
"Oh! You mean the metal bullet holders?" Hange questioned, digging around in her pack for the ammo. "Here we are!" She announced, pulling the other four magazines out and handing them over.
"Now, as for Frieda Reiss." Levi moved to the most import topic of all. "How do we plan on stopping her?"
"She needs to die." Lukas told them. "It doesn't matter how. It would be preferable if I ate her, or even Eren so the power isn't lost completely. But if it comes down to it, just kill her anyway you can." He then turned to face Mikasa. "She's the one pulling all the strings here, you're the only one I know for certain that is immune to her power, so you have to be ready."
"I am." She nodded, a blaze of determination sweeping through her. "To get Eren back, I'll do whatever it takes."
"Hold on, what happens if all our memories do get erased or changed entirely?" Jean spoke up to ask. "What'll happen the? Will Mikasa be the only one that remembers?"
"You make a good point Jean?" Hange rubbed her chin for a moment. "I know!" She had an idea. "Why don't we all take turns telling Mikasa something only we would know individually?"
"Hange, now isn't the time for stupid ideas." Levi reprimanded her.
"No, that's brilliant." Lukas cut in. "She wouldn't erase everything, just what's relevant in this case. So that should work. We all tell Mikasa something in secret, and if worst comes to worst, Mikasa can use that to convince us all."
With that settled, and Mikasa armed with some of their most embarrassing and dirtiest secrets, they hatched a plan to fight the MP's using the information Lukas had told them about the layout of the cavern.
But he wanted to try something first, he wanted to get Kenny's attention, to see if he was still as crazy as he remembered.
"Kenny! You there!"
Up above in the crystal pillars, Kenny Ackerman had been sent back here to deal with the Scouts by Frieda. She didn't want any disturbances, so they were to hold the line here at all costs. He was getting restless, he wanted to shoot someone, they knew they were there, then the shout came.
"That ain't your voice Levi!" Kenny yelled back. "So who the hell is asking? Why not come up here for a face to face chat?"
"Don't you remember me?" The voice yelled back. "You blew my head off in Trost! Before that in Mitras, you walked in on me and the fatty talking!"
Kenny's eyes widened, this was his chance. "Hot damn! Is that really you? I was so annoyed it was you I killed in Trost." Kenny sounded excited now. "And to think I didn't get you any anti-Titan cannons as a present for your quick recovery. You'll have to accept my deepest apologies for that."
"How about you let me through instead?" It was worth a shot. "That would make it up to me?"
That was a very terrible idea to let him through, but it was exactly what Kenny needed. "Alright then." His words shocked everyone in earshot, his squad and the Scouts all thinking they'd gone crazy. "You two crazy Titans were made for each other. Who am I to deny the meeting of soulmates?"
"What are you doing?" His second in command, a tall blonde woman, Traute Caven asked. Even she, one of his most loyal followers was struggling to see the idea behind this.
"Relax Caven, this is all part of my grand plan." He informed her. "Everyone, let the unhinged Titan boy through!" He ordered his squad. "We are in no position to stand in the way of true love. I say let them two crazy Titans at each other."
They heard the door open fully, and the zipping of ODM gear, he was just about to come into view of them, up on platforms on the pillars, but at that moment, three barrels came rolling down the stairs, dividing their attention as Scouts came rushing out after them, one with a bow and fire arrows, hitting the barrels which were filled with gunpowder, setting off an explosion that slowly filled up the area with smoke.
At the same time, Lukas had come into view behind them, and he had the perfect visual on all of the MP's. "They're up high!" He called out, aiming and firing with one hand, eight bullets coming at them fast. Kenny moved his head ever so slightly as a bullet pinged off the crystal behind him, and looking back, three of his squad had been shot, falling down and landing with a splat, and by the time Kenny looked back, he was already gone, having moved deeper into the cave system.
"Clever Titan." Kenny drew his two pistols, remembering back to Trost, the girl he saved by taking two shots, the ginger bimbo. "But my grand plan requires the death of that whore. Don't you worry though, there's another Titan through there you can knock up first."
As Levi and Mikasa shot forward, they were covered by the firing of signal flares, the coloured smoke doing a great job to cover their approach while Levi counted how many there were.
"Thirty three total!" Levi called out to the rest of the Scouts. "In the upper parts of the pillars! Continue the plan, we'll take them all out right here!"
"Scatter!" Kenny ordered his squad. "Surround and kill them!"
Hange, Jean, Connie, Moblit, Petra and Oluo all followed after Levi and Mikasa now, and with Sasha, Nifa and Armin staying behind to provide cover, another barrel exploded, another cloud of smoke and dust pouring into the air.
That explosion provided the perfect cover for Jean to come up behind one of them, remembering what Armin said earlier about their weakness to attacks from behind, and with a small bit of hesitation, he stabbed the man in the back, definitely killing him, it was awful, but it needed to be done.
Connie was next to encounter two of Kenny's squad, both above him, but a plume of signal flare smoke allowed him to manoeuvre away from the line of fire, the MP exclaiming that they missed. But Connie wasn't prepared to give them another chance, so he used one pillar to propel himself towards the enemy, his blades slicing right through the man at this speed.
"Die!" The other MP who was there pointed her weapon at Connie, who wasn't ready. But he was saved by an arrow from Sasha, that hit just above the chest plate, killing the soldier and dropping them out of the sky.
"Connie! Get back into the smoke before they shoot you!" Armin told him, with him, Nifa and Sasha continuing to fire flares and arrows into the battlefield.
As Connie returned to the smoke to get out the line of fire, Oluo, who had already taken one MP down, rose from the smoke behind another two MP's, who were caught totally unaware as his blades skewered them like a kebab, killing both in an instant. "Should never have doubted our skill." He remarked, pulling the blades out of both victims, letting their bodies drop to the floor.
Oluo though, was too slow to do so, because another MP had came from out of nowhere and shot both of his rounds at him, one missed, but the other hit Oluo's left elbow, tearing his forearm from the rest of his body, dropping one sword in the process.
Oluo though, was not one to go down without fighting, because he took a page out of Levi's book, throwing his other blade at the MP, and he struck gold. The blade went straight through the jugular of the man, coming out the other side, leaving him hanging against a pillar by the line of his gear.
"Nice throw." Oluo didn't even get to breathe again, a melon sized hole in his chest where his heart used to be, his body dropping like a stone, the crunch of his bones breaking with a sickening crack as Kenny the Ripper used the cover of the smoke to advance unseen by Levi. That little rat could wait, he had other business to take care of first.
Mikasa on the other hand was on a tear, rampaging through the enemy like they weren't even trying. She had already killed four, closing the distance far quicker than they could shoot her, her blades carving through the human flesh with a precision far more akin to a serial killer than she'd like to admit.
Kenny the Ripper was here somewhere, hiding in the smoke, but while he wasn't showing himself, she had to make the most of his absence, so she got back to work cutting through the flesh of his squad once again.
"Damn she's fast!" One of the three MP's in the raven haired girl's sights exclaimed, trying to shoot her, but to no avail.
Mikasa weaved in and out of a couple pillars, throwing off their aim, before she propelled herself forward once more, cutting the first MP clean in half with her blades, her movements nearing perfection as she avoided another volley of buckshot, decapitating the next one, and quickly stabbing the next one straight through the heart.
"Eren. I'm coming." She drew another set of blades and moved forward once more, this time there was an MP on her tail, she lured him in, using the pillar as a springboard, dodging his shot, leaping over him and using the wire's tension to pull herself back in, straightening her leg to kick him in the jaw.
Her powerful leg broke his jaw on impact, and when his face became sandwiched between her foot and the pillar, she felt his jaw shatter and crumble, the tension of the impact travelling all the way up her calf, thigh and to her hip.
Though she still had no idea where Kenny was, and that was a very huge problem.
Petra was struggling with the morality of killing other people, much like Jean, she too thought it was wrong, but she also believed in this mission, so she had steeled herself the best she could and set about doing it right.
She had killed two, taking refuge in the smoke that was beginning to clear up in some areas, she had no idea what the casualties were like, only that she wasn't dead yet.
"Boom!"
Petra let out a bloodcurdling scream, she lost control of her gear and crashed to the ground, she had been shot in the thigh, a massive chunk of flesh gone, blood spewing out like a fountain, getting all over the place.
"You know, it was never personal. It was very fun, but not personal." That man, Kenny the Ripper had the audacity to land beside her in the middle of a battle and talk to her. Petra swung her blade at him, but it lacked the power to do any damage, because Kenny stepped on it mid swing, lowering his gun and blowing the fingers on her left hand off, turning them into a bloody pulp.
"I have a grand dream that needs to be realised." Kenny continued on with. "That all culminates with Queenie and that Titan boy who saved you getting it on."
Petra was crying in pure pain and anguish below him, but he ignored her and continued.
"Of course by getting it on, I mean eating each other." The Ripper went on. "So then I can eat whatever one is left and take that power for myself."
"Wow, it feels great finally sharing my dream with somebody." Kenny felt... relief after talking out loud. "I do hope Titan boy didn't knock you up, I love a two for one as much as the next guy, but I don't particularly like killing children."
With that, Petra's beautiful ginger locks were turned into a blood red paste, her skull caved in by the buckshot, the only recognisable feature left being was the faint bite mark that still remained from the time Eren accidentally transformed.
Out of the smoke that was clearing, Kenny just about spotted Levi before he sliced him in two, blocking his blades and parrying, delivering a swift kick to the stomach of the Scout Captain.
"Haha, you were too slow Levi!" Kenny yelled as he retreated up to the top of the cavern, where he yelled down at Levi. "Your friends were shit targets to practice my aim with!"
Levi ground his teeth together as he ignored the pain of a few broken ribs. He was going to kill this mother fucker once and for all.
