Attack On Titan: Wings Of Crystal
Chapter 42: The Town Where Everything Began
The Survey Corps treks through the forest under the darkness of a new moon, planning to retake the Shiganshina District to reach Grisha's basement. Every soldier had their faces covered by their hoods in case the enemy happened to be nearby, trying to locate Eren among them.
The darkness and complete silence brought great unease to the members of the Survey Corps, especially the newer recruits who decided to leave their respected regiments and join the Scouts. After the coup d'etat was successfully pulled off and Historia was crowned queen, many other cadets from the 104th were inspired to join and fight for what they believed could be the defining moment to winning the war against the Titans.
One such soldier was Marlo Freudenberg. One of the two MPs who once had the privilege of meeting Lazarus in person. As well as accidentally stumbling upon his and Annie's confession of love.
Ever since that day, combined with the events of deposing the fake king, Marlo decided to follow his example and become an honourable soldier. Hitch, unfortunately, wasn't up to the task of putting her life on the line for a slim chance at victory. Choosing instead to remain with the Military Police and act as a guard over Annie.
The two of them eventually learned from Levi that Annie was the Female Titan that wound up killing many people within Stohess, as well as a large number of Scouts. At first, they refused to believe it, until they saw Annie herself still imprisoned in her crystal cocoon. But the real knife to the gut was when they learned that Lazarus, the nice guy who popped by and patrolled with them that one time, was revealed to be the very Winged Titan that started the whole nightmare five years ago.
The Scouts trod carefully through the pitch-black forest, keeping their horses close at all times. Their only source of light being small lanterns developed by Hange's team of scientists, using some of the crystal ore gathered from the destroyed underground cavern. It emits more light than a torch, and with appropriate manufacturing, greatly made nighttime operations a lot easier.
Each one of them acted as if they may be under watch from any possible enemy scouts spying on them. As well as any nearby Pure Titans. Though they're mostly non-active at night, the recent attack on Utgard Castle made them cautious of any Titan they came across. Unaware that those Titans were only under the influence of Zeke's spinal fluid.
Most soldiers to this day grew to fear Lazarus and his overpowered Titan. Those who survived the Hellfire Force often questioned if it was even possible to defeat him. If he were to unleash that blast again then there's no escape or any chance at victory.
But that didn't stop Eren from giving this mission his all. Even if he were outmatched by the powerhouses under the enemy's command, he'd rather die fighting for freedom than spend another minute trapped within the walls.
This was a mission that would act as the decider on who would be the victor in this conflict between the Scout Regiment of Paradis, and the Omega Warrior Unit of Marley. Erwin had delayed it long enough to put the surviving Scouts at ease for what was in store for them. He knows their chances are slim to impossible to win. Especially with everyone they've set out with them coming back alive. It would take a miracle for any of them to make it back at all.
There were many ways the enemy Titan Shifters could defeat them. They could send Lazarus or Bertolt to annihilate them all in a single blow. Have Michael overpower and defeat Eren with the Crystal Titan. There's even the possibility of there being other Titan Shifters with abilities even greater than theirs.
They may not know what's in store for them when they reach Shiganshina. But the same thing can be said for the enemy too. With all they've learned over the past couple of days, they may be able to take them by surprise if they play their cards right. All the same, precautions needed to be taken.
The Scouts soon arrive at the foot of the mountain trail that leads straight to Shiganshina. It was around this time the sun started to rise over the horizon. It was dusk when they left. They spent the whole night travelling from Trost to Shiganshina on horseback, only stopping for a few minutes to rest for themselves and their horses. Making sure they're fed and watered. All of this was for the sake of hopefully catching the enemy off guard and giving them no time to prepare for their arrival.
Eren, Mikasa, and Armin stare in awe at their hometown. They hadn't been back here since they left as kids. Forced to flee by the very enemy they once called friends. His fist clenched tight, Eren swore he would defeat them and take back what was rightfully theirs.
Before exiting the forest, all the Scouts climb aboard their horses and storm Shiganshina, hoping to take them by surprise. Erwin, as always, was leading the charge.
"There could be Titans anywhere, so keep your guard up!" He ordered. "This operation has officially begun. All troops switch to ODM gear!"
The Scouts immediately followed suit, leapt off their horses, and began zipping their way up the wall.
Their first objective was to seal the gate to Wall Maria and the one to the outside world. With that achieved, Shiganshina will be isolated, and they'll be free to kill the Titans inside. He suspects that the enemy will predict this plan and counter it by targeting Eren.
Michael didn't share any details regarding the Warriors' plan to counterattack, which was to be expected. So he had no clue as to what they'd have planned for them. However, all one hundred soldiers will keep their faces covered with hoods to keep his location hidden. By the time they even locate Eren, he'll have already plugged up the outer gate using the hardening powers he obtained from Michael's spinal fluid.
Levi guides Eren towards the outer gate to carry out phase one of their plan to retake Wall Maria. As Armin was following close by, he stopped upon noticing a pile of ash scrapped alongside the edge of the wall.
"Ashes? From a kicked-out fire?" He wondered. Despite his orders, he decided to take a little detour and investigate. But not before signalling his discovery to Erwin and the others. It was clear to him that the Warriors were camping out atop the wall.
"They're here. I'm sure of it. Bertolt, Reiner, Michael, and Lazarus. They're hiding somewhere within Shiganshina."
Armin quickly, but carefully, descended the wall to the bottom. It didn't take long for him to find the remains of the Warriors' campfire. Laying in the grass was a dented metal pot and five cups. All of them were cold to the touch after hours of being kicked off.
He couldn't make out what it was they were drinking from them. The inside of the cups had stains of liquid too dark to be tea. It also had a strange aroma to it. Whatever it was, it smelled good. Leaving him to wonder what kind of concoction they brewed.
"There are only five cups. Four of which belong to Lazarus and the others. As for the fifth one. It could be another enemy we haven't encountered."
He was then startled out of his little trance by the sudden brightness of Eren's Titan transformation outside the outer gate. Upon formation, Eren's Titan hardens its entire body, sealing off the hole that connected the Walls to the outside world. Finally, after all these years, the Titans will no longer be able to enter their lands.
The bright flash did not go unnoticed by the Warriors who were all in their assigned hiding spots, waiting for the right moment to jump out and attack.
Bertolt was hiding in a barrel stacked atop the Cart Titan's cart. Pieck's Titan was buried underground, making it look like some old, abandoned cart left out in the open. His eyes were peering out the barrel's many holes. He kept his nerve the whole time, patiently awaiting the signal from either Michael or Reiner.
Spread out around him were other barrels. All of them contained people infected with Zeke's spinal fluid. The people inside were all paralysed, unable to move, or even blink. This was a side effect of infecting them via smoke. It was distasteful, but necessary to keep them from resisting. At least that's what Zeke told him.
All the barrels were buried underground to keep them hidden from the Scouts when they arrived. Zeke himself was also hidden inside a barrel. He was placed in the centre of what appeared to be a curved wall of hidden barrels. All part of his plan to ensure the Scouts didn't attempt to retreat north.
Reiner was hiding inside the wall. This allowed him to get a complete view of Shiganshina and keep track of Eren's whereabouts. The sudden transformation did briefly give away his position. But once he was out of his Titan body, he immediately went back to blending in with the other Scouts.
Michael had to use his Crystal Titan powers to undo a chunk of the wall's surface, creating a hole large enough for Reiner to get into. It wasn't easy. The walls may be made from his hardening, but it was the Founding Titan that constructed them. All his Titan did was supply the power. Back when one of his ancestors served as the Founder's knight.
And speaking of Michael. He was hiding underground within the tunnels that ran underneath Shiganshina. Though he couldn't see it, he felt the vibrations in the ground where the outer gate was, giving away Eren's location. His purpose for being there was to prevent Eren from making a run for it should they choose to attack first.
He assumed at first that the Scouts did not know the tunnel system running underneath Paradis. But he soon realised that if Kenny and his men knew about it, he should assume they did as well. In which case, if he were ever discovered, he should close off all entrances and trap them down there.
Now that Eren's obtained the power to harden, he could easily gain access to the tunnels should he find one of the entrances. All the more reason why he must remain underground should he choose to retreat that way.
"Those tremors. It's Eren. He must've plugged up the outer gate with my hardening powers. Heh, kinda ironic since that was originally my goal before I got my memories back, ey Laz?" He thought to himself. He then paused momentarily, expecting Lazarus to respond to him. Only to realise that he wasn't there.
"Right. Laz's not here. He's probably in Stohess by now rescuing Annie. Without his ability to telepathically communicate with us, it'll make planning our next course of action difficult… So far, they haven't found us out. That's a good sign, I guess. Still, I need to focus and listen for Reiner. As well as keep an eye out for Eren if he comes down here."
Armin reports his findings back to Erwin just as Eren and Levi's Squad rejoin the others. Things have been quiet since their arrival. Too quiet for their liking.
From what Armin reported, Erwin concluded that the enemy was aware of their approach and had already taken their positions in preparation for their attack. They can jump out at any second when they least expect it and capture Eren with ease.
Hange orders her troops to search the entire town for them. But they had no luck in smoking them out. Eren and the others make their way towards the inner gate in the hopes of sealing it off too.
"Don't relax just yet." Levi addresses Eren as he runs alongside him. "You can plug up the gates all you want, but they can just break them again later. Until we kill Lazarus, Michael, Reiner, Bertolt, and whoever else may be with them, the operation to retake Wall Maria will not be over."
"Yeah, I'm aware," Eren responded whilst keeping his eyes on his target. The inner gate.
Erwin continued to observe his surroundings, trying to find even the tiniest giveaway of where the enemy could be hiding. But he and his men had no such luck. The soldiers searched and searched, but they could not find any trace of the Warriors' location.
"Somethings wrong. The enemy should've attacked by now. We haven't seen a single Titan since we arrived. It's unlikely they didn't prepare for us. Lazarus is too smart to overlook the possibility of a surprise attack."
As he was theorising to himself, a sudden flashback of his last encounter with Michael played out in his head. The night he snuck into his office to say his final goodbye to him. "Could it be possible that Michael must've warned them of our attack?" He thought.
"No." He gently shakes his head in denial. "There's no way Michael could've known when we would've launched our attack. I didn't share any details of the operation with him, nor did he any of theirs. I had men observing the skies for the Winged Titan. Even in the darkness of night, the light from the moon would've revealed him to us… This must mean, the enemy has another Shifter on their side. One who acted as their scout and alerted them to our presence."
It was the only logical explanation he could think of. According to Armin, the pot he found was cool to the touch when they arrived. They charged here full speed on horseback and even switched to ODM gear. Had the enemy noticed their approach by sight, or even by sound, they couldn't have had no more than two minutes to react. And a pot over a flame wouldn't have cooled in that short amount of time. They knew they were coming. They've had plenty of time to prepare for an ambush.
With their element of surprise lost, Erwin turns to Armin for guidance. His sharp mind has been a big help to him and the Survey Corps in the past. He was the one who revealed the Female Titan's identity. He was the one who got Lazarus riled up enough to give him an opening to recover Eren and escape. Now he asks him to put his intelligence to good use again. The enemy may have more Titan power than them. But with Erwin and Armin's strategic minds put together, they'll be able to turn the tides of war in their favour.
"We need to assume that there are many enemies, and they could be anywhere." Armin estimated.
"You need to sharpen your focus on the enemies that are nearby." Erwin slowly turns to face Armin, looking him in the eyes. Showing that he has complete faith in his analytical abilities. "I trust you. With that mind of yours, you saved us from disaster countless times. Now do it again. We're in dire need of your help." He signals the other nearby soldiers to approach them and await further instructions. "You can take as many soldiers as you need. If the enemy is hiding near the inner gate, find them."
Armin was at a loss for words. The moment Erwin ordered the soldiers to begin taking orders from him, he could feel his nerves beginning to take hold of him.
The soldiers all awaited his command. Armin, however, just froze with fear. Never had he been put on the spot like this before. The pressure alone was proving too much for his mind to handle. But he wasn't exactly in a position to refuse a direct order from Commander Erwin.
Eventually, he musters as much bravery as he can to order the soldiers to split into separate groups search all the abandoned buildings and fire off an acoustic round if they find anything.
Not the best plan he could've come up with, but good enough to give him some more time to come up with an even better theory as to where the Warriors could be hiding.
Some Scouts wondered if putting Armin in charge was another one of his high-risk gambles. But it wasn't. Armin had proven his worth to the cause many times. Halting the operation to find the enemy wasn't an option either. They'll lose a prolonged campaign in enemy territory. To prevail, their only chance is to win a decisive battle. With that in mind, even if all had been going according to the enemy's plan thus far, they'd just have to deal with it. In any case, the Warriors weren't the only ones who were hiding something.
Erwin looks over to the soldiers who are readying their newest weapons. They appeared to be long golden spears with a thruster on the opposite end of it, held together by a single wire.
After their last encounter with the Warriors, they realised that ODM blades would never be strong enough to cut through Reiner's armour, Michael's crystals, or any other form of Titan hardening. So, Hange's group used some of the advanced technology the government had been keeping hidden from them during the fake king's reign, to develop a weapon powerful enough to obliterate them with ease. She called them Thunder Spears.
It's no Hellfire Force or Colossal Titan explosion, but it should at least give the soldiers an edge should they face off against, Reiner, Michael, and Lazarus's Titans. Their secondary objective is to capture at least one enemy Shifter to use the serum they obtained and steal their powers. Right now, the only power they hoped to obtain was the Winged Titan. If all else fails, they could use their last option and capture Michael, make Mikasa a Titan, and feed him to her. Allowing her access to a huge plethora of powers that would give them the edge in this presumably final battle.
Time was running out for Armin. Eren was getting closer to sealing the inner gate, and they were still no closer to finding the Warriors. He knows they're here and it's only a matter of time until they attack.
"Wait. Why would they have let us plug the outer gate without putting up a fight? Why can't we find them no matter how much we search?" He questioned himself in frustration as he grabbed the side of his head and hung on the side of the wall.
"They knew we'd come. They must've. If this is a trap. If we fail here, then it'll be over for any of us. They've always caught us off guard by using Titans and their powers in ways we couldn't predict. And they always have the advantage! Because they know so much more about Titans than we do… Hold on."
Armin suddenly has an epiphany. His mind takes him back to the day Annie was captured. He remembers him, and many others, bearings witness to the realisation of the Walls containing rows of Colossal Titans. As far as he can remember, Lazarus and his allies never saw this, nor did any of them let it slip that they were aware that they knew.
Without hesitation, Armin fires off an acoustic round into the air, alerting Erwin and the others to gather around his location.
"Did you find them, Arlert? Where are they?" A random soldier asks.
"In the walls." He sternly replied, sounding as if he was unsure of himself. "Check inside the walls! Look for a small cavity that someone can hide out in. It might be covered up."
"How do you even know if it exists?" Another soldier questioned him.
"It's… a hunch." He shyly glanced down at his feet.
At this point, the soldiers began to question Armin's motives. The idea of the enemy hiding inside the walls sounded unreal.
Erwin, however, encourages them to act on his hunch and orders them to slowly go down the walls and tap their blades against its surface for a hollow spot. Like he said, the enemy always managed to get the better of them by using Titan's powers in ways they could never imagined if they tried. If they constrain themselves to normal tactics and reasoning, then they'll never gain the upper hand.
Erwin fires a red smoke signal into the air, ordering all Scouts to halt the mission and gather atop the walls. Armin and the soldiers assigned to him continued tapping their blades against the surface as they slowly made their way down.
"They have to be here. It has to be a position they'll be able to react from, no matter where Eren may appear. A position where they'll be able to see everything that happens. If there's a hiding spot like that, then it must be in the walls. Assuming the enemy doesn't know that we're aware of the Titans in the walls, they'd have every reason to think this would take us by surprise. It all adds up." Armin thought to himself as he gently listened for the slightest change in rhythm.
The Scout to the left of him was the first one to detect a hollow sound coming from his side of the wall. He quickly rummages around for his acoustic rounds, loads it into his flare gun, and fires it into the air. Alerting everyone to Reiner's location.
With his cover blown, Reiner had no choice but to reveal himself. He quickly removes the fake wall cover and stabs the soldier directly in front of him with his ODM blade, allowing him to fall to the hard ground below. He climbs out of his hide-hole and confronts Armin.
"Reiner!"
Before he had any time to react, Levi dashes down the wall and thrusts his right blade through the left side of his neck, wasting no time trying to kill him. As he pushes him down the side of the wall, he impales him in the heart with his other blade, attempting to finish him off for good.
But Reiner's eyes rolled back into place, showing that he was still alive. Levi quickly backs away and hangs on the side of the wall as Reiner comes crashing down to the hard, stone ground.
"Shit! What are these guys made of?! A blade through the neck and the bastard still won't die!"
Reiner attempts to get back up, but his bones are broken from the impact of the fall, causing his body to twist and spasm in response to the pain. His eyes and mouth glow a bright yellow as he lets out a pain-infused battle cry, triggering his transformation into the Armoured Titan.
"Keep your eyes open! We still need to find his allies!" Erwin instructed.
Under the surface, Michael was able to sense the vibrations of the transformation, as well as pick up faint sounds of Reiner's cries. He knew immediately that they'd been compromised and now was time to move on to Plan B.
"Shit! Reiner's been found. Guess we're moving onto Zeke's plan after all."
He slams both his palms on the crystal-covered ground and huge bursts of Titan energy begin to surge throughout the tunnels.
The arcs of bioelectricity reach the parts of the tunnel where all the buried barrels containing Zeke and the paralysed citizens are being held. Crystal pillars erupt out of the ground directly beneath the barrels, launching them up into the air.
Zeke quickly lets out a scream as he transforms into the Beast Titan. The scream was loud enough to trigger and transform all the citizens into Pure Titans at the same time.
The resulting blast creates a huge wave of bright lights all along the wall surrounding the inner gate. Erwin and the others all turn their attention towards the impossible-to-miss lights, realising that the enemy is now launching a full-scale attack in retaliation.
There was a wall of fifteen-meter Titans that blocked off any chance of escape, keeping them boxed in. In front of them were dozens of smaller Titans. And in the middle of the blockade was the Beast Titan himself. Standing beside him was the Cart Titan, though they hadn't noticed it yet.
Beginning their counterattack, the Beast Titan picks up a huge boulder and takes up a pitcher's stance. With all his strength channelled into its right arm, it unleashed the boulder towards them with enough force that it was able to break the sound barrier. Its aim was so precise. Something Erwin immediately took notice of, as it was heading their way.
"INCOMING BOULDER! GET DOWN!"
All Scouts braised for impact as the boulder came crashing down right at the entrance to the Inner Gate. The shockwave was powerful enough that it ended up knocking the houses closest to the walls down, whilst kicking up a huge cloud of dust, blinding the squad on the outside of the district in charge of protecting the horses.
All the horses were startled by the sudden impact, forcing the soldiers to try their absolute hardest to ensure they didn't run away in a panic.
"Looks like he missed." One of the soldiers uttered optimistically.
"Not so. That was a well-placed shot." Erwin responded.
The dust soon clears and reveals to the others that the inner gate had been blocked off by mixed debris from the boulder and the wall. Leaving the Scouts with the horses trapped on the outside.
"They've blocked off the entrance. There's no riding through it now."
The Scouts all glared over at the Beast Titan, who'd just returned to its normal sitting position, and the army of Pure Titans around him. Erwin then glances behind him at the Armoured Titan who is just starting to get back up.
Even though they were careful, thorough, and precise, they were still unable to intercept and predict the Warriors' first move. A trap, and they've walked right into it.
Erwin started scouring the area for the other Warriors, including his former son, Michael. He, Lazarus, and Bertolt were the only ones who hadn't shown themselves yet. Meaning they're most likely being saved as a last resort against them should they manage to find a way to overcome their defences.
Whether he saw it coming or not, he now knows what their next move is. They plan to target their horses, block off their escape routes, and slaughter them all. Even if they chose not to attack and waited it out, without horses, they'd never be able to make it back to Wall Rose to call for reinforcements. Eren will eventually grow too tired to put up a fight, making it easier for them to capture him.
Erwin couldn't help but wonder if this was all Michael's plan. Waiting around for them to get exhausted and take him then sounded like the only plan that didn't involve killing them. Like himself, Michael wouldn't want to kill his former allies, even if it meant accomplishing their mission.
"The enemy hopes for the same thing we do… To win this conflict once and for all."
Erwin uses his only arm to draw his ODM blade and raises it high, drawing the attention of all his soldiers. The final battle for their future has begun.
"It's our side or theirs now! We can let the Titans crush us! Or bring them crashing down!"
To Be Continued