God of Hate
Disclaimer: I do NOT own Godzilla or Attack on Titan
The air was filled with cheers and celebration. However premature, it was to be expected. They had just witnessed the defeat of the Colossal Titan by Trips…or rather, Eren.
There wasn't much of a point in that codename anymore, Erwin decided as he watched over the battle. There were few orders to give, little to do. Soldiers on the wall were already moving to try and secure the Colossal Shifter. The Female was still missing after the explosion; he already had scouts looking for her. And the Armor currently had chunks of said armor spraying across the area, courtesy of a strike from Eren's tails.
Still, despite it all, Erwin didn't feel like celebrating. No, more than that, he didn't feel confident in how things had gone. Some instinct in the back of his head screamed that something was wrong with this. Eren's fighting style had changed utterly. Whereas before, it was mostly brute force, now there was something else. Like he knew what he was doing, knew how to fight with that form.
"Commander," a familiar voice called out as someone landed on the same roof as him.
"Petra," he acknowledged. "Has Levi captured the Colossal?"
She shook her head in disappointment. "He wasn't in the nape. The captain thinks he's hiding inside the body as it disappears, waiting for a good chance to flee."
"The area is surrounded," Erwin deduced, not asked. "If the Colossal was capable of that devastation twice in a day, he would have done so already."
"Captain Levi came to the same conclusion," Petra answered. "Orders, sir?"
"Were there any sighting of the Female Titan from the wall?" Erwin inquired.
Petra shook her head. "None I could see. But the...Jaw Titan? Our Shifter is heading back to the battle, with the new creature."
Yes, that was another matter to address. Thankfully, this creature could speak, so hopeful they could obtain some answers from it if they all survived this. "We need to locate the Female Titan."
Petra scowled at that. "Does anyone even know what she looks like?"
"Annie Leonhart. Blond hair, ponytail, blue eyes, about as intimidating as Mikasa."
The two turned to see two members of the 104th approaching them, Jean and Marco, who both saluted.
"I admire your will to help, but you do realize that your comrade is now a traitor, correct?" Erwin asked firmly, eyes narrowed ever so slightly.
"Sir, to be frank? I don't have a damn clue what's going on anymore," Jean remarked, glancing out as Eren bit at the shoulder and wrist of Reiner's arm, trying to either break or tear the limb off while the Armor Titan kept trying to punch his way free. "But yeah, I get they're traitors. And unless we've been kept completely in the dark, everyone else has a lot of questions too. I don't know if Ymir has the answers or not, but if we need even one of these three alive, well..."
Reiner's roar of pain made Jean wince.
"It might be best if we tried to catch Annie before Eren," Marco finished diplomatically.
Erwin couldn't argue with that logic. Nor did he have reason to believe that there were more shifters among the troops. If there had been, they would have struck by now and aided the other three before Eren regained the upper hand.
"Very well. Petra, take these two and gather some scouts to locate Annie Leonhart. Capture her if possible, if not, kill her," Erwin ordered swiftly.
Jean did his best to keep the discomfort off his face. Traitor or not, this situation was hard to process and stomach all at once.
Though, where Annie could be, he had no idea.
Meanwhile
Armin replayed what happened over and over again.
He had dived to get away from the battle, his previous spot crumbling away from the damage Eren and Reiner did to the building.
He landed on another roof nearby. He thought it was sturdy. He thought it was safe to land there.
He had been wrong.
The shingles gave out the moment he landed, sending him to fall off the roof and into an alley.
His lines shot off, catching the side of the building. But he hadn't had time to correct his landing. Instead of his feet landing firmly on the wall, he ended up flung through a window.
When he opened his eyes, he realized a knife was to his throat.
"Armin?"
He recognized that voice anywhere.
"Annie?" he said, a tremble to his voice as they stared at one another.
And that was where they were now; in a dark house, her ready to end his life as they heard and felt the fight going on outside.
"...Make a noise or try anything, and I'll just transform again," she warned in her usual voice of apathy. But it didn't quite reach her eyes.
Armin nodded slowly. "...All three of you have threatened to kill me today," Armin noted idly.
"Then don't press your luck," Annie warmed as she stood back, slowly.
"...Can you at least tell me...why? What this is all about?" Armin asked with a frown.
"We're here to destroy humanity, obviously," Annie said dryly.
"You could have done that in an afternoon at any time," Armin remarked pointedly. "Annie, just tell me, what do you all want? What is the point of all this?"
Annie glanced between Armin and the wall, both of them feeling a particular hard shake in the ground. Eren and Reiner could be fighting mere yards from them, on the other side of the wooden walls.
"...Do you think we were ever really friends, Armin?" Annie asked softly. "Eren clearly gets it. He always got it. He's going to kill all three of us, given the chance."
"...Were you there, at Shinganshina?" Armin asked with a frown. "When our-?"
"I lured the Titans to the wall," Annie answered flatly. "Instead of a stream, I brought a flood of them. Happy?"
Armin flinched, his face morphing into frustration. "I don't understand, why did this all...have to happen?"
Annie kept her guarded gaze on him. "We don't have much choice, Armin."
"Bullshit," Armin remarked, smiling hollowly as Annie raised an eyebrow. "Pretty sure that'd be what Eren would say."
Annie paused before continuing. "True. I'm sure Bertholdt or Reiner would bullshit you or give you some sob story. The truth is that we want to go home, Armin."
"And to do that, you have to kill us?" Armin asked incredulously.
"The sick irony isn't lost on me," Annie said with a frown.
"...Just, just answer me this much," Armin said with a sigh. "About Eren-"
"Haven't the slightest idea," Annie preempted.
Armin was almost surprised by the bluntness but took the answer for what it was. "I don't suppose there is a chance I could convince you to join our side?"
"...Are you being serious, or just stalling me?" Annie asked idly.
"Both," Armin admitted with a shrug. "But you already knew that."
Annie didn't react, knowing they both understood what was going on. "About as much chance of you joining us," Annie remarked.
"Didn't think so," Armin said with a small, fake smile.
With nothing left worth saying, the room became silent.
Too silent.
They both realized it at once. There were no more vibrations on the ground, no more roars or crashes from outside.
Tension filled the air, their stalemate becoming more and more uncertain. If the battle had ended, it was likely in Eren's victory. But where was the commotion? The cheers? The sounds of soldiers scrambling to capture Reiner and search for Annie? Even Eren's lightest steps should cause some-
The floor shook for an instant, serving as their only warning before the roof came crashing down, a mass of gold smashing through.
Armin was saved, but only barely as he jumped to the side, rolling so that his side impacted with the wall. Eren's head and teeth were right next to him, not even half a meter from him.
"What the hell?!" a loud voice called from up top.
Looking skyward as Eren ripped his head out, Armin could see that on top of the building was Ymir's Titan.
"Yeager, snap out of it, she's with us, right?!" another mountainous voice roared, the same one from the creature that came over the wall.
Looking across the room, Armin saw that Annie had made her escape from the commotion. With a frown, he used his gear to come out and land on the roof.
"Eren, what's wrong!?"
And blinked as he realized he was right behind his still-human childhood friend. "Mikasa?"
"Armin?" Mikasa returned in surprise as she looked back at him. "What are you-?"
"Annie was here, a moment ago," he informed, making Mikasa tense.
That matter, however, was put on hold as they heard the rushing of enormous feet. They looked just in time to see the golden beast rushing forward and leaping up on the building. It made the jump, but Eren's immense weight tore through the wooden construct, all the while trying to get at Ymir, who kept leaping out of his reach.
The two-legged newcomer, thankfully, was keeping the very injured Reiner occupied. The protective layer of the Armor Titan was in ruins, fractures all over as pieces fell away the more he struggled against the monster whose tail held him by the neck and continued to keep him wrestled to the ground.
"What's going on!? Did Ymir attack Eren?" Armin asked in alarm, looking at the scene uncertainly.
"No! I don't know! She showed back up and Eren just attacked her," Mikasa answered.
Armin narrowed his eyes as he took Eren in. His friend was acting with a single-minded, almost blind rage. None of the other soldiers were sure what to do anymore, watching the battle in confusion. No one was sure if Ymir and the mysterious creature were allies now or foes.
"Everyone! Stay away from the Golden Bastard!"
Both looked up to see a familiar scout landing nearby. "Section Commander?" Armin greeted in surprise.
"Armin, Mikasa,' she greeted in relief, eyeing Eren's form cautiously. "Listen to me, there isn't much time. That's not Eren right now."
Both of them inhaled sharply at that. "What do you mean?" Armin asked in worry.
"Think about it," Hange said. "He lost all of his heads…all three brains. He might have regrown them, but who knows how much he's gotten back."
"Are you saying that on top of everything, Eren has amnesia?" Mikasa asked in disbelief.
"No, I'm saying he's working purely on instincts for the moment," Hange reiterated. "He's basically fighting in his sleep."
The idea of Eren fighting in his sleep seemed far too believable to Armin. "Section Commander, how can you be sure-"
'"Just trust me, I am sure," Hange said swiftly, a deadly serious look in her eyes. "I don't have time to explain. Just that we need to wake Eren up before he hurts someone."
Mikasa set herself into a determined look. "What do we need-"
"Wait," Armin said suddenly. "Annie was just here."
"What?" Hange asked in alarm.
"She was hiding in this building," Armin explained, looking at Mikasa. "Mikasa, I'll try and get through to Eren. You need to help the others deal with Annie."
"But-!" Mikasa started before Hange put a hand on her shoulder.
"He's right. The Female Titan might strike the moment Eren has an opening," she instructed. "Armin, are you sure you can get through to Eren?"
"We don't have much choice but to try," Armin said with a frown. "At best case, like this, Eren will only kill someone by accident. But if this state sees humans as enemies..."
That grim notion sat over their heads.
"Mikasa, go. I'll help Armin," Hange prompted, the Ackerman reluctantly nodding, taking off on her ODM gear. "So...any ideas?"
"Just one," Armin remarked uneasily. "You're...sure Eren's still in there?"
Normally, Armin would have no issue believing that, but Hange pointing out that Eren had to, somehow, "regenerate" his very own memories had made him a bit worried. He didn't know that much about biology, let alone the brain, but it still sounded...strange, to put it lightly.
"Yeah. Yeah, I'm sure," Hange said with a distracted look before refocusing her attention.
"Then yeah, I have one idea," Armin admitted reluctantly.
-break-
He was flying.
How was he flying? Since when?
No, wait. He...he could always fly. Fly further, farther than any could imagine, beyond darkness and light.
Yes, yes he had always been able to fly.
He had always been Free.
He flew over vast waters of violet, under a scarlet sky with two orange suns.
He flew over endless blue sands that gave way to mountains as clear as glass.
He flew over it all...but to where was he flying? Was there even a "where" or just endless horizons?
He was fine with either, but still, he wondered. Where was he going? And where did he come from?
He landed, the barren earth trembling before his mighty form, his three-fold gaze surveying it all.
The ground rumbled more, and it was not him this time.
A challenger had come, an enemy to slay.
From beneath his feet, came a worm; a pathetic, insolent worm that was less than his tails. With feeble fangs and brittle spikes, it dared to attack him.
He growled, more annoyed than angry, for there was no pain. No injury. Only the irritating poking against his glistening scales.
He looked about himself, three heads considering how to dispose of this meager foe.
Impulsive as ever, Left lounged down and bit into the wretch. He ripped it from its dwelling and Right joined by biting into the middle, rippling the creature asunder, its thin and verdant blood coating their fangs and scales.
Middle paid little heed to the acts of his fellow heads, turning his gaze skyward. Dark clouds were coming on the horizon, and the winds growing.
Good. Soon it would all be over.
[[[[Wait. What will be over...?]]]]
Their time here, of course. What else? All they needed was to Finish The Storm.
[[[[Finish the storm?]]]]
Then we will destroy them all. All of our enemies will be gone.
Yes, of course, that was right. How could he forget?
His hated enemies.
The giants. Furless, skinless, mindless.
Maggots upon our power!
Traitors, false friends.
Bloated, over-gorged maggots.
Who else could be his enemies? How many others?
Perhaps it was better to just Kill Them All.
[[[[...Maybe. I-]]]
"EREN!" A voice called out through the heavens and the distant rumbling thunder.
Insolent pest!
There was something on his nose. A creature. It was like The Enemies, but much smaller.
But some of the Enemies could become smaller.
Yellow at the head, blue in the eyes, furless skin all else that wasn't covered.
[[[[What...who is that?]]]]
Another maggot to crush!
But where had it come from? It had no wings to fly?
No wings...to fly?
When did he get his own wings?
"Eren! Listen! You have to snap out of it!" the creature yelled out.
[[[[Eren? Is that what we're called?]]]]
Yes, it is what they call us. A useless title that they might give to their Golden Demise.
But why was this thing looking into his eye like that? Why was it so familiar?
"Remember who you are! Why you fight so damn hard! You're not just some wild animal, I know you're not!" it called out to him desperately.
He could crush it, bite it, tear it to shred. He should. He would!
[[[[No, wait, I can't do that!]]]]
Why not?
[[[[Because he's-!]]]]
"Eren! If you keep going like this, they're going to escape!"
He's what?
What is going on? Why are we hesitating?
"Are you really going to let them get away with what they did!? To our home!? To your mother?!"
[[[[...Get out of my head]]]]
The Storm grew heavy overhead with rage.
-break-
Armin was crouched on the nose of the middle head. He had one of his swords jammed between the scales. Not enough to pierce the surface, that was beyond him, but it did keep him steady.
"You're Eren Yeager, dammit! And I know that whatever is going on, it is nothing you can't beat," Armin said, his face caught in some mess between a scowl of frustration and worry and a knowing smile.
There was a brief, heavy silence as those red eyes stared into him. All the eyes, as all three heads were fixated on him. The middle looked unmoved, angry still. He looked to his left and saw that Eren's right head had a strained, confused look on its face, the slit pupils widening and narrowing. He looked to his right and saw that the left head...
Armin gasped in shock and relief as he watched the hellish colors bleed from those eyes, revealing familiar and vibrant greens.
The middle head growled, and that was the only warning Armin had before he was flung into the air. To Armin's horror, the middle head tried to snap forth and eat him. But to his confused relief, the right head's eyes suddenly snapped to green, roaring as it bit into the middle head's neck, pulling it away with a pained and outraged roar. The left head stretch out, using its tongue to grab Armin out of the sky before leaning as far away from the quarreling heads as he could.
"Eren?" Armin called in shock, getting a grunt of confirmation before the head placed him down on a building and the tongue released its grip.
With Armin safe, Drei's demeanor turns to wrath as it turned back to the fight between Eins and Middle. Eins continued to hold him steady, even as Middle roared before biting into Eins's neck and trying to dislodge him. Drei, snarled, reaching forth to bite just below the head. Middle growled and roared in indignation.
Hate bellowed with Eren's chest, a glow starting to rise within it, and Drei could taste the Golden Death building in his throat.
Middle glared with indignation before it suddenly ceased to struggle, its eyes fading to green as well.
-break-
He glared up at the great Storm overhead and knew it was returning the gaze just as hatefully. Without eyes or body, it was staring at him with enough wrath to shake the heavens.
And Eren did not care.
With a mighty, hateful roar, he bellowed into the Storm and the Storm roared back with thunder that would smite gods and winds that would tear down mountains.
Louder and louder did their roars echo, the world trembling before the Dragon and the Storm, as if they might break under the weight of their hate and anger.
And in fact, the world did break.
The strange world around Eren shattered, falling away like shards of glass, the fragments grinding into dust of lights as even the Storm vanished.
In place of that world, was...something else.
A vast realm of sands under an endless sky of stars.
[[[[I...I know this place...]]]]
The strange nostalgia, the feeling of memories just beyond his reach, was brought to a halt as he felt the light upon his scales.
Eren turned to face it and saw the source.
A tree…a tree that glowed as an entity of pure blue light. With no wind, its branches swayed strangely about itself, as if alive.
It was massive, yet it was puny.
Was Eren looking up at the Tree? Or looking down on it? He couldn't tell. It felt like it loomed over him and, at the same time, he dwarfed it. Why was it both? How was it both?
The wind rushed against his mighty form, bringing his gaze skyward. Above the Tree, the Storm formed once more, even in this place. No, not just loomed, but circled it. As if to strike the tree down, to claim the tree.
But even with the blackest of clouds, their darkness did not obstruct the stars above.
Eren had no idea what he was doing anymore. There was no thought, no plan here; only instinct and the knowledge that this Storm had almost brought him to harm Armin of all people.
Only instinct, and only hate.
Thus, with a single wave of wings he did not have, Eren scattered the Storm, the clouds flung from far from the Tree.
This time.
Why Eren had that impression, he did not know, but he did.
And as the Storm scattered, a single word of ire reached Eren's mind.
{{{{Whelp}}}}
End of Chapter
...Yeah, you all can guess who that is. Next chapter will wrap up the fight, if it can be called that still, and we can move on to everyone finally getting some answers.
Not much else to say. Hope you all enjoyed this bit. Until next time!
Early viewing of chapters 22-23 avaliable on my pat-reon:
p a treon . com (slash) akumakami64