Attack on Titan: The Rules of Nature (Male Raiden! Reader x Mikasa Ackerman)

Opening:

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Part 32

Bertholdt/The Colossal Titan slowly heads its way to the Walls, causing the fire to spread even more throughout Shiganshina District. Just from the side, a few meters away from him, was Eren/The Attack Titan, who roared as loud as he can in order to gain its attention.

It roared again, this time even louder but Bertholdt/The Colossal Titan still didn't notice him.

Jean:"Yell, Eren! Don't let Bertholdt get any closer to that Wall!"

Then, Bertholdt/The Colossal Titan/ paused himself and it turns its head. facing Eren/The Attack Titan and the Scouts.

Y/N:"There! He noticed!"

But then, Bertholdt/The Colossal Titan turned away and continued heading to the Wall.

Jean:"Huh?! Is that rat ignoring us?! He must know we don't want him going there!!"

Connie:"Now what do we do, Jean?! At this rate-"

Jean:"I know that!! Eren! We're gonna stop that beanpole from moving another step!!"

Connie:"But...How?! What could we do to stop him?!"

Sasha:"The hot steam he produces means we can't get close enough, right?!"

Sasha:"The hot steam produces means we can't get close enough, right?!"

Jean:"I told you, I know that!! But right now, we just have to try whatever we can!! We'll do something to figure out his weakness!!"

Y/N:"Me and Mikasa will do it. You guys distract him. Connie, give me the thunder spears."

Connie:"All right!"

Connie discards the thunder spears and gave them to Y/N and Mikasa. The two equipped the thunder spears and readied themselves.

Jean:"Armin, you observe from farther back!! And you'd better stop your crying! You just have to believe that we'll figure something out!!"

Armin:"*nervous* Yeah!"

Jean:"Everyone! Scatter!!"

Everyone got off Eren and went off to their part of the operation. Eren ran towards Bertholdt/The Colossal Titan and roared as he wrapped his arms around its leg, pushing him back using all of his strength.

Eren's thoughts:*Don't look down on me like that. The only thing you're good at is being huge!!"

Eren/The Attack Titan lets out another roar as he kept pushing back. He manages to slightly do so and his comrades watched with surprise.

Sasha:"Huh?! He's pushing him back?!"

Connie:"Go, Eren! Take him out!!"

But as it turns out, Bertholdt/The Colossal Titan was only pulling his leg back, leaving Eren to cling onto it. He sharply gasped and the Colossal Titan thrusted his leg, sending Eren crashing on top of the Wall, knocking him unconscious.

His comrades widened their eyes in shock as they watched this and began to feel worried once they noticed he wasn't moving.

Mikasa:"Eren's not moving."

Y/N uses his visor and scans Eren/The Attack Titan.

Y/N:"He's not dead. Just unconscious."

Jean:"Then let's focus on that monster in front of us!! Yeah, charging into him like that was reckless...He went straight for him without a plan. Of course Eren's going to end up like that. Unless...We can figure out a way to turn the tables...This mission...Our lives....And humanity's future are all going to come to an end. *grits his teeth* But, that doesn't mean we're just going to sit here and be slaughtered!! Let's get that thing!!"

They all jumped off the roofs and zipped their way towards Bertholdt/The Colossal Titan. Y/N followed them, running across rooftop to rooftop and made sure that he kept close to his comrades.

Jean:"He doesn't know about the thunder spears yet!! Connie, Sasha and I will distract him! Mikasa, Y/N, you two use that opportunity to hit him with the thunder spears!!"

Y/N, Mikasa, Connie and Sasha:"*simultaneously* Understood!!"

The group separated and each of them went to do their perspective task. Jean, Connie and Sasha anchored their hooks on Bertholdt's/The Colossal Titan's chest and zipped up, going high up in the air before making their distraction.

Jean:"Hey, ya big idiot!! Just wait, I'm gonna crush those eyes of yours!!"

Connie:"You...You moron!"

Sasha:"Ya king-sized pervert!!"

The Colossal Titan/Bertholdt made no reaction to what they were doing and at that moment, Jean knew that this plan won't work as he thought it would.

Jean's thoughts:*It's obvious that we're trying to divert his attention. He probably realizes that Y/N and Mikasa are behind him, too."

Mikasa flew up in the air and went close to the nape while Y/N runs up the back, his blade on the ready and was a few meters away from Berholdt's/The Colossal Titan's nape.

Jean's thoughts:*But...If he takes a hit from those thunder spears-"

Just before Y/N and Mikasa could hit the massive Titan with their thunder spears, Bertholdt/The Colossal Titan unleashes a strong gust of scorching steam out of its body, sending his enemies back and detaching their anchors away from him.

The thunder spears were deflected and all of them exploded right behind Y/N and Mikasa. Mikasa rushes to Y/N's side and manages to zip herself and Y/N out of the steam.

Armin:"Everyone!"

Armin watched this all happen before taking cover on a nearby chimney, protecting himself from the steam. Every bit of hope began to fade away, much to Armin's fear. His mind couldn't think of any plan at all and his fist clenched tightly, trying to fight the fear that was trying to overcome him.

Armin's thoughts:*So it's not going to work after all?! That gust of hot win was enough to deflect the thunder spears in mid-flight! Not only that, it detached our anchors. We can't even use vertical maneuvering to approach him...*

Jean, Connie and Sasha landed on a roof, panting heavily after getting hit by the steam. Connie began coughing and Sasha looked at him, worriedly.

Sasha:"Connie!!"

Connie:"*coughs* Blast it. I burned my throat when I breathed in."

Y/N and Mikasa landed near Armin. The two groaned and Y/N took off his visor. Armin turned around and rushes to them.

Armin:"Mikasa! Y/N!"

Y/N:"Agh...You okay, Mikasa?"

Mikasa:"A bit. A little shrapnel from the thunder spears hit me."

Y/N:"*worried* Blood?!"

Mikasa:"I'm fine. It's not deep. More importantly....*looks at Armin* How's it looking, Armin?"

Armin:"Huh?"

Mikasa:"Do you see anything we can do to fight back?"

Armin gulped and sweat trickled from his face.

Armin:"Nothing."

Y/N and Mikasa, widened their eyes in shock. Y/N was in disbelief at the same time. There was no way they can't defeat him, right? But...What options do they have? What could they do to stop Bertholdt/The Colossal Titan if they have no plan at all?

Y/N looked at his comrades, who were all frustrated and tired. There was no way he was giving up right now. He had to continue to fight and kill the Titans he had promised to kill. Just then, something bursted out of the rubble right next to Bertholdt/The Colossal Titan.

Jean, Mikasa, Y/N and Armin looked to where it is and their eyes widened when Reiner/The Armored Titan emerged from the rubble. Y/N's eye soon glared at him and blinked red as his hand gripped tightly on his blade's handle.

***

Outside the Walls, the Beast Titan grabbed some more boulders, crushed them into pieces and threw them towards the village, destroying every structure it hits. Most of the recruits began to panic, fearing that death is already knocking on their door.

While all of that was happening, Levi and Erwin were watching as the boulders hit the Wall behind them, causing small bits of debris to fall on the ground.

Levi:"Looks like the Beast has us in its sights. This place is about to turn into a honeycomb. Erwin...If you tell me there's no way left for us to fight back...I'll start preparing for defeat...*points his finger to the top of the Wall* Eren's sprawled out there, right? Go wake him up. *lowers his arm* You and some of the others get on him and run. That way we'll have at least a few survivors."

Erwin thought about it for a moment but seemed hesitant about the plan suggested by Levi. He was then cut off from his thoughts when he turned to the side to see Floch crying with Marlo trying to get him to stand up and calm him down.

Marlo:"Hey!! A horse escaped!! You're supposed to be watching them, aren't you?!"

Floch:"Shut up! What's the point anymore?!"

Marlo:"What was that?!"

Floch:"All of those powerful Survey Corps members just got wiped out in the blink of an eye!! And you must know it just as well as I do! It doesn't matter if we protect these horses...Because no one will be around...To ride them home!!"

The recruits widened their eyes and Marlo lets his hand off Floch's arm.

Floch:"*puts his hands on his head* It made sense in theory. If humanity stayed cooped up inside the Walls...We'd someday be eaten up by Titans who appeared out of nowhere. Someone had to act, even if it was dangerous to do so. Humanity needed people willing to sacrifice themselves so that others wouldn't fall victim. And when I was asked...Who would be that brave soldier...I ended up thinking...I would. But, I...I never imagined that..Dying..Like that could be so...Meaningless. And when I think about it, that's what happens to nearly all of us who die. Why did I ever think that...It'd be different for me?"

Erwin and Levi looked away and went back to discussing their plan.

Levi:"The recruits and survivors from Hange's squad can scatter on horses all at once and try to head home. How does that sound? With them acting as bait, you and the others on Eren will be able to escape."

Erwin:"And what are you going to do, Levi?"

Levi:"Me and Frank will deal with that Beast. We'll lead him away."

Erwin:"No. Neither of you can't even get close to him."

Levi:"Probably not. But...If you and Eren make it back alive, there's still hope. Isn't that kind of situation we're in now? This is a major defeat. Honestly...I'm not expecting anyone to make it home alive at this point."

Erwin:"True. If we don't have have any way of fighting back.."

Levi:"Do you have one?"

Erwin went silent for a moment and while he was silent, the Beast Titan grabbed another boulder and crushes it into pieces. Ultimately, Erwin broke off his silence and gives Levi his response.

Erwin:"Yes."

Levi:"Why didn't you tell me earlier? Why didn't you put that ugly mouth of yours to work sooner and say something?"

Erwin:"If this plan goes well...You may be able to defeat that Beast. But only if we sacrifice the lives of all the recruits here, as well as mine."

The Beast Titan threw the pieces of rocks straight at the village, destroying more structures. One of the pieces managed to hit the Wall and the recruits began to panic even more.

Erwin:"You're absolutely right. No matter what we do, most of us will surely die. In fact, it's most likely that we will all be wiped out. So our only choice is to assume we are all expendable and work from there. We'd have to ask these young people to give up their lives. You'd need the skills of a first-rate con man to come up with a reason that convincing. Any of them would charge forward unless I was leading the way. Which would I'd be the very first to die."

Levi:"*confused* Huh?"

Erwin:"*sighs and sits down on a crate* I just...Want to go to that basement. Everything I have done, I did thinking that this day would come. That someday...I would be able to check my answers. There were so many times that I thought it would be easier to just die. But then...The dream I shared with my father would flash through my head. And now..Those answers are close enough to reach out and grab. *lifts up his left arm and slumps his back* They are right there. But, Levi. Can you see them? All of our comrades?"

Levi lifts his head up and behind Erwin, he could see all of their fallen comrades, looking at him with blank eyes.

Erwin:"Our comrades are watching us. They want to know what we will do with the hearts they dedicated to our cause. Because they may be gone, but their fight isn't over."

More boulders are then sent at the area they are in and the recruits began to run away, crying in fear.

Erwin:"Is it all..Nothing more than my own childish delusion?"

Levi looked back at Erwin and knelt down in front of him.

Levi:"You've fought a good fight. We've only come this far thanks to you. I'm making the choice. Give up on your dreams and die for us. Lead the recruits straight into hell. And I'll tale down...The Beast Titan."

Erwin looked at his Levi and smiled softly, knowing that this would be the last time he would fight for humanity.

***

The Beast Titan grabbed another boulder and crushed it into pieces. He was about to throw when his ears suddenly picked up something from afar.

Beast Titan:"Hm?"

He looked up ahead and sees the Scouts riding on their horses, charging towards to his location and letting out a loud battle roar with Erwin leading the charge.

Erwin:"Charge!!"

Erwin and the rest of the Scouts roared loud and went even faster.

Beast Titan:"Well, I didn't think it would end without a fight, but...A suicide charge? I'd expected them to come up with something better."

Just before he could throw the rocks, the Scouts took out their signal guns and puts their fingers on the trigger.

Erwin:"Now!! Fire!!"

All of them simultaneously fire their signal guns, sending signal flares and continued heading forward.

Beast Titan:"Smoke? Oh. *throws his arms back* Those ones they use as signals.."

Erwin noticed this and pulls on his horse's reins.

Erwin:"It's coming! Move!!"

The Scouts widened their eyes but they all still continued to let out loud war cries, not allowing their fears to overcome them. This is their last charge, their final moments of life. And to make sure humanity wins, they must make their final moments count or else the enemy would be the one to claim the victor of this battle.

***

Flashback

The recruits panicked even more. Some couldn't stand up any more while some stood down and began throwing up. Just then, Erwin stood atop a crate, and said,

Erwin:"I will announce our final operation!! Troops to attention!"

The recruits stopped their crying and meekly got up to their feet

Erwin:"All units present will now perform a mounted charge! Our enemy is the Beast Titan! Obviously this will make us a perfect target for the enemy!! We will wait for the enemy to begin throwing rocks, then all fire signal flares at once! We'll do everything we can to reduce the accuracy of those rocks to whatever extent possible! While we act as a diversion, Captain Levi and Fox will go to kill the Beast Titan! That is all!"

Flashback end

***

Erwin, Fox and Levi stood atop the Walls where both captains were replenishing their blades while Erwin surveyed the area.

Levi:"What? You want us to approach the Beast Titan? Fox can but I can't if I'll have to use my vertical maneuvering. There's nothing around him. There isn't a single tree or house or anything else I can use!"

Erwin:"No...You have targets that are the perfect height. Those Titans over there're standing all in a row aren't they? Us the Titans to sneak up on and ambush the Beast Titan."

Levi and Fox went off the Walls and head to where the Titans are. Fox rushed towards one of the Titans in his way, leaps in the air and kills each Titan one by one. Levi anchors his hooks at a Titan's nape, gets close to it and slashes its nape before going to the next one.

As he swung towards the next Titan, Levi turns his head to the right and watches as the recruits, including Erwin, charging towards their inevitable deaths.

Levi:"I'm sorry."

***

Flashback

The recruits looked at Erwin with shocked and horrified eyes. A female recruit gagged and crumbled to the ground before throwing up profusely.

Erwin:"Standing around here simply means waiting for rocks to come raining down on us! Now saddle up, double time!!"

Floch:"Are we...About to..Die?"

Erwin:"That's right."

Floch:"So you're saying...If we're going to die anyway, we might die fighting?"

Erwin:"That's right."

Floch:"No...If we're going to die anyway...We can die however we want...We could even die while disobeying orders....And it won't matter...Right?"

Erwin:"That's absolutely right. It doesn't make a single difference. No matter what...Dreams or hopes you may have...No matter what kind of blissful life you've lived until now...What happens to your body when it gets crushed by a rock...Is the same. Everyone dies sooner or later. Does that mean all life is meaningless? Was the fact that you were ever born meaningless from the start? Would you say the same of your dead comrades? Were those soldiers' lives meaningless? *changes his tone* No, they weren't! And our fight gives meaning to those soldiers' lives!! Those brave fallen men and women!! Those poor fallen men and women!! The only ones who can remember them....Are us, the living!! So we will die here and trust the meaning of our lives to the next generation!! That is the sole way we can rebel against this cruel world!!"

Flashback end

***

The soldiers cried even louder as the Beast Titan threw another set of rocks towards them. They all increased their speed and charged, heading even closer to the incoming rocks.

Erwin:"MY SOLDIERS RAGE!! MY SOLDIERS SCREAM!! MY SOLDIERS, FIGHT!!!"

The rocks soon hit, ripping through the horses and Scouts, including Erwin. A rock went through his torso and a small breath of his air came out of his mouth.

Soon after, he and his horse fell to the side, tumbling to the ground before everything went black.

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TO BE CONTINUED....