Chapter 106: The Paths and the Coordinate!
Liberio Internment Zone.
The night sky was stained with grotesque colors. The torrent of energy from the Grief Seed's explosion subsided, but the heart-clutching aura of despair only intensified.
At the center of the plaza, where Reiner had been, space twisted unstably. A strange, sickly-sweet smell of rust mixed with dust filled the air. The sky was no longer pure black but streaked with grey-white and dark red, sealing off reality. An invisible barrier quietly expanded, swallowing the ruins and enveloping the entire internment zone.
A Witch Labyrinth.
The scene inside the Labyrinth was even more bizarre. Broken buildings were stretched and distorted, forming the outline of a shattered fortress dotted with charred trenches. The ground was paved with the fragments of countless broken shields, etched with blurred faces. On the walls, hazy figures—struggling, weeping, or enraged—flickered in and out of existence, the embodiment of Reiner's inner guilt.
Whine— Thump-thump… A mixture of grating noise and a heavy heartbeat echoed throughout the Labyrinth, unsettling the mind.
At the center of the warped space, the floating grey-white Grief Seed cracked completely open. A massive figure slowly rose from within.
Reiner, the Witch of Falsehood. It yearned for eternal peace but was forever trapped in the torment of self-contradiction.
The Witch had the silhouette of the Armored Titan, its body huge and cumbersome, covered in layers upon layers of grey-white armor. But the armor was riddled with cracks, looking as if it could crumble at any moment. Thick black liquid oozed from the seams. In its chest cavity, a giant, beating grey-white heart was bound by countless chains. Each throb of the heart emitted a deafening wail and noise, simultaneously spawning countless small, twisted soldier-like Familiars. These Familiars wandered aimlessly, charged, and then self-destructed.
The Witch moved sluggishly, yet carried the weight of utter destruction. It had no eyes, no mouth. Only the frantically beating heart in its chest drove its indiscriminate rampage.
"Wh-what is that thing?!" Porco's voice trembled as he stared at the massive, grotesque Witch and the endlessly spawning Familiars. "Reiner… turned into a monster?"
Pieck gritted her teeth, her face pale.
The fighting on the battlefield ceased. Whether Paradis members or surviving Marleyan Magical Girls, everyone was stunned by the mutation and the sheer, overwhelming despair.
Levi hovered in mid-air, brow furrowed, his sharp eyes scanning the Witch and the Labyrinth. Another troublesome thing.
Mikasa landed beside Eren, warily watching the front.
High above, Armin, in his Magical Female Titan form, looked down upon the infernal scene. Magic allowed him to grasp some basic information: Labyrinth, Witch, Familiars… The sea-blue Soul Gem on his chest grew even darker.
Why did Reiner transform so quickly? He hadn't been fighting for that long.
Could it be… A terrible thought formed in his mind. Did Reiner's already unstable mental state accelerate the corruption? Or was it because… his wish was perhaps one of self-destruction?
Either way, this transformation was undoubtedly linked to this unknown Magical Girl power. He hazarded a guess: when a Soul Gem becomes completely filled with corruption, it doesn't simply extinguish. Instead… this twisted birth occurs. It becomes a Witch that consumes everything.
Is this Kyubey's true purpose?! What is it after?
Armin looked at the gem on his own chest. The corruption seemed to be deepening with the slaughter and despair around him. Eren, Levi, Mikasa… what about their gems? What if… they also—
A chill ran down his spine. He immediately relayed his discovery to his comrades.
"I see…" Erwin looked down at the Witch Labyrinth below, his gaze sharp as an eagle's. "Complete corruption of the Soul Gem… this is the result?"
"Incommunicado, attacks indiscriminately… energy signature is immense," he murmured, as if evaluating a new weapon. "Can they even be used after death?"
Connie, Sasha, and Jean were silent. They were used to death. While this cruel outcome was hard to accept, it wasn't incomprehensible. This was war. The living used the dead. They even used the monsters the dead became… as long as it brought victory and hope. They looked at each other, expressions heavy, but their eyes held an almost numb resolve.
[Non-Human Chat Group]
Tom Cat: [Cat's_eyes_pop_out_watching_people_discuss_using_monster_friend_as_weapon.gif]
SpongeBob SquarePants: No! How can you use a friend as a weapon! And Reiner looks like he's in so much pain! Waaaah—
Monokuma: Upupupu! Waste utilization, cycle of despair! Now that's efficiency! Naivety won't help you survive, SpongeBob-kun! Upupupu!
Squidward: [Tentacle_facepalm.jpg]
But Eren, hearing his comrades' low discussion, sensing their heavy yet "matter-of-fact" attitude, felt an uncontrollable rage ignite within him. The price?! Is this the price?! His gaze swept over Mikasa, Armin, Levi… over Jean, Connie, Sasha… If this is their end too… then what meaning did any of this have?!
He would not let that happen. He looked at his own hands. That hazy power… the chaotic future he saw when he touched Historia…
Eren's gaze suddenly snapped to the other side of the plaza. There, Zeke Jaeger's Beast Titan body lay pinned to the ground, limbs severed by Levi. At this moment, several of the Reiner-Witch's twisted soldier Familiars were shambling toward him.
Zeke! Royal blood! Titan power! The Coordinate!
Perhaps touching Zeke wouldn't just activate the Rumbling. Perhaps it could also unravel the mystery of the magic within him! He had to go.
"Eren?!" Mikasa, sensing his sudden movement, cried out.
But Eren was already moving. His figure became a green meteor, instantly crossing the battlefield. Berserk magic gathered in his fist.
BOOM!!!
A massive explosion! The Familiars approaching Zeke were blasted to dust by Eren's punch. A green energy shield blocked the subsequent wave of Familiars. Eren's giant figure stood protectively before Zeke.
Zeke Jaeger looked up, seeing the younger brother who had suddenly appeared to save him. Complex emotions flashed in his eyes. "Eren—!" he called out instinctively.
Eren looked down at his half-brother. His face was unreadable, but deep within his eyes, a storm raged that no one could comprehend.
"Ah…"
"Nii-san." (Big Brother)
"I'm here."
That calm "Nii-san" sent a shockwave through the hearts of the Survey Corps members watching from afar.
"Eren!!" Armin screamed from above.
"What is he trying to do?!" Jean's eyes widened.
Levi's gaze narrowed, his hand tightening on his blade hilt.
Under everyone's watchful eyes, Eren reached out his hand… slowly… and touched Zeke Jaeger's broken body.
VMMMMMM—
In that instant, the entire world seemed to freeze. An indescribable bolt of golden lightning shot up from the point of contact, piercing the heavens. Blinding light consumed all color. Time and space blurred.
Eren and Zeke's consciousnesses were violently ripped away by an irresistible force. They hurtled through countless paths of light, finally arriving in a boundless expanse of sand dunes—a space made of sand and paths of light. The place where all paths converged…