Chapter 21: Reiner

As the days passed, the course of the battlefield progressed. Even the intensity and outcome of the battles changed. The time when each force estimated the other's power was over, giving way to all-out war. The many front-line outposts fell one after the other, leaving no respite for the human chains of command, which reacted accordingly.

They deployed everything they could in the hope of reversing this dangerous trend. Yet nothing really changed, apart from the fact that every clone and human who fell in battle eventually rose again, swelling the enemy ranks.

However, the fact that allied casualties were swelling the enemy ranks wasn't the only problem: seeing their former comrades charging their former friends, or even their families, head-on, tearing them to shreds without the slightest mercy with their knives, or even their bare hands, was sowing the seeds of terror in an army already struggling to organize itself. Desertions began to multiply steadily, prompting the application of Marian law. Many fugitives were publicly executed to set an example, and all knew that the few who escaped the authorities would not escape the fate awaiting those alone on the front line.

The various reconnaissance groups used to stem the advance of thoughtless creatures and gauge opposing forces had all been recalled, but few returned alive. Each group was wiped out as easily as insects with the flick of a wrist, as was Alice's group.

Yet this was only the fate of the luckiest men on the battlefield. Many of the soldiers testified to abducting their comrades rather than simply exterminating them, demonstrating the invader's desire to learn more about humans, although the abducted targets were clone, human and sometimes even android. And although the trend was also true on the human side, where many creature corpses were recovered, the power gap between the two sides was so wide that it couldn't be compared.

Even experiments that had been abandoned centuries ago were once again being considered. Genetically modified clones were deployed on the battlefield, all in the hope of helping to defend the few surviving camps from the concentrated assaults on all sides. Some of these clones were hybridized with animals to enhance their survival capabilities, while others were closer to normal humans, with the ability to control a small number of nanites, allowing protection or offensive capacity to those possessing them, as well as their allies. All possible avenues were being explored to protect the cities that would fall in a flash to enemy assaults if the camps were destroyed.

However, the priority was not to protect civilians, but to prevent dead civilians from joining the enemy ranks, and to further aggravate the lack of balance between the two forces, which was becoming greater and greater by the day, barely held together by the imposing artillery barrage and the various experiments unleashed on the battlefield to create a surprise effect on their adversary. Not to mention the overwhelming number of machines deployed every day on all fronts, and the titans' frightening ability to exterminate in a flash the weakest creatures charging the camps non-stop.

* * *

Because of the exceptional situation, the last camps were bursting with activity. Reiner was caught up in this whirlwind of activity, but had the distinction of being human. He was therefore enrolled on a rota system, alternating between the front line, where the fighting took place, and the second line, allowing the newcomers a relative rest and adaptation to the atmosphere of the battlefield.

Because of his new assignment, having just completed a shortened training course, he was able to observe the front-line fighting from afar, via drones filming the action in real time. The transmissions were broadcast into the air, near the few trenches fortified by imposing Riftine walls and distant guard towers capable of taking down a human in a flash, located behind the camp where Reiner was staying. He shivered, just watching the intensity of the fighting, or hearing the sound of shells exploding a short distance from his position. The stress and stage fright of taking part in the gargantuan confrontation before him made him tremble slightly, while his stomach burned slightly.

A massive scene was unfolding before him, with creatures of all kinds recklessly charging the camp's defenses, rising again just after their deaths via the perpetually moving black threads of the battlefield mastered by the demons. And although they were under an impressive barrage of artillery, destroying everything in their path in huge explosions covering an entire line of the battlefield, they always emerged unscathed. This was due to the shields deployed by the ethereal, pure-white figures, who were even nicknamed "gods of destruction" or "demon gods" by soldiers and commanders alike, given their powers were so incomparable to others, even demons. Fortunately, compared to demons, their numbers were much smaller, barely counting on the fingers of two hands on either front.

But despite their small numbers, their destructive power was crushing all the machines and titans that charged at them, disregarding the losses or fate that awaited them, in the hope of inflicting another wound, however minute. Unfortunately, every wound that seemed serious ended up closing as if by magic, as a reassuring green light spread over the wound and it disappeared as if it had never existed. The soldiers were all struggling in their own way in this hellhole, leaving a few soldiers around to whisper.

"Woah, and to think Ray managed to face that..."

"I don't even know how he got through it, but besides, I heard he saved over a dozen squads!"

"Yeah... the rumors must be exaggerated though. I don't mind admitting that he's doing a lot better than the rest of us and that he's almost our hero, but saving a dozen... it's too much of an exaggeration to be true."

One last soldier grumbled, unexpectedly adding to the discussion of the other two. However, Reiner couldn't listen to them any longer, being interrupted by Rakta, the superior in charge of his newly-formed group of recruits. The sun had only just risen, and Rakta's call only reminded him that it was time to go. He was once again going to those fronts he dreaded so much. His training was fragile, his experience nonexistent, but he had to go because he had to, and hoped he'd find Alice, his brother or even Clovis by chance.

"Reiner, we're being deployed almost immediately, the main front needs reinforcements, hurry up."

"Understood Rakta, but can I ask you a favor?"

Reiner replied, scratching his neck, slightly embarrassed.

"You don't talk much, that's strange of you..."

"I know, but it concerns those closest to me."

"Um, I don't think there's much I can do, but I'm listening."

"If you see a pink-haired, pink-eyed android named Alice, try taking me to her, she's...my...android..."

Reiner said with difficulty. However, Rakta's reaction was not at all what Reiner had expected.

"Pink hair and eyes? I can't remember the first name of every recruit, but I seem to have seen a new one who fits your description, she was deployed towards the vanguard before everything got worse if I remember correctly. So don't get your hopes up, and prepare for the worst. But if I come across it, I'll bring it to you, especially if it's your android, I was a little sad to see you so isolated."

"Okay, and thanks."

Reiner replied, slightly embarrassed and disappointed. He was in fact relatively isolated in his group. Being a natural introvert, he didn't go out easily to others, and although he wasn't shy enough to keep to himself, he simply had no desire to mingle with his group. He knew full well that they'd be separated on the battlefield, or that getting attached to the slightest person was a mistake, and that becoming friends with someone on a battlefield would only be an even bigger mistake.

Rakta and Reiner headed for their group, made up of androids and humans alike, before going straight to the heart of the confrontation, the place where only the worst happened.

* * *

The front was just as Reiner had seen it via the drones, with the only change being the smell of blood and burns, which immediately made Reiner want to vomit. He barely restrained himself, then was brought back to his senses by the deafening sound of an artillery barrage crashing into a huge group of charging monsters, leaving nothing but corpses where the monsters had been. Yet the number of opponents continued to grow rather than diminish, giving the impression that all fighting was futile and useless.

Every soldier felt the same, but they were all fighting. Reiner took his cue from them, and strode with trembling steps into one of the many trenches that had been built in a hurry, threatening to collapse at the slightest explosion.

The tide of monsters barely eradicated by the artillery salvo reformed with surprising speed via the black wires, picking up all the inert bodies, even the most damaged, to charge the line where Reiner resided. The impression of overwhelming numbers given by these creatures was in fact only due to the demons constantly picking up the corpses on the ground, giving the impression that there were more than twice as many opponents as the actual number of monsters. But that didn't matter to the soldiers, who saw the spectacle of corpses barely standing with tattered bodies crawling towards them, plus a distant charge of living creatures reinforcing the living dead legions.

Reiner then took a deep breath, trying to fire as best he could at the nearest creatures with the soldiers backing him up. It seemed that for every monster killed, two more appeared behind its corpse. The nearby titans had no choice but to halt their barrage of fire against the ethereal silhouettes to save their comrades. In so doing, they unwittingly unleashed an elemental fury on their position that crushed and mercilessly destroyed a large number of titans, while the sentinels positioned all over the battlefield struggled to gain ground, but in places made significant advances, only to be annihilated by monsters or distant fire from those controlling this terrifying army. The cries of the soldiers were coming from all sides, but no one could help them, on pain of suffering the same fate as the titans, each one fighting for survival, ignoring the desperate cries of their comrades so as not to end up in the same position as them.

Of course, rare people tried to help those who could no longer defend themselves, like Reiner who systematically shot at creatures threatening to kill their allies, but this only put him in the most dangerous situation when he came face to face with two Clapeur dangerously close to him, who were killed by two quick shots from Rakta, who stared at Reiner and said.

"Stop trying to help them, or you'll end up dead without ever seeing the person you're looking for again."

Reiner looked at Rakta, briefly averting his gaze before starting to fire again at the imposing tide charging the camp, led by towering colossi, then the unthinkable happened. Reiner saw an opportunity, and took aim at one of the white silhouettes busy frantically destroying titans without paying the slightest attention to the infantry fire. He seemed so seriously wounded that it was strange he hadn't been treated yet.

Reiner then took a deep breath, and fired. His bullet split the white figure's damaged body in two, and then everything fell back. Time seemed to recede, but paradoxically accelerated to the point where everything became indistinguishable, until Reiner stared at Rakta in a trench fortified by imposing Riftine walls, scratching his neck as he replied, looking slightly embarrassed by what he was about to say.

"Understood Rakta, but can I ask you a favor?"