The core figure for the operation to reclaim Trost District was Eren.
Only his Titan form could lift the massive boulder and plug the hole in the wall.
To ensure the success of this operation, the Garrison was divided into several units.
Aside from the vanguard unit Haruya had joined, there were others ready to provide support, and some tasked with drawing the Titans' attention away from Eren.
At this moment, standing on the outer wall of the clock tower, Haruya spotted four Titans approaching.
Just like before, there was a 6-meter Titan, a 10-meter Titan, a 12-meter Titan, and an 8-meter Titan.
"If I don't want to be surrounded, I need to attack the Titan on the left first. But that might allow the Titan on the right to slip past me. Starting from the right reduces that risk, but it increases the chance of being surrounded."
As Haruya pondered his plan, Mikasa and the others were protecting Eren a few hundred meters behind him. Armin was probably about to arrive as well.
"In this situation, there's only one option... To ensure the operation's success, I'll have to risk being surrounded..."
Wiping the sweat from his forehead with his blade-wielding hand, Haruya wondered if this life was exciting or boring.
In truth, being transported to another world wasn't something to celebrate. So far, he considered his greatest fortune to be his inability to die...
Though this "immortality" only applied to accidental deaths. If he died of old age, even 'Save Scumming' would be useless.
Haruya wasn't that foolish of course. As long as he had Checkpoints, he could infinitely return to his original life and keep living.
But some people might find the monotony of daily life dull, so it was necessary to make some changes.
"If possible, once I return my original world, I should try being a ter·ror·ist..."
After all, even back in his world, Haruya would still have his ability, allowing him to plan the perfect crime, right?
That said, the 'Nangou Haruya' of the original world was already dead. If he returned now, he'd have to start over...
A new environment, a new life... he really hoped to find a new girlfriend. Definitely not something like his hands...
Exhaling, Haruya held his blade in front of him, convinced that the Supreme Deity had deliberately placed him in this situation.
"Originally, I was hoping to become a Titan or something..."
After all, that would have made it easier to capture Annie.
Looking up, the sunlight was blinding. Squinting slightly, Haruya retracted the hooks embedded in the clock tower.
"Let's begin..."
The streets provided excellent mobility aids, especially the eaves and chimneys.
To safely close the distance with the Titans required extensive movement and judgment.
The Titans' intentions, their movements, the distance between them... if you played enough games, you could subconsciously learn to process this information. With enough practice, you could become a master.
"Though compared to single-player games, multiplayer real-time strategy games are more fun..."
Aside from strategically conquering some GAL games, Haruya also played popular games like DOTA.
Haruya had dabbled in StarCraft and Warcraft III, but in DOTA, a single victory meant defeating nine opponents, unlike StarCraft's one-on-one battles.
Another factor was that 1v1 games required extremely high APM, and Haruya wasn't that fast or precise.
"But here, it's more than enough."
Recalling the days when he used the numpad and WERT to execute seven skills in two seconds, Haruya focused on the 10-meter Titan ahead.
After jumping down from the clock tower, he confirmed his target and began closing the distance.
The 10-meter Titan wasn't as fast as expected. After passing through an empty market, Haruya fired his hooks into a building beside the Titan.
The gas from the ODM Gear left a distinct trail of mist in the air, leading to Haruya who was ready to attack.
The other three Titans noticed him and began moving toward him.
The 10-meter Titan raised its right arm and swung down. Haruya left his previous position just as the building was effortlessly destroyed.
Firing his hooks into the Titan's right armpit, he pulled himself closer as the Titan raised its left arm.
*Whoosh!*
The sound of wind rushed past his ears as the Titan's left arm missed. Retracting his hooks, Haruya fired the second set, using centrifugal force to circle around the Titan's nape.
"There!" This was his chance...
Making this judgment, Haruya fired his hooks into the left side of the Titan's nape, sending his body hurtling toward it.
"Huh?!" A rapidly approaching object distracted Haruya.
His gaze fell on something emerging from the side.
*Boom!*
"Ugh, cough!"
The object struck Haruya's left abdomen, the intense impact likely damaging his internal organs. The sound of breaking ribs echoed inside him.
Unable to retract his hooks in time, his body swayed like a broken kite before crashing into the 10-meter Titan's chest.
"Cough...!!"
Blood sprayed from his mouth as the pain in his left abdomen tightened every nerve in his body.
Was he ambushed? Did a Titan throw a rock at him? Or was it an accident?
As he thought this, the 10-meter Titan reached for Haruya with its right arm.
"Damn it!"
Struggling to maintain his posture, Haruya manipulated the ODM Gear to escape, first using his blades to sever the Titan's fingers.
But...
"Not enough strength!"
For a human, completely severing a Titan's fingers wasn't easy. Usually, it relied on the inertial force provided by the ODM Gear.
*Crack!*
His right arm was grabbed, the immense force crushing it. Broken bones pierced his skin, causing excruciating pain.
"I guess this is it..."
...
<< Checkpoint: Reload >>
His vision instantly changed...
Unlike the dense streets, the sky above was vast, but it also made the enemies of humanity, the Titans, more visible.
Repeating the same actions as before, Haruya lured the 10-meter Titan into attacking while moving behind it.
At the same time, he glanced to the left.
There it was, the flying boulder wasn't thrown by a Titan, but was the result of an explosion from artillery fire.
"What misfortune..."
Retracting the hooks from the Titan's nape, Haruya fired them into a nearby building. The flying boulder narrowly missed him and struck the 10-meter Titan's head.
This series of actions gave the other Titans time to surround him and the 10-meter Titan time to attack again.
To avoid the next attack, Haruya used his hooks to move to higher ground and began running to the right.
*Boom!*
The 10-meter Titan crashed into a building, causing it to crumble under the impact.
Losing his footing, Haruya was forced to jump and use his ODM Gear mid-air.
At that moment, the 6-meter Titan appeared in front of him.
'This is my chance!'
Haruya made this judgment based on the 10-meter Titan's current state of vulnerability.
Firing his hooks into the farthest chimney, Haruya retracted them.
His body shot through the air like an arrow.
The 6-meter Titan raised its arms upon seeing Haruya, opening its mouth to sever the ODM wires.
Haruya didn't give it the chance. He retracted the hooks early and adjusted his angle slightly, charging straight at the Titan.
The 6-meter Titan tried to swallow him, but it was too slow.
Haruya swiftly passed between the Titan's arms, flipping mid-air and firing his hooks.
Once they pierced the nape, he pulled himself closer, his slightly angled blades easily slicing through the Titan's nape.
"Next!"
The remaining Titans were the 10-meter, 12-meter, and 8-meter ones.
Continuing to use the ODM Gear, Haruya noticed that the Titans' encirclement had been disrupted due to the earlier accident, slowing their progress.
The 12-meter Titan was the biggest threat, with its long arms and massive head giving it a wide attack range.
However, seeing the 12-meter and 8-meter Titans close together, Haruya switched blades...
<< Checkpoint: Save >>
"Save complete. Time to try a new attack pattern."
In his field of vision, a moving figure entered... Armin rushing toward Eren.
Armin and Haruya locked eyes. Armin bit his lip and sped toward Eren and the others.
*Boom!* *Boom!* *Boom!*
To most trainees, these were the footsteps of death. To Haruya, they were a testing ground.
Organizing the current information in his mind, he noted the 12-meter Titan in front and the 8-meter Titan behind, close together. He needed to take them both out at once, or he'd be caught by one of them...
"Should I run away now, rest, and then reload to continue fighting?"
Thinking this, Haruya remembered what Commander Pixis had told him earlier, "Don't run away."
Was this the infamous ability to read people?
Breathing heavily, Haruya realized that even though his physical capabilities had significantly improved, his stamina couldn't sustain continuous combat.
Don't think that using the ODM Gear only required the strength to cut napes. Controlling, moving, and retracting... all required stamina.
But being able to expend stamina to this extent was impossible for most soldiers, as they'd be eaten before running out of energy.
Not wasting any more time, Haruya ran toward the 12-meter Titan.
Moving across rooftops, he jumped down and fired his hooks.
The 12-meter Titan reacted quickly, swinging its long arm horizontally.
This time, as Haruya descended, he fired his hooks at the ground.
His body accelerated downward, easily dodging the 12-meter Titan's right arm. Upon landing, he rolled and locked onto his target.
Haruya passed between the 12-meter Titan's legs, firing his hooks into its back from the ground.
Once they pierced, he pulled himself up, soaring into the air!
Haruya then calmly fired his hooks again, this time into the nape.
Beside him, the 8-meter Titan pounced.
"Ahhh! Ahhh!!!"
Haruya's clockwise slash severed the 12-meter Titan's nape.
"Third one!!" Standing on the falling 12-meter Titan's nape, Haruya jumped as it collapsed.
Firing his hooks into the 8-meter Titan's eye, the Titan instinctively grabbed at the wires.
Seizing the opportunity, Haruya spun and fired his left hooks, horizontally slicing through the Titan's nape.
Still gripping Haruya's wires, the 8-meter Titan fell to the ground, taking Haruya with it. He rolled several times before crashing into a wall and coming to a stop.
Using his blades for support, Haruya stood up, swaying slightly, his ears still ringing.
"Cough, cough..."
Leaning against the wall, he twisted his body and sprang up.
"Time for the next one..."
...
After dealing with the approaching Titans, Eren had already lifted the boulder at the front gate.
His body bore the immense weight, his skin breaking and regenerating, steam billowing from every part of him.
*Thump!*... *Thump!*...
Each step was heavy...
On the ground were Garrison soldiers who had sacrificed themselves to ensure Eren's safe passage.
"Go to the ground and draw the Titans' attention!"
Meanwhile, Armin and Mikasa who were guarding Eren also saw Haruya.
Haruya's clothes were stained and torn, but he was otherwise unharmed.
Watching the soldiers who were willing to sacrifice their lives on the ground...
Like any normal person, Haruya didn't want to see humans dying before his eyes... Not just him, most people wanted to be saviors, to change the world.
Like this world's 'protagonist', Eren, who wanted to eradicate the Titans and gain freedom, giving him a charismatic personality. Combined with his unique abilities, he became a beloved figure.
Heroes exist at all times... Whether real or fake was irrelevant, as long as they achieve the corresponding results.
Haruya stood on the rooftop, raising his blade and thrusting it into the air.
"Everyone, move! I'll handle those Titans!"
His sudden, seemingly overconfident declaration made some hesitate.
To prove his words, Haruya began to fight.
Using the boulder Eren was lifting as a stepping stone, Haruya moved with his ODM Gear.
"Forward!!" Issuing this command, Haruya flew toward the three Titans ahead.
Firing his hooks continuously, he had to find anchor points on the ground and the Titans' bodies since there were no buildings nearby to use.
Firing his hooks into the arm of a swinging Titan, Haruya used the momentum to fly through the air.
Pulling himself closer to the Titan's nape, he swiftly severed it, "First one!"
Spinning his body, his rotating blades destroyed the eyes of a crouching Titan.
The blinded Titan staggered back, and Haruya circled around to slice its nape, "Second one!"
Likewise the last of the trio...
"Third one!"
By this point, Eren was nearing the hole in the wall.
Just then, Haruya noticed his left gas canister was completely empty.
"What?! Ugh!"
Unable to retract the wires, Haruya was grabbed by a Titan...
'I'm dead!ʼ As he thought this, a figure flew past him.
At the same time, a massive tremor shook the heavens!
...Eren had succeeded...
Meanwhile...
The figure Haruya saw swiftly severed the nape of the Titan holding him, then, using the nearby wall for mobility, zipped past the napes of two more Titans like a gust of wind.
"That was too reckless, trainee."
Standing atop the corpses, the man with the 'Wings of Freedom' emblem on his back spoke.
Then, turning to the two guarding Eren, he said, "Kids, what exactly is going on here?"
Humanity's strongest had arrived!!!
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Read ahead on my P@treon...
[email protected]/MayaMatengele01