~Flashback~
...Most people tend to recall past events in moments of crisis, which is commonly known as "life flashing before your eyes"...
But what exactly is the origin of this "life flashing before your eyes"?
It actually refers to a traditional Chinese toy, a type of lantern often seen during festivals like 'Lantern Festival' and 'Mid-Autumn Festival'...
A candle is lit inside the lantern, and the heat generated creates airflow, causing the lantern's axis to rotate. Paper cutouts are attached to the axis, and the candlelight projects their shadows onto the screen, creating the illusion of moving images.
Since these lanterns often depict ancient warriors on horseback, the rotating images make it seem as if the figures are chasing each other... In other words, at the moment of death, memories of the past replay in one's mind like a lantern's rotating images...
Though none of that really matters, for some reason, Haruya's mind was flooded with memories of his past experiences... not exactly happy, but still filled with moments of joy.
The fellow enthusiasts he met at comic conventions, the friends he stayed up all night lining up with, the young man who frequented the arcade, and the unlucky guy who always looked frustrated in front of the gacha machine... these were all part of Haruya's life.
Even though he often suffered from various unfortunate accidents, he never really hated it...
...Because he could start over, because he could change everything he faced.
But...
The current situation didn't allow Haruya to be optimistic. After all, his Checkpoint ability could only be used five times. If he used up all five and was killed, it would all be over...
Facing the Female Titan who had taken a few steps back, Haruya bit his lip to calm himself, pushing aside the memories that weren't important right now. The wounds he had just sustained were also healing.
What should he do? Even though the Female Titan wasn't taking action now, it didn't mean they could coexist peacefully.
The moment Haruya attacked the Female Titan from a blind spot and casually called out her name, their positions were set.
As the steam slowly dissipated, both sides could now clearly see each other's movements. The Female Titan glanced in Eren's direction, then back at Haruya.
What now? Was she planning to shift her target, using Haruya as a "Coordinate" to take back to her "homeland"?
Uncertain of how to proceed, Haruya fell into a brief moment of confusion and contemplation.
'This is a major crisis...'
The reason was obvious to anyone: Haruya's Titan transformation ability hadn't even reached 20% of its potential.
With only one arm, it was impossible to defeat or capture the Female Titan, especially since she was skilled in hand-to-hand combat, making the task even more difficult...
What should he do? Survey Corps soldiers were likely to pass by soon. If they discovered the two of them in this situation, Haruya would have to kill them all.
Before that, he knew he needed to figure out how to save his own life.
After all, he couldn't use his cheat ability freely now, meaning he had lost his only advantage... the ability to predict the future through Infinite Checkpoint saves...
To avoid wasting his limited saves, Haruya decided he needed to find a way to resolve the current situation.
Both sides were now at a standstill. Perhaps the Female Titan thought Haruya had intentionally transformed only half his body and one arm?
In short, the Female Titan wouldn't act rashly until she confirmed Haruya's condition.
She was a planner, a smart person. To shift the balance between them, she wouldn't act recklessly.
Not only was the Female Titan wary of Haruya, but she herself had also sustained some injuries.
When she had stomped on Haruya earlier, his armored Titan arm had blocked her, shattering her right foot. The front half of her foot was now a bloody mess, slowly healing.
Though Haruya had thought about all this, only about ten seconds had passed.
If the two of them started fighting, it would definitely attract the attention of those nearby, which would be bad for both Haruya and the Female Titan.
His target was the Female Titan, and the Female Titan's target was Eren. Haruya suddenly realized the connection between them.
If he could gain Eren's trust and lead him to a secluded place, he might indirectly lure the Female Titan there as well.
No, no, that assumption wouldn't hold. The reason was simple: Haruya couldn't possibly lead Eren away alone.
This fragile peace was shattered in the next moment as the Female Titan charged at Haruya.
"This isn't following the script at all!"
Haruya felt the ground shake as the fully recovered Female Titan swung her fist at him.
Raising his right arm as a shield, his armored arm, now cooled down after the earlier rest, took the brunt of the Female Titan's punch.
*Boom!* *Thud!*
It wasn't just one attack, but two consecutive strikes.
As the Female Titan hit Haruya, her left foot kicked his Titan body, sending him flying.
In mid-air, Haruya's senses became disoriented. The next moment, his back slammed into a wooden wall, breaking through it and crashing onto a shoe rack in the entrance hall. The already decayed shoe rack instantly shattered.
Breathing became difficult, his head spun, and pain shot through his body.
Even though his injuries were healing, Haruya, still unaccustomed to this body and its abilities, couldn't perform at his best.
Having landed a successful hit, the Female Titan didn't hesitate and pressed her advantage.
She crashed through the fence, sending dirt flying. Spotting Haruya in the rubble, she clenched her fists and brought them down on him.
"Damn it!"
Haruya shifted his body, and his half-formed Titan body responded to his command. His armored right arm swung up to block.
*Boom!*
The Female Titan's fists collided with Haruya's arm, and at the point of impact, shards of crystal reflected the sunlight.
'Hardening?!'
It seems the armor granted by the Supreme Deity was even tougher than Haruya had imagined.
The ground beneath them caved in significantly, the pressure causing half of Haruya's Titan body to sink into the earth, part of it crushed.
His abdomen was pinned, making it hard to breathe, and his head had taken a severe blow.
'I'm going to die, I'm going to die, I'm going to die.ʼ
Until now, Haruya had never feared death. As long as he had his cheat, he could change everything.
But now, he only had five chances, five saves. Once they were used up, there would be no more opportunities to start over.
"Damn it!!!"
He absolutely couldn't die like this. Haruya's resolve hadn't changed.
Then...
A voice echoed in his heart:
<...Explode, and destroy the reality before you, even without using a save, you can change the future... >
*Crack...*
The sound of something breaking, followed by an explosion.
*Boom!*
The massive burst of steam would undoubtedly attract everyone's attention.
Once again, Annie was sent flying, retreating cautiously.
From the steam emerged a pitch-black figure.
A perfect Titan transformation, with the right half of his body covered in armor.
Haruya charged forward at top speed, his senses heightened, allowing him to see further.
His left hand grabbed Annie's shoulder, but she broke free with an upward strike.
Seizing the opportunity, Haruya opened his mouth and bit down.
He bit into her shoulder, but it was already covered in hardened crystal skin.
The next moment, a left hook nearly took off half of Haruya's head, dealing a devastating blow.
*Roar!!!!!!*
In response, Haruya's right fist swung out with explosive force.
The Female Titan's entire left side was obliterated, steam and chunks of flesh scattering into the air.
With just one punch, Haruya had nearly crippled the Female Titan.
His muscles tensed, his limbs burned, and the blow to his head had completely robbed him of his vision.
But Haruya still clung to the Female Titan's shoulder, raising his right fist again.
The black fist came down, but the Female Titan dodged by tilting her head. Unable to see, Haruya swung wildly.
'No, this won't work!'
If he killed the Female Titan here and was discovered by the Survey Corps, it might still count as a failure...
Thinking this, Haruya stopped, only to be kicked away by the Female Titan.
Haruya, canceled his Titan transformation mid-air.
He landed on a rooftop, then rolled to the edge, grabbing onto a protruding part.
Slowly, he stood up from the ground, and the Female Titan, now watching him, saw that he had canceled his Titan transformation.
The Female Titan's left side was enveloped in steam. She slowed her pace and changed direction.
Without paying further attention to Haruya, she began to run toward Eren.
The reason Haruya had gained the upper hand was likely due to the element of surprise. In their next battle, it wouldn't be so easy.
Less than two minutes later, Armin and the others passed by, giving Haruya a horse they had found along the way.
If the fight had continued, they might have been discovered, leading to an ambush by the Survey Corps...
In Haruya's view, the condition for mission success was [Nangou Haruya captures the Female Titan and successfully takes her away]
That was the proper procedure and result of capturing someone.
Haruya didn't believe the Supreme Deity would give him a simple task. The Supreme Deity would definitely screw him over, just like 'He' did this time.
After regrouping with Armin, Jean, Reiner, and Historia, the instructor ordered everyone to guard the entrance to the giant forest, preventing other Titans from entering.
"Telling us to dismount and guard this place, to stop Titans from entering the forest, without even an explanation. If that guy weren't the instructor, no one would listen."
"Stop complaining, Jean. What's your plan?"
"My plan? I'm just venting. What I need to do is follow orders and stop Titans from entering the forest... So... we don't need to engage them, right...?"
A 5-meter Abnormal Titan ran toward them, and everyone watched as it stopped under the tree, looking up at them.
The two finished their conversation, and Jean used the ODM Gear to reach Haruya, "You, why are your clothes torn up, but you don't have any serious injuries?"
"My horse got sick on the way and threw me off."
"That serious? That's one of the routes the Female Titan took. You didn't run into her, did you?"
"No, by the time I got there, everyone had already... sacrificed themselves."
"I see..." Jean, gripping his blade, looked at the Titan below, "You're pretty lucky."
"I think so too. If I can keep surviving."
In reality, it wasn't good luck, but sheer bad luck...
More importantly, Haruya didn't want to continue discussing this topic.
Looking around, he saw Reiner, Mikasa, Bertolt, and Historia were all there.
Perhaps because Haruya had somehow survived the Female Titan's attack, some people were curious about him.
"Haruya, you said you arrived just as the Female Titan was leaving. What did you do before that?"
"Well..."
Facing Armin's question from another tree, Haruya thought for a moment and told the lie he had prepared.
"Since I lost my horse, I hid in some abandoned buildings to avoid being spotted by Titans on the way. Once I confirmed it was safe, I headed to the town, but when I got there..."
"I see. You had it rough."
"Not too rough. At least I didn't run into any real trouble."
At that moment, the Titans below began climbing the trees. Some of the more agile Abnormal Titans used adjacent trees to reach Armin.
Armin moved to another tree, and the Abnormal Titan slid down, preparing to climb again.
Haruya leaned against the tree trunk, waiting for an opportunity. Behind him, the giant forest echoed with the sound of a sonic bomb.
'Probably fired by Levi...'
If it was a sonic bomb, it meant the Female Titan was about to be captured.
Wanting to confirm whether the Female Titan would escape, Haruya decided to leave the scene, but causing suspicion was also a problem.
He wanted to experience the main plot developments firsthand, so he could understand what would happen next.
The story of this world might change, or it might not. Either way, he needed to understand it.
Soon, continuous explosions rang out, and the new recruits had no idea what was happening.
"Did they bring cannons into the forest?" Reiner wondered.
"No idea what they're doing." Connie said.
Not long after, Haruya heard a massive roar.
It was Annie's Titan form letting out a roar.
She had been captured, so she had to resort to this.
Titans from all around began rushing toward the depths of the giant forest. The Abnormals ignored everyone in the trees, and more Titans kept appearing.
A tide of Titans, like a flood...
"What's happening?!" Jean asked, his face pale.
"We need to move!"
Before the commander had issued the orders, Haruya had already charged forward.
At the same time, Mikasa sped up beside Haruya.