Chapter 32: Temporal Anchor and Arrival at Shiganshina

[Notice: This containment object possesses a "coordinate" attribute. A world portal to this containment object's coordinate world can now be opened.]

[Target world: "Attack on Titan." Anomalous entity that can be contained: "Titan Power."]

[Would you like to open the portal now?]

This time, Haruto chose "Yes."

Immediately, the space before them began to distort slightly. A stream of light swirled continuously in front of them, gradually forming a glowing portal.

Annie took a deep breath as she looked at the portal, her eyes growing resolute. Then, she suddenly thought of something.

"I've been here for a month. If I return to the military corps without a reasonable explanation, it'll be hard to get by."

Annie was part of the 104th Training Corps.

Disappearing for a whole month then suddenly reappearing, without a proper explanation, she'd likely be arrested.

However, Haruto shook his head in response.

"It hasn't been a month. You've only been gone for three days."

Annie looked confused.

She had been in this world for a full month.

Haruto didn't go into details.

According to the system's information, as someone possessing the system, he acted as a temporal anchor.

The world he was in moved ten times slower than other worlds.

Only when a portal between worlds was opened would the time flow rates synchronize.

So, while Annie had spent a month here, only three days had passed in the "Attack on Titan" world.

Once they entered the "Attack on Titan" world and closed the portal; that world's time would slow down tenfold compared to this one.

There were only two months left before the school term started.

But for Haruto, that meant 600 days in the "Attack on Titan" world.

Nearly two years.

That should be enough time to secure containment in the "Attack on Titan" world.

The light portal gradually took shape and stabilized. At that moment, Haruto flipped his hand and took out an item, handing it to Annie.

An M1917 Smith & Wesson revolver.

A magical tool capable of solving all problems.

Annie accepted the handgun with a puzzled expression.

"You don't need to reload. The gun automatically generates bullets inside. After firing six rounds, it takes ten seconds for new bullets to form. If necessary, use both your Titan power and this."

Annie was slightly surprised but didn't say much, simply nodding.

After all, she had seen many anomalous containment items before. Haruto had only recently discovered that this blue-tier system reward gun had an auto-reload ability.

Then, he casually picked up a large nearby case.

Inside it was standard-issue Foundation equipment—

Bulletproof vests, automatic rifles, tactical knives, handguns, ammunition, and more.

He brought it along just in case.

He planned to recruit a few investigators in that world and arm them properly. With automatic rifles versus flame-spewing guns, wouldn't that just be bullying primitive people?

At that moment, the portal stabilized completely.

Just as the two were about to depart, Haruto suddenly slapped his forehead.

"I almost forgot something important! Annie, take this."

Annie looked confused.

Then, she saw Haruto pull out a small bottle of pink liquid from his pocket.

The moment she saw the bottle, Annie's expression turned sharp, and she almost kicked Haruto.

"Computer Component."

The mysterious drug that had knocked her out before.

As Annie glared at him murderously, Haruto stuffed the "Computer Component" into her hand.

"Use this to take down Reiner and Bertholdt when you get the chance. Those two Titan shifters need to be placed under control."

Haruto spoke seriously.

Annie's expression twisted.

She had personally fallen victim to this stuff before.

And what followed was—

Well, a past so infuriating that even thinking about it now made her furious. And now, this guy wanted her to use it to take down Reiner and Bertholdt?

Annie's emotions were complicated. But in the end, she silently put the vial away.

Then, the two of them walked toward the fully formed portal.

The moment they stepped through—

A golden light instantly swallowed their vision.

It was like a bolt of golden lightning.

Haruto recalled the golden lightning that had crashed down when he first picked up Annie.

Then came a violent dizziness—

Like severe motion sickness multiplied by a hundred.

It felt terrible.

Haruto gave the portal's transportation experience a one-star rating.

-------------------

In the vast darkness, time seemed to pass for an eternity—

Or perhaps just an instant.

Suddenly, a beam of light appeared ahead. Vision gradually returns, scenes begin to appear before their eyes.

A sense of weightlessness sets in. The two of them appear in mid-air.

Haruto remains calm, unfazed. With a gentle pull, he draws Annie into his embrace. Haruto takes a moment to observe the scenery below.

Beneath them stretch rows of earthen houses; old, primitive dwellings. Some buildings are in complete ruin. Not a single trace of human presence can be found.

It looks like a vast wasteland.

Haruto lands lightly, holding Annie in a princess carry. His legs bend slightly to absorb the impact.

Annie nestled in his arms, barely experiences any shaking.

At this point, even if Haruto were thrown from a thousand meters in the sky, he could still pull off a superhero landing without a scratch.

Annie remains unconscious in his embrace just like when she first appeared, clearly she couldn't withstand the dizziness of teleportation and passed out.

However, just as before, Annie soon regains consciousness and opens her eyes. Leaping from Haruto's arms, she lands on the ground and scans the surroundings with vigilance.

After carefully surveying the area, Annie's expression shows surprise.

"This is... Shiganshina District?"

Paradis Island—the setting of all early events in the Titan world.

All the humans on the island live behind three massive walls, protected by their barriers. The walls keep out the Titans but also confine the island's inhabitants to a circular region.

The outermost wall is named Wall Maria—

the same wall that Annie, Reiner, and Bertholdt breached years ago. When Wall Maria fell, Titans flooded inside, turning the outer region into a living hell.

Between Wall Maria and the second wall lies Shiganshina District.

A few residents managed to escape to the second wall's interior, but most perished.

This is also the hometown of Eren and Mikasa, the main protagonists of the Titan world. At that moment, a heavy thudding sound echoes.