Chapter 33: Entering the Walls, Trost District
A heavy thudding sound echoes; like the roar of an approaching beast, shaking the very air. A seven to eight-meter-tall Titan strides down the street, heading toward them.
Its ugly features are uniquely grotesque. It wears no clothing, yet lacks any reproductive organs.
Haruto had seen Titans countless times in the manga and anime.
But seeing one in person...
"Truly, an ugliness that's oddly fascinating."
He comments casually.
Annie, standing beside him, has already drawn the blades from her waist. The weapons paired with the Omni-Directional Mobility Gear are long, segmented swords, similar to oversized box cutter blades.
They are designed to be quickly replaced after repeated strikes dull their edges. Haruto reaches out and stops Annie, who is tensed for battle.
Watching the approaching Titan, he casually picks up a brick from the ground. With a flick of his arm, he hurls the brick at the Titan.
The brick whistles through the air with a loud boom—
CRACK!
The Titan's skull explodes on impact. Chunks of flesh and bone scatter in all directions. The massive body wobbles and then collapses, flattening a nearby house beneath its weight. Smoke and dust billow into the air. Shattered bricks and wooden planks fly in all directions.
Annie stares at the scene, utterly stunned. She turns to Haruto, disbelief written all over her face.
Just like that?
A seven-meter Titan—obliterated in an instant?
Ani had seen the Survey Corps' cannons in action. Even those artillery shells weren't as devastating as Haruto's casual throw.
Not to mention, his accuracy far surpasses any cannon.
Steam rises from the Titan's mangled corpse, its blood and flesh evaporating into the air.
Titans' weak point is their nape.
If it isn't destroyed, they can regenerate, even if decapitated or dismembered.
Annie instinctively moves to finish off the Titan but Haruto stops her once again.
"Don't kill it. You should know what Pure Titans actually are."
Annie nods.
As a Marleyan Warrior, she is well aware.
"Pure Titans are Eldians who were transformed after being injected with Titan spinal fluid."
HAruto nods.
"That's why we should spare it. If luck is on its side, when we later obtain the Titan powers, it might be possible to restore its humanity."
Annie's eyes widen. A possibility she had never considered before! But before she can fully process the idea, Haruto continues,
"Of course, that only applies because I'm here. If you're ever alone, kill without hesitation. Don't let sympathy get you killed."
Annie rolls her eyes. At first glance, his words make sense.
But if you really think about it...
This guy is just showing off his ridiculous strength.
"How do we enter Wall Rose?" Annie asks.
Wall Rose- the second defensive wall of the island. Haruto glances at the towering barrier in the distance, a Fifty meters tall wall in height.
"Hmm... looks like something I could jump over in a single leap. Shouldn't be a problem."
Annie: "..."
She falls into a long, awkward silence. Meanwhile, Haruto scans the ruins of Shiganshina District. Titans don't actively destroy buildings—
they only target humans.
So, most houses remain intact, though their construction is crude. Made of mud bricks and wood, they look like they'd barely withstand a strong breeze. Life on Paradis Island is basically like living in the harsh medieval era.
Haruto tries to locate Eren's house.
The basement of Eren's house contains Marleyan intelligence. It could be useful for explaining things to the military inside the walls later.
But...
Neither the manga nor the anime provided a detailed layout of Shiganshina District. So there's no way to pinpoint its exact location.
"Do you know where Eren's house is?" Haruto asks Annie.
Annie shakes her head. Well, that's not surprising.
Haruto sighs. "Forget it, let's just head into Wall Rose."
The two begin their journey toward the wall. Walking through the desolate streets, Annie feels a mixture of emotions.
This place was once full of life.
She, Reiner, and Bertholdt had destroyed the walls, causing countless deaths and reducing this district to ruins. Back then, she had been indoctrinated by Marley's belief that all island dwellers were devils. But after actually living inside the walls, she finally understood the true weight of what she had done.
Taking lives had become something real.
Meanwhile, Haruto continues to casually pick up stones from the ground, hurling them with ease, blasting apart Titan skulls one after another.
Regardless of whether they were three-meter-class or ten-meter-class, regardless of whether they were abnormal Titans, In Haruto's eyes, there was no real difference.
After all, a single pebble could take care of them.
However, Haruto did make sure to completely kill the abnormal Titans.
There was no choice—these Titans were too lethal to ordinary soldiers. If left alive, a single abnormal Titan could devour multiple soldiers.
To Haruto, apart from the people he knew, all human lives weighed the same. The SCP Foundation protects humanity, always choosing the side with the greater numbers.
Moreover, before the Titan power was contained, these Titans couldn't even be considered human.
Just like that, the two of them leisurely arrived beneath Wall Rose. If anyone had seen them along the way, they would have been utterly shocked. After all, no human could stroll so casually through an area infested with Titans.
Haruto had already observed in advance, there were no patrols on Wall Rose at the moment.
The wall's maintenance had a set schedule.
Haruto beckoned to Annie.
Annie glanced at him before finally sighing and throwing herself into his arms, wrapping her arms around his neck.
Haruto held Annie with one arm while carrying the heavy equipment case with the other.
His stance slightly lowered.
Then, like a cannonball, the two of them shot into the sky.
A fifty-meter-high wall was an insurmountable barrier in the eyes of ordinary humans, but to Haruto's, it was just a light leap.
Landing atop Wall Rose, Haruto peered down at the city inside.
Within lay the Trost District.