Chapter 36: The Conversation Ends, Rebellion Begins!

Erwin was somewhat puzzled. Levi, however, snorted coldly at this moment.

"Brat, you're not making up lies just to mess with the Survey Corps, are you?"

Haruto looked at the two of them and felt a bit sentimental, 'Tch, I need to find a way to recruit these two into the SCP Foundation.They are top-tier decision-makers and elite executioners, after all!'

Then, he turned his gaze toward the surrounding darkness. With the naked eye, it was almost impossible to notice anything unusual.

But with Haruto's powerful perception, he could detect that over a dozen people were lurking in the darkness.

They were hidden in the shadows; at the corners, on rooftops, in trees. These people were all combat elites. With modernized training and more advanced equipment, They could almost form a fully capable Mobile Task Force.

Noticing Haruto's gaze, Erwin and Levi were both shocked.

The members present on this mission were the true elite of the Survey Corps. They belonged to Levi's squad and Hange's squad.

Yet, their ambush had been easily seen through by this man. His reconnaissance abilities were terrifying.

Shifting his gaze back to Erwin, Haruto smiled and spoke,

"Commander Erwin, two questions; do you believe there are humans beyond the walls? And what do you think Titans are?"

Levi's expression darkened, about to lash out. They came here seeking answers, not to be interrogated.

But Erwin held him back.

The commander looked at him and said solemnly,

"Both of those questions are ones that the Survey Corps is seeking answers to. But as of now, we have not reached a conclusion."

Haruto shook his head.

"No, I'm asking you, your thoughts, Commander Erwin."

These words made Erwin frown.

After a brief silence, he suddenly spoke:

"There are humans beyond the walls, aren't there? And Titans... their true nature is human."

As soon as Erwin said this, Levi had the biggest reaction. His eyes widened as he turned toward the commander.

"Erwin, what are you saying...?"

The Survey Corps members hidden in the shadows were also filled with confusion and shock.

Titans are human?

How could that be!?

Haruto, however, simply clapped his hands and smiled.

"As expected of Commander Erwin."

At this stage in the Attack on Titan timeline, Eren Yeager had yet to transform into a Titan.

The corps had no intelligence regarding Titan shifters.

However, the appearance and sudden disappearance of the Colossal Titan and Armored Titan had provided some room for speculation.

And with just these scattered clues, Erwin had already deduced the basic truth.

After all, as the commander of the Survey Corps, he always planned for humanity's future under the worst possible circumstances.

That was why, ever since Erwin took over, the corps had avoided large-scale casualties during expeditions beyond the walls.

After clapping, Haruto lowered his hands and spoke seriously,

"This world is vast. Beyond the walls, there are much larger territories, with a population hundreds, even thousands of times that of the people inside the walls. But Titans are only rampant here, within and around these walls.

The reason is simple. The true nature of Titans is human—humans transformed by a special process. Everyone inside the walls belongs to a race called Eldians; a race that can become Titans."

These words plunged everyone present into stunned silence.

Levi stared at Haruto, his hand gripping the hilt of his blades.

This guy was spouting absolute nonsense. If what he said was true, then what was the point of all the sacrifices the Survey Corps had made?

The countless Wings of Freedom emblems gathering dust in his drawer—

Were they all meaningless deaths?

Had they merely been killing their own kind?

But Erwin, at this moment, remained extraordinarily calm.

He nodded.

"Interesting theory. Do you have any evidence?"

He neither denied nor affirmed it; what he wanted was proof.

Haruto nodded.

"Of course. And it's conclusive evidence."

The next moment, steam suddenly erupted from Haruto's body.

"What!?"

Levi instantly drew his dual blades, watching the steam warily.

Erwin's pupils contracted sharply, recalling the disappearance of the Colossal and Armored Titans.

The sound of metal scraping rapidly echoed in the darkness.

That was the sound of Omni-Directional Mobility Gear being deployed.

At the same time, several people rushed out from the shadows, surrounding the steam-filled area in formation.

Everyone was on high alert, eyes fixed on the thick steam obscuring their vision.

Then, suddenly, a massive hand shot out from the steam.

The powerful force instantly dispersed the mist.

"A Titan!?"

Levi's ODM hooks shot out toward the arm, preparing to kill the Titan immediately.

But as the steam cleared, his eyes widened in shock.

Beneath the dissipating steam, only part of a skeleton and a single massive arm remained.

Haruto pulled his hand free from the skeletal structure, severing the connected nerves. As he stepped out of the skeletal remains, the enormous Titan hand slowly began to release more steam.

"Levi, stand down!"

Erwin immediately issued the order.

But Levi had already launched himself at Haruto. His body spun in midair, twin blades cutting down with powerful momentum.

This guy was far too dangerous.

Hearing Erwin's order, Levi tried to stop mid-air,

But the momentum was too strong to fully halt his attack.

Yet, Haruto didn't retreat.

Instead, he stepped forward—

Reaching out with both hands and clamping down precisely on Levi's arms. Levi, who had been moving at high speed, came to an abrupt halt.

His blades stopped inches from Haruto.

Levi's eyes widened in disbelief.

Impossible!

He had never encountered someone stronger than himself.

And from just this brief exchange, it was clear—

The man before him wasn't just stronger.

It was an overwhelming difference.

Haruto released his grip.

Levi quickly stepped back, staring at him with shock in his eyes. But Haruto no longer paid him any mind, turning instead to Erwin.

"Is this kind of evidence sufficient to prove something?"

Erwin nodded deeply.

If humans could transform into Titans, then Haruto's information was over 90% credible. At that moment, someone suddenly rushed toward the steaming Titan remains.

"Squad Leader Hange!"

A voice called out from behind, filled with urgency and desperation.

—Hange Zoe.

A scientific maniac.

Obsessed with studying Titans.

At this moment, she had leaped directly onto the still-steaming Titan corpse.

"Titan!"

Hange shouted excitedly, only to nearly burn herself from the heat, causing her to fall back onto the ground.

Behind her, someone followed with an expression of both pain and helplessness.

"Squad Leader Hange, it's too dangerous! Please step back!"

But they couldn't restrain her enthusiasm at all.

Seeing this, Haruto couldn't help but facepalm.

"Why did you guys bring her here?"

Hearing this, Levi instinctively let out a "Huh?" of confusion.

But then, looking at Hange's reaction, Levi found himself speechless.

Erwin snapped out of his contemplation.

"Can you tell me about the world outside the walls?"

Haruto nodded.

That was exactly what he intended to do.

Erwin was the key to changing the fate of the world within the walls.

"Let's start with the Eldians."

He began explaining the true history of the world of Titans.

Ymir, the progenitor, was originally a slave. One day, by chance, she came into contact with a mysterious creature and gained the power of the Titans.

However, despite obtaining this power, Ymir still remained subservient to the first King Fritz.

Under King Fritz's ambitions, Ymir used her Titan power to ravage the world and expand his territory. Eventually, during an assassination attempt on King Fritz, Ymir died, and her children devoured her corpse.

Thus, the Titan power was passed down and split into the Nine Titans.

All existing Eldians today are descendants of Ymir and possess the potential to transform into Titans.

A while later King Fritz, unwilling to continue the destruction, took most of the Eldians to an island. There, he enclosed them within three great walls, both imprisoning and protecting them. At the same time, using the power of the Founding Titan, he altered everyone's memories, creating the present walled world.

Meanwhile, the nation of Marley, which had seized control of some Eldians, brainwashed and wielded seven of the Nine Titans as weapons.

Marley used these Titans to wage war, leading the rest of the world to despise and fear the Eldians. However, as technology advanced, the power of Titans gradually became less overwhelming on the battlefield. Thus, Marley began seeking the Founding Titan.

The Founding Titan was said to possess the legendary Coordinate power, which could control all Titans and even trigger the "Rumbling."

The three walls on Paradis Island were, in fact, made up of countless Colossal Titans hardened into a barrier.

The so-called "Rumbling" would release these Colossal Titans to trample the entire world.

Haruto systematically laid out the information.

Everyone in the Survey Corps was plunged into immense confusion.

So their real enemies weren't Titans?

But rather, countless humans outside the walls?

Then how could the Survey Corps ever achieve the freedom they sought?

Levi instinctively looked at Erwin, waiting for his decision.

But...

"Erwin, why are you smiling?" Levi asked in confusion.

Hearing this, Erwin was momentarily stunned before quickly restraining his smile.

As a child, his ignorance had cost his father's life.

Erwin's father was a teacher who taught history. As a boy, Erwin had questioned the history of Paradis Island.

If there were no humans beyond the walls, how had that conclusion been reached?

He had asked his father for an answer.

And his father had replied that perhaps history itself was fabricated.

Later, in a casual conversation with his peers, Erwin mentioned the possibility that history was a lie. The royal government overheard.

And Erwin lost his father.

Tormented by regret over his childhood ignorance, Erwin transformed that regret into a mission, his driving force. To prove that humans existed beyond the walls, to see the truth with his own eyes in his father's place—that was Erwin's wish.

And now, that wish was nearly fulfilled.

But now, he had to fulfill his duty as Commander of the Survey Corps.

"The Colossal and Armored Titans are intelligent Titans sent by Marley to seize the power of the Founding Titan. If humans can turn into Titans, then these two must have infiltrated the walls as well?"

Erwin asked.

It was the most urgent matter that needed to be addressed within the walls.

Haruto nodded.

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(T/N: Dunno bout this but this numbers are included)

"They have indeed infiltrated, but I have already sent people to deal with them. There's no need for you to worry, Commander."

Erwin was silent for a moment before asking,

"The Founding Titan belonged to King Fritz, so now…"

If the current royal government possessed the Founding Titan yet allowed the people within the walls to suffer and die needlessly, Then Erwin would find a way to eliminate them.

Haruto snapped his fingers.

"That's the issue; the current royal government is not the true royal lineage. The one on the throne is a false king, a puppet installed by the nobility. The Founding Titan has already been lost."

Erwin narrowed his eyes, fixing Haruto with a piercing gaze.

"You want me to overthrow the government?"

A statement so shocking it could shake the world.

At these words, the rest of the Survey Corps widened their eyes in disbelief. If the previous revelations had merely shocked them, this suggestion terrified them.

After all, if the royal government heard this…

The entire Survey Corps would be purged.

Haruto smiled brightly.

Talking with Erwin was remarkably easy.

The man before him always put humanity's hope first. While others hesitated to challenge the authority of the royal government, Erwin crossed that line effortlessly.

Haruto's smile was all the answer Erwin needed. Erwin stared at Haruto for a long moment before taking a deep breath.

"And what is your goal, then? Now that I think about it, I still don't know your name."

"My name is Takamine Haruto." He pointed at Erwin, then at the gathered soldiers. "My goal is to save humanity."

That concluded their conversation.

Although there was still much unknown, Erwin didn't ask further.

He needed to verify the truth of Haruto's claims first. And for now, these revelations were enough to keep him occupied for a long time.

As their discussion wrapped up, Erwin asked,

"Haruto, what will you do next?"

He thought for a moment before snapping his fingers again.

"I have a request, arrange for me to join that place."

(T/N: Longest chapter yet, I could have butchered the chapter but decided not to. I am not a monster that will ruin the flow of the story and the immersion of the readers.

Look at me mom, I'm changing.)