The trick to attaining rapid speed with 3D Manuever Gear was the core, the hips, and correct application of gas. One merely had to combine it all together, like a dance, and you could soar through the air, a human-sized blur, the terrain whipping past as the wind bit deeply into exposed was only up here, at the highest apex, his body in a smooth rhythm of give and take, that Levi Ackerman felt truly alive. For brief moments he felt as if he was flying, only for the disappointing pull of the cords, the tug of gravity and inertia, to bring him back down to reality.
He was alone, for this mission was something only he could accomplish, and speed was of import. The rest of the expedition was holed up in an abandoned farmstead, and thankfully had avoided most of any potential Titan this time they'd manage to come back with no losses. Inwardly Levi wasn't holding his breath in that regard. His thoughts flickered back, through the book of time, each turn of the page marked with a name. He remembered them all, faces, hopes, and dreams, with each entry harboring a footnote at the bottom: Let not their sacrifice be in vain.
His fallen comrades was why he was out here, and why he'd continue to go beyond the wall, at least until age or luck caught up with him. This mission was just one more stone along the river of humanity's fight against the Titans.
One day, he believed, enough stones would be cast to cross to the other side.
As if summoned, a shadow appeared, as large as the trees through which he traveled. The Titan, a 15m behemoth with a child-like face, turned its head, like some misshapen predatory bird, as Levi flew past. The beast gave chase, going from standstill to a flat-out run that shook the forest.
It was a common misconception to the new recruits that Titans were slow and dumb. No, they were neither, but the speed they could move was the first, and most obvious danger. The second being that they were all different, and it was the subtle changes between each one that led to the most initial deaths. They were not dumb. They were simple. Figuring out the difference between the two being the deciding factor to if you were likely to make it back from your first expedition.
Thumbing the trigger, he released the hooks, free falling from his current height. He could hear the Titan closing in during that moment, and waited until instinct told him that the beast was nearly on him. He could see it now, the massive mouth open, trying to snatch him from the sky.
A flick of the wrist, a twist of the hips and he fired his right hook, latching onto a tree high above, using the momentum to swing him up. Even as he did so, he was turning, clenching his stomach against the pull of inertia, and got a brief flash of the Titan passing under him.
He angled his left hook to a tree far away, throttling the gas the moment it hit, turning his momentum and spinning him like a top. Both swords appeared in his hands, as if summoned into existence.
A tornado of death sliced across the Titan, cutting a bloody swath down its body, tearing flesh and destroying essential tendons. It couldn't stop its momentum, crashing face first into a tree, slumping down as steam hissed, already healing the wounds.
But Levi would give it no time to recover, his right hook catching the tree opposite, jerking him in the air as the servos whined in protest, trying to compensate and cushion the abrupt stop. He clicked both triggers, releasing the hooks, falling directly into a swan dive, his swords leading the way. He twisted his body, using his own momentum to increase the cutting power of the already sharp blades and felt the satisfying feeling of metal biting flesh. A neat chunk in the shape of a V was sliced off, and the Titan groaned, already beginning to dissolve as Levi continued on his way, having already forgotten about his latest conquest.
Levi had more important things on his mind. Up ahead was the site of the worst massacre in Survey Corp history. And he had a lot of bodies to shift through…
All for a scroll and a bit of hope.