Location: The Pocket Dimension
The "sky" of the Pocket Dimension was currently set to a pleasant, infinite dusk. The temperature was a perfect 72°F (22°C).
Ren stood on the balcony of his villa, looking down at the lawn. It was a surreal sight.
On the left side of the garden, Maggie, Andrea, and Amy (from The Walking Dead) were cleaning their weapons. They looked rugged, tired but hardened.
On the right side, Saeko, Saya, Shizuka, and Hirano (from High School of the Dead) were standing in a huddle, looking like they had just been abducted by aliens—which, effectively, they had.
[Ren's Internal Monologue]
I need to manage this carefully. If I tell them they're characters from comic books and anime, they'll have an existential crisis. To them, their pain is real. Their worlds are real. So, the narrative remains: I am a Traveler. I save the worthy from dying worlds.
Ren walked down the stairs to the garden.
"Gather round," Ren announced.
The two groups looked at him.
"Let's clear up the geography," Ren pointed to the TWD crew. "Maggie, Andrea, Amy—you are my vanguard. You come from a world destroyed by a virus."
He pointed to the HOTD crew. "Saeko, Saya, Shizuka, Hirano—you come from a different world, also destroyed by a virus. Different strain, different timeline, same result."
"Different worlds?" Saya Takagi adjusted her glasses, looking skeptical. "Multiverse theory? You expect us to believe that?"
"You're standing in a pocket dimension with an artificial sun, Saya," Ren countered dryly. "Is the multiverse really where you draw the line?"
Saya opened her mouth to argue, then closed it. "Point taken."
"Where are the others?" Hirano asked, looking around nervously. "The police man? The baby?"
"Rick and the main group are back in their world," Ren explained. "They are holding a fortress called 'The Prison'. They are safe. You four live here now. This dimension is your base. You sleep here, you train here."
"And when do we leave?" Saeko asked, testing the balance of the Murasame blade Ren had given her.
" soon," Ren said. "But first, we check the inventory."
System Status Review
Ren pulled up his interface. It was visible only to him, glowing in the air.
[Name: Ren]
[Race: Sovereign Titan Shifter (Hybrid)]
[Level: 6]
[Current System Points: 6,350]
[Attributes (Base Human Form):]
Strength: 35 (Super Soldier + Valkyrie Protocol Bonus + Level Ups)
Agility: 40 (ODM Mastery + Level Ups)
Vitality: Infinite (Regenerative Factor)
Intelligence: 18 (Tactical Leadership Boosts)
Mana/Energy: High (Lightning Elementalist)
[Active Skills:]
Grandmaster of Warfare: Max
Incubus Charisma: Max (Passive)
Limit Breaker: Passive
Elementalist (Lightning): Level 3
Telekinesis: Level 2 (Magnetic/Force)
Titan Shifting: Sovereign Form (15m, Armor, Warhammer)
ODM Gear Proficiency: Master
[Party Buffs:]
Valkyrie Protocol (Tier 1): Active on all 7 followers. (+10 Stats, Durability).
"I have 6,000 points," Ren mused. "I need to save them. The next world... Titans are big, but the real threat is the politics and the shifters."
The Clash of Personalities
While Ren was managing his stats, social friction was heating up on the lawn.
Saya Takagi walked over to the Humvee and inspected the supplies the TWD crew had organized.
"This organization is inefficient," Saya critiqued loudly. "You have perishables mixed with ammo. Cross-contamination risk."
Maggie, who had spent months surviving in the woods eating squirrels, glared at the pink-haired genius.
"We organize it so we can grab guns fast," Maggie said sharply. "We don't care about 'contamination' when a biter is trying to eat your face."
"Well, you should," Saya huffed. "Disease kills more people than zombies. I can restructure this inventory in an hour."
"Don't touch my stuff," Daryl would have said, but Daryl wasn't here. Instead, Andrea stepped up.
"Let her do it," Andrea said calmly. "If she wants to be the quartermaster, let her. We need shooters, not organizers."
Meanwhile, Saeko approached Amy.
"That gun," Saeko pointed to the Glock on Amy's hip. "It is loud. Clumsy."
"It keeps me alive," Amy said defensively.
"A blade never runs out of ammo," Saeko said, drawing the Murasame an inch. The air hummed.
"Can you cut a target at fifty yards?" Amy challenged.
"I can close the distance before they pull the trigger," Saeko smiled.
"Alright, settle down," Ren walked into the middle of them. "We're not fighting each other. We're fighting giants."
"Giants," Hirano repeated, his eyes shining. "Like... Kaiju?"
"Like Titans," Ren corrected. "Man-eating humanoid biological weapons ranging from three to sixty meters tall."
The group went silent.
"Wait," Shizuka raised her hand. "Sixty... meters? That's bigger than the school!"
"Yes," Ren said. "And they regenerate. The only way to kill them is to slice out the nape of their neck."
He looked at Saeko. "That's why I need you. You have the precision."
He looked at Hirano. "I need you on the heavy weapons. Anti-Titan artillery."
He looked at Saya. "I need you to figure out the politics. The King there is a puppet. I need to know who pulls the strings."
"A puppet monarchy?" Saya's eyes lit up. "Now that is a puzzle I can solve."
Training for the Jump
Ren spent the next three days in the dimension training them.
He couldn't teach them to use ODM gear (he didn't have enough sets yet), so he focused on Titan Doctrine.
He summoned a 10-meter dummy made of Titan Hardening crystal.
"Saeko, go."
Saeko moved. With her upgraded stats from the Valkyrie Protocol, she was faster than an Olympian. She sprinted up the dummy's leg, used the Murasame to stab into the 'flesh' for leverage, and vaulted to the neck.
SLASH.
The high-frequency blade sliced through the crystal nape like butter.
"Good," Ren nodded. "But remember, real Titans grab. If you get grabbed, you die. No second chances."
He turned to the TWD crew.
"Maggie, Andrea. You're ground support. You aim for the eyes. Blind them so Saeko can kill them."
"Understood," Maggie said, shouldering her rifle.
The Departure: Return to Paradis
On the fourth day, Ren gathered everyone in the villa.
"We are going to a place called Paradis Island," Ren briefed. "The year is roughly 850. It is a medieval society surrounded by walls. We will appear as travelers from outside."
"Do we speak the language?" Saya asked.
"My Buff Ability handles translation," Ren assured. "But keep your tech hidden. No cell phones. No Humvees unless it's an emergency. Hirano, keep the M4 hidden under a cloak."
Ren stood before the portal.
[World Jump Initiated.]
[Destination: Attack on Titan.]
[Timeline: Year 850 (Battle of Trost Arc).]
[Location: Trost District - Rear Guard.]
"Time to save another world," Ren said.
He stepped through.
Trost District - The Calm Before the Storm
The transition was instant. The smell of clean air and stone walls returned.
They stood in a quiet alley in Trost District. The streets were filled with cadets in brown jackets—the 104th Training Corps. They were celebrating their graduation from yesterday.
"Look at them," Ren whispered, leaning against a wall. "They have no idea."
"They're just kids," Andrea noted, looking at a group of laughing teens nearby.
Ren scanned the crowd. He saw them.
Eren Jaeger. Mikasa Ackerman. Armin Arlert.
They were sitting at a cafe table. Eren looked intense as always. Mikasa was staring at Eren.
"Target spotted," Ren said.
Suddenly, the familiar sound of a cannon firing signaled noon.
And then, the second sound.
KRA-KOOM!
Yellow lightning struck the Wall near the gate.
"It's happening," Ren said. "The Colossal Titan just appeared."
Screams erupted. "Titan! It's the Colossal!"
Ren turned to his team.
"Saeko, stay with me. Saya, Hirano, Maggie, Andrea—get to the evacuation route. Help the civilians. Use your weapons only if necessary."
"Where are you going?" Maggie asked.
Ren looked at the massive cloud of steam rising over the wall.
"I'm going to say hello to an old friend."
Ren looked at Mikasa in the distance. She was drawing her blades, her face a mask of terror and resolve.
Ren adjusted his coat.
[Quest Generated: The Battle of Trost.]
[Objective: Prevent the breach of the Inner Gate.]
[Bonus Objective: Save Thomas Wagner and Mina Carolina (Canon Fodder).]
"Let's hunt," Ren said.