I Became the Villain of Attack on Titan

Ah… Why did I do this? Did I just lose my mind for a second?

Sparring against Mikasa…

I accepted because I thought it would be a good experience.

But now that everyone was watching like it was some kind of official match, I felt strangely nervous.

"Phew…"

I had never spoken a single word to Mikasa before.

And now, the first conversation we were going to have was with our fists. Just thinking about it made my legs stiffen.

Even as someone who had read the manga and watched the anime, I knew firsthand how terrifyingly strong she was.

The strongest lineage in humanity, following Levi and Kenny.

An Ackerman who could unleash Titan-like strength with just her body.

I could only pray she wasn't planning to go all out.

I had read an analysis once. It said she had casually lifted a steel beam weighing nearly a ton over her shoulder.

That kind of strength was something only a rhino—or maybe even an elephant—could achieve.

"At least a large animal, huh…"

"What?"

"…Nothing."

I muttered to myself, but Mikasa still responded.

Judging by her hardened expression, she must have heard me. Damn it.

"Alright, Mikasa, Shiniro. Try not to hurt each other too badly… It ends when one of you surrenders."

Eren awkwardly stood between us, looking uneasy.

Why does he look worried? If he was so concerned, why did he ask Mikasa to spar with me in the first place?

Anyway, Eren called out, "Start!"

The other kids held their breath, watching closely.

Even the instructors didn't seem inclined to stop us. Instead, they just watched from behind the children, as if enjoying a good show.

"Phew…"

I raised my guard.

If things got dangerous, I'd surrender immediately.

But I had some pride. At the very least, I needed to exchange a few blows.

Mikasa, seemingly unfazed, simply raised her guard and stepped toward me with steady strides.

A few days ago, I had seen Mikasa sparring several times.

And every time, I noticed one habit.

All of her attacks always started with a left jab.

Of course, I couldn't afford to underestimate it just because it was "only" a jab.

Reiner had once taken that attack on his guard and still ended up knocked out cold.

"Alright, just one clean hit..."

I planned to counter her jab with a slip-and-counter.

A technique used by countless fighters—dodging the jab by leaning back and using the momentum to strike back.

I had refined it further through training with Annie.

I wasn't sure about anything else, but if she let her guard down at the start, I might be able to land at least one solid hit.

"You can surrender whenever you want."

Mikasa's voice reached me as she stepped into my range.

She clearly didn't see me as a threat. She was practically telling me to give up before we even started.

Before I knew it, we were face to face.

A tense silence filled the air.

Then, in an instant, Mikasa's shoulder twitched.

Swoosh—!

Her jab shot toward me.

I had already read the signal from her shoulder, so I dodged by leaning back.

Mikasa's eyebrows twitched slightly, as if caught off guard.

Using the momentum from my movement, I stomped hard with my back foot and launched a straight punch.

The kinetic energy traveled from my legs, through my hips, and into my fist.

A textbook counterattack.

Whoosh!

Until Mikasa dodged it with inhuman reflexes.

'What the hell?!'

Even a pro boxer wouldn't have been able to react to that.

Mikasa's reaction speed was already beyond human.

Damn it. No time to be shocked—hesitating after missing a counter was the easiest way to get hit by a counter in return.

I used the momentum from my missed straight punch to twist my body and unleash a backspin elbow.

It was perfectly timed.

Swoosh—!

But all it struck was empty air.

Mikasa had barely tilted her head to evade it.

It was a difference of mere millimeters.

But she hadn't dodged on instinct or by luck.

She had seen my attack clearly and reacted accordingly.

Her dynamic vision was on the level of a wild predator.

'This is insane… Striking won't work.'

A stand-up fight was suicide.

The moment Mikasa decided to attack, I was dead.

As she leaned back slightly from dodging, I used that small opening to shoot in for a takedown.

At this point, my only option was grappling.

After all, the only way a human could subdue a lion was by choking it out.

Jiu-jitsu was my last hope.

Dash—!

Mikasa seemed momentarily caught off guard by the sudden tackle,

But her insane reflexes hadn't gone anywhere—

Even as she fell, she twisted her body in midair, trying to reverse the takedown.

However, I wasn't about to let her escape.

I tightened my grip around her body, refusing to be overthrown.

Thud!

Mikasa hit the ground, pinned beneath me.

"Whoaahhh!!"

Cheers erupted from the spectators, but I had no time to care.

I swiftly maneuvered into position, snaking my arms around her neck and under her armpit.

A chokehold.

At the same time, I gripped her collar and started tightening my hold with every ounce of strength I had.

I squeezed so hard my own vision started to blur.

Mikasa struggled beneath me, but the choke was already locked in.

There was no way out.

"Hnn…"

A shaky breath escaped her lips.

Did I… win?

Just as I felt a wave of relief—