How in the goddamn did Guts make it through the Eclipse?

[MacacoChimpa]

I've been thinking about it recently and'd like some perspectives on why he survived. I mean, he almost died against Wyald, and he was just a mid-tier apostle. How did Guts survive the way he did against dozens or even hundreds of apostles of probably the same calibre as monkey-man?

Was it because he wasn't looking to beat a foe of the Hawks and fight per se, but to dish out his anger in a hit-and-run fashion? Was it because the apostles didn't take him as a threat and were more occupied with gluttonously feasting on the Hawks?

 

[Aazealh]

Not sure what there is to explain given that the manga shows us pretty much everything Guts goes through during the Eclipse. It's all there for you to see.

But to humor you: it's a combination of things. It was a feast for the apostles, not a serious fight, and Guts wasn't dueling with them, just surviving. Also, Wyald wasn't a pushover and the apostles in the Eclipse weren't all on his level.

Besides that, Guts didn't face hundreds of apostles. He first fights a bunch of them on top of the hand. He gets in a few good hits, but is also badly wounded before eventually falling down to escape them. Then he's confronted with more and tries to rush through to get to Casca before they impale her. That's when he's stopped by Volkov. From then on, he only survives because Femto wants to torture him (by forcing him to watch), and then due to the Skull Knight's intervention.

 

[Walter]

Was it because the apostles didn't take him as a threat and were more occupied with gluttonously feasting on the Hawks?

None of the apostles take Guts very seriously. Consider it from their perspective: This isn't a fight or a duel. This is one of the biggest parties of their lives, and some of the chicken wings just jumped off the plate and are running around, trying not to get eaten. So they're toying with him. One of them wears the Falcons on their fingers. They know he's going to get eaten, so they're just savoring the flavor of getting to unleash themselves orgiastically.

 

[Lawliet]

What Aaz and Walter said above. I'll also add that this question is precisely why the Wyald section is crucial to the story - contrary to the claims of those who see it as superfluous: Guts needed a demonstration of skill and strength to show the reader that he was now at a level where he could survive, or even win, an encounter with an apostle. Compare his fight with Wyald with his understandably pathetic performance when he first met Zodd in apostle form. He came a long way since then. Defeating Wyald makes it credible for him to survive the Eclipse long enough for the Skull Knight to appear and get him out of there. Combine this with the answers provided above, and Guts' survival won't be so puzzling anymore.

...some of the chicken wings just jumped off the plate and are running around, trying not to get eaten.

Thanks for the metaphor. I'll never see chicken wings the same way again.