There is options to add linux-lts and linux-zen along with vanilla linux, but I want to only use linux-lts.
Of course working around that is easy,
sudo pacman -Rns linux linux-headers && sudo grub-mkconfig -o /boot/grub/grub.cfg
will do the trick, but I’d love to be able to not have to do that…
My guess is the kernel is included in the “Base-devel + common packages - Don’t change unless you know what you are doing” checkbox in the installer. In other words: it is unlikely there is a method for installing without linux that is as easy and uncomplicated as the “work around” you have already mentioned. 
By the way, in this case “sudo pacman -R” is enough.
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Perhaps you could have a look into /etc/modules/netinstall.yaml (hope I got the location right) and replace linux and linux-headers with whatever other kernel you want.
Please note that I haven’'t tried it myself so I cannot personally guarantee that it would work. But I don’t see why it shouldn’t
If you install arch linux then the kernel is installed with pacstrap, i suspect that the kernel can be found in the following file.
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I see, akm uses Rns so I figured that’d be the best way lol
You don’t know that, but you want one another kernel on board. Just in case one of them explodes for any funny reason 
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