"Hah!"
With a low shout, Eren attacked.
His movements were fast, simple, and straightforward, the product of long years of rigorous training.
As for Rayan, although he usually did not slack off, there was still a noticeable gap between him and Eren.
The two were like students at school with similar talent, but while Rayan would go home to eat, rest, and sleep after class, Eren would finish dinner and then study diligently for a few more hours.
Over time, even if their natural abilities were close, a huge difference inevitably emerged.
Right now, that gap was plain to see. Eren's movements were crisp and efficient, with no wasted effort, while Rayan's defense seemed clumsy by comparison.
"Too slow, Rayan!"
Eren rushed forward, grabbed Rayan's arm, twisted his body, and tried to execute a shoulder throw.
However, when he exerted force, he suddenly found that Rayan's body had become like a small mountain, his legs firmly rooted to the ground.
No matter how hard he tried, he could not move him at all.
"What is going on?!"
"Exactly what I am saying," Rayan replied, grabbing Eren's belt with a casual motion, applying a small amount of force, and tossing him outward.
Eren was thrown two or three meters away, stumbling back several steps and almost falling flat on the ground.
Rayan sighed as he looked at Eren's dumbfounded face.
"The nickname you guys gave me actually makes some sense."
"..."
Eren stared at him, a mix of frustration and amazement.
"Rayan, I see you eating nothing but bread and drinking soup every day. How did you get so strong?"
"Yeah, with such a thin body," Reiner added, nodding along.
"It is really strange."
You two faced actor, you actually have the nerve to talk about me.
Rayan glanced at Reiner, who chuckled awkwardly and then noticed something, raising his eyebrows slightly.
"Look over there."
The two followed his gaze and immediately spotted Annie, idly leaning against a tree.
"It is Annie, doing her usual trick of slacking off without getting caught by the instructors," Eren said, clearly used to Annie's laziness during training sessions.
"That will not do. We cannot let that kind of attitude slide," Reiner said with a mischievous grin.
"Let us go teach her what it means to be a real soldier."
"..."
Rayan looked at Reiner's exaggerated expression, wondering if this top actor among the titans was already starting to develop a split personality.
Honestly, he had gotten way too deep into his undercover role. His acting was so good, he even fooled himself.
That was the mark of a true actor. If you did not develop a split personality, you had not immersed yourself deeply enough into the role.
While chatting, the three of them walked over to Annie.
Reiner looked down at her, smirking provocatively.
"You definitely do not want to eat one of Instructor Shadis's headbutts, right? If you do not want to end up even shorter, you better remember why you came here and start practicing seriously."
"..."
Annie's face shifted, her indifferent expression slowly twisting into something downright ferocious.
Even Eren, who was usually fearless, took a step back in alarm.
"Hey, hey, Reiner, what are you saying..."
"Good luck, Eren!"
Reiner shamelessly pushed Eren forward.
Although surprised, Eren did not resist.
Instead, he kindly warned her, genuinely concerned that Annie might get hurt.
In response, Annie silently raised her hands, took a small step back with her right foot, and assumed a stance similar to the opening posture of Muay Thai.
"I am coming!"
Eren shouted a second warning, then charged forward, swinging his wooden sword like a thug.
In an instant, Annie kicked him sharply in the shin.
Eren collapsed to the ground.
So fast...
Rayan watched from behind, astonished at her speed and precision.
A bad feeling crept over him, and he quietly tried to slip away.
"Can I leave now?"
Annie asked calmly.
"No no no, Annie," Reiner said, grabbing Rayan, who was trying to sneak off.
"There is still one more thug left."
"...Reiner, you would make a better thug than me," Rayan said dryly.
"No no no," Reiner insisted, pushing Rayan toward Annie with a grin.
"A fight between two shorties will be much more entertaining. Remember, the goal is to take the opponent's wooden sword."
"..."
Before Rayan could even retort, Annie struck first.
Clearly, she had no intention of dragging this out.
She went straight for Rayan's shin, just like she did with Eren.
However, Rayan was different.
He was alert and cautious.
The moment Annie moved, he stepped back and dodged cleanly.
"Whoosh!"
The next second, Annie lunged forward, locking her arm around Rayan's neck while her other hand grabbed his collar, twisting her hips to throw him down.
Rayan, annoyed now, refused to budge.
He shifted his weight, making his body incredibly heavy just like he had earlier against Eren.
Sure enough, Annie's throw failed.
Her sharp eyes flashed with frustration.
"That is what happens when you slack off," Rayan said, grabbing her shoulder.
A chill ran down Annie's spine.
Without hesitation, she raised her knee toward his groin.
Watching from the side, Eren and Reiner flinched instinctively.
"Thump!"
Before her knee could connect, Rayan acted.
He grabbed Annie's shoulder, pressed down hard, and slammed her to the ground with a heavy thud.
Then he swiftly straddled her, pinning her arms and completely immobilizing her.
Their eyes locked.
Annie's icy blue gaze was filled with burning anger, furious at the humiliating position she was trapped in.
"Stop stop stop!"
Reiner rushed over in a panic, clearly afraid of what might happen next, and started pulling them apart, frantically signaling to Annie with his eyes.
Eren quickly chimed in.
"What are you two doing?! Why are you not following the standard training moves?"
"..."
After being separated by Reiner, Annie silently stood up.
She gave Rayan one last sharp look but said nothing, then turned and walked away without a word.
Reiner, meanwhile, heaved a huge sigh of relief and looked at Rayan with surprise.
"I did not expect it... Rayan, you actually managed to subdue her."
"Yeah,"
Rayan nodded absentmindedly, inwardly cursing himself for being reckless.
He should have let Annie throw him.
He should not have fought back.
With his current strength, no ordinary human could withstand his full force.
Not even humanity's strongest soldier, Levi.
In hand to hand combat, Rayan had an overwhelming advantage.
But what if Annie had gotten seriously angry and unleashed her titan power?
Then Rayan would have been finished right there.
Seriously... I cannot be so impulsive next time.
------------
Try Other Fics I Have
•SAO: I replaced him?
•Anime: I Want Harem
•DxD: I am Kanda Sorata
•Anime: Curse Of Immortality
•Genshin Impact: I have Broken System