Lianye nodded and silently took a step back.
"Eh!? Wait, why me?"
Reiner came back to his senses. He had clearly planned to sell out his teammate, so how had he ended up being sold out instead?
Lianye shrugged and gave Reiner a thumbs-up. "A soldier must give it their all no matter what enemy they face. Isn't this exactly the time for that?"
It wasn't that he was afraid of Annie's fighting skills. It was just that Reiner had tried to set him up, so Lianye naturally showed no mercy as he kicked him straight into the pit he had dug himself. That was what bad friends were all about: better you than me.
This was what it meant to reap what you sow. Reiner's stubborn pride meant he couldn't shamefully back out and let Lianye take his place, so he could only steel himself and exchange a few moves with Annie—he could only hope this fellow countryman of his, no, fellow countrywoman, would go easy on him.
The clash between the two people with utterly disproportionate builds was decided in an instant. Annie grabbed Reiner's arm and kicked at his lower body, throwing off his balance. Then she caught and threw him, leaving Reiner perfectly flipped upside down and planted headfirst into the ground.
That move really was impressive. Watching from the sidelines, Lianye couldn't help praising her. If his earlier takedown of Reiner had relied more on his overwhelming strength, then Annie possessed far superior fighting technique—well worth watching and learning from.
"Can I go now?" Annie dusted off her hands and said boredly.
The sooner she finished, the sooner she could go slack off. That was probably what she was thinking.
"Cough... cough, no." Lianye hadn't spoken, but Reiner's muffled, heavy voice came from below. "Lianye