CHAPTER 168
The Commander-in-Chief election meeting hall.
Heated arguments were flying back and forth in the hall right from the start.

"I'm telling you, if we leave Black Dawn alone in the current situation, we're doomed!"
"What are you talking about when we've already caught almost all the Sinners?"
"Caught them, my ass! Did you even read the report properly? Those bastards came back to life!"
"That hasn't been confirmed yet, has it?"

The Center, whose main job was administration, and the Frontlines, who operated directly in the field.
The difference in opinion between the two was incredibly tense.
It wasn't that the Center was ignorant of Black Dawn's danger. After all, the Regular Army was established in part to stop them.
But they couldn't just hand the initiative over to the Frontlines here.
Black Dawn was practically the most critical issue for the Frontlines.
If they conceded that point right off the bat, the Center's speaking power would be pushed back, which was why they were acting this way.

"You bastards! The Commander-in-Chief election isn't what's important right now! The Regular Army shouldn't be divided; we need to unite and catch those fuckers!"
"We all know that. That's exactly why it's only right for the Center, which can issue orders more easily, to take the Commander-in-Chief position."
"How are you armchair generals, who've only seen how the frontlines run from your desks, supposed to know how to catch Black Dawn?!"
"Hah, this is why I hate these discussions. Because we take our eyes off the immediate field, we can see the broader picture and read the enemy's intentions."
"In the first place, you guys eat up all the time with your interim reports, delaying our responses! If all authority goes to your side, it won't just get worse, it'll turn into a total shitshow!"
"We prioritize reports as well. It's necessary to issue proper orders, so it's troubling when you complain about the delay, isn't it?"

The opinions of the two Lieutenant Generals clashed fiercely.
The other Lieutenant Generals chimed in with a word or two, or spat out heated remarks.
Amidst this constantly clashing debate.
Anastasia sat quietly with her arms crossed.
From the very beginning, she had expected the Center and the Frontlines to end up like this.
That was also why she had been reluctant to take the Commander-in-Chief position.
Because she didn't want to see the Regular Army fighting amongst themselves.

"Anastasia."

At that moment, a voice reached her ears.
Sitting opposite her was Kandelhar.
He wore a calm expression despite the squabbling of the Lieutenant Generals.
He was someone who originally handled political activities as a representative of the Regular Army.
He was already accustomed to this kind of factional infighting.

"This is something you and I brought upon ourselves."

Hearing his words, Anastasia remained silent.
As he said, if either of them had stepped down, it would have been easily resolved.
However, neither Kandelhar nor Anastasia had given up on the Commander-in-Chief position, and both had come to this meeting.

"The process of narrowing differences is harsh. Especially so when the lives of one's faction are on the line."

He said this while staring intently at Anastasia.

"Both you and I should have expected this. But it feels like you're still not fully prepared."

Anastasia's shoulders flinched.
Kandelhar's eyes were piercing right through her.

"If that's the mindset you intend to bring to the Commander-in-Chief position, then step down."

Kandelhar said that with utmost sincerity.
There were no ill intentions or greed in his words.
It was a demand to step down for the sake of the Regular Army.

"..."

Anastasia fell silent for a brief moment.
Although she had declared she would become the Commander-in-Chief, hesitation still lingered deep within her heart.
Was her becoming the Commander-in-Chief truly the right thing to do?
Such thoughts constantly swirled in her mind.
However, if she had intended to proceed with only that mindset, she would have rejected the Commander-in-Chief position to the very end.

"No."

Anastasia rejected Kandelhar's advice.

"I will become the Commander-in-Chief."

She had personally run across the frontlines on her own two feet.
And there, she had witnessed countless scenes and felt the role they needed.
The current frontlines needed a Commander-in-Chief.
They needed a Commander-in-Chief who could run alongside them.
And Anastasia had made up her mind to fulfill that duty herself.
Kandelhar watched her for a moment before letting out a short chuckle and turning his head.

"Alright, then that settles it."

Was it merely to confirm her resolve?
Even that was an action born from his own composure.
A face full of confidence that he would be the one to win.
To lightly remind her of the gap between them and walk away.
It was abundantly clear that Kandelhar was far more adept in this arena.
Anastasia took a deep breath.

But even so, Kandelhar still failed to fully grasp the true danger of Black Dawn.

That level of danger was something only those who actively ran the battlefields could truly feel.

"That's why."
"You guys."
"Enough."

Therefore, Anastasia decided she would no longer just sit back and watch.
She cut off everyone’s remarks and stood up from her seat at the same time.

"Lieutenant Generals of the Central Branch."

The eyes of the Central Lieutenant Generals, who hadn't expected Anastasia to make the first move, immediately focused on her.
Facing them, Anastasia declared.

"You all know the danger of Black Dawn well enough. So, for the sake of that future you all consider so heavily, I propose a deal."

It was the single card she had prepared.

"If I become the Commander-in-Chief, the moment Black Dawn is completely eradicated, I will immediately step down from the position."

The Central Lieutenant Generals unconsciously let their jaws drop.
They knew all too well the massive ripple effect that statement would cause.

Anastasia had no greed for the position of Commander-in-Chief.
The only thing she desired was the total annihilation of Black Dawn.
She had essentially just announced that fact to everyone in the room.

The noble will required of the Regular Army.
Right now, in this very moment, no one could surpass Anastasia when it came to that sheer will.

No one could deny that Anastasia was the foremost expert when it came to dealing with Black Dawn.
She had spent more time on the frontlines than anyone else, and everyone on the frontlines trusted her.

To voice an objection here would be tantamount to saying they wouldn't prioritize stopping Black Dawn.
And as a Lieutenant General of the Regular Army, that was something they could never say out loud.

It was a checkmate move Anastasia had prepared specifically for this debate.
Her declaration pierced through every Lieutenant General present.

Inferno clenched his fists under the table.
Since Anastasia had been agonizing over this alone, he had been doing things behind the scenes to prepare for her.
But Anastasia had brought a much stronger move than he anticipated.

Inferno didn't necessarily want Anastasia to be Commander-in-Chief forever, either.
He just wanted the focus to shift from the Center to the Frontlines—at least until Black Dawn was caught.

While the Central Lieutenant Generals kept their mouths shut, unable to speak up hastily, the Frontline Lieutenant Generals cheered internally.
Because their priority, too, was defeating Black Dawn above all else.

"Until Black Dawn is eradicated, you say."

And then, through the heavy silence hanging over the debate hall, a single voice rang out.
Mordin, a Central Lieutenant General.
He, who had been quietly observing all this time, finally spoke up.

"Can we ever definitively say that Black Dawn has been eradicated? We've been fighting them for decades, and yet they still remain."

Black Dawn didn't engage the Regular Army in head-on clashes.
That was exactly what made them such a massive headache.

"That's exactly why we're going to pull them out by the roots this time," a voice from the Frontlines shot back, refusing to back down.

"How many times do you think the Frontlines have reported that exact same sentiment?"

At Mordin's retort, the Frontline Lieutenant Generals flared up in anger.

"Let's admit what needs to be admitted. The reality is that the Frontlines have clashed with Black Dawn countless times, yet you still haven't managed to catch them."
"We've been doing our absolute best—!"
"Yes, and that means your 'best' hasn't been enough."

Mordin quietly slammed his hand on the table.

"And that, in turn, proves your incompetence."
"Mordin!"
"Have you lost your mind?!"

Despite the uproar from the Frontline Lieutenant Generals, Mordin looked back at Anastasia with an unfazed expression.

"Even Sir Rapha Hastel couldn't pull Black Dawn out by their roots in the end. Starting from the last raid on Black Dawn's main base, all the way to Cruden Island—despite investing massive amounts of manpower and funds, we failed to uproot them."

It was blatant criticism directed at the Frontlines.
However, it was also the undeniable reality.

"Where do you think that manpower and funding comes from? The Frontlines have only barely been maintained because the Center has been backing you up all this time. Do you realize how narrow-minded it is to think the Frontlines are unconditionally right without acknowledging that?"

Did the Center just play around while the Frontlines fought?
Of course not.
It was the Center's duty that kept the Frontlines running until now.
They hadn't just been sitting in the capital solely for their own self-interest.

"And despite all of this, the reality is that Black Dawn's plans are still steadily progressing."

If only they had caught the Deadly Sins on the frontlines.
If only they had eliminated their focal point, Asheria Eve.
The "what-ifs" were endless, but the lingering regrets were very real.

"In a situation like this, you're saying you'll eradicate Black Dawn—something even Sir Rapha Hastel couldn't do—and then step down?"

Mordin scoffed and looked straight at Anastasia.

"Anastasia, are you confident you can lead the Regular Army better than Sir Rapha Hastel?"

Rapha Hastel was the pride and identity of the Regular Army.
Could the current Lieutenant Generals really achieve something that even he couldn't?

"Keeping both the Center and the Frontlines from collapsing was purely the achievement of Sir Rapha Hastel. If you can't accomplish both of those things, don't even think about becoming Commander-in-Chief with some half-hearted mindset. Because I will oppose it to the bitter end."

Silence fell once more.
Mordin was questioning Anastasia's fundamental qualifications to be Commander-in-Chief.
Not with some shallow mindset of just cleaning up Black Dawn and leaving.
But whether she could truly lead the Regular Army and move them forward as their supreme commander.
He was asking about that core truth.

Everyone's eyes converged on Anastasia.
Could she become a Commander-in-Chief who surpassed Rapha Hastel?
The words she needed to say right now couldn't just be optimistic theories about trying her best.
She needed the sheer, undeniable will to prove she could personally surpass Rapha Hastel.

"Mordin."
"It's fine."

Inferno tried to step in, but Anastasia stopped him.

"Mordin, you're right. I cannot become Sir Rapha Hastel."

The Frontline Lieutenant Generals swallowed their groans.
In the end, those words were an admission that Mordin was right.

"However, the people I know can surpass Rapha Hastel."

She looked around the room.
The Lieutenant Generals gathered here.
Not just them, but the countless others fighting to defeat Black Dawn.

"Mordin, I promise you this. If I become Commander-in-Chief, I will absolutely pull Black Dawn out by its roots."

A head-on clash.
It was a genuine battle of wills without a single ounce of hesitation.
That mindset was clearly transmitted to everyone in the room.

Mordin stared quietly at Anastasia for a moment, then turned his head away.

"I suppose the election will give us the result."

The Regular Army Commander-in-Chief election.
Only the results remained.