Chapter 459 - 406: The Game of Power Structure and Appointments

Although Matthias had never introduced the members of the Holy Fire Guard to Koller, his conversation with Reinhardt was no great secret and naturally couldn’t escape Koller’s Spiritual Perception.

Compared to Urus—a Commander of Vengeful with only a Four-star Earth Military Rank who seemed to have popped out of a rock—the Holy Fire Guard led by Matthias treated Koller with significantly more reverence.

Even though the Honorary Guard Captain answered only to the Lord of Vengeful, Matthias still showed this senior Think Tank, who had once served Sedon, a great deal of respect.

"Sir."

Koller gave him a slight nod. "In just ten years, I never imagined your Knight Military Rank would nearly catch up to my own."

Matthias’s attitude was humble. "I am still a long way from matching you, sir."

After the brief exchange, everyone fell silent and looked to Reinhardt, who stood before the command table, waiting for him to speak.

Aside from the three new members of the Honor Guard, everyone else knew that the Lord of Vengeful would not have gathered them all on the second-level command platform without purpose.

Around the vast command table.

Reinhardt stood ramrod straight. The massive Vengeful Angel Battle Banner hung from the railing behind him. Urus and Koller flanked him, on his left and right respectively. Behind Lu Jia stood her three Battle Sisters, silent and still beside Koller.

Matthias, in turn, stood to Urus’s left, the three members of the Holy Fire Guard having silently retreated to stand behind him.

Nelom, the only one standing opposite Reinhardt, looked increasingly out of place.

Yet Reinhardt did not speak. For a full half-minute, they all faced his silence, and whatever they had been thinking—whatever their opinions of Reinhardt had been—faded away.

In the oppressive quiet, the authority of the Lord of Vengeful only grew.

On momentous occasions, the power of silence often speaks louder than a thousand words.

With the arrival of Matthias and his reinforcements, the Vengeful Angels’ high command structure had begun to take shape.

Or rather, the internal power dynamic of the Vengeful Angels had already been established in the wake of the great battle.

Backed by Reinhardt’s authority as Supreme Commander of the Rebel Suppression Army, once the main forces were assembled, even a single member of the Honor Guard would wield unimaginable military power.

This was to say nothing of the position of Commander of Vengeful, a high office that could directly sway command of the entire Rebel Suppression Army.

The two trusted subordinates Koller had originally transferred, Think Tank Serni and Think Tank Harvey, were no longer qualified to set foot on the second-level command platform of the bridge.

Though no one had ever needed to tell them, they clearly understood their place.

Their strength and seniority were nowhere near enough to grant them a place at the command table.

In contrast, the Battle Sisters led by Lu Jia had displayed formidable resilience and power during the invasion of Cyrenaica, proving their worth to everyone—including Koller—with blood, Loyalty, and courage.

This was especially true within the Imperial Knight Battle Group, an institution that placed immense value on strength, honor, and achievement.

Koller may have once had reservations about Reinhardt’s decision to bypass his council and unilaterally invite Lu Jia to join the Vengeful Angels. But now, his silent acquiescence to this young sister standing at his right hand was a clear statement of his position.

After a long silence, Reinhardt’s deep voice broke the tension. "Everyone. We may have temporarily thwarted Claudius’s treasonous plot, but it has come at a great cost.

The Silencers, the Blood Flame Order, our own command structure... and the three Technician Priests who burned their very souls to help us land on Cyrenaica.

We must remember the sacrifices these people made for our great victory. But their sacrifice will not crush our morale or our courage, because this debt of blood can only be repaid with the blood and death of our enemies."

As the Lord of Vengeful and Supreme Commander of the rebel suppression war, Reinhardt had a duty to honor every comrade who had sacrificed themselves for the war, and to steady the hearts of his people in this dark hour.

And that opening silence had been their moment of mourning for those sacrificed to the war.

Though Reinhardt’s voice was calm and steady, his words were like oil on a fire, igniting the immense rage that had long been suppressed beneath the gloom of war.

Though silence still reigned before the command table, the somber atmosphere churned like a violent undercurrent beneath a calm sea.

Matthias looked at Reinhardt in silence, thinking, ’This is the Vengeful Angel I remember. His courage and resolve have always been this inspiring.’

Whatever power struggles had once plagued the Vengeful Angels, in that moment, before the severely damaged command table on the second-level platform, power itself coalesced around Reinhardt, who served as its absolute core and nexus, generating a powerful, unifying force.

Koller acknowledged his leadership.

Urus owed him his life.

Matthias was his former subordinate and a Battle Brother.

And all the suffering Lu Jia had endured had been a great, unseen sacrifice that spurred the very creation of the Vengeful Angels.

After a brief pause, Reinhardt continued, "Therefore, I have a preliminary proposal that I would like to discuss with all of you."

"It concerns several personnel appointments within the Vengeful Angels."

Reinhardt was keenly aware of his new position and its responsibilities. He was no longer the Special Operations Captain of a team that just had to complete its missions. Leading a military institution whose members were drawn from various Battle Groups was a far more complex undertaking.