Defending the South sector was fundamentally no longer a fixed and legally unyielding obligation for Ren.
Given his staggering importance as an individual, it had only been a matter of time. Now that he officially held the title of General, and the terrifying truth of his identity was floating openly across his parapets, it made way less logistical sense to keep him permanently anchored to a single stretch of stone like a common recruit.
Officially, he existed in a bureaucratic stratosphere far above the standard military service requirements. There wasn't a single lower commanding officer alive suicidal enough to write up the 'Glorious General' for missing a graveyard shift.
He was, in the truest, most literal sense of the phrase, basically above the law for this.
But the long zone was still his responsibility. Whether he was standing watch in the freezing rain or sitting comfortably in the city, it was his territory.
