Chapter 546 Siege 13
By the time anyone realized the truth, it would be too late.
Her forces would be crippled, their numbers cut down, and the remaining fighters stretched too thin to protect the noncombatants.
And the worst part?
They couldn’t even sustain the dust cloud for long.
No... this wasn’t a solution.
Then there was only one real option.
She had to find whatever was drawing them here and destroy it before the enemy could exploit the chaos any further.
Once the source was gone, the frenzy would break. The monsters and wild animals would no longer have a reason to throw themselves at the camp like mindless puppets.
And after that...
They could be driven back.
With several Alphas unleashing their auras, the pressure alone would be enough to shake the creatures out of their aggression. Once they realized they couldn’t win, that pushing forward only meant certain death, their instincts would take over.
They would choose survival.
They would retreat.
And the tide of battle would finally turn.
Now, after using the second ogre’s strength to bring down the first, Addison held her ground, waiting for the dust to thin just enough for her to make out silhouettes.
There.
The second ogre stood still, dazed.
So the scent really had been driving them... and without it, even a creature like this was left disoriented.
’Good.’ That worked in her favor.
Tightening her grip on her sword, Addison moved and turned into a blur.
In the next instant, she appeared at the ogre’s left side, her blade flashing as it sliced cleanly through the tendon behind its leg.
Before the creature could even react, she pivoted, her footwork swift and precise, and struck the other leg.
The second tendon snapped.
The ogre collapsed to its knees, a strangled sound catching in its throat as pain choked off any roar it might have released.
Even now that it was kneeling in front of her, it still towered over her.
One clean kill wasn’t possible... yet.
So she adapted.
With a flick of her wrist, she hurled her dagger.
It struck, the rope coiling tight around the ogre’s thick neck. The creature sluggishly reached up, trying to tear it free, but its movements were slow, uncoordinated even.
Too slow in fact.
Addison seized the opening.
She yanked the rope, pulling herself upward in one fluid motion, her body rising along the ogre’s massive frame...
... and in a single, decisive stroke, her blade slit across its throat.
It was clean and precise.
The ogre never got the chance to roar. It slumped forward, lifeless, before the dust had even fully settled.
Addison landed lightly and turned back the way she came.
By now, the cloud had thinned, the air clearer.
Through it, she spotted the Alpha, moving frantically, one hand clamped over his nose to keep from inhaling more dust. Even struggling to breathe, he searched relentlessly, his gaze sweeping the battlefield.
He was looking for her.
Afraid something had happened.
When Addison reached him, she gave the Alpha a firm pat on the shoulder.
He froze for a second, clearly stunned to see her completely unscathed.
But he understood.
Her return alone said everything.
She had taken down both ogres.
On her own.
And what struck him even more was how she had done it, without shifting into her wolf form, relying solely on nothing but skill, precision... and her blade.
For a brief moment, he felt small.
They had struggled, barely holding their ground, fighting tooth and nail just to survive.
And yet she had ended it.
Decisively.
Still, that feeling quickly gave way to something else.
Respect.
Deeper than before.
Because now, he had seen it with his own eyes. ’Seeing is believing...’ And he believed.
"I’ll leave this side of the wall to you," Addison said calmly. Then, without hesitation, she added, "Give me a lift back up."
She couldn’t shift, not like the others. Without that boost in strength, she didn’t have the same explosive power in her legs to leap several meters up the wall. Even if she tried, she’d fall short of the platform.
And that...
That would be far more noticeable.
Better to ask now, while their eyes were still filled with admiration, not doubt.
The Alpha snapped out of his daze and nodded immediately, moving to assist her without a word.
The Alpha wasted no time, lifting Addison back onto the wall before turning sharply and rushing to rejoin his warriors.
Below, the battlefield stirred once more.
As the cloud of dust thinned, the monsters and wild animals began slipping back into their frenzy, but that brief lull, no matter how short, had been enough.
Enough for the warriors to catch their breath.
And this time—
They fought harder.
Fiercer.
Because now, they had seen it. Not far from where they stood lay the two ogres... motionless, their massive bodies sprawled in pools of blood.
Their princess had slain them.
Alone.
A surge of adrenaline coursed through the warriors, igniting something primal in their chests. Shame, pride, determination, it all blended into one burning resolve.
They couldn’t afford to fall behind.
Not after witnessing that.
The Alpha spared a glance toward where Addison had fought.
One ogre lay on its back, its head crushed open like a shattered melon, blood splattered across the ground.
The other sprawled face-first, its throat cleanly slit, so deep it had nearly severed its thick neck entirely.
A single, chilling thought crossed his mind. ’So this... is her strength.’
Yet Addison herself hadn’t noticed.
She had already moved on the moment the blade cut through flesh, unaware of just how overwhelming her strikes had become.
Because the truth was—
After siphoning Levi’s vitality, her body was brimming with strength, overflowing, almost too much to contain. Now, standing atop the platform behind the wall, Addison exhaled slowly.
But the feeling didn’t fade. If anything, it grew stronger. A restless, burning excitement coiled within her, spreading through every limb.
It felt like standing on the edge of a volcano—
Ready to erupt at any moment.
And a part of her...
Wanted to let it.
Just then, the warrior the Alpha had sent to inspect the other walls finally returned. He was gasping for air, chest heaving as he looked up, dust clinging to his skin, it was clear he had run across the entire camp to assess the situation himself.
He paused only briefly to catch his breath before climbing onto the platform where Addison stood. Noticing that the Alpha had already returned to the front lines, the warrior immediately turned to her and reported.
"Princess..." he began, his voice strained but steady despite his exhaustion. "I checked all sides of the wall. Right now, only the eastern side is holding well, thanks to the warbear. The others... are no better than this."
He swallowed, forcing himself to continue.
"The northwest is being overrun by a pack of monster wolves. They’ve locked our warriors in a brutal stalemate. Fortunately, that side is under Alpha Hue, he’s holding the line and personally engaging the wolves while directing his men."
He drew in a shaky breath.
"As for the other two sides, they’re also led by their respective Alphas, but the sheer number of monsters and wild animals pouring out of the forest is overwhelming them. They held strong at first... but now their forces are tiring. If this continues..."
He trailed off, the unspoken outcome heavy in the air.