Chapter 539 Siege 6
But first, Addison felt certain that she had almost figured out what was attracting the creatures to the temporary camp.
The answer felt so close, like it was sitting right at the tip of her tongue.
Yet every time she came close to grasping it, the thought slipped away again.
And somehow, that feeling was even more frustrating than not knowing at all.
Unfortunately, she couldn’t simply leave her position to investigate.
If she abandoned the role of commanding officer now and handed it over to someone else, things could easily fall apart. None of the others had real battlefield experience. A single mistake in issuing orders could trigger another... and another...
And once that chain of errors began, the fragile morale they had just managed to build, and the small advantage they currently held could collapse in an instant.
Addison felt trapped between a rock and a hard place.
’What should I do?’ she wondered.
As she scanned the battlefield, another thought crossed her mind.
In truth, this could also be considered her first real battle.
Because of her amnesia, she had no memory of participating in any major conflicts before. And even if she had in the past, she had never heard anyone mention it.
Which meant that this, standing here, commanding warriors, protecting noncombatants, and holding the entire defensive line together, was something completely new to her.
The weight of responsibility pressed heavily on her shoulders.
She could feel the pressure of the moment building inside her chest.
She was nervous.
But strangely...
Alongside that nervousness, something else stirred within her.
A thrill.
A surge of excitement ran through her veins.
’Is this... the feeling of power?’ she wondered quietly to herself.
Lowering her gaze, she looked down at her own hands, feeling the strange mixture of fear, responsibility, and exhilaration coursing through her.
But after a moment, Addison forced herself to calm down.
She couldn’t afford to be distracted.
Drawing in a steady breath, she composed herself and began scanning the battlefield again. Along with the goblins and the ferocious wild animals, wolves, tigers, boars, and bears, other monstrous creatures were also emerging from the forest.
Then—
Creak...
Shush...
The sound made Addison’s throat tighten.
The trees directly in front of the wall suddenly parted as if a curtain had been pushed aside.
And then she saw it.
A monstrous bear, nearly four meters tall, lumbered out of the forest. Its eyes glowed the same frenzied crimson as the other creatures.
In its right paw, it dragged an entire uprooted tree, using it like a massive club.
Behind it, the forest looked devastated, trees snapped, crushed, and trampled as if something enormous had simply bulldozed its way through.
Addison’s heart sank.
This monster bear was every bit as troublesome as the ogres she and the others had fought before. It possessed terrifying strength, but unlike an ogre, it wasn’t slow.
That combination made it far more dangerous.
And with most of the warriors and Alphas here fighting in their first real battle, she doubted any of them could face such a creature and survive.
Her heart began pounding violently in her chest.
Because she knew exactly what would happen if that monster reached the wall.
With a single swing of that uprooted tree, it could smash the barricade to pieces and open a path for the rest of the creatures.
And once that happened...
The horde would flood into the temporary camp and massacre everyone inside.
But just as Addison felt the weight of the situation threatening to overwhelm her, something stirred within her.
A sudden throb pulsed deep inside her chest.
At first, she thought it was nothing more than the anxiety and restlessness she had been feeling since the battle began.
But then it happened again.
And again.
This time, she paused and focused on the sensation.
It didn’t feel like fear.
It felt... directional.
Almost as if something inside her was trying to guide her somewhere.
Addison glanced once more at the monstrous bear slowly advancing toward the wall, its massive figure radiating menace.
She knew what would happen if it reached the barricade.
So there was no time left for her to hesitate.
Taking a sharp breath, she made a decision.
She would trust her instincts.
She also trusted that the warriors and Alphas fighting at the front line could hold the monster bear off for a while, long enough for her to return.
Without another word, Addison suddenly turned and ran.
The warriors standing beside her stared in shock as she dashed away from the wall. For a moment, a few of them even felt a flicker of disbelief, wondering if she was abandoning the front line.
But before that thought could settle, her voice rang out behind her.
"Keep an eye on the front line for me!" Addison shouted as she ran. "Make them hold the line as long as possible. I’ll return with backup!"
Her words were soon swallowed by the rushing wind as she sprinted away.
In truth, she didn’t even know if she could really bring back reinforcements.
She didn’t know where to find them.
But right now, trusting her instincts was the only choice she had left.
And so she ran.
Faster and faster.
Until her feet finally carried her to the front of a temporary prison inside the camp.
"Huff... huff..." Addison bent slightly, catching her breath after sprinting across the camp. Her chest rose and fell rapidly as she tried to steady herself.
But even as she did, a trace of surprise lingered in her mind.
Her instincts had brought her here.
To the temporary prison.
Inside the crude enclosure sat a familiar figure, the Warbear shifter.
He was sitting cross-legged on the ground, his posture relaxed, almost meditative. The chaos erupting throughout the camp didn’t seem to disturb him in the slightest.
When Addison arrived in front of the cell, he didn’t even bother looking up.
"What is it now?" the man asked casually, as if interruptions like this happened every other day.
Addison froze for a moment.
In truth, she didn’t even know what to say.
She didn’t know why her instincts had led her here in the first place.
So she remained silent.
Then, from somewhere in the distance, a thunderous roar echoed across the camp.
The monstrous bear.
Mixed with the roar were the strained shouts of the werewolves fighting on the front line. Their voices carried urgency, tinged with panic, though they were still desperately holding their ground.
Hearing it made Addison even more restless.
"Oh?" the Warbear shifter suddenly spoke again, his tone almost amused.
"A monster bear, huh? Sounds like it’s pretty angry."
Addison’s eyes narrowed slightly.
"How could you tell?" she asked skeptically.
"Well, can’t you werewolves understand wolves too?" he replied casually.
He wasn’t entirely wrong.
Even though werewolves and ordinary wolves were different species, the two were still closely connected. Werewolves could often sense the emotions of normal wolves and understand their intentions without needing words.
The reminder made something click in Addison’s mind.
The man sitting before her was a Warbear shifter.
And Warbears were infamous for their ferocious strength.
Suddenly, a thought flashed through her mind.
’Could he help turn the tide of the battle?’