Chapter 207: Battle Of Waiting II

Just as Regaleon expected, the moment the Alpha lowered its head, it bared its fangs slightly and released a low, guttural growl.

The sound rolled across the forest like a wave, sending a tremor of unease through the trees and reverberating against the trunks like a warning from some ancient predator.

At first, Regaleon thought it was merely a threatening message... Perhaps the Alpha was attempting to intimidate them before launching another assault.

But the next moment, he realized he was wrong.

Because the instant that growl echoed through the forest, the wolves prowling around the fiery wall abruptly changed their behavior.

Their crimson eyes flared and then, within moments, the scattered members of the pack began to congregate and converge toward one another.

"What are they doing?"

Vaelorin asked, his fiery-red eyes following the strange movement of the pack as the wolves began to cluster.

Regaleon did not immediately answer because truthfully, even he did not know. So he watched carefully, trying to discern the purpose behind their sudden reorganization.

"It seems like they’re trying to make a move." Kaeloris deduced, adjusting his spectacles as he studied the wolves.

"But what kind of move is it?" He continued. "I mean, they can’t really press forward through the fire, can they?"

Ordinarily, the manner in which the wolves were congregating made it appear as though they were preparing to pierce through the fiery barrier with tremendous force.

The pack was compressing into a tighter formation, their numbers converging toward specific points along the perimeter. If they truly intended to overwhelm the barrier through sheer numerical pressure, then concentrating their strength in one location would be the logical course of action.

But the more Regaleon considered it, the more he felt that such an explanation could not be so rudimentary.

Judging from everything he had observed thus far, the Alpha was not a creature inclined to make the same mistake twice as it had already witnessed what happened when the wolves charged through the flames.

Therefore, if the Alpha possessed even a modicum of tactical awareness, it should understand that while the pack might be able to punch through the fiery barrier through sheer numbers, doing so would inevitably result in considerable casualties.

And Regaleon doubted that the Alpha would willingly sacrifice a substantial portion of its pack merely to reach them. Yet the silver-haired Knight could not be completely certain of his own deduction.

And that was the problem.

The wolves appeared to be operating under the auspices of some form of intelligence but appearance could be deceiving.

Perhaps the Alpha was genuinely analyzing the situation and issuing deliberate commands... Or perhaps what they were witnessing was nothing more than instinctive behavior—a predatory response refined through countless generations of survival.

The distinction was critical.

If the wolves were intelligent, their actions could potentially be analyzed through reason; but if instinct was governing their behavior, then conventional reasoning might prove dangerously misleading.

As the group attempted to decipher the wolves’ next move, Aureleah furrowed her brows.

From where she stood, she could identify a certain patterned behavior in the pack and based on those characteristics, she could almost predict what they intended to do next.

As an Assassin, Aureleah had been trained extensively in the art of behavioral deduction, where the ability to predict a target’s next move based on preceding behavior, body language, and habitual actions could mean the difference between completing an assassination and becoming the corpse instead.

An Assassin did not merely observe what a target was doing, they studied why.

Every action was a fragment of information... And when enough fragments were assembled, a person’s next movement could often be anticipated before they even consciously made the decision.

The wolves were no different, or at least, that was how Aureleah approached them.

With the way the pack was moving, she was almost certain they were preparing to force their way through the fire.

It wasn’t that she had identified some obvious tell as there was no single movement that gave the wolves away. Rather, it was something deeper; an instinct.

Or a gut feeling, if one were to put it simply.

"They’re trying to force their way through."

Aureleah finally spoke, her voice low, measured, and devoid of uncertainty.

Valmyr furrowed his brows. "And how would they do that?"

He glanced toward the fiery wall. "You saw what happened earlier. I don’t think they’d risk getting burned just for the sake of reaching us."

Aureleah shook her head and refuted him. "Their first attack against us was a probe."

Her eyes remained fixed on the wolves.

"Because of that, they were willing to risk getting burned to determine our capabilities. But now that they’ve measured our strength to some extent, it is imperative that whatever they’re planning is likely more calculated than before."

"Does that mean they’re actually willing to get burned just to reach us?" Caelestra asked, her gaze narrowing.

"I mean, wouldn’t that be like throwing away their lives for the sake of an uncertain victory?"

The group did not realize it, but they had already begun treating the Animas as something more than ordinary beasts.

They were discussing the wolves the same way a commander might discuss an opposing army.

However, Aureleah was not merely looking at the beasts as intelligent opponents because she understood something the others had yet to fully grasp and that was the fundamental distinction between intelligence and instinct.

"Caelestra." Aureleah’s voice remained calm.

"They are Animas."

She glanced toward the wolves.

"Although it may seem logical that they should be afraid of holding back because of the danger of being burned, don’t forget that these aren’t ordinary wolves. They possess roughly the same level of strength as us."

Her eyes narrowed. "And without doubt, they possess the same endurance and durability unique to Etheryeans. If not greater."

"So what you’re saying is..." Veyrath swallowed, his amber eyes filled with apprehension. "They really might go berserk and risk everything just to get to us?"

Aureleah gave the failed Alchemist a sidelong glance.

"Yes." The answer was icy, curt and absolute.

Judging by the tone of her voice, she was still dissatisfied with Veyrath over the selfish dereliction of courage he had displayed earlier.

Veyrath noticed the coldness in her response and unsurprisingly, he did not let it bother him. Because even he knew he had gone too far when he tried to throw Regaleon under the bus.

He had been afraid. That explained his actions but it did not excuse them. So after hearing Aureleah’s confirmation, he simply nodded before turning toward Regaleon.

"So, Regaleon, what do you suggest we do?"

The moment the question left his mouth, Valmyr’s grin widened as he replied. "If it were up to me, I’d say we take the initiative and attack."

He tightened his grip around his Broadsword.

"Waiting here for them to make the first move only puts us at a disadvantage. We’re giving them time to organize while wasting the only window we have to disrupt their ranks."

Kaeloris adjusted his spectacles once more.

"Valmyr is right. I don’t see why we should continue to hold ourselves inside this wall. We’re Etheryeans now. Despite their numerical advantage, I still believe our chances of defeating them are high."

His eyes gleamed with newfound confidence.

"After all, we’re not the same people we were before."

Those two statements of conviction quickly encouraged the others. One after another, they began voicing their agreement.

Some argued that attacking now would prevent the wolves from completing their formation. Others believed that their newfound strength gave them enough of an advantage to seize the initiative.

The atmosphere gradually shifted.

Their fear had not vanished completely, but their recent breakthrough had given them confidence; perhaps too much of it.

Still, despite their insistence, none attempted to force Regaleon’s hand because they knew who held the final say.

Whatever decision he made, that was the decision they would follow...

Aureleah, however, remained silent as she did not share their enthusiasm.

Just like Regaleon, she had already understood that taking the initiative could very easily weaken their own defensive posture.

The group had learned almost nothing about the wolves beyond their hierarchy and basic behavior. Most importantly, they had yet to witness what the Animas were truly capable of.

Their recent breakthrough had apparently gone to the others’ heads. They had become stronger and, as a consequence, had begun to overestimate what that strength meant.

But Aureleah refused to make the same mistake. She would not allow pride to dictate her judgment nor would she permit the excitement of newfound power to override caution.

Instead, she relied on discipline and logic.

According to what she knew, Animas possessed Extremities and Impulses; abilities that were intrinsic to their existence and could potentially alter the entire complexion of a battle.

Yet, despite everything the wolves had done so far, Aureleah had not seen them activate a single Impulse; not for offense or defense.

And that realization was precisely why she understood Regaleon’s continued restraint.

He wasn’t waiting because he was afraid nor was he hesitating because he lacked confidence in their strength. Instead, he was waiting because he wanted to force the wolves to reveal more of their capabilities before committing his forces to an irreversible offensive.

Every second they remained behind the flames was another second of information gathering and every movement the wolves made was another piece of the puzzle.

Once enough information had been gathered, only then could he determine how they should fight.

Regaleon himself remained as stoic as ever. Despite the clamor of opinions from the rest of the group, his stance never changed.

His golden eyes, however, remained locked upon the congregating wolves. He had also figured out what they were trying to do... At least, he had a strong suspicion.

The question that occupied his mind now was not what they intended; rather, it was how. So he waited, anticipating the wolves’ attacks...