While the Chinese fleets were fighting in the Pacific, something else was happening thousands of miles to the north.
Two days earlier, at the Sevianko mansion.
The mark on Noah's back burned out of control.The pain forced him to his knees.Eleonor caught him before he hit the floor.
"What's happening?"
Mikhail did not take his eyes off Eleonor's arm.The mark moved beneath her skin as if it had a life of its own.
"We're in trouble."
Eleonor clenched her teeth.
"What is all this?"
Mikhail answered gravely.
"The magical balance is collapsing."
Suddenly, the door burst open.
Sophie entered, out of breath.
"This is bad… the Minamoto mansion has been devastated."
Silence fell over the room.
Noah struggled to breathe.
Eleonor looked up.
"What are you saying?" she asked, stunned.
Sophie took a deep breath before answering.
"We received an emergency distress signal. They reported that the perimeter had been breached."
She paused briefly.
"After that, all communications were cut."
"Enemy identification?" Mikhail asked.
"No. Only confirmed combat inside the mansion."
Eleonor looked at Mikhail.
They didn't need more details.
"So it's begun," she murmured.
Mikhail held her gaze for a few seconds.
"The theft in Recife destabilized the magical flow."
"If Japan has fallen now…"
He did not finish the sentence.
There was no need.
The burning in Noah's back did not subside.
Eleonor's mark continued reacting.
Sophie glanced at the map one last time.
Mikhail nodded and spoke into the intercom.
"Communications room, activate Omega alert. We are at war. I repeat: we are at war."
His voice was firm.
"All Sevianko family forces prepare for combat. All available personnel in the mansion, be ready in fifteen minutes."
He paused briefly before giving the next order.
"We're moving to the naval base."
Mikhail's order was still echoing through the intercom when the door opened again.
Irina entered almost at a run.
Her eyes glowed with the blue hue characteristic of her vision magic.
"Contacts," she said without preamble.
Everyone turned toward her.
"Where?" Mikhail asked.
Irina closed her eyes for a moment.
When she opened them, the blue glow intensified.
"North perimeter."
Her gaze seemed to pierce through the mansion walls.
"More than one hundred heat signatures."
The magical alarms activated at that exact moment.
A deep pulse traveled through the entire Sevianko mansion.
The protective barriers began to vibrate.
"Intrusion confirmed," Irina added.
Mikhail did not hesitate.
"Defensive positions."
Irina focused her vision outward again.
Her expression tightened.
"They're not human."
A brief pause.
"Claimoor."
The first impact came seconds later.
Something slammed into the outer barrier with brutal force.
The ground trembled beneath their feet.
The corridor lights flickered.
Gunfire echoed from the courtyard outside.
Then a scream.
And after that, the unmistakable sound of combat.
Mikhail moved toward the exit.
"We're under attack."
Eleonor was already following him.
Noah forced himself to stand.
The pain in his back still burned, but something cold was beginning to spread through his body.
By the time they reached the central courtyard, the battle was already underway.
Anton had deployed a defensive seal on the ground.
The circle of energy glowed beneath his feet, spreading across the courtyard like a luminous net.
The first enemies attempting to cross it were repelled by the seal's discharge.
Anton held his position.
"I'm holding the perimeter!" he shouted.
The pressure increased.
A tentacle struck the barrier.
Then another.
The surface of the seal began to crack.
Anton tried to reinforce it.
Too many.
The third impact shattered the circle.
The energy burst into fragments of light.
Before he could retreat, a tentacle struck him in the chest.
The blow hurled him against the wall.
Anton fell to the ground and did not move again.
The seal went dark.
The perimeter had been breached.
Sergei opened fire immediately.
His shots were precise.
Five Claimoor were torn apart under the barrage.
But one managed to evade the attack.
The creature advanced with impossible speed.
Sergei tried to reposition.
The impact came a second later.
His defensive shield activated instantly.
Even so, the force of the blow was brutal.
Sergei was thrown through the air.
His body slammed against the courtyard's retaining wall.
The impact echoed across the structure.
Sergei fell to the ground and did not rise again.
Eleonor was already moving.
The mark on her arm flared with intensity.
A seal formed in front of her.
The spectral howl of a wolf shook the courtyard.
Mikhail activated his own seal a moment later.
The roar of a tiger thundered across the battlefield.
The two energy beasts emerged at the same time.
The wolf lunged at the Claimoor with brutal speed.
The tiger followed behind, breaking the enemy formation.
The creatures staggered under the impact.
For a brief moment, the front line seemed to break.
Eleonor stepped forward, ready to finish them.
Then the space behind her tore open.
A dimensional portal split the air at her back.
Two tentacles burst from the darkness with brutal speed.
Eleonor had no time to react.
One pierced her shoulder.
The blow threw her forward.
Eleonor fell to her knees.
The portal closed as quickly as it had appeared.
Blood began to run down her arm.
The enemy raised its claw to finish her.
Then the air froze.
The temperature dropped sharply.
Noah raised his hand.
Ice erupted into the air like a white explosion.
A crystal spear pierced the Claimoor.
The body went still.
A second later, the ice shattered.
The creature broke into fragments.
Eleonor struggled to breathe.
Blood streamed down her arm.
Noah stood in front of her.
The cold still swirled around him.
Mikhail looked over the courtyard now covered in ice and blood.
More shadows moved beyond the shattered wall.
The Claimoor were still advancing.
War had reached their doorstep.
And it was only just beginning.