Sophie and Irina kept advancing and formed a defensive wall alongside the other guards.
Sophie fired nonstop with her magical weapon. She unleashed a burst of energy and pulverized two Claimoor in an instant.
Irina, on the other hand, was calmer. Her vision magic gave her the precision of a sniper, with the advantage that she could fire while moving. A single shot to the head was enough to eliminate her target.
The other guards moved with them. No one retreated.
An emergency team arrived and carried away the bodies of Sergei and Anton.
At that same moment I heard someone speaking to me.
"Young man, we will take care of Miss Eleonor."
I turned around.
Two young women in black suits were standing behind me.
"We are part of the security staff," one of them said. "We will take her to the medical center so her wound can be treated."
Sophie and Irina did not wait for orders.
The moment the next group of Claimoor crossed the breach in the wall, both of them reacted almost at the same time.
"Three with me!" Sophie ordered firmly.
Three guards immediately moved to her side.
"Advance formation! Don't let them get close to Mikhail!"
Sophie raised her magical weapon and fired a bright burst that tore through the air like a blue lightning bolt. Two Claimoor were pulverized before they could even reach the courtyard floor.
The guards beside her advanced behind her, forming a compact line.
"Continuous fire!" she ordered.
Magical blasts lit up the courtyard as their small team pushed the creatures back.
At the same time, Irina moved with a completely different calm.
"You three, with me," she said quietly.
Three guards positioned themselves around her.
Irina closed her eyes for a second. When she opened them again, the blue glow of her vision magic returned.
"Targets to the left… two behind the statue… another entering through the breach."
She raised her weapon.
She fired a single shot.
The Claimoor trying to climb over the wall fell with its head destroyed.
"Next target… behind Sophie," she said calmly.
One of the guards turned and fired just in time to bring down the creature that was about to attack Sophie from behind.
Irina continued advancing with measured steps, firing with almost surgical precision.
In the center of the courtyard, Mikhail kept fighting.
Ice spread around him like a living storm, while his spectral tiger tore apart the monsters trying to surround him.
But now he was no longer alone.
On both sides of the battlefield, the two small teams led by Sophie and Irina held the line.
The Claimoor kept coming.
But every step they took inside the courtyard cost them dearly.
Because now the defense of the Sevianko mansion was completely organized.
And no one intended to retreat.
Suddenly, Irina shouted.
"This is bad! I can detect more approaching!"
At that exact moment an expanding shockwave swept across the entire courtyard.
A second later, two deafening roars shook the place.
Everyone turned their heads at the same time.
And what we saw left us breathless.
Two gigantic beasts of energy stood on either side of Noah.
A bear.
And a wolf.
Their bodies shone with a light so white and pure that it looked as if the sky itself had been torn open above us.
Noah stood in the center.
A powerful light radiated from his body, and his eyes glowed with a blinding golden shine.
Then he shouted.
"Attack!"
The two guardian beasts moved forward in perfect unison.
They leapt over us.
They were so massive that Mikhail's spectral tiger looked like a cub beside them.
The brilliance of their light illuminated the entire courtyard as if it were daytime.
For a few moments we could clearly see the remaining Claimoor being torn apart without mercy.
The monsters tried to resist.
But they could do nothing.
The two energy creatures tore through their bodies, ripping them apart as if they were nothing more than shadows.
Within minutes, everything was over.
Silence fell across the courtyard of the Sevianko mansion.
Fragments of ice and fading energy still drifted through the air.
Then it happened.
Noah collapsed.
His body fell to the ground without strength.
"Noah!" Sophie shouted.
She ran toward him and caught him in her arms.
"Noah, stay with me!"
The boy opened his eyes for only a moment.
He looked at her.
His lips moved with difficulty.
"Eleonor…"
Sophie clenched her teeth.
"Eleonor is fine," she replied firmly. "She's being treated."
Noah seemed to hear her.
A faint calm crossed his face.
And then he lost consciousness.