The atmosphere of overcoming challenges and technical focus that filled the residence was abruptly interrupted in the early afternoon. I was in the estate's library, reviewing the mana flow maps with Liriel and her assistant, when the main door of the hall was opened with a sharp impact. Two figures wearing armor from the underwater royal guard hurried inside, escorting a human messenger whose continental clothes were soaked and worn from the emergency journey through the compression portals.
The messenger wore the crest of the United Nations Alliance on his chest, the coalition we had established on the surface. His eyes showed the extreme exhaustion of someone who had ridden for days without rest before diving into the domains of the ocean.
My companions immediately converged on the great hall. Elara came down the stairs holding her reports, while Scarlett and Vespera took positions near the messenger, assessing his physical condition. Lyannis and Rai'kanna approached shortly afterward, their expressions serious as they sensed the immediate change in the atmosphere of the house.
"Lord Takumi," the messenger said, his voice trembling from exhaustion as he knelt on the limestone floor and extended a sealed metal tube bearing the red wax seal of the surface command center. "I bring urgent reports from the battlefront. The Demon King's army has launched a massive offensive against the northern territories."
I took the metal tube, broke the seal, and unrolled the waterproof parchment. My eyes quickly ran over the lines hastily written by the allied generals. The news contained a strategic double-edged sword that made my stomach tighten.
"What does the report say, Takumi?" Elara asked, approaching to examine the movement maps attached to the document.
"The demons attacked the Alliance's defensive lines at the border of the Human Kingdom," I replied, keeping my voice firm so as not to alarm the group. "The good news is that the allied troops managed to contain the main offensive. The defensive structure we planned before I came here worked, and we won the direct confrontation."
The messenger coughed lightly, raising his head with an expression of deep gravity. "Yes, my lord... we won. But the price was devastating. The demons used new guerrilla tactics and corrupted creatures that we had never catalogued before. Although the lines held, our human and material losses increased drastically. The field hospitals are overflowing, and the surface's medical resources are running out at an alarming rate."
The silence that settled over the hall was heavy. Liriel tightened her grip on her staff, looking at her assistant, who seemed frightened by the harsh reality of the war report.
"This means that the continental resistance is operating at its limit," Scarlett pondered, crossing her arms and fixing her gaze on the map of the surface. "The Demon King is not trying to break our lines all at once. He is slowly wearing down our army, draining our soldiers and resources until there is nothing left to defend the capitals."
Vespera nodded, her hand resting on the hilt of her dagger. "It is a war of attrition strategy. They have almost infinite numbers on their side; we do not. Every allied soldier who falls is an irreparable loss to the Council's structure."
I looked at the parchment and then toward the crystal window of the residence, from where I could see the cultivated fields of the Alpha, Beta, and Gamma sectors operating in perfect order. The contrast between the phosphorescent peace of that marine kingdom and the bloody massacre taking place on dry land brought an overwhelming sense of urgency to my chest.
"The calm is over," I declared, securing the report to my belt. "The administration of my underwater lands has progressed enough to operate autonomously under the command of the local leaders. I can no longer afford to spend weeks merely training and cultivating while our allies bleed on the surface."
Rai'kanna stepped forward, her golden eyes shining with fierce determination. "What will we do, Takumi? If we give the order, we can prepare the combat equipment in less than an hour."
"We need to end the work here immediately," I ordered, turning toward Elara and Liriel. "Elara, meet with Taran and the local administrators today. Transfer operational authority over the sectors to the fish-men council of elders. Liriel, perform the final inspection of the preservation runes on the hydrostatic vacuum storage buildings. We need to make sure that the medical and food supplies we produced here begin being catalogued for immediate shipment to the surface."
Lyannis smiled subtly, her posture completely focused on the mission taking shape. "The stock of medicinal corals from Sector Beta and the nutrient-rich algae will save thousands of lives in the northern hospitals. The logistics you established down here will pay off now, my lord."
"Exactly," I agreed, feeling the responsibility of command settle upon me definitively. "We will structure the final adjustments to the transfer of power tomorrow and prepare our luggage for the return journey. The war has entered a new phase, and our place is on the front line."
The messenger gave one final bow before being escorted by the royal guards to the residence's resting wing, where he would receive care and food. The atmosphere in the house had changed irreversibly; the energy of learning and tranquility had given way to the sharp focus of a military squad ready for the imminent battle.