The fight against Phantasmos started much sooner than Elayne had hoped it to begin, but thankfully her plan seemed to be a success. With the aid of Mark and Rita's magic powers, they were able not only to erect a powerful Spiritual Barrier around the town, but also to summon roughly three hundred soldiers.
From Beast Spirit Totem Familiars to Spiritual Plant Familiars of all shapes and sizes, these forces alone, although not the strongest out there, were able to hold on the army of Undead and Monsters approaching rather skillfully.
Although the three of them had grown strong enough that they were devastating most of the weaker monsters making up the army of Phantasmos using their magic and attacks, they were still unable to cover every single place around them, making it so the monsters attacking the town from areas where they couldn't attack were the weakest.
Elayne quickly utilized her Magical Powers while drinking a Mana Potion using her finger, which she shaped as a liquid-absorbing root, a "cheat" she was able to figure out to drink potions without filling her belly completely, by merely absorbing the liquids like plants would do.
"Attack the areas where we cannot reach, concentrate in there!" She commanded her troops as they started moving. All sorts of critters from walking trees, jumping mushrooms, brownie-like fruit plants, and even masses of vines began marching, attacking the undead fiercely.
Many of them were also dying, but not before giving a proper fight. And also, each time one of them died, something impressive would happen.
"[Spiritual Bloom]!"
Elayne closed her fists as the bodies of the familiars that had died in battle suddenly started glowing brightly, exploding into Spiritual Light one after the other!
BOOOM! BOOOM! BOOOM! BOOOM BOOOM!
The explosions covered the surroundings, so loud that the people inside the town couldn't simply ignore the commotion. Many curious people emerged, looking out through their windows, only to see countless swarms of creatures fighting walking plants, a fantastical sight they would had only seen in dreams!
"Just what is happening out there?!"
"Explosions?!"
"Is the military fighting something?? No, cops?!"
"I don't know!"
"T-Those look a bit too savage to be normal animals!"
"But why can't they pass? Its as if an invisible barrier's stopping them…"
Many people was concerned, but they were smart enough to stay locked inside their houses while looking at the outside with worried expressions through their windows. Naturally, the commotion quickly made the people call the authorities, although this small town only have a few police stations, and they were already unable to do a thing.
BANG! BANG! BANG!
Some of the cops reached the invisible barrier and were shooting at it, but they were unable to even break it with normal bullets. And the monsters at the other side were clearly saying that they should just stay inside instead of trying to get out.
"Who are those people?!"
"Look. At the other side of the barrier there's three people fighting the monsters!"
"I-I saw this in the news! After the first contact a week ago, some people were reported to awaken magic powers! And the monsters that invaded the big cities were all real!"
"I didn't believed this crap at first. I thought it was just some sort of trick of the government to make the people afraid, but monsters… monsters are real…"
"Those things aren't even normal monsters, haven't you played games before? They're undead!"
The cops right at the other side of the barrier were talking and discussing with one another in shock and fear of what was happening, some quickly realized that the people outside fighting the monsters… were heroes protecting this place.
"Those people must have made this invisible barrier, they're protecting us…"
"But why didn't they said a thing?! We could have helped them somehow…"
"Man, we don't have any magical powers, don't we? What can we do? At most, we should keep the civilians from walking out of the barrier! We're wasting time here, let's make sure nobody goes out of their houses!"
A group of cops quickly began giving rounds around the town on their cars, stopping any civilians they found from going outside to see the monsters like idiots, and also sending everyone else they found to a shelter inside the biggest school of the town.
As Elayne made the dead plant familiars explode and unleash spiritual essence around, the barrier which had gained many cracks began to heal, recovering the damage as the monsters attacking it realized it suddenly was strengthened.
"[Spirit Barrier Recovery]!"
FLUOOOSH!
CRACK!
The teeth of the beasts biting on the barrier suddenly shattered one after the other. As piercing spear attacks wielded by the Plant Soldiers began piercing their magic crystals and shattering them one after the other, many monsters started falling apart into pieces.
"Seems like we're managing, but for how long?!" Wondered Mark, gritting his teeth as he was wearing his helmet and swinging his knife, generating a storm of slicing flames that engulfed a group of Hollows and burned several Beast Zombies.
FLUOOOOSH!
BOOOOMMMM!!!!
"GRYYAAAEERRGGH…!"
The screams of the beasts as they were burned alive had become common place in the chaotic battlefield. Mark's words were understandable, things seemed good, but they would never last forever either. It was better to keep a yourself cautious than to regret lowering their guards later.
"At this pace we can extend the barrier's duration to around ten more minutes." Elayne said, swinging her shovel-staff as a gigantic, explosion of spiritual power hit the head of a massive Phantom Bear Skeleton which had already been hurt by Mark's flames.
BAAAAAM!
"GRYYYAAAAAGH…!"
The Bear Skeleton was still standing as its skull was shattered, swinging its sharp claws against Elayne and slicing through her skin, only for more branches to emerge out of her wounds and cover her like an armor.
"[Yggdrasil's Armor]!"
Elayne's fist suddenly grew into a gigantic fist made of wood, hitting the bear's chest and shattering its magic crystal into pieces, finally finishing off the mighty undead.
CRAAAASH!
As that happened, a group of incredibly powerful Phantoms made their way towards them, as Rita called for Elayne and Mark's help.
"Someone come give me a hand! I am surrounded!" Rita panicked, as four Giant Phantoms started attacking her all at once!
CLASH! CLASH! CLASH! CLAAASH!
