Harushi's hands were anchored to the wooded floor. Wooden branches covered His hands as they spew out in uncountable numbers of tangled heap of mess creating a wooden dome. His hoodie had been ripped and the his black shirt heaved over his chest. Harushi had created a massive dome made of branches and wood that acted as a barrier against sunlight from reaching his father, Akimoro.
At the same time, Ren's kimono had fallen off of his shoulders exposing his skinny lean chest. He had multiple scratches all over him from Akimoro's relentless vine whipping.
Similarly, Akimoro wasn't in a better state either. His jet black hair disheveled and cascading over his shoulders as the ponytail had been torn off. He couldn't photosynthesize Senzai Energy anymore and his reserves were in compared to the duo, not impressive. He also had bullet wounds that were either slowly healing or have healed already.
Akimoro pants heavily and blurts,
"Haa... Ren, you've amused me... Using conventional weapons made out of Senzai! That's creative and very effective against us users...".
Akimoro then looks over at Harushi and scoffs in disgust. Harushi glared at him with anger as he yelled,
"What? Thought this mistake of a child couldn't find a loophole against your shitty technique? Hah! You can't break out of my dome construct as long as we two (Ren and him) are breathing!".
Ren holds up a machete pointing towards Akimoro and said smirking, "Your match is with me, old man... Your son is busy keeping this place up and running...".
In an instant and with an excited grin, Ren transforms his machete into a Beretta M9 and starts firing shots at Akimoro.
Usually, Mitosis by Primal Bloom Art would instantly rejuvenate any bullet would by Ren before. However, with Akimoro's overall reserves depleting, his only option was to either defend taking the shots and healing or go on an offensive by wishing luck he dodged and knock out Ren before his Senzai depleted. Akimoro chose the latter.
Akimoro directed all of his Senzai towards his eyes. The rain of bullets came at Akimoro and he barely dodged them occasionally getting scraped by the bullets.
"Make it double!", Ren laughs creating another Berretta M9.
The density of projectiles increased and Akimoro couldn't even construct a simple Briar Block as the bullets would penetrate through regardless. So, Akimoro chose to run up the dome evading and dodging the bullets as they rained hell upon him.
Interestingly, Ren was using weaker weapons. This meant he was also conserving his Senzai Reserves. Akimoro grinned mischiveously at the thought. He was near victory as long as he played his cards right.
Seeing that his bullets were a waste, Ren created a long machete and ran over the ground as he leaped up in the air.
"Ren! NO! DON'T GO FOR CLOSE COMBAT!", Harushi yelled in desperation towards Ren. Primal Bloom is very effective in close counters and Harushi knew about this as a user of the same Art. But it was too late.
Ren lunged his machete at Akimoro who dodged it still standing vertically on the dome walls. Ren's machete got stuck between the wooden branches and he struggled to pull it out.
"I won," Akimoro whispered at Ren's ear and he covered him up in vines twirling all around Ren's body fully incapacitating the boy. Ren grunted and he tried producing a weapon but his hands were locked and tangled in the heapnof vines.
Akimoro looked satisfied and tilted his head back at the ground where Harushi stood anchored. Akimoro smirked and playfully said,
"You got a package, son!".
Akimoro violently kicked Ren towards Harushi, the kick causing a massive sonic boom as before Harushi knew it, Ren's corpse collided against him, their heads meeting eachother in a sickening crack as the boys went limp in eachother's embrace.
The massive dome started disintegrating as Harushi could no longer maintain such a high output of his construction. The sun rays shone brightly as Akimoro sighed in satisfaction. The rays hitting his every skin cell and absorbing into his body.
"Ah~ I missed this~," Akimoro sighed in pure ecstasy, arms raised up as he started photosynthesizing the Sun as Senzai Energy source.
A surge of Senzai erupted into Akimoro's body, his wounds patching up, his face getting brightened up and before they knew it, Akimoro had fully restored his small but replenishable Senzai Reserve.
Akimoro sighed and grinned coldly saying under his breath,
"Now then... Time to execute that bitch and these two intruders...".
Akimoro walked up to the knocked out duo.
"Primal Bloom:
Thorny Vines"
Multiple ropes of thorny vines erupted from Akimoro's fingers as they wrapped around Harushi and Ren lifting them up a few meters up in the sky as a sign of trophy for Akimoro. A sign of never to cross paths with this maniac of a Clan Head. The vines throbbed and poked their sharp edges against their bodies causing multiple small beads of blood forming all around the duo.
Akimoro cackled with ecstasy throwing his vines towards his wife and dragging her towards him by the throat.
"Fufufu~ Killing three birds with one stone...", Akimoro said as he scratched his nail against her cheek. She winced and tried to resist and move away but he kept his grip tight around her.
"Take this, you useless shit!," Akimoro screamed as he kicked her stomach relentlessly holding her up by the hair.
She coughed up blood after blood, her eyes tearing up and her breath escaping her lungs.
"H-harushi... Save me...", she mumbled in pain.
Akimoro's eyes dilated at her begging and he pulled her up slapping her head back.
"Nobody will save you, runt! You're going to get executed for giving me a useless joke of a child!", Akimoro yelled as he started beating her up with his fists.
At the end, she laid there, her pupils shaking, her ribs broken and her body bruised. Akimoro slid a vine around her neck and threw her with a jerk towards a tree stump.
Suddenly, a soft bed of flowers were formed right in time softening her crash and cradling her in.
Akimoro looked shocked but then smiled as he saw Harushi, Ren and a new person - Hikaru standing atop the execution platform. Ren and Harushi had respawned and were on their last life. Hikaru had finished his job with Yukari and accompanied the two in escaping Lucy's wretched Dreamscape once and for all.
Akimoro gave a condescending look as massive amounts of vines erupted from his body in a dazzling and greusome display all cracking at the speed of sound towards the trio.
Harushi created his own vines, Ren created a flamethrower fueled by Senzai and Hikaru pulled his sword out ready to counter Akimoro and end this nightmare once and for all.
"RAAHHHHHH!", Hikaru roared loudly as he ran towards death itself followed by his team members replying with a roar of battle themselves.
The climax of the Dreamscape was imminent but surely this wasn't the last foe for the party to combat, right?
From deep within the forests, the Dreamweaver stalked, awaiting for her prey to win and for her to have her fil after they escape.
Chapter 29, end