Instead of falling into a martial stance, pulling any number of his miscellaneous artifacts or even using his own Divine Pressure to simple cause their own bodies to rebel against them, Iori did the one thing that was greater than any miraculous technique they most likely assumed he had in his back pocket.
His Ki, oozing into the environment itself. Through the grass, dirt and roots. Permeating the very area around him to such a degree that he was it must've been like an open bonfire to those with his disciple's bloodline. Near blinding and thick as mud.
Nature had always been a greedy thing, for flora, there was never such a thing as too much energy. They weren't like other living beings, beasts or humans would explode if pumped beyond full with Ki. But plants? They would grow, putting all that energy toward bettering themselves. Growing from mundane grass to spiritual herbs that would cause blood to flood sect halls.
But when flora reaches that state in which it goes from something mortal to a higher level of existence, that value was matched by the danger it posed. Maybe at first, wondering beats or cultivators would find a budding spiritual herb and protect it long enough to mature so they can claim it's bounty for themselves. That was of course, the lower tiers...things got strange after awhile.
Faster than the moral eye, something rigid and fluid came whipping down with the force of an angry god. Causing the air to crack, to whistle and release a blast of wind so strong that it even sent his robe to wave gallantly in the breeze. In one moment, those twin spirits had been right within arms reach and in the next, they were batted aside like flies. Flying in differing directions, their already ghostly appearance becoming more insubstantial and even began flickering out of existence for a few heartbeats.
Their summoners, didn't stop chanting or dancing. Even while blood dripped down the corner of their lips or skin loosing a few shades of color. In anything, they continued the ritual with increased urgency. A near desperate thing. Frantic.
Iori simply smiled and patted the tree at his back. He could feel it, the forest..was waking.
Before him, a single branch as thick as a man's arm, slithered in the air. Breaking off into six separate paths with a single leaf at the very tip of each limb, looking a lot like a hand. Or at least, a mockery of one.
Shimmering in the sunlight, the tree did not see a reason to wait for it's opponents to recover and with the sound of cracking wind, the limb struck out once more in a blinding blitz. It's massive trunk sending heavy reverberations up his spine as it moved unnaturally.
The twin summons, spotting the danger quickly eating up the distance, quickly split in opposite directions to avoid the now massive dusty cloud blocking the majority of the makeshift battlefield. Without missing a beat, they both charged forward once more. Serpent wriggling in odd and unpredictable patterns as it dodged the near endless barrage of roots shooting up out of the ground to snap around empty air. Those slit eye focused solely on it's target, murderous intent plain for all to see.
But, it was quite clear that while the samurai was fast it wasn't anywhere the speed or maneuverability of the more beastly spirit. Instead, the warrior essential glided gracefully across the ground, 'feet' shuffling off into profound footwork that had probably allowed it to survive and come out on top of many of battles in life. Practically dancing around wooden pillars, it's ethereal weapon came down methodically. It's movement clear and smooth, wasting not even a single extra once of power as it cut it's way through.
These were some impressive Shikigamis, that Iori could silently admit. Not a real accomplishment once you knew the trick, but such a pairing would surely force any youngster to retreat.
Each spirit, while over a decade old each, weren't all that powerful. Instead, it was the glowing kanji emblazoned across their backs linking them back to their summoners pumping them full of a mixture of mortal Ki and Divine energy. And from the way those barely imperceptible cracks were slowly becoming substantial with each passing moment, this wasn't a pace they could easily keep up with.
Hell, he was sure that if those cracks reached their core, these spirits would finally be afforded an end to their tortuous existence.
'Would they cry about it?' Obvious, each of them had time, effort and resources pumped into their creation along with just maintaining them. Maybe the cost was offset by their Kamis. 'Let's see about that.'
Flicking a strand, the forest froze. Energy surging out of him, saturated more of the environment. Sinking further into soil, roots and even the air itself. 'Eyes' flashed open from all around, an ancient aura rose up from the Earth itself. Like a giant waking up from it's century long slumber with a groan that seemed morel like a localized earthquake.
The trees began to lean, roots ripping themselves out of the ground with multiple audible snaps. Farther and farther they tipped but just as a single branch was prepared to touch the earth below, it paused. And slowly, ever so slowly, it began to tip in the other direction. Exposed roots coiling around each other to form thick 'legs' to provide further support their escape.
Until, in that moment of stillness, a true monster towered over everything in the clearing.
A giant composed of roots, branches and trunks. A creature that embodied the relentless and ancient feel of nature itself in all it's gory glory. Large arms forced into a mockery of heavily muscled limbs, shorter thighs that led down to longer shin and enlarged ankles like in a rough approximation of a cat or dog. But unlike them, this behemoth was not forced to crawl on all fours like any lesser beast. With it's chest, layered in roughly shaped bark puffed out A massive mane of leaves a framing a helm face split open for just a moment. Just long enough to expose a maw if jagged wooden splinters and let out a silent roar that still nonetheless pushed back the surrounding forest.
'One Whisper, Awaken The Verdant Heart.'
Faster than before, a single clawed arm lashed out in a blur. Blackened nails the size of short swords lanced forward and this time, those poor spirits were incapable of dodging. Their forms nearly instantly exploding in a rain of torn paper and expended Ki.
Both Shinshoku nearly doubled over in unison, black blood exploding out from tightly pursed lips. Complexions growing deathly pale, he could tell they wouldn't last much longer in their current condition. Not many summoners last too long after their summons have been deal with, just the nature of them.
But despite the pain they must be in, they didn't stop that dance of theirs. Movement now jerky and labored, there was nothing going to stop them from completing it.
Between them, a lone object, composed entirely of Divine energy, hovered. It's mere presence weighing down on the fabric of reality. A pure white mask, it's empty eyes aloof.
'It looks like the real show is about to start.'