Everlasting Reflections: The Moon Underwater

Arc II: Dawn of Dreams

Chapter 53: Post-Chrysalis Stage


Aizen's Zanpakuto was releasing the sparks of violet energy while Sesshomaru's Bakusaiga was radiating with the flashes of green demonic energy during their clash. "Trident!" Harribel murmured as she joined Sesshomaru in the weapon deadlock, attacking Aizen with a high-pressure slash. The Shinigami in Chrysalis form managed to block even that but couldn't maintain the weapon deadlock much longer as the next Sesshomaru and Harribel shoved him away with their combined force. Aizen hit the ground hard as he landed on his one knee while it seemed that this setback had started to fill him with rage.

"I see… so, the three of you have exceeded my expectations for mere Espadas but know that it is not enough to survive against me for too long," Aizen said to Stark, Harribel, and Ulquiorra in an utterly serious tone. "We have got no plans to die here and now, Aizen…" Stark replied while loading his pistols. "You do not know about the full extent of our capabilities yet," Ulquiorra responded while summoning his spear of energy. "The power of an army depends upon its bond with the leader. That's why a man like you can never harness the true strength of the army of Espadas," Harribel replied to him as well while pointing her sword towards him.

Once again she summoned a gigantic surge of water and directed it towards him which he easily dodged by using his superior speed. Now before he could have approached her, Ulquiorra blocked his path while both Harribel and Stark fell back to a great height and started to fire their long-ranged attacks on him.

When Sesshomaru approached Aizen to face him head-on, he was busy in the weapon deadlock with Ulquiorra but he immediately pushed the Cuatro Espada back and countered the Daiyokai's sword swing with ease. "You all think that I don't understand… how naïve of you," Aizen said to Sesshomaru. "What do you mean?" He asked. "Stark's specialty is long-ranged, quick and powerful attacks while Harribel is the most dangerous Espada for long-term battles, her ability to stack her offensive force by accumulating water can be deadly even for the opponents whose power far surpass her," Aizen said to him while Yang was also carefully listening to his words. "Ulquiorra with the second release and high-speed regeneration is the perfect candidate to engage me and buy time while all of you are busy in executing your plans," He spoke further. "It won't make any difference because I am here to ensure your defeat," Yang spoke from behind. "In that case, you will be the next one to go down," Aizen responded to her and immediately rushed to cut her down. However, both of his wrists were seized by Ulquiorra's tail and Sesshomaru's energy whip. They pulled him back elastically and clashed their weapons with him but Aizen tangled Ulquiorra's tail with Sesshomaru's energy whip and slashed both of them in order to free him.

The next moment, a sudden burst of his violet spirit energy shoved both the warriors away from him. Now Aizen swiftly rushed towards Sesshomaru who was still trying to get up on his feet. But before the Shinigami in Chrysalis form could have taken the advantage of the situation, several wolves made up of Cero energy grabbed him with their jaws. However, he immediately summoned his destructive violet spiritual pressure and destroyed all the wolves in the blink of an eye. "Cero," Harribel murmured as she charged a golden-yellow Cero along her sword before firing it on Aizen in a very wide arc through a sword swing. That Cero couldn't inflict significant damage on his body but it certainly forced him to lose track of his opponents for a moment. Ulquiorra attempted to take advantage of this opening and immediately shoot Lanza del Relampago at him. Aizen barely dodged it on the last moment and then immediately rushed towards the Cuatro Espada to punish him for this act. Aizen didn't realize that Sesshomaru who was right behind him, had caught Lanza del Relampago with his energy whip. Now he spun swiftly, elastically throwing Ulquiorra's spear of energy towards Aizen along with a powerful wave of Azure Dragon Wave. Both the powerful techniques got combined on the way. The dragon-shaped energy of Sesshomaru's attack got attached along the length of Ulquiorra's spear of energy in a swirling manner like a snake while the powerful waves of demonic energy increased the momentum of this combination several folds.

Stark immediately approached Ulquiorra and pushed him out of the way at the last moment while Aizen's torso was penetrated by Lanza del Relampago with a powerful collision followed by an enormous blast of green energy and eruption of immense bolts of demonic energy.

Aizen's significantly broken body fell on the ground like a crashed airplane while releasing powerful sparks of unstable violet energy. For a moment, everyone fell under the impression that the battle ended. However, all of them got shocked upon sensing the sudden rise in his spiritual pressure. He slowly got up on his feet while shedding his sleek phantom-like form to reveal a form similar to his original one, with the addition of long hair and gray eyes with the purple sclera.

"The material that you have shed was the Hollow-mask remnant while your spiritual pressure seemed to have solidified at some portions of your body… does this mean that you have found out the secret behind the existence of Hollow-mask remnant?" Yang asked him. "Perhaps… but after listening to your words, I am even more interested in what little trick you are hiding up in your sleeves, Aizen responded to her. "Just wait and watch," she replied. "Hmm… yes, wait and watch," Aizen repeated her words in a low voice with a slight smile while tilting his head downward. Now all of a sudden his monstrous spiritual pressure began to skyrocket and it almost seemed as if it was going to cover a large area in an explosion. "Cero Oscuras!" Ulquiorra muttered while shooting his black Cero towards Aizen in the form of a wave. However, the Shinigami in the post-Chrysalis stage easily blocked the Cero wave by stretching one of his arms in that direction. "Cero Metralleta!" Stark mumbled while shooting a barrage of Ceros on Aizen in order to prevent him from making any move on Ulquiorra.

After a few moments of devastation, Stark eventually stopped his barrage of Cero to figure out the condition of Aizen. However, everyone was shocked to find out that he had got disappeared from there by now. "Did you really think that my abilities would remain on the same level even after the change in my form?" Aizen's voice echoed as he appeared right behind Harribel at a significant distance away from her. She shockingly looked behind upon listening to his voice and sensing his spiritual pressure but before she could have prepared herself, an enormous and powerful burst of violet spiritual pressure approached her swiftly. She got utterly frozen upon realizing that it was impossible for her to escape it but at the end moment Sesshomaru pushed her away before covering her with his own body.

Both Stark and Ulquiorra fell into the grip of fear and worry for them upon seeing them falling from the sky together, leaving behind a trail of smoke in the air. Both of them hit the ground hard and it seemed that they had taken a significant amount of damage, especially Sesshomaru. Harribel's weapon got shattered while her right arm was almost entirely scorched. On the other hand, Sesshomaru was lying on her and he had taken significant damage on his entire back, shoulders and some of the portions of his arms. His armor and kimono were completely destroyed from the back while some of his long strands of hair were also got burnt from the end.

Harribel slowly returned to her senses and moaned slightly due to the immense pain in her right arm while Sesshomaru somehow managed to get on his fours but couldn't move more than that. "Ahh… Lord Sesshomaru, are you alright?" Harribel asked him and slightly rose her head up while lying beneath him. "Stay where you are, don't move away…" he responded to her in a low and painful voice upon sensing the upcoming danger.

"Ho! You two are still able to move… but I want the two of you to rest in peace together, inside the black coffin… Seeping crest of turbidity, arrogant vessel of lunacy! Boil forth and deny! Grow numb and flicker! Disrupt sleep! Crawling queen of iron! Eternally self-destructing doll of mud! Unite! Repulse! Fill with soil and know your own powerlessness!" Hado 90, Kurohitsugi!" Aizen murmured as he sealed both Sesshomaru and Harribel inside the deadly black structure.

"Noooo…!" Stark shouted out loud with fear and anger while Ulquiorra fell utterly speechless upon witnessing that disturbing scenario.


To be continued…