Legacy of the Moon

Arc I: Forbidden End

Chapter 6: A Destined Setup

"We will get Isshin's help in the Soul Society," she replied to Urahara.

Soon all three of them moved to the basement of the shop which was actually a gigantic training space with artificial daylight and where the device to open a Garganta was situated. Urahara said to Sesshomaru while activating the portal, "Garganta are very unstable dimensional portals, so just push your way to the Hueco Mundo using your demonic energy because if once you get trapped into the dimensional gap then we will never be able to bring you back."

"And try not to gain unnecessary attention over there," Yoruichi advised him as well. "I am not a kid," Sesshomaru responded to her, and then they looked at each other with soft expressions before he entered the Garganta without any fear or hesitation the moment it appeared above Urahara's setup.

After 3 days

The topmost section of the Hueco Mundo, the white desert…

Sesshomaru was lying down on the ground on his belly with his consciousness clouded and his body extremely exhausted. After some time, he woke up to the noises of some small and weak Hollows fighting each other nearby him. He immediately recollected his strength, came back to his senses, and got up on his feet. Now he recalled how he ended up like this, the Garganta through which he arrived in the Hueco Mundo, it began to shrink the moment he stepped inside it. Hence he had to use each and every ounce of his demonic energy in order to stop the Garganta from crushing him while pushing himself all the way to the Hueco Mundo.

As soon as he got up and began to take a look around, all those smaller Hollows got scared and ran away from there but suddenly a larger Hollow began to chase them. That portion of the white desert was rather lacking uniformity in comparison to the other portions. The gigantic rocks, deep trenches, and the corridors between them with the weak and cracked ground were making it a dangerous place filled with traps. Soon enough Sesshomaru witnessed how that bigger Hollow and all those smaller ones ended up falling into the depths due to the sudden rupture of a cracked portion of land.

Now he began to climb upwards on a giant rock and decided to move forward by jumping from one rock to another while on his way it's been several times that the rocks and the ground got crumbled by his weight but each time he saved himself from falling by using his incredible speed and balance. Even though he was already moving at quite a height yet there were some gigantic mountains on his way too high to climb to the top and hence he decided to move ahead through the caves and cracks inside of them.

At the end of a cave, Sesshomaru was confronted by a Hollow and it seemed that the latter was filled to attack and consume the former. The next moment, Sesshomaru used his demonic speed and he seemed to disappear from his position and appear right behind that Hollow while that Hollow vanished due to the heavy damage inflicted on his head by the quick attack of Daiyokai's claw. Now suddenly he sensed some Hollows right above him beyond the cave's ceiling and he decided to pay a surprise visit to them. He immediately jumped upward, ripped the ceiling with his claws, and killed all those Hollows by beheading them with a single swing of his energy whip, without giving them even the chance to react.

Sesshomaru was thinking about simply finding the Hollow whose Mask's remnant he found in the river instead of unnecessarily others on his way but he wasn't aware of the fact that he had already gained the attention of several Hollows all around him. Now he came across a dead-end in a cave and hence he decided to continue his journey through the rocks situated at the lower heights once again. However, as soon as he descended to the rocks, dozens of Hollows who were awaiting him came out of their hidings and surrounded him. It took some time for to Sesshomaru in annihilating them since he wasn't aware of the fact that destroying their mask or detaching it from their bodies is an easy way to put an end to them.

He was sensing the presence of a large number of Hollows ahead and thus he decided to move ahead while flying swiftly instead of on foot in order to avoid them. On his way, even though he was noticing that the level of ground was slowly getting lower but he had no idea that he was actually getting closer to the Forest of Menos. He confronted some cavities and he didn't hesitate to enter them since they were the only ways that were leading ahead and now he was traveling through a region that was a blend of white desert and Forest of Menos. He even came across the rubble and remnants of structures that weren't looking natural as they were probably belonging to the very foundation of the Las Noches.

The moment he started losing hope of finding that Arrancar, suddenly he noticed a shine in the darkness of the depths right beneath his feet and when he tried to get close to it, he sensed a similar kind of spiritual pressure from it which the Mask remnant he had, was oozing. Now he swiftly made his way toward the place from where that shine was coming. He didn't hesitate to go deeper without realizing that he had already left behind that blended area far away and entered the Forest of Menos. He was sensing an unbelievable amount of Menos Grande all around him but he didn't seem to be concerned about them, maybe because they were still weaker than him. Sesshomaru's movements had also become slightly reckless as instead of finding new ways upon coming across a blockage, he was simply breaking through the rocks and crystal-like flora of the Hueco Mundo to pave his path which was surely gaining him a lot of attention from several Gillians.

Even though it was a long path for the Daiyokai yet he didn't take much time in reaching the place from where he noticed that shine. It was a Mask remnant of a Hollow, he picked it up and when he tried to put it together with the smaller Mask fragment which he had, it became clear that both the remnants of Hollow Mask were belonging to the same entity, most probably a female Vasto Lorde just like Urahara told him after his analysis.

Sesshomaru had no idea that someone was watching him from a safe distance. She was standing right behind him and trying to figure out why he was taking so much interest in those Mask remnants. She was none other but Tia Halibel, the same female Vasto Lorde whose Mask remnants he was carrying all this time. Her Hollow Mask seemed to be shattered from her left cheek and there were several bruises all over her body as if she had a serious battle against someone or a group of Hollows.

She whispered to herself while staring at Sesshomaru, "Who is he and why is he looking for me? I have never even seen him before in the Hueco Mundo. Could it be that he is the one behind the abduction of Mila Rose and Sung-Sun?" Now Sesshomaru began to walk away and hence she began to follow him out of curiosity in order to know his intentions so that she can neutralize any possible danger coming her way. "His spiritual pressure is very different, it is so powerful and fierce and yet it doesn't seem to belong to a Shinigami or a Hollow, he is definitely none of them but he is neither Quincy nor even a human then what exactly is he?" She whispered while reading his demonic spiritual pressure but she didn't realize that she had reached too close to hide her spiritual pressure from him. As a result, Sesshomaru immediately had a slight feeling of her spiritual pressure but before he could have started to track her down, she retreated at the right moment and saved herself.

"What was this feeling just now? I sensed as if that female Vasto Lorde is somewhere around. If her Mask remnant is here then she might not be far enough, I must continue looking for her." Sesshomaru murmured to himself and then headed in the direction from where he was sensing several Gillians.

"I have to be careful; he almost caught me this time but it seems that I managed to retreat at the right moment… however, where is he going? I can sense a large number of Gillians that way, I must pursue him." She whispered while rushing in the same direction in which Sesshomaru had left.

Meanwhile in the Feudal Era

Jaken and the two-headed Dragon Yokai had stopped traveling and they were simply waiting for Sesshomaru's return ever since he had left in order to retrieve his Tensaiga which was stolen by the Hollow creatures. Jaken was quite worried about him because he felt how powerful those creatures were when they attacked them in order to steal the sword. Also, Jaken was well aware of the fact that Bone-eater's well is a dimensional portal and hence he was afraid that Sesshomaru might end up getting trapped in a strange world and outnumbered by those powerful strange creatures.

Jaken was constantly getting worried and frustrated upon fantasizing about all the horrible possibilities which could have happened to Sesshomaru in that new world where Bone-eater's well had led him. Suddenly, he got up from his place with bizarre confidence and a sudden change in attitude, "Lord Sesshomaru… I will save you," he spoke in a loud tone. "Let's go, we will have to gather an army of Yokai in order to rescue Lord Sesshomaru from those creatures," He said with confidence while pulling the reins of his companion Dragon Yokai.

After walking non-stop for a few hours along with the two-headed Dragon Yokai, Jaken finally came across someone to whom he could have asked for some help. He was none other but Royakan, the Wolf Yokai, who was famous as the gentle guardian of the forest.

"Hey Royakan, today is a very important day for you because I am here to invite you to participate in the greatest war of all times," Jaken said proudly while standing right in front of Wolf Yokai but he didn't react even after several seconds passed. Jaken began to wonder why he didn't reply yet. Suddenly Jaken heard the sound of snoring and it didn't take him long to realize that the world Yokai was actually asleep. "ROYA..KAA..AAAN!" The Toad Yokai shouted frustratingly. "Ahh… yes… yes… I am here… who is it? Ohh..Jaken it's you," the big-headed Wolf Yokai replied abruptly upon getting snapped out of his slumber.

"Lord Sesshomaru is in trouble, we have to gather a strong army of Yokai and rush to help him immediately," Jaken anxiously spoke to him. "What? Lord Sesshomaru is in trouble? How is this even possible?" Royakan asked shockingly upon heeding his words. "We don't have time for the discussion you fool," He shouted at the Wolf Yokai. "Tell me everything, whom we are gonna have to fight and where?" The Wolf Yokai asked further. "Those are monsters, they wear mask and armor of bones, they got a hole in their bodies too… they came from Bone-eater's well to steal Lord Sesshomaru's Tensaiga," Jaken explained to him the in the best manner he could. "So, where is Lord Sesshomaru right now?" Royakan asked curiously. "Amm… he entered inside Bone-eater's well like two days ago," Jaken answered hesitatingly. "Well… fighting is alright but traveling to the new dimension sounds scary," Royakan replied while wondering about what kind of world the Bone-eater's well would lead them to. "Hah! Forget it, if you are scared," Jaken spoke with disappointment. "No, I am not scared… let's go," Royakan said with confidence to pretend that he wasn't scared.

Forest of Menos, Hueco Mundo…

Sesshomaru was continuously searching for that female Vasto Lorde whose Hollow Mask remnant he found recently. And his search seemed to come to an end when he witnessed that she was passing through a group of giant black Hollows who were constantly firing Ceros on her. "These Hollows are much larger in comparison to the ones I have confronted so far yet they don't seem to be much powerful. They are nothing in comparison to her in strength but still instead of attacking them in return; she is simply dodging their Cero beams to escape this area," Sesshomaru mumbled while quickly rushing towards her.

Halibel immediately sensed Sesshomaru's spiritual pressure, "he is close," she uttered while looking here and there. "Stop!" Sesshomaru said to her in a loud voice. "Oh no, he is coming from behind. I must escape quickly," she uttered in a low voice while increasing her speed in order to make him lose sight of her. Sesshomaru, on the other hand, was interrupted by the barrage of the Cero beams from the Menos Grandes. Halibel succeeded in her attempt of escaping him as his path got blocked by the giant rocks which fell from the ceiling after they got damaged by the multiple Cero beams. Though the barrage of the Cero beams was unable to get past Sesshomaru's demonic energy yet it proved to be enough to stop him in his tracks by creating immense chaos and disturbance in a large area.

Meanwhile, on the other side of the giant rocks, Halibel was unable to leave as she was still wondering about Sesshomaru's intentions. "From his face and his body language, it doesn't seem that he wants to hunt me down but still I must stay alert because he is too powerful and also an unknown being," she mumbled to herself. Suddenly she listened to the loud noise of blasts. It was coming from the barrage of Cero beams that the Menos Grandes were constantly firing at Sesshomaru. "He seems to be trapped by those Ceros but the Menos Grandes also seem to get destroyed one after another, however, he is killing them very slowly, perhaps he doesn't know much about us Hollows," she spoke to herself while standing close to the wall of fallen rocks and then she shouted, "break their mask, stranger… it is the quickest way to kill them."

Sesshomaru was quite surprised to listen to her voice, especially to know that she was still hanging around and was trying to help him. He didn't reply to her but did exactly what she told him to do so and soon enough he managed to neutralize all the Menos Grandes. Afterward, he walked up to that wall of fallen rocks in order to have a word with her. "Who are you?" Sesshomaru asked her. "That is none of your business… now get lost and do not pursue me," Halibel replied in a strict manner and left. "I must find a way to reach her as soon as possible." He mumbled while looking around in order to find a way out.

Now Sesshomaru didn't take much time in reaching close to her once again. He didn't find her but he was sensing her spiritual pressure very clearly and that's how he knew that she was much closer to him than he was anticipating. On the other hand, Halibel was also able to feel his spiritual pressure which was enough for her to figure out his exact direction and location. "Damn! He is still pursuing me and he is too close… I have to do something about him," she mumbled to herself as she decided to attack him.

While he was still trying to find her, suddenly she appeared in front of him by bursting through a wall. She had gathered enough spirit energy to boost her strength and speed to a great extent. Sesshomaru wasn't expecting such a response from her and hence he was caught off guard. The next moment, she pinned him to a wall while the point of her sword was pressing against his throat.

"Why are you pursuing me?" She asked furiously while Sesshomaru released some of his demonic energy and pushed her away from him. "Where is my Tensaiga?" he asked in a cold tone. "What are you talking about? Are you the one who sent those Hollows to abduct my comrades?" she asked with slight confusion but the seriousness and valor were clearly reflected in her tone. "I have no interest in you or your kind, I am simply looking for my sword which was stolen by some Hollows," he replied in a strict manner. "I know nothing of you or your sword but what made you think that I have stolen it?" She muttered while wondering about his intentions. "Let me show you," he responded.

Now Sesshomaru took the piece of her Hollow Mask out of his clothes and asked her while showing it to her, "it belongs to you, isn't it? Those Hollows who stole my sword dropped it nearby me." She recognized that Mask remnant as hers and replied, "I don't know… I really have no idea but it seems that it was all planned because some Hollows attacked me and my comrades a while ago and they abducted them. Suddenly a large number of Adjuchas surrounded both of them and it seemed that they were planning to feast on them. "You are one of them, a Hollow, aren't you? Hence, I can't believe you but I will need you to retrieve my sword." Sesshomaru said as he prepared himself to fight against the Adjuchas while Halibel took advantage of this situation and once again fled.

To be continued…