Legacy of the Moon
Arc I: Forbidden End
Chapter 14: When Sesshomaru met Byakuya I
However, Kenpachi's move proved to be of no use as Sesshomaru used his demonic speed to hold his Zanpakuto in a similar pose with his energy whip and now he was right in front of him. The next moment, Sesshomaru hit Kenpachi's belly with an immensely powerful punch backed by the power of his poison claw technique. The punch not only scorched a major portion of his torso along with his Shihakusho and Captain's Haori but it also made him vomit a lot of blood from his mouth. Now the Daiyokai immediately grabbed the hilt of his Tensaiga which was still stuck in Kenpachi's torso and pulled it back while pulling his energy whip simultaneously. Streams of blood erupted out of his neck and torso while Sesshomaru shoved him inside a barrack with a powerful kick which ultimately crumbled down upon Kenpachi.
Now just as Sesshomaru began to walk away from there, he listened to a familiar voice. "I think it is the first time when I am seeing Kenpachi with a fitting opponent in battle," Yoruichi spoke from behind. "Yoruichi, I was looking for you," the Daiyokai responded to her. "Besides, that last move of yours was quite fancy, I hope he won't die from the injuries," she spoke further. "No, he will now die. His spirit energy is more powerful than others of your kind but still insufficient to stand against me," he replied to her. "Yes, I was very much observing that," she said in a playful tone. "Shall we retreat now?" Sesshomaru asked. "Not before we take everyone along with us," Yoruichi answered. "What do you mean?" He asked with slight confusion. "Your Yokai army is also here, we have to take them as well along with Urahara and one more of our friends," she answered. "Hmm… that must be Jaken," the Daiyokai mumbled, and then both of them headed to their destination.
Kuchiki Family Manor, Area of Squad 6…
As soon as Isshin and Urahara got freed from the prison amidst the chaos, the former rushed towards the area of his squad in order to battle against the Hollows to protect his squad members. On the other hand, Urahara couldn't find any significant information about the Yokais in the buildings of the 12th Squad but his Zanpakuto had got repaired. Hence, now he infiltrated in Kuchiki Family Manor because it was the only place in the Soul Society where the ancient written records were kept protected.
Luckily, Yoruichi's guess was right about Urahara as she had brought Sesshomaru nearby Kuchiki Family Manor in search of him. The moment both of them were about to enter the manor, a sudden sensation of a very powerful spiritual pressure forced them to stop moving any further.
"The spiritual pressure isn't bad. It seems that the Shinigami who is approaching us would be a worthy opponent." Sesshomaru said to Yoruichi. "Yes, he's really a good one, the Captain of Squad 6, Byakuya Kuchiki, I told you about him during our conversation, didn't I?" She replied. "Hmm I want you to fall back to a safe distance otherwise you will end up being in my way during the battle." He told her as he turned towards the direction from which he felt the spiritual pressure. "You don't have to battle against him, we can escape as well, Sesshomaru," She responded in an insisting manner. "No, I do not want unnecessary pursuers, let me get rid of him here and now," Sesshomaru spoke in a serious manner after which she understood that he won't leave without a fight and thus she didn't say anything else afterward.
Now both of them noticed that something was approaching them with immense speed. At first, it seemed like something with an immense glow but the next moment Yoruichi realized that those were the hundreds of blue-white glowing rods of energy summoned through the Bakudo 62, Hyapporankan. "Watch out, Sesshomaru!" She shouted while jumping very high in the air to dodge them. Sesshomaru immediately unleashed energy whips, one in each of his hands, and began to swirl them around, deflecting almost all the energy rods coming his way. "What the hell! These rods seem thrice in quantity in comparison to the actual Hyapporankan technique." She mumbled with a slight shock while she was also quite surprised to witness that Sesshomaru successfully deflected all of the energy rods using his whips, even though they were threefold in numbers and that too shot from three different angles.
Now Yoruichi landed on the ground right next to Sesshomaru on the other hand, Byakuya also appeared at a significant distance away, right in front of them. "Byakuya, we do not have to fight against each other when Soul Society is already going through such destruction. We are not your enemies," Yoruichi said to him in the hope to elude his clash with Sesshomaru. "Offenders of the Soul Society automatically become my enemies, Hado 33, Sokatsui," Byakuya coldly responded to her and then he murmured while discharging a torrent of blue flames from the palm of his hand while pointing it towards both her and Sesshomaru.
"Behind me!" Sesshomaru abruptly told Yoruichi while unleashing his raw demonic energy as he stepped in front of her. She managed to hide behind him right before Sokatsui hit his demonic energy and caused a blast. However, the force of Sesshomaru's spiritual pressure dissipated the smoke and flames in no time. Now Byakuya stared at the Daiyokai with an expression of minor surprise upon realizing that his Sokatsui couldn't even put a scratch on him. However, he didn't allow this surprise to demoralize him, and the next moment he uttered, "Hado 73, Soren Sokatsui!" He shot a massive amount of blue energy in the form of a wave of concentrated blast towards Sesshomaru through his palms.
It didn't take the Daiyokai more than a moment to realize that this time the upcoming wave of energy was too powerful to get deflected by his spiritual pressure alone and thus he immediately unsheathed his Tensaiga. Yoruichi this time retreated to a safe distance while he successfully stopped the entire wave of the concentrated blast by his Tensaiga backed by his demonic energy. However, none of the two noticed when Byakuya disappeared from his position and appeared high in midair, right above Sesshomaru. Already preoccupied with the energy wave of Soren Sokatsui, Sesshomaru was left with no choice but to defend himself with his left forearm when Byakuya swung his Zanpakuto on him. As a result, he received a deep cut on his forearm but somehow managed to push him back with the burst of his sheer demonic energy.
"Stop, Byakuya! All of us need to unite our strength and fight against these Hollows before more of our people are slain." Yoruichi shouted at Byakuya but it seemed that her words fell only on deaf ears since he was busy crossing swords with Sesshomaru. Both of them were moving at very fast speeds and clashing their blades with as much force as they were able to. However, being a Daiyokai, Sesshomaru seemed to be slightly overpowering Byakuya in speed as well as in might.
"You are not only powerful but skilled in combat as well. However, you have made a grave mistake by infiltrating the Soul Society and I am here to make sure that you pay for this," Byakuya said to Sesshomaru in his usual serious tone upon getting pushed back by him. "Even though you seem to be a worthy fighter but currently you are nothing more than a mere obstruction in my path which I will remove at any cost," Sesshomaru replied in a similar tone. "Hmm tell me your name, demon?" Byakuya asked. "Sesshomaru!" He responded. "Beware Sesshomaru! Because I am sworn to annihilate every single being who wants to harm the Soul Society," Byakuya spoke with great determination. "Give me your best shot because anything lesser than that will cost you your life, Byakuya Kuchiki," Sesshomaru replied in a cold tone.
After a slight break, Byakuya pointed his finger toward Sesshomaru and muttered, "Hado 4, Byakurai." The next moment, swift lightning bolts discharged from his fingers and targeted the Daiyokai. He dodged all of them with the help of his demonic speed and attacked Byakuya with the poison claw technique. The Shinigami managed to evade the attack at the last moment but the poisonous fumes somehow reached his right arm and slightly injured his bicep. In order to stop the poison's effect from spreading, he took off his Captain's haori and threw it aside.
"Now deal with this… Scatter, Senbonzakura," Byakuya spoke as he released his Shikai. "Byakuya, you need to stop before this fight can turn into an all-out war," Yoruichi said to him in a loud voice. "If you truly want us to stop this battle then surrender along with your entire gang," he replied while maintaining his focus on the battle. "Sesshomaru, at least you listen to me," she requested him upon realizing that Byakuya won't listen to her. "I will try to end this battle as soon as possible by defeating him quickly," Sesshomaru responded while continuing fighting. "Aaaarrrrggh… both are alike… idiots!" She muttered frustratingly as none of them was ready to listen to her and abandon the battle.
Now Sesshomaru rushed forward with great momentum for a head-on clash but Byakuya immediately began to move backward while directing the petal blades of Senbonzakura towards the Daiyokai. The moment he witnessed the upcoming barrage of Senbonzakura, he put his Tensaiga back into its sheath and unleashed two energy whips while continuously heading toward him. Soon enough it turned into a fatal duel where Sesshomaru was inflicting injuries on Byakuya's body with his energy whips while Senbonzakura's petal blades were continuously cutting Sesshomaru as he was rushing ahead. There were multiple cuts and scratches all over their bodies and just as Sesshomaru was about to catch Byakuya, he attacked with the destructive Kido technique, Byakurai. The Daiyokai managed to dodge some of the lightning bolts but eventually got hit by one or two of them. However, it didn't stop either of them and this time, the moment Byakuya released lightning bolts from his fingers, Sesshomaru took out his Tensaiga and slashed it with a powerful sword swing back by his demonic energy. As a result, an explosion pushed both of them away from each other.
It was that moment when both of them got some rest amidst the heat of the battle and they were shocked to realize how heavily both of them had injured each other in such a short time during their fight. "You are indeed a worthy opponent, Sesshomaru. I think I will have to unleash my full power against you," Byakuya said while getting up on his feet. "You put up a much better fight than I anticipated but don't think you will be able to continue this play with your current power and skills," Sesshomaru complimented him as well. "I know and that's why it's time for you to behold my true power, Bankai, Senbonzakura Kageyoshi," Byakuya replied while letting go of his sword. The next moment, several giant blades appeared in the ground in a pattern of two rows in the middle of which Sesshomaru was standing.
"Sesshomaru, get away from there, quickly!" Yoruichi shouted at him upon sensing the danger. Suddenly, those giant blades turned into a large number of petal blades and started to rush toward Sesshomaru in the form of multiple streams. However, it didn't take him long to realize that it won't be wise to face such an assault head-on and hence he immediately adopted his light-orb form and escaped the siege of Senbonzakura Kageyoshi. Now Byakuya and the entire barrage of petal blades began to follow him with great speed. The Daiyokai knowingly moved into that area of the Kuchiki Manor which was full of congested streets with tall and massive buildings. Byakuya tried to pursue him but eventually lost track and suddenly some of the tall and massive buildings around him got burst from the middle and began to fall upon him. The Shinigami immediately summoned a sufficient amount of his petal blades to shatter those buildings into pieces and also directed two torrents of them towards Sesshomaru who was high in the air. The Daiyokai dodged those petal blades and rushed towards Byakuya with immense momentum who was still busy with the fallen buildings. An immensely powerful sword swing from Sesshomaru, consisting of the power of his superior demonic energy crushed those gigantic pieces of the building, burying the Shinigami in the rubble after pushing aside the petal-blades.
He landed on the ground at some distance away from the rubble but didn't notice the petal blades which were slowly spinning around him. "You dared to harm the old and prestigious buildings of my clan, moreover you tried to crush me beneath their rubble, so now prepare yourself to get crushed as well," Byakuya said while coming out of the rubble in an injured state and getting up on his feet. Sesshomaru narrowed his eyes after listening to his words and immediately began to observe his surroundings for any sort of possible danger. "Gokei, Senbonzakura Kageyoshi," Byakuya muttered while unleashing one of the special techniques of his Bankai. Now before the Daiyokai could have done anything, all the petal blades of Senbonzakura created the perfect spherical formation of innumerable blade fragments, which started to swirl around him like a cloud and also this form increased the number of tiny blades to an immense level.
Meanwhile, Yoruichi arrived there as well and she was quite shocked as well as worried upon witnessing that Byakuya was going to execute the Gokei technique on Sesshomaru which could be extremely fatal for even someone like him. She immediately looked towards Byakuya but when she noticed his wrecked state, she realized that it would be impossible to convince him through mere words. As it seemed that Sesshomaru had not only destroyed his clan's ancient buildings but also inflicted a significant amount of injuries on him as the Shinigami was bleeding from his head while his body was full of bruises with his Shihakusho in a terrible state. "Oh! No, even if I try to attack this formation then it will not only make the situation worse but Sesshomaru might get hurt as well since he is inside of it," Yoruichi mumbled to herself while watching everything helplessly.
While she was still trying to devise a way to protect Sesshomaru, the petal blades of Senbonzakura Kageyoshi moved towards him from every possible angle, leaving no blind spots and no possibility of escape. However, the moment those petal blades collapsed in on him both Byakuya and Yoruichi heard a loud demonic roar that came from inside the spherical structure of the Gokei technique. A devastating explosion occurred and it shook the entire area by the generation of a loud sound along with strong shockwaves due to which even Byakuya and Yoruichi had to retreat to a sophisticated distance away from there.
Yoruichi was almost terrified after hearing Sesshomaru's roar and the powerful explosion caused by Gokei while Byakuya, on the other hand, was suspicious of the outcome. Unlike a perfect Gokei technique, the blast consisted of a lot of release of his opponent's spirit energy while the force of the blast blew most of Senbonzakura's petal blades away from where Sesshomaru would be standing.
Soon enough the chaos caused by the explosion vanished and a strange glimpse of Sesshomaru shocked both of them. Though he quickly turned to normal yet both of them managed to witness a few seconds of his form in which his eyes were slightly bigger and red while his jaw seemed a bit monstrous. The next moment, he became fully normal but he wasn't looking too well since he was quite heavily injured, almost as much injured as Byakuya if not more.
"Oh damn, he seemed to be in a really bad shape but what was that, his true form or something?" Yoruichi murmured in a low voice upon seeing Sesshomaru.
"I didn't expect you to display such a powerful technique with those petal blades but it is not enough to defeat me," the Daiyokai said in a serious tone. "You managed to force the petal blades of my Bankai away from you during the last moment of the Gokei technique. I also didn't expect that you can do something like this with the sheer spiritual pressure," Byakuya responded to him.
"You two have to stop this meaningless battle right now. Just take a look around, the Hollows are destroying everything in the Soul Society," Yoruichi shouted at both of them. "I am not obliged to save the Soul Society," Sesshomaru replied to her. "This demon is a threat to the Soul Society and I won't stop until I vanquish him," Byakuya replied to her as well. "Go ahead, Soul Reaper, show me everything you have got," Sesshomaru spoke while tightening his grip on the Tensaiga. "Sesshomaru, you should feel honored to know that you are the first being against whom I am about to use this technique. Prepare yourself and behold! Senkei, Senbonzakura Kageyoshi," He muttered while staring at the Daiyokai.
Now Byakuya's Bankai started to arrive into its true form where the scattered petals unified into complete glowing swords, numbering in the thousands, which form four rows. These rows were floating just above each other, circling Byakuya and Sesshomaru in a continuously moving, column-like array. Sesshomaru was carefully analyzing every corner of that structure through his sight, upon noticing that, Byakuya said, "You will not understand anything just by staring at the structure of my Senkei, let's resume the battle." Both of them stared into each other's eyes while charging their spiritual pressure. Sesshomaru responded to him after a break, "Very well."
To be continued…