Legacy of the Moon

Arc I: Forbidden End

Chapter 13: Sesshomaru VS Zaraki Kenpachi

The nature of that spiritual pressure was exactly similar to that of a Shinigami but it was so powerful that none of the two were ready to accept that it really belonged to the one. "Tia, you must go now, it seems that this spiritual pressure is coming towards us," Sesshomaru said to her in a serious tone. "But..what about you?" She asked with concern. "You will only be in my way that's why you must leave and don't worry about me, I can take care of this alone," he replied while moving away from her in the direction of that powerful spiritual pressure. "I see, so it's a goodbye," she said in a rather sad tone. "I will come back to you once this is over," he replied as he walked away. "Oh," she responded with slight shock as his words clearly meant that even he wanted to meet her again.

Halibel had left by now while Sesshomaru had also reached the location of that spiritual pressure. The next moment, he noticed that a man was approaching him and it was none other but Sosuke Aizen.

"I presume that you are Sesshomaru, the greatest mystery for everyone in the Soul Society," Aizen said in his usual polite tone upon confronting him. "Indeed I am, but who are you, Soul Reaper?" Sesshomaru asked him. "Honored to make your acquaintance, I am Sosuke Aizen, a Captain in the Soul Society," He replied with a mysterious smile on his face.

"Are you here to battle against me?" the Daiyokai asked him in a serious tone. "Not exactly but I think you should head towards the Soul Society through one of the Gargantas," Aizen answered.

"Why do you think so?" Sesshomaru asked while narrowing his eyes. "Because your Shinigami friends i.e. Urahara Kisuke and Yoruichi Shihoin are captured by the Gotei 13 while these powerful Hollows are swarming up the Soul Society for the past few days which must be making the situation even worse for them," the Shinigami explained the entire scenario of Soul Society to Sesshomaru. "Hmm… if this is not a trap then obviously you are not doing this as a favor to me," Sesshomaru spoke while walking towards one of the Garganta. "We are not allies but it would be beneficial for both of us," Aizen muttered with a cunning smile on his face.

The Soul Society…

Just as Aizen told Sesshomaru, Soul Society was indeed in chaos, there was rubble and fire everywhere. Almost all the troops of all the squads were preoccupied with the troublesome situation. Captains and Lieutenants were busy defending the regions of their respective squads while Urahara, Yoruichi, and Isshin were still locked in the temporary prisons of the barracks of Squad 1. The sky of the Soul Society was full of Gargantas from where powerful Basic Hollows, Menos Grandes, and even Adjuchas were coming out. It was almost like a state of emergency all around while the spiritual pressure of the Hollows was powerful enough to terrify the Shinigami soldiers in the entire Soul Society.

Area of Squad 9, the Soul Society…

The situation in the area of Squad 9 had gone out of the hands of the Soul Reapers because its Captain, Kaname Tosen was busy observing other portions of the Soul Society so that he can inform Aizen of anything unusual. Lieutenant Hisagi was guiding the entire squad on his own but since too many men of his squad had already died in the battle thus he was forced to allow the Hollows to roam freely in the area and attack them only in groups and that too in a stealth manner.

Now Sesshomaru started to move forward in search of both of them while completely ignoring the ongoing fierce battle between Shinigamis and the Hollows which was taking place all around him. He was passing through a narrow alleyway while Hisagi was hiding on the rooftop of one of the houses in that row. He got shocked upon seeing Sesshomaru and decided to take him down before his presence could worsen the situation in the Soul Society.

All of a sudden, a Hollow appeared right behind him but before it could have moved his giant body to attack him, Sesshomaru's energy whip not only penetrated right through his mask but also shoved him away. Hisagi was quite shocked to realize the awareness level of Sesshomaru because he just took down a Hollow without even looking at it. "Reap, Kazeshini!" Hisagi murmured while releasing his Shikai.

Sesshomaru noticed him and stopped moving while Hisagi threw one of his Kazeshini blades at him. The Daiyokai easily dodged it by jumping in the air but two Hollows loped at him from opposite sides in midair. He immediately unleashed his energy whip and cut both of them down while doing a backflip before landing on the ground. Just as he landed on the ground, the chain of one of the Kazeshini blades got wrapped around his arm while the other one got tangled with his energy whip. "You better deal with these Hollows instead of drawing me into an unnecessary fight," Sesshomaru said to Hisagi in a serious tone but it was clear from Hisagi's attitude that he had no plans of letting him go that easily.

The next moment, Sesshomaru unsheathed his Tensaiga and shattered Kazeshini into multiple fragments with a powerful swing of his sword backed by his superior demonic energy. "Damn! He destroyed my Zanpakuto so easily, but how?" Hisagi mumbled to himself upon getting terrified by the scenario of the destruction of his Zanpakuto. Sesshomaru, on the other hand, began to walk away from there with the anticipation that Hisagi won't follow him with a broken Zanpakuto. However, the persistent Shinigami Lieutenant stood right in front of his path and spoke "I won't allow you to ridicule me like this… Hado 63, Raiko…aaahh!" An orb of yellow lightning began to generate on the palm of his hand but before he could have shot it at Sesshomaru, a deep cut at the left side of his torso from the Tensaiga, made him lose all control while the accumulated energy of Raikoho exploded due to which he received several injuries on his right arm and right side of the torso.

"Out of my way!" Sesshomaru spoke while shoving Hisagi into the building at the right side with a powerful punch and then he headed in the direction of the area of Squad 4 while slicing through the Hollows on his way.

Area of Squad 11…

Squad 11 was the only one where the situation was much better in comparison to the other Squads. For warriors such as Zaraki Kenpachi, Ikkaku, and Yumichika, it had become heaven with the abundant availability of powerful monsters against which they were gladly testing their might by uncontrollably slashing them one after the other. Suddenly, Kenpachi felt something and then he immediately stopped fighting and began to focus on that feeling.

"Watch out Captain, what's wrong?" Ikkaku asked him with great confusion as he cut down a frog-like Hollow which was about to attack his Captain from behind. "You feel it too, Ikkaku… don't you?" Zaraki asked him with a grin on his face. "Yes Captain, it's that powerful demon and it seems that he is here in the Soul Society," Ikkaku replied while battling against the Hollows at the same time. "I think, now is the time when he will face our Captain!" Yumichika said to Ikkaku as they stood back to back while facing the Hollows.

"You guys handle the situation over here because I am not going to miss this chance of having fun at any cost," Zaraki said to both of them while rushing in the direction from where he was sensing the powerful spiritual pressure of Sesshomaru. "Oh! Wait for me, Kenny," Yachiru spoke loudly as she started to follow him. "No, Yachiru… you stay here, I want to face him all alone," He replied before he got completely disappeared from her sight. "Hmm… Kenny seemed so happy, I hope he will take care while having fun," She mumbled to herself with concern.

After some time in the area of Squad 4…

Sesshomaru had already reached the area of Squad 4 and the condition over there was almost the same as that of Squad 9. Hollows were slowly dominating the soldiers and the Kido abilities were not enough to stop them. He noticed that a Soul Reaper was sieged by several Hollows including one Adjucha like that of a giant monster goat. She was none other but Isane Koketsu, the Lieutenant of Squad 4. Isane was badly frightened and she was desperately trying to break free from the grasp of those Hollow until she got shocked to feel the powerful demonic spiritual pressure of Sesshomaru which increased her fear even further.

He noticed how overwhelmed she was and thus he decided to save her life so that in return she could provide him with the details of the whereabouts of Urahara and Yoruichi. The moment those Hollows were about to tear her body apart, the swift multiple slashes of his energy whip took all of them down while the remaining ones got vanished with a single hit of his poison claw.

Now Isane slowly got up on her feet while Sesshomaru walked up to her and said, "I need some information." She stared at him in wonderment for a few moments and then replied in a low voice, "what is it?"

"Tell me where can I find Urahara Kisuke and Yoruichi Shihoin?" Sesshomaru asked in a serious tone. "Amm… I..I don't know… umm… forgive me please," Isane replied to him with great hesitation and began to walk away from there in her wrecked state. "Wait, Isane!" Retsu Unohana's voice echoed from behind all of a sudden. "Captain!" Isane whispered with a slight shock upon witnessing her Captain.

The moment Sesshomaru felt the powerful presence of Retsu Unohana, he immediately grabbed the hilt of his sword since Urahara already told him about the capabilities of Captain-level Soul Reapers. "You don't need your sword since Squad 4 is dedicated to healing the wounded, not to injure anyone unnecessarily," She spoke to Sesshomaru in her usual polite tone while walking towards Isane. "Besides, I thank you for saving my Lieutenant," she added. "But Captain, he is a…" Isane mumbled to her but was interrupted.

"I have no use for your thanks but I am seeking the answer to my question," Sesshomaru uttered. "Urahara and Isshin were captured but this invasion by Hollow has freed them while Yoruichi was detected in the Squad 2 area the last time we saw her, you should head in the South-West direction," Unohana replied after which he walked away from there without saying anything.

At the border which connects Squad 4 and Squad 2…

Sesshomaru had almost entered Squad 2 while continuously trying to find Yoruichi by detecting her spiritual pressure but suddenly he detected another very powerful spiritual pressure that belonged to none other but Zaraki Kenpachi, who was desperately looking for him. "There is no sign of Yoruichi around but it seems that someone else is approaching me and he is not like the other Shinigamis whom I have confronted so far," Sesshomaru murmured to himself as soon as he started to feel Kenpachi's spiritual pressure.

"My… my… this demon sure got one hell of spirit energy. It seems that I can fight against him with my complete strength unleashed from the start," Kenpachi muttered with excitement while taking his eye patch off, unleashing his complete spiritual pressure. "He is close by but he is oozing such a large amount of spiritual pressure that it is getting hard for me to predict his exact position," Sesshomaru whispered in his mind while keep walking deeper inside the area of Squad 2. "Get ready demon, I am coming ha ha ha ha ha ha!" Kenpachi shouted while drawing his Zanpakuto as his yellow spiritual pressure engulfed him, making him look like a yellow comet as he was approaching Sesshomaru.

At the last moment, Sesshomaru anticipated Kenpachi's position and immediately shot his energy whip in that direction which only sliced his eye patch which he had already thrown away. Suddenly a powerful burst of spiritual pressure cracked the ground and destroyed the barracks around revealing Kenpachi who just swing his Zanpakuto on him. Sesshomaru hardly unsheathed his Tensaiga at the time of their collision and thus their swords engaged in a powerful clash but Kenpachi's monstrous momentum provided him with the upper hand in this weapon deadlock. As a result, he managed to shove Sesshomaru back up to a significant distance, destroying some barracks in his path. Both of them were still engaged in a weapon deadlock and currently, they were inside a barrack into which Kenpachi shoved Sesshomaru. "Hah! I wonder if you are truly as powerful as everyone is claiming over here." Kenpachi taunted while his blade was still clashing against the Daiyokai's as both of them were trying to overpower each other. "You seem to quite overestimate yourself for a mere Shinigami," Sesshomaru responded while swiftly charging his demonic energy.

The next moment, he unleashed a powerful burst of his demonic energy which not only blew the entire barrack to pieces but also shoved Kenpachi far away from there. "Hahahaha amazing, you have just made my day by displaying your raw power, now let's fight to the death!" Kenpachi said to Sesshomaru in excitement with his spiritual pressure still skyrocketing.

Now both of them stared into each other's eyes for a few moments while summoning more of their respective spiritual pressures before fiercely rushing toward each other. They collided and clashed their swords with such a devastating force that it generated mild tremors in the ground of the Soul Society while the erupting shockwaves shattered several barracks and buildings around them. The entire area got filled with dust and smoke clouds, amidst which Sesshomaru was standing on his feet but Kenpachi had not only been pushed away but also been brought down to his one knee.

"The swing of your sword… it was none like I have ever faced before, I give you that much," Kenpachi spoke while standing up and once again taking the fighting stance. "I am merely warming up," Sesshomaru responded in a serious tone. "Now you are making me a lot more interested in you than I already was. So let me ask demon, what's your name and who exactly are you?" Kenpachi asked with a grin on his face. "The name is Sesshomaru and I am the prince of the Dog Demon empire, what about yourself Soul Reaper?" He answered Kenpachi and afterward questioned him in return. "I am Zaraki Kenpachi, the Captain of squad 11," He replied while charging his spiritual pressure.

Now both of them rushed towards each other with incredible speed and once again ended up in a powerful weapon deadlock which was radiating a lot of sparks of destructive spirit energy. This time Kenpachi used his raw power and somehow managed to push Sesshomaru back but the Daiyokai immediately attacked with his energy whip. The hit from the energy whip inflicted a normal injury on Kenpachi's right cheek but instead of defending himself, he continued to move ahead with a grin of excitement on his face. Sesshomaru also increased the speed and intensity of his energy whip attacks and inflicted several injuries all over the Shinigami's body before he could have even reached him. However, to Daiyokai's surprise, all these injuries were merely making him even more excited to fight instead of slowing him down. Now before Sesshomaru could have devised a new strategy, Zaraki reached close enough and swung his Zanpakuto at him with the immense power backed by his massive spiritual pressure. Though he dodged it at the last moment yet that powerful swing not only destroyed his armor but also inflicted a cut on his torso.

Zaraki didn't realize that it was enough to annoy Sesshomaru, who was now thinking about getting rid of him. Kenpachi once again rushed towards him in the heat of the battle. However, the moment they were about to clash with one another, Sesshomaru shot his energy whip toward his Zanpakuto and it got wrapped firmly on its blade. Before Kenpachi could have freed his sword, he jumped high in the air and threw his Tensaiga towards him. Kenpachi got a bit shocked to realize that the blade of the demon sword was penetrating right through the middle of his torso. On the other hand, Sesshomaru landed on the ground right behind him while firmly holding the blade of Kenpachi's Zanpakuto close to his neck with the help of his whip.

"This ends here, Zaraki Kenpachi," Sesshomaru spoke in a serious tone. "Huh! You want to leave the moment we started to have fun," He replied while releasing the Zanpakuto from his grip and then he turned around and grabbed it by the other hand to get freed from the energy whip. 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.

To be continued…