Legacy of the Moon
Arc I: Forbidden End
Chapter 16: Unfortunate Declination
"He left but anyways, I will thank him properly the next time I would see him," Byakuya spoke in a comparatively soft tone as he noticed him flying away. On the other hand, Renji couldn't speak openly but in his heart, he decided to apologize to him in person. "Renji, take Rukia to the Squad 4 barracks for the check-up, I am going to see the situation in the area of our squad," Byakuya said to Renji after Rukia stood back on her feet. "I am fine Nii-Sama, don't worry about me, Squad 4 must be busy taking care of the injured men from the entire Seireitei," Rukia responded to him. "Hmm but don't skip it, have a check-up later on," Byakuya replied and then he began to retreat to his Squad's region. On the other hand, Renji began to follow him while Rukia preferred to stay there and wait for the arrival of her Captain.
Halibel's hideout, Hueco Mundo…
It's been several hours since Halibel had safely reached her hideout but from her body language, it was clear that she wasn't relaxed at all. On the other hand, Mila Rose and Sung-Sun were observing her as well and they weren't only eager to ask her about what exactly was bothering her but also they were curious to know why she returned to that underground structure even after she took both of them out.
"Something has happened that Halibel-Sama is not telling us," Mila-Rose said to Sung-Sun worryingly.
"Yes Mila Rose, Halibel-Sama is not someone who gets worried about small issues," Sung-Sun replied, "I am afraid all this is connected to the fact that she went back to that underground structure even after taking us out," she added.
"I think the same and I want to talk to her about it but I don't want to upset her when she is already looking disturbed," Mila Rose muttered to Sung-Sun in a slightly sad tone.
"What is it you two want to know?" Halibel asked both of them after listening to their talks.
"N..Nothing Halibel-Sama, it was nothing," Mila Rose responded with great hesitation.
"Amm..we were just wondering if you are tired, that's it," Sung-Sun replied as well.
"After saving you two, I went back inside that underground structure in order to save someone… someone I owe a lot," Halibel spoke as she finally decided to tell everything to her friends.
"Ohh..who is he, Halibel-Sama? Oops..sorry, I mean, who is she?" Sung-Sun asked with great wonderment.
"Shut up, Sung-Sun, as if Halibel-Sama would ever owe a fucking male," Mila Rose shouted at her.
"She has asked the right question Mila Rose, since he was a male and lately I am wondering if he is going to be alright because he wasn't in a good condition when I saw him the last time," Halibel told both of them in a serious tone after listening to which they were utterly speechless.
"Is this the truth? Now I really want to know everything about him," Mila Rose whispered shockingly to herself.
"After those Arrancars abducted you two, I was trying to pursue them and on my way, I met him. He was…" Halibel began to tell them about him but before she could have continued Mila Rose interrupted her.
"He must be a very powerful Hollow, almost as powerful as you Halibel-Sama… since he managed to make it to the Negal Ruins along with you," Mila Rose said abruptly.
"Yes, he is very powerful far more powerful than I anticipated but he is not one of us," Halibel replied calmly upon noticing Mila Rose's increased curiosity.
"What? Does that mean a Shinigami helped you?" She once again asked curiously.
"No, he is neither a Shinigami nor…" Halibel answered but this time she was interrupted by Sung-Sun.
"Then he must be a Quincy because humans can't have such power," She muttered.
Halibel sighed upon noticing that they weren't even listening to her properly due to their desperation and then she replied, "He was a Demon, now don't ask anything else about his race, just know that Demons do exist."
"Alright Halibel-Sama, no more questions about his race but what he was doing here in the Hueco Mundo?" Mila Rose asked.
"He was actually looking for me," she replied.
"Oh my, but amm… Halibel-Sama why was he looking for you?" The lioness Hollow asked hesitatingly with even greater curiosity.
"Those Arrancars tricked him to believe that I am involved in the stealing of his sword but after our paths crossed a few times, everything got cleared and he decided to accompany me since our destination was the same," Halibel answered her.
"And what about those bastard Arrancars, Halibel-Sama? I wish to give them a horrible death for how they treated us and especially you," Mila Rose asked another question and there was some anger in her tone.
"That won't be possible Mila Rose because he killed them to save me," She answered in a rather serious tone upon remembering that incident.
"Save you? That means those bastards tried to hurt you again?" Mila Rose asked with concern.
"They tried to do something worse but he arrived there in time and I think he gave them the just reward, beheaded a few, melted them down to fluid, and ripped apart their bodies," the Shark Vasto Lorde replied in a comparatively low voice.
"Hmm…" Mila Rose responded with a serious expression upon realizing what they tried to do with Halibel but the urge to give them a violent death seemed to get satisfied after knowing about their end.
"Umm… Halibel-Sama, is he handsome?" Sung-Sun asked after silently listening to their conversation for some time.
"What?" Halibel uttered with slight hesitation and shyness as she couldn't think of an answer.
"What are you asking Sung-Sun, have you lost your mind?" Mila Rose scolded her.
"Oh forgive me Halibel-Sama, I was silly to think that Demons can be handsome. He must be like a monster with a scary and misshapen face, huge hairy body, ugly teeth and…" Sung-Sun said in an innocent tone but trickery in her mind and she was immediately interrupted by Halibel just as she anticipated.
"Stop it! He was nothing like this, Sung-Sun," Halibel replied while interrupting her.
"Oh, does she think that he was handsome?" Mila Rose whispered to herself with great amazement and a glitter in her eyes.
"I am sorry for getting carried away with my imagination, Halibel-Sama," Sung-Sun apologized in a soft tone while bowing down to her.
"Hmm, I think it is enough discussion for today we should go out now," Halibel spoke to both of them upon realizing that their questions were making her uncomfortable.
Now all of them moved out and soon they arrived quite far away from their cave. Like always, Halibel simply sat down to keep an eye on both Mila Rose and Sung-Sun while they were trying to hone their fighting skills and gather some food for themselves. Mila Rose found a prey and she started to pursue it while Sung-Sun on the other hand, was still trying to find a prey that fits her taste. Unfortunately, the Hollow whom Mila Rose was trying to hunt proved to be faster than her but she decided to give it a chase. Within no time, she was out of Halibel's sight. When Mila Rose didn't return for some time, Halibel began to doubt and she immediately asked Sung-Sun to go and check on her. "She sure troubles Halibel-Sama a lot," Sung-Sun mumbled as she had to let her prey go and leave in order to check on Mila Rose. However, even she didn't return for some time after which Halibel got worried and immediately rushed in the same direction.
Upon arriving at that spot she witnessed that both of them were lying unconscious on the ground. "Sung-Sun… Mila Rose…" she uttered their names while running towards them. However, her path was blocked by none other than Orkos himself.
"It's good to see you again, little sister," he muttered in a playful voice. "What do you want now? Why are you here?" She asked in a somewhat strict manner. "Forgive me little sister but I completely forgot about the gift I meant to give you and both of your girls before bidding you goodbye," he replied to her in his usual polite tone. "What are you talking about?" Halibel asked him with slight frustration.
The next moment, she felt two immensely powerful spiritual pressures right behind her and the moment she turned around in order to have a look at them, a big swing from a long scythe put her into a deep slumber of unconscious. The last thing she saw before falling was two beings, looking like a teenage boy and a girl. Though she felt that the scythe had penetrated right through her neck yet there was no actual wound.
"Shizuku… Homura…. Welcome home! It's been a while," Orkos said to both of them with a smile.
"I realized that all the chaos in the Soul Society must have been your plan to get us out of that wretched place," Homura replied with a smirk.
"We are grateful, Lord Orkos!" Shizuku responded as well.
"I believe that Demon is no longer needed in your life and hence I am simply making sure that you understand this fact nicely my little sister, after all, it is for your own good," Orkos uttered slowly while looking down at Halibel, "let's return now… our mission is successfully completed," he added after a slight pause.
Back in the Soul Society…
Sesshomaru was swiftly moving towards Jaken to confirm that he had gathered all the Yokais for their departure from the Soul Society. On his way, he noticed that some Shinigami soldiers were keeping an eye on him. However, he didn't care about them and continued to fly straight to the location from where he was sensing Jaken's spiritual pressure.
"There he is!" A Shinigami soldier shouted the moment he saw Sesshomaru. Suddenly a burning net of metallic wires was thrown upon him but he easily ripped it apart before he landed on the ground to know who dared to do that to him.
"So, here you are vile demon." Chojiro Sasakibe spoke while coming from behind.
"What do you want from me?" Sesshomaru asked in a slightly strict tone.
"My Captain wants your head, demon!" the lieutenant answered confidently while slowly drawing his Zanpakuto.
Now the Shinigami soldiers stood in front of the Lieutenant in order to protect him but got scattered by the lightning-fast strikes from the energy whip. After injuring and pushing them all aside, Sesshomaru reached close to Chojiro and began to choke his throat with the tight grip of his hand. "I would like to meet your Captain, tell me where he is?" Sesshomaru asked him in a serious manner. "I..I won't tell you besides… I am not your true opponent demon, so you better leave me alone and run for your life," he replied while struggling to free himself from Sesshomaru's grip. Now before the Daiyokai could have done anything to him an extremely strict and masculine voice had his attention, "I am here, Demon," Genryusai Shigekuni Yamamoto spoke as he appeared behind at some distance away from him.
Sesshomaru left Chojiro's throat and turned around in order to face the Head Captain. As soon as Chojiro got freed from his grasp, he released his Shikai and hit a nearby building with his Zanpakuto, causing it to crumble down on Sesshomaru, burying him utterly in the rubble. "Chojiro, you may leave, I will take over from here," Yamamoto spoke to his Lieutenant. "Very well, Captain," he replied and left silently after putting his Zanpakuto back in its sheath.
Now the old Shinigami pointed the palm of his hand towards the rubble and spoke, "Hado 63, Raikoho!" Suddenly, a massive concentration of energy got fired from his stretched-out hand and hit the rubble like that of a lightning strike. However, Sesshomaru managed to escape the rubble before it got blasted and approached Genryusai using his Demonic speed. To his surprise, the Head Captain seemed to be disappeared from his position while before the Daiyokai could have done anything, a mighty sword swing from behind inflicted a cut on the right side of his shoulder.
Genryusai once again pointed the palm of his hand towards Sesshomaru in order to attack him with Hado 73, Soren Sokatsui but before its commencement, a powerful spinning fist from the Daiyokai shoved him into the wall of the nearby barrack. Now Sesshomaru unsheathed his Tensaiga while his body got engulfed in the immense release of demonic energy. The next moment, he rushed towards Genryusai Yamamoto while the latter hold his Zanpakuto firmly in a horizontal manner to block the upcoming strike. Even though the Head Captain managed to stop Tensaiga's blade from reaching his body yet he couldn't save himself from the impact of the hit backed by Sesshomaru's demonic power. As a result, he started to get dragged backward during the weapon deadlock while getting shoved into the multiple barracks on the way.
"All things in the universe turn to ashes, Ryujin Jakka!" Genryusai uttered while getting dragged backward as he released his Shikai. Now the powerful release of old Shinigami's fiery spirit energy clashed with the demonic energy of Sesshomaru which pushed both the warriors away from each other with the eruption of shockwaves powerful enough to utterly explode some nearby buildings.
"You are Head Captain of the Soul Society, aren't you? I will make sure you regret your choice of battling against me," Sesshomaru spoke in a serious tone while standing at a sophisticated distance away from the old Shinigami. "And I assure you that it would be the last battle of your life," Genryusai replied while slowly walking towards him, surrounded by the flames of his Shikai.
Now both of them rushed towards each other with fierce speed and clashed their blades with immense momentum. As a result, Genryusai received a minor injury on the side of his belly while Sesshomaru got shoved into the nearby barrack. "It will take more than this to overcome me, demon," old Shinigami murmured while shooting a surge of fire toward that building by swinging his Zanpakuto. However, before that surge of fire could have completely destroyed the barrack, Sesshomaru got rid of both the fire as well as the barrack by destroying the entire building with an immensely powerful slash of Tensaiga.
"I must finish this battle before this Shinigami becomes a trouble," Sesshomaru thought in his mind while staring at the Genryusai Yamamoto. Now the old Shinigami charged his spiritual pressure and rushed towards him while the Daiyokai tried to stop him using his energy whip but failed. Genryusai's powerful and fiery sword swing pushed Sesshomaru back even though he tried to block it by using his Tensaiga. The Head Captain didn't stop here and tried to repeat the same attack but this time Sesshomaru summoned a fair amount of his demonic energy and directed it towards him with a sword swing in the form of a highly destructive blast.
Since Sesshomaru was pushing himself for a long time, the recent heart injury started to slow him down. He was clearly able to feel the fatigue along with the decrement in his demonic energy yet he didn't allow it to appear through his face or the body language. Meanwhile, he had lost track of Genryusai because of the blast caused by his previous technique, and while he was still trying to sense him, suddenly a powerful fiery wave from Ryujin Jakka hit him from the left side and shoved him away. "Prepare yourself to meet your end," the old Shinigami spoke while further raising his spiritual pressure in order to deliver the final blow while Sesshomaru was still trying to get up on his feet.
The moment Genryusai swung his sword with immense might and fiery power, Sesshomaru used his Poison Claw and grabbed Ryujin Jakka's blade with his bare hand while swinging his Tensaiga on him from the other one. Genryusai easily dodged that attack by forcibly pulling his Zanpakuto away from Sesshomaru's hand and taking a few steps back.
"My venom couldn't damage his Zanpakuto's blade," Sesshomaru mumbled to himself while wondering about the reason behind this. "How can he grab the burning blade of Ryujin Jakka like that?" Genryusai whispered to himself in surprise. Upon noticing the lack of attention by the old Shinigami, Sesshomaru immediately rushed towards him with his superior demonic speed. Genryusai swung his blade in order to distract him with a surge of fire but the Daiyokai changed its direction with the help of his energy whip by seizing Genryusai's right arm. Now before Head Captain could come up with any strategy, he felt Tensaiga's blade piercing through his flesh as Sesshomaru was stabbing him in the left portion of his belly. The Daiyokai pushed the blade further inside Yamamoto's torso while staring at him with his cold golden eyes as the old Shinigami vomited some blood from his mouth. However, Sesshomaru didn't notice Genryusai's hand which he just put on his armor right in the middle. The next moment, Head Captain uttered, "Hado 88, Hiryu Gekizoku Shinten Raiho." Genryusai muttered while firing a gigantic beam of electrical and spiritual energy from the palm of his hand, blowing the Daiyokai far away from there followed by an enormous explosion in the end.
That powerful beam had brought great devastation in its path, leaving traces of dust and smoke clouds with burning rubble up to several hundred meters. The destruction was too great that it caught everyone's attention in the Soul Society and thus several Shinigamis including Urahara and Yoruichi began to rush towards the site of the battle. Meanwhile, Genryusai got up on his feet, pulled the Tensaiga out of his torso, and threw it away.
To be continued…