Legacy of the Moon

Arc I: Forbidden End

Chapter 10: The Calm before the Storm

For some time they stayed like this but their peaceful time didn't last long as the next moment both of them got utterly shaken by an immensely powerful spiritual pressure of a gigantic purple Hollow.

It was even bigger than the Giant Hollow Fortress with a bulbous body, long tufts of hair on its back, and a single, large eye that was yellow from the inside. It had Gillian's masks for fingernails and it seemed as if his entire body was filled with some sort of black liquid which was slightly dripping from some cracks on his body. The next moment, he opened his huge mouth and vomited a strange black-colored liquid that surrounded both of them. In no time, several masks of Gillians appeared in that liquid, and eventually, it turned into a group of Gillians that summoned a powerful orb of Ceros by opening their mouth to target both Sesshomaru and Halibel from all directions.

The Urahara Shop…

Isshin had already left for the Soul Society while both Urahara and Yoruichi were watching TV and suddenly their favorite TV show was stopped due to the breaking news of a massive earthquake hitting the city. Both of them were already wondering about the weird sensation of the clash of two different spiritual pressures on an unbelievably large scale while the news of the massive earthquake was enough to confirm their doubt. "Damn! Kisuke, it seems our hunch was right, all this is because demons have appeared in the Karakura town and they are fighting against the Hollows all over the city," Yoruichi said to Urahara in a tense manner. "Yes, Yoruichi-san, we must do something about this situation, these demons must have arrived in support of Sesshomaru and we will have to calm this situation down as soon as possible," Urahara replied in a worrisome manner.

"Kisuke, you are looking worried? What happened? It is not usual for you to get this tensed in such situations," Yoruichi asked upon observing him keenly. "I was wondering that Soul Society must have detected the demons by now and they must be about to take some serious action on them," Urahara replied to her. "Hmm… that would be a huge mess Kisuke, it can even lead to a clash between Soul Society and Sesshomaru himself," She responded worryingly. "Don't worry, let's do what we can," Urahara replied confidently.

La Prisión Real (English: The Royal Prison), Negal Ruins, Hueco Mundo…

La Prisión Real was located at the center of the underground section of the Negal Ruins. It was a greatly spacious chamber with damaged and uneven ground, four huge pillars at its center, and a huge gate on the innermost wall. It was quite dark there with little to no light except some moonlight at its center which was coming in through the windows located at a great height.

It's been several days since both Sesshomaru and Halibel were lying unconscious in that chamber. Sesshomaru was lying flat on her back while Halibel was lying on his side, facing him with her head resting on his arm. Almost all of Sesshomaru's injuries got healed by now except a few critical ones which were no longer critical. Suddenly the sound of footsteps echoed in that huge chamber, it was the first time that someone had arrived in that chamber ever since they were locked there. Sesshomaru began to regain consciousness but he was feeling extremely dizzy. He couldn't get up and hence he looked here and there to figure out where he actually was. He noticed the strange place and then his sight caught unconscious Halibel whose head was resting on his arm all this time. "Tia!" He spoke her name as he put his hand on her shoulder and shook her a bit. She seemed to be getting conscious as she slowly moved her hand in order to rub her eyes. "I..I can't get up," She mumbled as her head was spinning as well. "Get up Tia… do you know what is this place?" Sesshomaru spoke to her once again. She tried her best to get fully conscious and overcome the dizziness. As soon as she came back to her senses, she noticed that she was lying very close to him and thus she tried to get up quickly out of the embarrassment. The moment she lifted her head, a slight painful moan escaped Sesshomaru's mouth as his arm was under her head for several days. She realized that as well and embarrassingly spoke in a low voice, "Oh, I am sorry," Sesshomaru didn't reply and then both of them got back to their feet. Now before they could have even figured out their situation, their sight caught two girls who seemed to be keeping an eye on them all this time.

Both of them were so similar in appearance that they were looking like twins. Both had aqua-colored eyes and tattoos around their eyes too. However, the left one had short red hair while the right one seemed to have long blue hair which was parted in pigtails. Their uniforms were slightly similar to the school uniforms while not just the hair but most of the other things they had on their bodies were red for the right one and blue for the left one. The remnants of their Hollow masks seemed to be acting as some kind of headband, both of which go vertically down the middle of their heads before reaching their eyebrows.

"It seems their romantic slumber is finally over," The blue one muttered in a slightly playful tone. "Yeah, and our arrangements are completed too," The red one replied to her. "You two… you are Arrancars, aren't you?" Halibel said in a serious tone. "Yes, we are… and I am Yang," The red one answered. "I am Yin," The Blue one introduced herself as well.

"What do you want from us?" Sesshomaru asked them in his usual cold tone. "Well, for now… we simply wish to return what we have taken away from you both," Yang replied to him and then she threw his Tensaiga towards him. Sesshomaru caught the sword and was a little surprised to know that it was really his Tensaiga since they handed it over so easily. "Where are my friends?" Halibel asked upon seeing that they willingly gave his sword to him. Now Yin pushed down a lever due to which some rocks from the right side of the chamber moved down, revealing unconscious Mila Rose and Sung-Sun who were hanging on the walls with the thick chains. "Mila Rose… Sung-Sun!" Halibel mumbled worryingly upon seeing her comrades.

"Now that we have returned what you two were looking for, it's time for you two to provide us with what we want," Yang said in a serious tone and the next moment, Hooleer entered the chamber from behind Sesshomaru and Halibel.

"Hmm… speak!" Halibel demanded coldly after looking at the gigantic creature. "Stab that demon with your sword, right into his heart," Yang said to Halibel. She was shocked to know their demand though she didn't let it reflect on her face. Sesshomaru, on the other hand, looked toward her and it didn't take him long to realize that she won't hurt him. "What's wrong? You just have to stab your sword in his heart and then you will be able to return safely with your friends," Yin said to her again in an insistent manner. "Or you can't do it because you have fallen in love with her?" Yang muttered in a playful tone. Halibel's eyes got a bit widened upon listening to her words because even she was unable to deny this fact in her heart. "Shut up, you two!" Halibel spoke loudly. "I am not going to do anything like this," she added while speaking in a very strict tone. "Curse you!" Yin mumbled furiously. "We knew you will not obey us easily… Hooleer, crush that demon," Yang furiously ordered Hooleer who was standing right behind Sesshomaru and Halibel.

"Go and get your friends, I will handle this one alone," he said to Halibel while walking towards Hooleer. "Hmm…!" She responded and immediately rushed to free both of her comrades.

Now Hooleer began to walk towards the Daiyokai while he simply put his Tensaiga in its sheath and stood unarmed. Suddenly his spiritual pressure began to skyrocket with a dense release of demonic energy from his body. Even Hooleer stopped in his tracks upon sensing the powerful spiritual pressure of Sesshomaru. The next moment, that creature shot ten beams of Ceros toward Sesshomaru from his ten fingers. However, the Daiyokai turned into an orb of energy and began to drift across the chamber with immense speed. Hooleer now opened his mouth and released a stream of black liquid with several Gillians while Sesshomaru landed on the ground in his true form.

He was almost as large as Hooleer in his Dog Demon form while the poison which was dripping from his claws and jaw was destroying the Gillians upon contact. Within no time he killed almost fifty Gillians which Hooleer released. This time the gigantic purple creature opened his mouth but instead of releasing more Gillians he shot a huge and immensely powerful Cero beam towards. He dodged it as he loped on the Hooleer. The next moment, the creature's neck was getting crushed between Sesshomaru's jaws while his claws were penetrating and ripping his bulbous body apart, eventually killing him in the process.

Both Yang and Yin were not just shocked but also terrified upon witnessing that scenario while Halibel was also greatly shocked to see such a powerful and horrific form of him since she never even imagined him to be like this.

After finishing off Hooleer, Sesshomaru now shifted his attention towards Yang and Yin. On the other hand, they also took their weapons out to battle against him. Yang was wielding a flaming sword while Yin wielded an electrically charged whip. Sesshomaru was walking towards them while frighteningly barking at them. Meanwhile, Halibel was trying to wake both Mila Rose and Sung-Sun up but they seemed to be quite heavily intoxicated.

"He seems too powerful for both of us… there's no way we will be able to stand a chance against him without using our secret technique," Yin said to Yang as she was scared to see Sesshomaru coming closer. "Bu..But… our Lord has forbidden us to use that technique and we can't afford to upset him," Yang replied with confusion while getting scared of the Daiyokai.

Now just as Sesshomaru reached close enough to them suddenly an unbelievably powerful spiritual pressure shook everyone in the chamber. The next moment a jet-black humanoid figure came out of the large gate and stood right behind Yang and Yin. Both of them immediately got on their knees to bow down to him while his spiritual pressure was intense enough to even freeze Sesshomaru in his tracks. That jet-black humanoid figure seemed to be a male entity with shining eyes like that of golden crystals. There were several golden gemstones-like things inscribed on his chest as well as both of his forearms.

"It seems you two were giving quite a trouble to our guests." That mysterious male entity spoke to both Yang and Yin. "We are sorry Lord Orkos," Yang said to him in a low voice. "We are glad you came, my Lord!" Yin spoke to him as well. "You two should leave now and get some rest..I will take over from here," He replied and then both of them bowed to him one last time before leaving.

"Oh, there you are Halibel, please come in front of me. Don't worry about your friends, they are fine just asleep because of intoxication," Orkos said to Halibel in a polite manner while Sesshomaru was still wondering if he should attack him or not. Now Halibel walked towards the center of the chamber and stood in front of Sesshomaru. "Amazing! It seems you have grown up and become a powerful Vasto Lorde just as I wanted," Orkos said further while smiling pleasantly. "What do you mean?" Halibel asked him in a serious manner upon getting suspicious of him. "Do you really think that it was just a coincidence that among millions of Hollows, you managed to survive and evolve into a powerful Vasto Lorde even without devouring a single one until today?" He asked in a slightly playful manner. Halibel was speechless upon hearing his words and it didn't take her long to realize the possible reason behind it. "It was I who protected you from the other Hollows until today and also I am the one who is the mastermind behind all the events which took place in your and Sesshomaru's life in recent days," He spoke further after listening to which even Sesshomaru got shocked. "Who are you?" She asked while greatly wondering about his identity. "I am Orkos, the chosen one!" He replied confidently.

"What do you mean?" She asked further. Now he chuckled at first and then muttered upon getting serious all of a sudden, "you will understand everything very soon."

"At least tell me, why did you do all this?" Halibel asked abruptly. "Hmm… now that's a good question, alright let me narrate a story to both of you because Yin and Yang must have made the purpose behind all this sound pretty insane. I do not exactly want your deaths, especially not yours, Halibel," Orkos replied to her. "Hmm… sure, tell us," She responded.

"You see, the earthly demons came into existence in the World of the Living around 100,000 years ago but the race of Hollows hardly started 30,000 years ago. The Quincy appeared around 50,000 years ago while Shinigami are the youngest since they came into existence hardly around 25,000 years ago. Technically, earthly demons should be the most powerful among the four races and they really are. However, Quincies should be the most powerful followed by us and then the Soul Reapers but this is not the case. Although, Hollows are generally stronger than the Quincies or Shinigami the potential in Shinigami is tremendous. They can easily surpass a Quincy or a Hollow when they are at their best. This is the doing of the evil Soul King. Both we and the Quincy were exploited and stripped off of our powers by that damn Soul King," Orkos narrated the history of the Hollows to her while feeling a strong anger and grief in him.

"Hmm… then?" Halibel asked curiously.

"Yes… there was someone whom the evil Soul King feared most of all and it was the higher truth who gave birth to our race and by whose help he was able to create the Quincy. Thus, Soul King decided to hide that truth for eternity. He once again played that dirty game of bringing law and order in the realms. The universal powers such as Angels favored him and all of them together sealed her… the Soul King created two seals and in doing so he used the blood and spirit energy of the two most powerful Daiyokais of that time in a hope that earthly demons will vanish with time and the seals will become indestructible," he explained in a serious manner.

"Who were they? Halibel asked abruptly while Sesshomaru was also listening to his story while standing behind her in the demon form.

"One of the Daiyokai was an ancestor of Sesshomaru while another was the ancestor of Magatsuhi. The key to the seal made up of Sesshomaru's blood is you while the key to the seal made up of Magatsuhi's bloodline is I. And this is the reason Halibel, which makes you so special and I had to take care of you all this time. This is the reason why you and I share the relationship of brother and sister because both of us are the parts of her who is locked behind these two seals, awaiting her release," Orkos answered while smiling toward Halibel.

Meanwhile in Karakura town, World of the Living…

The last two days proved to be extremely chaotic for the Karakura town due to the fierce brawl which took place between the Hollows and the Yokais. Soul Society was quick to react to this situation and hence Captain of the second squad, Soi-Fon was sent to Karakura town along with her Stealth Force i.e. Onmitsukido. However, before the Stealth Force could have wiped out all the Yokais, Urahara and Yoruichi arrived there and saved the day. Urahara convinced Jaken that he is a friend of his Lord Sesshomaru and then on his instructions, Jaken retreated along with all the remaining Yokais to the underground training ground of the Urahara Shop. Yoruichi along with Tessai, Jinta, and Ururu kept the Stealth Force at bay until all the remaining Yokais were evacuated to safety by Urahara.

Though Urahara and Yoruichi managed to stop this fight from turning into an all-out war between the Yokais and Soul Society yet their action sent a strong message to the Head-Captain Genryusai Yamamoto. When Soi-Fon reported that both Urahara and Yoruichi were found directly involved with the demons, Head Captain didn't hesitate to issue a strict order against them. According to that order, Urahara and Yoruichi must be captured to be executed if they were ever found anywhere in the Soul Society.

This important piece of information was leaked by Isshin to both Urahara and Yoruichi and he also advised them to drop the plan of coming to the Soul Society at such times. But Urahara ignored his warning and decided to infiltrate the Soul Society in the upcoming days. He secretly dropped a message to Isshin in order to make all arrangements so that they can easily sneak inside it.

To be continued…

Author's Note:

Hello, my dear readers, I hope you are enjoying the story so far. I am writing this particular Author's Note to inform you guys that the new characters "Yang and Yin" which I have introduced in this chapter, are not going to have their original plot (from the Bleach movie – Diamond Dust Rebellion). And the same is true for the new character "Orkos" (from the game – God of War: Ascension).

According to my story, Yang and Yin are powerful Arrancars who have no connection with Kusaka. On the other hand, Orkos is the ancient chosen leader of the Hollows. As the story will progress further, I will provide more details about Orkos but for now, because of spoilers, this is the only piece of information that I can reveal. Also, in this chapter, I have introduced some new concepts about the Hollows and the Shinigami. They may or may not fit according to Bleach's original plot because these are my modifications to the Bleach concepts. Hopefully, you will like them. If you have any additional questions or doubts then please feel free to ask them through your reviews or comments, or PM, I will be looking forward to your valuable response.

Take care and stay tuned…