Shirou couldn't understand how Zaraki could move in his condition. The wound he sustained was deep, and blood poured like a river, dying the road in crimson.
Even so, he could still unleash that attack.
'What is this guy?'
Shirou cursed under his breath as he tried to keep himself calm and collected. He looked at the man's sword. The blade was serrated like a crocodile's mouth, yet it was sharp and deadly. He couldn't see it move when he swung it.
"Come on, you can't be tired already! Show me more!" Zaraki's voice was loud and full of excitement.
The bells jiggled and the air felt hot and stuffy, his Spiritual Pressure was too strong.
Nothing made sense.
Was all Shinigami like this?
And this guy hadn't released the so-called Bankai that was said to be the strongest technique in a Shinigami's arsenal. Shirou felt something in him snap. Something that told him to fight all out or die.
His eyes narrowed dangerously and he took a deep breath, trying to calm himself down. He was no longer a boy that knew nothing of battle. His time in the Holy Grail War taught him many things.
One of them was to never underestimate his enemies.
He resumed his aria.
"I have created over a thousand blades."
He felt a familiar burning in his body and his muscles tightened. The pressure on his body increased and his breathing turned ragged.
Tracing the twin swords once again, he threw them as he rushed forward. The blades danced in the air, moving fast like a storm. He followed behind, tracing another pair and threw it again.
Now four of them were in the air. The twin blades were reinforced to be faster and stronger. All four of them moved at different speeds and directions, attacking from four different directions, all at the same time.
It was enough to be troublesome to handle for an enemy, but the Captain wasn't like any ordinary foe he had faced before.
Zaraki didn't move. He accepted two attacks from the four blades. The remaining two, however, blocked with his sword.
Shirou narrowed his eyes at the sight, unable to believe the man would just tank the attack like that.
But his mind was focused on the task, and his instinct told him to move. He used the opening that was given when the man blocked the attack and moved behind him. His Kanshou and Bakuya were reinforced to the limit, becoming overedge.
His blade shone and they felt heavy in his hand, yet Shirou was used to the feeling. They would last only for a few swings before breaking, so he had to be sure.
Zaraki noticed this and turned, but Shirou swung both swords at once. He slashed with both hands at the same time.
Clang! Three blades met in midair, creating sparks. One blade was Zaraki's sword and the other two belonged to Shirou. Their weapons collided in a powerful explosion of power.
Zaraki didn't hold anything back and attacked with all he had. He roared in pleasure as he clashed against Shirou, who used all his might to push the man backward. He had to use everything in order to stay in this fight, or he would die.
"Unaware of beginning."
Once again, Shirou attacked. He couldn't allow the man to make the first move or else he would be in danger. His swordsmanship was fast and swift. His swords were blurring as he slashed and swung his weapons.
However, his opponent didn't budge an inch. He easily deflected all of the strikes with his large blade, pushing the twin swords away with ease. The twin swords broke, yet new ones would replace them immediately.
"Hey hey hey!" Zaraki laughed loudly. His eyes were filled with madness, and the wound on his body was healing. "Is this it? Use that large sword again and come at me! Your twin swords aren't fun enough!"
His voice rang loudly through the air as he swung the sword. He slashed wildly, not caring if his sword missed or hit something. Each attack was filled with immense power, but they lacked precision and accuracy.
The auburn-haired boy used Kanshou and Bakuya to defend, parry, and dodge the attack.
"Nor aware of the end."
Five swords formed mid-air. Nameless Noble Phantasm, reinforced to the limit and turned into Broken Phantasms, their blades gleamed dangerously.
All of them flew toward the man. They were moving at incredible speed and he was unable to see their trajectories, but Zaraki was quick and his movements were precise.
He dodged the attacks by moving his head to the side and leaning backward, avoiding the first three swords. His sword cut through the remaining two and the blades shattered, sending shards flying everywhere.
What he didn't expect was the swords would explode into millions of sharp fragments, like a glass that had been broken. The force of the blast knocked him back several steps.
But the man stood firmly with his legs apart and his sword raised high.
The man was insane, and Shirou knew it. His wounds should be hurting, and the man's face should twist in pain. But Zaraki's eyes gleamed and his smile widened instead.
Like a beast, his expression was that of someone enjoying a fight to death.
"HAHAHA! More, more! Don't stop!" Zaraki's voice echoed throughout the battlefield, his reiatsu spiked once again.
His pressure weighed down heavily on Shirou's body, almost crushing him. The sheer amount of reiatsu released made his skin tingle.
"Haven't had enough, huh?" Shirou muttered, feeling the pain in his chest. His breathing became labored due to the blood he lost and the toll of projecting and using a lot of energy. "You're insane."
"What? You want me to hold back? I don't do that."
"You are insane." Shirou repeated.
His mind raced, thinking about how to deal with this beast.
What could he do? What kind of weapon would defeat him? Shirou had a lot of options in his mind, and all of them were powerful.
A golden blade flashed in his mind. The sword was beautiful and it glowed brightly. Belonging to the King of Knights, Shirou felt like it was calling for him. To project it to this world, calling its name to defeat his foe.
Having no other option, with even Nine Lives failing to take care of Zaraki, Shirou had to trace the greatest sword he could project.
For the first time since Zaraki took off his eyepatch, Shirou created a distance between them. The Captain looked intrigued as he raised an eyebrow, noticing that Shirou's spiritual pressure was increasing rapidly.
"Now this is fun. Let's end this."
Zaraki's reiatsu flared wildly as his sword rose high, preparing to strike. He grabbed the hilt with both hands, raising his sword high. The tip pointed toward the sky, his muscles tensed up and his feet firmly planted on the ground. The blade of the serrated sword turned even deadlier.
Shirou took a deep breath and began his chant.
"I am the bone of my sword."
"Steel is my body, and fire is my blood."
"I have created over a thousand blades."
Golden light accumulated in front of Shirou's hands. Powerful, bright light that would illuminate the darkness. A light so strong that Zaraki couldn't help but shield his eyes, blinded for a moment.
He could feel the energy gathering. The golden sword's light pierced the sky. The wind was blowing wildly and the ground shook. This power was beyond his understanding. The air around them became hot and heavy.
This wasn't like the last Noble Phantasm Shirou had used, but much more.
"TRACE... ON!"
Opening his eyes, Shirou successfully projected a copy of Excalibur, a golden blade that could cut through anything. It shone like the sun and it had a beautiful blade. He gripped its handle tightly, his fingers curled around it firmly.
He raised the blade and held it above his head.
It gleamed like the sun and its edge was sharper than any other weapon he had seen. It was a weapon of mass destruction, able to destroy everything in its path. And it had an extraordinary ability that allowed him to release a powerful wave of energy at the tip.
This would be the most destructive attack he ever had, capable of killing an enemy instantly if he could hit him directly.
Both reiatsu clashed and the world shook. Both fighters' eyes were fixed on their target and their hearts beat faster. They knew they would only get one chance.
Zaraki's spiritual pressure reached its peak and his sword was raised to its highest level.
The blade glowed and shone brightly.
Shirou didn't waste time as he prepared himself, gathering all the energy he could muster. The blade glowed brightly as he inserted his power to the blade. The energy inside the sword grew and grew until it reached a point where it couldn't hold anymore.
Wind howled and the sky shook, the clouds cleared and the sun shone on the two. It was like heaven and earth itself was waiting for them, watching them, cheering them on.
Everything felt like a blur as the two warriors stared at each other, their eyes locked.
"EX-"
"Die!"
"-CALIBUR!"
Both swung their swords at the same time and their power clashed. Energy erupted and the world shook.
Golden wave of destruction shot forward like a laser beam, while the black energy Zaraki emitted formed a black and red slash that moved with a terrifying momentum, the air trembling under its weight. It was as if a storm was brewing.
A typhoon was raging, ready to swallow everything in sight.
Two attacks clashed violently and collided with a loud noise. The earth shook violently and everything was engulfed in a bright light.
However, a nameless sword couldn't hope to match against one of the greatest swords ever existed. The wave engulfed the darkness, drowning the world in golden light. It kept moving, destroying everything as it engulfed the world itself.
Nothing it passed was safe. Everything the light passed was cut.
The light could be seen from everywhere in Seireitei, piercing the sky and splitting the clouds.
Then it was gone. Nothing remained, not even the rubble. Only dust remained where the ground once stood, leaving nothing but a hole in the earth.
Excalibur was also gone, back to the reality marble. It would take Shirou time to retrace the Noble Phantasm once again. Tracing Excalibur and using it once took almost entirely of his reiryoku.
Zaraki, the Captain, lay on the ground unmoving. His left side of the body was missing, leaving only the right half. His sword lay broken on the ground next to him, shattered into pieces.
His body twitched, and then he fell with a loud thud.
"Huff... Huff..." Shirou was gasping for breath. The pain in his chest was unbearable. Blood trickled down his face and stained his clothes. His vision was blurry. "Ugh… cough cough!"
He coughed blood. He felt like his lungs were on fire, but somehow managed to stay standing. His breathing was ragged and his muscles burned with pain. His heart pounded loudly, but it didn't matter.
For now, he won. But he couldn't lower his guard because the pink-haired Shinigami was still here. She dropped to the ground, landing right beside the Captain.
'What is she planning?' Shirou thought, watching the girl.
Preparing to fight, he traced the twin swords once again. Injured, yet he was still ready to fight.
Much to his surprise, however, the girl bowed at him.
"Thank you! Ken-chan had a great time!"
"Huh?" He looked confused. "Uh... sure?"
"Bye bye, I'm going to bring Ken-chan to Unohana-taichou before he dies. See you again!"
Just as she finished talking, she jumped away with the big Captain on her shoulder, leaving a dumbfounded Shirou alone. "Uh... what was that? Am I the only one that doesn't know what's going on?"
What a strange ending. He didn't know why the girl just left after thanking him nor did he want to know. He was so confused, but the fight was finally over, so it was fine. He had to move fast before anyone arrived.
"That was a surprise, Shirou."
At that moment, the familiar voice of Yoruichi resounded in the air and the cat landed on the ground next to Shirou.
Her golden eyes looked at him, filled with amazement and excitement. Her tail swung back and forth, and her whiskers twitched. She seemed amused, even impressed, and she had a small grin on her feline face.
"Yoruichi-san? Where have you been?"
"That's not important." She dismissed it with a wave of his paw, "I didn't expect this much. To think you would defeat Zaraki Kenpachi out of all Captains. That is surprising."
Shirou didn't know whether he should say something or just keep quiet.
"I guess I'm just lucky." He shrugged. "How long have you watched?"
"Since the start. And don't be humble. You really impressed me, Shirou."
"Well, it was close, though. He almost got me." He replied, "Let's just hope that I never meet another one like him. My injuries right now aren't exactly light."
Although Avalon inside him tried its best to stitch his wound, he knew it wouldn't work well—not without Saber next to him to provide the connection to the scabbard, and so he was forced to heal himself as much as possible.
It wasn't perfect, but at least he would be able to recover enough to fight later if needed.
"You'll need some time to heal, Shirou. For now, follow me. I know a hiding spot where you can rest and recover." She turned her back and began to walk. "I don't have much to say right now. Just come with me. And I reject your rejection in advance."
Hearing that, Shirou couldn't help but smile wryly. She was right. He had to recover first, or else he wouldn't survive the next fight.
And so he walked behind her. His legs felt heavy and his body was sore. Every step was painful. He was exhausted, both physically and mentally.
There was still time, so he had to heal. And he hoped the others were alright.
***CH END***
Time is money so...
EX- CALIBUR!!!
More stones = more chapters?!
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