The Nueva Espada

Chapter 18: Vestige

Pantera and Kenpachi's Unnamed Zanpakutou clashed, the impact of the meeting caused the ground to shake and the atmosphere to tense and chill, the sinister looking captain let out an equally sinister chuckled

"What are you laughing at?" Grimmjow grunted

"Sorry…I was so happy, I couldn't help but chuckle" Kenpachi said with a gleaming smile, Grimmjow returned with a smile of his own

"I agree…you're already one of the best I've fought" The Arrancar laughed "Most Shinigami here didn't even put up a fight, but you…"

The two leapt back and stared down each other from a distance

"I'm starting to like you" Kenpachi smirked as he pointed his blade towards Grimmjow, His response was a twisted laugh from the blue haired arrancar

"I know the feeling!" Grimmjow laughed, starting to charge forward at the end of the sentence, Zaraki proceeded to charge forward too, causing the two blades to meet again, strike after strike came from both sides but every swing met the other's blade, Kenpachi swung down causing Grimmjow to jump back to avoid the blade, as soon as he regained his composure, a sinister laugh awoke from above him, The Quinta Espada looked up to witness the captain falling down towards him, another overhead strike prepared, The Arrancar quickly brought up Pantera to block the incoming strike, he did successfully but the ground below him cracked and fragments flew up into the air

"Overpower him Ken-Chan!" Yachiru cheered, another blade fest broke out between the Arrancar and Shinigami, blade swing after blade swing erupted from the battle. The two proceeded to jump back once the tired of that particular conflict

Grimmjow and Kenpachi smirked silently as small wounds appeared on the other, a small cut graced Grimmjow's left forearm, ripping his sleeve slightly, a cut placed on Kenpachi's right shoulder

"Not bad" Grimmjow smirked as he readied pantera again, The captain merely smiled in response

"Come on, what are you waiting for?" Kenpachi laughed, Both of them broke out in laugher as Grimmjow charged forward

"SHINIGAMI!" Grimmjow roared with a laugh just before the two blades met again, however as a cracking sound met his ears, Grimmjow focused his attention on the blades, and his eyes widened at what he found

Pantera had begun to crack, Kenpachi's Zanpakutou starting to slice through it

He quickly leapt back before the blade could get cut in half, but not before Kenpachi swung his blade up to land a cut on his shoulder

"Shit!" Grimmjow cursed as regained composure from his leap

"Eh?" Kenpachi scoffed as he looked at his blade, the tip coated in the Nueva Espada's blood "I didn't even mean to cut you...tch, maybe I misjudged you, If I cut you this easily then you're pretty weak"

Those words graced Grimmjow's ears like the greatest insult to his pride

He called him weak

He was called weak by the man who had nearly killed Ichigo

Underestimated…

Looked down upon a man that had nearly beaten Ichigo

If Kenpachi considered Ichigo to be the greatest opponent he ever had…and him to be a weak fool

That meant that the gap between his and Ichigo's power was even greater than he thought

"Never! I'll never go down to someone like you!"

"Those eyes…I hate those Goddamn eyes!"

"KUROOOOSAAAAAKIIIIII!"

NO!