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In the chaotic fray, Esteban found an explosive surge of power, a final desperate push to defy the fatal blow aimed at his heart. He felt it, a sudden jolt, his spiritual pressure fluctuating wildly, a sensation he had only experienced twice before.
It was the dawn of his third and final unique Hollow ability: Terremoto de Entropía.
Terremoto de Entropía, the Entropy Quake, was the culmination of all his powers, a force that encapsulated his very being. His arm trembled, the air around him rippling with chaotic energy.
A sense of impending doom descended on the battlefield as the powerful energy coursed through him. His hand shot towards Zommari, and an explosion of raw, chaotic energy erupted.
The battlefield was enveloped in a shockwave of white, looking like shattered mirrors. The ground beneath them quaked, and the very fabric of everything it touched shook, a rapid acceleration of entropy and decay.
Zommari, who was so close to landing his fatal blow, was flung back, his form dissolving into the myriad of reflected light and energy. The force of the quake engulfed him, shaking his very core, his spiritual pressure became erratic and unstable, like a vessel about to burst from the pressure. He was cast off into the distance, crashing through the ruins left in the Entropy Quake's wake.
His quasi-clones that had been closing in on Esteban dissipated, their existences snuffed out in the sheer force of the quake. Esteban's white shockwave left nothing unscathed, its widespread range decimating anything caught in its path.
For a moment, the battlefield was silent. The violent tremors ceased, leaving behind a devastated landscape and a stunned silence.
Esteban, now standing alone amidst the debris, was visibly weakened, the exhaustive use of his powers leaving him on the brink of collapse. Yet, he was triumphant. Zommari, his last serious threat, was incapacitated and no longer posed a danger.
Across the battlefield, the remaining Espada, Grimmjow, and Nelliel, bore expressions of disbelief. They had borne witness to the raw power of Esteban's final ability, the decimation it caused, and the shocking end to their comrade, Zommari.
However, they were in no shape to continue the fight. Their spiritual energies were severely depleted, their bodies ached from the intense battle, and their spirits were crushed under the weight of their losses.
Grimmjow and Nelliel watched from the outskirts of the battlefield as the echoes of Esteban's Terremoto de Entropía subsided, leaving an eerie quiet in its wake. The devastation was massive, and the loss of their comrades was a palpable weight on their spirits.
Grimmjow, his cerulean eyes flickering with defiance, was itching for another confrontation. He looked down at his hands, his energy depleted but his resolve unbroken, "That's it, huh?"
He growled, his voice hoarse from exhaustion and strain. His gaze was firmly locked onto Esteban's weakened form, "I'm not finished yet, I'm not like those damn weaklings!"
Nelliel was out of her Resurreccion, her energy too depleted to maintain it any longer. But her determination was unwavering, "Grimmjow, stop."
Grimmjow turned to look at her, his eyes flickering with a mix of shock and confusion, "Nelliel...?"
She looked at him seriously, "We're out of energy, Grimmjow...", She stated, her voice strained but firm, "We're at our limits. And so is he...", She nodded towards Esteban.
Grimmjow clenched his fists, his nails digging into his palms. The realization hit him like a punch to the gut. He was drained, their mission was a failure, and they had lost four of their own. And Zommari, who was the best among them at Sonido, was seriously injured and flung far away.
Nelliel looked at the battlefield, the grief in her eyes evident, "It's a tactical withdrawal...", She stated, "We've lost too much. We can't afford to lose more."
She turned her gaze to Esteban, a mix of anger and determination burning in her eyes, her pretty face set in a grave expression, her exotic and revealing figure glistening with sweat, and turned to stop him. He was their enemy, but she had to admit, his power was formidable.
Nelliel then lingered on their enemy's weakened figure, the massive expenditure of his power had clearly taken a toll on him. The glow of his spiritual pressure was dimmer now, flickering like a candle nearing its end. His body swayed slightly, exhaustion pulling at him like an unforgiving tide.
"I'm amazed...", She admitted, her voice ringing out across the silence of the battlefield, "Your power, your Reishi... It's enormous. It's unlike anything I've ever encountered. But...", She paused, a glimmer of seriousness flashing in her eyes, "You're still inefficient."
Esteban, despite his exhaustion, managed to muster up the strength to meet her gaze. His eyes, usually so full of ferocity and determination, were weary and battered.
"You squander too much of your power unconsciously. Your unique abilities... They are remarkable, but they're also a double-edged sword. Not to mention that you have very little battle experience essentially.",
Nelliel continued, her gaze unwavering, "And it's expected. You were only born a few days ago. You've yet to learn how to efficiently harness your potential.", Esteban had no response to her words currently.
His body was on the verge of breaking down but it was already slowly recovering as he passively absorbed the Reishi around him. Nelliel watched all of this and then finally said with a heavy sigh worrying for the future, "So, It's best if we stop for today for both of us here...",
Meanwhile, Esteban's eyes just flickered towards Nelliel, taking in her feminine figure and serious but pretty face. His gaze held a mix of admiration and intrigue. As he observed her, a monologue unfolded in his mind, 'This woman brought me the most trouble today... She is on the same level of power if not more, than all of those four Vasto Lordes I fought combined...',
'If Nnoitra hadn't attacked her sneakily, in the original, making her assume her child form, she would've certainly maintained her rank as the righteous Third Espada, even after the start of the show. Given how she achieved the Resurreccion, even without the help of Aizen's complete Hogyoku, then she might've even unlocked the Segunda Etapa if Aizen bestowed that power on her...',
Esteban mused while recovering some strength to try and speak back next coherently. He knew that the big anger for him has passed by now, he effectively survived this hard ordeal.
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