Chapter 16: From Hueco Mundo to The Human World
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The vast emptiness of Hueco Mundo lay sprawled beneath the silver moonlight, its hollow silence broken only by the quiet rustling of the wind. A lone figure, Esteban Vortice, moved amidst the dunes, his thoughts as scattered as the shifting sands.
The encounter with Coyote Starrk had been an illuminating experience, one that had stirred a whirlpool of thoughts within him. As he trudged through the barren landscape, he himself immersed in contemplative silence, his mind incessantly revisiting their long conversation and their battle.
He was certain that Starrk would certainly reach even higher heights than in the original series if he remained in his current form not splitting his soul due to his own Butterfly Effect.
Esteban halted, his gaze lingering on the desolate expanse before him, 'Hueco Mundo... my birthplace in this life, yet it feels less like home with every passing moment...', He mused silently, a certain bitterness creeping into his thoughts.
His gaze wandered over the desolate terrain, and he couldn't help but shudder at the thought of a looming shadow on the horizon, 'Aizen...', The name tasted bitter on his tongue, stirring a wave of apprehension within him. He was well aware of the former Soul Reaper captain's formidable strength, a force even greater than his own.
'If Aizen were to return... If he were to discover and somehow trap me... The outcome would be disastrous...', Esteban found himself contemplating, the thought sending an uncomfortable shiver down his spine. He was a warrior, but he wasn't foolish. He knew where he stood in the grand scheme of things, at least right now.
'It's time...', He admitted to himself, the truth of it settling within him like a weight, 'It's time for me to leave Hueco Mundo...', He murmured, his voice barely a whisper, swallowed up by the vast emptiness around him.
Esteban's thoughts swirled around his strength, the unfathomable power that had placed him on par with the strongest hollows in Hueco Mundo, like Starrk, as well as some of the mightiest captains of the Soul Society.
Yet, despite this formidable power, he was well aware of the beings who far surpassed him, the likes of Aizen and Head Captain Yamamoto. It was a humbling realization.
He walked on, his heart heavy with determination, 'My power may be immense, but there's still a world of knowledge and strength I have yet to tap into...', He ruminated, acknowledging his need to master the technique of Resurreccion.
The ability to bring forth his true form, to control his raw power in a more refined and efficient manner, was something he desperately needed.
Yet Hueco Mundo, for all its isolation and tranquility, was not the place for him to learn and grow further. The constant vigilance against Aizen's potential return was a strain, a burden he was eager to rid himself of,
'I need a place where I can grow, where I can focus on honing my skills without the looming shadow of a threat...', He thought, his mind already wandering towards potential safe-havens.
The motivation behind Esteban's prolonged stay within Hueco Mundo, during these last few days after his birth, was anchored in a delicate balance of risk and reward. The reward had presented itself in the form of potent Hollow souls that he consumed and the abundance of Reishi he absorbed, fueling his incredible strength.
However, now that these very elements posed a threat to his own stability, dwelling in Hueco Mundo lost its appeal and the scales tipped in favor of departure. Additionally, the prospect of Aizen trapping him via some unforeseen method - a scenario that could possibly bypass his own ability to portal-hop - was always there and it increased the inherent risk and underscored the urgency to relocate by each passing day.
And he also acknowledged another stark reality - despite his immense power, he was just one individual. And one individual, no matter how powerful, had their limitations. His previous battle against the Espada had been a brutal reminder of his vulnerability against a coordinated group.
'Power alone isn't enough...', He concluded, 'I need allies, I need a group... A force to reckon with...', The thought of forming his own group intrigued him. Having allies would not only enhance his strength but also offer a measure of protection against formidable opponents who may wish to take him down.
As Esteban walked, the answer to his dilemma gradually revealed itself - the Human World! A place teeming with potential subordinates, offering the solitude needed for training, and serving as a playground for him to expand his influence.
He resolved then and there to embark on this new path, away from Hueco Mundo, at least until he was powerful enough to return and establish his dominion over it as he promised to those two females.
'I need control, not more power right now...', He muttered to himself. It was a startling revelation, one that he had been grappling with for a while. His Reiatsu and Reiryoku were a storm, a tumultuous surge of raw, unbridled energy.
He was akin to a vessel, brimming with spiritual energy, teetering dangerously close to spilling over. And in that overwhelming torrent of power, he found himself drowning.
He needed a sanctuary, a place where he could stabilize the chaos within him safely. Consuming more souls, absorbing more Reishi, it was no longer a path to power, but a destructive spiral.
And the Reishi-rich Hueco Mundo was feeding that spiral, the atmospheric spiritual particles inadvertently fuelling his uncontrollable energy.
He could not stop this absorption, as intrinsic to him as breathing. He could only escape the source, escape to the Human World. With its reduced Reishi content, the human world was a sanctuary for his turbulent soul.
It was an environment where he could focus on refining his control rather than mindlessly amplifying his power. It was a world of balance, with less spiritual matter and more physical, a perfect place for him to rest, recover, and refocus.
Despite the considerations, Esteban was acutely aware that the geographical tilt of the human world played an intriguing role in the distribution of Reishi.
Specifically, the further east one journeyed, the denser the reishi became, and the stronger the spiritual entities one would encounter. This held particularly true in the vicinity of Japan, a land steeped in spiritual significance and Reishi richness.
Japan was a prominent beacon in the spiritual map, teeming with spiritual beings boasting substantial Reiryoku. Even within this spiritually vibrant nation, there was an unparalleled epicenter of concentrated spiritual energy - the Jūreichi, otherwise known as Karakura Town.
This area boasted the most significant spiritual concentration on Earth, a veritable banquet of Reishi, teeming with powerful spiritual entities. A single glance at Karakura Town's aura and one could discern the sheer depth and breadth of its spiritual richness.
Should he ever find himself yearning to dive back into the overwhelming surge of Reishi, craving the taste of powerful souls, Karakura Town would serve as his ultimate reservoir.
It was a gourmet buffet of spiritual matter, awaiting his indulgence. This place, soaked in spiritual energy, could provide him with the nourishment and strength he might one day require.
But for now, he had to resist that call. He needed to retreat, to lie low, to stabilize the vortex of spiritual energy within him. Karakura Town was not his destination yet, it was his future challenge, a challenge he would face once he had tamed the chaos within him.
Until then, he was a wanderer, navigating the wilderness of his own spiritual energy, striving for harmony and control.
Everything seemed to fall into place for Esteban as he considered his next steps. The human world was not just a safe haven, it was a place for him to hone his abilities, and more importantly, to build a force of his own,
'The Fullbringers...', He found himself thinking with a smirk. They had always intrigued him.
The underutilized Fullbringers, individuals who were gifted with abilities that the original series barely touched upon, suddenly had the potential to be incredibly valuable assets to him.
The inherent power and versatility of their Fullbring abilities, paired with the right guidance and leadership, from him, could transform them into formidable weapons that could bolster his strength and fortify his ambitions in this fascinating universe.
While the human world had lower concentrations of reishi, Esteban realized that this was not a disadvantage. In fact, it would make him harder to detect spiritually, allowing him to move about more freely without catching unwanted attention.
This, combined with Aizen's current occupation as a Soul Society captain, would mean he was effectively safe from Aizen's reach, 'Aizen won't risk revealing himself...', He mused, a subtle smirk tugging at the corners of his mouth.
He was confident that Aizen, even with his unfathomable power and cunning, wouldn't risk an early reveal of his true strength and his intricate machinations.
Not before he could unite Urahara's Hogyoku, stealing it from Rukia, with his own to achieve that elusive state of 'transcendent being.' It was a risky chess game they were playing, but for now, he held an advantageous position.
The once omnipotent lord of Hueco Mundo, now a Captain in the Soul Society, would hardly risk unveiling his schemes and alliances by venturing into the Human World, the Soul Society had eyes and ears everywhere in the Human World. The delicate chessboard of power and secrecy made it impractical for Aizen to act against him directly, at least for the time being.
Yet, Esteban wasn't naive enough to forget about the Soul Society's capabilities. They were a constant variable in his equation, an institution that held the potential to disrupt his plans.
Nevertheless, their ignorance was his advantage. His true strength, a colossal force that even the powerful Espada had borne witness to, was an enigma to the Soul Society.
They would likely underestimate him, first sending their weaker seated officers or Liutenants to handle the 'problem' initially. A miscalculation Esteban was more than prepared to exploit and buy himself even more time.
These deliberations seemed to seamlessly weave together, creating an intricately detailed blueprint for Esteban's future. The Human World was no longer just a place to escape Hueco Mundo, it was a new frontier brimming with chances.
As the stark landscape of Hueco Mundo receded behind him, he couldn't help but feel a strange sense of relief. The Human World was a perfect destination where he could finally break free from his past and step confidently into his future. The future he had envisioned for himself was beginning to take shape, and with it the stirring of a new era for Esteban Vortice.
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Hanma_Jack
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