The Mighty Fall (Zeruel versus Allen) [R, NDE]

[Deleted]

Thread Title: The Mighty Fall
Participants: Zeruel Moreno de Las Noches IX, Allen Adams
World: Hueco Mundo
Death Setting: Non Death Enabled
Rating: R
Location: A convergence point of three somewhat beaten paths in Hueco Mundo with a sign close by, the text of which has been eroded off by the constantly blowing sand of Hueco Mundo. The sky is light up by a full moon, making it as bright as if it was day. There are numerous clouds however, and every so often they'll break the direct path of the moon, obscuring it from view.
Special Conditions:
Circumstances: Neither of the two came looking for a fight, but likely are about to end up in one nonetheless. Both were simply on moonlight strolls, reminiscing about different pasts and forgotten friends, before they bumped into each other. Allen, the 45 Zarpa, isn't a great fan of the Espada, but doesn't have any specific reason to fight him either. Zeruel isn't typically an aggressor, especially not underneath the light of the moon. But the sky is full of clouds that could change the setting in a way that makes combat possible, and if that occurs, the fight that will break out won't be pretty.

[Zeruel Moreno de Las Noches IX]

Zeruel Moreno de Las Noches IX was lost in thought as he leapt down from the roof of Las Noches. The moon was beautiful and bright, and Zeruel smiled as he bathed in its blue light. It wasn’t often that Heuco Mundo was graced with a full moon, and Zeruel planned to take full advantage of its allure by spending a few hours alone outside the massive structure known as Las Noches. Zeruel landed in the sand and began walking with his hands in his pockets. An uncharacteristically serious, somber expression was writ across the Tercera’s face as he sauntered across the cold, dead desert. Eventually the blonde espada reached a sign he’d never seen before. Attempting to read the venerable text proved futile, as the wind and sand had eroded whatever message the sign was meant to convey.

Zeruel shrugged sat down in the sand, using the sign as a backrest as he closed his eyes and tried to drift off into a pleasant slumber. He didn’t know how many hundreds of miles away from Las Noches he’d come, but for someone with Zeruel’s capabilities, it was only a minute or two at top speed. “Ah… how I miss your company… Luna…” the espada said to himself as he let himself reminisce about his only love who had been killed milleniums ago. It was ironic really. After all these centuries had passed, he was now working with the thing that had taken most of his friends’ lives. Cain was certainly a monster, and someone who Zeruel had given up on taking revenge on. Not because Zeruel felt he couldn’t beat the man, but because he had accepted the fact that no amount of grudge-holding would bring his friends back to life.

Cain’s powers were useful, and if the current ruler of Las Noches deemed fit to use Cain like a tool, then Zeruel had no objections. The Tercera truly had quite a good grasp over his own emotions and understood most of his own feelings from a completely objective point of view. He had not forgiven Cain, but had rather come to understand the monster as more of a force of nature than a person. Cain remained the only arrancar alive, as far as Zeruel knew, that was older than him.

[Deleted]

Allen didn't need to sleep, but he normally still liked to. He liked doing the little things that humans did, he ate foods, listened to music, closed his eyes during the night and hopelessly tried to dream. Dream of something pleasant, something that made all the nightmares worth it. This insistency to act like a human was one of the more bizarre things about Allen,  an ongoing delusion that he was still "normal". But few could criticize him, everyone had their own coping mechanisms. This night, Allen was unable to sleep. He could close his eyes, but dreams never came. His body refused to remain stationary, and he tossed and turned on his bed. The council of six chatted amongst themselves, and their voices filled his mind until he could bear it no longer. He rose from his bed, exited his room and the Escudo base, and went on a walk.

Hueco Mundo, despite being a barren and desolate place, was actually somewhat beautiful. The white sands of the seemingly endless desert absorbed the light of the moon, and glistened like glass as the eye passed over them. The various trees of quartz that were located sporadically alongside the path that Allen walked were similarly beautiful, a finer sculpture than anything that the Human World had ever produced. And then there was the moon, that inconsistent entity which shined down upon the desert like a spotlight, illuminating everything as if it was daytime. Allen liked the moon, it brought back memories.

Walking with her, his girl, through silent city streets. They'd already had a wonderful night, and now it was officially spilling into morning, but no one was awake quite yet. It was the two of them, and that glorious moon. She looked even more beautiful in the moonlight, which was almost unfeasible. He'd seen her in all kinds of lights this evening. They'd kissed under a streetlamp and sat across from each other by candlelight. They'd spent time in a completely dark room together, until she wanted to go for a moonlight stroll. And so they had, and in that moment, David knew that there wasn't a single place that he'd rather be. She was perfect for him, and he was perfect for her. If only it could have stayed that way.

He came to the crossroads, and noted someone else staring up at the moon, clearly in a somewhat enthralled state. Perhaps the young man, who looked perhaps just out of his teenage years, was also reminiscing. Allen approached calmly, until he was behind the young man. "It's beautiful, isn't it? I haven't seen a moon that big in a long time. Something about the light, it kinda just get's to me, you know? It's like it turns everything from ordinary to a work of art, every piece of sand, every tree, every person who you tried your best to forget." He paused, waiting for the young man to respond. If he didn't get much of a response, he'd likely continue his monologue.

Allen wasn't dumb, of course. He knew that the young man wasn't what he seemed to be, he was almost certainly an Arrancar. Beyond that, however, he didn't really know much about the man, and would give him the benefit of the doubt until proven otherwise. Allen was generous like that.

[Zeruel Moreno de Las Noches IX]

“It’s beautiful, isn't it? I haven't seen a moon that big in a long time. Something about the light, it kinda just get's to me, you know? It's like it turns everything from ordinary to a work of art, every piece of sand, every tree, every person who you tried your best to forget,” came a voice from behind Zeruel. The espada looked behind him to see a scarred individual, clearly an arrancar judging by the mask fragments adorning his face. He had black hair, which made him appear quite different than the Tercera. Zeruel waited for a few seconds, unsure about the other arrancar’s motives and identity, but then decided those things didn’t matter.

When it was clear that Allen was done talking, Zeruel piped in, his face contorting into a mischievous fake grin that showed his sharp, sharklike teeth. “Kekekekeke” he laughed as he stood up, “Are you trying to start a conversation with a complete stranger? How sweet of you!” Zeruel laced his fingers, pressing his folded hands against his cheek as he cocked his head and femininely blinked, almost as if mocking Allan. “KEKEKEKEKEKE” laughed Zeruel louder, “I guess you can call me Zeruel Moreno de Las Noches IX, because that’s my name! GET IT?! KEKEKEKEKEKE”

The espada extended his arm to shake Allen’s hand, his devilish face making him appear untrustworthy and evil. “And your name is?” he said with no true ill intent. This was simply how Zeruel acted around people. It was a personality he’d developed in order to distance himself from people. An unlikeable, odd persona that he could do anything he wanted while using. Allan, who had just met Zeruel, would likely find him unpleasant to deal with or annoying. This was the point. If the espada was honest, he just wanted to be left alone, though he wasn’t going to come right out and say it. This arrancar didn’t know who he was dealing with.

[Deleted]

First impressions are always important, and Allen's first reaction the the man's over the top laughter and effeminate manner wasn't particularly positive. He didn't find the man inherently annoying, he'd endured his own fair share of bad jokes and grating laughter from the many years he suffered with Ted in his mind. One can only mentally dismiss so many knock knock jokes before everything becomes white noise. No, the thing that bothered Allen about the man was that the man wasn't being honest. His grin was practically Cheshire, and his entire demeanor seemed calculated on some level. Or perhaps Allen was misreading him, and the blond was simply that obnoxious. He gave the man a quick up and down, and noted the earrings that appeared to be mask fragments. Interesting. Axis had a similar mask fragment, although he only had one on his left ear, whereas the other man seemed to have two on each ear. Interesting little distinctions. He made a mental note to contemplate the meaning of the mask fragments at a later point, possibly when beating down another Arrancar. Not Kalte, nor Rio, he already had monologues planned for those two. A situation would arise however, he was sure of it.

And then the man introduce himself, and Allen couldn't help but smile for a fraction of a second. This was the great Zeruel, the Tercera? He should have recognized him on sight, the Escudo were provided with basic knowledge on all the Espada, as well as more in depth dossiers on their two targets. He didn't know much about Zereul, other than a basic run down of his powers and vague details on his appearance and personality. He was sure that Col Arana would have been able to offer a more comprehensive understanding, but Col wasn't here at the moment. On the other hand, he was being a little needlessly paranoid, and visibly relaxed. The Tercera wasn't his target, and not someone he needed to fight here and now. He looked down at the extended hand, and took it, meeting the man's firm grip with one of his own. "My name is Allen Adams. You can call me Allen, of course. I certainly won't be calling you by that mouthful of a full name you got there. What on earth would possess 8 generations of Zeruels to keep naming their kid after them?" He meant it as a joke, and hoped that Zeruel wouldn't take offense.

He didn't really want to bother with concealing his identity from Zeruel, especially given that it seemed unlikely that the other Arrancar would throw the first punch. "In case you don't recognize the name, I'm not affiliated with Las Noches. A little bit of the opposite, in fact. I'm a Zarpa, number 45. Doesn't mean that we're enemies, in fact, I have no quarrel with you. I have no interest in stepping on Col, my associate's, toes. Figured I should put that out there in the open, given that you clearly know less about me than I do about you. Wouldn't want to have an ongoing violation of trust in an already unstable power dynamic." He smiled as he talked, enjoying how casually he was speaking about his organization as a whole. The Zarpa weren't to be trifled with, and it made him proud to be a member of them. Of course, it wasn't like he didn't deserve the spot, but that was besides the point.

[Zeruel Moreno de Las Noches IX]

“Cause it’s a cool name!” replied Zeruel curtly to Allen’s comment about his long name, “That’ll be the name I give my offspring too, and he’ll think it’s so cool that that’s what he’ll name his son. Nevermind the fact arrancar can’t reproduce, that’s my story and I’m sticking to it!” Zeruel crossed his arms and threw his head back in another spontaneous fit of laughter. “I guess if you want to, you can call me Zeruel,” he said before listening to Allen’s offering of information about himself. “Ooooh, a Zarpa huh? And Zarpa 45 no less. That means you wanna kill Rio and Kalte? Well that’s not very nice… And from what you say, someone named ‘Col’ has my number, huh? Seems you guys do your homework. I don’t let exactly go announcing my rank everywhere I go,” said Zeruel, turning his back to Allen with his hands laced behind his head now.

Zeruel let his words hang in the air for a bit before he turned back around so he was facing Allen with a devilish smile. “Why do you do it?” he asked, “The shinigami rule because they are united. Yet for as long as I’ve lived, I have not once seen a day where arrancar-kind has been united under one flag. Why is this?” Zeruel was genuinely intrigued at what Allen’s answer would be. It was a question he’d pondered for millennia, and every answer he’d come up with just discouraged him. Perhaps conflict was an integral part of an arrancar’s life. Perhaps such a thing was destiny, or the curse that Heuco Mundo’s sands brought.

Either way, Zeruel listened to Allen’s answer intently. His devilish smile never truly disappeared, but he was clearly more complex than a simple mischievous villain. Though it was clear whatever Allen answered, Zeruel wouldn’t exactly meditate on it. To the Tercera, it was like listening to the opinion of a small child, because that’s exactly how the Tercera viewed him. Even among the normal-aged arrancar, Allen was but a youth. Though to Zeruel, who had lived over 35 millenniums, Allen was like a gnat to a old man. Officially though, Zeruel was thought only to be a few hundred years old. Few knew the espada was as ancient as he was.

[Deleted]

Why? Allen stared at Zeruel, a smile on his face, considering his words carefully. "I'm young, and shouldn't be judged as the typical Arrancar, especially given my position and nature." According to Rey, most Arrancar's  additional souls were silenced upon being consumed, but Allen's were as active as ever. Even now, they spoke to him, giving him advice. "Combat against Zeruel would be ill advised, given he is the Tercera. Tactical information suggests his power is one of immutability, an antithesis to your Anarchy. Do. Not. Underestimate him." Daniel's voice was bothersome, albeit practical. And given Daniel's understanding of combat, he was probably accurate. Allen could take Zeruel if he was operating at 100% and Zereul screwed up. Right now, that was less of a certainty. And yet, the other voices were giving more entertaining advice. "Fucking deck this smug motherfucker. He'd never see it coming, and it'd serve him right, asking a question about being fucking predetermined to war." Jack, as usual, was tactless, yet amusing. "Perhaps, for a rare occasion, Jack is correct. Although it would be.....difficult to fight Zeruel, you could use the practice. One can only fight against Axis so many times before....they require alternative training." Dave agreeing with Jack was bizarre, but Allen wasn't going to look a gift horse in the mouth.

"The way I see it, conflict comes from people wanting things. Maybe they want the same thing, and there's a limited supply. Maybe they want different things, and only one path is able to be accomplished. Or maybe they both just want a brawl. And Arrancar want things more than any other race. Shinigami have their goals, but they're boring. Serve Soul Society, become Captains, whatever the hell they do in their dreary day to day lives. But Arrancar, we want the world. We have agendas, schemes, all sorts of plans that will inevitably be mutually exclusive with someone elses. So we fight. We fight because we have a reason, and because we're damn good at it. Because we're born killing machines, and that's all that matters."

Allen cocked his head. "So what do you fight for, Zeruel Moreno de Las Noches? Who do you seek to honor when you beat people to death with your morning star?" A cloud passed over the moon, casting a great shadow upon the white desert. "What would it take you to show me your prowess in combat? I've been aching for a fight with someone who isn't named Axis Recio, and although I'm hesitant to do Col's work for him, I wouldn't mind a bit of a spar. A friendly one, as friendly as combat between two Arrancars can be. I respect you, and your outlook, so I have no intention to kill you. Come on, Old Man," for Zeruel, despite his appearance, was much older than Allen, "Let's have a bit of conflict." 

[Zeruel Moreno de Las Noches IX]

Zeruel had considered what Allen was saying sometime in his endless journeys across the desert. It was one of many reasons he’d come up with before, but there were also reasons that Zeruel could not accept it as truth. Reasons he would explain to Allen as soon as the Escudo had finished speaking. “So what you’re saying is that arrancar are evil and deserve to be exterminated…” the espada said as he spread his arms with a shrugging motion, “No matter how you look at it, shinigami fight to maintain order, and if one follows your line of thought, then arrancar fight for their own greed rather than for others. Is that all the credit you give our species? Is that all we are destined to amount to? Unorganized, greedy, squabbling factions that can only look forward to achieving meaningless goals before being killed by someone stronger with their own meaningless goals.”

Zeruel looked up at the moon with his back turned to Allen. The characteristic smile disappeared and a more serious expression and tone graced Zeruel’s features. “I cannot accept that. Arrancar were made for a greater purpose than that. She would have…” continued Zeruel, catching himself as he realized he was getting into too deep of a conversation with a stranger, “What do I fight for?” Zeruel considered Allen’s question as a cloud covered the moon, causing Zeruel to turn around and face the Escudo. “I fight poor misguided arrancar like you… I fight for our species as a whole… I fight because I believe some good can come from this despondent, lifeless desert…” thought Zeruel without saying it, “but mostly I fight for the continued balance that the shinigami believe in.”

Zeruel swallowed these thoughts and put on a wicked grin again. The next words that came from Zeruel’s mouth were technically not a lie, but they weren’t the whole truth either. “I fight because it’s fun!” he said, almost laughing as he said it. Silence fell over the two before Allen proposed a spar. Zeruel crossed his arms and listened to the idea, glancing up at the moon. He wouldn’t be able to kill Allen with the moon watching their fight, though Allen wouldn’t know that. “You won’t have to see any more death by my hands…” he thought to himself, letting the moonlight reflect off his pale face and blonde hair. With that thought pushed to the back of his mind, Zeruel turned and stood his ground. “That’s impossible…” he said bluntly, “No spar can be friendly between us. I am an espada, and you have chosen to associate yourself with those who seek the lives of me and my comrades… A fight between us will be to the death, plain and simple. You say you have no intention to kill me… Yet you seek to kill Rio and Kalte?! MY allies and YOUR fellow arrancar and you expect things between us to be fine and dandy?!”


A wider grin spread across Zeruel’s face as he finished his accusatory outburst. “If you plan on attacking me, then you best come prepared, because I will use lethal force to defend myself. That being said, I want to avoid a fight if possible and urge you to not live a life fueled by violent goals. I can tell you better than anyone that such an existence is empty…” Despite his confident, sinister grin, a nervous bead of sweat fell from the espada’s forehead. If Allen did indeed follow through with attacking him, Zeruel knew that it would be hard enough to beat him, much less beating him without killing him. Even though he said he would respond with lethal force, Zeruel couldn’t follow through on that promise. His principles forbade him from having a “friendly” spar with such a man, yet his memories and respect for a certain gentle spirit prevented him from following through with ending Allen’s life. Zeruel was certainly in a tight spot with all these thoughts, uncertainties, and emotional shackles, hence the reason for his nervousness.

[Deleted]

Allen didn't mind Zeruel's optimism. In fact, on some level, he actually was awed by it. This Arrancar had been around four times the time Allen had, and was even more idealistic. He wasn't jaded, despite the long time he'd been on this earth. Allen somewhat liked that in an individual. He accepted Zeruel's comments concerning the nature of Arrancar with an open mind, although he wasn't sure if he agreed or not. Perhaps there was more to life for Arrancar than simply carrying out goals and fulfilling desires, but that was a lofty, and somewhat idle, hope. There was no proof to suggest it, for all Arrancars that Allen encountered were rather simple minded in approach to combat. And then Zeruel spoke words that confused Allen. "I fight because it's fun!" Had he heard him right? This man who was just spouting idealistic thoughts on how Arrancar weren't predestined for violence, were capable of fighting for a greater good, was now saying that he fought just to amuse himself? That seemed very strange. Perhaps Zeruel was a hypocrite. He shook the thought off as his offer of a spar was rejected.

"I think you're misunderstanding me, and my goals. I certainly think that Arrancar are capable of acting selflessly, I just think that each of us has different goals. If I had all the power in the world, I would end war. One of my compatriots, Lucian, wishes to render Las Noches a paradise instead of the desert it currently is. I assume, or rather hope, you have allies in your company with their own ambitious and altruistic goals. Especially since you view us as the bad guys. In any case, my quarrel with Rio and Kalte is not one of personal offense,  simply business. A tragic fact of Destiny, if you will. I bear them no innate dislike, and I promise that when their end comes, if I truly am able to beat them," which he was, that was hardly an issue, "Their deaths will be swift and painless. I hate painful deaths, and have no desire to inflict them on those who have done me no wrong. I cannot promise that Col will do the same for you, but if you are strong as they say, he's a far way from being able to do the same. Perhaps with this additional information I've given you, he won't be able to at all. So yes, I believe things between us could be fine, that we could be friends. Not if you're too stubborn to recognize it, but perhaps if you accepted we don't think so differently." Allen shrugged, his eyes staring directly into Zeruel's. 

"I thank you for your attempts to spare me a life full of revenge seeking. Honestly, it is something I've only heard from one other Arrancar before you, and he was and is, a great man. The fact that you'd do the same speaks well of you. However, by this point, I'm already committed to my goals, and cannot back down now. Maybe in a few centuries, I'll be more able to agree with your point of view. For the present moment however, I cannot." He'd made his decision. He would not kill Zeruel, not willingly at least. The other Arrancar was clearly a decent individual on some level, and Allen didn't really have it in his heart to snuff him out. He noticed the bead of sweat, and frowned momentarily before his face returned to a default, rather stony state. Was Zeruel nervous? Allen considered himself strong, but frightening the Tercera into submission hadn't really been one of his expected outcomes. However, he wanted a fight, and thus a fight he would have. He carefully removed his wristwatch, and laid it on the sign, giving Zeruel a look that said "Touch it, and you're dead." He liked that watch, and had carefully kept it unbroken thus far. 

The trick was to start off light, and see how his opponent reacted. A straight charge would be ill advised, but a bit of deception would work. Not real deception, to be fair, but rather approaching the fight at an oblique angle. He struck a brawler's pose, as a way of signaling to his foe to prepare himself for a fight. The first step would be to engage in close quarter's combat. Allen had little doubt he was a better hand to hand fighter than Zeruel, and if he could get him on the back foot, he could easily push an advantage and end the fight nigh instantly. His body blurred into motion as he used Sonido to approach Zeruel's left side, towards what Allen assumed would be his non dominant hand. Allen started with a straight jab at the Espada's jaw, and although he wasn't physically powerful, his reiatsu hardened his body to be stronger than steel through Harden, or Hierro as most called it. Zeruel would likely be reinforced with the same technique, but Allen had little doubt that his was stronger. If Zeruel didn't dodge, he'd likely end up with a broken jaw. Allen didn't stop there however. As his right hand was thrust forward as a jab, his left hand remained close to his chest as a guard. If Zeruel tried to swing anything at Allen in a counter attack, Allen would grab his wrist. That was the plan at least. Whether it would work or not was a whole 'nother ball game.

SPOILER: Click to show

{Stats}Strength - 50 (150) Points
Speed - 250 Points
Spiritual Pressure - 300 Points
Reiatsu Strength - 1200 (400) Points
Light Aura - 0 Points
Dark Aura - 100 Points
Instinct - 100 (300) Points
Senses - 125 Points
Energy sensory - 25 (75) Points
Healing Expertise - 800 (400) Points

SPOILER: Click to show

{Skills}[Hakuda] 4
[Battle Analysis] 3
[Strength of Will] 3
[Street Fighting] 3
[Sports] 1

Reiatsu Remaining: 2900/3000

[Zeruel Moreno de Las Noches IX]

Zeruel followed Allen as he used Sonido to appear to his left, likely assuming that he was attacking Zeruel’s weaker side. It was a well thought out move, but Allen didn’t know how Zeruel fought at all. If he’d known how Zeruel fought, then he’d have known it didn’t matter what side he attacked Zeruel from. Left, right, front, back, above, and below. It was all the same to the Tercera. A jab came out at his face as Allen attempted to hit Zeruel squarely in the jaw. The Tercera didn’t even turn his head to look at Allen, however he was not about to let himself be hit. Immediately after Allen emerged from his sonido, he’d see what appeared to be tesla coils surrounding the espada’s body, and as he punched, Zeruel would say two words that by themselves made little sense.

“FIELD ON!” he exclaimed just before the jab hit him. At that instant, just as he finished uttering those words, his entire body was surrounded by gray cero for 10 yards in every direction. Zeruel was essentially shooting cero out of every inch of his body in every direction, creating a Cero Field that protected him from any assault. Allen would likely be completely consumed by the immensely powerful attack considering he would be unable to sonido again so quickly due to being in the middle of an action. Not only was Zeruel’s reiatsu strength almost equal to that of Allen’s, but his mastery of cero and the fact this was an attack much stronger than a normal cero ensured that Allen’s Hierro would do little to let Allen emerge unscathed.

Naturally this would defend Zeruel against whatever physical attack Allen had tried. The force of his cero counteracted any force that Allen’s punch held. Allen would be burnt in the process, his clothes instantly receiving the brunt of the blow, leaving only a small portion of his pants due to anime pants being nigh indestructible. Any tissue that was separated from Allen due to this attack would be completely vaporized, assuming Allen was hit at least. Zeruel was unique among the espada in that he specialized in cero over any other type of fighting. Not only could he fire cero from every inch of his body, but as with Cero Field, he had some techniques in which he fired cero from every point of his body simultaneously.

After his Cero Field ended, Zeruel turned his head towards Allen with a wicked grin so that his sharp teeth glistened in the moonlight. “KEKEKEKEKEKE” he cackled, “You’ll have to be more careful then that. Don’t you know? I specialize in close-range!” The only reason Allen would be alive is the fact his hierro was there to protect him, and the only way he’d be able to keep fighting was due to his plethora of healing abilities and techniques, however Zeruel wasn’t finished with his onslaught. Before Allen had properly recovered, the espada fired three cero orbs out from his body in a straight line at him. These orbs were special and stopped as soon as they reached 200 yards from Zeruel. They would merely remain stationary, floating in mid-air.

Remaining Reiatsu: 2,300

SPOILER: Click to show

{Stats}
Strength - [100 (/2)] = 50 Points

Speed - [400] Points

Spiritual Pressure - [300] Points

Reiatsu Strength - [400 (x2.5)] = 1,000 Points

Light Aura - [45] Points

Dark Aura - [55] Points

Instinct - [125] Points

Senses [125] Points

Energy sensory - [50] Points

Healing Expertise - [400] Points


Total SP: [1,900] Points

SPOILER: Click to show

{Abilities}

[Pain Tolerance] {2}

[Illusion Resist] {2}

[Chain-Morning Star] {3}

[Lack of Fear] {2}

[Cero] {4}

[Unique Skill - High Speed Repair] {1}

[Deleted]

"Field On!" His target exclaimed as Allen threw the punch. In that instant, Allen leapt to several conclusions, and came out with a simple answer: This was going to hurt. He twisted his body rapidly, shifting the jab to a partial guard, although he couldn't make it a full block. His analytical mind had taken in the information given: Zeruel was a playful son of a bitch, and the glowing air around him was charged to the brim with potent reiatsu. And his reaction was justified, although he momentarily considered the idiocy of his decision if it had been a bluff, and a massive grey Cero surged outward from Zeruel's body. As it slammed against him, he felt the air rush out of his lungs as he was lifted off his feet and chucked backwards. He regained his balance and landed, about thirty feet away from the Tercera. Funny, he'd actually lost ground off of that attempted attack. He glanced himself over for damage. Although Zeruel was particularly skilled with Cero, Allen was flat out stronger spiritually, and Cero Field was limited by Zeruel's Reiatsu Strength. Allen's Hierro held, but most of his clothes didn't. "Son of a fucking bitch, I liked those pants." But Zeruel wasn't giving him time to recover, and already let loose several small orbs in his direction. Another possible Cero Variant? Zeruel certainly had a fondness for that type of technique.

Allen jerked to the side abruptly, a motion that sent a wince down his arm, a wound he would have to examine in due time. The orbs were small, Bala sized, but didn't move as fast as Bala. Luckily too, Allen doubted he could have dodged them if that was the case. Even still, it was a close shave, and Allen was glad to see the orbs fly far. But then they stopped, and he felt a slight headache starting. The Tercera was likely capable of detonating them from afar, or bringing them back to himself. Allen made a mental note to keep an eye on them, and try to get Zeruel to slam them into himself. Allen assessed his own physical damages. He was hurt, of course, his right arm was burned, although it wasn't a particularly bad one. He sighed, and ripped off the burnt skin, letting his healing capabilities kick in. Before both of their eyes, the skin began to reappear, as if it had never been damaged in the first place. Allen crumpled up the burnt skin, letting the cells drift into the surrounding atmosphere. With a brief amount of will exerted, he activated the reiatsu innate in the cells, setting up for one of his signature techniques. "That was an unwise choice, Zeruel. You better call Kenny Loggins, because you're in the....Nevermind, the joke doesn't work if you explain it."

SPOILER: Click to show

{Some Mood Music}

Allen moved forward, and with him moved the floating field of cells. Zeruel's greatest strengths, as far as Allen knew thus far, were his Cero and his Resurrection. Cero would allow him to dominate the far range, if Allen chose not to fire back that is, and would prevent Allen from getting in too close. But truth be told, Allen didn't need to get point blank. He moved until he was a little over twelve feet from Zeruel, then began to strafe around him, carefully checking over his shoulder every so often to make sure the orbs that Zeruel deployed earlier didn't start moving towards him. If they did, he would Sonido parallel from Zeruel, to the right. But assuming they didn't, he currently had the upper hand. The field of cells that he deployed was imperceptible to anyone without significant Energy Sensory capabilities, 200 at a minimum, which he doubted Zeruel had, and had several functions. While in it, Zeruel would be unable to regenerate, which would allow Allen to put him down quickly and cleanly. More importantly however, it served as a way of transferring Allen's Hakuda from him to Zeruel, even at a range. Allen would keep a twelve foot distance between himself in Zeruel, giving him room to dodge, but keeping him in range for combat. But he was getting ahead of himself, there was no need to plan that far in advance. No, the Here and Now was more important.

Zeruel would be unable to tell why Allen was strafing at such a distance, especially while keeping his hands by his sides, and not in a position to use Cero. Zeruel had no Battle Analysis skills, and lacked the energy sensory capable of allowing him to detect the mist around him. The attack that was coming would be undodgeable as long as Zeruel was in the field, and Zereul wouldn't see it coming. But Allen wasn't the type to deploy an advantage the second he got it. No, he imprinted the Danger Zone using American Arsenal, with a bit of a devious trigger. The second Zeruel opened his mouth, and thus inhaled the cells, a Shotgun Fist would be launched through the cells into the back of the Tercera's windpipe, at a force of 912 total Strength. Given that Zeruel didn't know Hierro Internal, the force would rip through the back of his throat, and blow his windpipe out into the air behind him. Which wouldn't be so lethal if Zeruel wasn't currently in Danger Zone, and unable to heal. The last thing left was getting Zeruel to talk while Danger Zone was active. "You'll have to teach me that technique afterwards, the Field one. It's quite interesting, I'll say that." Allen flashed the Tercera a grin. Due to the Espada's lack of Battle Analysis, it seemed doubtful that he would sense a trap coming, or if he did, it seemed highly unlikely that he would know that it was tied to him speaking. And given the interactions Allen had with him, he knew that Zeruel keeping his mouth shut would take a heavenly miracle.

Reiatsu: 2350/3000 (-400 for 2x Danger Zone, -150 for American Arsenal. If Shotgun Fist is expended, an additional 150 will be subtracted) Remaining

Allen's Current HE: 720

Danger Zone Duration: 1/2 Posts (Will terminate at the start of the post after Allen's next)

[Zeruel Moreno de Las Noches IX]

Zeruel smirked as Allen was thrown backwards. A direct hit had ensured injuries all over the Escudo’s body in addition to considerably weakening Allen’s hierro. He wouldn’t be able to take another hit like that and continue fighting without some considerable healing. As soon as the cero reached their maximum distance, they flew backwards, directly at Zeruel, forcing Allen to preform the sonido to move parallel to Zeruel’s right. He successfully avoided the cero, but the attacks were only reabsorbed by the espada, only increasing his reiatsu pool. The espada watched as Allen ripped the skin off his arm and crushed it. It was true that Zeruel wasn’t the best tactician, and he didn’t expect a microscopic mist to be surrounding him, but it didn’t matter.

That being said, the one thing Zeruel DID notice was that Allen had gotten within 10 yards of him again. A bit of a tactical error on Allen’s part considering everything within 30 feet of the espada could be instantly covered in cero the instant he used a Cero Field. Just as Allen was in the middle of imprinting his hakuda onto his skin cell mist, he’d likely notice the familiar tesla coils covering Zeruel’s body once again. There wasn’t really a reason that Zeruel saw for NOT using the same technique again, and since Allen’s hierro was already weakened this would likely put him down much harder. It wasn’t fresh, undamaged hierro that was protecting him this time, and even though Allen’s reiatsu strength was higher, it was only higher by a mere 20%.

“FIELD OPEN!” he shouted as everywhere within 10 yards of him was covered in cero once again. This had the side-effect of vaporizing all of Allen’s mist, including the hakuda he’d implanted into it. Allen would have to retreat to a safe distance or be nuked by the gray cero once again. Whether or not Allen retreated away from the espada, Zeruel would not be harmed by the hakuda. Not even the fact he announced his attack with a shout would give Allen the required time to send his mist down the espada’s throat. Zeruel kept the field up as the sand at the edge of Cero Field’s radius was being glassed. It was truly an attack that served as an excellent offense, but an even better defense.

After Allen was forced back at least 30 feet away from Zeruel, the espada dropped his field, shaking his finger at the Escudo. “Tsk tsk tsk, I said I was good at close combat, didn’t I? You can’t come within 30 feet of me. Well… I mean you CAN, I just wouldn’t recommend it,” he said with a wicked grin. Zeruel took his zankaputou which had been slung over his shoulder and began spinning the two heads in an unpredictable rhythm. They actually spun around at two different speeds in opposite directions because the espada was keeping them at two different lengths entirely.

Remaining Reiatsu: 2,200 (+300 from Cero Ritān)(-400 Cero Field)

[Deleted]

SPOILER: Click to show

{A Requiem Of Sorts}

When a grandmaster plays chess against an inexperienced player, they will lose pieces. They'll make sacrifices, and those sacrifices are in turn sometimes viewed as victories on the part of the lesser player, ignoring the longer term consequences of such actions and trades. A pawn is traded at the cost of a queen two turns later, and then the final series of turns begin, that constrict the opponent and swiftly end the game. Right now, Zeruel was in a significantly losing position, although at that second it didn't appear that way from an outside perspective. The past few seconds needed to be reexamined, and then, and only then, would it be clear who the victor was. After Allen deployed the Danger Zone, Zeruel began to charge up Cero Field, a tactic that would likely have obliterated the cells and granted him a significant advantage. However, Zeruel at his core enjoyed combat far too much, and made a grievous error. Before the grey cero erupted from his body, Zeruel opened his mouth to say "Field On!" And that was the moment when the pawn was traded for the queen.

To be fair to Zeruel, his actions did keep him from dying instantly. Because the other cells were destroyed, Allen didn't have the direct connection to the few that entered Zeruel's mouth and drifted down his windpipe. Instead of blowing his throat out the back of his head, this meant that the cells would unleash their power on contact with any living tissue. And as Zeruel inhaled after using Cero Field, in order to be able to speak afterwards, the cells found their way down towards his lungs. It was a small inhalation, a normal subconscious one that occurs when you finish a sentence. Zeruel couldn't have imagined the long term consequences of speaking. The cells floated down, making their way into Zeruel's lungs, before finally coming to land on the sides of both lungs.

Looking back at the outside world, Allen could sense that although Zeruel's actions had destroyed Danger Zone, some cells had survived. He'd won, even if it didn't look like it yet. The grey Cero approached him rapidly, and this time, he couldn't simply tank the hit. Rather, he couldn't rely on his Hierro to tank it. However, he was still flat out stronger than Zeruel in spiritual matters, and the Tercera's repeated attempts at blasting him away were slowly becoming tedious. Allen reached his hands forward, and drew reiatsu from within himself. Just like people of sufficient strength could flex their muscles in order to block swords, people with enough reiatsu strength could negate attacks thrown at them by their lessers. Allen didn't like doing so because it took considerable effort, and realistically his Hierro and healing capabilities were enough to accomplish the same task anyway. But doing so now would serve a greater purpose: showing Zeruel that despite his immense strength, he was nothing before a Zarpa. And so Allen pushed his hands to the side as the grey Cero expanded out to strike him, and parted it in two, his reiatsu cutting through it effortlessly, making a clean path between him and Zeruel. He slowly walked forwards as the Cero Field raged, and by the time it was turned off, he was only a step away from Zeruel.

"I told you I was good at close combat. You can't come..." Zeruel's sentence would likely be cut out halfway through, not because of Allen's actions, but rather because he'd find himself suddenly unable to speak. Inside of Zeruel's body, Allen's cells finally triggered, and detonated outwards in his lungs with enough force to possibly irritate Adalo if he had been exposed to it. Instantly, Zeruel's lungs were obliterated, and several of his other organs severely damaged. Internal bleeding would start almost instantly. The obliteration of Zeruel's lungs however served three different purposes. First and foremost, Zeruel would be unable to speak, having used up the last of his air to chide Allen. Dismissible, until he realized that he'd be unable to release. Secondly, Zeruel would be unable to breath, and thus he'd be unable to function optimally. This wouldn't affect his spiritual capabilities, but only his physical ones. The spiritual ones were unimportant, Allen outclassed him at those anyways. Finally, and most importantly, Zeruel would die within half a minute or so. Perhaps if he'd been able to regenerate, he'd be able to stem the bleeding, and begin to regrow his lungs from the damaged tissues that were scattered across his insides. But at the moment, he was back in The Danger Zone, and his healing was suppressed because he had less healing expertise than Allen.

Back outside of Zeruel's organs, Allen's hands were burned, a side effect of Shotgun Fist. Which was good, because it allowed him to reactivate Danger Zone, maintaining his advantage against Zeruel. His body began to patch the wound up, even with Danger Zone hampering his own healing, he was more than capable of repairing such an insignificant wound. Once Zeruel felt the damage, Allen didn't give him a moment to breath. Well, Zeruel wouldn't have been able to breath even if Allen had given him a moment, but that was a pedantic complaint. Allen strode up to Zeruel, and slapped him, his blow augmented by Shotgun Fist. Zeruel's hierro would be capable of tanking the blow, but by a margin of 50, meaning he'd still certainly feel it. "You talk too much, which is saying a lot, coming from me. I suppose you're wondering what happened, how I did it? Well, I'll tell you." Allen smiled. "I have the power to explode things with a thought, and grew bored of talking with you. So I blew up your lungs, so we wouldn't have to deal with that anymore." He wondered if Zeruel would believe him. It'd be ideal if he did, he'd pass on the false information. Well, assuming he lived, at least. That seemed more doubtable with each passing moment.

Zeruel's options here were limited, and Allen was already considering them all. Perhaps he'd try to flee, and accidentally leave Danger Zone in order to begin his own healing. But being as injured as he was, it was likely that Allen would be able to catch up with him quickly, and remove that wild card factor of Zeruel's regeneration kicking in. Even if it did, however, healing major internal damage was a difficult task, and would certainly take extensive time, time that Zeruel didn't have. His inability to speak meant Allen didn't need to worry about him releasing, but even if he did, Allen would counter with his own release, and they'd be back to square one, or whichever square had Zeruel on the ground, dying slowly and horribly. Allen wasn't certain which square that was off of the top of his head. 

Reiatsu: 1850/3000 (-200 Danger Zone, -300 Shotgun Fist x2)
Allen's Current HE: 720
Danger Zone Duration: 1/1 Posts (Will terminate at the start of Allen's next post)

(OOC: I confirmed with Kento that Zeruel speaking would cause him to inhale the cells before Cero Field triggered and destroyed the external ones. That part, and the internal damage that they do, is relatively unavoidable, given Zeruel's actions last post.)

[Zeruel Moreno de Las Noches IX]

Fortunately for Zeruel, speech was not done by inhaling, but rather by exhaling. One breathed out as they spoke, not in, and when the Tercera inhaled after the words were already spoken, the cero had destroyed all of Allen’s Danger Zone and surrounded him completely. That was simply the natural order of events no matter how one looked at it. If anything, him talking would cause a massive outburst of breath instead of a inhalation of one, and since Allen couldn’t direct the cells with his own power, it was at the mercy of whatever wind happened by. That being said, damage would be done due to a few stray cells ending up down the espada’s throat and into his lung anyway. An entire lung completely ruptured, causing the espada to spew up blood mid-sentence. However, the damage was not as great as he initially intended.

Though before the attack was activated, Allen would be injured by Zeruel’s cero. His cocky defense would fail entirely. He’d foolishly attempted to slice the attack in half with his bare hands and while he indeed he possessed superior reiatsu strength, that didn’t mean that one could completely disregard cero only 20% inferior to them. Essentially it was not enough to overcome two major facts. Cero Field used class 2 cero, meaning it was in the same class as a Cero Oscuras. The second major fact was that Zeruel was a Cero master. He was not simply some schmuck with 1,000 RS using a Class 2 Cero, but he was a MASTER of the art. A measly 200 reiatsu strength difference was child’s play for him to overcome, especially considering Allen was not even near the expert at cero that Zeruel was. As the cero expanded, it would without question disintegrate Allen’s arms as he held them forwards, proceeding up his appendages and hitting his main body unless he did something. Unfortunately the hierro had already been weakened by the first blow, and this time there would be no damaged biomass for him to use Danger Zone with. It simply disintegrated into nothingness. The fact that Allen had to remain within 15 feet to use his combo and the fact he couldn’t use it until AFTER Zeruel had spoken ensured that he would be hit by Cero Field. His choice to remain in range of Cero Field to get off an attack was a poor choice.

Anyway, with Allen’s arms gone and Zeruel’s lung ruptured, the espada was breathing heavily. Moving would be an issue for him, and with all the breath he could muster the espada spat out, “Slaughter… Estigio…” And with that, the entire area was covered in a bright light as the arrancar released his resurreccion. Black substance covered his entire body except for his face. A large eyeball adorned the espada’s chest and his blonde hair turned jet black and lost its spikyness, yet maintained its length. Claws adorned the espada’s hands and feet and the blood that spewed from his mouth became black. Zeruel’s pain tolerance was playing a role in allowing him to continue this fight.

“You’ve… forced… my hand…” said the espada with forced breaths, in between coughs. Zeruel would remain stationary as he mentally tried to figure out what had happened to him. The release had been more of a defensive measure then an offensive one. Even with black blood dripping down the sides of his mouth, the espada managed a sinister grin, waiting for his high speed regeneration to kick in. Physical movements wouldn’t be ideal now. He felt that he could manage them, but doing so for any extended period would wear him out quickly. He was in a fight for his life right now, so he couldn’t simply roll over and be a baby about it. It was fight or die, a situation Zeruel had been put in plenty of times in his past.

Remaining Reiatsu: 1,800 (-400 Release)
Release Count: 1/16

[Kyomei Kuchiki]

+250 TP to Zeruel
+230 TP to Allen

Seriously? Ending it just when it got to a rough patch? Whatever, not my place to judge, I guess :/