Gabriel could be seen hiding behind a wall. Why, you may ask?
A red beam of compressed energy fired past him.
The roar of a primal creature echoed through the desolate expanse of Hueco Mundo.
Because of that thing.
That six-story-tall beast was on his ass.
The Menos Grande.
"Why did the first one I fought have to not be mindless?" he muttered to himself as he dodged another Cero.
Deciding to go on the offensive, Gabriel rushed toward the beast. He leaped into the air, shaping his soul into the form of a small, agile creature, dodging another Cero in the process. Climbing up the creature's massive frame with his altered shape, he positioned himself near its face. Shifting back to his human form midair, Gabriel cocked his fist back and launched a punch toward the creature's mask.
As his fist neared the beast's face, Gabriel caught sight of a bright red glow.
Fuck.
{CERO}
KABOOM
The explosion sent Gabriel skidding across the sands of Hueco Mundo. His body ached, the blow leaving him sore and battered. This was a far cry from his usual fights—this Gillian wasn't just a lumbering beast. It had brains.
As the massive Hollow loomed closer, Gabriel's voice echoed from the ground, startlingly devoid of fear.
"This is so fun... If I was just one second late, I'd be dead."
A maniacal grin spread across his face.
The thrill. The rush. The razor's edge between life and death. It was intoxicating.
Pulling himself up, Gabriel morphed his soul into the shape of a bird and took flight toward the Gillian. The creature began charging another Cero, its mouth glowing with deadly energy.
{CERO}
The blast streaked through the air, but Gabriel weaved above it, smirking as he waited for the beam to dissipate. As smoke rose from the Gillian's mouth, signaling its temporary exhaustion, Gabriel dived at full speed.
Opening his own mouth, a crimson glow formed as he gathered energy.
Point-blank.
{CERO}
KABOOM
Once again, Gabriel was sent skidding across the sands. His body protested, but he didn't care. His focus was on the smoke clearing before him.
Half of the Gillian's mask had been obliterated. It was still alive, though—its power growing as if in defiance.
Before Gabriel could act, the Gillian grabbed him, slamming his body into the ground with bone-crushing force. The creature's mouth opened wide, preparing to fire a point-blank Cero at its prey.
Fuck.
As Gabriel lay pinned, his mind wasn't on the fact that he might be devoured. No, his thoughts turned inward—to his soul. Compared to this Gillian, his soul felt... imperfect. Flawed, yet filled with untapped potential.
He reached deep within himself, pulling at the threads of his being.
With a feral growl, Gabriel tore himself free of the Gillian's grasp. His claws dug into its body as he scaled it once more. This time, as he stood before its broken mask, he cocked his fist back again.
"Don't die yet," he sneered.
His fist crashed into the Hollow's skull, the force imbued with his soul-shaping ability and the destructive energy of a Cero.
A sickening crunch echoed through the air.
Black sparks flared at the point of impact as the Gillian's upper half was eviscerated. The delicate balance of souls holding its form together unraveled, disintegrating into spiritual nothingness.
Gabriel landed on the sands, his body trembling—not with exhaustion, but with exhilaration. He felt alive. Thrilled. Power coursed through his veins, his muscles humming with energy. New ideas on how to use his abilities flooded his mind, like a dam had burst.
Approaching the decaying corpse, he placed his hand on it. His power activated instinctively, compressing the remnants into a dense black sphere.
Gabriel lifted the sphere to his mouth.
Gulp.
The surge of power hit him like a tidal wave, his body undergoing rapid transformation. His form expanded as he felt himself crossing a threshold he hadn't anticipated.
He was no longer just a low-level Hollow.
Gabriel had reached the Menos Grande tier.
He couldn't help but wonder if this rapid growth was normal—or if he was just different. Was the gap between Gillian and Vasto Lorde so immense that few even dared to pursue it?
As his body shifted, Gabriel's thoughts lingered on the move he had used. What exactly had he done?
If he had to explain it, it was like dismantling the essence of what made a Gillian a Gillian. These creatures were formed from the fusion of countless souls, all battling for dominance. Gabriel had destroyed the anchor—the dominant soul holding the others in check. By reshaping or outright obliterating it, he had severed the psychic control keeping the Gillian's structure intact.
The result? Catastrophic collapse.
The black sparks during his attack likely came from the high-density spiritual energy in his Cero, overloading the chaotic fragments and triggering their disintegration. The timing had to be perfect—his ability had to activate the moment of physical contact, targeting the core soul directly.
The Gillian's upper half was obliterated because that's where the dominant soul resided, controlling the fusion of thousands of others. With its nexus destroyed, the entire structure unraveled.
The souls didn't die in the traditional sense; they were forcibly disbanded, dissolving into spiritual particles.
Gabriel chuckled to himself, his voice filled with manic glee.
Power.
He'd tasted it, and he wanted more.
Still, he doubted he could pull off that move in his current form—not while standing five stories tall. But that didn't matter.
Gabriel grinned, his crimson eyes glowing with ambition. This was only the beginning.
A/N