Gabriel looked stunned as the beast let his Reiatsu flare out for the whole area to feel—so much power.
Fire enveloped the beast, its muscles bulging as flames roared all around it.
This beast did not look like it would be happy after just taking one single bite.
The creature was strong, yet Gabriel felt very excited.
Gabriel watched as the beast's paw burned the sand beneath it. He wasn't going to get glazed, but holy heck, this beast was strong.
"Pathetic," the tiger sneered, its voice a deep growl laced with amusement. "You think you stand a chance against me? Against Ifrit, the Scorching Claw?"
Gabriel was stunned. Wait, they had monikers here? Did that mean this Hollow had a reputation, or did he just give himself that title because it sounded cool?
"Talking big for a cat that still hunts in a pack," Gabriel taunted. Who was this Hollow to boss him around? So what if he had a cool nickname? He would still be Gabriel's dinner.
Ifrit—or whatever the beast called itself—let out a low, menacing chuckle.
"A king doesn't need a pack. I was simply letting them fatten up before I devoured them."
Before Gabriel could react, Ifrit was already in front of him.
Fuck.
That speed—Gabriel didn't know how the creature was managing to move so fast.
The last thing Gabriel saw was what seemed to be flame propellers... on the soles of Ifrit's feet... oh.
"Scorching Rend!"
Gabriel barely had time to react before a searing claw strike tore through his midsection, sending him skidding across the desert sands. His flesh burned, the flames refusing to extinguish even as he patted at them.
"Ouch, ouch, it burns," he muttered, blowing on the flames to get them to die down.
Ifrit stood tall, licking the blood from his claws. "You're slow."
Meanwhile, Gabriel could be seen blowing at the flames—they had just died down. Thankfully, he didn't take too much damage.
He just healed his soul. No biggie.
He found where his soul was damaged and healed it. He wouldn't lose now.
"You are strong," Gabriel added with an excited smile. This guy was strong.
Which meant maybe Gabriel could use all his moves on him.
He rushed toward the creature at full speed, intending to land a fatal strike. He had even transfigured his muscles into springs for maximum bounce. Unfortunately, Ifrit could see him.
Ifrit casually dodged Gabriel's strike before empowering his hand with fire.
Fuck, Gabriel thought, immediately using his power to make his stomach as tough as he could right now.
Just in time, too. The second he was done, he felt Ifrit's fist imprinting itself into his stomach.
The force knocked all the air out of his lungs.
His body was sent ragdolling far away.
Holy shit, that hurt, Gabriel thought to himself. He planned to turn into a bird and fly into the sky. However, as he tumbled away, he made eye contact with Ifrit. Somehow, the bastard had caught up to him.
His mouth opened wide.
"CERO!"
A blazing inferno of red energy surged forth, swallowing Gabriel whole. The explosion illuminated the endless night of Hueco Mundo, sending shockwaves rippling through the desert.
Ifrit landed gracefully, his tail flicking as he smirked. "Burn to ash."
But before he could celebrate, something shot from the smoke—Gabriel, grinning like a maniac.
Gabriel rushed toward Ifrit, his hands covered in strange purple energy.
Ifrit felt danger... a lot of fucking danger from those hands.
"You hit like a bitch," Gabriel said with a wild smile.
Getting beat like this was getting him excited... He wasn't a masochist; he just loved growing stronger. And what better way to grow than to fight for your life 24/7?
Sure, it was dangerous, but it worked.
He could feel it... his power... it was awakening once more.
Ifrit, feeling the imminent threat behind Gabriel's fist, did not hesitate in his response.
"Infernal Devour!"
Gabriel's fist made contact with the blast. As that happened, the two attacks seemed to clash. Gabriel's eyes widened a bit.
The fire—it was consuming him, even though he had transfigured his body to resist fire.
Gabriel's eyes widened.
Ifrit's grin deepened.
"Didn't anyone tell you?" the tiger mocked. "Fire doesn't just burn. It consumes."
Without hesitation, Ifrit surged forward, his entire body engulfed in a flaming aura. Gabriel barely managed to react as a fiery claw raked across his chest, the force sending him tumbling.
But even as he crashed into the sand, Gabriel was laughing.
This was more chance for him to grow. More chance for him to adapt.
Ifrit frowned. "What's so funny, insect?"
Gabriel's wounds healed—perk of being able to turn his soul into whatever shape he wanted.
"You are just what I wanted," Gabriel said with a smile.
The very next second, Gabriel's Reiatsu flared outside his body, a suffocating pressure flooding the battlefield.
Ifrit felt somewhat scared... This demonic power coming from Gabriel felt...
Primordial.
Fire erupted from Gabriel's body—flames identical to Ifrit's. But instead of being orange like his, Gabriel's flames were blue. Gabriel looked at the tiger.
"Im-impossible!... You shouldn't have fire powers!" Ifrit couldn't believe his eyes... What was he seeing right now?
A/N....How fast is his growth.