Gabriel was ready to pummel this beast for a long time.
As for how he got his flame power, it was simple, really.
Gabriel's ability to reshape his soul wasn't just for healing—it could be used for other things, like, you know, evolution.
Every time he was struck, his body wasn't just repairing itself; he was analyzing the damage, understanding the nature of the attack, and adapting.
Ifrit's flames weren't ordinary—they consumed, burned beyond the surface, and ate away at energy itself.
Gabriel felt it firsthand, the way the fire tried to reduce him to nothing.
But instead of resisting, he let it in. He allowed the flames to become part of him, breaking them down at the fundamental level and rewriting his soul to incorporate their essence.
His transfiguration ability worked by turning his soul into different properties—flesh, metal, bone, even concepts. By analyzing Ifrit's fire, he reconstructed his Reiatsu to mimic it, shaping his spiritual energy into flames of his own.
Gabriel used the flames to boost himself toward Ifrit.
"I will not lose to a copycat!" Ifrit roared, rushing toward Gabriel, his flames burning so intensely that they even started to burn his own body.
Yet he didn't care. He would not lose.
He would win.
As the two beasts met in the middle, fire went flying everywhere.
Gabriel kicked Ifrit in the chest, using the man's chest as a platform to gain some distance from the beast.
"Cero!"
"Cero!"
KABOOM!
As debris flew everywhere, sparks could be seen flickering in the air.
Gabriel had a battle-hungry grin on his face.
He used transfiguration on himself, splitting into three clones, each turning into a different animal.
One, a bird to fly.
One, a tiger, as if to mock Ifrit.
The other, resembling a shark.
"Do not underestimate my flames!" Ifrit roared, his power rising. Yet before he could do much, the sand of Hueco Mundo went straight through his guts.
Blood spilled from his mouth... He was shocked... Wait, how?
Looking at the three... wait, two?
Looking down, he saw the shark emerging from the sand...
The next second, as the bird landed on his head, he felt something was wrong. On instinct, he poured all of his Reiryoku into his head.
All of it.
Fire consumed the beast, burning both the shark and the bird alive.
The remaining tiger transformed back into Gabriel.
Wasn't this interesting? So Hollows could resist his power as long as they had enough Reiryoku.
That was incredibly good info to know.
Though... there's only so much you can do as a head.
Odd—Gabriel had accidentally broken the man's Hollow mask. Yet instead of a new one appearing...
Ifrit stood still, his body refusing to move. Looking down at his tiger-like form... yeah, that shit had been transfigured beyond belief. He couldn't even move anymore.
"Well, this was fun... time to end it," Gabriel said, preparing to finish Ifrit off.
As Gabriel stepped closer to Ifrit, flames erupted from the man's body.
"Do you honestly believe that just because I'm just a head, I wouldn't fight back? This fight isn't over until I am dead!"
Gabriel had to give it to him—the man was hardcore.
Gabriel watched as everything beneath the man's neck was engulfed in flames.
Ifrit was burning himself just to keep going.
Gabriel saw something in Ifrit's soul... It was evolving... like, hella fast, like he had met some kind of unknown requirement for something.
Ifrit's spiritual pressure increased tenfold. The pressure emanating from his body was so overwhelming that Gabriel was forced to his knees.
It was getting hard to breathe.
"I REFUSE TO LOSE!" Ifrit roared.
His body began moving once more.
Gabriel, however, just smiled.
Sure, Ifrit was probably a lot stronger than him right now.
However, he didn't care. He couldn't bring himself to care.
The way Ifrit's soul was evolving, he was now on a timer. If Ifrit evolved completely, chances were Gabriel would die instantly and become food for this beast.
Yet Gabriel had a chance. As long as he won before the soul fully evolved, he would be all good.
"Let's see which one of us is worthy to stay alive."
Gabriel rushed toward Ifrit... who, in an instant, vanished from Gabriel's view.
Gabriel felt a hand on his face...
And while Ifrit's hand was making contact with Gabriel's face...
"Scorching Rend!"
KABOOM!
Gabriel saw the crack on his mask...
BZZZT—BOOM!
"Tch..." Gabriel exhaled, feeling the heat gnaw at his existence. His mask... he needed to fix it.
Using his power, he began reconstructing the broken pieces of his mask. It took about five seconds, his fingers twitching as he rewrote his form, restoring what was lost.
BZZZT—BOOM!
A sudden burst of speed—Ifrit was already on him again, fire roaring around his claws, ready to end this in one decisive strike.
Gabriel reacted instantly.
BZZZT—BOOM!
With a burst of his ability, he repelled his body backward, narrowly escaping the deadly strike. Using Idle Transfiguration, he fused into the tree behind him and escaped from the tree's back.
He was safe... The same could not be said about the tree, though.
BZZZT—BOOM!
Before Ifrit could react, Gabriel reappeared behind him.
CRACK!
Gabriel's technique, alongside his fire control and Cero, all landed on Ifrit's back at the same time. Sparks of black erupted into the air, colliding with blue sparks as Ifrit's body convulsed under the impact.