Added stuff
The aftermath of an explosion still lingered in the air, a thick haze of dust and spiritual energy crackling like embers in a dying fire.
Apacci, Mila Rose, and Sun-Sun arrived at the scene, their instincts sharp, their senses on high alert. Normally, they wouldn't go out of their way to investigate random fights, but something about this one felt... off.
The sheer magnitude of the blast meant one of two things—either a powerful Hollow had just won, or one had barely survived. Either way, it was worth checking.
Worst-case scenario, Lady Harribel could step in if things got too messy.
Then they saw him.
A male Hollow stood amidst the wreckage, his body scarred from battle yet... at ease. His posture was relaxed, his expression eerily calm—no desperation, no weakness, just... satisfaction. Like someone who had just won a long, hard-fought battle. His lips moved slightly, murmuring something about "Ifrit."
Apacci frowned. What the hell is an Ifrit?
What unnerved them the most, however, was his gaze.
When his red eyes landed on them, a cold, creeping sensation ran down their spines. It wasn't bloodlust. It wasn't hunger. It was something worse—something ancient, as if they were staring into the abyss itself. For a moment, it felt like looking at their own inevitable end.
Apacci shook the feeling off, clicking her tongue in irritation. "Easy prey."
He didn't react. He just looked at them. Mild curiosity flickered in his gaze, nothing more.
Mila Rose, as reckless as ever, bristled at his indifference. "He's weakened. There's no way he can beat all three of us."
Yet, even as she said that, they watched in confusion as his wounds began to seal.
"Wait..." Sun-Sun narrowed her eyes. "Wasn't he just tired a moment ago?"
Before they could question it further, the Hollow casually tossed three orbs into his mouth. The energy radiating off him surged back to full strength.
Apacci's jaw tightened. "There's no way you're still at 100% after such a fight!"
"Stalkers... creepy," the Hollow suddenly muttered.
Apacci flinched. "I am NOT your goddamn stalker!"
Sun-Sun chuckled, her ever-present smirk growing. "Fufufu, aren't you just easy to tease?"
But the Hollow didn't respond, his expression neutral as he simply observed them. It was almost unsettling how little emotion he showed.
Mila Rose had enough. If he wasn't going to take them seriously, she'd make him. With a growl, she lunged forward, her fist aiming straight for his skull.
And he moved.
Not in a panic, not with desperation, but with effortless grace. He dodged as if he had all the time in the world, weaving between her attacks without ever looking strained.
"Stay still!" she snapped.
He gave her a look. The kind of look that screamed, Are you serious?
He still wasn't fighting back.
No counterattacks, no attempt to harm them. He just avoided every single blow, never breaking his calm.
Apacci clenched her fists. Something was wrong.
He wasn't even hungry for them.
Yet as they attacked him, something seemed to change.
For just a moment—no, less than that—fraction of a second, they all saw it.
Their deaths.
Not just death. Something worse.
Apacci's breathing hitched. Mila Rose felt her muscles lock. Sun-Sun could hear her instinct screaming at her.
It wasn't an attack. It wasn't even a conscious action. But for that single milli-second, his presence changed.
In that brief moment, they all saw what he saw—what he could do to them.
Their bodies, grotesquely twisted, their souls ripped apart and reshaped into something unnatural. Their flesh and bones reduced to fuel for something greater, something that transcended the laws of Hueco Mundo. They saw themselves reduced to nothing more than stepping stones in his evolution, playthings to be used and discarded when they no longer served a purpose.
And then... it was gone.
Like it had never been there in the first place.
The air that had been suffocating a second ago became breathable again. The creeping horror in their chests vanished, leaving only a cold sweat and a hammering heart.
And in the center of it all, he stood there, his expression calm, his gaze shifting toward Harribel.
It was like watching a demon suddenly become human.
Like his entire existence—the thing they had just seen—had been leashed the second his eyes landed on her. As if her presence alone was enough to erase that monstrous part of him.
It took them a second to process what was happening.
No, who he was staring at.
Harribel.
Oh hell no.
And yet, Harribel, ever unreadable, simply stared at him.
They hated that. They hated that she was even considering him for a second. He was dangerous. Not just strong, but something else. Something that didn't belong. If she let him in, what would happen to them? Would he turn her against them? Would he kill them when she wasn't looking?
Or worse... would she choose him over them?
That thought alone made Apacci's teeth grind. No. Absolutely not.
Yet Harribel didn't immediately refuse him. Instead, she said, "You will have to earn their trust first."
That should've been the end of it.
But it wasn't.
Because for the next three months, he followed them.
Not close enough to be a threat. Not far enough to be ignored.
Just... always there.
Watching.
Waiting.
Breathing.
Every night, when they tried to sleep, his presence remained. That hellish, demonic aura—like the world itself was whispering that they should not turn their backs on him. That he was waiting for something.
None of them slept well.
They wanted to ignore it. They wanted to forget about him.
But how could they?
Because every day, they felt it.
His power was growing.
It wasn't just the slow, natural progression of a Hollow consuming more souls. Hollows did not grow that strong, they could feel him growing way stronger than he should be.
Like a lot stronger.
He barely ate, yet he never regressed.
By the end of those three months, they knew one thing for certain.
The monster following them was now at least thirty times stronger than when he started.
And he was still growing, usually one could not sense if a hollow had the power to become a vastolorde....yet, it was an instinct at this point, he could become one. No if nor buts about it.
At this rate, before 6 month was up, he would be stronger than Lady Harribel....by then, If he wanted to he could....
The though was a bit terrifying, yet one day he just came and pleaded, even offering his arm, knowing full well....what this meant for his evolution.
He joined them, did not change the fact his hollow hole being outside his body was...not a fun sight.
Original chapter
Over the next week or so, Gabriel would train with the three girls... they were a lot weaker than him, so he had to split himself in order to be as weak as them so he could grow.
As for training with Harribel, he was planning on doing that once he could stabilize the power he had.
He was like 50% that weird thing in the sand now, and his power felt more powerful, way more potent.
His power... currently had long since reached Harribel's level... yet he was still an Adjucha. The reason was quite simple.
He hadn't met his goal yet. He would have to be placed in a situation where it was damn required for him to adapt for that stuff to happen.
Trying to get them to think he wasn't a diddle disciple was harder than he thought. He would succeed, though.
As of now, he was sitting cross-legged on the ground, completely still, as Tier Harribel—the literal embodiment of calm and composure—stood behind him, meticulously braiding his hair.
This would have been a relaxing experience if it weren't for the fact that Apacci and Mila Rose were watching from a distance, looking like they had just witnessed a crime.
He was all comfy in lady Harribel's lap.
Gabriel, eyes half-lidded as Harribel carefully worked through his hair, couldn't help but sigh. He already knew how this looked to them.
"I know what you're thinking," he muttered. "And the answer is no, I am not a diddy disciple—stop looking at me like that."
They had no idea who this Diddy fella was, all they knew was that from the name alone, yet even Gabriel didn't know who this Diddy fella was, just knew his name for some reason, as if his crimes were that insane, even before he was born, he could sense him.
Apacci scoffed, shaking her head. "I don't believe you for a second, you sneaky little creep."
Harribel remained silent as she continued her work, but Gabriel couldn't help but notice the way Apacci and Mila Rose were glaring at him like he had personally wronged them.
Were they that angry he was getting a lap pillow?
Not his fault she viewed him as a child.
He needed them to accept the fact that he was planning to pipe their leader...
Okay, maybe that would be hard.
Time Skip
While Mila Rose and Apacci were out hunting a group of Hollows, Gabriel took the opportunity to continue his quiet pursuit of Harribel's favor.
He was still courting her—subtly, of course. He wasn't about to make some grand declaration like a fool. Instead, he showed his loyalty through actions.
Courting her was fun. He was making slow progress, yet progress nonetheless. Any progress was good progress. If there was progress, that was good, if none, well shit, guess time to dip.
But fate, as always, had a way of testing his patience.
As Mila Rose and Apacci tracked their prey, they found themselves cornered by two imposing figures—Hollows, but not just any ordinary ones.
These ones were different.
Stronger.
The way they carried themselves, the confidence in their stances—it was clear they were more than just some nameless beasts.
One of them sneered, his voice carrying an air of arrogance. "Well, well, well. Looks like we found ourselves some delicious little meals today."
Apacci immediately tensed, stepping in front of Mila Rose. "Who the hell are you supposed to be?"
The second Hollow let out a low chuckle. "You mean you don't know? How cute."
Mila Rose gritted her teeth. "What do you want?"
The first Hollow tilted his head. "Isn't it obvious? You two are prime for consumption."
Just then, another presence entered the fray.
Harribel.
Her golden eyes locked onto the intruders, her voice calm but firm. "Leave. Now."
The two Hollows exchanged glances before smirking.
"Careful how you speak to us, Tier Harribel." One of them stepped forward, his tone mocking. "Barragan still has his offer on the table. If you don't want to suffer, maybe you should reconsider."
Gabriel did not like the way they spoke to her, as if she was lesser than them. He would not allow any Harribel slander to slide.
The way they addressed her, as if she were beneath them, as if she should be grateful for their so-called "offer."
Gabriel's eye twitched.
That was the last straw.
The moment they made a move to assert their dominance, something happened.
A ripple in the air.
A suffocating stillness.
Before either Hollow could react, their bodies twisted—their limbs contorted in ways that should not have been possible. Their arrogant expressions melted into horror as their very essence was drained from them.
Their bodies shriveled, their flesh turning brittle like dried husks.
It was over in an instant.
Gabriel stood there, his hand outstretched, the remnants of his power lingering in the air.
As if he was the devil himself deciding their fate, their life crumbled under his touch.
Mila Rose and Apacci stared, stunned.
Harribel's gaze met his, calm yet questioning. "Why did you do that?"
Gabriel didn't hesitate. "I didn't like the way they spoke to you."
A beat of silence.
Then—
Sun-Sun, who had been watching from the shadows, let out an amused hum. "Oh my, how possessive~"
Mila Rose scoffed. "Yeah, sure, like that's why you did it."
Apacci crossed her arms. "Tch. So now you're just killing people for our sake too?"
Gabriel shrugged. "I mean... yeah, kinda."
None of them believed him.
Not even for a second.
He smiled a bit.
If you were wondering how he could blitz them so easily—one, he could fuse with the sand of Hueco Mundo, so he kind of just appeared behind them and started off by exploding their heads before transfiguring their bodies.
They never really stood a chance against his power.
He was, after all, stronger than them.
Looking at the balls in his hand, he wondered if he should feed them to the girls.
No...
Fusing both balls together, he walked toward Harribel.
"Here."
"I do not need this."
"I beg of you, please do take it." He asked very politely, even giving puppy eyes. If she saw him as a son, better put that maternal instinct to use.
"He is planning to drug Lady Harribel. How shameful could one be?"
And of course, the allegations were back. He ignored them, as he would never dare do such a thing.
Yet...he felt no real hostility in her voice, nice.
A/N...The finger.