Gabriel still trained, but from time to time, he would take the day off, spending some time with Harribel, who may or may not have warmed up to him.
He had no idea if she had or hadn't.
All he knew was that he got a kiss, and that was his wife-to-be. Apacci and Mila Rose's disappointment be damned.
He was getting it.
Anyway, he looked at the hedgehog Adjucha he had just slain. He had destroyed the Adjucha's sense of self and identity before crushing its mask.
The Adjucha became an Adjuchar.
It now looked more human. Sure, fragments of its Hollow mask remained, but its form had become far more humanoid.
Blue hair, blue eyes, and a sword sheathed at its side. Gabriel had even used the sand of Hueco Mundo to drip him out even more.
This was the project he had been working on for a while... a way to create the next step in Hollow evolution.
Now, if only he could get his hands on some Shinigami Zanpakuto, he wouldn't mind playing around with them a lot more.
Maybe study their link with their Zanpakuto and find a way to better strengthen his Hollows.
He looked at his creation.
It had no personality. No desires. No will of its own.
A blank slate.
Gabriel's grin widened as he ran his fingers over its head, feeling the cold, unnatural stillness beneath his touch. It didn't react. It simply existed.
Perfect.
This being had been crafted for one purpose and one purpose only—to counter Baraggan Louisenbairn.
That was its whole purpose in life. Nothing more than just that.
Just a hollow husk.
To test his creation, he crafted a simple insect Hollow, imbuing it with the same properties as the Arrancar he had just forged. A lesser creature, but one that could demonstrate whether his theory was correct.
With a flick of his wrist, he released the insect into the air, watching it flutter off into the dark skies of Hueco Mundo.
Now... it was time to see if the God-King could still call himself that.
Before Gabriel would turn one year old... Baraggan would die.
Baraggan Louisenbairn sat upon his skeletal throne, his bone-clad fingers tightening around the goblet in his grasp. The news had been delivered with all the trembling fear it deserved—two of his subordinates had perished.
He was not angry about their deaths.
They were weak. Weaklings perished. Such was the law of Hueco Mundo.
But what angered him—infuriated him—was Harribel's continued defiance.
Like, sure, he had powerful servants far stronger than her under his rule, but he refused to let her roam free in his land.
Starrk was an exception. Probably because Baraggan couldn't do shit to that lone Hollow.
He'd have gotten his shit rocked if he tried something.
So instead of fighting the Hollow that would lube him up real good, he chose to target the dark-skinned woman.
What a powerful king he was.
And now, like the powerful and mighty king that he was, he heard about a new Vasto Lorde.
From the looks of it, he was freshly evolved.
Which meant he was inexperienced.
This was starting to sound like some messed-up love triangle where the ugly old bastard tried to steal the girl... huh, actually, hentai... this was looking like the plot of a basic NTR hentai.
The old man refused to lose.
He was the God-King of Hueco Mundo!
Let them all burn in his Respira if they dared to stand against him.
He was not arrogant—he spoke the truth.
Though, let's be real—God-King as a title sounded hella arrogant. Like, come on, pick one.
A low chuckle echoed from the corner of the room.
Hollow Didd— I mean, Hollow Orochi—Szayelaporro Granz.
The pink-haired scientist, his smile ever-curved in that infuriatingly smug manner, took a single step forward and bowed with an exaggerated flourish.
"If my Lord permits... I would be most delighted to personally rid you of this little annoyance."
Baraggan's hollow eyes glowed with menace. "You dare to think yourself worthy of handling my enemies?"
"Oh, not at all, my Lord. I simply wish to get rid of this annoying bug pestering His Majesty," Szayelaporro said, bowing his head to the king.
Yeah, he just wanted to experiment on Gabriel.
This new Vasto Lorde would make an excellent test subject.
Baraggan didn't need to know that.
Nor did he need to know why Szayelaporro had to shove his sword down his throat to transform.
The perks of having no gag reflex.
A moment of silence passed. Then, Baraggan gave the slightest nod.
"You have my permission."
Szayelaporro bowed deeply. "You are most gracious, my King."
He turned, his mind already racing with thoughts of the experiments he would conduct.
This 'Gabriel'...
Oh, he was going to enjoy studying him.
A few minutes later.
A small, unassuming insect fluttered through the vast halls of Las Noches, its wings barely making a sound as it entered Baraggan's throne room.
A mere fly.
Baraggan barely acknowledged it. With a casual wave of his hand, he released his Respira, the creeping black mist of death rolling out, intent on rotting the insignificant creature into dust.
The bug fell onto the sands of Hueco Mundo... and the ground seemed to absorb it.
Just a bug.
If only Baraggan knew...
His defeat had been assured the second he did that.