Gabriel stood at the center of the room, bathed in blood. Not on some corny shit, but because he had been torturing souls, and that shit tended to get bloody for some odd reason.
Shinigami, in fact, do bleed... a lot, actually. Like, about as much as a human, if he were to be fair. Anyway, after giving them all the cheesetouch of a lifetime—
He was getting something. He kinda ignored the blood, even as it dripped down from his hair, his hands, his clothes—splatters of gore coating the ground beneath him. Bits of flesh, bone, and spiritual matter stuck to his fingers like a grotesque mosaic.
He didn't mind.
He was having fun.
The five remaining Shinigami squirmed, their bodies convulsing as Gabriel forced their souls into an agonizing, unnatural metamorphosis.
Their screams? He tuned them out. Their suffering only meant they were still alive and conscious.
Which meant he could still push their bodies even further than he ever had before.
And thus, he began Tearing Apart the Soul, Stitching It Anew.
With his hand pressed against the first Shinigami's chest, Gabriel dug deep—not into flesh, but into the very fabric of the man's existence.
His soul screamed, writhing as it was stretched beyond its limits, twisted and warped into something new.
Gabriel molded him like wet clay, shredding away what he deemed useless and reforging what remained. His identity, his essence, his power—Gabriel made it his own.
The Shinigami's Zanpakutō cracked.
Its spirit wailed in defiance before being ripped away and devoured.
Gabriel watched as the Shinigami's body shook. He didn't care. Gabriel was about to rip the Zanpakutō's ability and use it as his own.
—First Ability Gained: Crimson Veil
Gabriel's blood becomes a weapon. Every drop spilled from his body can be manipulated and solidified into blades, tendrils, or spikes. If his blood touches an opponent, it seeps into their wounds, turning their own spiritual energy against them.
That could be very useful—making chains from his blood or even weapons. Might even make his blood act like a poison if too much is exposed to the air but act like an aphrodisiac if someone drank a small amount of it.
Freaky-ass ideas began to form in his mind.
And then—he moved to the next.
This one thrashed violently, but Gabriel simply tightened his grip, fingers sinking into the Shinigami's chest.
"This will hurt." He was not going to lie to them.
This shit finna hurt.
The man let out a choked cry as his soul unraveled, fibers of spiritual matter peeling away like unraveling threads.
His Zanpakutō cracked, then shattered.
Gabriel took a deep breath as the next power flowed into him.
—Second Ability Gained: Pale Specter
Gabriel can detach his shadow from his body, allowing it to move independently. The shadow can attack, grapple opponents, or even serve as a second body, mimicking his movements and actions.
Hm, he could use this with the ability he had gotten before—the one where he could manipulate shadows. Oh yeah, fucking move his own shadow and use that for sneak attacks.
Maybe he should make a stealth force... hm, food for thought.
So far, Lucius was the only Nephilim, as everyone else was failing. They were too weak.
Gabriel was ready to get that prodigy on his squad.
Now, onto the Shinigami here.
Two down. Three to go.
The third Shinigami sobbed.
"P-please," he begged, his voice cracking. "P-please, I'll do anyth—"
Gabriel simply placed a finger against the man's forehead.
Begging was not going to help here. Their fate had been sealed a long time ago.
And pushed.
The Shinigami's body convulsed violently as his soul was peeled apart like fruit skin, layer by layer, until nothing remained but raw, pulsing energy.
Gabriel liked that. He really did. That energy could be turned into whatever his heart desired.
Gabriel clenched his fist—and the energy caved inward, absorbed into him.
Another sharp spike of power coursed through him, sending a thrill down his spine.
—Third Ability Gained: Hell Chains
Gabriel can summon blackened chains from the underworld, capable of binding, draining spiritual energy, and suppressing abilities of those ensnared. These chains feed on suffering, growing stronger the more his victims struggle.
So TL;DR, it sucked energy. Though Gabriel felt like his own nature as a Hollow was corrupting those powers to be Hell-based, 'cause ain't no way a Shinigami would have Hell Chains as his power. That was inconceivable.
Then, Gabriel went to the fourth guy. The process was quick.
—Fourth Ability Gained: Hollow Echo
Gabriel can mimic any sound he has ever heard, including voices, attacks, or even incantations of Kidō. His voice can resonate at a frequency that disorients enemies, causing hallucinations or vertigo.
Hm... Good.
Very good.
And then—the last one.
Gabriel's golden eyes burned.
This one was different. Stronger.
He reached forward—gripping the man's throat—and pulled.
The Shinigami screamed, body thrashing as his soul was ripped from its vessel.
That man's soul felt stronger... oh, so he had a Bankai... Fantastic. Gabriel could have fun with him. Maybe turn him into a Nephilim. But first, let's see what kind of power he had.
—Fifth Ability Gained (Major Power): Monarch's Grasp
Gabriel can alter the density and gravitational pull of any object or space within his vicinity. He can make enemies feel a hundred times heavier, crush them under an unbearable force, or even manipulate the battlefield by distorting gravity at will.
Okay... that was OP.
Gabriel had a shit-eating grin on his face. Time for him to evolve even more than he had before—maybe murder a couple hundred souls. Souls were free game. Humans were off the charts, though. He didn't want to hunt humans nor hurt them, for that matter, as he himself was once a human.
Human souls, on the other hand... were free games.
A/N