Pov change.
While Gabriel was getting ready to beat down on the elderly, Harribel could be seen facing off against Barragan's top three.
A shark Hollow, an Arrancar with an afro, and one with less-than-human-like features.
Each of them oozed arrogance, their confidence bolstered by the belief that their King was absolute.
If they could, they would probably dick ride their glorious, righteous, perfect king till the end.
One of them, a tall shark Hollow wielding twin scimitars, sneered. "This fight will end soon, woman." His voice carried the certainty of someone who had never tasted true defeat. "His Majesty's will is absolute. You have no hope of victory."
Harribel met his gaze without flinching.
Her answer was simple.
She didn't even say much—that was her silence. She would not even give them the satisfaction of hearing her speak.
They did not seem to like her answer, nor did she care.
And then—she struck.
With a flicker of Sonido, Harribel closed the distance, Tiburón flashing in the moonlight. A single, fluid movement—a clean cut—and the Hollow's head flew from his shoulders, his expression frozen in shock.
The remaining two barely had time to react before her blade ripped through the air once more.
They had underestimated her.
And now, they would pay the price.
She wouldn't kill them, though—just severely weaken them. Gabriel might have some use for their souls.
She needed to end this quickly so she could join him in his fight.
Meanwhile, elsewhere...
The battlefield was a massacre.
Mila Rose, Sung-Sun, and Apacci moved like a pack of predators, tearing through Barragan's soldiers with terrifying efficiency. Dozens of Hollows fell beneath their strikes, their teamwork impeccable, their movements synchronized in perfect harmony.
The buffs given to them were really showing here. With their teamwork, they were showcasing amazing coordination.
Apacci ripped through a bunch of Gillian, slicing their heads clean off with her horns.
Using Resurrección the second the fight started was indeed a good idea.
Mila Rose spun, her greatsword cleaving through multiple enemies at once, splitting their bodies in half like butter beneath a hot knife. There was no denying it—her current self would absolutely dog-walk her past self any day of the week.
As much as she wanted to be a hater, as much as she wanted to deny it, she held herself back.
He was helpful... oh, that hurt her to think.
Sung-Sun elegantly avoided an attack, twisting her body before striking with venomous precision, a green mist surrounding her enemy before his body dissolved into nothingness.
All around them, thousands of Hollows were being slain.
The fifty Arrancar under Gabriel's command fought with ruthless efficiency, cutting through their enemies in groups, their blades tearing through flesh with merciless precision.
This was no battle.
It was a bloodbath.
POV Change.
Barragan felt disgust—though not at Gabriel, but at himself.
How could he, the god-king of Hueco Mundo, feel dread...?
The strongest king in Hueco Mundo history, feeling dread from a Vasto Lorde that hadn't even been one for long?
"I AM NO PREY!"
Barragan snapped out of his stupor, his bony face twisting into one of pure, undiluted fury. The very idea that someone—anyone—could make him hesitate, even for a second, was unforgivable.
His authority was absolute. His power was undeniable.
With a furious snarl, he raised his skeletal hand.
"DIE."
A surge of Respira—thick, black, and corrosive—exploded outward, flooding the battlefield with its decaying touch.
BZZZT—BOOM!
Sonido was truly useful for getting away from this man's very dangerous technique. If Gabriel was covered by it, he would probably just die.
That was how powerful it was.
Barragan's sockets burned with fury. "Running will not save you, boy."
Lifting his hand, he gathered a tremendous sphere of spiritual energy, the very air distorting from the sheer power condensed within it.
"DIE."
Gabriel did not expect it to spread so fast... Fuck. The Respira blast had caught up with him.
Shit... Gabriel watched as his body began decaying at a speed visible to the naked eye.
A burst of fire enveloped the whole area where Gabriel was.
For a moment, silence.
Then—
The flame died out. There was nothing behind.
Gabriel was gone.
Barragan let out a deep, resonant laugh. "Fool. You challenged a god and thought you could win?"
He was about to continue—
CRACK!
A fist smashed into his side, sending a powerful shockwave through the air.
Barragan's body lurched to the side, cracks forming along his skeletal frame.
His eyes widened.
He turned—and there Gabriel stood, in all his glory.
Gabriel.
Standing there, completely unharmed, looking at his fingers and flexing his muscles as if making sure everything was okay.
"Shit," Gabriel muttered, looking at his hands. "Almost died there."
Barragan's mind raced.
How?!
He had hit him with Respira. He had seen him decay. There was no way he should be alive.
No, he had seen Gabriel's fire die out, not Gabriel himself. He had seen the boy's insane healing factor—chances were, he had used the fire to take the brunt of the Respira while he escaped.
With his high-speed regeneration, Gabriel could heal back pretty fast.
So, the boy must have used his flames, then dug into the sand, leaving behind the fire that was being destroyed.
Making it seem like he was dead... He had lured Barragan into a false sense of security.
"Bastard," Barragan growled.
Gabriel chuckled, lifting his hand—only to see Respira still lingering on his fingertips, rotting away his flesh.
Without hesitation, he sliced it off, watching as the limb fell to the ground and decayed instantly.
Then, before Barragan's very eyes—
The limb regenerated.
Gabriel flexed his new fingers and grinned.
"Alright, old fuck," he said as the fire armor returned.
The flames didn't just burn—they moved, spreading unnaturally, crawling toward Barragan like living creatures.
Gabriel then placed his hand on the floor, using Idle Transfiguration. He even began to manipulate the soul of the sand in Hueco Mundo... A massive sand tsunami rushed toward the so-called god-king of Hueco Mundo.
"Useless," Barragan hissed. "Nothing can—"
SMASH!
A hand struck him across the cheek.
But—
It wasn't connected to anything.
Barragan's sockets widened.
Gabriel had used his own severed arm to strike him, throwing it mid-Sonido and landing a clean hit.
Gabriel let out a wild laugh, his flames roaring as he spread his arms wide.
"LET'S HAVE FUN, OLD MAN!"
Gabriel took out about ten or so transfigured Gillian souls.
Gabriel forcefully fused all of them together.
The very next second, a monster could be seen.
It looked to be a giant snake-like Hollow.
The beast rushed toward Barragan at full speed.
Barragan sneered and unleashed Respira once more.
But the creature did not fade.
His eyes widened.
Because it wasn't just one soul.
It was hundreds.
Hundreds of layers.
What Barragan's Respira had destroyed was just the first layer—there were still 99 more to go.
Respira could not destroy them all at once.
Barragan's fury grew.
BZZZT—BOOM!
He Sonido'd away, his mind racing.
"Impossible," he muttered. "His power was supposed to be fire. What is this?!"
Before he could think further—
The creature appeared before him.
A massive, grotesque axe appeared in Barragan's hand.
SLASH!
The blade came down, splitting the entity in two.
Barragan scoffed. "Even without my power, I am still the strongest Hollow!"
...
...
Seconds later...
Barragan made eye contact with a ball of transfigured humans.
He looked at it.
It looked back at him.
"Respir—"
BOOOOM!
A huge explosion engulfed the area.
A sun appeared in Hueco Mundo.
Gabriel smiled.
This was exhilarating.