Gabriel could be seen kissing his wife. Why, you may ask? Because he was free—and free time wasn't something he had often nowadays.
We're talking about a man who had to straight-up make a clone of himself just to work overtime while he slept. Who would have thought rebuilding Hueco Mundo from the ground up would be this difficult?
So much had to be done. Gabriel had to go around building training facilities, ensuring his soldiers didn't regress, and more.
Not to mention turning any loyal Gillian who had proven their loyalty into Adjuchas.
The power they now possessed had increased several times over—Gabriel meant several.
This little army he had gathered could wipe out Barragan's previous army with minimal difficulty. The real problem lay with Barragan's power itself.
But that wouldn't be an issue—Gabriel had the power now.
Harribel broke the kiss, their saliva connecting their lips for a brief moment before she took a deep breath.
"Husband, control yourself. This is still working hours. You can try it later."
Gabriel smiled at that. So, she wasn't against making out—just not in public.
"That's a promise you'll have to keep," he said calmly, looking at his wife.
"I shall."
Wasn't that just good news?
Mila Rose, however, didn't look too happy.
"You are so biased toward Lady Harribel! You completely ignored me~."
It didn't take a genius to guess who was speaking.
"Jeez, it was one deck of cards. You're acting like I took your soul."
Like, come on. It could never be that deep.
"You had me draw +100! It is, in fact, that deep."
...Okay, fine. Maybe—just maybe—he went a tiny bit overboard.
"What's the worst you can do to me?" Gabriel said, sipping his tea.
He then stopped when he saw her looking at the teacup.
...
That was her essence in the tea...
...
....
"Are you not going to finish it?"
Wow. So this is how she wanted to play?
Before he could proceed with what he had planned to do, the door to the room opened.
One of his subordinates, a lanky Adjucha with a jagged mask resembling a praying mantis, stepped forward and kneeled before him. The Hollow's entire posture screamed unease.
Gabriel tilted his head. "Well? Speak."
The Hollow hesitated for only a moment before delivering the news.
"My Lord... the fourth scouting team—destroyed."
And just like that, she was saved... for now.
"How far?"
"Yes, my Lord. They were approximately 30 kilometers southwest of our position. We knew something was wrong when they failed to send their half-hourly signal."
Gabriel leaned forward, resting his chin on his knuckles. "You're certain?"
"We are," the Adjucha affirmed quickly. "The scouting protocol you established worked. Their last confirmed position was reported, but when the next signal was due, there was nothing. The nearest team attempted to contact them but received no response. When they advanced toward the last known location... they too felt nothing."
A system meant to prevent unknown losses.
And yet, here was an unknown loss.
"At least we found out now instead of a week later."
He sighed before looking at his wife.
"Wife, I will have to be gone for a while. I'll be back soon."
"Take care."
He gave her a smile before flashing a glare at Sun-Sun, who just acted all innocent. That snake girl just knew how to annoy him.
BZZZT—BOOM!
"Sun-Sun, why do you tease him so much? Aren't you scared of what he might do to you?" Apacci randomly asked. After all, Sun-Sun had been poking the bear for too long. What would happen if the bear fought back?
"It's fine. Gabriel~kun wouldn't hurt a fly."
....
Apacci's eyes went toward the remains of a Hollow that had gone against orders, lying on the floor.
"Couldn't hurt a fly," my ass.
Sure, this guy was nice to them, but she had seen how deranged he could get... Have you ever seen a mindless beast begging for you to kill it, to put it out of its misery?
That was terrifying.
So much power at his fingertips—it was insane.
She might have been brash, but she wasn't that brash.
A certain memory came to her head as she thought of him.
She had just finished training her Resurrección—she had finally gotten the full grasp of it.
It no longer drained her, and she could keep it on for hours. So, naturally, she wanted to tell Lady Harribel about it...
Apacci had been walking through the corridors of their domain, her chest puffed with pride at her recent achievement. She had finally mastered her Resurrección—no longer a fleeting burst of power that drained her dry, but something she could sustain, wield, control.
She was eager to tell Lady Harribel, to hear her acknowledgment, maybe even get a rare word of praise.
But as she approached Harribel's chambers, something made her pause.
PLAP
PLAP
PLAP
She wasn't clapping her hands.
She knew damn well she wasn't.
So what was that sound?
A low, rhythmic noise filtered through the heavy doors. At first, she thought it was a battle—grunts, strained breaths, the occasional sharp intake of air.
Had Gabriel challenged Lady Harribel? Was she training?
Well, to be fair, Gabriel did challenge her a lot.
Curiosity got the better of her. Apacci found herself inching toward a small opening where the door hadn't fully closed.
She peeked through the gap... and immediately froze.
Inside, the sight that greeted her made her stomach flip.
Gabriel. Lady Harribel...
They weren't fighting.
They were doing something, though.
It wasn't battle.
It wasn't training.
It was something else entirely.
And from the way her normally composed, unshakable leader arched and trembled beneath Gabriel's relentless movements...
Apacci realized—he was winning.
Her brain short-circuited.
Her first instinct was to pull away, pretend she hadn't seen anything.
But her body betrayed her.
—
"Earth to Apacci," Sun-Sun's voice suddenly snapped her out of her dazed state.
"I am fine," she immediately said.
Sun-Sun had a teasing smile on her face. Apacci was just too easy to read.
"Why the heck do you randomly zone out?" Mila Rose asked, raising an eyebrow. "Lady Harribel was speaking to you."
"I'm sorry, Lady Harribel. Did you need anything?" she added obediently.
"Yes, I wish for you to train the fourth squadron. They need more battle experience."
"Yes, your majesty," she said, bowing slightly.
"You do not have to be so formal with me," Harribel said in a regal tone.
This was the Harribel Apacci knew.
Yet, every time she looked at her, the image of that day flashed in her mind.
Upon noticing the look on Apacci's face, Sun-Sun's teasing smile grew wider.
—
POV Change
BZZZT—BOOM!
Gabriel had arrived where he needed to be.
A/N
Hm.wonder who number 1
...
.....my ego can't handle that