It was about time Gabriel started molding this Hollow society, putting some form of law and order into this lawless wasteland.
He gazed at the Hollows staring at him, their eagerness barely hidden. They had been promised so much power, and now they had seen with their own eyes that he could, in fact, grant them that power.
...This was starting to look like a cult.
But who cared?
In front of him stood a Gillian—a mindless one at that. Well, not fully mindless. Gabriel could see it had a solid anchor soul, a foundation that just needed a push.
And so, before all his subordinates and a couple hundred Menos—by the way, they weren't in Las Noches right now, but deep within the Menos Forest for some good old-fashioned recruiting—Gabriel reached out his hand and touched the creature's face.
He used his Idle Transfiguration.
Right before everyone's eyes, the Gillian's towering form began to shrink. Its massive body twisted, muscles condensing, limbs growing sleeker and more defined. Its mask cracked slightly before reshaping into something unique—something individual.
The transformation was complete.
A once-mindless Gillian had now become an Adjucha.
And Gabriel did it all in front of his soldiers.
He made sure that several other mindless Gillian had witnessed the scene. Sure, they were mostly mindless, but there was one universal drive they all shared.
The instinct to evolve.
And now, watching one of their own undergo evolution in an instant, many of the surrounding Gillian began to bow.
Well, it was hard to tell if they were bowing since they were so damn tall, but their submission was clear.
Even the lower-ranking Hollows who had merely been watching from afar felt an irresistible temptation.
This was the goal all along.
Gabriel's army currently stood at around 3,000 Hollows, the vast majority being Gillian or standard Hollows not yet at the Adjucha level. Only about 200 were Adjucha, and even fewer were Arrancar—just 54 in total. And let's be honest, 99.99% of them came from Gabriel himself. The remaining 1% came from Barragan's already established, half-assed army.
There was no structure in Barragan's ranks. No real hierarchy. Just a system where whoever gazed at him the longest and happened to be strong enough got a high position. How could someone like that call himself king?
Well, since Hueco Mundo was basically hell, Gabriel figured he'd build his army using hell as inspiration.
The sheer impossibility of what he had just done—it was something no Hollow had ever achieved. Evolution had always been a struggle, a constant battle against regression. But now, with Gabriel, that struggle could be bypassed.
The newly born Adjucha collapsed to the ground, panting heavily, its clawed hands trembling. Then, realization dawned in its eyes. It was stronger. Smarter. Free.
Gabriel turned his gaze toward the masses.
"This is the future I offer you." His voice rang through the air like undeniable truth. "Join me. Prove yourselves, and I will remove the risk of de-evolution from your existence. No more fear of regression. No more insatiable hunger dictating your every action."
This was nectar to Hollow ears. This was that good stuff.
His words sunk into them like gospel. Hollows had always been slaves to their hunger, forever driven to consume or be consumed. But now, there was another path.
Gabriel took a step forward, standing at the very edge of the gathered Hollows. "For my most promising soldiers, I will grant something even greater." He raised a single hand. "I will transform you into Arrancar."
They had no fucking clue what an Arrancar was.
So, Gabriel had Mila Rose demonstrate.
She gladly accepted.
A cocky shark Adjucha stepped forward to challenge her. He was confident—after all, he was fighting a woman.
He was winning.
"Mila, you can go all out."
BAM.
BOOM.
SLAM.
KAPOW.
Holy shit.
Was she just waiting for him to say that?
She beat the ever-living shit out of this man. To the point that if Gabriel didn't know how to repair the soul, this guy would've been gone.
Good for her, he guessed.
Well, this worked in his favor.
"What you have just witnessed is the power of an Arrancar," Gabriel stated. "This is the next evolution for Hollowkind, and I will be merciful enough to grant it to you."
"As for the Adjucha who show the most potential, you will undergo a strict training regimen under my watch. Your evolution will be carefully monitored. You will not only grow stronger, but you will evolve into something beyond what you've ever imagined—Vasto Lorde."
Wow. That was too easy.
Dangling power over them like this? Their desire was palpable.
Just hearing the word Vasto Lorde sent waves of excitement through the crowd. They had seen what he could do, and at this point, even if he told them he could ascend them beyond Vasto Lorde, they'd believe him.
They had seen what he could give.
And they wanted it.
They really wanted it.
"And those of you who successfully evolve into Arrancar... the strongest among you will be granted the highest honor."
A smirk played on his lips as he let the suspense build.
"You will have the chance to join my elite force—The Seven Deadly Sins."
The area fell silent, the name alone striking intrigue into the minds of those listening.
"Seven warriors who will represent my power. Seven who will stand above all others as the pinnacle of Hueco Mundo's might." His voice was steady, commanding. "Each member of the Seven Deadly Sins will bear a tattoo of their respective sin somewhere on their body—a mark of their power and status."
Harribel, seated beside him, watched with quiet interest. She understood the significance of what he was doing. He wasn't just giving them structure—he was giving them purpose.
Oh yeah, speaking of which, she was seated.
As in, Hollows had carried in two chairs for them.
"Those among the Sins will be given another privilege. The right to take in subordinates—your own Fracción." He let that sink in. "Consider them your 'Lesser Sins,' those who will serve under you and grow stronger alongside you."
The Hollows stirred with excitement.
They may not fully understand this system yet, but they understood the most important part.
Power. Power. Power.
No regression.
More power.
Gabriel's smirk widened. "This is your new reality. You want strength? Earn it. You want power? Prove yourselves." He let his flames crackle faintly around him. "I will raise you beyond your limits. But fail me..." His golden eyes gleamed with cold amusement. "And you will become fuel for those who are worthy."
There was no hesitation.
"ALL HAIL GABRIEL!"
"ALL HAIL THE NEW KING OF HUECO MUNDO!"
...Well damn.
And just like that, he had recruited hundreds more Hollows, including about 300 Gillian.