The ruined chapel shook violently as Gabriel stood in the center, surrounded by shadows that moved like living creatures. Every pulse of pain from Alex's ongoing battles in Hell surged through his body, feeding the darkness around him.
Nyx, now towering and massive, circled him like a guardian. Its glowing silver eyes reflected Gabriel's own cold resolve.
"This… this is what I've been waiting for," Gabriel muttered, voice steady despite the lingering agony from his ribs and shoulders. "Pain isn't a curse… it's a weapon. And now… I will see how sharp it can become."
The five hunters from earlier were still lying on the ground, recovering from their shock. Their eyes darted nervously toward Gabriel, but none dared move.
Gabriel slowly extended his hand. The shadows beneath him responded immediately. Black tendrils shot from the floor, curling and twisting, forming sharp, jagged shapes that hovered around him like blades in the air.
"I wonder…" he whispered. "How much do you hurt when the immortal fights back?"
The leader of the hunters slowly stood, his glowing rune blade at the ready.
"You shouldn't have survived," he hissed. "We came for a test… and now we will finish it."
Gabriel tilted his head, a faint, almost predatory smile forming on his lips.
"Then let's see… how you like my test."
He stomped the floor. Instantly, the shadows reacted violently. Tendrils shot forward, wrapping around the nearest hunter. The man screamed as black spikes pressed against his chest, holding him in place without cutting—yet.
Nyx lunged at another hunter, its massive form moving faster than any normal creature should be able to. Its claws tore through the air, leaving shadows in their wake.
Gabriel closed his eyes, focusing. The pain from Alex's battle with Azrael surged through him like a tidal wave. His body trembled violently. His bones ached, his muscles screamed, but he didn't collapse.
Instead, the shadows reacted. They thickened, grew sharper, stronger.
When Gabriel opened his eyes, they glowed silver.
"I can control it," he whispered. "Every wound Alex takes… every strike, every burn… it becomes mine to wield."
With a swift motion, he pointed toward the remaining hunters.
The shadow spikes shot forward with precision, slicing the air like living knives. One by one, they impaled the hunters' weapons, their limbs, their armor—yet did not kill them immediately. Gabriel wanted to see how they fought under pressure, how pain forced them to bend or break.
The leader shouted, swinging his glowing blade, trying to cut through the shadows. Sparks erupted as the weapon struck a tendril, but the shadows only split and multiplied. Every attack he made was absorbed, replicated, and returned stronger.
Gabriel's silver eyes flicked to Nyx, who circled him protectively.
"Good… you're learning too," he murmured.
Then, he took a deep breath.
"Enough testing."
With a swift motion, Gabriel slammed his hand onto the stone floor. The shadows reacted instantly. Tendrils twisted violently and surged upward like black lightning, pinning the hunters to the walls. Shadows erupted from the ceiling, forming massive, jagged wings of darkness behind him.
The room shook as Gabriel's voice rang out, calm but terrifying:
"Pain makes me stronger. And you… you are going to be my first lesson."
The hunters screamed as the shadows constricted around them, tightening with unstoppable force. Every movement they made caused a ripple of darkness to punish them further.
Gabriel felt the pain from Alex's latest strike coursing through him—the energy of Wrath feeding his shadows. His body trembled violently, but his silver eyes burned brighter than ever.
"This is just the beginning," he whispered.
Nyx howled, a sound that echoed like rolling thunder, and Gabriel smiled faintly.
"From now on… every fight Alex survives, every battle he endures… will forge me into something no one—not even Lucifer—can break."
And as the shadows consumed the hunters, Gabriel understood one undeniable truth: he was no longer just cursed. He had become a predator, born from pain, and his first hunt had only just begun.