The ruined chapel had become a fortress of shadows. Tendrils writhed across the floor and ceiling, twisting into shapes both monstrous and precise. Nyx stood at Gabriel's side, its massive shadowed form radiating menace.
Gabriel's silver eyes scanned the room, calculating, cold. The hunters from before were still trapped in shadow bindings, trembling and muttering among themselves. Their fear wasn't for themselves—it was for the power they were witnessing.
Gabriel's lips curled into a faint smile.
"So… this is what happens when a cursed immortal decides to fight back," he murmured.
The shadows around him shifted like a tide at his command, forming jagged spikes, armored serpents, and wolves ready to strike. His army was growing. The pain he absorbed from Alex's ongoing battles in Hell had evolved into something tangible—something deadly.
Suddenly, the air outside the chapel shifted. A ripple of energy passed through the walls, subtle at first, then unmistakable. It was not like the hunters' energy.
Gabriel tensed.
"You're… strong," he said quietly, almost to himself. "Not human. Not a mere hunter."
The doors burst open.
A figure stepped inside. Cloaked in black armor, eyes glowing violet, aura crackling with a strange, oppressive energy. Gabriel instinctively felt the power radiating from him—an immortal.
"I've been sent to stop you," the figure said, voice calm, but sharp. "Your… little army… has attracted attention. Attention that is dangerous."
Gabriel's silver eyes narrowed.
"And who sent you?" he asked, tilting his head.
The immortal smirked faintly.
"Someone who knows what you're becoming… and fears it."
Gabriel raised a hand. Shadows responded immediately, rising like jagged waves around him.
"Good," Gabriel said softly. "Then we'll see if you deserve that fear."
With a flick of his wrist, Nyx lunged forward, its massive body a blur of darkness. The immortal reacted instantly, sidestepping with supernatural speed. His aura flared, sending a shockwave that threw several shadow wolves backward.
Gabriel felt a surge of pain—Alex's latest battle was echoing through him—but he ignored it. Instead, he channeled it, letting the agony flow into the shadows.
The air inside the chapel became heavy, almost alive. Shadows twisted and merged, forming new shapes—clawed warriors, serpentine monsters, and jagged spikes that shot toward the immortal.
The figure deflected them with his energy blade, moving with impossible speed.
"You're fast," Gabriel said quietly. "But are you strong enough?"
The immortal smirked.
"Let's find out."
He charged forward, aura blazing. Every strike he made was precise, deadly. The shadows reacted, splitting, multiplying, striking in waves. Each clash sent tremors across the chapel, shaking the walls.
Gabriel's body throbbed with pain as he absorbed each impact through the curse. Every hit Alex endured in Hell flowed into him, powering the shadows, giving them strength.
The immortal's violet eyes widened.
"Impossible…" he muttered.
Gabriel stepped forward, calm, silver eyes gleaming.
"Pain," he whispered. "Is not weakness. Pain… is power."
Nyx growled, leading a coordinated attack with the shadow army. Claws, fangs, and spikes moved in perfect synchronization, adapting to the immortal's strikes like a living organism.
For the first time, the immortal faltered.
Gabriel smiled faintly, a cold glimmer in his eyes.
"You're strong," he said softly, "but you're not ready."
The shadows surged again, pressing him back. The first true battle between Gabriel and a rival immortal had begun.
And somewhere far away, in the burning skies of Hell, Alex felt it—a faint ripple of power unlike anything he had experienced.
The cursed bond had begun to respond in ways neither brother fully understood yet.
Gabriel's army was growing… and so was the storm that would one day sweep through both Earth and Hell.