The healer got the message loud and clear and, without wasting another moment, motioned for Hugo to attack first—a universal gesture that required no shared language.
Gil shook his head in disapproval, realizing it was too late to step in now. Orphée patted Gil's shoulder to reassure him. "Don't worry, boss. He's not just looking strong—he's a lot stronger than he appears."
Saying nothing more, they all turned their complete focus toward the ring.
Hugo had decided against probing or holding back.
The fact that the healer had been left alone in a room with a bunch of bitter, traumatized youths without any guards or protection spoke volumes about his actual combat prowess.
And indeed, what happened next proved Hugo's instincts entirely right.
With effortless, minimal movements—just a slight sidestep—the healer didn't just dodge the cannonball-like strikes coming from Hugo; he launched a swift counterattack.
A single punch.
That was all the others managed to catch.
CRACK!
The healer's fist, disproportionately tiny compared to Hugo's massive frame, sent the giant skidding backward. Hugo barely managed to keep his feet under him, struggling to regain his balance.
To make matters worse, Hugo's arm was heavily mangled—as if he had just been mauled by a battering ram. It was covered in severe bruising, and in a few gruesome spots, the bone was almost visible beneath the shattered skin. It was hard to believe that a simple punch could inflict that level of destruction.
A collective gasp echoed through the crowd of captives.
Gil and his group immediately stiffened, their expressions turning deadly serious. While they all knew anyone holding the rank of healer in this place had to possess exceptional skill, this was something else entirely.
Orphée's usual nonchalant air completely vanished. He stared at his friend with a look of deep concern, though panic hadn't quite set in just yet.
Despite the brutal state of his arm, Hugo didn't flinch.
Deciding he had played defense long enough, the healer shifted to the offensive.
What followed was a blur of movement—so fast it was almost impossible to track. To Gil, the scene brought back a bitter wave of déjà vu, chillingly reminiscent of the night he had been toyed with by Hector. He couldn't help but grit his teeth at the sight.
A storm of blows rained down upon the giant. The healer seemed to be everywhere at once: flashing to his left, striking from the right, appearing behind him, then right in front.
No matter how quickly Hugo tried to react or raise his guard, he was taking a savage beating, to say the least.
Slowly, blood began to soak through Hugo's clothes. To the onlookers, it was starting to look less like a training session and more like an execution.
Many of the captives lost whatever bravado they had left, stepping back in horror or averting their eyes, too terrified and disgusted to keep watching.
Gil felt whatever goodwill he had held for the healer rapidly evaporating. Breaking away from the rest of the group, he decided it was time to step in and intervene.
And that was when everything changed.
Hugo, who had been completely on the back foot and taking devastating damage, suddenly let out a low, guttural growl in his native tongue.
The shift in the atmosphere was immediate and drastic—a turn of events almost no one had seen coming.
Perhaps the only exception was Orphée. Having held back from intervening the entire time, he simply let out a long sigh of relief at this sudden development.
To understand what really happened, one had to look a little closer at the healer's barrage.
Even as he relentlessly pummeled the giant, the young man had been meticulously careful. His strikes targeted the arms, legs, and torso, but he deliberately avoided lethal zones—never aiming for the head, the heart, or the lungs.
This meant that despite the apparent severity of his injuries, none of them were fatal or likely to cause permanent trauma. It was the clear hallmark of an exceptional healer who knew the human anatomy inside and out.
Gauging that he had shown them enough of what lay ahead, the healer was about to bring the session to an end when, suddenly, his eyes met a pair of crimson red eyes staring right back at him.
An icy shiver ran straight down his spine.
These weren't merely bloodshot eyes—there was something deeply inhuman about them.
A wide, predatory smile stretched across the giant's face.
Before the healer even had time to raise a guard, a strike of terrifying violence slammed into him, sending him flying to the other side of the room until he crashed against the wall.
Something around Hugo had radically shifted. His usual passive, confused demeanor had vanished entirely, replaced by an expression of pure, ferocious excitement.
Slamming his foot heavily against the floor, Hugo launched himself at blinding speed toward the healer, who was barely managing to stand back up.
The tables had turned: it was now the healer's turn to dodge for his life.
While this state granted Hugo a massive advantage, his fighting style became deeply unsettling to Gil and the others.
He looks like a wild beast... Gil couldn't help but think.
Hugo wore a manic grin and, instead of his fists, he struck with his nails as if they were razor-sharp claws. He charged the healer from impossible angles, contorting his body in ways that were hard to believe a human being could manage. At several points, he even tried to bite the healer, coming dangerously close to ripping out a chunk of flesh.
In truth, even Orphée was caught off guard. He knew his massive friend was stronger than he let on, but seeing this level of savagery was a surprise even to him.
Still, out of the entire group, Orphée was the least unsettled by Hugo's wild transformation; as far as he was concerned, as long as the big guy could defend himself, everything was fine.
Gil quickly reached the same conclusion. After a moment of hesitation, he activated his vision—his Sight—to get a closer look at what was truly happening around the giant.
And he certainly got his money's worth.
He vividly remembered the giant's spiritual essence—his intent—from before: a writhing, chaotic mass of flesh that constantly shifted and twisted. It was a turbulent storm of human hands and beastly appendages—claws, fangs, and tearing limbs—restless and conflicted while Hugo himself was calm.
What he saw now, however, was completely different.
While Hugo was currently hyperactive and bordering on out of control in the physical world, the mass of intent surrounding him had paradoxically become unified, as if brought under absolute command.
It had taken on a deep, bloody crimson hue, shaping itself into a monstrous, unnamed beast with razor-sharp claws, a sweeping tail, and deadly fangs that practically screamed with bloodlust. Yet, the most striking detail was how seamlessly fused they were: man and beast, striking as one in a unified assault on the healer.
Well, if that isn't interesting, Gil thought, a dry, wry smile tugging at his lips. Decidedly, there isn't a single normal person around me, is there?
He couldn't help but glance at his companions, wondering who would reveal their true colors next. Greg, sensing Gil's gaze, tilted his head with a confused expression that silently asked: Something wrong?
Gil simply shook his head and refocused on the fight. Whatever this power was, it was a good thing as long as it allowed Hugo to give as good as he got.
However, the healer hadn't said his last word.
Realizing he had been forced to reveal far more of his strength than intended, the healer let out a quiet sigh.
The very next instant, a blinding light erupted from his body.
The intense flash forced everyone watching to shield their eyes. Gil was hit particularly hard—his Sight active at the moment of the burst—leaving his eyes burning and tearing up intensely.
"Dammit, not again!" he growled, wincing as he recalled the brutal backlash he had suffered when observing Kuro's essence.
A split second later, a heavy THUD echoed through the hall.
Hugo's massive body was sent crashing backward once more. Knocked clean out of his fighting frenzy, the giant landed heavily on the floor, completely drained of energy. He barely managed to push himself up on his elbows, staring at the healer with utter disbelief.
His face said it all: What the hell just happened?
And he wasn't the only one wondering. Gil, Kuro, Greg, Mao, Helena, and every other captive in the room stared at the healer in stunned silence.
The young man calmly dusted off his clothes as if nothing had happened, leaving everyone with the exact same burning question:
What on earth occurred during that flash of light?