Chapter 97

Against a starry black background, Kurapika stands in a formal black suit and tie, holding an open book in one hand. A long, segmented chain weapon with sharp, blade-like links extends behind him like a spine or tail, the Indoor Fish form clearly visible. His expression is calm and composed, eyes forward. White dots and particles float around his lower body. At the bottom, the chapter identifier N°097 3-SEPTEMBRE-13 is displayed prominently.

At a nighttime police checkpoint, officers in uniform set up traffic cones and barriers across the road while a bus and several cars wait in line. A man in a dark suit stands to the side, hand near his face, observing the scene. A police officer directs traffic as a light-colored sedan approaches the blockade. Close-ups show an officer's stern face and a pair of wide, intense eyes staring forward. Suddenly the sedan accelerates violently, smashing through the cones and barriers with a loud VROOOOO. The driver grips the wheel while a passenger with dark hair leans forward inside the vehicle. Onlookers and officers are thrown back by the impact, one screaming AAAH!!! as debris flies and motion lines emphasize the car's speed.

A man in a black sweater speaks into a phone while another figure in the background holds a walkie-talkie. Dialogue indicates the situation is under control and novices should stay out. The sedan continues speeding toward the second zone after breaking the Zone C roadblock. An intense close-up shows a man with slicked-back hair shouting KILL THEM! On a city street lined with tall buildings, the car crashes with a massive BOUM explosion, sending up flames and smoke. Officers and civilians react with shock as debris scatters. One officer exclaims OH! while another man stands nearby with a grim expression. Additional SFX like Vroooo and impact symbols fill the panels.

A close-up shows a man's wide eyes and furrowed brow with a floating question mark above him. Nearby, a suited man with slicked-back hair holds something near his mouth and declares, "HAVE IT BE A CIRCULATION ACCIDENT ON THE OFFICIAL RECORD," while a uniformed guard stands in the background. Gunfire erupts across the scene with loud SFX: PAN PAN PAN, TAK TAK TAK, and DOM DOM DOM as shadowy figures collapse amid smoke and debris. In a massive central panel, a dark-haired man in a torn robe-like outfit unleashes a violent surge of black flame-shaped energy that erupts outward, hurling bodies through the air. At the bottom, the same attacker shouts "HAAH!!" amid rapid TAK TAK TAK sounds and impact lines.

From above, several men in dark suits stand on a checkered tile floor near a small potted plant in a square frame. One man warns, "YOU HAVE 3 SECONDS TO GET LOST!!" while another shouts, "DON'T TAKE ANOTHER STEP! YOU'RE IN A RESTRICTED AREA!" Others point upward, one saying, "THE SMALL ONE... IT'S THE ONE FROM THE PICTURE..." and another muttering "WAIT...". A narrow panel shows two sharp horizontal lines resembling eyes. The view returns to the same group now reacting with shock, one exclaiming "!?" as the small framed object remains on the floor and several men continue aiming weapons.

A towering, spiky-haired figure with a monstrous, wide-grinning face lunges aggressively forward, its jagged teeth and hollow skull-like mouth dominating the frame. In the distant background, several dark-suited figures raise firearms and fire, bullets streaking through the air toward the creature. Below, a powerfully built man with slicked-back hair wearing a white sailor-style shirt crouches low in a combat stance, fists clenched and body tensed as he prepares to strike the ground. Three suited men surround him in panic: one on the left recoils with head snapped back and mouth agape, another staggers with a shocked expression, and the third on the right flinches with arm raised. Sharp sound effects mark the impacts around them.

Rapid gunfire echoes as a spiky-haired boy and a suited man are struck amid flying debris and motion lines. A woman in a dark skirt walks away in the background while the boy and another figure run across rubble. A close-up shows a suited man screaming in terror with mouth wide open. The slick-haired fighter from before appears again at the bottom, looking upward with a grim, intense expression. Nearby, another suited man with a mustache holds a rifle and shouts in alarm as buildings loom in the cityscape. Large sound effects emphasize the continuous shooting.

Gunfire erupts across the top of the page as several suited men sprint forward while shooting. PAN PAN PAN TAP TAP. The scene shifts to a nighttime cityscape where multiple figures in dark suits float unnaturally in the air above glowing buildings, some upside down or twisted. Two men in the foreground watch intently, one with slicked-back hair and a mustache on the left, the other bald and shouting on the right. A speech bubble appears near the city lights with "!?". In the bottom panels, a powerful impact strikes with "slat", showing a close-up of a fist and a hand holding a small object. A suited man looks up in alarm asking "WHAT'S THAT?!" while another figure reacts beside him.

Two suited men are struck violently while holding rifles, their bodies recoiling with SFX COUIC, CRACK, and COUIC. A massive impact follows with large stylized lettering and silhouettes of falling figures scattering across the ground. In the lower section, Killua stands with arms crossed and a neutral expression beside a cityscape. Gon crouches in a grassy area at night, hands near his legs, with a small "ouf" sound effect. On the right, two men in dark coats stand in shadow, one holding a long rifle that emits smoke.

On a rooftop high above a sprawling nighttime city, a muscular man wrapped in bandages stands with his back to the viewer, hands on his hips as he admires the glowing skyline. "SUCH A SPLENDID VIEW," he says. Far below in a sealed dark room, a man in a dark suit holds an open book while two glowing, fish-like creatures made of nen swim through the air around him. "THAT FISH IS CALLED THE 'INDOOR FISH,'" the suited man states. "HE'S MADE WITH NEN, AND CAN ONLY LIVE IN A COMPLETELY SEALED ROOM."

Panels show chaotic movement as an Indoor Fish lunges forward with open mouth. A spiky-haired man is struck, crying out in pain. The fish bites down, blood spraying as the victim reacts with shock. Killua appears in close-up, eyes wide, explaining the creature's nature. "IT'S A CARNIVORE THAT GOES MAD OVER HUMAN FLESH," a voice notes. "THE ONE WHO IS EATEN FEELS NO PAIN, AND HIS BLOOD DOES NOT FLOW." Killua continues, "AND HE STAYS ALIVE AS LONG AS THE FISH STAYS IN EXISTENCE." The final panel shows a hand holding a book with symbols on the cover.

From a high-rise window overlooking the nighttime city, a figure in dark clothing fires two handguns repeatedly. Massive sound effects explode across the panel: BOUM BOUM. Below, the cityscape shows scattered crosses and rapid gunfire lines TA TA TA TA. In the next sequence, several suited men are violently thrown backward by bullet impacts, their bodies twisting in mid-air as guns and spent casings fly. Close-ups show hands gripping and firing pistols with sharp impact bursts labeled 4 BOO.... The scene shifts to street level where a car burns fiercely amid thick black smoke, bodies lie motionless on the pavement, and debris is scattered. A large close-up captures a man's face twisted in agony, mouth wide open, with the words CAN YOU HEAR ? bursting from his scream amid speed lines and impact shapes.

A close-up shows a hand with fingers extended in a pointing gesture against a starry sky. Another panel reveals a full moon. The main scene depicts a spiky-haired figure standing on a narrow ledge high above the glowing city, back to the viewer, one arm raised and pointing forward with the other hand near the chest. The city lights sparkle far below with small white bursts near the figure's feet. To the right, a profile view of the same person shows an earring and the text THE RE- QUIEM WE'RE OFFER- ING YOU ? floating beside the face.

Under the night sky over a sprawling city, urgent voices ring out: "UNDERSTAND?! YOU HAVE TO STOP THEM!! DON'T LET THEM GET ANY CLOSER TO THE BUILDING!" and "FIREARMS? HOW MANY MEN?!" Below, suited men scramble across a rooftop and around a white van. One bald man carrying an injured figure demands, "WHERE'S THE PATIENT?" Another notes, "SINCE WHEN HAS THIS PLACE BEEN A BATTLEFIELD?" A spiky-haired man peers over the ledge, shouting, "THERE'S ONLY ABOUT 10 OF THEM, AND THEY ATTACKED US!" and "SHIT! THEY'RE EVEN CRAZIER THAN WE THOUGHT!!!" Suddenly a gun is pressed to an elderly man's temple with a sharp "TAC"; the shot fires, sending him reeling. A stern man with a ponytail appears, ordering, "FOLLOW ME. MAKE THE LEAST SUSPICIOUS MOVE, AND YOU'RE DEAD." Multiple handguns click into position around the group with repeated "clic clic" sounds.

From a high vantage on a modern building, a small round creature clings to the structure. Inside the auction hall, attendees grow restless. One man asks, "WHEN WILL THE AUCTION BEGIN?!" while another yells, "WE WANT EXPLANATIONS!!" and "WE CAN HEAR THE GUNSHOTS FROM HERE." "WHAT'S GOING ON OUTSIDE?!" Close-ups show worried faces of clan bosses and representatives. Killua, standing among them, explains, "THEY CAME TO SHOW THAT THEY'RE NOT AFRAID OF THE DANGER THAT THE RYODAN REPRESENTS, BUT... THE SELLERS AND THOSE IN CHARGE OF THE AUCTION DON'T HAVE ANY CONTROL OVER THE SITUATION. IT'S ONLY A MATTER OF TIME... THERE'S ONLY BOSSES OF CLANS AND REPRESENTATIVES. LIKE EXPECTED, IT'S A TOTAL MESS..."

Gon stares at his phone in shock, eyes wide as he shouts into the receiver. "KURAPIKA?! FINALLY!!" A small panel shows the name "GON !?" on the screen. In the background, Kurapika walks away from a building entrance, turning slightly as a voice says "HELLO ?" with the sound effect "fwoooo". A caption reads "THE TEAM OF MURDERERS IS FREE OF HIS MOVEMENT." Kurapika holds the phone to his ear and responds in a series of sharp bubbles: "IN THAT CASE, DON'T WASTE YOUR TIME ASKING... I CAN TALK...", "WAIT! JUST A MINUTE! I'LL TELL YOU WHY I CALLED...", "NO, NOT REALLY. I'LL CALL YOU BACK LATER.", and "ARE YOU FREE?" The scene shifts to a city street where Killua and Gon stand together. Killua's hair flies up with a "!!" as a bubble states "HAVE MET THE RYODAN." Gon continues, "KILLUA AND I..." A final bubble adds "MORE PRECISELY, WE'VE BEEN CAPTURED..."

Killua and Gon continue their tense phone conversation on the street. Killua says "THEY'RE REALLY STRONG. AS WE ARE NOW, WE CAN'T DO A THING AGAINST THEM." and "WE THOUGHT WE KNEW, BUT... IN REALITY, IT'S ANOTHER STORY..." Gon reacts with shock, exclaiming "YOU KNOW WHO THOSE GUYS ARE?!" and "ARE YOU INSANE ?!" while holding up a small book. Killua replies "GIVE IT TO ME." and "WE WANT TO HELP YOU." and "THAT'S WHY WE NEED YOUR ADVICE." A close-up shows Killua's intense eyes. He continues, "I ALREADY HAVE ALL THE INFORMATION I NEED." and warns "DON'T YOU WANT TO KNOW WHERE THEIR BASE IS?" and "DON'T BE STUPID !" and "DON'T COUNT ON ME TO HELP YOU GET YOURSELVES KILLED!" Kurapika stands outside a building with an "X" emblem, saying "THEY'RE ACTIVELY SEARCHING FOR YOU." and identifying "THE CHAIN GUY. THE ONE WHO KILLED ONE OF THEM, IS YOU, RIGHT?" with a "Grr" sound. The group argues on the street as Gon and Killua shout "WE LEARNED PLENTY OF THINGS ABOUT THE SKILLS OF THE MEMBERS OF THE RYODAN..." and "AND JUST STAY OUT OF IT." and "STOP BEING STUBBORN!"

Gon and Killua lean in close, faces intense. Gon shouts, "WE'RE GONNA GET INVOLVED, NO MATTER WHAT!!" Killua counters firmly, "IT DOESN'T MATTER IF YOU DON'T CONSIDER US COMPANIONS CAPABLE OF STANDING BEFORE THEM." A narrow panel shows the name "KURAPIKA" above their small, determined faces. In the next sequence Gon holds a phone to his ear and declares, "WE WANT TO TRY OUR BEST TO STOP THEM." Killua adds, "WE TOO..." A flashback panel shows a long-haired figure saying, "I THOUGHT I COULDN'T LET PEOPLE LIKE THEM..." and "HE SAID HE WOULD NEVER FORGIVE THE ONE WHO KILLED HIS FRIEND." Another voice recalls, "WE SAW ONE OF THEM CRYING. AND WHEN I SAW THAT..." The word "MOVE FREELY." appears. The scene returns to the present with Kurapika's hair visible as Gon continues speaking. A close panel labels "KURAPIKA." and a speech bubble pleads, "PLEASE." The final wide panel shows a starry night sky with two circles containing the words "I'LL CALL YOU BACK." and "OKAY."

A vast expanse of white fills most of the page. At the very bottom, a narrow rectangular panel shows a close-up of Kurapika's face. His eyes are shadowed, a single tear rolls down his cheek, and his expression is solemn and distant.