DIRECT HIT

Knuckle's thoughts race as he assesses the situation. 'IF I CAN JUST... AVOID TAKING A DIRECT HIT....!! BUT THERE'S STILL THE DANGER OF HIM PAYING IT ALL BACK IN A SINGLE ATTACK, RIGHT...?! HAKOWARE HAS BEEN ACTIVATED FOR NEARLY FIVE MINUTES NOW!!' He calculates the risk: 'CONSIDERING THAT, CLEARLY THE BEST TACTIC IS TO JUST KEEP ON BUYING TIME AND JUST WAIT HIM OUT. THE WORST-CASE SCENARIO... WOULD BE FOR ME TO TAKE AN ATTACK SO POWERFUL THAT IT WIPES OUT HAKOWARE AND INFLICTS DAMAGE ON ME AS WELL. SO THE AMOUNT OF AURA ON LOAN MUST BE APPROACHING SEVEN THOUSAND!!!' His expression hardens. '...HE WON'T HOLD OUT THAT LONG....!!! SHOOT WON'T...' The cap-wearing man reacts with urgency: 'IF I DON'T... I WON'T MAKE IT IN TIME......!!! I HAVE TO GET ANOTHER ONE OF THOSE EXPLOSIONS....!!!'

A muscular fighter with wild curly hair and clawed hands lunges forward against a black background, eyes blazing with fury. He shouts that his foe will die before the fight is even settled. Two smaller panels below show a scarred, bald-headed man turning sharply to glance over his shoulder, then viewed from behind. The scene shifts to a massive rocky explosion where debris flies everywhere. A small figure sprints across the shattered terrain as voices taunt, calling him a little monster and noting how lively he is.

A massive monstrous face with jagged teeth looms forward, calling the opponent a little cockroach and revealing that his fake anger drew the target into a trap. The monster declares he has been waiting for this moment. In the next sequence a clawed hand is shown as the monster announces it is time to add interest. Multiple overlapping speech bubbles show the monster gloating that the target fell for the trap, while the small fighter below yells for the monster to shut up. The monster laughs that he was only pretending to explode. A narration box explains that if the fighter stays calm and composed when releasing his anger, he can control the expansion and seize the moment before the explosion occurs.

A powerfully built fighter leans forward aggressively, his body tensed as a small creature clings to his shoulder. The fighter declares, "...TAKE ADVANTAGE OF HIS!!!" while the creature shouts, "YOU GET THIS STUPID THING OFF ME RIGHT NOW!!!" A large speech bubble warns, "HE'LL COME AT ME, THINKING HE'S TAKING ADVANTAGE OF MY MOMENT OF WEAKNESS, BUT THEN I'LL..." followed by "IF YOU DON'T..." A jagged panel then shows an extreme close-up of furious eyes and a snarling mouth: "I'll smash up every single one of you pieces of trash until there's nothing left!!! ...I'll kill you!!!" In the bottom panel, a man with a scar over his left eye appears in profile, sweat visible on his face. He retorts, "YOU'RE THE ONE WHO'S GOING TO GO TO HIS DEATH, GROVELLING ON THE FLOOR. I DON'T THINK SO, YOU BLOCKHEAD..." Behind him, a burst of text announces, "THE NEXT ONE...!!!! THE NEXT INTEREST ANNOUNCEMENT IS THE SIGNAL!!!!!"

Smoke and debris fill the air from an explosion or impact on the left side of the page. A close-up shows the scarred man's intense eye and part of his face as he speaks: "THEN WE'LL SEE WHICH ONE OF US IS THE COCKROACH." Below, the scarred man appears again with a determined expression, sweat on his cheek, reacting to the chaos around him. The page emphasizes the standoff and the scarred man's resolve amid the destruction.

A dark, bird-like silhouette pants heavily in the upper panel, its face partially visible with a long beak and narrowed eyes. Speech bubbles read "HAH... HAH..." accompanied by small motion lines and SFX. Below, a massive digital timer displays "0:05:03:00" against a backdrop of billowing smoke and debris from a violent explosion. A muscular man stands with his back to the viewer, wearing a distinctive hat and suspenders, his right fist clenched as he observes the destruction. In the bottom section, a small round creature with oversized black eyes, a cheerful open mouth, and a bow tie smiles brightly on the left. To its right, a close-up reveals a scarred, intense face with gritted teeth and shadowed features, conveying strain or focus.

Under a starry night sky with scattered clouds, a massive, grotesque creature dominates the page. Its body is composed of numerous spherical, armored segments covered in cross-hatching and dark spots, forming a hulking, multi-limbed form. The creature stands in a low, aggressive stance with one foot forward, its arms ending in clawed or malformed hands. A rectangular panel with heavy diagonal shading floats above it against the dark sky, emphasizing tension or an incoming threat. Smoke and dust particles drift around the monster's lower body.

In a vast, star-filled void swirling with smoke and debris, a short-haired fighter tumbles helplessly through the emptiness. His body twists mid-fall, one arm raised and legs kicking as small fragments drift around him. A massive, jagged dark shape dominates the upper frame while a large, spiky spherical mass floats to the right. Far below, a digital timer counts down: 0:05:03:37.

Close-up on intense eyes as the short-haired fighter thinks, "...NO, TWO HITS!!! I CAN SMASH THIS IDIOT'S FACE IN WITH ALL MY MIGHT AND STILL GET AWAY BEFORE HE EXPLODES!!!" and "I CAN DO THIS!!! THE TIMING'S ALL RIGHT... I CAN GET IN ONE..." In the next panel he slams into the spiky creature, declaring "THE FIRST ONE'S FOR SHOOT!!! AND THE SECOND IS FOR SHOOT, AS WELL!!!" and "TAKE THIS, YOU STUPID PIG!!!" Below, his thoughts continue: "WELL, I SAY 'AVENGE', BUT IT'S NOT LIKE HE'S ACTUALLY DEAD YET (PROBABLY)... AH, WELL - WE'VE BEEN THROUGH LIFE-AND-DEATH SITUATIONS TOGETHER... WHEN YOU'RE RISKING YOUR LIFE TOGETHER WITH A GUY, I GUESS IT'S ONLY NATURAL THAT YOU END UP WITH A POWERFUL BOND, AND THIS ABSOLUTE ASSHOLE... STAMPING ALL OVER SHOOT'S RESOLVE... SHOOT CAME AT HIM PERFECTLY READY TO KILL OR BE KILLED, AND THIS LOWLIFE IGNORES HIM...?!" On the right he wonders, "BUT MAN, HOW DID I END UP LIKE THIS...? I DON'T REMEMBER EVER LIKING THE GUY ALL THAT MUCH... HELL, TO BE HONEST, I ALWAYS THOUGHT HE WAS KIND OF CREEPY... WHEN DID HE SOMEHOW MANAGE TO BECOME SUCH A CLOSE FRIEND THAT I'D GO ALL THIS WAY JUST TO AVENGE HIM...?"

A close-up reveals a scarred fighter's face twisted in rage, eyes wide and teeth bared as he yells at his opponent. "YOU STUPID ANT!!!" he shouts. Another bubble follows: "DON'T YOU EVEN CARE ABOUT A WARRIOR'S PRIDE!!!" Below, a series of tight panels capture his frantic internal monologue while his fist remains pulled back. "AM I STILL IN THE MIDDLE OF PULLING BACK MY FIST...? HELL, I MUST'VE THOUGHT TWO OR THREE HUNDRED WORDS ALREADY...?! ......WAIT..." "BUT MAN, THIS IS CRAZY... I'VE GOTTA BE THINKING FASTER THAN I HAVE IN MY WHOLE LIFE..." "I'M GONNA PUT ALL MY ANGER INTO THIS PUNCH, AND ALL!!!" "AGH... THE MORE I THINK ABOUT HIM, THE MORE PISSED-OFF I GET!!!" An extreme close-up of an eye appears next, accompanied by narration: "...AND EVERYTHING SEEMS TO MOVE AT A CRAWL..." "COULD THIS BE... THAT? THEY SAY TIME SLOWS DOWN..." The final panel lingers on the same eye with the grim caption "...THE MOMENT BEFORE YOU DIE..."

The muscular fighter's body suddenly expands with explosive force, sending out a massive cloud of smoke and debris. A smaller fighter is hurled backward through the air, limbs flailing as impact symbols surround him. The muscular fighter halts the expansion mid-motion, striking a wide stance with arms outstretched. Narration captions read "THE EXPANSION..." "...HE SUDDENLY..." "...STOPPED IT......?!" The smaller fighter remains suspended in mid-air, reacting to the abrupt stop.

A massive bald fighter with an X-shaped scar across his face looms in close-up, his expression cold and intense against a dark, smoky background. He was totally calm... all along!! He got me... The view shifts to a powerful, clawed hand and a muscular torso. In the next panel a huge fist smashes forward with violent motion lines. Two fighters tumble helplessly through the air: one with short hair desperately reaches out while the other, wearing a hat, is struck from behind. SHOOT...!! I'M SORRY... I'VE FAILED YOU...!!! I CAN'T..... STOP HIM......!!!

A massive silhouette of Youpi's head and shoulders dominates the frame with dramatic speed lines radiating outward. IT'S OVER...!!! THIS..... ISN'T JUST GOING TO WIPE OUT THE INTEREST... The short-haired fighter is slammed downward, body limp. Below the main panel, a close-up shows the hatted fighter's face and hands as he weakly calls out. BOSS... SHOOT...

A lone voice calls out across an empty white expanse. "EVERYONE..." Small scattered marks and a tiny flower-like shape drift in the void. The voice grows urgent and strained. "IT'S UP...... TO YOU NOW......!!!"

Against a pitch-black background, a massive lightning attack erupts. A jagged white bolt streaks across the frame while a huge stylized weapon or energy form dominates the lower half. Bold kanji "落雷" (lightning strike) slam across the center. Smaller characters "ナルカミ" appear beside it. The attack is labeled with a final explosive sound effect: "*NARUKAMI!!!!"

In the upper panel, two figures tumble through darkness amid swirling motion lines and jagged impact shapes. One character in a light outfit with goggles clings to another spiky-haired fighter as they fall. Below, a massive muscular figure identified by the large text NARUKAMI!!!!! delivers a devastating blow, sending smaller bodies flying through the air with limbs flailing. One figure crashes with eyes shut and mouth open in pain while another tumbles nearby. At the bottom, a close-up reveals a sweat-covered face with wide eyes and gritted teeth, showing the strain of the ongoing battle.

A massive clenched fist dominates the foreground, veins and muscle definition rendered in heavy cross-hatching. Behind it, a smaller figure is hurled backward with legs kicking upward. Bold lettering explodes across the panel reading GUAAAAAHHHHH!!! as the impact reverberates through the scene, with speed lines radiating outward to emphasize the raw power of the strike.

A muscular man with slicked-back dark hair and a thick braided ponytail thrashes violently, his face twisted in a furious grimace with bared teeth and narrowed eyes. His powerful body twists under heavy black bars that cross over him like restraints, motion lines streaking the background to emphasize the struggle. A white rectangular box overlaid on the chaos reads "TIME FOR THE BEAST TO DIE!!!" At the bottom of the page, a red-bordered note states: "STARTING FROM NEXT ISSUE, THIS SERIES WILL BE ON HIATUS. WE HOPE YOU UNDERSTAND. WE WILL LET YOU KNOW AS SOON AS THE CONTINUATION IS SCHEDULED." The page also displays the Hunter × Hunter logo and chapter number 280.

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