N°116 4 SEPTEMBRE 15

A massive close-up of the short-haired girl's face fills the upper half of the page, her hair whipping wildly amid heavy motion lines. Below, a chaotic panel shows a vehicle impact with onomatopoeia 'VLAM VLAM' and 'KURAPIKA!!' The girl appears dazed with swirling eyes and a slack expression. Next to her, Kurapika's face is shown in profile, sweat or blood visible on his cheek. The final small panel shows Kurapika looking aside with a neutral expression as more motion lines and impact effects fill the background.

Kurapika stands with his face heavily bruised and marked by a cross-shaped scar, chains draped across his shoulders. A light-haired figure leans in close from behind. Kurapika's voice is low but fierce as he declares, "WHEN THE SWORN ENEMY OF YOU AND ALL YOUR PEOPLE IS BEFORE YOUR EYES!!" The light-haired figure replies sharply, "BUT I UNDERSTAND... HOW HARD IT MUST BE TO KEEP CALM... THIS ISN'T LIKE YOU!! GET A HOLD OF YOURSELF!!" Leorio appears in the next panel, adjusting his sunglasses and urging, "WE'RE EVEN WITH THEM! ACTING LIKE THIS WON'T DO ANYTHING! DESPITE THIS, I HAVE TO CALM HIM!" Kurapika's expression hardens further as he states, "AS A HOSTAGE, I HAVE NO VALUE. YOU'VE MADE A MISTAKE SINCE THE BEGINNING. IT SEEMS THAT YOU TOO ARE GREATLY MISTAKEN. EVEN?"

The light-haired figure accuses, "HE'S NOT LYING. IF YOU SAY ONE MORE POINTLESS COMMENT... I'LL PROMISE YOU'LL REGRET IT." Melody, wide-eyed under her hat, confirms, "EVERYTHING HE'S SAID IS TRUE." A close-up of Kurapika's eyes accompanies the narration, "IN THIS, YOU'RE THE ONE WHO ARE DEAD-LOCKED. IT'S TRUE." Melody listens intently with her ability, hearing rhythmic sounds labeled "DOM" and "トクン". She reports, "IT'S AS IF THE IDEA OF STAYING ALIVE HASN'T EVEN CROSSED HIS MIND... I DON'T HEAR ANY ABNORMALITIES INDICATING FEAR OR UNEASINESS TOWARDS DEATH. THAT MELODY... IT'S THE MELODY OF SOMEONE WHO HAS ALREADY ACCEPTED DEATH... I DON'T UNDERSTAND... WHAT DOES THAT MEAN? THE MELODY OF HIS HEART BEAT IS NORMAL. I CAN'T DETECT THE LEAST BIT OF NERVOUSNESS WITHIN HIM."

A young woman in a wide-brimmed hat stares in shock, sweat flying as heavy drum-like sound effects pound around her. 'HOW CAN HE PRODUCE SUCH A SOUND?!' she cries. 'BUT IT'S A HAPPY MELODY...' Nearby, someone shouts, 'SOMEONE WHO LIVES DAY BY DAY, ALWAYS WITH DEATH AT HIS SIDE...' In the next panels the same woman, identified as Senritsu, snaps, 'THAT GUY'S MELODY! OR YOURS, FOR THAT MATTER!!!' and 'I DON'T WANT TO HEAR ANY MORE...' before yelling 'ENOUGH!' A small panel shows only her hair and a trailing ellipsis. Senritsu then calls out 'SENRITSU --!' In the bottom tier a heavily scarred person with a chain necklace says 'THE SPIDER ...' Senritsu leans in, eyes wide, demanding 'YOU... OR RATHER, "ALL OF YOU"... WHO THE HELL ARE YOU?!' while narration boxes state 'BUT THE FACT THAT HE'S THEIR BOSS IS TRUE AS WELL!!' and 'THAT MAN THINKS HE HAS NO VALUE AS A HOSTAGE.'

A nighttime street scene shows several cars and onlookers in the background. A large speech bubble asks, 'WERE YOU ALREADY THE BOSS OF THE RYODAN?' followed by another stating 'FIVE YEARS AGO, WHEN YOU EXTERMINATED THE SCARLET-EYED KURATA CLAN...' In the next tier Kurapika lunges forward, chains whipping wildly with a sharp 'ZAT' sound effect, his eyes glowing. Pakunoda watches in profile. A smaller panel shows Kurapika's chained hand. Below, Pakunoda recognizes 'THE CHAIN THAT BEAT LIVO?' Kurapika's face appears in close-up as he orders 'ANSWER !!!' A final close-up of Kurapika's eye accompanies the question 'WHAT DID HE SAY TO YOU? BEFORE DYING...'

In a heated exchange, a wide-eyed figure demands, "HE'S LYING, ISN'T HE?" The scarred man with short hair glares and states, "YOU'RE LYING." Kurapika, the long-haired blonde with chains wrapped around one hand, replies calmly, "I DON'T REMEMBER." The scarred man turns away, declaring, "I DON'T HAVE ANYTHING TO SAY." He continues, "I UNDERSTAND PERFECTLY WHAT HE FELT. I FEEL THE SAME THING." From the side, someone shouts desperately, "KURAPIKA!! HE'S PROVOKING YOU!! DON'T RESPOND!!" while another voice yells, "ANSWER ME!!" Kurapika's expression hardens into a fierce glare, sweat beading on her face as a jagged speech bubble shows only "..." Her eyes narrow further in the next close-up. At the bottom of the page, the words "SHIT..." and "DAMN IT..." appear in bold lettering.

Kurapika's face fills most of the upper half of the page, her eyes wide and mouth slightly open as sweat drips down her cheek. Vertical text reading "DAMN...!" runs along the left side. Below, a row of small reaction panels shows the wide-eyed character with an open mouth, the scarred man in profile, a suited man with sunglasses looking stern, and Kurapika glancing sideways. A large stylized sound effect "K... FIUT" appears in the first small panel.

Kurapika stares ahead with a grim expression, his face marked by cuts and a cross tattoo, thinking that the situation is unstoppable. In Kurapika's armor... Pakunoda stands beside him, chains wrapped around her arms, holding a device that emits repeated "BIP BIP" sounds as she checks the screen. A sudden close-up reveals flowing blonde hair and the shocking realization of an unexpected flaw. The scene shifts to a nighttime city street lined with cars and distant buildings where a figure declares there is no doubting that they will take advantage of that.

A group of people gathers in a tiled indoor area as several figures rush forward, urging Pakunoda not to hesitate and insisting she must come with all the others right now. One voice notes that if they can find the car he is in they can take over for him. Pakunoda is directly addressed and told she must not hesitate. A close-up shows intense eyes as the thought continues that before his mission he will place his friends to Ringo Airport. The final panel depicts a tall damaged building struck by a powerful force, accompanied by loud sound effects.

A small rectangular window glows faintly against total darkness high above the ruined structure. Below, massive piles of concrete slabs and twisted rebar fill the devastated floor. Three figures sit or crouch among the wreckage as a low GORUGORO rumble echoes through the debris. A scar-faced man with short dark hair stands in profile and declares he will investigate further. He steps forward into the corridor while a man in a light jacket walks ahead and calls out, asking if someone is there. Ahead, a slender bandaged figure stands motionless in the open space. Suddenly a sharp metallic clang rings out as the scar-faced man's head snaps to the side in reaction.

From a doorway a figure holding a spade-marked card tells the man in the jacket not to worry. The same figure adds a warning to be careful. The man in the jacket reacts with surprise as a small round object flies past his face accompanied by a sharp TAI sound. In the open rubble area a large bandaged man and a spiky-haired fighter stand ready. The scar-faced man stares in shock, muttering about a kid. Inside the corridor a young girl with short dark hair leaps through a broken window with TAP sounds while two shadowy figures watch from the side. An exclamation mark and impact lines emphasize the sudden intrusion.

In a dimly lit interior, a man with a heavily stitched face peers sideways while speaking. "SHOULD WE FOLLOW HER?" "IS SHE WITH THEM?!" he asks. Another panel shows the same man, brow furrowed, replying to himself or a companion: "LET'S WAIT UNTIL WE'RE ALL HERE." A second voice answers, "NO. IT MIGHT BE A TRAP." Below, motion lines streak across a narrow panel as a figure drops from above. The scene shifts to a tall vertical shaft where a small figure in a black outfit with pigtails plummets downward, arms outstretched, landing amid scattered debris at the bottom. A large black panel follows, showing a blond figure in a sleeveless turtleneck with a heart emblem standing beside a dark silhouette; bold SFX read "Go Go Go" with motion dots. The final close-up reveals the same blond figure's face marked by a black star on the left cheek and a teardrop under the right eye, sweat visible on the skin.

A vast expanse of empty white space dominates the page. In the lower right corner, a close-up portrait shows a young man with dark hair, a prominent cross-shaped mark on his forehead, and multiple facial injuries. Heavy chains wrap around his neck and shoulders. His expression is neutral, eyes half-lidded, with faint lines suggesting recent strain or fatigue. No other figures or text appear.