Hunter × Hunter Chapter 244: The King's Finale

The King continues speaking about the necessity of disrupting the opponent's flow. He explains that chess, shogi, and similar games each have their own unique flow mastered by first-class players. To one who has reached enlightenment, remaining indoor games become meaningless and only a source of boredom. The King notes that His Majesty's found truth applies to all competition. A snake-like figure adds that from there it will be difficult for the opponent to find his flow, while knowing the orthodox method reveals it. The King identifies the board game 'Gun-gi' that originated in East Goruto and is known to almost the entire population. Only one remaining game exists in the country with professionals. A three-dimensional point-of-view is necessary to provide subtle differences from previous games. Up to three pieces can be stacked together in the same position, and initially pieces can be placed freely within the player's territory. The objective remains capturing the king. The current world champion is the third champion crowned so far and has won five years in a row. A worldwide tournament has been held since about fifteen years ago, and every single East Goruto representative has remained undefeated.

A close-up reveals the Chimera Ant King's intense eyes beneath a raised brow as he ponders aloud, 'I WILL BE NUMBER ONE IN THE WORLD?' and 'HMM... SO IF I DEFEAT THIS ONE...' In a grand hall, curtains frame the silhouettes of a tall figure and a small girl standing before him. The King raises his hand and declares 'SUMMON.' and 'THAT'S WORTHY FOR MY FINALE.' The King, now shown with spiky hair and a stern gaze, questions 'BLIND...?' A young blind girl in a simple dress grips a long cane, her expression calm yet tense, while a small creature kneels nearby with a device on the floor. She responds with visible unease as the King states 'PLEASANTRIES ARE UNNECESSARY.' and 'THIS INVITATION IS A HORROR... ER... HONOR.' The girl stammers 'EH EH' and 'THIS...' while the creature adds its own remark. A speech effect labeled 'KOT' appears near her.

The King, wearing ornate armor, tells the spiky-haired boy 'YOUR VOICE SOUNDS COMPLETELY DIFFERENT FROM THE GREAT LEADER'S.' The boy replies 'HMM...?' The King continues 'I AM LEARNING THE RULES RIGHT NOW SO WAIT.' and 'WE WILL HAVE A GUN-GI MATCH.' He asserts 'I AM THE KING NOW.' while another voice notes 'HE'S DEAD.' The King snaps 'SHUT YOUR MOUTH OR DIE.' and 'YOU ARE DISTRACTING ME.' The spiky-haired boy panics, apologizing profusely 'OH! PLEASE EXCUSE MY RUDENESS! I'M TERRIBLY SORRY!!' and admitting 'I'M REALLY STUPID SO I HAVE NO IDEA WHAT'S GOING ON IN THE WORLD!!' A small silhouette scene shows the attendant, the girl, and the King standing apart. The King, now in profile with a wide hat, says 'LET'S START.' and 'OKAY. I'VE LEARNED MOST OF IT.' A Gungi board labeled 'UKO 12' is touched, with 'BANG' effect, as the match begins in a damaged room.

A character with shoulder-length hair explains that because the patient's nose is stuffed, her guess is the patient could not breathe after her mouth was literally shut. Another voice asks what happened. The helmeted figure with a striped tail kneels beside a small spiky-haired child sprawled on the floor. The helmeted figure remarks that it is rare to see such a fool. The spiky-haired child sits up with a wide embarrassed grin, declaring "Man~~~ I'm soooo embarrassed." The child pleads, "Please go easy on me." The helmeted figure responds, "Then..." and the child agrees, "Right." The helmeted figure adds, "Forget it, let's start." In the large bottom panel, Nefelpitou leans forward with a serious expression while holding a small object, facing the kneeling spiky-haired child across a low box on the floor.

A close-up shows the spiky-haired child with wide eyes and a sweat drop, looking surprised. In the next panels a headband-wearing character states that if it bothers the other, they shall close their eyes, explaining they open their eyes only during a match. A small bubble replies "Doesn't matter. Not really." The headband-wearing character asks the spiky-haired child to say their move out loud. The child answers "Nope. Nuh-uh." and questions "You can see?" At the bottom a hand labeled "Infantry" flicks a coin while a speech bubble reads "4-4-1 *HYO."

A voice flatly answers "NOPE." From the darkness above the grass line, another speaker warns, "You can't get in touch with him at all!?" In the next row, a close-up profile mutters "Shit." while a panel shows the same character saying, "So we have to sit on our asses and wait for contact for us?" Beside it, Gon holds a phone and replies, "Guess it only makes sense since I promised to wait for him to contact me first. He must've turned his phone off." A wide black panel reveals three small silhouetted figures standing in tall grass, followed by an ellipsis. The bottom half of the page shifts to intense close-ups. A long-haired man with no eyebrows is scrutinized: "It's not even a matter of getting along with this guy. He'll listen to what I have to say in one ear and let it out the other ear!! He'll simply reject anything I have to say!!" Another voice notes, "He's got no eyebrows! And his lip-ward glance proves his suspicious nature!!" A third observation adds, "He looks so hostile, like he's ready to fight anytime. Can a first impression be any worse?" The spiky-haired boy, Gon, stares in profile while thinking, "What the? What's that lip? What's that retro hair-style?" At the bottom, a tiny creature clings to the long-haired man's shoulder as Gon continues, "Gon!! I'm sorry, but my first impression of these guys is super bad!! Unless I get some good news soon... The possibility that my heart won't trust them is very high!!"

Several dogs with wide eyes and open mouths stand in a row. One panel shows Gon and Killua from behind looking at the animals. Gon asks, "...Not sure. What are these dogs?" A wide shot reveals the dogs leaping through bushes with "Gasp" sound effects. Below, against a dark grass line, Killua notes, "But they all have collars." while Gon adds, "I think they're a pack of wild dogs." Killua continues, "So I gave up on the ones that were absolutely hopeless. That's good, isn't it?" while scratching his head. He declares, "I know this isn't the time or place to do such a thing!!" Speech bubbles explain the situation: "It wasn't all of them!" "He's even cut into his own sleeping time to do so." "He's been feeding all the animals that have been abandoned because of the 'Selection.'" Smaller panels highlight individual dogs: "What's so hard about helping the ones among them who reach out for help!?" "The clever dog who wouldn't budge from his house even after I cut him loose!!" "The super thin cat who would never eat the food I gave him!!" In the final row, Killua reacts with surprise as Gon says, "That's not enough to raise your likeability!!" and "...Well, maybe a little." Killua answers, "...Hmph!" Gon presses, "What are you talking about, you bastard!? Who's crying? I'm gonna kill you, punk!" while Killua replies, "Wha... There's no reason to cry."

A checkers-style board fills the top panel. Black and white circular pieces are arranged in formation as a voice declares, "IT'S CHECKMATE." Another bubble reads "7-8-2 SHINOBI." Below, narration explains the strategy: "MEANING I'M NOT GOOD ENOUGH FOR HER TO USE HER TRUE SKILLS YET. HER INITIAL FORMATION WAS ALSO BASIC PRIMER LEVEL..." A small, shell-like creature sits beside the text. On the right, a helmeted figure with long hair speaks: "A STRATEGY OF MOUNTING AN ARCHER ON A GROUND PIECE TO SERVE AS THE POINT OF ATTACK AND DEFENSE... IT IS A CLASSIC TACTIC OF HIGH ARCHER POSITIONING... IT'S SIMPLE AND EFFECTIVE." In a lower panel, the creature reacts with motion lines and "ONCE MORE." At the bottom, a spiky-haired boy beams with excitement, shouting "MY PLEASURE!!" while another bubble answers "YES!!"

The spiky-haired boy continues with wild energy: "IF I DON'T USE A~~~LL MY SKILLS IN THE NEXT GAME, I MIGHT LOSE!!" and "WOW~~~ YOU LEARN TERRIBLY FAST, GREAT LEADER!!" On the right, the helmeted figure points and declares "THAT'S CHECKMATE." and "8-8-1 *KIBA." The boy sits back with a grin. The helmeted figure then says "YOU MAY GO REST. THAT'S ENOUGH." In the next section the boy replies "AFTER HIM, IT'LL BE YOUR TURN. I CAN PLAY GUN-21 FOR THREE DAYS AND THREE NIGHTS STRAIGHT WITHOUT SLEEP..." while reacting "HUH!? NO NO. I'M PERFECTLY ALL RIGHT." A girl in a dress asks the helmeted figure "HOW WAS IT, YOUR MAJESTY?" The helmeted figure answers "IT'S JUST A MATTER OF TIME. I'LL BE ABLE TO BRING OUT HER TRUE SKILLS IN FOUR OR FIVE MATCHES. IT MAY HAVE MORE VARIATIONS, BUT THE ESSENCE IS THE SAME AS THE OTHER GAMES." The girl responds "THEN... I'LL GO GET SOME REST."

A close-up reveals a helmeted figure with intense eyes and flowing hair, sweat visible on their face. They declare, "IT WON'T BE ANY DIFFERENT." and add, "ONCE THAT HAPPENS, I WILL SEE HER PARTICULAR FLOW." Below, a slick-haired man holds up a crumpled paper covered in chaotic scribbles and states, "GO COMMITTED SUICIDE BY HANGING HIMSELF." To the right, a muscular man with his back turned walks away through curtains while carrying a sword, addressed by an unseen speaker saying, "YOUR MAJESTY." In a small panel, a young character with dark hair sweats nervously and utters, "KU KU." The bottom of the page shows a large chessboard set up on a wooden table with pieces arranged across the grid and a small stand holding extra pieces nearby. A voice commands, "CALL THAT FOOL BACK."

The upper section shows a chaotic scene with heavy black impact lines slashing across the sky above a cluster of domed buildings and rooftops. Small figures are flung through the air amid the destruction. In the middle, a character with wild hair swings a long weapon while another figure with a distinctive hairstyle is surrounded by a massive cloud of smoke or energy. The lower panel focuses on a crouched character amid billowing smoke and debris as a large circular impact graphic appears beside them. Bold text declares, "DEEP PURPLE!!"

The long-haired man continues explaining his technique. "AND COVER IT WITH AN AURA OF SMOKE." "FIRST I RELEASE AURA TO CREATE A CORE..." In a forested area filled with countless smoke figures, he declares the scale of his ability: "THE MAXIMUM NUMBER POSSIBLE IS 216 DOLLS!!" "THEN A SMOKE-DOLL THAT MOVES FREELY ACCORDING TO THE MANIPULATION CONDITION CONTAINED IN THE CORE IS COMPLETED!!" He adds that it is a huge advantage that En cannot distinguish between humans and dolls. However, he admits the dolls are high-performance but he can only create around 50 simultaneously because the condition is more complicated in preparation for the enemy's counter-attack. Observing the controlled dolls gathered at the capital, he notes: "THIS ALSO INDICATES THAT THEIR TOP PRIORITY IS THE 'KING'S SAFETY.'" "AS EXPECTED, ALL THE CONTROLLED DOLLS ARE GATHERED HERE AT THE CAPITAL TO FORTIFY THEIR DEFENSES...!" A close-up reveals Nefelpitou's face as the narrator concludes: "NEFELPITOU IS BEING FAITHFUL TO THE ANT'S INSTINCTS AND WON'T LEAVE THE KING'S SIDE."

Puppets hang from strings under a large smoke cloud while a guard stands ready. The long-haired man moves swiftly across rooftops and railings, dodging and striking. "IT'S SUPER EASY TO TIE DOWN THE MOVEMENTS OF THE ROYAL GUARDS!...BUT THE PROBLEM IS THE KING HIMSELF." He notes that if the selfish king moves as he wishes, it will be difficult to read his next move and unexpected accidents may occur. "IT'S A RELIEF FOR US IF THESE GUYS ARE BEING SENT." The man continues his rapid advance, leaping and swinging past obstacles as the puppets remain suspended above. A large impact SFX "ドン" echoes through the scene while the man lands and reacts with surprise.

Under a moonlit night sky filled with ornate towers and domes, a lone figure stands atop a glowing hill beside a small castle-like structure. A strange flying machine hovers nearby. In the foreground, a spiky-haired boy leaps dynamically across rooftops while a large cat-like creature clings to him. The cat creature speaks with a heart symbol: "LONG TIME NO SEE— ♥". The boy, Killua, reacts with shock as the cat continues, "I'VE MISSED YOU." Nearby observers react in alarm: a lion-man with a wild mane exclaims, "...SHIT. HE HAS A DIFFERENT ATMOSPHERE ABOUT HIM!!" and "...SHIT. HE SEEMS TO HAVE IMPROV- ED...!!" A woman wearing sunglasses thinks, "HE DOESN'T HAVE KNUCKLE'S POTCLEAN ON HIM?" and "NO SIGN OF IT HAVING TURNED INTO TORITATEN EITHER... BUT..." She further reasons, "IF SOME- THING HAD HAPPENED, KNUCKLE AND SHOOT WOULD HAVE CONTACTED ME...!!" Killua lands and declares, "LET'S SEE WHAT THEY'VE GOT." A large narration box states, "THE ONE WHO BENEFITS IN THE END IS ME...!!" followed by "NO MATTER WHO WINS..." A starburst caption reads, "A rematch with an evolved enemy!!"