Hunter × Hunter Chapter 260: The Last Day of East Gortuo is approaching!!

Soldiers stand on a raised platform shouting orders to a massive crowd below. "DO NOT STRAY FROM THAT LOCATION FOR ANY REASON—!!" "ONCE YOU REACH THE DESIGNATED AREA, YOU MUST STAY!!" A large soldier with wide eyes and a cap yells at the top of his lungs, "CONTINUE MARCHING WITHOUT BREAKING RANK—!!" Tanks rumble in the background with heavy sound effects. More commands echo: "DO NOT BREAK RANKS—!!" and "ONCE YOU REACH THE DESIGNATED AREA, STAND BY!! DO NOT STRAY FOR ANY REASON!!" A short-haired man watches the scene and thinks to himself, "THEY WILL STAND THERE, CALMLY AND QUIETLY... THIS WAY, EVEN WHEN THE 'SELECTION' COMMENCES AND THE SURROUNDINGS ARE STAINED RED WITH BLOOD... IT'S THE OPTIMAL ENVIRONMENT FOR MIND-CONTROL... THE BRAIN IS COMPLETELY EXHAUSTED FROM THE LONG JOURNEY AND IS READILY ABSORBING THE REPEATED COMMANDS WITH THE SOUND OF THE TANKS SERVING AS BACKGROUND MUSIC..." Far below, a lone boy stands with his back to the viewer, gazing upward at countless small flying creatures scattering across the sky. Text reads, "UNTIL THEIR TURN COMES...!!"

Inside a damaged room, a spiky-haired man sits on the floor and says, "YES." A standing figure replies, "THIS IS FORTUNATE FOR US. BUT..." Another voice notes, "IF THEY'RE BRAIN-WASHED, NO ONE WILL BE FLEEING, EITHER." The spiky-haired man reacts with surprise, "HYPNOSIS, HUH...? I SEE." A silhouette with a round head states, "THERE WON'T BE A SITUATION WHERE THE PEOPLE FLEEING WILL CAUSE A DOMINO-LIKE EFFECT. THIS IS HUGE." A masked character adds, "EVEN IF WE GO WILD, THE CITIZENS GATHERED THERE WON'T GO INTO A PANIC." The group continues planning: "WE CAN FIGHT WITHOUT HOLDING BACK." "THE BIGGEST OBSTACLE HAS BEEN TAKEN CARE OF." "WE WERE PREPARED TO ACCEPT TENS OF THOUSANDS OF DEATHS JUST FROM THE RESULT OF A POTENTIAL PANIC." A serious man with a scar concludes, "ASSUMING THAT BY THE TIME WE EXECUTE THE PLAN AT 12 AM, MORE THAN HALF THE CITIZENS WILL HAVE GATHERED..." The final panel shows a broken object and the text, "SIX HOURS LEFT...!" followed by "WE HAVE..."

In a spacious room with a high ceiling, several figures sit or stand in quiet tension. A large speech bubble declares that everyone has now gathered. One character asks whether there has been any contact from Palm. Gon stands tall and alert in the foreground, his expression serious. Nearby, Killua sits with his back turned, while a long-haired figure identified as Palm remains composed. A small exchange follows: someone murmurs "...I see..." and another replies simply "No." A longer statement notes the huge difference between knowing and not knowing the situation inside. Palm suggests waiting thirty minutes before they execute their plan. In a close panel, Gon and Killua exchange glances while Palm’s face is shown in profile. A dark narration box states that Killua especially does not seem to have the mental weakness he showed when he fought against someone previously; on the contrary, his whole body is filled with confidence. The final panel concludes that both of them seem calm.

Killua’s face fills a large panel as he internally questions why someone sometimes looks as if he is going to disappear from emptiness; a small note indicates his hair has grown back a lot. In another panel, a character declares that Koruto is a good guy. A cloaked figure with a ponytail thinks that the fate of the human race rests in his hands and that he has no time to worry about other people. A small hooded character insists it does not matter whether humans or ants are involved. Another voice states that Meleoron and Ikalgo also have good hearts. The cloaked figure continues that among all of them he feels the most uneasy about this. A hand is shown clenched as someone admits that if they do not ask questions with their fist, they will not be able to stop the others. A desire is expressed to have a conversation even with the king if possible. The thought concludes that there is not anyone without a heart. The final large panel shows a determined profile with the words "OR BE KILLED...!!!" and a partial cry of "KILL...".

Gon stares ahead with fierce determination, vowing to restore Kaito. "JUST A LITTLE LONGER. I WILL DEFINITELY... DEFINITELY... RETURN YOU BACK TO NORMAL...!!!" Killua stands nearby, his expression hardening as dark thoughts surface: "KAITO... kill or be killed." A close-up reveals a wild-haired figure with intense eyes, declaring the path forward: "BY DEFEATING HIM...!!!" Killua resolves to stay out of the direct fight. "I'LL FALL BACK TO SUPPORT... SO THAT NO ONE CAN INTERFERE WITH YOUR FIGHT... HE'S PSYCHED UP." In a dramatic close-up, Killua's hand extends as he activates his power. "KAMMURU...!! WITH MY NEW TECHNIQUE... *Godspeed"

A character with sunglasses assesses his physical state after days of strain. "IF MY BEST CONDITION IS 100... THEN 40... NO, ABOUT 35? AS I THOUGHT, PUSHING MYSELF FOR SEVERAL DAYS IN A ROW HAS GOTTEN TO MY BODY. ...MY BODY FEELS HEAVY." He notes the loss of his partner. "NOW THAT NOVU'S BROKEN, I'M THE ONLY ONE...!!! ...WELL, NO SENSE CRYING ABOUT IT." He focuses on the mission. "I WILL CONCENTRATE MY EFFORTS ON THAT TASK. TO PULL THE TARGET AS FAR AWAY FROM THE KING AS POSSIBLE AND KEEP IT THERE. IF POSSIBLE, I WANTED TO FIGHT AT FULL STRENGTH... BUT SINCE I DON'T HAVE STRENGTH TO SPARE, I CAN GIVE UP ON THAT THOUGHT EASILY. I'M SORRY, MORAL... EVERYONE..." Another figure with striped hair turns away, deciding to check the palace situation. "I'LL GO CHECK OUT THE SITUATION AT THE PALACE. IT REALLY DOESN'T SEEM LIKE... I CAN STAND UP AGAINST THEM...!!!"

Killua stares ahead with intense focus, calculating his limits. "It seems like I can only hold my breath for a maximum of two minutes. If I take into consideration the tension during the real deal, it would be appropriate to think it would only be half of that, around one minute." In a nearby room, the small creature with a curly tail peeks through a doorway at a silhouetted figure standing in the shadows. Killua's eye widens as he resolves, "One minute is enough to reel in the fish...no problem." He continues, sweat visible on his face beneath his beanie, "It's almost 10 AM... I will be reborn." The small creature reacts with a starburst of surprise beside him. Killua clenches his fists and declares, "I will make sure to successfully complete my mission for you...!! Tomorrow will be my birthday...!!" The small creature responds gratefully, "Thank you, Killua...! Just a few days ago, I couldn't imagine this kind of life." The page ends on a vast starry night sky.

A radiant butterfly with glowing wings emerges against a dark background. Pouf sits perched on a cylindrical structure under the stars, hands clasped, gazing forward with a slight smile. In a sparse white room, Gon kneels alone on the floor beside a small box and scattered papers. A muscular man with crossed arms stands guard outside a large doorway, watching a distant small figure visible through a rectangular window. The page closes on a dramatic close-up of a helmeted figure with stern eyes and dangling tendrils, staring directly ahead with an intense, unreadable expression.

Against a stark black background, the king appears in profile, his helmeted head turned left. He states, "AM THE KING." A trailing thought follows: "I..." In the next panel the king stands alone on open ground before a tall, pointed monument. He raises one arm toward the sky and asks, "WHAT AM I...?" The unfinished doubt lingers: "BUT..." The final panel closes in on his visible eye, narrowed in thought. The words "WHAT REASON..." and "FOR..." float beside it.

A nearly empty white page holds only two elements. On the right side the king stands in full figure, helmet still on, striped tail curled behind him. Above him the words "WAS I..." appear. At the bottom left the continuation reads "BROUGHT INTO THIS WORLD...?"

A tense group of fighters gathers on a raised platform. The tall man with long hair and sunglasses raises his weapon and declares, "TIME'S UP." Beside him, another voice calls out, "LET'S GO." Gon points forward with determination while Killua stands ready at his side. Knuckle crouches nearby with a serious glare, and a girl in a robe watches silently. In the foreground, a small child in a beanie stares upward with wide eyes. Below the platform, inset panels reveal a tiny figure standing inside a dark box-like structure. Gon leans in close, his face intense, and murmurs "PALM..." as motion lines and impact effects erupt around the lower section where a head emerges from darkness amid heavy sound effects.

The same group stands ready on the platform in full color. The tall man again raises his weapon as "TIME'S UP." is declared. "LET'S GO." follows from another speaker. Gon, now in a green outfit, points ahead with resolve while Killua, hair tinted blue, stands at attention. Knuckle remains crouched with a red hat, and the ponytail girl wears a red robe. The child in the beanie now has a red face covering. Below, the inset panels show the small figure inside the glowing green box and Gon leaning close once more, whispering "PALM..." amid dramatic motion lines and dark water-like shading at the bottom.

Across a barren, windswept plain a lone chessboard rests on a raised platform under the open sky. In the distance a small group of figures sits in a loose circle around the board, their postures tense and expectant. Dramatic onomatopoeia rumbles across the landscape as the tension builds. A bold caption declares, "The time of the battle has come!!" Below, a horizontal row of close-up portraits shows the watching humans: Knuckle glaring fiercely, Killua with a sharp focused stare, Gon wide-eyed, a girl in a knit cap looking shocked, Morel with a grim expression, Shoot wearing sunglasses and frowning, and another stern face at the edge. Large sound effects crash over the portraits. At the bottom of the page two speech bubbles announce the plan: "UNTIL WE RUSH IN...!!" and "10 MINUTES..."