Spiritual Message

Inside a damaged building, a voice questions its own worth. "I do not even know the King's location... Can I truly call myself a Royal Guard?" Outside, amid rubble and shattered glass, the same doubt echoes: "What a situation... Separated from the King at such a crucial moment... Can I truly call myself a Royal Guard?" A bold declaration cuts through: "NAY..." On a black background, a tall silhouette stands with arms outstretched, cloak flowing. The figure proclaims, "WORTHY OF THAT TITLE!!! I AM NO LONGER ..." A close-up reveals a sharp eye and flowing hair. A small box notes "PUFU'S LOYALTY..." while a speech bubble concludes, "THAT IS ALL THERE IS TO IT..." The vertical text "DANCE!!!" runs along the left edge.

A close-up reveals Shaiapouf's face streaked with tears, his expression twisted in anguish as vertical narration boxes detail how the humane possibility of stability upon the absolute truth that the King himself could be visiting the room of the girl extended also to the King. The central black panel erupts with large white lettering: YOU DON'T WANT HIM TO BE WITH THAT GIRL!!!! On the right, Pouf appears in a dramatic mid-air pose, wings fully spread amid explosive starburst effects. Multiple speech bubbles surround him, taunting: WORTHLESS PUFU..., FORMER ROYAL GUARD PUFU... WAS POWERFUL TO THE POINT OF FRAGILITY, YOU FOOL..., YOU FAILED GUARD, PUFU..., WHERE SHALL YOU GO NOW?, IF THE KING ISN'T IN THE NEXT PLACE YOU LOOK..., DON'T YOU HAVE ANY IDEA?, HIS ABSOLUTE IDEALISM WOULD PERMIT NO MODIFICATION, THAT MAKES YOU A WORSE THAN-WORTHLESS PIECE OF TRASH, YOU KNOW? At the bottom, a smaller panel shows reaching hands and the line: YOU JUST DON'T WANT TO ADMIT IT, DO YOU?! NO... WORTHLESS PUFU...

Pouf is shown upside-down in mid-air, wings flared, with vertical text declaring THAT IS UNACCEPTABLE. A narration box states: THIS FEELING, ALMOST A KIND OF FANATICISM... In the next tier, Pouf's internal monologue continues: I HAD ALREADY REALISED THAT THIS WAS THE CASE. I DARE SAY IT IS LIKELY THAT BEFORE I EVEN CAME HERE... THE KING MAY WELL INDEED BE THERE... AND YET... The bottom spread shows Pouf reaching desperately toward a large hand, with text explaining: BUT THAT I KNEW FULL WELL AND YET FAILED TO BE THERE BY HIS SIDE. THE REASON WHY I AM TRULY UNWORTHY OF THE TITLE OF ROYAL GUARD IS NOT THAT I KNEW NOT WHERE THE KING WOULD BE... NOW... A spiky bubble from below reads: PUFU, TRAITOR, LOWER THAN TRASH...

Pouf stands tall in the center of the panel, his long hair flowing and tears streaming down his face as he delivers a fervent declaration. His posture is rigid, one arm raised dramatically while the other clutches at his chest. Speech bubbles surround him: "AS SUCH, YOU SHOULD LIKEWISE EXPECT NOTHING FROM THE KING!" "YOU SHOULD EXPECT NOTHING OF YOURSELF!" "FROM NOW ON, YOU ARE NO MORE THAN A WORM!" "AND SO SIMPLY FOR THE KING'S SAKE...!" Multiple circular echoes repeat "FOR THE KING'S SAKE!!" in the background. Below, a close-up reveals Pouf's tear-filled eyes overflowing with emotion. In the lower panels, Pouf's legs stride forward across cracked ground as narration states he "...HAD ROBBED POUF OF HIS CAPACITY FOR RATIONAL THOUGHT." A panel shows his determined face with fresh tears as he declares "I SHALL GO!" and "TO THE KING'S SIDE." The final caption reads "...BY A FEW SECONDS AFTER HE HAD ARRIVED IN THE THRONE ROOM..."

A large splash page opens with the Hunter × Hunter logo centered at the top. A digital timer displays 0:08:08:13 in the upper right. On the right side, a cloaked figure with long hair stands with back turned, cape billowing dramatically in the cloudy sky. To the left, a sunglasses-wearing character with long hair grips a large weapon and lunges forward aggressively. Smaller inset panels on the left show close-ups of a tear-streaked face and the same character now wearing an eyepatch, mouth open in a fierce expression. Clouds swirl heavily across the background. At the bottom, Japanese text credits the author and marks the chapter number.

The long-haired man with an eyepatch swings his massive weapon through the misty, watery expanse, sending shockwaves and debris flying as he shouts, "yo..." A small black butterfly silhouette flutters nearby. He turns, weapon resting on his shoulder, declaring, "I'VE GOT YOU SURROUNDED." From above, a voice calls out, "HEADING OFF TO FIND THE KING WITHOUT PAYING ME THE SLIGHTEST HEED, HUH?" The man looks up sharply and retorts, "HEY, YOU IGNORING ME?!" In the next instant, a winged figure with large butterfly wings appears, prompting the man to say, "BAD LUCK, I'M AFRAID..." as impact lines and motion burst around them.

In close-up, the eyepatch man speaks softly, "WELL ... THE THING IS... I CAN'T DO THAT." The winged figure, now shown with torn clothing and a distressed expression, pleads, "TO MAKE YOU LET ME GO?" while covering their face. An off-panel voice wonders, "WHAT CAN I DO..." A tall vertical silhouette stands in the mist. The scene shifts to a massive, ornate butterfly with intricate wing patterns hovering in the air, surrounded by the stylized vertical text "NANNIKA" on both sides. From below, the eyepatch man asks, "IS THAT SO?"

The bodies of the two soldiers who had lost all semblance of command began to topple to the ground. Killua skids forward with a fierce expression, his thoughts exploding in jagged bubbles: "DAMNIT! WHAT..." and "WHAT AM I DOING?!" A small inset shows Ikalgo standing alone against radiating lines. As Killua and Ikarugo approached one another, their eyes met across the open ground. Killua and Ikalgo stand facing each other, dust and motion lines streaking the scene.

Close-up panels show Ikalgo's wide, surprised eyes and open mouth, followed by Killua's intense stare and a bead of sweat on his cheek. Ikalgo's face shifts to a determined glare with heavy eyebrows. Killua and Ikalgo are then seen running toward each other across a blank expanse. A final black panel displays only the word "KILLUA" above an ellipsis.

A close-up shows the side of Killua's face, his expression tense. In the next panel Killua runs away from the viewer through darkness toward a sudden blinding flash of light. To the right stands Ikarugo in his round, cartoonish octopus form, arms crossed tightly over his body, brows furrowed in determination. A large speech bubble beside him reads "I owe you one!!" Smaller close-ups of Ikarugo's angry face appear on the left side of the page.

Narration boxes explain that Ikarugo's voice swept away Killua's earlier turmoil. As Killua regains his senses a chaotic swirl of emotions fills his head. Large sound-effect lettering "ビシャア" erupts across the panel. Killua is shown facing forward once more, eyes sharp, body leaning ahead in motion. Below him two small ant-like bodies hit the floor with a thump. The final narration states Killua was facing onward once more.

A detailed floor plan of the palace corridor is shown with explanatory notes. Currently, they were being used by the soldier ants. Positioned at either end of the corridor containing the elevator to the lower levels were rooms intended for the use of servants. Ikarugo dashes through the hallway past two fallen ants. ...and just as he reached the elevator itself... The doors at both ends began to open as though breathing in unison...

The palace tower is engulfed in thick smoke under the night sky. And considering that it's enshrouding the entire third floor of the tower in smoke... The technique he said he'd use to keep Pouf from going to the King's side! That's Morau's "Smoke Jail"... That means the King and Pitou can't be up there!! Gon sprints through a damaged corridor, debris flying around him. Where are they?! A close-up shows Gon's determined face with wide eyes and gritted teeth as he searches.

Gon stands with his back to the viewer on a cracked concrete ledge, facing a tall cylindrical tower riddled with bullet holes and impact craters. His posture is tense, hands slightly raised. Beyond him, a domed building with a tall spire stands damaged under a starry night sky filled with drifting clouds. Debris litters the ground. In the next panel a helmeted figure wearing goggles and a black outfit with a large circular emblem on the back looks sideways against a dark mountainous horizon. Beside it, a slender figure with a long segmented tail stands on a broken platform overlooking the same landscape. The final panel shows a tight close-up of wide, round eyes staring forward in shock, eyebrows raised and mouth unseen.

A towering mechanical figure dominates the frame, its right arm raised high with a massive segmented limb ending in a blunt tip. The figure wears a helmet with multiple lights and a black jacket over a muscular torso, standing with clenched fists. To its left a short spiky-haired man in a dark vest marked with the Japanese characters 生涯現役 gestures near his face. To its right a bald bearded man in a torn shirt stands with arms at his sides. Below, a tiny panel shows Gon standing alone in darkness. The next panel shows the bald man leaning forward through a broken window frame at night. The final panel is a close-up of the bald man's sweating, grim face with narrowed eyes and clenched teeth.