Hunter × Hunter Chapter 285: Clones

A small round creature with striped head and large eyes peeks from behind a door frame. Nearby, a girl in a large fluffy hat and layered dress stands with her back partially turned, declaring 'OKAY-! NOBODY AROUND HERE!' and 'TIME TO MAKE A RUN FOR IT- LET'S GO!!' In the same room, a small masked figure stands near debris. Dialogue continues with concern over contact with Leor-sama and Fratta-sama, noting the palace feels like a totally safe place and that nothing has been heard from Fratta. The girl suggests the small creature become her vice-queen. In a lower sequence, the girl walks across a cracked tile floor with the small creature following; both react with 'UINGHH...' and 'UINGH...' as a voice cries 'HELP... ME...' from off-panel. The final wide panel shows a battered, bandaged person lying on rocky ground pleading 'HELP... ME...' and 'PLEASE... GET ME... OUT OF... HERE...' while the girl and small creature look on in the background.

In the ruined palace, a small girl in a hat stands frozen as debris settles around her. Nearby, a long-haired woman and a spiky-haired man react with alarm to the danger. A voice cries out, 'MY LEGS...' while another calls, 'OH, HE~~~~~Y! YOU SURE ARE IN A FIX, HUH, SECRETARY BIZEF?' Someone shouts, 'WAIT, PLEASE ...!!!' as motion lines and impact shapes fill the panel. 'WHA...?' 'TOO DANGEROUS... LET'S GO.' 'WHAT-EVER. LET'S GO.' A figure lies trapped, declaring, 'I CAN'T MOVE...' The woman refuses, 'NO WAY. I CAN'T MOVE A THING LIKE THAT,' while the trapped person begs, 'YOU HAVE TO HELP ME... I'M GOING TO DIE LIKE THIS!' In a dark panel a hooded figure insists, 'WE'RE TRYING TO GET OUTTA HERE AS QUICK AS POSSIBLE!!' A reply snaps back, 'LOOK, OKAY, ~~~~~?!' A man with a headband leans forward, eyes wide, proclaiming, 'THE LOWER LEVELS ARE JUST BURSTING WITH TREASURE!!' He adds, 'YOU'LL BE WELL REWARDED, I PROMISE YOU!!' The girl in the hat retorts, 'WHY THE HECK WOULD WE STAY HERE ANY MORE?! OUR BOSS IS MISSING, WE CAN'T CONTACT THE KIND, AND THE PALACE IS A TOTAL MESS.' At the bottom, a battered man pleads from the rubble, 'SO PLEASE...!! GET ME OUT OF HERE...!!' while the woman offers, 'IF YOU GET ME OUT OF HERE, I'LL GIVE YOU ANYTHING YOU WANT!!'

A tall girl in a frilly outfit stands on a rocky outcrop overlooking the chasm while a battered man lies below. She states, 'I'M THE ONLY ONE WHO CAN GO IN AND OUT OF THERE FREELY...... NGH......' A panel shows a long pathway beyond the shelter leading to a restricted area for commanders' access only, labeled 'THE "LOWER LEVELS" WHERE EXACTLY?' The man on the ledge replies, '"ANYTHING" ...... YOU SAID?' and explains, 'IT'S MY JOB TO SUPERVISE THE TREASURES DOWN THERE...' The girl remains silent with an ellipsis bubble. Below, the tall girl stands firmly on the ledge as the man lies injured on the ground, looking up. In the final panels the man's face fills with shock and sweat, eyes wide, while the girl leaps into action with speed lines and an impact burst, accompanied by the sound effect 'おいおいあっ'.

A cheerful figure in a large mushroom-shaped hat leans forward with a wide grin and raised hand, declaring, "YOU'D BETTER KEEP THAT PROMISE!" and "ELSE I'LL KILL YOU, 'KAY~♥". Below, a long-haired woman stares upward with a tense, sweat-streaked face, exclaiming, "THE AERIAL BOMBING BEGINNING WITHOUT MY HELP IS PROOF ENOUGH!!!" and "IT'S JUST TOO MUCH... THIS COUNTRY IS FINISHED...!!!". She continues, "IF I GET CAUGHT BY THE ALLIED FORCES... I'LL JUST BE FORCED TO CONFESS TO WHATEVER IS MOST CONVENIENT..." and "THE ANTS MUST HAVE BECOME THAT ULTIMATE EXCUSE; A 'LIVING WEAPON'...". In a separate panel a silhouette appears with the thought, "...OR THEY'LL SILENCE ME FOR GOOD!!!". The page ends with a close-up of a braided man wearing an eyepatch, his face bruised and desperate, shouting, "I HAVE TO GET AWAY FROM THEM...!!!" and "I CAN'T STAY CAPTURED LIKE THIS!!".

A massive, grotesque creature with multiple thick limbs and a bulbous body dominates the center of a chaotic scene, surrounded by dozens of men in various dynamic poses. Some figures leap through the air, others crouch or raise their arms in apparent combat stances, while a few stand with hands near their faces. The creature's limbs stretch outward, interacting with the surrounding crowd. A large, partially visible face with an open mouth appears on the right edge, observing the frenzy. Black cross-like symbols and motion lines fill the upper background, emphasizing the wild energy of the moment.

A whirlwind of identical fighters fills the page, their bodies twisting and striking in every direction amid heavy motion lines and massive impact lettering. The clones surge forward relentlessly. In the lower panel Knuckle, hair whipping around his fierce face, locks onto the chaos and growls, "Well, you can be damn sure I'll counter it." He clenches his fists tighter. "This time, for sure...!!" His eyes narrow as he realizes, "The clones are just a diversion... it's the real one that'll actually attack me, right?!"

Knuckle lunges forward, fist cocked, as enormous SFX explode around him. Above, the clones continue their assault in a blur of limbs and motion lines. A wide shot reveals several clones being struck and sent flying through the air. Knuckle counts aloud, "Eighty-four left!!" and notes, "He's taken out five of them..." In a close-up his face twists with resolve: "The moment I get hit by the real thing, I'll know it for sure!!" He bursts into laughter, "Hahahah... I knew it; the smoke clones are just for show!! They don't feel real at all!!"

A powerful masked fighter leaps through the air gripping a long blade-like weapon, body tensed for a decisive strike. Black ink splatters emphasize the motion as the fighter declares the end is near. Below, a close-up reveals a determined face with flowing hair, eyes wide as the count of remaining clones drops rapidly from 75 to 72. The fighter reflects that the previous lightning attack caught them off guard, but now they are prepared to counter the instant the next strike lands. In the final panel the same fighter is shown mid-air, body wracked by multiple jagged lightning bolts that streak across the page with explosive impact lines.

A slick-haired fighter glares forward with narrowed eyes while shouting that the opponent will soon run out of clones. Another voice laughs mockingly, asking what is wrong. In smaller panels the slick-haired fighter considers creating an opening by luring the enemy closer, noting that the attacks are too fast to approach safely. A small insect-like creature appears with the thought that it must act naturally yet carefully. The scene shifts to a wide action panel where the masked fighter lunges forward with the cry to come now, while background figures react with the exclamation that the moment has arrived. The final row shows the back of the slick-haired fighter's head and a chaotic close-up of multiple bodies colliding in combat.

A powerfully built fighter with wild curly hair launches a ferocious assault, his right arm drawn back for a massive strike while his left hand jabs downward. His eyes blaze with rage and his mouth is open in a fierce snarl as his body twists mid-air. Below him, the bald head of another combatant fills the lower right, staring upward with a grim, focused expression. A massive sound effect "ザッ" explodes across the bottom of the panel, radiating impact lines and debris as the blow connects with tremendous force.

A close-up reveals a face twisted in shock, eyes wide and forehead veins bulging. The view pulls back to show a dark-haired fighter being hurled through the air amid swirling smoke and debris, limbs flailing as energy-like trails whip around him. Several other figures react in the background, one crouching low while others brace against the blast. At the bottom of the panel, bold text declares "JUST SMOKE AGAIN ...?!"

A massive, writhing mass of skulls and dark energy surges forward with explosive force, its countless faces screaming as it lunges toward the figure below. Knuckle braces himself on the cracked surface, arms raised in a defensive stance, his long hair whipping from the impact. "I'LL MURDER YOU!!!" blares from the monstrous form. On the right, a towering, grotesque structure looms with a sweating, wide-eyed face at its peak. "HAVE YOU FINALLY REALISED, YOU FOOL?" demands a voice from the structure. "DAMN YOU......!!" the face snarls in fury. Below it, another speech bubble declares, "THE REAL ONE WAS NEVER HERE TO BEGIN WITH."

The skull-cloud mass continues its rampage across the page. A muscular figure leaps high, body twisted in mid-air as he delivers a powerful kick into the creature. Close-up panels show a snarling face with gritted teeth and intense eyes. "...HE WAS HERE !!!" "THE REAL ONE !!!" echo in sequence. "DAMN RIGHT I'M HERE !!!!" the face roars with determination, confirming his presence amid the chaos.

A vast, cracked stone surface stretches across the scene. A large, dark rectangular mat lies diagonally over the ground, its surface textured like dense fur or bristles. In the upper right, a detailed inset diagram shows a multi-story building erupting in a massive explosion, with debris and shockwaves radiating outward. Bold Japanese sound effects "ドドオオーン" burst above the inset. A digital timer in the lower right reads 0:07:29:41. On the left side, bold narration text declares: "EMOTIONS AND POWERS BEYOND CONTROL!! THIS IS WHAT THEY CALL WAR!!!" The Hunter × Hunter logo and "No.285" appear in the bottom left corner.