Hunter × Hunter Chapter 298: Rose

A colossal skull-like aura erupts behind a tiny figure standing on a ledge. The massive skeletal form towers with empty eye sockets and jagged teeth, energy lines radiating outward. The small silhouette raises both arms. Text reads “IS LIMITLESS…!!” and “MAN’S POTENTIAL FOR EVOLUTION.” A narrow box states “THAT…” Below, a close-up reveals a wide-eyed character in a wide-brimmed hat, sweat pouring down their face in shock, mouth open. SFX “ドド” and motion lines accentuate the overwhelming presence. The panel emphasizes the vast difference in scale between the tiny figure and the enormous aura.

The lion-like King Meruem looms over a fallen form, saliva dripping from his jaws as black ink splatters mark the panel. A narration box declares: "THE KING FELT FEAR." Another states: "WAS THE FIRST TIME." Close-up panels reveal the King's wide eye and then the Old Man's intense, unblinking eye. Text reads: "BUT THERE IN HIS FACE WAS THE PROOF" and "SHOULD HAVE BEEN WRONG AND WAITING FOR DEATH." The Old Man Netero appears in extreme close-up, his wrinkled face filling the frame with a fierce glare. A box states: "THE OLD MAN" and "THAT HIS WORDS." Below, another box declares: "WERE NOT EMPTY." A skeletal, clawed hand reaches upward from darkness at the bottom of the page.

Netero appears in a powerful muscular form with a topknot, his body covered in intricate muscle lines and scars. He kneels in a dynamic pose with one arm extended across his chest, a small object held near his torso. Large SFX characters "ドドド" explode beside him. In a smaller panel, Knuckle in a suit declares: "THIS WILL BE ACTIVATED." Another panel shows a close-up of a woman's wide eyes as text states: "IF YOUR HEART STOPS BEATING." A black banner at the bottom reads: "IF THERE IS A HELL, I HOPE TO SEE YOU THERE."

Netero kneels on cracked ground, head bowed and one hand braced against the earth. He speaks with quiet intensity: "YES... YOU...". To the right, a small figure wearing a hat and sporting a long segmented tail crouches in an aggressive stance, shouting "YOU ooo!!". The scene shifts to a large dynamic panel where a heavily armored figure lunges forward amid motion lines and impact bursts. Bold text declares "PLANNED IT ALL." and "FROM THE BEGINNING." A stylized signature-like mark appears in the lower left of the panel.

A massive circular crater dominates the landscape, its edges torn and jagged with debris scattered outward. The central area is a smooth, pale disk surrounded by concentric rings of shattered rock and dust. The terrain is completely devastated, with no living figures visible.

A vast, shattered mountain range stretches across the page, its jagged peaks and slopes torn apart by a massive blast. Debris and rocks scatter through the air. Text boxes explain: "THAT BOMB WAS NOT ONLY LOW-BUDGET AND SMALL, BUT ALSO SURPRISINGLY DEADLY." Below, a barren desert landscape appears under a rising sun, with the caption "IT COULD BE MASS MANUFACTURED IN A SHORT TIME." A close-up of swirling cloud formations follows, paired with "AND WITH THE RIGHT TECHNOLOGY, DUE TO THE SHAPE OF ITS FLAMES."

Against a star-filled night sky, a colossal mushroom cloud erupts upward in the shape of a blooming rose, its swirling petals formed from smoke and fire. The stem-like column descends into a sea of white clouds below. Bold text declares: "IT WAS CALLED THE MINIATURE ROSE AND WAS FAVORED BY SMALL DICTATORSHIPS."

Text panels detail the global proliferation of the deadly rose-shaped bombs. There are over 250 countries in the world, and over ten times that many roses grow within them. Breathing the life of 512 million lives. After terrorists used one of these bombs in an enemy city, killing 11 million people, further production was forbidden by international treaty. But an eighth of the countries disagreed with the ban and the decision to dispose of the bombs that were already in existence, so there are still millions of seeds here and there, just waiting for their time to bloom. A barbed-wire fence bears a Keep Out sign. Netero thought this would prove the difference between humans and ants, whether or not.

A massive rose-shaped explosion erupts in the night sky above jagged mountains, scattering petals and debris amid heavy smoke and shockwaves. Large onomatopoeic SFX ドドドドド rumble across the scene. Two winged figures fly near the blast: one small butterfly-like silhouette and a larger armored one. Below, a hooded muscular figure with large feathered wings stares upward in shock, while a long-haired person with wide eyes and an open mouth reacts with visible alarm, two exclamation marks floating beside them. Narration states there is now no way of knowing.

Close-up panels reveal wide, intense eyes staring forward. A massive explosion of distant black flames erupts across the sky, sending shockwaves through the air. The two observers immediately grasp the meaning of the flames and the impact they carry. At that exact moment, Pouf's copy locks eyes with Knuckle. Knuckle stands on a stone platform, back to the viewer, arms outstretched in a tense stance. In the foreground, Pouf's copy glares with a fierce, focused expression. Narration notes Knuckle's hope that he might reach an understanding with Pouf, just as he had with Youpi.

A severely damaged face fills the frame, one eye swollen shut and the other wide, with hair wildly disheveled. The figure appears to be in pain or exhaustion. Smaller panels show a close-up of Knuckle's determined profile and his feet planted firmly on debris-strewn ground. A sudden impact erupts in the sky above the stone platform where Knuckle stands. Narration declares that Knuckle's hope was shattered.

A close-up shows a man with glasses and spiky hair glaring intensely to the side, sweat on his face. He thinks, "THEY WOULD SELL THEIR SOULS TO THE DEVIL IF THE KING GAVE THE WORD." Below, smaller panels reveal a disheveled figure with wild dark hair and a torn expression, accompanied by the narration "AND AS A RESULT, HIS COPY IS SHOWING ITS TRUE NATURE...!!" Another panel displays a mass of dark, textured matter with the line "THE REAL POUF MUST HAVE REALIZED SOMETHING HAPPENED TO THE KING." A bright impact panel labeled "KNUCKLE" erupts with the words "NO... IT DOESN'T MATTER." and "DID... THE BOSS DEFEAT HIM...!?" At the bottom, Knuckle stands alone in a dark corridor under a spotlight, his muscular frame tense and fists clenched. Text boxes read "ON POUF'S FACE." and "SAW AN IMPENETRABLE WALL."

A vast, devastated landscape stretches under a dark, stormy sky filled with swirling clouds and debris. Two distinct butterflies flutter in the center of the frame, one with smooth wings and the other more ragged. Bright energy or smoke radiates outward from the ground. Small inset panels show close-ups of a face with swirling patterns and another figure in profile, both partially obscured by the chaotic background. The scene conveys an immense release of power or aura expanding across the ruined terrain.

Ground zero had become a volcano, the flames melting the rocks and the black smoke keeping everyone at bay. A close-up reveals wide, sweat-drenched eyes staring intensely forward. Pouf, now in his full winged chimera ant form, launches upward from the rubble while declaring he will search the perimeter. A voice responds that the target may have been blown away by the force of the blast. The spiky-haired fighter, visibly shaken, admits he was wrong and calls out Pouf's name as the winged figure takes flight.

A close-up shows a heavily scarred, helmeted chimera ant face vowing to kill them all with the King. The winged female figure's eyes widen in resolve as she declares she will not let a single one live. In the face of hostility directed at their King, the two become wholly antlike, their bodies transforming further with wings fully extended and limbs taking on insect proportions while radiating intense killing intent amid motion lines and debris.

Explosions rip through the battlefield as a small fox-like figure is hurled backward amid flying debris and shockwaves. A young girl with short hair tumbles through the air, eyes wide with alarm. The massive multi-winged creature, its broad wings covered in circular eye patterns, spreads outward in a dramatic display before launching upward with powerful limbs. It streaks across the sky, leaving the devastated landscape below. In the aftermath, a lone figure stands amid the dust and rubble. The close-up reveals a helmeted man with short hair and intense, wide eyes staring forward with grim determination as the creature vanishes into the distance.

The helmeted man's face fills the panel, eyes still wide and expression tense. Nearby, the fox-like creature stands upright in the ruined terrain. A wide shot shows the devastated ground with scattered rocks and broken trees. A narration box reads: "IS THE KING ALIVE OR DEAD ...!?" Two young observers, one with curly hair and the other with longer hair, stare in shock at something on the ground. The final page is dominated by a large black ink splash. A single butterfly flies across the darkness as the chapter ends.