Hunter × Hunter Chapter 304: Magic

An overhead view reveals a vast palace complex surrounded by open ground. Killua stands alone on a distant hill with a question mark above his head. Small Pouf clones scurry across the foreground, one shouting HURRY UP AND HIDE THEM!! while others yell HURRY! HURRY!! A clone questions WHERE IS WELFIN!? Another clone notes THEY'RE IN TOO MANY PIECES FOR ME TO USE LIVING DEAD DOLLS.... IT'S NO USE. Pouf himself appears in a panel stating THESE ARE CALLED HUMAN GRAPES. HERE THOSE WHO ARE FIT TO BECOME SOLDIERS WAIT TO HATCH. A character asks ISN'T THIS A LITTLE TOO CLOSE? Knuckle replies POTCLEAN WON'T BEGIN A COUNTDOWN AT THIS DISTANCE....! Another voice wonders SHOULD I TAKE POTCLEAN OFF POULF AND GO AFTER THE KING OR NOT....!?

Palm stands tall in the foreground, her right arm extended as she points ahead. "THEY'VE... JUST ENTERED THE HIDEOUT IN PEIJIN," reads the narration box above a small inset of Gon and Pitou. She continues, "HOW ARE GON AND PITOU DOING?" and declares, "THE KING IS AT THE MAIN ENTRANCE TO THE PALACE!! LET'S FOLLOW THE WALL UNTIL WE CAN MIX WITH THE CROWD." Killua stands nearby with his back turned, listening. A close-up shows Palm's intense gaze as she confirms, "THEY'RE WALKING DOWN THE HALL..." Killua asks, "YES... I CAN SEE YOU FROM SLIGHTLY ABOVE. CAN YOU SEE ME AND POUF, TOO? HOW DOES THAT CRYSTAL WORK?" Palm replies, "OK." In the lower half of the page, Palm holds the crystal to her right eye and explains its power: "MY WINK BLUE ALLOWS THE CRYSTAL TO MEMORIZE ANYONE I SEE WITH MY RIGHT EYE, AND THEN I CAN USE THE CRYSTAL TO SEE WHERE THEY ARE NOW... RIGHT NOW I SEE GON AND PITOU, YOU AND ME, AND POUF AND YOUPI AND THE KING, ALL AT THE SAME TIME... IT'S LIKE WATCHING SOMETHING ON A SPLIT TV SCREEN." In the background, Pouf's clone walks ahead of Gon and Killua down a long palace corridor.

Palm continues explaining the crystal's limits while holding it near her face. "IF I SEE SOMEONE ELSE WITH MY RIGHT EYE, IT WILL DELETE THE OLDEST MEMORY... AND I CAN ONLY VIEW THREE PEOPLE AT ONCE. I CAN ONLY SEE THE OTHERS NOW BECAUSE THEY ARE WITH THE PEOPLE I'VE SEEN. BUT I HAVE ONLY SEEN POUF AND YOU... AND GON WITH MY RIGHT EYE." Killua reacts in the background, "REALLY...?" Palm notes, "IF ALL YOU CAN SEE IS THE REAL POUF AND HIS COPIES ARE RUNNING AROUND DOING STUFF, THEN IT'S MORE OF A MINUS THAN A PLUS... YOU MAY NOT NEED TO KEEP WATCHING POUF." Killua considers, "I COULD CRUSH HIM WHEN HE'S AS SMALL AS A FLY, DON'T YOU THINK...? MEANS I'M NOT DISTRACTED BY HIS COPIES... THE FACT THAT I CAN ONLY SEE THE REAL HIM..." Palm's eyes widen as she concludes, "THAT'S THE BIGGEST PLUS, ISN'T IT? WHEN HE'S SPLIT UP LIKE THIS, THAT'S OUR CHANCE TO DESTROY HIM." In the final panels Killua grins excitedly, "THAT SHOULD BE INTERESTING!! BUT FIRST I WANT TO SEE HER TO SEE WHAT'S GOING ON WITH PITOU AND GON!! I'LL JUST HAVE TO USE THAT TO MY ADVANTAGE...! ...HMPH, THEY'RE ON TO ME... THEN...!!!"

Killua stands on sandy ground with wide eyes and an open mouth, staring ahead in shock. In the distance Palm stands with her back partially turned. A voice exclaims "WHAT ?" as Palm is named "PALM." Palm turns slightly and says "THANK YOU." Close-ups show Palm's serious face and Killua's surprised expression with sweat drops. Killua erupts in anger, shouting "SHUT UP! EVERYTHING MEANS EVERYTHING !!" and demanding to know "EVERYTHING ? LIKE WHAT?" and "FOR EVERY-THING." He continues "WHAT? WHAT ARE YOU THANKING ME FOR?" Palm's silhouette appears against the cloudy sky as she replies "HUH?" then "... BECAUSE WE'RE FRIENDS." She adds "DON'T WORRY. I WON'T SAY IT AGAIN." Killua reacts furiously from afar, yelling "WHAT DO YOU MEAN BY THAT !? DON'T YOU THINK IT'S WEIRD TO PISS OFF THE PERSON YOU'RE THANKING!?" while Palm stands with her back to him.

Palm stands in profile against a dark background while Killua, seen from behind, tells her "YOU DON'T NEED TO THANK FRIENDS." Palm reacts with "OH, RIGHT." and "HUH?" while Killua asks "ANYWAYS, WHAT'S HAPPENING WITH GON!?" with a starburst effect. Killua turns in surprise asking "WHAT IS IT!?" as Palm covers her face with her scaled hand, her eye visible and wide. In a larger panel Palm holds her hand to her forehead, sweat drops visible, and exclaims "WHAT'S GOING ON...!?" while saying "NO WAY..." Killua appears at the bottom of the page with wide eyes and an open mouth in shock against a black background.

Gon and Palm step into a vast, echoing hall lined with statues and heavy ornate doors. Gon points ahead and declares the far door on the right as their target. Massive sound effects rumble as the enormous doors swing open. The pair advances down the long corridor, footsteps and impacts ringing out with every step. Palm walks steadily in front while Gon follows close behind, still gesturing forward. Palm’s tail sways as she moves. In close-up, Palm’s face shows a tense, focused expression with wide eyes, while Gon peeks in from the side with a determined look.

Pitou stands in shadow, holding a cell phone to their ear. A voice from the phone identifies itself as Welfin reporting to Pitou-sama. Welfin explains that Brovuda retrieved the girl and that he is in a hurry. Pitou listens with a serious expression, eyes half-closed. Welfin continues that the rebels remain nearby and that they have barricaded themselves underneath the palace. Pitou’s large eyes widen slightly as they absorb the information. The conversation is tense and urgent.

A boy with short spiky hair stands in profile and says "KEEP GOING. RIGHT." He continues down the corridor. In the long stone hallway lined with wooden doors, multiple black cross-shaped marks hover in the air while a distant figure calls out "...HELLO...? PITOU-SAMA ...? IT'S KOMUGI." The boy answers firmly, "I'M ALL RIGHT. PLEASE DON'T WORRY." The scene shifts to a large close-up of a character with voluminous curly hair and wide eyes; impact lines and dark smoke burst around them as they declare "ALL RIGHT...!" and then "GOODBYE ... *BEEP*" while the connection ends.

A hand grips a payphone receiver while panting sounds fill the air. The wolf-like man at the counter asks "...WAS THAT ALL RIGHT?" and receives the answer "YES." Below, the spiky-haired boy stands with a serious expression and declares he can now reconstruct himself as someone else, split at a cellular level, change his face, physique, and even his voice. He adds "I'D LIKE A DOCTOR ..." and "I KNEW IT..." while Pouf lies injured on the floor, muttering "POUF-DONO...?" The boy continues, "MY FACE!! MY PHYSIQUE!! EVEN MY VOICE!!" and notes "IT'S MAGIC...!!" as Pouf laughs "HAHAHA, PITOU FELL FOR IT!!"

In a stone hall, Gon stands with his back to the viewer, fists clenched, staring toward a kneeling girl with long straight hair on the floor. To his left, Palm, with wild curly hair and a tail, faces away with her head bowed. A massive thought bubble erupts above Gon: "A SPELL TO FREE MYSELF FROM THAT GIRL!!" Large jagged sound effects "オオオ" and motion lines crack across the scene. The top of the page is dominated by a heavy black banner filled with massive stylized SFX "ゴロゴロゴロ". Three small panels at the bottom show close-ups: Palm's downturned face with closed eyes, the long-haired girl's bowed head, and Gon's wide-eyed, tense expression looking back over his shoulder.

Palm, seen from behind with her curly hair, speaks to Gon. "JUST LIKE YOU PROMISED. NOW HEAL HIM." Gon, in profile, replies with determination. A small "?" appears as Palm reacts. She asks "YOUR NAME ..." Gon answers "I'LL FREE HER. IF YOU DO," then presses "WAS YOUR NAME AGAIN...?" Palm turns slightly and says "WHAT". Gon identifies himself: "I HEARD YOUR REQUEST. GON ... GON FREECS." Palm repeats "GON." In the final panel she continues, "I NEED TO BE HONEST WITH YOU. SO I THINK". The left margin shows the Weekly Shonen Jump logo and issue information.

In an empty white expanse, the words "IS ALREADY DEAD." float on the left side while "HE" lingers on the right. Below, a long-haired figure sits slumped on the ground with head bowed and hair spilling forward. A few steps away stands a figure with curly hair and a long tail, hands clasped behind the back. Further right, Killua stands upright, facing forward with a tense posture.

Killua's face fills the top of the page, eyes wide and mouth slightly open in shock. Below, a series of panels shows a chaotic fight: a small figure labeled "I REMEM-BER..." appears amid motion lines while another bubble states "HE WAS ALREADY DEAD." A close-up shows the long-haired figure lying on the ground. In a dark panel the same figure's hair spreads across the floor. The Pouf clone stands with back turned, saying "YOU WERE THE ONE..." Killua's shocked face appears again in the lower left as the long-haired figure lies motionless on cracked ground near the clone's feet.

Killua stares forward with wide, stunned eyes, his face filling the top of the page. Below, a girl with long, flowing hair speaks in a series of panels. She explains that she could only keep the person from rotting and could not bring someone back from the dead. A close-up shows her face streaked with tears, eyes large and sorrowful. From behind, her wavy hair visible, she continues that he will not come back again and that his spirit is no longer here.

A figure kneels on a stone-tiled floor in two small panels, body hunched and hands pressed to the ground. Beside them, the girl with long hair looks on with a sorrowful expression and says she is sorry. A large central panel shows a fierce man with a headband and wild hair shouting angrily about an idiot going to the Hebihina tree now and calling someone a fool. In the bottom panels, a character in a hat is told that Jin-san was their master while another figure declares that someone killed him.

A close-up shows a long-haired figure wearing a wide hat, gazing sideways with a calm expression. The character says, "I'LL LEAVE IT WITH YOU." A solid black panel follows, displaying the fragmented text "Iooo". The scene shifts to a full view of a spiky-haired youth lying prone on the ground, hair splayed wildly, body limp with arms outstretched. Bold narration text reads "KAITO IS DEAD...!! GON IS OVERCOME WITH DESPAIR!!" The page ends with the Hunter × Hunter logo and "No.304 ... /END".