Persuasion

Meruem stands centered against a black void, arms extended outward with palms open. His armored helmet and segmented limbs gleam under the faint glow of countless particles. With his second "En", the king had just about grasped the essence of these photons. The King's "En" transformed his aura into innumerable photons released into the surrounding area. The king was able to take the measure of the shape, quality, emotion, and other informational content of things that these photons interacted with. Although immeasurably small, particle by particle, each photon continued to maintain his aura without fading. A large close-up of Meruem's open hand appears below, fingers slightly curled amid drifting spheres of light. And parallel to the king's own rapidly accelerated growth, the precision was proportional to the quantity of the photons directed at the object of interest.

Meruem floats high against a starry night sky, right arm extended forward with fingers spread. A trail of light particles streams from his hand. By scattering anew immeasurably small quantities of photons, Meruem searches for subjects permeated by photons from his very first "En". A close-up shows Meruem's intense eye and helmet edge. Below, a large two-story building with many windows stands under the night sky, trees and bushes in front. The photons became a profoundly simple matter.

Inside a dimly lit multi-story building, a figure with a tall hat and antennae-like appendages climbs the staircase. A large speech bubble declares: "If there are conditions for Komugi's surrender, I ask of you for them." The figure reaches an upper landing and pauses. Another voice responds from off-panel: "If we meet, I would speak with you." The scene shifts to a sparse room with a covered bed where the same figure stands facing the unseen speaker. "It seems there is only one person here, but," the voice continues. In a flashback panel the figure walks down a hallway, stating, "Not anger, fear, or hatred, but rather resolution to a sense of duty." A close-up reveals Palm's face, marked by a dark forehead symbol and sweat, her eyes wide as she thinks, "What I felt strongly from touching your Nen was... Are tricks useless...? With everything in his grasp."

A close-up shows the helmeted Pouf clone with wide eyes, declaring, "It has already ended." He continues, "If this is a battle upon which the existence of the human species depends." In profile he adds, "If that's the case, I'll repeat myself as many times as necessary." Palm's intense close-up follows with the question, "Do you need to process that? It seems you doubt your ears." The Pouf clone, viewed from behind, states firmly, "The battle has ended. This is your victory." In the final panels he turns and says, "From here, I'm speaking only to you," while Palm watches in profile.

A close-up reveals a woman's wide, intense eyes glistening with sweat, her expression locked in determination. In profile, the same woman speaks with calm clarity. "There is, in fact, only one reason," she states. "The reason I came here is not complicated." The scene shifts to a modest room with shuttered windows and a bed. Standing alone in the center is a figure wearing a distinctive striped hat with a pompon, its body clad in segmented armor. The figure declares, "I want to see Komugi." A second speech bubble follows: "That's all there is to it."

A split panel shows a character in profile wearing a visor and glasses on the left, while Palm's face fills the right side, eyes wide and mouth slightly open. Palm says, "Truly." "That's all there is." A third bubble reads, "There is nothing else that I desire." The next panels darken into abstract ink blots. Text states: "I understand my own present condition, as well as 'what is to come.'" Another bubble adds, "After touching your Nen." A starburst effect appears in the final panel. Palm concludes, "What I desire now" and "And despite knowing all of that."

Against a star-filled void, a young woman with long dark hair, a third eye on her forehead, and scaly patterned limbs stands atop a white pedestal. Her hands are clasped tightly before her chest as radiant lines burst outward from her body. She states her sole desire. To her right stands a tall, armored figure with a striped tail and segmented helmet-like head, its back half-turned. The figure declares its remaining purpose. The woman concludes that nothing else matters.

In a dimly lit room, the third-eye girl stands in the doorway while the striped-tail armored figure faces her from near the bed. Close-ups show the figure's intense eyes and the girl's solemn face. The armored figure questions whether her earlier words were a calculated move after sensing its changed personality. The girl begins to respond. A barrage of overlapping speech bubbles erupts from the figure, expressing disbelief at its own defeat declaration, revulsion at the massacres, and shock that it would prioritize time with the girl over its pride as king.

A close-up reveals the Pouf clone's face twisted in horror, sweat flying as he screams with wide eyes and an open mouth. "GIVEN THE REALITY, THE KING ...!!!!" he shouts. "ABSOLUTELY IMPOSSIBLE!" and "IMPOSSIBLE!" burst from jagged speech bubbles amid heavy speed lines. Below, a small panel shows Palm standing in a doorway with Ikalgo nearby, her expression thoughtful. "IT WAS JUST A LITTLE BIT, I THOUGHT," Palm says quietly. In the bottom panel the Pouf clone, now wearing a wide hat, stares forward with a tense face. "SINCE SOMETHING WAS JUST A LITTLE BIT DIFFERENT," he mutters. "SOMEHOW, JUST A LITTLE BIT..." he continues, eyes wide with dawning realization.

Palm faces the Pouf clone, her third eye visible. "PERHAPS THAT'S THE REASON THAT I THINK SO," she says. The Pouf clone replies, "PRECISELY BECAUSE EVERYTHING HAS COME TOGETHER IN THIS PRESENT WORLD..." and "I WOULDN'T CALL MYSELF A GOD, BUT... THIS WORLD..." He clenches his fist. "IF IT'S THE PRESENT ME," he continues. "I WANTED TO ASK IT FROM YOU," Palm responds. The Pouf clone insists, "BETTER THAN ME SEARCHING FOR HER ON MY OWN," and warns, "YOU SHOULD BE AWARE THAT I HAVE NO TIME LEFT." Tension rises as the Pouf clone leans forward shouting, "WHY DON'T YOU TORTURE ME OR DO WHATEVER IT TAKES TO GET IT OUT OF ME?!" Palm yells back, "THAT'S RIGHT! I KNOW HER LOCATION!!" and "STOP IT" while the clone snaps, "I GET IT ALREADY!" and "WHAT ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT?!" Ikalgo stands nearby saying, "IS TO RELY ON YOU." Palm adds, "ALL THAT I CAN DO NOW" and "STOP IT, ALREADY." The Pouf clone states, "YOUR AURA NOW HAS THE STRONGEST BEAUTY OF ALL THE TIMES I'VE SEEN IT, UP UNTIL NOW" and "WE BOTH KNOW THAT IS IMPOSSIBLE." The page ends on a close-up of Palm's wide, shocked eyes.

In a tense standoff inside the room, Palm stands facing the Pouf clone. Dramatic speed lines radiate outward as the clone declares with overwhelming force, "IT'S USELESS!!!!" Palm remains motionless, her back to the viewer, while the clone stands rigidly ahead of her near the doorway. Below, a close-up reveals Palm's face streaked with sweat or tears, her expression strained. On the right, the Pouf clone is shown from behind in full detail, its small armored form and striped pants visible against the dark background.

Palm, covered in dark markings across her arms and body, admits her transformed state. "I... I AM ALREADY PART ANT" and "THE LEVEL OF EXISTENCE THAT YOU ARE...THOUGH IT DETESTS ME, I GET IT ALREADY!!" The Pouf clone responds that going to such lengths is pointless. Palm offers to reveal information, but the clone dismisses it. In close-up, the clone's wide eyes stare intensely. Palm extends her hand and proposes using her ability to ascertain things from the clone. She states she has one condition. The scene shifts to show the Pouf clone in a hat standing nearby as Palm, now with a third eye visible on her forehead, faces forward with her hand raised. "HOWEVER" she continues, setting the terms of their exchange.

A close-up shows Palm with tears streaming down her face, her hand raised to her forehead where a dark mark is visible. She speaks with resolve. "THEN CERTAINLY, BY ALL MEANS." Beside her, a wide-eyed figure in a large helmet replies, "IF BY THAT I WILL BE ABLE TO MEET KOMUGI." The scene cuts to a stark black panel containing white text: "I BROKE... OUR PROMISE" and "SORRY, KILLUA..." Below, a massive impact erupts across the bottom of the page with bold, jagged sound effects "バキオオオ" shaking the frame.

A massive dark explosion or energy blast erupts above a distant palace-like structure, the sky torn by jagged black shapes and enormous sound effects "オオオオ" dominating the upper half. In the lower panels, Killua lies on the ground with mouth open and eyes wide in pain or shock amid the continuing roar. Nearby, a group of people stand with mouths agape, faces twisted in terror. The final wide panel shows a large crowd of onlookers recoiling as a small figure is hurled through the air by the force, dust and motion lines filling the scene.

A long, empty concrete corridor stretches into pitch blackness. Large, jagged sound effects tear across the upper panels as something moves unseen through the hallway. The space is cold and silent except for the echoing noise. Several panels fall into total darkness. Small, scattered sound effects punctuate the void. At the bottom of the page a single foot in a light-colored shoe steps forward into a narrow beam of light, breaking the darkness.

In a cramped wooden box-like bed, a small creature with a round body clings to the edge while a spiky-haired person sleeps inside. A close-up shows the same spiky-haired sleeper resting peacefully under a blanket. Nearby, a boy wearing a wide hat stares with wide, startled eyes, hands clasped in front of him. The bottom panel reveals a close-up of a different sleeping girl with long flowing hair, a snout-like nose, and drool on her cheek. A speech bubble beside her reads "SNORT" as she breathes heavily in her sleep.

A long, narrow wooden corridor stretches into darkness under a high ceiling, its walls lined with planks and beams. An unseen voice trails off with a quiet "......" while nearby speech bubbles read "4-7-1 GENERAL ..." accompanied by repeated "SNORT" sounds. Vertical text along the left edge declares "THE END THAT HE HAD CHOSEN, THE END THAT HE HAD HOPED FOR!". The scene cuts to a close-up of a face with a wide, toothy grin, sweat drops flying and tension lines marking the cheek. The background turns completely black. Two large speech bubbles appear: one stating "I'LL PLAY YOU!" and the other commanding "WAKE UP, KOMUGI!".