The Flesh Collector's Mansion (Part 2)

Killua leaps forward with intense focus, his right hand thrust out. A large ring attached to chains hovers near his fingers, the chain links spiraling dramatically through the air. A massive speech bubble declares "THE GUIDING RING FINGER"!!! with multiple exclamation marks. Killua's left hand is open at his side, body angled in a dynamic pose. Speed lines radiate outward from the center, emphasizing the dramatic activation of the technique. The chapter title is repeated at the bottom of the page.

Killua bursts through a hail of gunfire, his hands shattering the incoming chains and bullets with a loud SKREEK. In a blur of motion he draws his own chain, the links whipping forward with a sharp SHING!! as he spins through the air. Two men stare in shock at the scene. One bearded fighter exclaims that Killua stopped bullets with a chain. The second man with a topknot stands frozen in disbelief. Killua lands in a low crouch and immediately rushes forward, his feet pounding across the floor with a heavy RUSH as he charges deeper into the room, the chain still swinging from his hand.

Killua continues his assault, leaping high with arms outstretched as a massive FOOO sound effect fills the panel. He ducks under a sword swing, the blade slicing past his head with a SHUK, then counters with his own chain that sends one hooded attacker flying. The word DUCK appears as he evades. In the next instant he leaps again, soaring over the remaining enemies. Three hooded figures with swords close in from the right while Killua lands on a balcony railing, looking down at the chaos below where more hooded assailants and debris litter the floor.

Killua stands poised on the upper balcony railing, a dagger in each hand, facing shadowy figures. He leaps into action as the panel shows three gunmen and six swordsmen below. With a powerful WHACK, Killua crashes through the railing and plummets downward, his body twisting mid-air. Two more swordsmen wait upstairs. He lands amid shattering wood and debris with a loud KRESH, scattering the enemies as he continues his descent through the chaotic staircase.

A swordsman charges at Killua from behind while another figure speaks. The bearded man with a scar declares that Killua may have snuck up but his skills are nothing special. Killua retorts that he does not even need Nen. The bearded man grunts HMPH!! as a massive fist swings forward. A powerful CRUNCH and WHOM impact follows, sending the swordsman flying backward with a burst of force and debris.

Killua grips a vertical pole and swings down hard, his boots slamming into a domed surface with a loud CLATTER CRASH. BLAM BLAM BLAM echoes as he lands. A close-up shows a bearded man with a topknot realizing the situation: 'I SEE. I GET IT NOW.' Another panel captures his shocked face marked with exclamation lines. A massive close-up fills the frame with Killua's wide, intense eyes staring forward. Below, chaos erupts in a room as several figures are hurled through the air; one man with a topknot is thrown backward over furniture while others scramble. Killua leaps forward with powerful motion lines, the word LEAP exploding across the panel. A voice declares, 'HE'S THE ONE!' Killua's face appears again, calm yet focused.

Quick reaction shots show a stern man with a dot on his forehead, a woman with light hair, a bald man, and the bearded man all turning with tense expressions. In a wide view of a multi-level interior, Killua leaps from a railing marked 'TMP' while hooded figures stand below. The scene cuts to Killua pressing a thin needle-like object against the bearded man's throat from behind; the man sweats heavily and counts aloud 'TWO.' then 'ONE.' Killua speaks firmly: 'CALL THEM OFF. I'LL GIVE YOU THREE SECONDS.' Below, hooded attackers with blades advance on a group that includes several women and a curly-haired man. The bearded man, still held, shouts in panic: 'I'LL DO IT. OKAY, OKAY!'

A massive sound effect FS KHHHHH erupts across the top of the page as black silhouettes of swords and jagged aura masses clash violently in midair. In the next tier, a bearded man with an earpiece speaks intently, hands clasped near his chin: "They're masses of aura shaped like men. I could tell when I punched one of 'em. So it was Nen..." A woman with a topknot and a bald man react with surprise, the bald man exclaiming "?!" while a small panel shows two figures in striped clothing embracing. The bearded man continues in profile, "But I didn't know it was HIS." A close-up of a sharp eye appears as someone asks from off-panel, "How could you tell?" Killua, the white-haired boy, fills the bottom panel with a serious expression, replying, "...It was obvious that you were the only one NOT getting attacked. You hid it well by keeping close to the others, but from above..."

Killua continues his analysis from the previous page, noting that the aura figures kept swinging even after he jumped away and that they had been ordered to attack anyone closest. He points out an oddity when two figures appeared upstairs. In a close-up, Killua explains that remotely controlling eleven aura masses the size of a man requires enough Nen for only simple commands and weak skills. The bearded man listens with a music note icon near his ear, agreeing that the amount of aura used would limit the range to a dozen feet. He concludes the user is most likely an Emitter who must be inside the room. A final close-up shows Killua's eye as he confirms, "Yes. You're correct."

Shachmono Tocino stands with his arm around Killua, a bright aura flaring behind them as he declares, "MY NAME IS SHACHMONO TOCINO. I'M A HUNTER, TOO. AND AN EMPLOYEE HERE." A cat-like figure in the previous panel asks, "NOW CAN YOU SHEATH YOUR DAGGER?" and Tocino continues, "YOUR SENIOR, BASICALLY." He explains, "HE TOLD ME TO TEST YOU WITH REAL THREATS. DON'T TAKE IT PERSONALLY. I WAS ORDERED TO DO THIS." In a wider shot, Tocino lounges in a chair, waving casually. "WELL, YOU FOUR SHOULD BE ABLE TO ESCAPE EASILY. I DIDN'T THINK I'D GET EXPOSED SO FAST. GOOD LUCK." Killua smirks with a quiet "HEH..." while a stern bearded man notes, "SO THERE'S ANOTHER ONE." Tocino sits relaxed in the background as the group processes the revelation.

Killua holds a pendulum on a chain, its ball swinging as he states, "YOU MEANT TO MAKE US SECOND-GUESS, BUT IT WAS THE WRONG CALL. I'LL FIND OUT WHETHER THERE ARE OTHER INFILTRATORS." The pendulum swings in close-ups marked with "SHP" sound effects. A woman with a bun watches with a question mark above her head. Killua continues swinging the device in front of several people. In a dramatic panel, a bright flash erupts near a stern man with a ponytail and forehead mark, who reacts with shock. Killua points directly forward and declares, "YOU'RE THE INFILTRATOR. THERE YOU ARE." The man stands exposed under the spotlight effect while Tocino watches from his chair in the background.

The group debates the results of Melody's dowsing. Someone demands proof, and Melody explains that the target's heart was pounding at first before calming. She concludes the chain sway indicated truth. Basho, listening intently, agrees that if two of them confirm it then it must be true. Melody points at the man in the striped shirt and the bearded man, declaring both of them infiltrators. The bearded man reacts with shock, realizing there were three infiltrators in total.

The ponytail man with the forehead mark insists they are wasting time arguing. A woman with dark hair suggests ending the discussion. The bearded man, Basho, raises his hand holding a card covered in Japanese text. He recites his ability: his hand makes a punch that bursts targets in flames. With dramatic flair and motion lines, he declares himself the Wandering Haiku Poet.

A violent explosion erupts as a chair is blasted across the room with a massive FOOM!! and POW, sending debris flying while two figures in the background react in alarm. The bearded man with slicked-back hair stands triumphant in the foreground, holding up a playing card between his fingers. He declares that the previous card was a dud and is not burning as well. In the lower panels he continues composing, stating that whatever he composes becomes real and explaining that this is called a haiku, a form of poetry in his native country. Nearby, a woman with a ponytail watches while holding a book, and a boy with spiky hair stands observing the demonstration. Sound effects like SHP and FWIP accompany the card handling as the man prepares the next test.

The bearded man holds up a new card with Japanese writing and threatens that if the subject is a liar, their painful death will be swift in a trial by fire. Close-ups show intense eyes and questioning expressions as he asks whether the person is an infiltrator. A small child with spiky hair answers 'No.' Other characters respond in sequence: a round-faced person says 'No, I'm not,' a girl with pigtails says 'Nope,' and finally a sweating man with short hair admits '...Yes, I am.' The bearded man's face is shown with dramatic speed lines as the card test continues.

In a tense confrontation, a stern man with a mustache glares at his target and warns, "...I ADVISE THAT YOU COMPLY. FOR YOUR OWN GOOD..." Close-ups reveal the intense eyes of the interrogator, sweat visible on his brow. Nearby, a woman with her hair in a high bun and another with light hair watch silently alongside a small figure. The mustached man leans forward aggressively, holding up a large sign covered in bold Japanese characters, and demands, "LET'S HEAR YOUR ANSWER!! ARE YOU AN INFILTRATOR?" In the final panel, the man with a ponytail and forehead mark raises both hands in surrender, admitting, "YES, I AM. YOU GOT ME. FINE."

The ponytail man continues, "...BUT I'M A MANIPULATOR. I'VE ALREADY GIVEN OUT MY ORDERS." In another room, Squala lounges on a couch with a "THUMP" sound effect, raising his hand while a woman with a high bun stands beside him. He states, "I DON'T HAVE AN OFFICIAL LICENSE... MY NAME IS SQUALA. GOOD JOB." The ponytail man, now shown in profile with a "TAP TAP" effect near his ear, replies that torture would not work. Squala asks what kind of orders were given. The scene shifts to an intimate close-up of the ponytail man and the woman with the high bun sharing a near-kiss, her hand on his face.

A woman with a high ponytail in a dark dress presses her foot down on a kneeling man with glasses and a head wrap, who grimaces under her heel. She taunts him with a sly smile: "WELL? COME ON, COME ON." The man on the floor protests, "I'M ALSO A MANIPULATOR." She continues, "I MAKE A MANSERVANT OUT OF ANYONE FROM WHOM I STEAL A KISS!!" while he cries out, "AHH! STEP ON ME MORE!!" In a dramatic close-up, the same woman passionately kisses a man with a headband, her hands cupping his face as impact lines burst around them. A large speech bubble declares "180-MINUTE LOVE SLAVE!!!!" The scene shifts to a man holding a small video camera, sweat on his face as he demands, "TELL ME HOW YOU USED YOUR NEN!!" The woman reacts with shock, "AH!" while a voice off-panel notes "HEH, YOU'RE SO SHAMEFUL!! AND NOW IT'S ON TAPE!!" and "OR ELSE I'LL STOP STEPPING ON YOU!!" A mustached man with a fierce expression glares and declares, "I'VE LET LOOSE ALL SORTS OF DOGS. FIRST, A MALTESE, ST. BERNARD, AND BULLDOG." Nearby faces react: "SHE'S EVIL." "OH MAN." "WHATEVER YOU SAY!! I'M A LOWLY DOG MASTER!" At the bottom of the page, a dark silhouette of a large mansion looms against the night sky. Text reads "...ESCAPE FROM THE MANSION." A box lists "KURAPIKA, BASHO, MELODY, BAISE..."