Chapter 241

Killua lies flat on his back, body covered in scrapes, with a small sound effect above him. The scene cuts to a close-up of a bare back and grass with the text "EH...?" Killua then lies prone, thinking, "MY BODY... ISN'T MOVING... AS IT SHOULD. WHAT THE... HELL?" with question marks around his head. The small round creature and octopus-like creature stand nearby with stars and motion effects. The final panel shows a close-up of Gon's wide, intense eyes with sweat drops and the words "HEY, HEY, HEY..."

Killua lies half-submerged in shallow water, his face pressed against the surface as his wide eyes stare in shock. "WHOA..." he mutters. Above him, fragmented panels show his battered form struggling upright amid debris. "IS THIS FOR REAL?" "WHAT THE HELL" he gasps. A broken structure lies nearby. In a larger panel, Killua sits up on the ground, one arm raised, blood visible on his skin and clothes. "MY BLOOD?" he questions. "IS THIS ALL..." At the bottom, a small round creature floats nearby as Killua thinks, "NO, THIS ISN'T THE TIME OR THE PLACE TO THINK OF SUCH THINGS." The creature replies, "IT'S KINDA WARM, LIKE I'M TAKING A BATH..."

Killua's hand twitches in close-up, appearing blurry. "MY HAND..." he notes. "LOOKS BLURRY..." He lies prone in the water, reaching forward with a determined yet fading expression. "I HAVE TO GO." "EVEN MY EYE-SIGHT IS FADING..." he realizes. Internal monologue continues: "AND JUST WHEN I GOT AN IDEA FOR A GREAT TECHNIQUE..." "SHIT..." "I CAN'T MOVE..." "NO..." A close-up shows his face pressed down with question marks. "GONNA DIE HERE...?" "AM I..." In the final panel he struggles to rise, thinking "THIS IS DANGEROUS... I'M GETTING COLD NOW..."

Killua lies prone on the ground, his body battered and bloodied. His right hand is shown up close, fingers curled and trembling. 'MY HAND..' he thinks. The hand blurs in the next panel. 'LOOKS BLURRY...' he notes. From a higher angle he pushes himself forward with one arm, white hair matted with dirt and blood. 'I HAVE TO GO,' he tells himself as a shaky 'ズズ' sound effect trails behind him. A wide panel shows him collapsed flat, one arm stretched out, the other limp. Small motion lines hover above his back. 'EVEN MY EYE-SIGHT IS FADING...' he realizes. In the lower tier, close-ups capture his exhausted face half-submerged in mud. 'GONNA DIE HERE...?' he wonders, eyes half-lidded. 'AM I...' Another panel shows him from behind, one arm raised weakly as blood spatters the air. 'THIS IS DANGEROUS... I'M GETTING COLD NOW...' he thinks. Separate text boxes read: 'AND JUST WHEN I GOT AN IDEA FOR A GREAT TECHNIQUE...' followed by 'SHIT...' and then 'I CAN'T MOVE... NO...'

Killua remains collapsed on the ground in a single large panel. His spiky white hair is disheveled and his body is limp. Large text floats above him: 'GON...' followed by 'SORRY...' Near his head another line reads 'MUCH... HELP...' On the right side he continues the thought: 'I COULDN'T BE...' The page is otherwise mostly white space, emphasizing his isolation and weakness.

Killua lies prone on the rough stone floor, his spiky hair splayed outward and his face set in a fierce glare. His right arm stretches forward, fingers extended toward the creature in front of him. A thick, spotted tentacle coils near his shoulder. In the lower panel the small round octopus-like creature stands upright on two tentacles, its round white body looming over Killua’s outstretched hand. The creature’s face is contorted with anger—thick black V-shaped brows, narrowed eyes, and a downturned beak—while sweat drops fly from its head. Killua’s fingers curl slightly as if reaching for or gripping one of the creature’s tentacles.

In a rocky cavern, several voices shout at once. Someone yells “YOU CAN FINISH HIM OFF LATER!!” while another calls “WAIT, OCTO-PUS!!” and a third screams “AH!! HEY, OCTO-PUS!!” A panicked man with spiky hair lies on the ground, mouth wide open. The small round creature stands in the background, looking back. In the next wide panel the creature is being grabbed from behind by an unidentified person while more voices cry “HEY OCTOPUS!! ARE YOU LISTENING?”, “WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT!? ME FIRST!! ME ME ME!!”, and “SAVE ME FIRST!!”. A close-up shows Killua’s dirt-streaked face, eyes half-lidded as he murmurs “…OCTO-PUS?”. The final panel focuses on the small round creature’s lower body and head; it shouts “OCTO-PUS—!!” with a large black V-shaped mark above it, then adds “DON’T CALL ME…” in a sharp speech bubble.

The octopus-like creature stands tall, its massive round body wrapped in thick tentacles. Inside its translucent form, the spiky-haired boy hangs upside down, arms dangling and face twisted in fury with sweat drops flying. The creature's expression is one of shock and anger, brows furrowed and mouth open wide. Below, a small panel shows the creature recoiling with a large "WHAT!?" SFX. In the next panel, the boy appears from behind with wild hair, saying "YO..." while the creature responds with a trailing ellipsis, tension thick in the air.

The octopus creature floats in panic, shouting about betraying its comrades and looking uncool. The spiky-haired boy questions its actions from the side. In a series of panels, a long-haired figure speaks about becoming a wanted man, while the boy admits to being stupid. The octopus creature insists it knows a doctor and urges hanging on until the underwater current is taken. The boy reflects that he cannot understand himself either. The creature retorts that it already knew that. Final panels show the creature lying down, questioning the boy's earlier statements about being cool and comparing it to an octopus.

A massive octopus-like creature looms in close-up, its body trembling with emotion as dramatic speed lines radiate outward. It shouts with fierce determination, "I COULD NEVER JUST LET YOU DIE!!!" and "FOR A GUY WHO EVEN SAID THAT WE COULD BE FRIENDS...!!!" Below, the scene shifts to a chaotic ocean surface where the small round creature floats amid turbulent waves. The octopus thrashes violently, unleashing powerful sound effects "ゴォオオオオオオオ!!" and "ドドド" as it struggles against the current, its form partially submerged and battered by the raging water.

Explosive action erupts as a massive burst of energy and debris fills the upper panel. A voice yells "DON'T YOU DARE DIE ON ME!!" while another declares "I'M GONNA SAVE YOU NO MATTER WHAT!!!" In the middle, a small round creature sits alone inside a rectangular panel. The lower scene reveals Gon standing confidently on a vast sandy plain at sunset, one arm extended. He announces "FROM HERE, I HAVE A 360 DEGREE FIELD OF VISION!!" and adds "THIS IS PERFECT!!" In the distance, another figure rides a skateboard across the dunes.

Gon stands alone in the vast desert, glaring ahead with determination. He shouts, 'NOW WHAT? YOU HAVE NOWHERE TO HIDE ANYMORE!!' and follows with 'IF YOU'RE GONNA COME AT ME, COME NOW!!' as he takes a fighting stance. A voice suddenly calls out 'WAIT!!' from off-panel. Gon turns in surprise. The unseen speaker continues, 'IF YOU DON'T HAVE WATER, YOU'LL DRY UP IN A DAY!! THIS DESERT IS HUGE!! EVEN FOR YOU, CROSSING THE DESERT BY FOOT IS IMPOSSIBLE. YOU CAN FORGET ABOUT FINDING AN OASIS OR CACTUSES EITHER.' Gon's eyes widen in shock at the revelation. The voice adds, 'I WANTED TO OBSERVE YOU FOR A LITTLE WHILE LONGER... OH WELL.' Footprints and motion lines mark the empty sand as the speaker seems to depart.

A cloaked figure with a long tail approaches Gon across the dunes. The figure says, 'GUESS WE CAN SAY THAT THE TIME FOR COMMUNICATION HAS INCREASED? BUT I DON'T HAVE MUCH OF A CHOICE. MY STAMINA'S JUST ABOUT EMPTY.' The stranger stops and declares, 'MY NAME IS JAIL... NO, MELEORON. INTRODUCTIONS FIRST.' Gon stares warily. Meleoron continues, 'WHEN THE QUEEN WAS ALIVE, I SERVED AS A DIVISION COMMANDER. PLEASED TO MEET YOU.' Gon asks, 'WHY WERE YOU TAILING ME?' Meleoron replies, 'AND IT WOULD BE EVEN MORE TROUBLESOME IF YOU DIED. BECAUSE IT WOULD BE TROUBLESOME IF YOU ESCAPED.' Gon presses, 'AND WHAT IS YOUR NAME?' Meleoron gestures while speaking.

Gon leans in close with a wide, intense grin, his face dominating the panel as he addresses Killua. "And above all else, because you are an important partner?" Killua stares back with a sharp "!?" expression. In a series of smaller panels, Killua reflects internally: "He must've approached me with some hidden agenda. I can't say any more." A distant view shows two small figures on a vast sandy plain under cloudy skies, one figure calling out "You have business with the King, I presume?" while another balloon reads "WRONG!" Gon appears surprised with "...CLOSE CALL!" and a question mark. Meleoron suddenly materializes with dramatic "ゴゴゴ" sound effects and a burst of motion lines. Killua turns and asks, "You guys?" Meleoron replies, "Didn't you guys come to defeat the King?" Killua presses, "Really?" Meleoron answers, "I see." In the lower panel, Gon smiles knowingly and says, "I've been watching you since you were with that other boy." Meleoron chuckles, "Hehehe. That's right. -HEH."

Meleoron reacts with shock, arms flailing as he shouts "WHOA! IS THAT WHAT YOU THINK!?" Killua dashes forward with motion lines, thinking "HUH? NO NO, THAT'S NOT IT!!" and "SO YOU THOUGHT I'D BE EASIER... TO HANDLE THAN KILLUA!?" In close conversation, Meleoron frantically denies any trickery: "I HAVE NO INTENTIONS OF TRICKING YOU OR DEFEATING YOU—!" and begs to be heard. Gon raises a hand to his head, eyes wide, and says he must first straighten out the misunderstanding. Killua listens intently. Meleoron continues desperately, "BUT!! YOU CAN AT LEAST HEAR WHAT I—" while Killua places a hand on his shoulder and states firmly, "ALL RIGHT. I BELIEVE YOU." The final wide panel shows Gon in a low stance on the sand with arms outstretched, exclaiming "HUH!?" as Killua stands opposite him. A caption box reads "Gon's unexpected words!! What is Meleoron's purpose!?"