Chapter 256

Pouf, now in a more detailed form with flowing hair, declares from a stool, 'I will excuse myself first.' Komugi stands nearby looking up. A large narration box explains, 'THE REASON THE KING HAS EVEN GONE BACK ON HIS OWN WORD WAS TO PROVE HIS OWN CONVICTIONS...' Pouf continues internally, 'I SHOULD NOT BE SO HASTY...' Further narration states, 'THE ONLY THING REMAINING FOR THE KING IN GUN-GI IS DEFEAT. IF I DISPOSE OF THIS GIRL RIGHT NOW... AND TO PROVE HIS SKILLS... IN ORDER TO DESTROY THE GUN-GI KING IN HER BEST CONDITION... TO KILL HER IS TO MAKE HER DIVINE. SHE BECOMES AN EXISTENCE WITHIN THE KING THAT HE'D NEVER SUCCEEDED IN OVERCOMING...!!!' A small figure of Komugi is shown with motion lines as Pouf clenches a fist.

A close-up reveals a long-haired figure with wide, tear-filled eyes and an open mouth, screaming in anguish as large stylized sound effects of "あす" dominate the panel. Sweat and tears streak the face amid frantic motion lines. In the next tier, narration captions appear beside smaller panels: one shows the same figure clutching their head in profile while text reads "I WAS ABOUT TO BEAR A MOST UNPLEASANT SCAR ON THE KING. WITH MY HASTY IMPULSE..." The adjacent panel depicts a hand tearing at hair with the words "WHAT... FOOLISHNESS..." Below, the long-haired figure appears again in profile, eyes closed, hand near the chin, declaring "I SHALL DIE... OF MY OWN WILL..."

A towering armored figure with a helmet looms forward, gripping a much smaller spiky-haired person by the limbs. Bold text declares "THAT THE KING REIGNS OVER THE WORLD...!!" and "AFTER I SEE TO IT..." The small figure struggles in the giant's grasp above a large spherical object. In a lower inset panel, the tiny figure falls while emitting a long scream "u a a a a a a a a a h". Beside it, a bald character with a question mark stares in profile, reacting with visible confusion.

In a ruined hall littered with debris, the group gathers to finalize their assault. A large speech bubble declares their plan: 'SEVEN OF US WILL ENTER THE PALACE THROUGH NOVU'S "MANSION"!!' Another bubble lists the team: 'ME AND SHOOT, GON, KILLUA, MELEORON, IKALGO, AND ALSO MASTER MORAU.' The speaker emphasizes that the guards will be caught off-guard, their instinctive action exposing them. When the team suddenly appears in the middle of the enemy's base, they will separate the royal guards from the King. During that window, the chairman will enter the palace from beyond Pitou's 'en' a few seconds after them. Gon, Killua, and Ikalgo will take the lead, protecting the King with their bodies. At the bottom of the page, five silhouettes race forward in formation under a caption noting they will most likely advance in this order.

Gon sits amid rubble, hand to his chin, and says 'I SEE.' Nearby, Killua and Ikalgo stand among broken walls; Ikalgo remarks 'YEAH. THAT'S WHERE I COME IN.' and adds 'BREAKING THIS WON'T BE EASY...' Gon responds thoughtfully. The scene shifts to a city skyline with damaged buildings. In a close-up, a hand holds a pointer over a hand-drawn map while a small bubble states 'SO... THEN.' Gon, now wearing a striped scarf and holding the pointer, sits cross-legged and asks 'ANY QUESTIONS?' before saying 'NOW...' The final panel shows the full group gathered in the ruined room, listening intently.

Inside a wooden building, Killua asks if there is any way to find out how Palm is doing. Gon replies that it is about Palm. Someone mutters "Um." In a dark panel, Gon states that Palm is either dead or in hiding, one or the other. Gon continues that Palm went into enemy territory with that kind of determination, so the chance that she is caught means she chose death. Since she has not contacted them, it means just that. If she had managed to sneak out, she would have contacted them. A bald man with a stern expression says that to directly insult her determination is to be worrying about Palm's situation. Gon crouches amid rubble and debris, looking tense. Someone notes that Gon was just worried about Palm. The man with the hook weapon snaps, "HEY! YOU'RE GOING OVER-BOARD." Killua watches silently with a neutral expression.

A framed picture of a sunglass-wearing man hangs on the wall. If Palm has been captured, the plan has likely been revealed. Knuckle declares that Palm has been captured by the enemy alive. That kind of worrying is incompetent. Gon and Killua react with shock. Knuckle warns that charging in will be like a moth to a flame and they will be annihilated in an instant. Gon shouts in large letters, "BELIEVE IN PALM!?" He argues that rather than considering the worst case, it is more important to believe in Palm. If that was the case, Gon's pointing out that they should prioritize the rescue of Palm is rejected with "NO WAY!" Knuckle insists that even if Palm is in such a situation, it is still not too late to alter the plan. He adds that Gon does have a point there. Someone asks if that is what Gon is suggesting. The man with the hook says "AND OF COURSE, HE LEAVES IT TO US TO FIGURE OUT HOW."

Gon and Killua stand together as they review their situation. "WE STILL HAVE TWO DAYS," one says. "BUT ONCE WE EXECUTE THE PLAN, KEEP IT OUT OF YOUR HEAD UNTIL IT'S FINISHED!!" the other replies. "I UNDERSTAND THAT YOU'RE WORRIED..." Gon continues, noting that the few fractions of a second lost by letting feelings through could cause failure. "CAN DIRECTLY RESULT IN OUR PLAN FAILING," he adds. They also worry that Palm might still contact them during that time. A wide view reveals a grand domed palace complex under a vast sky. Inside a spacious hall, two figures sit on the floor before a large board marked with circular pieces. One points upward while speaking. "IF YOU WERE TO PLACE THIS IN THE CENTER, IT WILL PROVIDE BOTH OFFENSE AND DEFENSE AND BE A BIGGER NUISANCE TO ME," says the figure on the left. "RATHER THAN THAT, IT'S THE KIBA," the other responds. "WHAT IF I HAD OPENED UP A PATH ON THE RIGHT SIDE HERE?"

The game continues with close-ups of the board and the players. "IF IT'S ALWAYS LIKE THAT, THEN THERE'S NO REASON FOR THE OPPONENT TO HESITATE," the spiky-haired player states. "THERE IS A TIME AND PLACE TO MOVE FORWARD WITHOUT THE FEAR OF ANY RISK," he adds. The man in the hat replies, "DEFENDING DOESN'T SUIT ME." A new scene shows a long-haired woman speaking with another character in a formal interior. "WHAT IS IT?" she asks. "YOUR MAJESTY," comes the reply. She continues, "EVEN THOUGH THERE WERE MORE CITIZENS IN PEKING THAT WE HAD TO TAKE CARE OF THAN WE HAD FIRST ESTIMATED..." and notes that the National Assembly is two days away. "IT DOESN'T MATTER, SPEAK," she says. "IT IS A CONFIDENTIAL MATTER, SO..." The other character urges, "GET TO THE POINT." She responds that the weather is supposed to be nice so the selection will proceed without any problems. "I WISH TO HASTEN OUR SCHEDULE FOR 'UNIFICATION' AS MUCH AS POSSIBLE," she declares. "FOLLOWING THE 'SELECTION'..."

A stern figure with a wrapped head issues a firm command: "NOW DO NOT SHOW YOURSELF IN MY PRESENCE UNTIL I SUMMON YOU!" Nearby, another voice states, "DO NOT MAKE ME REPEAT MYSELF. I SAID I'LL LEAVE EVERYTHING UP TO YOU." A third speaker adds, "THEN WE WILL DEPART IMMEDIATELY AFTER WE COMPLETE THE 'SELECTION.'" A masked character asks, "IS THAT ALL? DO YOU AS YOU'D LIKE." In a lower panel, Knuckle sits on a bench with knees drawn up, muttering "KNUCKLE..." while a long-haired figure sits opposite him. The long-haired character, Palm, leans forward with a serious expression and declares, "HOWEVER, SHE IS ALSO EVOLVING...!" She continues, "THE KING IS MOST CERTAINLY IMPROVING AT A BLISTERING RATE." Another panel shows her adding, "ACCORDING TO YOUR ASSESSMENT, IT'S JUST A MATTER OF A FEW MORE GAMES, RIGHT?" A small spiky-haired figure reacts with surprise. Palm concludes, "JUST BE PATIENT UNTIL THE KING WINS." The spiky-haired character questions, "BUT THAT'S WHAT YOU SAID JUST A LITTLE WHILE AGO." Palm responds, "HUH?" and then firmly states, "NO..."

Palm states, "THERE IS NO NEED TO WORRY." A voice replies, "I SEE." Another adds, "HOPEFULLY..." Knuckle, still seated, says, "BUT IT'S STILL ONLY A MATTER OF TIME UNTIL THE KING WINS, RIGHT?" Palm answers from the bench, "....." and then, "THEY'VE ALREADY SURPASSED MY LEVEL OF PREDICTION." The scene shifts to a wide landscape view of a city with domed buildings. A tall pillar stands in the foreground. Text reads, "THE SAME MAN WHO DEFEATED LEOL...!!!" and continues, "I'M 100% CERTAIN THAT IT'S THE ACT OF AN INDIVIDUAL, NYAH..."

Narration fills the top panels: "BUT THE QUALITY OF HIS IS MUCH HIGHER...!!" "MY 'PUPPETS' OUTNUMBER HIS..." "WITH COMPLEX MOVEMENTS UNLIKE THAT OF NEN PUPPETS, HE HAS LITERALLY SMOTHERED ME IN SMOKE." "AFTER DECEIVING THE REPORTS FROM WEDERIN AND THE OTHERS, I'M SURE OF IT... THE ASSEMBLED SOLDIERS ARE HIS SMOKE PUPPETS!" A dramatic close-up shows a wide eye with motion lines and the SFX "ズズズ". In the next tier, a character with cat-ear hair thinks, "HE'LL COME TO ME... MAYBE...". Beside them, a small spiky-haired figure exclaims, "WOO I WANNA FIGHT HIM, NYAH" and adds, "BUT I CAN'T MOVE FROM HERE, NYAH". The bottom panel reveals a long-haired person viewed from behind, seated indoors and gazing out a window at a bottle and distant scenery, with a question mark hovering near their head.

A large narration bubble states, "IT WOULDN'T BE SURPRISING IF THE ENEMY HAS FIGURED OUT MORAU'S DIVERSION TACTICS BY NOW." The panel shows silhouetted figures walking through a forest. Next, a spiky-haired character explains, "THE ROYAL GUARDS WILL THINK THAT 'MULTIPLE ENEMIES WILL BLEND IN WITH THE CITIZENS AND TARGET THE KING.'" Another bubble adds, "NATURALLY, THEIR SECURITY WILL BE FOCUSED ON THE CITIZENS IN THE VICINITY OF THE PALACE." In the forest scene, the plan continues: "WE'LL BE SNEAKING INTO PEIJING SOON." "WE WILL RUN AROUND PEIJING AND DISPROVE THEIR 'INDIVIDUAL SUSPECT THEORY.'" "AFTER THAT, WE WILL HIDE OUR PRESENCE THE DAY BEFORE THE ASSEMBLY WHEN THE CITIZENS COMMENCE THEIR MASS MOVEMENT TO THE VICINITY OF THE PALACE." The bottom panel shows a hand slamming down on a map labeled with floors and stairs, accompanied by the SFX "BAM!!" and the final line, "AND AT THAT POINT, WE WILL ENTER THE PALACE FROM THE 'FOUR DIMENSIONAL MANSION' AND..."

A dark-haired man with pointed ears points sharply at a diagram and declares, "HERE...!!!" He continues, "THE KING WILL UNDOUBTEDLY BE..." The diagram shows the third floor labeled "3 F" with an arrow pointing upward to a throne-like seat. A voice explains, "FROM THE THRONE ON THE THIRD FLOOR..." Killua, with his spiky hair, stares intently and exclaims, "HE WILL BE OVERSEEING THE "SELECTION"....!!!" A small inset shows several figures seated on the floor alongside a creature. Killua's thoughts continue in the next panels: "SOMETHING... DOESN'T SEEM RIGHT..." and "...COULD IT REALLY... BE LIKE THAT...?" At the bottom of the page, crossed-out numbers from 10 down to 1 are drawn beside a crayon. A caption reads, "A lingering uneasiness... the decisive battle is near!!"