RIDDLE

Tsubone stands tall in a dark suit, phone to his ear, issuing orders. "IF KILLUA-SAMA GETS IN TOUCH, AS LONG HE DOESN'T TOUCH UPON TABOO TOPICS, FOLLOW HIS ORDERS," he says. "WE'LL TAKE 4 CARS INSTEAD, AND THE SAME ROUTE AS BEFORE." In the forest below, two slender figures walk along a wooden path as a voice notes, "UNDERSTOOD. MONITOR THE SITUATION WITH THE GREATEST OF CARE." Illumi appears in close-up, his cross-patterned eyes narrowed. "HE HAS AN ALLY AMONG THE BUTLERS...OR WITHIN THE FAMILY...!" he declares. "ILLUMI-SAMA'S FOUND OUT ABOUT OUR MOVEMENTS." A young Killua stares forward with wide, shocked eyes. Nearby, Illumi and a long-haired girl stand silently. In a wide forest scene, several figures move among massive roots and trees: a long-haired silhouette, a suited man, and a spiky-haired youth in motion.

In the forest, a figure with spiky hair is struck and sent flying backward. Tsubone's eyes fill a panel, calm and intense. "HO HO..." she chuckles. Tsubone leaps through the air, braided hair flowing. "IF I HADN'T KNOWN ABOUT THIS BEFOREHAND, NOTHING COULD HAVE BEEN DONE ABOUT THIS AT ALL!" she exclaims. "MY, HOW YOU'VE GROWN, YOUNG MASTER..." she continues while airborne. Close-ups show Tsubone's aged face as she notes her tear ducts have loosened with age and praises the young master as a splendid assassin. A silhouette of young Killua appears with text: "I JUST CAN'T LOVE ILLUMI AND MILLUKI LIKE A MOTHER, NO MATTER HOW I TRY, HUH..." Tsubone lands and declares she must account for personal feelings when making Killua listen, while another voice states transgressions are another matter entirely.

In a dense forest, Killua walks while carrying Alluka on his back. "BUT JUST IN CASE, I'D BETTER SAVE SOME ELECTRICITY UNTIL WE REACH THE CITY..." he says. "EVEN THOUGH I'D LIKE TO JUST MAKE A RUN FOR IT USING 'LIGHTNING SPEED'..." Alluka replies softly, "...AL-RIGHT." A close-up shows Killua's determined profile as Alluka's voice calls, "ONII-CHAN..." "NOW THAT WE'VE GOTTEN THIS FAR AWAY FROM THEM, WE CAN RELAX FOR A MOMENT..." Killua's expression darkens as he thinks, "JUST A HINDRANCE? AM I..." Alluka, shown in close-up with wide eyes and skull-patterned headband, asks, "YOU'D BE ABLE TO GET ALONG BETTER WITH EVERYONE IN THE FAMILY, RIGHT? IF IT WEREN'T FOR ME..." The final panel shows Killua and Alluka embracing tightly in the woods.

Killua continues the conversation with a serious expression. "WAS YOUR ONII-CHAN, WOULD YOU BE SAD?" he asks. "THE ONLY PERSON IN THIS WORLD THAT LOVED YOU..." Alluka responds with a single word, "IF..." Killua places a hand on her shoulder and says her name, "ALLUKA..." In smaller panels Alluka reacts with surprise, "EH..." A large panel shows Alluka's joyful face surrounded by hearts as she exclaims, "I'D BE SO HAPPY I WOULDN'T BE ABLE TO STOP SMILING!" with excited laughter, "EHHH HHHH HHHH HH." Killua reassures her while they hug again: "YOU DON'T NEED TO WORRY ABOUT ANYTHING ELSE. OTHER PEOPLE AND THEIR PROBLEMS... FROM NOW ON, ONII-CHAN WILL ALWAYS BE WITH YOU." He ends with a soft, "HA..."

Killua stands with his hand resting on Alluka's head, his spiky white hair framing a serious expression as he stares ahead into the darkness. In the dense forest, three panels show the wooded surroundings while internal thoughts question the presence: 'OR IS IT ILLUMI...?' 'IS IT TSUBONE...?' 'SOMEONE'S THERE!' Alluka looks up at Killua with wide eyes. Killua turns slightly and declares, 'LET'S GO!' A close-up of an eye appears with the narration, 'THINGS AREN'T GOING TO BE THAT EASY, HUH... AS I SUSPECTED...'

In a moonlit forest clearing, Hisoka stands tall in a dark suit, facing away from the viewer while several figures react with surprise. A woman with long hair and a person with curly hair move in the background. Hisoka's face appears in close-up holding a card labeled 'ANONYMOUS' with a diamond symbol, stating he is 'JUST A MAGICIAN THAT WOULD PREFER TO STAY...' A bespectacled man asks, 'WHO ARE YOU...?' Killua appears in the foreground with wild hair, extending his hand to throw multiple playing cards toward the group. Small reaction panels show the bespectacled man, the curly-haired person, and another figure looking shocked.

Hisoka leaps high into the air with a dramatic spinning pose, his body twisting amid a massive burst of radiating speed lines and flying debris. His expression is focused and intense as he hurls playing cards that slice through the air like blades. Below, Alluka stares upward with wide, fearful eyes, one hand raised defensively near her face. Killua stands beside her, his face frozen in shock, mouth open and sweat flying as he reacts to the sudden assault. In the foreground, a pair of suited hands clutch a stack of coins tightly. Directly beneath them, a thick horizontal bar cracks violently under pressure, with multiple wide eyes peering up from below in alarm. The impact shatters the structure in a massive explosion of black shards and dust, the enormous SFX 'KRAK' dominating the bottom of the page as the barrier breaks apart.

Leorio surges forward with a powerful punch, his fist extended and aura flaring around his head. In the background, several small figures tumble through the air amid shattered debris. Speech bubbles appear as Leorio declares, 'YOU GUYS...' while another states 'OUT OF THE WAY, OUT OF THE WAY.' A close-up shows Leorio's determined face as he says, 'NO NEED TO DEAL WITH HIM SO EARNESTLY...' Alluka looks on with a serious expression while someone urges, 'SAVE YOUR STRENGTH FOR THE MISSION.' Leorio continues, 'YOU GUYS GO AFTER KILLUA-SAMA!' and adds, 'I'LL BE THE ONE TO PLAY WITH YOU...' as the scene shifts to a forest path where figures stand ready.

Hisoka stands with arms crossed, coins embedded in his body as dark energy swirls around him. The suited man with glasses watches intently from the side. Hisoka raises his hands, coins spinning between his fingers, sweat on his face. The suited man analyzes the scene, noting how the coins were stopped without a scratch and questioning if it relates to an ability. In a forest clearing, the suited man stands with subordinates while Hisoka faces him. Hisoka extends his arm, aura threads connecting several coins in a web. He declares that his aura simultaneously possesses the qualities of stickiness and elasticity.

The suited man warns Hisoka not to regret revealing too much, calling him a sham of a magician. Hisoka activates Bungee Gum, stretching elastic threads from his hands in a radial pattern. He states that even if his ability is known, it does not matter, and there is no point in giving out his name to the dead. The suited man is suddenly struck by an explosive force, sent flying backward amid debris and impact lines. Hisoka shouts 'ENOUGH BABBLE!' as the suited man is hurled through the air surrounded by floating spherical objects.

Hisoka lunges forward in a blur of motion, one arm extended with fingers splayed wide while the other reaches back toward a large cylindrical object. A second figure in matching spade-patterned attire tumbles through the air nearby, limbs flailing. Large impact SFX explode across the page as Hisoka's hand snaps out to catch a small object marked 'CATCH'. His expression is focused, sweat visible on his face, while motion lines and debris swirl around the chaotic scene.

The man with glasses speaks first. 'MUCH SLOWER.' A voice replies, 'IN- DEED.' Another panel shows the same man asking, 'WASN'T THAT SLOWER THAN BEFORE?' Hisoka, with a tear on his cheek, answers, 'ARE MY EYES MORE USED TO IT NOW, THE SECOND TIME AROUND?' Close-ups reveal swirling eyes marked with repeated 'WHIRL' SFX. The man with glasses states, 'I'VE APPLIED ALL THE POWER TOWARDS "ROTATION"' while Hisoka responds, 'IT'S BECAUSE...' The final panel shows Hisoka straining forward amid heavy motion lines and large SFX as the rotation effect intensifies.

Leorio glares intensely from the left side of the panel, his face tense as he watches the chaotic scene unfold. In the center, Hisoka is caught in a violent whirlwind of his own Nen, his body twisting and spinning uncontrollably amid heavy motion lines and crackling energy. A large speech bubble from Leorio warns, "IF YOU DON'T DISENGAGE YOUR ABILITY, YOU'LL BE SPIN TO DEATH BY YOUR OWN NEN, NO?" Below, debris and impact effects scatter across the ground as Hisoka struggles. At the bottom of the page, several round, patterned objects lie scattered while two speech bubbles deliver threats: "PICK YOUR OWN FAVORITE TO DIE." and "OR WOULD YOU RATHER BE SHOT FULL OF HOLES?"

A massive explosion erupts across the page as Hisoka's body is engulfed in a burst of energy and flying debris. Multiple spherical projectiles shoot outward in all directions amid jagged impact shapes and speed lines. A close-up panel reveals Hisoka's intense eyes, one marked with a star, a single tear falling as he utters "BUNGEE GUM..." A bold command "RELEASE!" appears in a speech bubble. Smaller panels at the bottom show close-ups of hands and feet reacting with motion lines, indicating the ability's activation and sudden release of tension.

A violent explosion tears through the forest canopy, hurling splinters and smoke outward with a massive impact. Debris rains down as the blast expands. In the aftermath, a lone silhouette sprints between the trees. An unseen observer shouts in disbelief, 'HE DODGED!?' Another voice adds, 'IN THAT CONDITION...!!' Two suited men stand at the edge of the clearing; one turns sharply to glance over his shoulder while motion lines streak past them.

Feathers or projectiles streak across a dark sky while a tiny silhouette leaps. Hisoka declares he cannot keep up with the speed. In close-up, he explains that he threw elastic gum with his first cards so he could release sticky fire at will. A black bar shows the distant running silhouette. Hisoka continues, asking how many of the twenty-two coins he should return now, referencing the Grim Reaper's riddle and noting the mean magician's intent. He wonders if the answer is to send the coins flying back.

A fierce exchange erupts as a man with glasses and spiky hair glares intensely from the upper left panel. He declares, "EVEN IF THE ANSWER IS MORE THAN 22..." and warns, "DON'T UNDERESTIMATE ME...". A massive release command echoes with "RELEASE!!" as the scene explodes into motion. Cross-shaped projectiles and starburst impacts tear through the air toward a silhouetted figure leaping in the center. The attacker below shouts, "STRIKE THEM ALL DOWN!!!" while another voice taunts, "WHY DON'T FIGURE IT OUT USING YOUR BODY?" followed by "GUM...". The silhouetted fighter remains poised amid the barrage of crosses and debris as the man with glasses continues, "I'M STILL GOING TO..." amid swirling motion lines and impact effects.

Hisoka hangs upside down from a thin line, his head wrapped in bandages and wearing a box-like headpiece marked with card suits. Below him stands a man in a dark suit with glasses, arms outstretched. Hisoka laughs with "O-SHIMAI* TEEHEE" while the man with glasses reacts with shock, stating "THE ANSWER IS...". A translator note explains the complicated pun. In the lower panel Hisoka declares he does not need anyone to answer as he spins, announcing "GOTOH... EXITS THE FIELD!". The man with glasses watches in surprise as coins scatter and a silhouette labeled "THE GRIM REAPER'S RIDDLES..." appears. The page ends with the Hunter × Hunter logo and chapter number.