Your "remote concealment" strategy
is actually named "kokoriko."
I came up with that strategy...
ten years ago.
I was pretty happy
that a fool like me could figure out a smart strategy...
But then, I saw how to defeat it.
That the Supreme Leader thought of the same strategy as I had...
I was so honored and touched... My heart trembled.
It felt like...
Like seeing my child brought back to life.
Foolishness.
I've had enough.
Get some rest.
Once we begin again,
you won't get any more breaks.
Be prepared!
Resolve x And x Awakening
This is upsetting.
During our matches, I am the only one who's getting flustered.
I would have expected this to be humiliating on a new level.
But...
At the same time, I am enjoying our matches.
But I don't understand why...
That I do not understand my own mind
upsets me more than words can describe!
Did she not choose to rest?
No...
Unsightly.
No sign of intelligence or dignity.
How can such a being
boast a Gungi record so stellar that it could be called
the ultimate in game theory?
Wake up! We're starting again.
Y-Yes...
9-5-1, marshal.
For this match...
Hmm?
We should make a wager.
A wager?
Correct.
If you win, I shall grant any wish you request.
Any wish I request?
Any wish...
However...
If you lose,
I shall take your left arm.
Fear and desire hold the power
to disrupt one's rhythm.
Desire clouds vision,
while fear stills one's step.
My left arm...
Should I do it?!
Why do you hesitate?
Well... Instead of my left arm...
Is it all right if I bet the thing I usually bet?
What?
What do you bet?
My life.
If I lose, I will offer you my life.
But you might consider that an insult...
I do not understand.
Explain yourself.
Um...
Well, Gungi is really the only thing I can do.
In other words, Gungi is the reason I'm alive.
But professional Gungi players,
even national champions, make but a pittance.
Only after you become the world champion as representative for a nation
will you receive any meaningful reward.
To become the national representative, you must win tournaments.
In other words, you cannot lose a single match.
I come from a family of twelve,
and in our home, I'm the breadwinner.
If I lose a single match,
I will become the greatest burden on my family.
Gungi players have a saying...
That, after losing once, a Gungi master becomes a normal person.
If I lose,
I'll be garbage.
Ah, it doesn't bother me!
It's just what my parents always said...
So, the day I set my sights on becoming a professional player,
I decided that if I ever lost a match, I would take my own life.
But that could be a problem...
How so?
When I lose, I'll become garbage...
And all you'd receive for winning would be garbage.
That would be a terrible insult.
It doesn't bother me.
I'm more interested in learning what you'd want if you win.
You see...
I've spent all of my time thinking about Gungi...
I'll think about it later, after I win.
Very well.
Then she possesses neither desire nor fear?
Your life, was it?
It appears I was the one lacking in resolve!
I never imagined that, if you won, you might ask for my life.
Your Majesty!
Silence!
The Supreme Leader's l-li—
I w-would never ask such a thing!
The thought never crossed my mind!
I know that.
The fault is my own.
The wager is off.
It was a petty tactic.
No...
Accept this apology.
Your Majesty!
How could you do that?
I must treat your arm...
Come with me!
Y-Your arm?
Continue the match.
Huh? Huh?
What happened, Supreme Leader?
It's your turn. Make your move.
Your Majesty... We must stop the bleeding!
Do not make me repeat myself.
Continue the match.
It was I who said there would be no more breaks.
Or do you insist that I embarrass myself again?
I shall summon Neferpitou.
I am sure that you can continue to play,
as your arm is reattached.
That is the best compromise I can offer.
If you refuse to accept it,
you may take my head now!
Very well.
Come closer.
I shall end it with a single strike.
It's your turn.
Make your move.
I refuse.
I refuse to move before you have your injury treated.
Don't make me repeat myself. Make your move.
I refuse.
If you wish to kill me,
use Gungi!
Why, you...
Summon Pitou!
At once!
There's no doubt.
All the puppets have vanished.
Have they resumed the selection process?
No, I doubt it.
We have the capital surrounded.
The King's safety is their top priority. They wouldn't leave him.
Then what's going on?
My assumption would be that some threat greater than us
has befallen the Royal Guard, or upon the King himself.
So this is it?
Our golden opportunity?
Yes...
Our chance to infiltrate the palace.
However, it may be a trap.
That shouldn't be the case...
They wouldn't use any tactic that might endanger the King.
They would if the King ordered it.
I suppose...
Regardless, they've retracted their long-range radar.
We should use this chance to get as close as possible.
I must create a portal near the palace,
or the plan will fail.
This dangerous job had to be done eventually.
And the time is now.
There!
I found them.
It appears Cheetu failed.
Try not to die.
Same to you.
They've split up for us.
I found them.
We'll switch to the man with the pipe!
Let's go!
Doctor Blythe.
Toy Repair Doctor Blythe
7-9-1, spy.
2-3-1, pawn.
How long will the operation take?
I'd say two or three hours until complete recovery.
And during that time, you cannot use either your puppets or En, correct?
This ability requires a lot of Nen.
A great deal of energy is needed to recreate flesh.
While you treat His Majesty, I shall watch the surroundings.
Though my En is nowhere as effective as yours.
Regardless, this is an important task that I cannot trust to anyone else.
As expected, I cannot sense any En use...
The rain helps to lower visibility.
Soon, the sun will set.
Once it is night, I can hide in the darkness.
And picking out enemy aura will be easier.
Be patient.
The closer the portal is to the palace, the better.
But if I'm spotted, it will all be useless.
While I can enter and exit freely,
Shoot and the rest can only use the portal to leave once they enter.
If the enemy prepares an ambush by the exit,
it will mean serious trouble.
I must prepare three exits in the area around the palace, one near, one far,
and one somewhere in between, then place entrances even further away.
I'll set up the entrances in groups of three, in locations where the palace is within sight.
When the mission starts, we can enter by the most convenient location.
Once it's time to act,
the situation will determine whether we approach
by the near exit, the far exit, or the one in between.
Once that has been determined, we act.
From the enemy's perspective, we will be appearing from nowhere.
We must use that opening to separate the King and Royal Guard.
That is when our battles will begin!
It doesn't matter if we finish with a 1-3 record,
so long as the King is their one loss.
Under normal circumstances,
I would already be within range of Neferpitou's En.
This is quite tense...
However, I am still far away.
The farthest exit
must be on the palace grounds, or it won't be any use to us!
Advance carefully, but swiftly!
Should I wait for the sun to set?
But, will this scenario hold out until then?
I have no choice...
Should Neferpitou's En return,
approaching the palace will be impossible.
If I fail, we still have other options!
I have nothing to fear.
Advance...
In the palace,
there are three humans not intended as food.
The first is the Gungi player.
The second is Diego.
And the third...
is Secretary Bizeff.
Behind the scenes, he was the country's true ruler.
All dealings with foreign parties and domestic organizations
went through him as an intermediary.
Since he cannot be replaced,
he is the only human allowed near the King.
No human guards are posted near the palace.
Because ordinary soldiers would be powerless against Nen users,
the Royal Guard determined that the presence of ordinary soldiers would,
in fact, increase the risk of infiltration.
The only Squadron Leader present is Cheetu, who has just returned.
There are only six other Captain and Soldier Ants.
In other words,
there are currently only three humans and eleven Ants in the palace.
The Soldier Ants are
the various Squadron Leaders' personal troops.
Thus, they are not involved in the King's protection.
Essentially, the Squadron Leaders
no longer have any strict fealty to the King.
They work together simply because their goals align.
Understanding this, Pitou and the Royal Guard
have assigned those Chimera Ants tasks that are expected to end in failure.
Hence, they would not be trusted with monitoring the palace.
However, Knov does not know this.
As he attempts to infiltrate the palace,
he has no idea that this is his best, and last, chance.
I managed to survive somehow...
But on my own, I can only work so much.
I must convince them
to at least provide three more staffers to do secretarial duties...
Otherwise, I'll die of overwork.
Sending list of available bodies.
"Thinker...
Bell."
Per our arrangement, I request numbers 2, 16, 79, 103, and 119.
This is it.
He took the bait, Palm-kun!
While Knov works to infiltrate the palace,
Palm is preparing to launch her own infiltration plan.
Next time: Knov x And x Morel.
Today, this person is joining me!
Why am I here?
Because Killua isn't around!
Scream.