Three days remain until the selection begins.
In the palace, the King has completed his recovery,
and continues to play Gungi without rest.
That's checkmate.
Her mind and body are at their limit.
I estimate it will only take another match or two before the King wins.
Gungi x Of x Komugi
Time for a break.
We will resume in a half day.
Wait, I can keep going!
If you can barely sit straight, the victory won't satisfy me.
Recover your strength.
Even while his arm was being treated, the King never stopped playing.
But now he changes his mind?
This female is dangerous.
If this continues,
she could prove quite troublesome...
Then, I will excuse myself.
I must not be too hasty.
The King chose to retract his decree.
In order to stay true to his convictions...
In order to defeat the Gungi Champion at her best...
In order to demonstrate his strength!
If I kill this girl now,
the King will remain a loser at Gungi forever.
Her death will cement her status
as someone the King could never defeat!
I am such a fool!
My hasty impulse could have left the King with a permanent scar!
I shall die of my own volition!
Once I have seen the King conquer the world...
Using Knov-san's Apartment Complex, seven people will infiltrate the palace.
Shoot and me...
Gon, Killua,
Meleoron, Ikalgo,
and then Morel.
A few seconds after us,
the Chairman will enter from beyond Pitou's En.
During that time, we must draw the Royal Guard from the King.
Gon, Killua, and Ikalgo will go in first.
When we suddenly appear in the midst of the palace,
their immediate reaction will be...
To protect the King with their lives.
They'll probably use a formation like this.
Breaking it won't be easy.
And that's where I come in.
Okay, any questions?
Uh, about Palm...
Can we do anything to learn what's happened to her?
She's either dead or in hiding.
If she'd gotten out, she'd have contacted us.
Since she hasn't, that's the only explanation.
If she were captured, she'd have taken her own life.
When she left, she was prepared for that.
If we try to check in on her, it would be an insult to her resolve.
Hey, you're being too harsh!
Gon's just concerned about Palm.
And his concern is worthless.
What's that?!
You just came back! Where do you get off?!
Assuming that Palm was captured alive,
it would mean the enemy knows our plan.
Which would make us like moths flying straight into the flame.
We'll be destroyed instantly.
But instead of worrying about worst-case scenarios,
what's important is that we trust Palm.
Well, that certainly makes sense,
but Gon's point might be that,
if Palm has met such a fate, we still have time to change the plan.
Think again.
He'll say that we have to save Palm first.
But he won't offer any plans for that.
Right?
R-Right...
I see your point...
I know you're worried,
but once the operation starts, you'll have to forget her until we're done.
If you're distracted for a fraction of a second,
that might cause our operation to fail.
We still have two days...
There's still time for Palm to contact us.
Nyow I understand.
Should I have tried to escape to the right?
You should have moved your knight.
I didn't want to let a single piece control the center of the board.
Sometimes, you must accept the risk and move forward.
Otherwise, you won't ever be able to make me hesitate.
I am unaccustomed to playing a waiting game.
Your Majesty...
What is it?
I have some sensitive information, so we should step outside.
It's fine, speak.
Two days remain until the National Celebration.
The number of citizens to process in Peijing has increased beyond our expectations.
But the weather forecast is favorable, so the selection should proceed as planned.
Get to the point.
I would like to move up
the post-selection schedule.
That's it? Do as you wish.
Yes, sir.
In that case, we will depart immediately after the selection—
Don't make me repeat myself!
I'm telling you to decide on your own.
Do not return until I summon you.
So you were chased out, too?
Well, we only need to wait for the King to win.
You think that will only be a few more matches, right?
No.
Wasn't that what you said a while ago?
The King is improving at a remarkable rate.
However, she is also evolving.
I am no longer able to predict the outcome.
Well, it's still only a matter of time before the King wins.
I hope you're right.
I am. There's nothing to worry about.
I am one hundred percent confident that he's acting on his own...
The man who defeated Leol.
The reports from Welfin and Brovada confirm it.
The soldiers under his control are all smoke puppets.
Since their complex movements are not typical of Nen puppets,
they fooled me as effectively as a smokescreen.
He can't control as many puppets as I can, but his are more responsive.
I want to fight him...
But I can't leave my post.
Maybe he'll come to me...
It's about time for us to enter Peijing.
The enemy should have noticed Morel's distraction by now.
We'll make some noise in Peijing to negate
their belief that this is all the work of one man.
At the same time,
many citizens will be moving toward the palace.
If we disappear the day before the celebration,
they'll believe assassins are hidden among the citizens, trying to kill the King.
And their focus will be outside the palace, on the crowds.
That's when we enter the palace with Four-Dimensional Apartment Complex!
The King will definitely be here.
Watching the selection from the third-floor throne room.
Will he really be there?
Something...
feels off.
2-1-3, pawn.
4-5-1, knight.
8-7-2, lieutenant general.
4-3-3, archer.
She continues to attack where I'm weak without hesitation.
As we play, she's getting sharper.
2-1-1, knight.
6-6-1, major general.
But it does not pain me.
Rather, I find this enjoyable.
Because the board dictates my every move.
Which proves that she is still several levels above me.
How strong can she become?
Supreme Leader...
I feel...
strange.
I can't stop.
Marvelous moves keep flooding into my mind...
I can become even better!
Has she awakened?
Then she's only
begun to grow.
That's checkmate.
Could I take a short break?
It's the first time she's asked for a break...
Is something wrong?
No, I'd like to return to my room to record the moves that are in my mind.
But you can't see...
Oh, I'll just move the pieces around the board!
When I touch the pieces after they're placed,
I will never forget their position.
She's memorized every placement she's ever experienced?
Very well, you're excused.
Thank you.
A foolish question...
Her name...
Hey.
What is your name?
You mean mine?
Is there anyone else around?
It's K-K-Komugi.
Komugi?
Supreme Leader...
Can you please tell me
what your name is?
My name?
What...
am I called?
Pitou.
Yes, what do you need?
Pouf.
Yes.
Youpi.
Yes.
Is something the matter?
Pouf...
Yes?
Right, you're Pouf.
Then...
What is my name?
I speak with utmost respect, Your Majesty...
You are the King. You have no other name.
You are the one and only King.
At the moment, there are impostors using that name without permission,
but we will eliminate them all.
So that the entire world will know there is only one King.
That assumes the others can be eliminated.
"King" is a title.
A title can be bestowed, and it is not a name.
What of you, Youpi?
Your question is far beyond my capacity.
I cannot think of a way to provide an answer.
Pitou.
I believe that your feelings are what matter most.
You should select the name that you find most pleasing.
Very well, then.
You can choose a name after the selection.
Right now, our priority is to finish all the preparations before tomorrow morning.
Your Majesty, is something wrong?
If you have any concerns, we shall address them.
That is why we are here.
Komugi's entire body was glowing.
Komugi?
The girl with the closed eyes.
He's remembered that human's name.
She experienced an awakening.
Komugi will now become much stronger, although only at Gungi.
Pitou...
Yes.
If Komugi were put through the selection
that will occur tomorrow, what would happen?
She would die.
The selection chooses humans
with the physical and mental strength to serve as soldiers.
The survivors will be those who demonstrate excellent combat capabilities.
Your Majesty, please...
After meeting Komugi,
I've learned that strength can manifest in different ways.
For example, during our trip here...
Your Majesty, please stop.
...I killed a child.
Your Majesty, you must not say it...
Perhaps that child...
It isn't right... It's inappropriate!
...had the potential to surpass me in a certain field.
An almighty King...
Yet I extinguished that potential.
...can never show regret!
I extinguished it for no real reason.
You must not say any more!
I am...
King!
I took a life for no reason at all...
What tremendous strength I must possess!
I appear with no warning, to rob countless beings of their inferior strength!
To crush... To destroy.
That is my power.
Brute force is the strongest power in this world!
I am not worthy of being a Royal Guard...
Why not?
I jumped to the wrong conclusion,
and I nearly insulted the King.
I was foolish enough to think that the King might have regretted his actions...
You always think too much.
Yes, that is correct.
Well, the King has changed since that girl arrived.
Yes, that is true.
If the girl will impede the King, we should kill her.
To think my mind operates on the same level as yours...
Yes...
My power is the strongest that exists.
All other power means nothing in the face of my own.
They are as dust in the wind.
Komugi... That female is no different.
Her skill is in Gungi, a simple board game.
I could turn her into no more than a source of meat with the barest touch.
So her life depends on my mood.
If I change my mind,
I can immediately kill her!
Then why am I so hesitant?
The goal was to kill time while waiting for the selection.
The selection is tomorrow... Haven't I had enough?
I've had my fun. I no longer need her.
Do I kill her now?!
Th-Thank you very much...
Why did you not call for help?
Here...
And here...
You're covered in blood!
Damn, I don't believe it.
She's such a fragile creature!
Because it's still early...
I don't want to bother anyone else.
You aren't bothering anyone.
What am...
You are an important guest!
...I saying?
Didn't I come here to kill her?
Why do you cry?!
Why can't I do it?
I'm sorry!
But... But...
No one's ever been this nice to me!
What is this creature?
What do I want
to do with her?
Next time: Taking Stock x And x Taking Action.
Killua-sama, all these marvelous ideas keep flooding into my mind—
Then we're covered for future preview segments!