Why?!
You have it easy, Killua.
You're perfectly calm.
Since it means nothing to you...
Gon's cry had guided Meleoron to the two boys.
Insult x And x Payback
I'm going to have to refuse.
Right now, I'm not in the mood.
Come on, don't say that.
Just think of it as bad luck that I found you!
Let me test my new technique on you.
That hurts, man...
You don't have to give me such a dirty look.
The one I really want to fight is someone else, you know.
That guy with sunglasses, carrying the big pipe.
Aren't you with him?
Then, why don't you go and find him?
I know where he is.
But I can't get to him.
He controls smoke, and he's hidden himself behind a smokescreen.
And I can't get through.
I climbed up to the roof, to see if I could get in from above...
And I happened to spot you.
So I'm supposed to be the warm-up before your main fight?
Bingo!
I've had it for today...
Will you listen to what I have to say?
For the first time since taking over the family business,
I may have killed someone who wasn't my target.
Dude, my technique is awesome!
Don't be too shocked when you see it.
Well, you'll still be shocked in the end...
You're a self-centered fellow.
Doesn't look like I'll be able to persuade you to let me go.
Bingo and bingo!
You should watch your back.
What an old trick!
I won't fall for that!
Your buddy told me to keep my eyes on my oppone—
Well, the result would have been the same either way.
Should I have spared him?
Not necessary.
How's Killua doing?
Hmm? He's matured.
And I believe that he's removed Illumi's needle.
I see.
Oh, that's right...
I had a rare experience today.
My time was compressed!
I must remember to ignore half of everything you say.
Okay, we should be safe here.
Explain what's going on.
God's Accomplice... Undo!
Shoot's out of the battle, and Knuckle is fighting Youpi alone.
I need your help...
Knuckle's going to keep running, to try and buy time.
He's crazy!
Okay, what's the minimum length of time you can maintain God's Accomplice?
The first time, I was so nervous, I failed and had to tap out after ten seconds.
But I've regained my cool.
If I don't move, I can hold my breath for at least a minute!
That's plenty of time.
I just need one chance.
Approximately three minutes before Killua raised his finger...
Knuckle was airborne.
In Knuckle's own opinion, his strongest point was his ability to run away.
Once, to help his friends escape,
he knocked out a cop,
and eluded four patrol cars and dozens of police for a full day and night, on foot.
The day he finally escaped was the day
he graduated from grade school.
His stamina when maintaining top speed
far exceeds that of a cheetah.
To save Shoot, Knuckle had chosen
to reveal himself and use an out-boxing strategy against Youpi.
For the most part, it was the right choice.
He stopped chasing me?
If there was one thing he miscalculated, it was his opponent's intentions.
Shoot's in trouble! Crap!
Shoot and Knuckle considered Youpi a high-priority target.
But Youpi wasn't as focused on them.
As a Royal Guard, protecting the King was his mission.
His focus was on keeping enemies from the King.
Youpi still believed the King to be in the throne room.
And since guarding the stairway was his assignment,
he was convinced that Pitou and Pouf were protecting the King.
So his main priority was to keep enemies away from the throne room.
Since he didn't know how many enemies there were,
the nature of his opponent's ability took second priority.
As did any enemies running or dying.
They did not warrant his concern.
Hey! Pitou!
Shoot!
Shoot was still alive.
Shoot...
Given their positions, when Youpi turned back,
he must have spotted Shoot.
Then we aren't even worth...
finishing off?
Youpi didn't care if Shoot lived or died.
After having fought him with all they had,
the pair had never felt so humiliated.
Are Shoot
and I
no more than flies?!
Fine, then!
You're gonna regret this!
In a few more minutes, this fly will send you flying!
Pitou! Pouf!
Are you there?
The boss used Smoky Jail on the throne room.
That means he and Pouf are alone inside.
The King isn't in the throne room!
Say something! Can't you hear me?
Hey!
You fool...
You're free to defend an empty throne room!
I'll take Shoot, and watch from a safe distance.
Damn it...
By the time Knuckle realized his mistake,
he had already made another.
Shoot and Youpi must have seen one another.
Shoot must have been prepared to die at that moment.
That's the kind of fight we came for.
But he ignored Shoot...
When Knuckle pictured the expression on Youpi's face
after he'd glanced at the bloody Shoot and headed up to the third floor,
Knuckle realized his new mistake.
Damn it.
Damn it...
Am I supposed to ignore the fact that my buddy's been humiliated?
For what reason?
For the world?
For humanity?
And if our mission succeeds, I just shake Shoot's hand and say,
"We did it"?
Pat each other's shoulders and laugh?
Even though he was humiliated?
I can't do that!
That isn't right...
C-Come on...
Oh, sorry.
And while I'm apologizing, I need you to wait here a little longer!
I need to punch that guy in the face...
And I'll throw another punch for you!
It's my job to stay calm and stop Knuckle...
"Have you lost your mind?
Don't go.
Just keep your mouth shut, and buy more time."
That is my...
Do it, Knuckle!
Damn it!
That bastard...
He...
looked at me like I was trash!
Give that bastard an extra punch for me...
Yeah, I got it!
Sorry, master...
We're both fools.
There's something more important than the world right now!
Knuckle's new mistake
was a misjudgment of his priorities.
My attacks aren't having any effect on this smoke...
Your Majesty!
Pitou! Pouf!
Are you there? Hey!
Is that Youpi?
Were they both defeated?
I hope the old man's doing okay...
Why isn't Pouf responding?
Something's wrong.
Why is he staying inside his cocoon?
I would have expected him to be in more of a hurry to get to the King.
Could we have made...
some kind of mistake about the Royal Guard?
Is our operation actually working?
Don't think about it!
I'm here to fulfill my mission!
Doubt, worry, impatience...
Negative emotions are growing, but his resolve has not faltered.
Just as I would expect from a strong fighter.
I'm impressed.
However, that will be the constraint that weakens your decision-making.
Damn...
Why is Pitou's En gone?
Have the King, Pitou, and Pouf all vanished?
Leaving me behind?
What happened?
What's going on?
It's time.
Adding interest.
Shut up!
The black fog on my shoulder won't go away.
And the number on this thing keeps increasing.
I have to find the King!
Damn, I should have killed the fly downstairs.
That might have gotten rid of this fog.
But I have to find the King!
What's going on?!
I'm getting annoyed!
Yo.
What the hell is wrong with all of you?!
And with that shout, Youpi transformed.
It was drastic enough to make Knuckle, who thought he had come prepared,
instantly switch from an offensive stance to an evasive one.
This manifestation of evil
clearly meant only to destroy.
Hang on!
Did you...
hit him?
Eh?
Did you hit him...
for me?
Not yet, damn it!
I'll hit him hard, so hold on!
But we have to run, so we don't die first!
For the first time in his life,
Youpi had endured an excessive amount of stress.
This had made it apparent that
his power was not meant for guarding the King.
Rather, he realized that his violent rage
could fuel a rapid increase in the mass of both his body and his aura.
The destruction brought him great pleasure,
after which his body rapidly shrank, and he felt a strong sense of loss.
Knuckle's superior experience helped him understand what had happened to Youpi.
We can win.
That was a powerful blast.
I doubt it'll be easy to goad him into doing that on purpose,
and make it out unharmed.
But the return for taking that risk
will be enormous.
I make him mad, so he blows up.
The perfect time to hit him
would be when he's charging up.
And the aura required to fuel his explosion
will cause him to go bankrupt sooner.
The plan Knuckle formed on the spot
was almost flawless for dealing with the berserk Youpi.
However, Youpi's true worth only became clear after the explosion.
As Youpi transitioned between lingering pleasure and despondency,
this selfish ability that could be called the dregs of his ego
was focused solely on how he could use
this power for the King's sake.
Selflessness...
His Ant instincts and Magical Beast mentality
continued to function calmly even after the discovery of his burst of emotion.
My contribution to the King will be
how well I can control this ability without letting my emotions take over.
In other words,
I must use it to destroy the intruders.
Now that Youpi had learned how to be both enraged and composed,
the risk for Knuckle was overly great.
Approximately three minutes have passed since the mission began.
The intentions of all involved are beginning to come together.
Next time: A x False x Rage.
Yeah, screw you!
Sorry, Killua...
I won't forgive you.
Here's a chocolate robot.
Gon!