Narrator: Three days remain until the sorting.
In the palace, the king has completed his recovery
and plays gungi without rest.
King: That’s checkmate.
( Komugi gasps )
Shaiapouf: Her mind and body are at their limit.
It will only take another match or two before the king wins.
♪
( Singing in Japanese )
♪
King: Time for a break.
- We will resume in half a day. - Komugi: Huh?
But I can keep playing if you want me to.
King: I would take no joy in defeating you
while you’re in this weakened state.
Go recover your strength.
Shaiapouf: Even while his arm was being treated,
the king never stopped playing,
but now he changes his mind?
This woman is a liability.
If this continues, she will certainly cause problems.
( Komugi sighs )
Well, if there’s nothing else, then i’ll be going now.
♪
( Shaiapouf shudders )
I mustn’t be hasty.
The king went back on his word
so that he could remain true to his creed,
so he could defeat the gungi champion at her peak,
so he could demonstrate his prowess.
If I kill her now, as I long to,
the king would only know defeat in gungi.
He would never taste sweet victory.
Her death would only cement her status
as someone whom the king was never able to best.
( Shudders )
( Wailing )
I’m such a fool!
I almost let a thoughtless impulse
leave a hideous, irreparable scar on the king!
What was I thinking?!
♪
I shall pay for this with my life
once I ensure that the king will rule the world.
( Sobbing )
Menthuthuyoupi: Hmm?
Knuckle: Seven people will infiltrate the palace
using knov’s nen mansion--
shoot and me, gon, killua, meleoron,
ikalgo, and finally morel.
A few seconds after us,
the chairman will enter from outside pitou’s en.
During that time, we all need to try
to lure the royal guard as far from the king as we can.
First up, ikalgo, killua, and gon.
When we suddenly appear in the middle of the palace,
we all know exactly what their reaction is gonna be.
Somebody say it.
Gon: To protect the king with their lives.
Killua: They’ll be in a tight formation.
Breaking it won’t be easy.
Meleoron: Hmm, and that’s where I come into play.
( Gon grunts )
♪
( Music playing only )
Killua: Okay. You got any questions?
Gon: Uh, so about palm,
is there anything we can do to find out how she’s doing?
Killua: She’s either dead or in hiding.
She would have called us otherwise,
so that’s the only explanation.
( Gon sighs )
Killua: If she was discovered,
then it’s certain she would have taken her own life.
She knew the risks before she took the mission.
Shoot: If we were to attempt to check on her status,
i’m almost certain that she would take it
as an insult to her resolve.
( Gon sighs )
Knuckle: Hey, take it easy, will you?
Gon’s just concerned about her is all.
Gon: Yeah, and that’s a rookie mistake.
Knuckle: What was that? You just came back!
Where do you get off with that crap?!
Killua: Let’s assume she was captured alive.
In that case, it’s pretty safe to say
the enemy knows our plan by now.
Shoot: And that would make us just like moths
flying straight into the heart of a burning flame.
Killua: We would be dead on arrival.
But instead of worrying about a bunch of worst-case scenarios,
let’s trust palm to do whatever she has to.
Meleoron: All that makes sense if you ask me,
but I think what gon is trying to say here
is that if palm really has met such a fate,
we still have time to change the plan.
Killua: You’re too soft.
You know what he’s gonna say, that we have to go in there
and save palm before we do anything else,
but he’s not gonna offer any plans at all
on how we should do that. Right?
( Gon groans ) Yeah.
Knuckle: Yeah, okay, good point.
Killua: Look, I realize you’re worried right now,
but when things start moving,
you’ve gotta just forget about her.
Meleoron: If you get distracted, even for a fraction of a second,
it might cause the entire operation
to completely fall apart.
Killua: We still have two days,
plenty of time for palm to contact us.
♪
Neferpitou: Meow-Kay. Understood.
King: Should I have tried to escape to the right, perhaps?
Komugi: You should have moved your knight.
You see, I didn’t want to let a single piece
control the center of the board.
Sometimes, you must accept the risk
and move forward anyway,
and if you can’t do that,
you won’t ever be able to make me hesitate.
( King sighs )
Being passive is foreign to me.
Shaiapouf: Sire.
King: What do you want?
Shaiapouf: I have intel for your ears only.
( Komugi gasps )
King: It’s fine. Speak.
Shaiapouf: Two days remain until the national rally.
The number of citizens to process in the capital
has exceeded all expectations,
but the weather will be favorable,
so the sorting should go on as planned.
King: Your point? I suggest you get to it.
Shaiapouf: Very well, sire.
I would like to move up the postsorting schedule.
King: That’s all? Do as you wish.
Shaiapouf: In that case, sire, we will depart
immediately after the sorting, so tha--
king: I won’t say it again.
Those petty decisions are yours to make. Understand?
Go away, and wait until I summon you.
♪
( Menthuthuyoupi chuckles )
So you were chased out, too.
We just need to wait for the king to win,
and it’ll be fine.
You think it’ll only be a couple more matches
’til he does that, right?
- Shaiapouf: No. - Menthuthuyoupi: What?
A minute ago, you said you did. What changed your mind?
Shaiapouf: The king is improving at a remarkable rate,
but she is evolving as well,
so i’m no longer able to predict the outcome of this contest.
Menthuthuyoupi: Well, it’s still just a matter of time
before the king wins.
Shaiapouf: I hope that you’re right.
Menthuthuyoupi: I am.
There’s nothing to worry about.
♪
Neferpitou: I’m 100% sure he’s acting completely alone...
The man who defeated leol.
Reports from welfin and the others confirm
that the soldiers he controls are all smoke puppets.
They don’t move like nen puppets,
so they fooled me as effectively as a smoke screen.
He can’t control as many puppets as I can,
but his are more responsive.
( Shudders )
I wanna fight him right meow.
Unfortunately, I can’t leave my post yet.
Maybe he’ll come to me. ( Groans )
( Screeches )
Menthuthuyoupi: Huh?
♪
Knuckle: It’s just about time for us to enter the capital.
The enemy should have noticed morel’s distraction by now
and started reacting to it.
Once we’re there, we’ll make some noise
to make them believe that this isn’t all the work of one man.
At the same time we’re doing that,
many of the citizens’ll be moving toward the palace.
If we disappear the day before the celebration,
then everyone’ll think assassins are hidden
somewhere among the citizens, trying to kill the king,
and all their focus
will be outside the palace on the growing crowds.
That’s when we enter the palace
using fourth-dimensional mansion!
The king will definitely be right here.
He’ll be watching the selection
from the third-floor throne room.
Killua: Will he really be there?
Something’s not right.
( Gungi piece clatters )
King: Two-one-three, soldier.
( Gungi piece clatters )
Komugi: Four-five-one, cavalry.
King: Eight-seven-two, the Duke.
Komugi: Four-three-three, bowman.
( King thinking ) She attacks where i’m weak
without hesitation.
She’s getting even sharper as we play.
Two-one-one, cavalry.
Komugi: Okay, six-six-one, captain.
King: But it’s not suffocating.
In fact, I find this enjoyable,
because she’s guiding me into that style of play.
But that only goes to show
that she is still far above me in skill.
How much stronger will she get?
Komugi: Dear leader, I feel--
I feel weird.
♪
It just isn’t stopping.
No matter what I do,
all these wonderful moves keep flooding into my head.
If I try, i’m sure that I can become even better.
King: She’s awakened?
That can only mean...
She’s about to get stronger.
That’s checkmate.
Komugi: Do you think that it would be all right
if I took a short break?
King: She’s never asked for a break before.
Is there something wrong?
No. I’d like to go back to my room for a bit
and record all the moves in my head.
King: But with those eyes--
komugi: Oh! I’ll just move the pieces
around the game board. That’s all.
When I touch the pieces after they’re placed,
I never forget their position. It just stays in my head.
King: Every move she’s ever played?
Fine. You’re excused.
Komugi: Thank you.
( King thinking ) A foolish question.
Her name.
Hey.
Your name? What should I call you by?
Komugi: You mean me, sire?
King: Is there anyone else here?
Komugi: Um, my name is komugi, dear leader!
King: Komugi, huh?
Hmm.
Komugi: Dear leader,
if it isn’t too forward of me to ask,
I wonder if you’d mind telling me your name.
( King gasps )
My name?
What?
What is it?
( Echoing ) Pitou!
Neferpitou: Huh?
Sire. I am at your service.
- King: Pouf. - Shaiapouf: Yes.
King: Youpi.
Menthuthuyoupi: Yes, sire.
Shaiapouf: Is anything the matter, sire?
- King: Pouf. - Shaiapouf: Wha...
King: That’s right. You are known as pouf.
Hmm, so then tell me, what is my name?
Shaiapouf: With all due respect, your highness,
you are the king.
You have no other name.
You are the one and only king.
At the moment, there are impostors who claim to be king.
It is our duty to eliminate them,
and then the entire world will know
that there is but one true and rightful king.
King: That assumes the others can be eliminated.
"King" is merely a title.
A title can be bestowed, and it is not a name.
Your thoughts, youpi?
Menthuthuyoupi: Your question is far beyond my capacity,
so as much as i’d love to answer it, sire,
I don’t know.
- King: Pitou? - Neferpitou: Hmm.
I’m sure that whatever your feelings are in the matter,
they greatly outweigh my own.
If I could make a suggestion,
perhaps you should select the name
that you find the most pleasing to your ear.
King: Hmm.
Very well, then.
( Eagle shrieks )
Shaiapouf: You can choose a name after the sorting is complete.
For the time being, our top priority
is to finish all the preparations
before tomorrow morning.
( Eagle shrieks )
Shaiapouf: Mm.
Is something wrong, sire?
If you have any concerns, we will happily address them.
That is why we’re here, after all.
King: Komugi’s entire body was bathed in a blinding light.
Shaiapouf: Komugi, sire?
King: The blind gungi player.
♪
Shaiapouf: He bothered to learn her name?
King: She has awakened.
Komugi will now become much stronger,
although only at gungi.
- Pitou. - Neferpitou: Yes.
Neferpitou: If komugi were to endure the sorting,
the same kind as what will occur tomorrow,
what would happen to her?
Neferpitou: She would die, sire.
The selection has been designed to find humans
possessing the physical and mental strength
deemed necessary to serve as your soldiers.
The survivors will be those
who can demonstrate excellent combat capabilities.
Shaiapouf: Sire, please.
King: After meeting komugi,
i’ve learned strength can manifest in different ways.
For example, during our trip here...
Shaiapouf: Please, sire. You must stop this.
King: I ended a child’s life.
( Shaiapouf thinking ) Sire, you mustn’t say it.
King: It’s possible that the child...
( Shaiapouf thinking ) Please, this isn’t becoming of you.
King: Possessed the raw potential
to surpass me in a particular field.
( Shaiapouf thinking ) The king must be absolute.
King: Yet I extinguished it.
( Shaiapouf thinking ) Do not repent your actions.
King: I had no real reason, not a single one
shaiapouf: That’s enough, sire. You mustn’t say any more.
I am...
King.
♪
( Shaiapouf gasps )
( Eagle shrieks )
( King laughing )
I took a life for no reason at all.
( Laughs )
So that must mean that I have tremendous power.
I appear without warning
to Rob countless beings of their inferior strength,
to crush, to destroy.
Violence is my power,
and violence is the ultimate force in the entire world.
Shaiapouf: I am not worthy of being a royal guard.
Neferpitou: Why?
Shaiapouf: I jumped to the wrong conclusion
and came within a hair’s breadth of insulting the king.
I foolishly believed that his highness regretted his actions,
something that no ruler should ever do.
Your problem is that you’re always thinking too much.
You know that?
Shaiapouf: Yes. I do believe you have a point.
Neferpitou: I don’t blame you for considering it.
The king has changed since that girl first arrived here.
Shaiapouf: Yes. That’s quite true as well.
Menthuthuyoupi: If the girl impedes the king,
then we’ve got no choice but to kill her.
( Shaiapouf shudders )
To think that my mind works on the exact same level as yours.
( Footsteps echoing )
King: Yes...
My power is stronger than any other in existence.
In the face of my might,
all other powers pale in comparison.
They are nothing more than dust in the wind.
Komugi, that female is no different.
Her skill is in gungi, a simple board game.
I could render her a pile of flesh
with the slightest touch,
so her life is subject to my whim.
If I but change my mind, I can crush her immediately.
And yet I hesitate.
Why is that?
The goal was simply to kill time before the selection,
which takes place tomorrow.
Haven’t I had enough?
I’ve had my fun.
She’s worthless to me.
Let’s kill her right now.
♪
( Eagle shrieking )
( Komugi whimpering )
Th-thank you very much, dear leader.
King: Why didn’t you call for help?!
Look here and here!
There’s blood all over you!
Damn. I don’t believe it.
She’s such a fragile creature.
Komugi: Because it’s so early.
People might still be sleeping,
and I didn’t want to bother them.
King: But you wouldn’t have bothered anyone at all.
( Thinking ) What?
You are a guest of the king.
What am I saying?
I came here to kill her, didn’t I?
( Komugi crying )
King: Why do you cry?
Why couldn’t I do it?
Komugi: I’m sorry!
I’m so sorry!
It’s just that no one’s ever been this nice to me before!
( Sobbing )
King: What is this creature?
♪
And me, what do I want to do with her?
( Komugi sobbing )
( Singing in Japanese )