Gungi's end · Meruem's final wish

The setting sun stained the land of NGL blood-red. Lin Ye, Gon, Killua, Morel, Knov-everyone stood at a distance, silently watching the figure walking toward the village. No one stepped forward to stop him. Meruem reached the little, dilapidated wooden hut and stopped. Inside, an oil lamp cast a dim yellow glow. Komugi sat before the board, her hands resting lightly on the pieces, waiting quietly. She could neither see nor hear, yet she seemed to have known all along that he would return. "Komugi," Meruem called softly. Komugi's ears twitched, and a pure smile immediately lit up her face as she felt her way to her feet. "Your Majesty! You're back!" She knew nothing-not of the war outside, not of the Chimera Ant disaster, not that Meruem had just devoured two guards, not that the world trembled because of him. All she knew was that the person who played Gungi with her had returned. Meruem sat down opposite her and gently picked up a piece. "Let's... keep playing Gungi." "Yes!" The oil lamp flickered; the board lay quiet. There was no slaughter, no dominion, no race, no war. Only an unfinished game of Gungi, only two figures sitting across from each other. Watching them, Gon's eyes reddened slightly. "Lin Ye, he..." "He's no longer the king who would destroy the world," Lin Ye said softly. "He's just someone who wants to finish one last game." Killua nodded in silence. Even the most invincible being had a tenderness of his own. Even the most brutal king had some small happiness he wanted to protect. Piece after piece was placed on the board. Komugi was still the girl no one in the world could beat at Gungi. Meruem still lost to her, time after time. "Your Majesty, you've lost again," Komugi