Recaps

Kite and the others planned their palace assault, assigning Knuckle to work with Meleoron while Joey supported the team with Knov and Palm. On the eve of the operation, Killua warned that the Royal Guards and Meruem might not be where expected, and the team reviewed how to respond to surprises.

• Kite explained that eleven team members would enter the palace through Knov’s four-dimensional space, while the chairman attacked from outside Neferpitou’s En.
• Kite assigned Knuckle to work with Meleoron as the decisive attacker and planned to bring Joey and Palm as support.
• Joey judged a direct approach with Meleoron too dangerous because Killer Queen would briefly become visible, and he kept its full destructive ability secret.
• The team discussed other Chimera Ants who might be inside the palace, while Morel stayed in Peijing to harass the area near the palace with Deep Purple soldiers.
• With the selection two days away, more than a million people gathered outside Peijing as the team prepared its operation.
• The day before the assault, Killua warned that Meruem and the Royal Guards might not be in the Throne Hall, and stressed that an unexpected event could cause fatal hesitation.

Joey and the others finalized their plan to enter the palace at midnight, while Joey wondered whether they could defeat Neferpitou without Gon’s Blackening. With ten hours remaining, the group prepared for the assault as Knov continued gathering intelligence outside.

• Killua, Knov, Joey, and Kite discussed the possibility that Pitou’s En would disappear and agreed that the team would still enter the palace at midnight, targeting the throne room first.
• Kite assigned Ikalgo and Palm to gather intelligence using Flutter’s corpse, its Super Compound Eyes, and Palm’s ability to track targets.
• Joey considered why Pitou might have withdrawn En and questioned whether the group could defeat Neferpitou without Gon’s Blackening.
• A broadcast prompted crowds in Peijing to move toward the palace, while the surrounding areas emptied and surveillance became more difficult.
• Knov took over surveillance because he could escape into the Nen space if discovered, and he returned regularly with updates as the others prepared.

Knov discovered that Shaiapouf’s scales and the repeated commands were hypnotizing the civilians gathered at the palace, easing the Hunters’ fear that their battle would cause mass panic. Joey assessed the team’s condition and resolve as they prepared for the coming fight.

• Knov spotted Shaiapouf scattering hypnotic scales over the crowd and realized the repeated commands were planting suggestions in the civilians’ minds.
• Knov reported his discovery, and Morel and Knuckle concluded that the hypnotized crowd was less likely to panic during the battle.
• Joey assessed the team, noting the fighters’ condition and doubts about Knov’s mental resilience, Knuckle’s compassion, and Gon’s single-mindedness.
• Joey observed Meleoron practicing his ability, Ikalgo watching Killua, and Palm stealing glances at Knov while the group prepared for battle.

As the countdown to the palace assault ended, the Hunters launched their attack with Netero's Dragon Dive while Morel's team entered the palace. Pitou attacked Netero, was slapped away, and used King's Medical Assistant to halt her flight as the dragon strikes pierced the palace.

• Knov reported that Pitou, Youpi, and Shaiapouf had gathered briefly before returning to their positions, while Morel told the team to stop speculating and prepare to fight.
• Morel counted down to the assault as Pitou's En disappeared and then expanded into the sky, alerting Youpi and Shaiapouf to intruders.
• Netero and another concealed person descended on a glowing dragon, while the Hunters emerged through the Fourth-Dimensional Door beneath the central staircase.
• Shaiapouf flew toward the Throne Hall's third floor as Netero's Dragon Dive split apart and rained down over the palace.
• Pitou leaped at Netero, but he slapped her away; she summoned King's Medical Assistant to stop her flight and saw Dragon Dive pierce the palace.

The Extermination Team entered the palace and split up to engage Youpi and reach the Throne Hall, while Knuckle and Meleoron began their plan to force Youpi into Zetsu. Joey then followed Zeno to another tower, where he found Meruem holding Komugi and Netero nearby, leaving Joey with more questions about the unexpected situation.

• Joey, Gon, and Kite charged Youpi as the rest of the team moved upstairs, while Meleoron concealed Knuckle so he could land a punch and activate Hakoware.
• Joey threw his Heartbreaker Attack chariot at Youpi and continued up the stairs with Kite as Youpi smashed apart the central staircase.
• Pitou’s En swept through the palace, and Youpi’s rubble disrupted Joey’s Nen Bullets as the team reached the second floor.
• Pitou and Zeno emerged near the group, and Zeno asked Joey to come with him because he could heal Komugi.
• Joey followed Zeno into another tower and found Meruem holding Komugi while Netero stood nearby.

Joey treated Komugi while Meruem left the tower with Netero and Zeno, trusting Neferpitou to stay with her. As Joey considered Neferpitou’s healing ability, he concluded she might be able to save Meruem from the Rose and resolved to kill her before Netero detonated it.

• Meruem asked Joey to heal Komugi and left her and Pitou in Joey’s care, while Neferpitou used her Medical Assistant puppet to keep Komugi alive.
• Meruem led Netero and Zeno away from the tower, and Pitou stayed beside Komugi as Joey began treatment.
• Kite remained beside Joey while Gon and the others left to gather more allies during the thirteen minutes Joey needed to treat Komugi.
• Joey deduced that Neferpitou’s healing ability was designed specifically for Meruem and might save him from the Rose.
• Joey decided he had to touch Neferpitou and use First Bomb to kill her before Netero detonated the Rose, then began considering how to do it.

Joey realized Neferpitou was the key to stopping Meruem from evolving into a greater threat, but the Extermination Team’s battle against Youpi continued without him being able to act on that insight. Youpi drove Gon and Killua back and pretended to rage wildly, hoping to draw out the hidden attacker who had placed an ability on him.

• Joey recognized that Meruem’s ability to grow stronger by devouring others, Neferpitou’s healing, and an Exorcist in the palace could make Meruem a B+ Rank threat if Neferpitou survived.
• Zeno’s Dragon Head Sketch carried Meruem out of the palace with Netero, while Youpi faced Knuckle and the badly injured Shoot.
• Youpi attacked Shoot and the Chariot, but the Chariot endured his blows and repeatedly exploded; Shoot eventually collapsed and Palm and Ikalgo carried him away.
• Knuckle hid again under Meleoron’s Perfect Plan as Gon and Killua took over the attack, while Youpi noticed a doll counting interest on his back.
• Youpi hurled the Chariot through the Throne Hall wall, transformed, and smashed the hall around Gon and Killua, then pretended to remain berserk to lure out the hidden attacker.

Morel and Knov trapped Shaiapouf on the palace’s third floor and launched a surprise attack, but Shaiapouf survived by splitting into tiny clones. The two Hunters recognized his ability and attacked as he tried to gather his clones and create larger ones.

• Morel sealed the third floor in smoke while Shaiapouf released hypnotic Scales and tried to assess him.
• Shaiapouf introduced himself and began enveloping his body in Scales, but Knov suddenly attacked with Scream and removed the area containing Shaiapouf’s head.
• Knov saw Shaiapouf’s body dissipate and swept Scream through the Scales three times, while Morel spotted a bee-sized Shaiapouf hiding in the smoke.
• Shaiapouf realized Knov and Morel had planned a coordinated ambush and that Knov’s attack had disrupted his escape plan using Beelzebub.
• Knov and Morel attacked together as Shaiapouf hurriedly summoned his tiny clones and formed larger ones elsewhere.

Morel and Knov nearly defeated Shaiapouf after trapping him in smoke, but Leol broke the blockade and helped Pouf escape their killing technique. Leol then revealed that he could borrow Shaiapouf’s ability and knew where the King had been taken, leaving all three fighters wary of him.

• Morel and Knov used smoke and Scream to weaken Shaiapouf, who lost more than half his aura and faced imminent defeat.
• Shaiapouf blamed himself for his mistakes and tried to ambush Knov, but Morel blocked the attack and Knov swallowed part of his clone.
• Leol surfed into the palace on groundwater, clearing the smoke and scales and breaking the blockade around Shaiapouf.
• Shaiapouf scattered into clones, destroyed Morel’s pipe, and prepared to leave to find and protect the King.
• Leol said he could borrow Shaiapouf’s ability and revealed that he knew where the King had been taken.

Leol persuaded Morel and Knov to lend him their abilities, prompting them to protect him when Shaiapouf attacked. At the palace, Neferpitou fought Kite while Joey rescued Komugi and replaced his severed arm.

• Shaiapouf deduced that Leol wanted to borrow abilities to help Meruem and charged at him.
• Morel and Knov agreed to lend Leol their abilities and moved to stop Shaiapouf.
• Leol scattered into Little Lions as Knov and Morel enveloped Shaiapouf in smoke.
• Neferpitou and Kite fought after Neferpitou's aura erupted and the palace tower was destroyed.
• Joey carried the unconscious Komugi away after Neferpitou severed his right arm.
• Joey used Wallet's remaining Nen and Gold Experience to create and attach a replacement arm.

Joey attacked Shaiapouf with explosive hummingbirds while protecting the unconscious Komugi, then deduced that Leol was an enemy trying to hypnotize him with Scales. Joey cleared the Scales and sent an eagle after a distant target as the elephant struck at Leol’s double.

• Joey carried the unconscious Komugi and joined Morel and Knov in bombarding Shaiapouf with hummingbirds turned into bombs.
• Leol approached Joey and offered to watch Komugi, but Joey refused and suspected Leol had switched sides to steal Morel’s and Knov’s abilities.
• Leol released hypnotic Scales around Joey and revealed that he had detected Joey’s mole searching for his original body.
• Joey inferred that Leol was an enemy, calculated how long he could hold his breath, and used a Nen-created elephant to suck up most of the Scales.
• Joey created a giant eagle that flew toward a distant target while the elephant swung its trunk at Leol’s double.

Joey, Knov, and Morel killed Shaiapouf and Leol, then split up to pursue the remaining threats in the palace. When Joey and Knov reached Youpi, they found Knuckle down and learned that an enemy had used Exorcism to remove Potclean, leaving Joey and Knov as the only apparent ways to defeat Youpi.

• Joey's eagle failed to stop Leol, but Joey returned Leol's clone to him and detonated him with Emperor Killer as Knov's Scream finished Shaiapouf.
• Knov used Scream on Shaiapouf's corpse, and Joey destroyed it with Emperor Killer despite the black Nen resisting Knov's ability.
• Joey urged the others to help Kite against Neferpitou, but Knov sent Morel to support Kite and took Joey to find Palm and assess the fight against Youpi.
• Joey and Knov found Knuckle down, Killua fighting Youpi, and a dead Chimera Ant whose swollen belly showed she had used Exorcism to remove Potclean.
• Joey concluded that only Knov's Scream or his own First Bomb could now defeat Youpi.

Youpi developed explosive anger and transformed while fighting Knov, Killua, Gon, Joey, and Meleoron. Knuckle was sent away for treatment, and Joey identified Youpi’s stolen flesh in Shoot’s Dark Hotel as a possible way to attack him.

• Youpi exploded in rage, sending Joey flying and knocking Knuckle toward him, where Joey caught him.
• Knov sent the unconscious, badly injured Knuckle into Hide and Seek for treatment, then joined the fight while Joey and Meleoron entered Perfect Plan.
• Youpi transformed, attacked Knov, and lost his wrist and part of his right arm to Scream before Killua’s lightning briefly paralyzed him.
• Gon struck Youpi with Jajanken, but Youpi escaped Joey’s attempt to touch him and fired an explosive beam that sent Gon and Knov flying.
• Joey realized Youpi’s missing flesh was inside Shoot’s Dark Hotel and rushed toward Meleoron, but Youpi charged after him.

Youpi nearly killed Joey, but Killua, Knov, and Gold Experience’s attacks gave Joey a chance to escape with Komugi. Joey left to find Shoot and exploit the body parts Shoot had taken from Youpi, while Meleoron went back to support Gon and the others.

• Youpi severed Joey’s legs and attacked Killer Queen, but Killua, Knov, and Gold Experience intervened, leaving Knov badly wounded and Youpi’s front hooves cut off.
• Youpi dodged a beetle bomb and retreated, while Joey used Gold Experience to repair his injuries and escaped under Meleoron’s Perfect Plan with Komugi.
• Joey told Meleoron he would search for Shoot, and Meleoron said Ikalgo and Palm had probably taken the badly injured Shoot away.
• Joey suspected Ikalgo and Palm might be hiding in the underground palace, and decided to search the palace once more before heading below.
• Meleoron chose to return to help Gon, Killua, and Knov, while Joey carried Komugi toward the underground entrance.

Joey entered the underground palace, followed Ikalgo’s dragonfly, and found evidence that Shoot had been badly injured while fighting the lobster Chimera Ant, Bloster. As Joey prepared to attack Bloster near Bizeff’s warehouse, someone confronted him from behind.

• Joey sent a gray wolf down the elevator first to check for danger, then entered the underground palace himself.
• Joey spotted Flutter’s dragonfly and followed it to a mutilated young woman’s corpse and a damaged wall, realizing Ikalgo was warning him about an enemy’s ability.
• Joey followed the dragonfly toward Bloster and saw Shoot’s severed hands defending the entrance to Bizeff’s warehouse.
• Joey sent a cockroach toward Bloster and used an eagle as a distraction, but Bloster blasted the eagle apart with Nen Bullets.
• Someone behind Joey ordered him to turn around and identify himself within three seconds.

Joey killed Lobster and Welfin, but Shoot and Knov died, leaving the Extermination Team facing a hopeless battle against Youpi and the returning Meruem. As despair overtook him, Joey activated Killer Queen’s Third Bomb, Bites the Dust, through Komugi.

• Joey killed Lobster with a silent explosion and defeated Welfin after his guided missiles failed to stop him.
• Ikalgo told Joey that Shoot was dying, but Shoot died just as Joey reached him.
• Joey used Palm’s crystal ball to see that Meruem was fighting the Chairman and that Youpi had killed Knov.
• Joey realized Knov’s death had left the team without a way to escape or stop Youpi, and Ikalgo left to help the others.
• Joey noticed Komugi beside him, grabbed her hand with Killer Queen, and activated Bites the Dust.

After Bites the Dust rewound time, Joey realized Komugi had become the trigger for repeated rewinds and weighed how to use the ability during the palace invasion. He decided the safest course was to wait for a rewind to before eleven and then let another hour pass before recalling Killer Queen, though victory remained uncertain.

• Joey returned to Hide and Seek with fourteen minutes and thirty-one seconds left until midnight and realized Bites the Dust had activated during his despair.
• Joey deduced that Killer Queen was implanted in Komugi and that anyone who learned about him through her could trigger another rewind while Komugi retained her memories.
• Joey considered recalling Killer Queen after Meruem died, but recognized that Netero and Zeno might also trigger Bites the Dust and make the timing impossible to judge.
• Joey concluded that he should wait for a rewind to before eleven and then another hour before recalling Killer Queen, accepting that the palace might go on high alert afterward.
• Joey rejected deactivating Bites the Dust immediately because the Extermination Team would struggle to defeat the Royal Guards and Neferpitou without it.
• Joey concluded that the safest strategy was for Bites the Dust to eliminate Meruem or one Royal Guard before the invasion, allowing the Extermination Team to fight the remaining enemies.

Joey kept Bites the Dust secret and tried to conceal his limits during the palace invasion, but the ability repeatedly rewound events around Komugi. After several loops and hours of hesitation, Komugi finally called out, and someone appeared before her.

• Joey decided not to reveal Bites the Dust and avoided using Killer Queen during the invasion, then found himself rewound to before the operation.
• Killer Queen saved Komugi from Dragon Dive, but Meruem appeared and was destroyed by Bites the Dust, triggering a rewind.
• The next loop repeated Meruem’s death; Neferpitou reached Komugi, was destroyed by Killer Queen, and time rewound again.
• Komugi sensed that strange events were happening around her but remained too timid to speak up as the loops continued.
• After the fourth rewind, Komugi gathered her courage, called out to someone, and a figure appeared before her.

Komugi discovered that harm to her triggered time rewinds and welcomed the chance to keep playing with Meruem, while Bites the Dust killed Neferpitou. Joey deactivated the ability, and the Extermination Team realized Neferpitou had vanished as Meruem charged at Knov.

• Neferpitou tried to hurt Komugi to test her account, but Killer Queen appeared and killed her with an explosion.
• Komugi understood that time rewound when someone meant her harm and happily told Meruem she wanted to keep playing.
• Joey waited anxiously, then deactivated Bites the Dust at 23:07:49, bringing Killer Queen back beside him.
• Knov reported that Neferpitou's puppets had disappeared, and the team suspected she had stopped releasing her En.
• Meruem spread his En, rushed toward Knov, and nearly struck him before Knov escaped into Hide and Seek.
• Knov recovered from his fear, recognized that something had happened to Neferpitou, and announced it to the team.

Knov reported that Meruem had left the palace with Shaiapouf and Youpi, prompting the Extermination Team to revise its assignments while questioning what had happened to Neferpitou. As their invasion began, Netero and Zeno attacked the palace, and Netero blasted Youpi away while they advanced toward Meruem.

• Knov told the team that Meruem and two Royal Guards had appeared outside the palace, and Morel and Kite deduced that Neferpitou might have been killed or seriously injured.
• The team considered possible explanations for Meruem's actions and adjusted the plan, assigning Kite and Joey to fight Youpi and arranging for Joey to apply First Bomb to tissue Shoot took from him.
• Two minutes before the invasion, Netero and Zeno leaped from a flying bird above East Gorteau as Shaiapouf and Youpi sensed their approach.
• Shaiapouf split into clones as Dragon Dive rained glowing arrows over the palace, while Youpi charged toward the sky to intercept the newcomers.
• Netero struck Youpi and sent him flying away from the palace, where Youpi transformed and launched himself back toward it.
• Netero and Zeno landed inside the palace and headed toward Meruem on the second floor of the Throne Hall.

Joey and the Extermination Team reached Meruem in the Throne Hall, where Neferpitou’s post-mortem Terpsichora controlled Komugi and threatened her life. Meruem agreed to leave with Netero while Xilin tried to save Komugi, but Leol demanded payment and Meruem suddenly decapitated him.

• Joey realized Neferpitou had attached Terpsichora to Komugi before dying, turning her into a vessel for post-mortem Nen that would protect Meruem at the cost of her life.
• Meruem asked whether Komugi could be saved, and Joey proposed that Shoot restrict her movements while Shaiapouf brought Xilin, an exorcist.
• Meruem persuaded Shaiapouf to protect Komugi and agreed with Netero to leave the palace once her treatment began.
• Shaiapouf’s clones brought Xilin to the Throne Hall, followed by Leol, whom Joey suspected had come to earn the right to borrow Meruem’s ability.
• Leol demanded payment for lending Xilin to Meruem, and Meruem vanished and reappeared holding Leol’s severed head.

Meruem had Leol killed, used Xilin to remove Terpsichora from Komugi, and left with Netero while Joey treated Komugi. Shaiapouf then revealed his abilities and attacked the remaining Extermination Team, who had prepared a coordinated plan to locate his real body and counter his doubles.

• Meruem crushed Leol and ordered Xilin to remove Terpsichora so Komugi could be treated.
• Joey used the Wallet Aura to replace Komugi's damaged body parts as Meruem departed with Netero, while Zeno and Youpi left the Throne Hall.
• Shaiapouf spread his Scales, identified himself as a Royal Guard, and dodged Killua's attacks before sending doubles against the Extermination Team.
• Palm used her crystal ball to track Shaiapouf's real body as Kite attacked it and Killua, Gon, and Shoot dealt with the doubles.
• The Extermination Team relied on their prior preparations, including Ren and Joey's concealed Killer Queen, to counter Shaiapouf's attacks.

Shaiapouf launched a coordinated attack on the Extermination Team, but Joey, Shoot, Kite, and Killua countered and destroyed his main body. As the team reacted to his death, Xilin rose again as a puppet holding a familiar head.

• Shaiapouf sent doubles and four Chimera Ants to attack while his main body targeted Joey, Palm, and Kite.
• Shoot and Joey used their abilities to kill the attacking Chimera Ants, including Welfin and Bloster.
• Shaiapouf recognized Joey as the source of his hatred, attacked him, and was driven off by Kite's gunfire and Killua's assault.
• Kite burned Shaiapouf's bee-sized main body with the Longsword, and Palm confirmed that he was dead.
• Xilin's corpse rose under the control of a black Puppet Master and appeared with a familiar head in her hands.

Xilin and the controlled Chimera Ant corpses attacked the Extermination Team, but Kite, Joey, and Gon helped destroy them. Meanwhile, Knuckle and Meleoron secretly targeted Youpi, who grew calmer as Potclean accumulated interest and prepared a powerful attack.

• Kite severed Terpsichora's control over Xilin and the Chimera Ant corpses, while Joey's Killer Queen and Gon helped destroy the attackers.
• Joey repaired Gon's abdominal wound, and Kite ordered Gon, Palm, and Ikalgo to remain behind while he, Shoot, and Joey went to support Morel and Knov.
• Knuckle and Meleoron used God's Accomplice to land a punch on Youpi, but Youpi's vast aura reserves and evolving balance of rage and calm complicated their plan.
• Youpi blasted through Morel's smoke soldiers and expanded his En, but he could not distinguish the smoke soldiers from the hidden Extermination Team members.
• Potclean appeared beside Youpi and repeatedly calculated interest as he fought through Morel's seemingly endless smoke soldiers, while the ugly face on Youpi's shoulder grew and he became calmer.
• Youpi aimed the transformed muzzle on his left arm at the ground and fired as Potclean calculated interest for the third time.

Morel, Knov, Knuckle, and Meleoron tried to contain Youpi with smoke, invisibility, and Hide and Seek while awaiting Joey, but Youpi’s explosive transformations repeatedly disrupted their plans. The chapter ended with Youpi detonating his severed legs beside Knov.

• Knuckle and Meleoron reported back to Morel and Knov after retreating from Youpi’s pressure.
• Morel and Knov prepared to trap Youpi in Hide and Seek while waiting for the other battle to end.
• Youpi’s massive explosion destroyed Morel’s smoke blockade, and Knuckle and Meleoron attacked him under Perfect Plan.
• Youpi detected the aura increase from Knuckle’s attacks, released an explosion, and forced Meleoron to become visible.
• Morel and Knov used smoke doubles and Hide and Seek to evade Youpi’s attack, but Youpi inferred how their abilities worked.
• Knov emerged beneath Youpi and used Scream to sever his legs, which Youpi made swell and explode beside him.