Chapter 31: Into nothing out for war

{Author here, anyone else have dust enter their eyes last chapter?}

-??? POV-

"Ragnarök is Mankind's final struggle against the Gods. Explained in the Valhalla Constitution, article No. 62, paragraph 15 of the "super special clause," it is a series of one-on-one showdowns between the Gods and Mankind.

The rules are quite simple. Each side picks thirteen fighters, who will fight one-on-one fights to the death and the winning side is the one that gets seven victories first.

If the Gods win the Ragnarok, Humanity's fate is sealed and it will be extinguished. However, if the Humans win, they will gain the right to live for another 1000 years.

As Ragnarok is a battle between souls, those who die in the fights have their souls destroyed and turned to ashes, being impossible to save or retrieve the soul, this impedes the reincarnation cycle, therefore, resulting in complete extinction.

The fights take place in the Valhalla Arena. 

Göll nervously finished reading and turned towards me, concern etched on her face. "Sister, how are we going to do this? Humans can't fight against gods!"

I smirked at her and beckoned for her to follow me. "Throughout history, there have been many legendary figures who have gone beyond human limits."

We approached a room with a glowing green orb that displayed many faces. "I shall go and meet these fighters and request their help."

Göll still looked nervous. "Is that safe, sister?"

I shrugged. "I'm a Valkyrie. I'll be fine." With that a concerned Göll left, I began cycling through the faces, searching for those who could fight for humanity.

After finishing my conversation with Kojiro Sasaki, I decided I had gathered enough fighters, including backup options. But then, a new face appeared on the green orb, glowing brightly. 'I've never seen this before.' The information read: Ryou Sasaki, age eighteen, death by Trihexa, the Apocalyptic Beast.

"Interesting," I murmured, just as Göll entered the room.

As I summoned him, we were greeted by a young man standing at 6'0", with black shoulder-length hair, purple eyes, scars marking his face and neck, and dressed in a black kimono. Before I could say a word, he grabbed me by the neck and pinned me against the wall.

"Where the hell am I? And who are you?" His voice was cold, dangerous.

Göll panicked. "S-stop! Put my sister down!"

He only tightened his grip. I could feel my ability to breathe fading. "You are in Valhalla," I managed to choke out through his hold. He dropped me abruptly. 'Rude, but strong.'

Standing up, I met his gaze. I noticed I was slightly shorter than him. "I'm Brunhilde, and this is my sister Göll. We need your help to fight for humanity."

"Will you help us fight against the gods?" I stretched out my hand toward him.

He glanced at it, then back at me. "Who's the strongest god?"

'They're all the same' I thought to myself, inwardly chuckling. "That would be Zeus, God Father of the Cosmos."

He took my hand, but as we shook, he increased the pressure in his grip. "Make sure I fight him. You won't regret it."

Oddly enough, I trusted him. "Very well. Follow me. I'll show you to a room until the matches begin, and I'll explain what's happening."

-Ryou's POV-

Waking up from the void of nothingness was... not fun. The most recent memories that flooded back to me were Rias's death and Ophis's terrified eyes. When I opened my eyes, I was met with a face I never thought I'd see, Brunhilde, the Valkyrie from Record of Ragnarok. After a brief conversation, we were now walking to what I assumed was the room she mentioned.

This was not something I had expected. When a shy Göll asked about my story, I found myself recounting how I had livedm, while leaving out a few things a few parts like, Muramasa. Brunhilde stayed silent for most of it, only asking questions at certain points. By the end, Göll was crying. 'Right, she's emotional.'

Brunhilde finally broke the silence. "If humanity manages to win, you might be able to have a sort of wish granted to save your world."

Two things shocked me. "How did you know? And... is that actually true?"

She smirked. "I'm older than you might think. I'll punch you if you ask my age. And yes, it's not impossible."

The crowd's reaction was mixed, but it was predominantly filled with despair, fear, and hopelessness. I had told Brunhilde I would fight in the next round, and that Zeus would be my opponent. I could see the doubt in her eyes, but she agreed nonetheless.

"I'm sure you realize you can't damage a god without a Völundr. Let's go to—" I interrupted her, "No need. I have everything I need to kill a god." With that, I walked off toward the arena. 'My body has surpassed its peak. I would be at least Middle-Ultimate Class now, without even using Cursed Magic.' I wasn't exactly sure what being revived meant for my abilities, but it didn't matter. I just needed to win to fix everything.

I heard Heimdall announce the next round, starting with the reveal of my name. 'Pretty nice guy, funny too.'

"On humanity's side, we have a young man from Modern Japan! Not much is known about him or what he's capable of, but one thing is certain, he is determined to win. The stakes are too high for him to lose! He is Ryou Sasaki!"

As I entered the arena, the crowd wasn't cheering.

'We are doomed.'

'A child fighting?!'

'This is it for us.'

'Is this a joke?!'

Those were just some of the whispers I could hear. 'So motivating.' I nervously thought

Heimdall introduced the next fighter but paused before revealing who it was. Soft music began to play, and I found myself staring up at the sky. 'I probably shouldn't actually be trying to piss off my first fight against a God, But it'll be fun.'

"Hoho~ Young man, it is quite rude to ignore an old man~"

I looked down, and to my surprise, he was downright ugly. So many wrinkles! 'I can't believe he's the strongest.'

"Sorry, old man, I just had a lot on my mind."

I could hear the gods in the stadium yelling and cursing at me.

"Hoho~ I see."

Heimdall prepared to blow his horn.

"START!"