452 Record of Ragnarok: Humanity Must Be Eradicated, The Valkyries Who Did Not Abandon Humanity, Death Struggle: Ragnarok, Absolute Despair.

It was a normal world, with its tall buildings, the noise of its urban cities, its factories working, people going from one place to another, trains carrying heavy loads to factories, and planes taking off and landing.

The laughter of children, the shouting at football fields, the fights in markets over anything. It was a normal world...

In a world like this when people think about the history of humanity, they often think of the Renaissance or the Middle Ages. However, before kings, pharaohs, before civilizations and great cities, before pyramids, monuments, and even language, approximately 7 million years ago, the story of humanity began. With eight billion people today, the world has entered an era of advancements and development. However, things are not as peaceful as they seem—not because of threats between powers that do not get along, or because a small virus can lock everyone in their homes for two years.

This land, which humans believe belongs to them, has an owner, and humanity, so prosperous and yet full of flaws, has creators.

The sky opened up, and a giant foot appeared above all the people. It was a surreal image of a being of such colossal proportions that it could crush an entire city just by walking. Something like this defied all logic, something like this made no sense. Such a thing could only be attributed to beings beyond human understanding; perhaps an advanced civilization of aliens, or maybe... God?

...

It was a vast parliament made of marble imbued with divine powers, illuminated by light. Hundreds, maybe thousands, of beings, called gods gathered. If you looked around, you would see floating islands in the sky as if gravity did not exist. Where else would the gods live but in a place so striking?

This gathering was called the Valhalla Court, and it gathered all the gods every thousand years.

There were haughty laughs, there was ostentation, and there was arrogance hidden under the mask of benevolence. Humanity had once idolized, loved, and followed them, but now each one harbored some sort of ill will beneath their skin against humanity.

"Uff uff uff, come here, little one~"

The trembling voice of an old man, apparently weak and small, silenced all the gods. He wore a Greek toga and sat in the center of the site on a sort of dragon-shaped throne. The old man petted his pet while his dry, wrinkled eyes stared at the gods.

"We meet after a thousand years, as always, to decide once more whether humanity will live for another thousand years or... be eradicated."

This old man, who held the leadership of the Valhalla Council, was Zeus, the very father god of Olympus. However, in this world, his position was even greater; he was the god of all other gods. This was decided in something called the Titanomachy. Every god had the chance to sit on that throne, but it was Zeus who imposed himself and is now the father of the universe. Great gods, including Odin, Shiva, Buddha, Izanami, Quetzalcoatl, Anubis, and others; even though they were the main gods in their respective pantheons—accepted it.

At this moment, in this surreal place that defies the laws of physics, far from any human who could express any word against it, humanity's cruel fate was being decided.

"Show me the will of the gods..." said Zeus, creating anticipation while holding two paddles; one with a cross and the other with a dove, as if it were an auction.

The mocking smiles and the celebrating laughter grew as if this day had been eagerly awaited for a long time.

"ONE THOUSAND YEARS AGO, HUMANITY BARELY SURVIVED... WHAT IS THE WILL OF THE GODS THIS TIME?!" Zeus smiled like a degenerate as he anticipated the answer.

"There is no hope, they will not regret their mistakes, from what I've seen in these thousand years," said a god with blue skin and four arms. This was Shiva, who smiled while sticking out his tongue. "There is no hope for humanity; they must be terminated."

"They are vulgar creatures," said Aphrodite, a look of disgust appearing on her face. "The seas have been polluted, the forests are disappearing... they were cancer for the world, we must finish them off."

Odin, Loki, Ares, Prometheus, the Jade Emperor, Amaterasu; every god from every pantheon, without exception, raised their paddle with the cross, indicating their will. No matter the pantheon they belonged to, every one of them agreed.

"Hehehe~ it is decided~," Zeus said, smiling with excitement. "BY UNANIMOUS DECISION, HUMANITY WILL BE ELIMINATED!"

The gods seemed euphoric as if a great desire was being fulfilled. However, among those present, two demi goddesses did not share in the laughter, joy, and euphoria; one was Brunhilde, the eldest of the Valkyrie sisters, and the other was Goll, the youngest of the thirteen.

'It's the end. There's no way humanity will survive extinction. They can't oppose the gods.'

Goll looked at her older sister, her face turning pale. 'What are you doing, Hild-nee?!'

Brunhilde stepped forward, much to the terrified gaze of her younger sister. "Wait a moment!"

"Sister, you can't tell the divine will of the gods to wait!" Goll, with tears in her eyes, tried to stop her sister, but she couldn't.

"Stupid Valkyrie!" one of Odin's ravens growled with anger.

A god with a long robe, long gray hair, black pupils, and two ravens on his shoulders unleashed a great deal of murderous intent. He was Odin, the supreme god of the Norse pantheon, and of course, the god of the thirteen Valkyries.

"HOW DARE YOU SPEAK IN THIS COUNCIL?!" shouted another of Odin's ravens, expressing their thoughts.

Odin glared furiously at Brunhilde, who didn't even glance at him while speaking to all the gods.

"Gods, is it okay that you want to eradicate humanity, and regardless of whether their survival has any value, doesn't it seem... boring?"

...

Boring?

That simple word caught the gods' attention. Brunhilde continued speaking. "What if we put them to the test?"

"Test?! Do you want to flood the earth? Are you talking about a new Ice Age?!" Odin's ravens spoke once more as the gods waited for Brunhilde to finish her words to see if it was worth listening to or if they should kill her for interrupting the Valhalla council.

Brunhilde's gaze sharpened. "GODS AGAINST HUMANITY IN A FINAL BATTLE: THE RAGNAROK!"

The gods also had rules and laws; they created these to prevent senseless wars and conflicts.

"ONE-ON-ONE IN A DEATH MATCH!" declared Brunhilde, to the astonished gaze of each god.

With thirteen fighters on each side, the first to win seven victories would win. If humanity loses seven battles, it will be destroyed. If, by some miracle,, they win, they will be allowed to live for another thousand years.

Since the beginning of humanity, that clause has never been applied. How could they? There was no possibility that humanity could win against the gods!

"Foolishness!"

"Kill her for interrupting the council of gods!"

"Don't let the bitch keep talking!"

Goll clung to her sister. "There's no way humanity can win. Now stop talking or they'll execute you!"

A mocking smile formed at the corners of Brunhilde's lips. She looked confused as if she didn't understand the gods' refusal. She grabbed her chin and tilted her head.

"Mmm, you want to eliminate humanity without facing them in a ring... are you scared?... a... I see, if so, forget what I said~"

A deathly silence followed, and then the gods began to laugh. Yes, the gods laughed at such a ridiculous claim. How could these all-powerful beings be scared of humans?

Are you scared? No!

However, Brunhilde smiled. She was sure they would accept. Because gods are gods. That anyone would think the gods fear humanity is the greatest humiliation ever heard, and the reaction they would cause with that phrase would be this:

"Hehehe~ It's a fantastic idea!"

Zeus interrupted, his arm swelling grotesquely with massive muscles. Without mercy, he tore off the head of his pet, drenching himself in its blood. This strange creature, which he had raised for many years, was slaughtered without a shred of compassion, demonstrating the raw cruelty of the gods. They viewed everything non-divine as little more than toys or possessions to break or destroy at will.

To them, humanity was exactly that. Though they gave the excuse that it was "for the good of the world," the reality was simple: humanity had long stopped worshipping most of the gods.

"Ragnarok... what a brilliant idea!" Zeus grinned, covered in blood. "Don't you all think it's a magnificent idea?! It's been far too long since we've displayed the power of the gods!"

Zeus's blood-covered declaration made Brunhilde feel both nausea and fear. She wasn't underestimating the gods; this was simply the only path left to her, the only way to give humanity a chance.

...

Brunhilde walked alongside Goll, her heart heavy with unease.

"Hild-nee, we're dead. Why did you do that?"

"You're too young, Goll, so you might not understand... but we valkyries have stronger bonds with humanity than with the gods," Brunhilde said, her voice steady as her younger sister gazed at her glowing figure. "There's no way we're abandoning them..."

"Hild-nee..."

But Brunhilde's heart ached. 'Forgive me for lying to you, Goll...'

Brunhilde was a sinner. Her intentions were not as pure as she claimed. There was someone she wanted to free, and she was using humanity as her means. Of course, if humanity won, they would survive too.

"Oh❤️~"

The demon of dreams and lust, Incubus, appeared before the sisters and began harassing Brunhilde.

"I don't know what you're planning, but gods are cruel. If anything happens, I'll protect you... as long as you behave."

Brunhilde shivered and knelt. The demon, misunderstanding her reaction, began to speak lewdly, believing he now had Brunhilde in his grasp.

"I didn't kneel for you..." Brunhilde's words shattered the demon's delusion.

Immediately, a massive hammer struck him, turning him into a smear of flesh and blood that splattered onto Brunhilde, still kneeling.

"It's been a long time... Thor-sama."

Radiating an overwhelming presence, with long red hair, blackened hands as if burned, and a massive hammer he wielded effortlessly, this was Thor—the strongest Norse god.

"What are you trying to do?"

Brunhilde gave no response, and Thor wasn't expecting one either.

"If you disappoint me... I will kill you..."

Thor would be the first god humanity faced, and this sent waves of anxiety through the Valkyrie sisters.

Goll watched Thor's back as he left and took a breath at last, "Ah... Hild-nee, it's incredible how calm you are in this situation..."

"Do I look calm to you?!"

Brunhilde's expression said it all; she knew victory would require one miracle after another. Yet she refused to falter. She stood up and began to walk.

"There's no time to be scared. We need to find the first warrior to represent humanity."

The sisters arrived at a machine that displayed countless images of historical figures in the air: Albert Einstein, Leonardo da Vinci, Socrates, Genghis Khan, Vlad the Impaler, Hattori Hanzo...

Brunhilde could summon their souls to fight for humanity. However, this wasn't as simple as it seemed. When someone dies, they become a spirit, a ghost. But if a spirit dies, it disappears entirely. Fighting in Ragnarok carried that ultimate risk.

There were many choices, but Brunhilde had already decided on their first warrior.

"We'll use him. I found him on the battlefield, and he's probably the strongest... no, he's the worst—the most barbaric warrior."

The screen illuminated the room with its brilliance...

...

Later, in a massive coliseum, gods gathered on one side and humans on the other. It didn't matter the era; whether the figures were alive or dead, anyone could appear in the stands to support their champions.

Humanity already knew. They had found out that they were at risk of being eradicated like a plague, and that the gods were not as pleasant as they had believed.

A short man wearing a mask and dressed like a jester appeared in the middle of the coliseum. This was the Heimdall of this world, the Norse god, the Apocalypse's watcher.

"IT'S TIME TO BLOW THE GALLARHORN!"

Humanity in the stands from different eras looked nervous, while the gods were excited.

"Now, to represent the gods! You all know this god! He is the strongest Norse god! The giant slayer who crushed the Midgard Serpent! The very god of the hammer, Mjolnir—THOR!"

The gods cheered as they watched the imposing Thor enter the battlefield with his hammer, leaving humans breathless. It was clear that even among the gods, some stood out above the rest.

"Crush them…" said Odin, watching Thor.

Heimdall smiled. "Will the seven million years come to an end? Not yet! Representing humanity, a warrior who earned the title of the strongest man in history. A man who was never defeated in life! The invincible warlord of ancient China, LÜ BU HOSEN!"

Now it was humanity's turn to cheer, as the gods widened their eyes. A black horse entered with a terrifying man mounted on it. With a muscular body covered in tattoos, long hair, teeth more like a row of beast fangs, and, a scar on his face, the man who represented the pinnacle of strength appeared.

There was hope for humanity, as Lubu's aura was not inferior to Thor's. But the reality is cruel, and humanity knew it as soon as they saw the outcome of the battle.

...

After a battle so absurd it split the sky, Lubu, with broken arms and legs, rode toward a wounded Thor. Though in worse shape than Thor, he smiled at such a brave and worthy warrior. However, this didn't prevent him from becoming a pile of meat after a blow, making it clear to humanity that the gods were gods for a reason.

...

As Lubu's eyes closed, another person opened…

"Where am I?"

Allen opened his eyes as he arrived in this world, but his mood wasn't good. Understandably, considering he was chained to a cross at that moment.

"Who dared to do this to me?"

===

A/N: Shumatsu no Valkyrie or Record of Ragnarok, depending on what you know it as, is a battle of humans against gods... yeah... In theory this is the short arc, I don't know how much but it is 🍷🗿