Chapter 73

## Chapter Chronology

**Curse and Prayer** is the 73rd chapter of the "*Shuumatsu no Valkyrie: Record of Ragnarok*" manga series.

## Summary

In Helheim, in his castle, with his right sleeve ripped, Hades pushes Beelzebub back. As Beelzebub huffs, Hades lets out a menacing smile and swings his bident forward. Beelzebub ends up thrown out of the room they're fighting in.

After grazing another roof, Beelzebub ends up crashing against the castle walls. As Beelzebub lies on the ground, Hades then appears. Getting up, Beelzebub says that Hades is indeed the King of Helheim and calls him strong. At first huffing a bit, Beelzebub then begins crying and smiles about how, with this, he'll finally be able to die. Hades can't believe Beelzebub came all this way just to be killed and questions him as to why he wants to die so badly.

Raising his right hand, Beelzebub attempts to pierce himself through with his vibration blade, only for the tattoo on his chest to grow vines that form a hand to hold back Beelzebub's attack. Beelzebub says he cannot die even if he wants to.

Even if he deliberately allowed others to kill him, he cannot find death because of this tattoo.

Beelzebub expresses how he believes this tattoo won't allow him to die and is cursing him to suffer until the end of time. Beelzebub says that Lilith, who he killed, wanted him to live and continue suffering. That is why Beelzebub wants Hades to end this curse Lilith bequeathed him with. As he understands why Beelzebub asked him to kill him, Hades sighs and calls Beelzebub a fool. While he may not know what happened between Beelzebub and Lilith, Hades says that even someone like him can tell what she meant to say. Hades asserts that tattoo isn't a curse – it's a prayer. As Beelzebub confusedly repeats how Hades called it a prayer, Hades mentions how Lilith wished for Beelzebub to continue living.

Rather than wishing for death, Hades tells Beelzebub that he should be asking himself how he should live instead. Hades recommends that Beelzebub give it another thought about what Lilith had bequeathed him with. As Beelzebub remembers Lilith confessing her love and telling him to live for their sakes too, Hades turns around and begins walking back into his castle. He says that if the answer Beelzebub comes to is that he still wishes to be killed by him, Hades instructs him to come back when he's in an actual fighting shape.

Looking back, Hades promises to be waiting for him, anytime. After Hades leaves, Beelzebub leans against the wall and takes in the fact that tattoo is meant to be a prayer. As he touches it, he questions what it is that he should do. Thinking about Lilith, Azazel, Samael and Lucifer, Beelzebub cries as he asks them to tell him what to do.

A while after, Hades is in his throne room, playing chess with a cockatiel, when Beelzebub comes in, wearing priest-like clothing. Hades asks if he's come to be killed by him again and Beelzebub says no. Hades then assumes Beelzebub has given up on death but Beelzebub says no to that too. As he thought, Beelzebub says he must die but a death that one like Hades can give will not suffice. As Hades expresses his confusion, Beelzebub says he thought long and hard before coming to a realization. He must continue to live bitterly, wretchedly, repulsively and savagely so that he will then die as horrifically as possible. That shall be Beelzebub's atonement for killing the ones he loved. Taken aback at first, Hades proceeds to laugh and says that to the end, Beelzebub is such a bothersome fellow.

Reaching into his coat for something, Hades admits he does like the sound of that. He then throws something and Beelzebub catches a small skull. As a cane extends out the bottom of it, Hades reveals he's been holding onto that for if they ever met again. Hades calls it the **Staff of Apomyius** and notes how it suits Beelzebub and his particular ability. With this, Hades says Beelzebub won't go down so easily. As Beelzebub stays silent, Hades tells him not to fret as he'll see to Beelzebub's continued suffering and savage demise.

As Hades takes a sip of wine, Beelzebub questions why he has any concern for what happens to him. Hades brings up the fact that he has some younger brothers who can be quite bothersome. Just as he was thinking about how he missed those bothersome brothers, an interesting fellow wandered into his midst. As Beelzebub retracts the **Staff of Apomyius**, he begins walking through the exit when he tells Hades that he's quite the bothersome God himself. Hades is left to wonder how.

In the present, as Nikola Tesla gets ready to close the distance, Beelzebub thinks about how this is Hades' fault. As he manages to block Tesla's blow with **Sorath Samekh** in time, Beelzebub tells Hades that because of him and his bothersome personality, he has become an even more bothersome fellow. As Tesla backs off to avoid **Sorath Vau**, Beelzebub realizes that even though he's been wishing for death, right now, all he wants to do is annihilate Humanity for killing Hades. As he recalls the moment he saw Qin Shi Huang kill Hades, Beelzebub retracts the **Staff of Apomyius** before gripping onto the skull with both hands. As the empty sockets of the skull start to glow, a dark aura emanates from the Lord of the Flies and Adamantine questions what Beelzebub is doing now.

Zeus is in shock as he exclaims that technique was branded as taboo in Helheim.

Wondering if he'll show him something good again, Tesla strikes with **Plasma Pulse Punch** but as Beelzebub skids back, Tesla is surprised to see Beelzebub's two different vibrations fusing into the skull, causing the skull to begin shining. As Beelzebub creates a crater around him, Göll covers her ears and calls this an awful noise. She questions what's with the horrible sinking feeling she's getting while Brunhilde is surprised. Laughing, Tesla guesses this is bad for him. The moment that Baal and Zebul meet, a false God is born and the Promised Land is swallowed up, according to the legends of the Canaanites. Zeus yells at Beelzebub to stop as he uses **Original Sin of the Netherworld – No.0: Chaos**. In the next moment, a giant black sphere covers the entire fighting stage.

## Characters in Order of Appearance

* Hades (Flashback)
* Beelzebub
* Nikola Tesla
* Zeus
* Adamantine
* Brunhilde (No lines)
* Göll
* Heimdall (No lines)

## Trivia

* This chapter was originally released under the title "**The Heirs of Science**" (科学を継ぐ者, *Kagaku o Tsugu Mono*).