Chapter 45

## Chapter Chronology

**Zero's Grief** is the 45th chapter of the "*Shuumatsu no Valkyrie: Record of Ragnarok*" manga series.

## Summary

Twisting his arms and head around, Zerofuku wonders if Buddha feels anything off. When Buddha shows no particular reaction, Zerofuku clicks his teeth and remarks about how Buddha never seems to pay attention. As a handle sprouts from Zerofuku's spine, the God of Misfortune begins listing different ways of saying he'll kill Buddha. Grasping onto the hilt and pulling his Divine Weapon out of his body, Zerofuku decides on "murder." Looking on, Ares expresses his disbelief that there's been a God that sinister in Valhalla all this time. Hermes remarks on how this must be the Zerofuku he's heard rumours about and after saying that blessings can come out of disaster, Hermes states that it seems this match was a work of fate. Heimdall begins quivering because of the murderous aura that is coming off of Zerofuku before getting a notification from the higher-ups.

On his tablet, Bishamonten's name is replaced with Zerofuku's. Heimdall pulls a spare Gjallarhorn out of an array.

After that, Heimdall calls both contestants out of left field.

Deciding to go ahead, Heimdall announces Buddha as the sixth representative for Humanity and declares Zerofuku to be the sixth representative for the Gods.

After Heimdall starts the fight, Göll realises that this is the "Zero" that Ebisu mentioned and questions what Zerofuku is, since it's unheard of for that many Gods to combine into a single being. Brunhilde tells Göll that the Seven Lucky Gods was just a temporary form they took and that Zerofuku is their original self, adding that it's her first time seeing it.

When Göll says that Zerofuku seems more demonic than he does a God, Brunhilde reveals that in the beginning, Zerofuku was a kind god, who'd dispense fortune wherever he went. However, grief changed him. Many centuries ago, when God and mankind still held a close relationship, some Gods dwelled on Earth in order to keep a close eye on Humans. In Ancient Asia, a much kinder and softer-looking Zerofuku emerges from his shrine and decides to make everyone as happy as they can be. He sets off on his journey and soon encounters a small bird that has fallen from its nest. Zerofuku picks the bird up and climbs up the tree to place it back in the nest, only for the mother bird to arrive and knock Zerofuku down. Realizing it's their mother, Zerofuku wishes the bird good luck and hopes that they're happy.

Long ago, Zerofuku was kinder than any other God. Zerofuku continues his journey and finds a small village. But when he enters the village, he is immediately shocked by the sight of many people in the depths of sorrow, struggling under the burdens of the Eight Pains: birth, sickness, old age, death, parting from loved ones, meeting with hated ones, failing to attain what one seeks and the five skandas. At this sight, Zerofuku begins crying. He makes his way further into the village and tries to figure out what he can do to make these people, who are suffering, happy. Zerofuku comes to the conclusion that, if people are unhappy, then he has to cut off that unhappiness at the source. He approaches a mother looking over her sick son, who's lying on the ground and coughing.

Kneeling next to the boy, Zerofuku promises to absorb his misfortune and touches the boy's chest, completely absorbing his sickness and misfortune. Because of this, the boy is able to get up and can even run, feeling much better. The people who've seen this begin bowing and praising Zerofuku. Zerofuku figured out that he could take away a person's misfortune. Thus, in order to make Humans happy, Zerofuku travelled far and wide, for many months, absorbing whatever misfortune he saw and making people happy.

After many years, Zerofuku returned to his shrine, which had become run down. Zerofuku himself was also worse for wear, his skin being covered in patches of black and being so thin, that his ribs are visible through his skin. Sitting down, Zerofuku says that now, everyone should be happy and remarks on how he's taken in a lot of misfortune. He suddenly yells out in pain and falls on the floor. Despite how much pain and suffering it brought to him, Zerofuku continued to absorb the misfortune of others, just so they could be happy, which in turn, would make him happy. Faintly smiling, Zerofuku decides to check on the very first village he visited.

But when he gets there, he finds that the people haven't gotten happier: rather, because Zerofuku took in their misfortune, the Humans had begun losing sight of happiness and fell into depravity. Someone with two women at his side then bumps into Zerofuku and knocks him down. Zerofuku looks to see that it's the boy he first healed, all grown up. However, the man doesn't recognise Zerofuku and tells him to get lost, even going as far as to spit on him. Lying on the ground, Zerofuku keeps questioning what's happening and how this could be real. Overhead, a flock of birds fly. One bird looks down and sees Zerofuku. It turns out to be the bird Zerofuku saved when it fell from the tree and the bird goes down to try and get Zerofuku's attention.

Unfortunately, Zerofuku doesn't notice and instead, questions why he went through this much suffering if the Humans aren't even happy at the end, emitting an aura that scares the bird away. Just when Zerofuku wonders why he couldn't make them happy, a large group of people walk into the village, with even some animals following them.

Zerofuku guesses that the group are a bunch of people who want him to take away their misery, only for Zerofuku's eyes to widen when he realizes that someone is leading the group. As the leader munches on a bowl of beans, an old man comes up to him and asks Buddha if he can have some. Buddha tosses the old man more than a handful, telling him to take as many as he wants while Zerofuku looks on in astonishment, since the people following Buddha all appear raggedy and yet, their faces were beaming with joy.

Zerofuku then notices that people in the village are reconsidering their actions now that Buddha is here. Seeing Buddha start to walk past him, Zerofuku suddenly yells at him to wait. As Zerofuku staggers to his feet and keeps mumbling "Why?", Buddha asks if Zerofuku wants to come with him and offers him some beans.

Knocking the bowl out of his hand, Zerofuku questions why the people following Buddha look so happy. He complains about how he worked himself so hard to absorb all of their misfortune and yet, they only got less and less happy. Buddha tells Zerofuku that isn't right. Tossing a bean into his mouth, Buddha says that Zerofuku shouldn't absorb their misfortune since happiness is something you have to attain yourself, not a thing you can give to other people. He tells Zerofuku that wherever there is shadow, there's always light too, which only confuses Zerofuku.

What he said related to an excerpt from Chapter 2 of the *Sutta Nipata*: "You desire happiness, you say? Then carry the yoke which is most suited to you. That is the state which will bring delight, and the shadow which shall ultimately bear true happiness." Buddha asks if Zerofuku wants to achieve enlightenment with him, calling him "Bud."

As the crowd all pray to Buddha, Zerofuku takes off, crying. The old man questions what that was all about and Buddha says he doesn't know before commenting on how rough puberty is. Running through a forest, Zerofuku yells out that what Buddha is doing, is supposed to be his job. God had become jealous of a Human. Wiping his face with water from a stream, Zerofuku questions who Buddha is and laments over how he worked so hard, yet no-one remembers him at all, let alone be thankful to him.

As a result of his intense sadness, all of Zerofuku's love soon turned into hate and it transformed him into a menacing God of Misfortune. Sighing, Zerofuku admits that took a load off and says it's time for him to murder. A small group of Humans nearby notice Zerofuku and begin running. Zerofuku chases a woman down but she turns to face him to protect her baby, who she is carrying on her back. Despite how Zerofuku looks, the baby reaches out to him, happy. Unable to kill them, Zerofuku digs his hands into his chest instead and a bright light is emitted, creating the Seven Lucky Gods. Ebisu says that was close since if Zerofuku kept going, they would've delivered divine retribution to all of Humanity.

Hoteison says it isn't like them to get that unhinged and Benzaiten adds that releasing all that bad luck would've been disasterous. Ebisu decides they need to get revenge on Buddha for doing this to them in the first place.

Fukurokuju recounts how Buddha was leading the Humans by himself and turning a blind eye to the Gods. When Jurojin grits his teeth about how Buddha is showing contempt towards the Gods, Daikokuten cheerfully says that means they have to deliver divine retribution upon him. However, Bishamonten says the time isn't right yet and they all leave to go to Valhalla, while the woman questions if they're all Gods, which began the legend of the supposed Eight Lucky Gods, including Zerofuku. In the present, Zerofuku declares he's long waited for this day to kill Buddha because it's his fault he was humiliated. Without warning, Buddha suddenly kicks Zerofuku in the stomach. As the God of Misfortune drops to his knees, coughing, Buddha apologises before questioning who Zerofuku even is.

## Characters in Order of Appearance

* Zerofuku
* Heimdall
* Buddha
* Ares
* Hermes
* Brunhilde
* Göll
* Jurojin (Flashback)
* Daikokuten (Flashback)
* Fukurokuju (Flashback)
* Bishamonten (Flashback)
* Hoteison (Flashback)
* Benzaiten (Flashback)
* Ebisu (Flashback)