Chapter 78

## Chapter Chronology

**The Sun God and The Defiant Hero** is the 78th chapter of the "*Shuumatsu no Valkyrie: Record of Ragnarok*" manga series.

## Summary

On an extravagant floating island, Ares sighs about how depressed he is. Hermes warns him that he'll go bald if he worries too much. Ares points out they're at four wins and four losses, and yet their next fighter is "that guy". Ares admits he hates this next fighter because he's a great big narcissist asshole.

Zeus laughs, agreeing that he's hard to understand and loves to mock them but Zeus does admit he's strong. The three reach a large fountain where a God is bathing with five goddesses. He happily sighs about how this is Paradise and while Zeus says it looks like he's enjoying himself, Ares angrily questions what he's doing at a time like this.

Excited to see Ares, the God gets up and addresses him as his dear friend. It's revealed to be one of the Twelve Gods of Olympus, Apollo. Walking forward, Apollo asks what the matter is as Ares rarely comes to visit him.

Closing his eyes, Ares yells at Apollo to cover himself up as he's naked but Apollo suddenly gets behind him, encouraging Ares to get into the fountain with him. Ares insists they're not friends but Apollo tells him that he can be honest and can admit he loves him. Exclaiming "Malaka!", Ares attempts to backhand him with his left fist to get him off but Apollo swiftly dodges and Ares loses his footing, causing him to fall into the water. Jumping into the water as well, Apollo says it feels great before he just realizes that Zeus is also here.

Zeus tells Apollo that he's up next in Ragnarok and Apollo is surprised that's still going on. Zeus informs him that after eight rounds, the score is four wins and four losses each. Of those four losses, three were Poseidon, Heracles and Hades.

This causes Apollo to pause and the women to look at him in sympathy. Calling the three by the nicknames he gave them, Apollo says that's a shame. He then clarifies that it's a shame he wasn't able to see just how beautiful their deaths must've been. As this makes Zeus and Hermes go silent, Ares is mad that Apollo wanted to see their deaths and doesn't seem sad. Apollo wonders why he should bother being sad and points out they all fought with their souls ablaze, insisting they were at the height of beauty. Ares is speechless while Hermes lets out a laugh and Zeus sighs. Apollo looks at the women he's bathing with and asks them if they want to watch him fight and see the highest, most shining scene there is.

The women all scream yes and Apollo decides, as the Sun God, he has no choice but to listen to these beautiful cheers. As Apollo proudly stands up naked again and proclaims it's his time to shine, Ares tells him to put his clothes on. In the Valhalla Arena cloisters, Göll sadly recalls how the score is now at 4-4 and says Humanity's been putting up a good fight. Brunhilde harshly says that's not even worth an earthworm's snot: if they don't win, it's all for nothing. That is Ragnarok. Göll is about to say something when Brunhilde reveals that is precisely why she has chosen this man amongst men as their next fighter.

The two stop in front of large stone doors, that have the Greek letter "Λ" (Lambda) on it.

As two guards, as large as the doors, stand by, Brunhilde reveals that, in order to keep defying the Gods, they have the "Strongest Rebel in Human History." The two guards open the doors and after they go through, Göll asks Brunhilde what this place is. With the walls of the hallway adorned with tapestries depicting warriors throughout the ages, Brunhilde tells Göll that, since the birth of Humanity, billions upon billions of people continued to rise and fall, again and again.

Reaching the end of the hallway and entering a large room, Brunhilde says that, among them, the ones renowned as the strongest, without a doubt, are the Spartans. The room they enter is filled with many Spartan soldiers in the middle of training. As they walk through them, Brunhilde tells an amazed Göll, even in death, they won't slack on their training. That is the kind of men that they are. The two approach a man laying on a hammock, reading a book as he smokes a cigar.

Brunhilde says they've kept him waiting, revealing the man is King Leonidas.

As Göll recognises who he is, Brunhilde tells Leonidas that he will be the representative for Humanity in the ninth round of Ragnarok. Leonidas claims he doesn't feel like it, much to Göll's shock. Leonidas says that anyone will do for the ninth round and asserts that, if he's fighting, then he better be the first or the final one. Leonidas tells Brunhilde to pick someone else and Göll thinks his attitude is kind of a letdown.

Displaying an image of the God on her phone, Brunhilde calls that a shame and says that, in 7,000,000 years of Human history, she thought he was the only one capable of defeating Apollo. As Leonidas twitches, Brunhilde turns to leave but Leonidas tells her to wait and asks her if the Apollo she's talking about is the Sun God, Apollo. As she smirks, Brunhilde confirms that is the Apollo she is talking about and she shows Leonidas his picture. Sitting up from his hammock, Leonidas says that Apollo had the same kind of face on at his shrine in Delphi, calling him a "motherfucker." Getting up, Leonidas notes how things got interesting. Göll can't believe that he called a God a "motherfucker" and Leonidas reveals there are three things he likes in this world.

The first is reading in a hammock. The second is enjoying a glass of wine with some Spartan cheese. Taking off his glasses and crushing them, Leonidas reveals the third is using his hands to knock those "haughty pieces of shit, so-called 'God' motherfuckers" down a peg, shocking Göll even more. The Spartan soldiers stand at attention as Leonidas takes off his shirt and declares he'll kill Apollo, in the name of Sparta. Later, the fighting stage has been changed into a circular shape with a brick flooring. Heimdall goes over how both sides have won four matches each, and in this match, that will surely serve as a predicator for the remaining five, Heimdall says one of the most popular cards has just been dealt, claiming both the Gods and Humans have their eyes on this one. In their land, for thousands upon thousands of years, Humanity and the Gods have always had a love-hate relationship with each other.

But now, the time has come for this to end, once and for all. As the ninth representative for Humanity begins walking through his entrance, Heimdall questions who were the strongest Human tribe of all time. Anyone asked that would be hard-pressed to answer with anything but Sparta. Heimdall says that man and his people have dedicated their lives to endless training, even in death. They are born for battle and they die for battle. He wonders whether their goal was either victory or glory before deciding it was neither.

As the Spartan soldiers all hit their spears against the ground, Heimdall recalls how, in the year 480BCE, 300 men stood against a million Persian invaders at Thermopylae, a battle that would live on in legends. According to legend, this man said, "We do not yield. We stand and fight! That is what it means to be Spartan!!" As he comes out of the entrance with a cloak and Spartan helmet, Heimdall says this man amongst men refused to bend his knee to the Gods nor would he ever lower his head to them. As he takes off his cloak and helmet, Heimdall declares Sparta, the strongest of people, gave birth to the strongest of kings – the ninth representative for Humanity, Leonidas. Dressed in a more modern military gear than Spartan and wielding a shield, Leonidas smokes a cigar as the Spartan soldiers cheer for him. Heimdall says the God who is facing the strongest king in Spartan history is him. A large ray of light shines from the Gods' entrance as their representative comes out. The Gods all recognize who this dazzling light belongs to and have been waiting for him.

As Leonidas shows an angry look, Heimdall wonders why this God gives off such beautiful light and why the other Gods love him so dearly. Is it because he killed the great serpent, Python, with his silver bow and arrow? Or is it because of the gorgeous notes that he produced with his lyre? No. Heimdall says it is because of his overwhelming beauty and strength. As the fighter for the Gods stands in an elaborate robe with the fixture of a sun behind him, Heimdall says this beautiful Sun God shines throughout the heavens. Both the Gods and Humanity alike call him: "Phoebus." As women take off his robe and fixture for him, the ninth representative for the Gods is shown to be Apollo. Women from the Gods' side cheer for him and Apollo takes it in while the men from Humanity's side encourage Leonidas. Round 9 of Ragnarok – Apollo vs. Leonidas. Heimdall gives the signal to fight but before he can even finish saying it, Leonidas rushes forward and jumps up. Swallowing his cigar, Leonidas proceeds to slam his shield down at Apollo. Heimdall and the women are taken aback.

Göll nervously asks if he cheated but Brunhilde states Leonidas simply attacked at the exact instant that Heimdall called "Fight." Having dodged the attack, unharmed, Apollo says that was not beautiful. He shakes his head over how Leonidas launched a surprise attack with all his strength so quickly, that he couldn't even say "Wait." Apollo considers him nothing more than a wild beast, doing an impression of a Human. Apollo can't believe that Leonidas would face him with such arrogance, disrespect and rudeness.

Blowing out smoke from his mouth and nose from having consumed his cigar, Leonidas remarks on how Apollo is still the same, calling him "piece of shit Sun God." Apollo questions if they've met somewhere before but is more offended by how unbecoming Leonidas' language is. Apollo says he can't have been referring to him with such vulgarity before smiling and warning Leonidas that if so, that would merit divine punishment. As he brings out another cigar and a lighter from his pocket, Leonidas sighs about how he can't stand Apollo, not back then and not now. Putting the cigar in his mouth and lighting it, Leonidas gives a thumbs-down and tells Apollo that he hates him more than anybody else in the world.

## Characters in Order of Appearance

* Ares
* Hermes
* Zeus
* Apollo
* Göll
* Brunhilde
* Leonidas
* Heimdall