Heracles/Plot

## Past

### Human Life

Somewhere around 2000 BC, Heracles was born as Alcides in Thebes, Greece. When bullies tried to rob Castor, Alcides told them to stop. He lost the fight and was beaten up along with Castor. As the bullies left them alone, Castor asked Alcides why he fought even though he was weak. Alcides replied that he fought them because they were wrong. This trend continued for a long time, including times of conflict and hunts, where Alcides stood in the vanguard and fought for the righteous.

One night, the bullies came to ridicule Alcides started to ridicule him, suggesting that he should try to gain strength by drinking ambrosia, even though it will most likely kill him. Alcides trained hard for years and, when presented with a choice, always took the toughest path without any hesitation, in order to gain strength to protect the weak.

During the Gods' Council in 2000 BC, the gods decided to punish humanity a little. Ares volunteered for the sacking of Thebes and descended to the city with his heavenly army. As the people of Thebes despaired in front of Ares and his army, Alcides was the only one who stood against them. Alcides was kicked away by Ares, but the human's perseverance amused him. Ares told him that if he bows down, then his life will be spared.

Alcides pointed out the hypocrisy in gods' self-righteous behaviour and delcared that he will wager his life to oppose the gods. Alcides drank the entire jar of ambrosia to gain the strength of a god. Despite going through terrible pain, Alcides survived and became a demigod. He wiped out Ares' army by himself and fought Ares to a standstill. Zeus stopped their fight and offered Alcides to become a god, because he thought it would be troublesome to leave someone like Alcides on Earth.

Alcides told him that he will accept if the gods will never harm humanity again. Zeus said he will accept if Alcides will lead humanity to righteousness. Alcides agreed to stoop to godhood to protect humanity. After his earthly death he had to complete 12 labors before becoming a god. During Alcides' ascension ceremony, Zeus bestowed Alcides a new name after Zeus' wife, Hera. Alcides becomes "Heracles".

## Ragnarok

Following the proclamation of Ragnarok, the challenge between Gods and Humans for the salvation of Humanity, Heracles is included among the 13 fighters of the Gods.

### Fourth Round

Zeus sent out Heracles to fight in the fourth round for the gods' side. Before entering the arena, he met Brunhilde and Göll and told them that he will fight next. Later, Loki questioned him on where he stands between humanity and gods as a demigod. Heracles told Loki that he's against ending humanity and will try to save humanity after his own victory, and that he is on the side of justice. For the fourth match, Jack the Ripper requested Heracles to have the stage to be built as 19th century London. His request was accepted.

At first Heracles was offended that his opponent was a mere serial killer. He told Jack that if he was willing to surrender, he would let him go alive and will make Zeus accept this outcome. Jack refused to surrender and told Heracles that a gentleman will always accept a duel. Jack pulled out giant scissors and said that they are his Völundr. Before Heracles could attack, Jack ran away into a dark alley, much to Heracles' anger. Heracles then chased after him and saw Jack drinking tea.

Jack offered Heracles to take a tea break, but Heracles refused and advanced on Jack. Heracles noticed a tripwire and intentionally set it off. The trap didn't do any harm to him because it didn't use divine weapons. When Heracles raised his club above Jack, he used his grappling hook guns to escape. Heracles jumped into the air and swung his club, smashing the scissors. Jack backed up against a wall and threw knives at him. Just as Heracles reminded the killer that mortal weapons cannot harm a god, Heracles was wounded by the attack.

Jack then pulled a string of knives from his pouch and told Heracles that his real divine weapon are actually two weapon-generating pouches. Jack continued his assault on Heracles by throwing knives from his pouches, but the god of fortitude easily deflected them all. Jack then threw the knives in a curved trajectory, managing to land a few hits. Heracles continued to press forward through the hail of knives.

Before Heracles could hit Jack with his club, he pulled an umbrella out of the pouches and spun it to deflect the attack, earning Heracles's begrudged respect. Jack admitted that this attack was a close call and asked Heracles what he would do in the face of this evil, to which Heracles proudly proclaimed that he will "crush it head-on". He then used **First Labor: Nemean Lion**. Jack escaped the fatal blow but was blown away by the shockwave, which slammed him into a nearby wall, dislocating his shoulder.

However, the killer called the experience "amazing" and proceeded to fix his dislocated shoulder without showing any pain. Jack then attacked Heracles with many throwing knives and a large boomerang. Heracles destroyed the boomerang and used his left arm to block the knives while charging at Jack. Jack the Ripper jumped into the air and hopped further above on piano wire to get away from Heracles. Heracles was still irritated with Jack's tactics.

Still standing on wires, Jack threw a bunch of knives into the air and pulled on the wires to attack his opponent from multiple directions. Heracles then used the **Sixth Labor: Birds of Stymphalia** to blow away all the knives and wires at Jack. The knives only hit the serial killer in the right leg and destroyed his monocle, which revealed his emotion-sensing right eye. Jack explained to Heracles that when he was alive he could see a swirl of emotions in the people around him.

Jack continues claiming that when the people that he killed were filled with the sole emotion of fear, it was a beautiful sight. Heracles responded to Jack that the only thing he fears is the day where he parts with justice. After deflecting more knives, Heracles backed Jack against the clock tower of Big Ben. Jack used a grappling gun to escape above but the ledge broke midway and he had to climb up the tower. Jack was holding onto one of the hands of the face of Big Ben when Heracles broke the tower in half, sending it crashing down onto a nearby building.

Heracles was about to use the **Seventh Labor: Cretan Bull** to end the fight, but Jack threw the clock face at Heracles. The hero reminded him that mortal weapons can't harm a god, but his left arm was cut off before he could finish. Heracles was the first to realize what Jack the Ripper's real Völundr was. Jack then explained to everyone that anything he touches with his gloves becomes a divine weapon.

The killer continued to mock Heracles, but he brushed off Jack's mockery and continued to fight with his right arm and club. Jack applauded Heracles's tenacity and described his emotions as was overwhelming pride, mixed with a hint of anger, but with no fear. Heracles realized that Jack the Ripper can see emotions in the form of colors with his right eye. Jack told Heracles that it was his sole reason to live and that his victims dyed in the color of fear were a work of art that only he was capable of appreciating.

Jack also specifies that this makes anyone glow, no matter how dark their life was. Heracles was angered at Jack's reason to kill. Jack insisted that the color of fear possesses a beauty that he wouldn't exchange for the world. Heracles told the killer that he has lost. Jack was confused by Heracles' statement, but the hero correctly assumed that Jack's malice stems from his impoverished life and parental betrayal. Heracles said that Jack lost to despair and gave in to hedonism. Jack shocked to see the color of love in Heracles. Heracles said that he will always love humanity despite it's flaws. He then declared that he will save Jack the Ripper from his suffering. Heracles then threw his club into the air to use the final labor and his ultimate technique, **Twelfth Labor: Cerberus**, merging with Cerberus. Enhanced with the final labor, he started to attack Jack the Ripper as the latter grabbed the resulting debris and threw it at Heracles.

Heracles smashed all of Jack's improvised weapons head-on and used **Great Hero Blow** to attack, but Jack managed to avoid the attack. After a few more exchanges, Jack tried to flee using his grappling gun, but Heracles intercepted him in midair and slammed him onto a metal spiked fence. After recovering, Jack the Ripper used his cloak to perform **Rondo Of Blessing**. Heracles was crushed under the building, but punched his way out.

Jack then looked at his emotions and laughed, because he was able to confirm that his mother's love was fake. He then said that he did not realize that true love could be so beautiful. The serial killer then had a nervous breakdown, drawing a smile on his face with blood and saying that he wants to dye Heracles in his favorite color. Jack the Ripper then took two broken door pieces from the ground and used them as a sword and a shield. Heracles destroyed his weapons and sent Jack flying with a punch.

After a couple more unsuccessful attacks, Jack got up again while singing a nursery rhyme, deliriously imagining himself having a happy childhood as he made his way to Heracles. Heracles commended the power of will that Jack was displaying. Just as Heracles was about to finish off Jack, Jack used **Dear God** to impale Heracles through the chest and mortally wound him. Instead of finishing the match with a mutual kill, Heracles reached out to Jack and hugged him. As Heracles was fading, he apologized to Brunhilde and asked her to save humanity.

### Legacy

The gods as well as Göll were outraged and crestfallen after Heracles' death. Most of them venting their anger by flinging debris at Jack, the winner. Zeus destroyed the V.I.P area in a fit of rage and Ares cried for his brother, mourning him and vowing to look forward with his head held high, just like Heracles. Jack felt sadness and remorse for what he had done and started changing for the better from that point on. He was deeply affected by Heracles' kindness so much so that Göll reminded him of Heracles when she forgave him for his death.

Shortly after the match ended, a portrait of Heracles was seen among portraits of Adam and Lü Bu in Brunhilde's private shrine. She said to herself that Heracles wouldn't mind being enshrined with humanity, then cried while hugging his portrait, saying that once Ragnarok is over, she'd join him.

It's revealed, at the end of the seventh round, that Hermes composed a requiem for each of the fallen participants of Ragnarok, among them Heracles.

Another picture of Heracles also appears in a, seemingly updated, shrine that Brunhilde visits after Round 8. In it, he represents "justice".

## References

1. ↑ *Shuumatsu no Valkyrie* Manga: Chapter 4 (Page 26 - 27).