Has there ever been an apocalypse in fiction that one could deem as “organized”? Surely, the point of the end of all times is one that’s filled with panic and zero preparation, because that’s how Armageddon should be! There are no rules and guidelines on how one should act as the world is hit by meteorites or swallowed up by a sun; it’s all pure chaos! And for the good and bad that Volume Twenty-Six of Undead Unluck does to showcase an apocalyptic battle, one can easily say that this goes with the standard of how an end-of-times scenario should be.

Everyone in the Union is giving it their all to take down Sun, the most powerful of the beings that have emerged during Ragnarok. The four months that Fuuko has taken to reform the Union have come down to this very moment, with some members not even sure how to go full-blown powerful with their negator skills. Despite that, the urge to give up and succumb to what is being touted as the final Ragnarok. And considering one side is aiming to end the world once and for all, and the other is trying to save the world one last time, it’s certain that this is truly the grand finale.

Which is why it doesn’t give me great pleasure to say how much of a headache the first half of Volume Twenty-Six is. It’s one thing to throw everything and the kitchen sink into a battle; you wouldn’t want it any other way! But Undead Unluck seems to take two volumes worth of plot and Union member character development and shoves it into 100 pages. Dare I say, it’s dizzying to try to make heads and tails over what’s happening in these moments.

Only when Julia is put in focus does the manga also get back to where it should be. With her Unjustice still not emerged, Julia is given the chance to regain all the thoughts and memories of her and Victor’s time during the many, many loops. It results in a heartwarming reunion between the two, an odd situation given that Andy is still in the picture and teaming with Fuuko. Nevertheless, it brings forth a moment longtime readers of Undead Unluck have been waiting to see, and it results in some wild visuals.

Everything’s smoky, on fire, and itching to get a hit in the battle. It’s now the truly more than perfect Union going up against God in a fight that would make the most powerful deity piss themselves with fright. With the final battle finally commencing, readers won’t be able to help themselves and be on the edge of their seats whilst the chaos commences. And while the first half of this volume can be a mess, its second half makes up for that previous madness with some clear planning from our heroes.

As for how that planning will turn out, we’ll have to wait for the final volume of Undead Unluck to drop. While Ragnarok starts off in a rough place, it does make up for it with the final negation being unlocked and a strong reunion between two main Union players. But with the end of times being unpredictable, one can’t help but think there’s one final chaotic plan that God has up its sleeve. Only one thing is for certain: come next volume, Andy and Fuuko’s story will come to an end. Let’s hope it’s a happy one, for our sakes!

Promotional consideration provided by Chantelle Sturt of VIZ Media.