Danmachi: The Multiverse Portal

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As August took time to regroup and rethink his plans, the effects of what he had done spread quickly through Orario.

He executed the smugglers who preyed on rookies. Instead of hiding, he acted openly in Babel Plaza during the day. Word spread quickly.

...

Inside the Loki Familia's headquarters.

"Why does that brat have to be so damn flashy??"

Loki paced the war room, practically tearing her hair out in frustration.

She knew August was a badass, but this level of public swagger was just overkill. She was seething with jealousy over losing the chance to recruit him.

The Familia executives sat around the heavy oak table, paying no attention to her outburst.

"Thoughts?" Finn Deimne asked, looking at his veterans.

"He handled it perfectly," Riveria Ljos Alf replied, offering August rare praise. "Brains and brawn. I actually respect his style. A public execution while gripping the enemy's fatal weakness. The kid is ruthlessly efficient."

Gareth Landrock's expression remained grim. "But this smuggling business... that's a nightmare. If what he said is true, how many missing Adventurers were actually abducted?"

This was no small problem. The thought of it filled the city's warriors with fear.

"Evilus scum."

Bete Loga clenched his jaw. The heavy wooden mug in his hand broke apart.

"If that rookie was telling the truth, our dead comrades were probably screaming our names at the very end."

Bete thought about his fallen squadmates. The idea that they might have died as prisoners in a noble's basement instead of as warriors on the battlefield was unbearable. He could accept dying in battle or even being weak, but dying as a helpless slave was something he could never forgive.

Finn completely understood the sentiment. No one deserved an end like that.

"Gareth. Comb through our casualty records. Every single missing Adventurer. We need to ensure our dead are actually resting in peace."

"You got it." Gareth nodded heavily. As a veteran, protecting the young blood was his duty. If something like this had slipped under his radar, the guilt would crush him.

Finn turned to his Patron Goddess. "Loki. You're up. Handle the Guild."

"Don't even start. I was already planning on it." Loki stopped pacing. A dangerous energy filled the room. "If I find out my kids ended up like that... I will skin those bastards alive."

If Loki found out Evilus had harmed her Familia, she would destroy everything they had built.

—•——•——•——•——•——•—

At the same time, in the headquarters of Orario's strongest group.

"Lady Freya. How do we respond?"

Allen Fromel, known as the Vana Freya, looked at his Goddess. The city was in chaos. He wondered if they should step in.

"We don't…" Freya replied, waving a hand dismissively.

"Intervening is pointless. August is telling the truth. But as for our Familia? Those rats would rather assassinate my children than try to capture them."

She trusted her top members. A Freya Adventurer would never give up easily. They would take the smugglers to hell with them.

"Understood," Allen nodded. The Goddess's word was absolute law.

All over the city, Familias started big internal checks. They looked closely at every missing-in-action report. The panic and fear made it almost impossible for the dark factions to hide. No one wanted to be seen. Saying the wrong thing in front of a God could mean death.

—•——•——•——•——•——•—

Deep in the slums, the criminals felt trapped.

"Useless trash!!"

Dix Perdix kicked the two grunts who had managed to return. He had sent them to get the rest of the squad, but the other three were dead. Even worse, their bodies were now in the Ganesha Familia's morgue.

The secret was out.

"Hey, Ikelos. You need to do something about Ganesha and the Guild." Dix glared into the corner. He wanted his God to deny the charges and make up a story.

Ikelos just giggled from the shadows.

"And say what? That otherworldly freak will still slaughter you. He made it perfectly clear. He doesn't need evidence. He doesn't need a trial. Just a spark of suspicion, and he'll exterminate us."

Ikelos was not afraid of death, since he was a God, but he respected August's kind of madness. At first, he thought the kid just liked to fight. Now he saw that August was a true exterminator.

"Just buy me time to survive this wave! I can handle that rookie myself!" Dix snarled.

Fighting the entire city was a death sentence. But fighting a one-man Familia? Dix thought he still had a fighting chance.

Ikelos sighed, annoyed by the extra work, but he knew they were out of options. This outsider was not a normal hero. He made death threats as if it was nothing.

Dix looked at the bounty poster and the heavy iron cage meant for August. Corrupt nobles outside the city saw how valuable a portal user could be. They offered a huge reward for capturing him alive. Dix took the job for the money. A Level 1 target in the Dungeon sounded like easy money.

Now, he realized the target viewed them as the prey.

"There's no turning back," Dix muttered. "That kid is going to hunt me down. 'When the Gale clears, the Ace's methods only grow more ruthless.' He's not just fighting back, he's going all out."

Dix saw his own death flag waving high. Running away was pointless. Where could he even hide outside Orario?

A lackey piped up nervously. "Dix... should we call them in?"

He meant the remnants of Evilus. The true dark faction fanatics.

Dix scoffed. "Useless. They'll run for the hills. Poking that rookie right now is pure suicide."

Even the most ruthless people wanted to survive. Bringing trouble to Evilus just to fight one person was too risky. They would betray Dix and run away before ever facing August.

"We settle this ourselves," Dix growled, his eyes burning with desperate fury. "I'm a First-Tier Adventurer. I refuse to lose to a one-man faction. Even a monster has limits."

—•——•——•——•——•——•—

Night fell over Orario.

The Hostess of Fertility was crowded and noisy, filled with Adventurers trying to relax with drinks and the company of the waitresses.

But tonight, every conversation revolved around August.

An Adventurer stood on a table, perfectly mimicking August's final pose at Babel Plaza. He looked over his left shoulder and lowered his voice, dropping the quote that had taken the city by storm.

"When the Gale clears, the Ace's methods only grow more ruthless."

The swagger of the delivery had the crowd hooked. The men thought it was badass, and the women seemed completely charmed.

In the kitchen, the waitresses crowded together, glancing toward a specific elf sweeping the floors: Ryu Lion.

Anya Fromel sighed, starry-eyed. "Ryu... I think Mr. August is so cool, nya!"

She felt how magnetic he was. The quote sounded like a serious promise or a vow to someone important.

Chloe Rollo nodded eagerly. "There has to be a deeper meaning behind it. No one knows exactly what it means yet, but just hearing that... Mr. August is incredibly charming."

Cat-girls had good instincts. They could tell when someone was special. August stood up to the city's rules without fear, promising to destroy the guilty. He showed no hesitation or regret.

His determination was even stronger than Gale Wind's. Ryu had hunted dark factions at night, but August took action in the open and challenged anyone to stop him.

Ryu stopped sweeping.

"Don't read too much into it," she said flatly. "Human words are rarely true."

She dismissed him in front of everyone, pretending his bold words were just empty boasting.

But deep down?

Ryu felt a sudden sense of understanding. It was a feeling of connection she had not experienced in years.

'He gets me.'

In her mind, August's determination was even stronger than hers. She had often struggled with guilt, always wondering if her harsh sense of justice was right.

August did not worry about debates over right and wrong. He was certain in his actions. Was he a good person? Yes. He healed injured veterans for free without hesitation. But he also killed criminals without any regret. He was a clear example of both kindness and destruction.

For the first time since she lost her Astraea Familia, Ryu felt she wasn't entirely alone in the dark.

She didn't admit it to Anya or Chloe. She quietly put the broom away and stepped out the back door of the tavern.

She stood by herself in the quiet alley, looking at the busy streets of Orario under the night sky. The quote stayed with her.

When the Gale clears, the Ace's methods only grow more ruthless.

A gentle breeze swept through the city, lifting the hem of her maid's uniform and touching her cheek.

"The wind..." Ryu murmured, a faint, nostalgic smile touching her lips. "...is so gentle tonight."

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