Danmachi: The Multiverse Portal

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After flying for more than twelve hours with the wyvern escort leading the way, a huge forest finally came into view on the horizon.

"Attention everyone, we've reached the Elsos Ruins. We are approaching the target perimeter," Liliruca Arde announced over the internal comms.

As they flew into the area, ancient ruins spread out below them. Lili, sitting in the co-pilot seat, stared at the huge stone buildings. Local Hunters were supposed to protect this place. Some plants still grew on the stones, but something was off. The greenery looked rotten and sick, especially compared to the healthy forest nearby.

"No viable landing zones down there," August stated, scanning the coordinates.

If they landed right in the Elsos Ruins, there would be no safe area around them. It was a tactical nightmare. The spreading corruption showed that many monsters had already gotten in.

"The decay is already setting in?"

"It spread to the outside this fast?"

The ruins were meant to be sealed off, but the corruption had clearly broken through the edge. Everything about this place felt dangerous.

"We are rerouting to a nearby village for the LZ," August ordered over the mic. "If we touch down inside the ruins, we'll be surrounded the second we land. We need a staging area."

The rest of the crew quickly agreed with the call.

If they landed a big metal gunship in enemy territory, it would attract every monster nearby. Going to a nearby village was the only smart choice. The areas around the ruins were still free of monsters, so the main target, Antares, was probably still alone. But sealed ruins were never really empty. Smaller monsters from everywhere would be drawn in by the dark energy.

"Let me handle the ground coordination," Hermes chimed in, realizing it was his time to pull his weight. Letting the Hestia Familia handle the diplomacy after piloting them the entire way would be pushing his luck.

Hermes unbuckled his harness and went to the wyvern.

The trained creature was ready. When the bay doors opened, the wyvern leaped into the wind, steadied itself, and glided down. Hermes followed, heading toward a village at the edge of the forest. The wyvern landed before him.

A few moments later, the large steel helicopter descended from the sky. For the villagers, watching a noisy metal machine come down from the clouds was truly scary.

Luckily, Hermes was a God. As soon as he touched the ground, the village elder hurried over to greet him. Having a deity visit their small village was a huge honor.

The gunship landed smoothly in an open spot. Once the rotors stopped, August calmly stored the huge aircraft in his [Spatial Backpack].

Hermes quickly took care of the diplomacy. In just a few minutes, the elder and villagers understood that this armed group was here to get rid of the monsters in the Elsos Ruins. The locals were eager to help. Watching someone store a giant metal machine was shocking, but with Gods around, the villagers saw it as just another miracle.

With the landing zone secure, August knew it was time to begin. Everything was ready back on Earth. Now, he just had to open the gateway and bring the troops through.

"Alright, we're stepping out for a bit," Hestia announced, grabbing August's arm.

A phantom doorway materialized out of thin air.

"Whoa…"

"What is that?"

The members of the Artemis and Hermes Familias stared at the glowing portal, completely stunned. Even Artemis and Hermes looked surprised by the sudden deployment.

Without missing a beat, August and Hestia stepped through the threshold. A split second later, both they and the door vanished without a trace.

Lili, who was busy sorting her gear, felt a tap on her shoulder.

"What was that?" Lante asked, her eyes wide with curiosity. "A phantom door?"

"Wait, you guys didn't know?" Lili blinked in surprise. She glanced over at Hermes and Artemis. Weren't the Gods supposed to have briefed their kids?

"Lord August is from another world," Lili stated matter-of-factly. "Did you seriously not know? I thought your Patron Gods told you."

Hearing this, Lante snapped her head toward Artemis. Is this true??

"Ah… yeah, about that," Hermes chuckled awkwardly, rubbing the back of his neck. "The kid is from another world. Hestia called an emergency Denatus about it. All the Gods know. We just… only briefed the Captains."

Hermes and Asfi Al Andromeda exchanged a guilty look, admitting they had kept the rank-and-file in the dark.

Rethusa coughed, realizing the secret was out. "It's not exactly easy to casually bring up. August is a dimensional traveler."

She had no clue how to explain August's crazy collection of weapons to her Familia without sounding nuts. It was just easier to keep quiet. But now that August had shown his portal to everyone, there was no way to hide it anymore.

"Wow… I never expected Mr. August to have a background like that," a girl from the Artemis Familia muttered.

Surprisingly, the group handled the news pretty well. When you live with Gods, the idea of other worlds isn't that shocking. Still, meeting a real interdimensional traveler was a new experience.

"That portal ability is terrifying up close," Hermes whispered to himself.

His divine instincts had warned him as soon as the door appeared. If anyone tried to go through without August's permission, the spatial turbulence would tear them apart. He was sure the doorway could even kill a God.

"It's my first time seeing it too," Artemis admitted, equally surprised. "But Hestia walked through it like she's done it a thousand times."

She suddenly got it. The old church in Orario wasn't really the Hestia Familia's headquarters—it was just a meeting place. Their real base was in another universe. That made the perfect safehouse.

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Meanwhile, back on Earth.

August and Hestia stepped through the portal and arrived straight into August's apartment. From there, Hestia grabbed him and flew them directly to the designated military staging ground, having called ahead to confirm their arrival.

As soon as they landed at the base, August saw a sea of steel and soldiers. Huge piles of heavy weapons and fully armed troops secured the area.

"Report! Ten thousand combat personnel present! All weapon systems are primed and ready!"

But the man barking the report wasn't their usual liaison, Commander James. It was Major General Thomas.

And the General was strapped into full combat gear, carrying a heavy tactical rucksack.

August stared at him in disbelief. What was going on?

"Wait. You…" August pointed at the aging officer. "Aren't you supposed to be sitting in a command tent back at headquarters? If you're here, who's filing the reports?"

"Oh, I'm no longer the Major General of this base! I demoted myself to Chief of Staff for this specific expedition!" General Thomas—now Chief of Staff Thomas—declared with a massive grin.

August was completely confused.

Commander James and Thomas were both top officers tasked with managing the portal safely from Earth.

Now Thomas wanted to go to the front lines? What was he thinking?

"My rank is still Major General. I just pulled some strings to secure this deployment slot," Thomas explained smoothly.

He didn't mention that he had almost threatened his bosses and given up his comfortable desk job just to join the mission to another dimension. Technically, he kept his rank, but his job was now completely different.

"You guys are nuts," August sighed. He quickly realized this wild old man had probably pushed a coworker aside just to take his desk job and join the mission. "You're middle-aged. Do you really need to be on the front lines?"

Thomas laughed, his eyes full of excitement. "I've been stuck behind a desk for years! Now a brand new world opens up, and you think I'll just stay and do paperwork? If I can't use my rank for something like this, what's the point?"

Going into a fantasy world? That was the ultimate dream.

"Sir!" A young runner armed with an assault rifle jogged up and saluted. "Major Jay reports that the foreign diplomats are still staging a sit-in at the front gates. They refuse to leave, no matter how many times we order them to disperse."

The soldier shot a quick, awestruck glance at August and Hestia before snapping his attention back to his commanding officer.

"Ugh. Bureaucratic parasites," Thomas groaned, rubbing his temples. "Call the military police. Haul them off the premises by force if you have to. And tell the armored divisions to prep for immediate deployment."

"Yes, sir!" The runner sprinted off.

"What's going on over there?" Hestia asked, sensing the impending headache.

"Nothing to worry about. Just foreign intelligence catching wind of our little operation. Now every nation on Earth wants a front-row seat," Thomas explained dismissively.

Moving ten thousand troops, collecting heavy weapons, and managing tons of supplies were things you couldn't hide from spy satellites.

When the global superpowers realized a massive army was congregating at a single staging ground instead of a border, their intelligence agencies put two and two together: the United States was establishing a forward operating base in another world.

Once the news spread, the international community went wild. Finding a real Goddess was one thing, but discovering a new, resource-rich world was even bigger.

Everyone wanted a piece...

While the rest of the world was still playing Earth Online—the United States had already found the secret level.

But they couldn't use force. The mission was protected by a real Goddess with a short temper who wouldn't hesitate to punish anyone who got in her way. Since threats wouldn't work, the foreign countries started acting stubborn. They sent diplomats to wait outside the base, begging for cooperation treaties and refusing to leave until they got one.

International news networks were already complaining, strongly criticizing the "monopolization of interdimensional frontiers."

Now, everyone knew that one man held the key to another world.

"Incredible. They really have zero shame," August scoffed.

The world's intelligence agencies knew exactly who controlled the portal, but they didn't dare mention August by name. Making Hestia angry meant risking real divine punishment. So, they just called him "an individual."

August noticed how desperate they were. Sharing the secret just to get involved was risky and foolish. There was no way he would let them near his portal. Since they couldn't reach him with Hestia there, the foreign governments tried to pressure the local military leaders instead.

"Load the supplies. We're moving out," August ordered, completely ignoring the geopolitical circus. It wasn't his problem.

Getting ten thousand elite troops ready happened fast. The staging area was filled with olive drab and gunmetal. Rows of armored vehicles, heavy artillery, and even missile launchers lined the tarmac. The modern military was taking this mission very seriously.

No one was too worried about missile damage.

Monsters destroyed the land just by existing. Compared to their corruption, using artillery was almost better for the environment. After all, you could always plant new trees where a crater was left.

With the heavy ordnance stored securely in his inventory, the massive army began its march. Ten thousand soldiers locked into formation.

August raised his hand and summoned the gateway.

As soon as the portal opened, the troops looked at it with excitement. Everyone here was lucky to be chosen. Ten thousand soldiers were a lot, but it was still just a small part of the whole military. Officers had worked hard to get their units included, and even support teams had to compete for a spot. Whether on the front lines or in support, every soldier wanted a chance to earn honors in a fantasy world.

Veterans like Chief of Staff Thomas and Commander James felt the same excitement. Even though they were nearly fifty, they were just as eager as the younger soldiers. For them, it wasn't just about medals—it was the thrill of joining a mission to another world.

"ATTENTION!" Thomas roared through a bullhorn.

Ten thousand boots hit the concrete in perfect unison. A wave of disciplined, heart-pounding energy swept over the tarmac. They were ready to march.

"HONOR GUARD, FRONT AND CENTER!" Thomas bellowed.

August's jaw dropped.

"Wait, what? An Honor Guard?"

'Seriously? You brought ceremonial guards to a combat drop?' August hadn't even noticed them. He saw the tall flags and just thought they were regular battalion colors. Now this wild general was saying they brought the real marching band?

But beside him, Hestia was vibrating with excitement. Watching the impeccably dressed soldiers march forward with absolute precision, the sheer pageantry and ceremonial importance of the moment struck her.

"Oh, this is brilliant!" Hestia's eyes sparkled.

Unlike the messy groups led by Ares in Orario, this was a real army. Their discipline, purpose, and strong fighting spirit were impressive.

The Honor Guard had clearly rehearsed for this exact scenario. Knowing the portal's dimensions could only fit three people side-by-side, they flawlessly adjusted their formation to march through without breaking stride.

"MOVE OUT!"

"FORWARD MARCH!"

The commanding bark resounded throughout the base. The synchronized thud of heavy boots hit the pavement as the vanguard stepped into the void.

—•——•——•——•——•——•—

Meanwhile, back in the Danmachi world.

At the quiet staging village, the Hermes and Artemis Familias were starting to wonder why August and Hestia were taking so long.

Suddenly, the portal flared to life.

But it wasn't August or Hestia who stepped through.

The first thing to pierce the veil was a brilliant, star-spangled flag snapping in the wind.

Following the flag came a rhythmic, earth-shaking sound echoing from the void.

Thud. Thud. Thud.

A perfect, synchronized march.

Rows of elite soldiers in spotless, intimidating dress uniforms marched out of the portal and into the medieval village, stopping in perfect formation in front of the shocked Adventurers and scared locals.

Amidst the absolute silence of the awe-struck crowd, someone finally whispered.

"Damn… that looks badass."

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