Danmachi: The Multiverse Portal

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The honor guard marched through the gate, holding their national flag high. Behind them followed a perfectly synchronized, modern military force.

The villagers and Adventurers were amazed when they saw these troops. Compared to the usual kingdom soldiers in their clunky, noisy armor, this group was on a whole different level. Watching their perfect march and proud discipline left everyone at a loss for words.

"Amazing..."

The whole scene was exciting. As they watched the troops, the onlookers started to think that fighting with swords in a wet dungeon just didn't compare. If they ever had to fight, they wanted to be soldiers like these.

The army marched through the gates and formed up.

August and Hestia arrived with a group of officers and military jeeps full of logistics staff. The farmland was thin, and the bumpy dirt roads made the villagers feel like their home wasn't good enough for such a grand military arrival.

"Is this really a mortal army?" Artemis's eyes lit up.

Their coordination was flawless. What stood out even more was that none of the soldiers looked at the village women. They kept their eyes straight ahead, marching together and even ignoring a Goddess like her. Their discipline was on another level.

Chief of Staff Thomas and Commander James watched their men with pride. They hadn't been embarrassed at all. Even in this remote medieval town, soldiers trained in tough modern conditions wouldn't lose focus just because of the countryside.

"Stand down."

Commander James walked to the front and looked over the troops from different military districts. The ranks were tight, everyone was present, and everything was ready.

James gave August a firm nod. The soldiers were ready, and now it was time for diplomacy.

Hestia flashed a thumbs-up.

She brought the Chief of Staff Thomas to meet the village chief.

Chief Olly felt overwhelmed. He was already hosting real Gods, and now an army had arrived in his village.

"This is Chief Olly of Elsos Village," Hestia introduced. "Chief, this is the commanding officer of this military force!"

Chief of Staff Thomas stepped forward. Not knowing the local customs, he greeted them in the way he was familiar with.

"A pleasure." He extended a hand.

Chief Olly looked at it, confused.

"It's a handshake. That's how they greet people where he's from," Hestia clarified.

"Ah, hello." With a nod from the Goddess, Olly shook the officer's hand. He could tell the man wasn't here to cause trouble. For a defenseless village, having a friendly army around felt like a blessing.

Once everyone relaxed, the talks went well.

—•——•——•——•——•——•—

Meanwhile, somewhere else in the village—

"Asfi, could your kingdom's military pull something like this off?" Hermes studied the soldiers standing at attention. They waited for orders in silence, unbothered by the blazing sun. Their obedience was ironclad.

"Lord Hermes, you are vastly overestimating my kingdom," Asfi Al Andromeda sighed.

As a princess from a seafaring nation, she knew her royal guard was nowhere near this level. If her kingdom had an army like this, she never would have left to become an Adventurer.

Asfi knew that no nation in their world could match this army. These soldiers had unbreakable willpower. The Hermes Familia had traveled a lot and seen the armies of Rakia and other warlike countries.

Rakia was fierce, but their discipline didn't come close to this.

"Fair point," Hermes mused. "If an army this spectacular existed here, Ares and the other war-freak Gods would have already started a bloodbath to claim them."

Hermes finally understood why Ouranos gave him this job. The Guild's founder must have known that a nation capable of producing someone like August wouldn't send just a regular medieval army. Hermes had expected a group of skilled mercenaries, but what he saw was a modern war machine.

"Hestia really hit the absolute jackpot," Hermes muttered. With an army like this backing her, the Hestia Familia just skyrocketed into a league of its own.

—•——•——•——•——•——•—

Chief of Staff Thomas finished his talks with the village chief quickly.

"ATTENTION!"

The command echoed out. Thousands of soldiers instantly stood at attention, chests out and heads held high.

"Western road! One hundred and fifty meters ahead, open clearing! Set up camp!" Thomas shouted through a megaphone. Then he handed things over to Commander James.

"LEFT FACE!"

"FORWARD, MARCH!" James's booming voice echoed across the dirt roads.

The honor guard led the way, followed by the mechanized infantry. Their boots hit the ground in perfect unison.

"Why aren't they setting up inside the village?" Lante asked, confused.

Usually, armies would take over the village square or set up right at the edge. Camping farther away seemed unnecessary.

"A proper army doesn't disturb civilians," Artemis noted, her respect growing. "Soldiers are soldiers. Civilians are civilians. They maintain a strict boundary."

This army followed a totally different code than the local kingdoms, which usually took over and looted the towns they were supposed to protect. Artemis was very impressed.

"Let's move." She signaled her Familia to follow.

They would camp with the army. As guides and combat support, she wanted her hunters working with the front lines, not relaxing in civilian houses.

August had already reached the designated clearing.

He began unloading equipment from his [Spatial Backpack]. There were no fighter jets or tanks, but he set out lots of survival gear, supplies, and bulldozers. The clearing was already open, so they didn't need to cut down trees yet, but logging would start soon to make room for an airstrip.

The army worked quickly and efficiently. Tents went up, field kitchens started cooking, and defenses were built. Every soldier knew their job.

When the Artemis and Hermes Familias arrived, the troops didn't break focus. They acknowledged the Adventurers but stuck strictly to their orders.

The camp was ready in no time.

—•——•——•——•——•——•—

"This is my best friend, Artemis," Hestia introduced inside the command tent. "And this is… an acquaintance, Hermes. And these are the members of their respective Familias."

Chief of Staff Thomas looked over the Gods. He had learned about the local myths. Artemis was the Goddess of the Moon, known for being strict and chaste.

Deciding she was trustworthy, Thomas didn't offer a handshake. Instead, he took off his officer's cap and gave a military salute to show respect.

"Greetings."

With Hermes, Thomas stayed on high alert. He didn't disrespect the God, but it was clear he was being careful.

"Ouch! Am I really that suspicious?" Hermes clutched his chest in mock hurt. He wasn't blind. This otherworldly officer clearly expected him to start causing trouble.

"Pretty much," Hestia and Artemis replied in brutal unison.

Thomas ignored the banter. "Regarding tactical operations. Once the command tent is fully operational, I'd like to sit down and coordinate our forces. Will that work?"

He spoke directly to the female Adventurers. It didn't matter to him that they were young women. They were experienced fighters with divine contracts, and underestimating them would be a big mistake.

"That works," Rethusa and Asfi nodded in agreement. They knew it was time to get down to business.

The base was built quickly. Soldiers set up steel tent frames, cleared brush for better visibility, and made the defenses stronger.

Dusk fell rapidly.

In just a few hours, a fully working military base stood where there had been nothing before.

—•——•——•——•——•——•—

Nighttime.

Inside one of the big military tents, the Adventurer girls chatted excitedly.

"I feel like I'm hallucinating," one muttered.

"Same."

"Did you taste the rations? They were incredible. So many different flavors!"

"And the bunks! There are cots, mosquito repellent, and real hot showers with water filters!"

"I'm starting to think August's world is paradise."

They glanced around, full of excitement.

Not a single soldier had looked at them in a creepy way. The men were surprised at first by how different they looked, but quickly went back to being professional.

To the soldiers, they were just attractive allies and nothing more.

Having safe, hot showers during a campaign felt like an unbelievable luxury. If the military lived like this in the field, life back in August's world must be incredible. No wonder a country like that could create such an elite force.

Even more impressive, when the girls bathed, the soldiers set up a strict, distant guard to make sure they had privacy.

One God tried to sneak a look, but the soldiers quickly chased him away at gunpoint.

Rethusa listened to her friends talk but stayed quiet. She turned to the blue-haired item maker.

"Asfi, what's your take on all this?" Rethusa knew Asfi was royalty. She assumed the princess's kingdom had to possess something comparable. "Are you jealous?"

"Jealous? Not exactly," Asfi sighed. "More like… overwhelmed. They project an incredible sense of security."

Asfi knew what Rethusa meant. Did her kingdom have soldiers like this? Not at all. If her royal guard were even a bit like these troops, she'd be happy every day. But her kingdom was far behind.

"Get some sleep. We have recon duty tomorrow," Asfi said, changing the subject. "The ruins won't clear themselves."

"Right!" Rethusa took the hint, realizing Asfi didn't want to embarrass her homeland. "Alright, everyone! Lights out! We work tomorrow!"

"Got it." The girls finally settled in, pulling the military blankets over themselves.

—•——•——•——•——•——•—

Meanwhile, in a separate tent.

"Hestia, are none of those soldiers contracted to your Familia?" Artemis asked, thoroughly confused.

She could tell that the troops were as strong as [Level 1] or even [Level 2] Adventurers. Still, Hestia said none of these otherworldly fighters had her Falna.

"Nope." Hestia yawned, stretching out on her cot. "Having August is more than enough for me. I wouldn't dream of asking for more."

"Besides, those soldiers already have strong beliefs of their own. I have no right to change what they believe," Hestia said, explaining what made their military special.

These men were completely loyal to their country and their mission. A good God wouldn't try to take over the hearts of people from another world.

"I'm not an Evil God. Warping someone's deeply held convictions never leads to anything good."

Artemis nodded in strong agreement.

As the Goddess of the Hunt, she felt the same way. She didn't mind if her Familia members found love or chose their own paths. Forcing beliefs on mortals only led to suffering.

"You're right. If you changed the hearts of those great warriors, they wouldn't be themselves anymore," Artemis said. Forcing someone to change would ruin what made them heroes.

The two Goddesses chatted quietly as they drifted off to sleep.

—•——•——•——•——•——•—

Outside, across the camp.

Hermes was tied up and left hanging there.

"Hey! Hey! I'm a literal God! Don't you think this is a bit excessive??"

Hermes hadn't expected the soldiers to be so strict. He just wanted a quick, harmless peek at the girls' shower tents.

The guards didn't care that he was a God. They dragged him away, roughed him up, and left him at August's feet.

"Sit there and shut up," August sighed, massaging his temples.

It was only the first day, and Hermes was already causing problems... If the guards hadn't been so alert, he might have gotten away with it.

August knew Gods could be odd, but Hermes was something else. Living for millions of years must make you act up.

"You didn't have to tie me up like this! How am I supposed to sleep??" Hermes complained, squirming against his bonds.

"You brought this on yourself, Lord Hermes," Lili deadpanned. "Miss Asfi explicitly told us to 'do whatever we want' with you tonight."

Lili looked at the God. He was handcuffed, tied up, and fastened with special zip-ties he couldn't break out of. The soldiers had taken all his hidden knives. He wasn't going anywhere.

"You guys are ruthless," Hermes groaned, realizing he couldn't escape. He gave up and accepted his fate.

"But seriously, August," Hermes shifted his tone, eyeing the camp. "Your world's people are incredible. If an anomaly like you was just an 'average guy' over there… I can't even imagine the scale of your civilization."

He really meant it. August and his people were endlessly fascinating.

"Flattery won't get you untied," August replied, rolling his eyes. "Talk is cheap. I'm not waking up tomorrow to a harassment complaint from the Artemis Familia."

He didn't believe a word of it. Discipline was the most important thing in a military operation. If he let his guard down and something went wrong because of Hermes, it would be a big embarrassment.

"Tch." Hermes clicked his tongue.

His charm didn't work. These people were too tough to trick. He gave up, closed his eyes, and tried to sleep. It wasn't the first time he'd been tied up overnight. He'd be fine.

Seeing the shameless God finally settle down, August turned to his Supporter.

"Lili, head back to the command RV and get some rest. I'll take the watch."

"Yes, Lord August." Lili didn't argue, turning and heading toward their designated VIP quarters.

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