Danmachi: The Multiverse Portal

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Their strategy was nothing like the usual, improvised plans Adventurers used. After careful scouting, their operation was already underway and moving forward smoothly.

The next day.

August woke up in his RV, just like any other day. He looked out the window and saw the Artemis Familia training, which made him sigh.

"Ah, the vigor of youth!"

As soon as he spoke, his vision went blurry.

"August—" Hestia walked over to say hello, but saw him sway on his feet. The light faded from his eyes, leaving him staring blankly.

She was terrified and rushed over to check on him.

"August, are you okay??"

Hestia felt that something inside him had suddenly activated, or maybe something was trying to pull him away. She quickly grabbed his arm, and only then did he seem to come back to himself.

"Lord August, what's wrong?" Liliruca Arde, noticing Hestia's panicked expression, realized something was terribly wrong.

She hurried over to check on him too. Lili trusted Hestia's instincts completely, and she could tell something was definitely wrong.

"It feels like... something is summoning me," August murmured.

He had felt a strong pull, almost like someone was urgently calling out to him. But as soon as Hestia grabbed him, the feeling stopped.

"Someone's summoning you?" Hestia echoed, baffled.

She had never heard of anyone trying to summon one of her Familia members before. They were outsiders here, so who would try to take August away?

"Is everything alright??"

The commanders heard Hestia's scream while patrolling the base and rushed over in a panic. August was their most important member. If anything happened to him, they would never forgive themselves.

"I'm fine," August said, waving them off.

He wasn't actually hurt, but the feeling of being summoned had stopped suddenly when Hestia stepped in. There had to be a reason for it.

August closed his eyes and focused inward, using his abilities. In his mind, he saw the familiar door standing tall.

But this time, instead of just the two worlds he already knew, he saw two new points of light.

One looked completely drained of color, with only a faint flicker of light inside. It gave off the empty, heavy feeling of a dying world.

The other glowed brightly and steadily. It felt safe and stable, just like the first two worlds he already knew.

"Two new worlds just appeared," August said, sounding truly surprised. His Door could now reach even farther.

"What??" Hestia shrieked. Wait, what? Two new worlds?

"TWO WHOLE WORLDS!"

Hestia's eyes lit up with excitement, and her twin-tails bounced as she grinned.

Two new worlds meant new people, new creatures, and endless unknowns. It was exciting!

"Brand-new worlds..." Commander James and the others said, letting out a sigh of relief. Now they had new places to explore, and if that was all, it was good news.

But it also meant more problems. They hadn't even settled in their first world, and they were just starting to make progress in this one. Now, August was opening doors to even more worlds. At least the second world had been a normal anime world without any super-strong enemies.

"Wait a minute, what do you mean by two new worlds?" Artemis blinked in confusion.

Hermes, though, seemed to figure it out. He knew Hestia and August had just registered two new Familia members at the Guild, kids who had come from a 'second world.' So, besides August's home world and Orario, there was another place they could visit.

"Two new worlds?" Hermes muttered, practically oozing with envy. "I'm so jealous."

This realization hit his eager heart.

"One of those worlds seems to be calling out to me," August said, scratching his head. "It feels like it's slowly fading away."

This had never happened to him before. The third new world was trying to summon him, or maybe even pull him in. It was a tough situation.

"A world is calling you?" Hestia's eyes widened. She had never heard of anything like this either.

This was bad. She had thought August would explore new worlds at his own pace, but now it seemed a new world was pulling him in and forcing him to move faster.

"Good, but you're not going alone, August." Commander James declared firmly.

That was out of the question. Except for strong fighters like Hestia, August still wasn't that powerful. A world losing its light sounded like a high-level danger zone. Who knew what kind of monsters or demons might be waiting there?

"My thoughts exactly. If you're going, I have to be by your side," Hestia agreed, nodding vigorously.

It was scary to think a world could summon her Familia member directly. If it could reach him through a mental link, someone over there might be waiting to trap him. What if there was a mastermind setting a trap?

They needed to be fully prepared.

If necessary, she would even borrow the Arrow of Orion from Artemis.

"I agree. If that world is calling for Lord August, it must be in some kind of crisis," Lili said. "We have no idea how dangerous it is. If you just walk in, there could be enemies waiting right at the entrance."

Lili pictured a scary scene where a powerful Demon King was waiting right at the entrance, ready to attack August as soon as he arrived. Just thinking about it was frightening.

"Um, I could go help too," Hermes said, pretending to be weak.

As a god, he was happy to help August. If things got really bad, he could just grab August and escape. Never underestimate a God who's good at running away.

Alas... no one responded to his offer. Hestia and the others acted as if he wasn't even there.

Asfi Al Andromeda stepped forward and pulled her god away. "Lord Hermes, please stop embarrassing yourself."

She felt numb. If they needed help, Lady Artemis was the obvious choice. As the Goddess of the Moon, Artemis was far stronger than Hermes. If anyone should help, it was her.

"Hahaha." Hermes realized he looked foolish, but he couldn't help himself. The chance to see a new world and possibly start a new Familia was just too tempting.

Hestia's face twisted in disgust. There was no way she would let him come. He had acted like a clown for too long and never seemed dependable to the other gods.

"Don't worry, I value my life. I won't do anything reckless unless I'm sure I can handle it," August said. He would only go if he was truly ready.

"Captain," Staff Officer Thomas said, "Go back to our world, report everything, and request a large batch of supplies."

Thomas knew they couldn't afford to hold back. Any world that could summon August was sure to be dangerous. They needed to use their best resources.

Even if it meant wasting supplies, helping August was worth it.

"UNDERSTOOD." The captain nodded.

This was serious. No one knew what awaited them. The only sensible plan was to equip August with the military's best gear. If they held back their top equipment now, they might never get another chance to use it.

As the captain prepared to leave, August opened the portal and led him back to their world.

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After they left, the rest of the group returned to their duties.

Artemis saw Hestia sitting quietly. Instead of her usual bright smile, Hestia wore a small frown as she thought about what to do next. She fidgeted, glancing from side to side.

"Um, Artemis..." Hestia began.

"NO!" Artemis immediately understood what Hestia wanted.

Hestia was eyeing Artemis's divine weapon, the Arrow of Orion, which could pierce even the gods.

"August cannot use the Arrow of Orion," Artemis said firmly. "He is not Orion."

"Only a pure soul, untouched by good or evil, can draw that arrow. With August's soul, he couldn't even lift it."

"And even if you tried to use it..."

Artemis knew what would happen. If Hestia used the arrow, she would likely trigger a mutual destruction attack to defeat the enemy.

If she died in another world, it would be for good. She wouldn't return to Heaven, and she would be gone forever.

Artemis couldn't stand the idea of Hestia leaving for another world and never coming back.

Hestia froze when she heard Artemis's words. It was true—that was her plan. If August was ever in real danger, Hestia would use the arrow, even if it meant taking the enemy and herself out, just to ensure August could escape safely.

A god's love could be selfish, but it could also be deeply generous, even to the point of giving up their immortal life for someone else. Selfish love and selfless love existed at opposite extremes.

"At the very least, I'm going with you," Artemis said, straightening up.

She wasn't unreliable like Hermes. As a fierce warrior goddess, she could match any male god in battle and was completely confident in her skills.

If things ever got truly hopeless, at least they would have each other. Even though Artemis was curious about seeing a new world, she would never let her best friend die in another dimension.

"It's a deal, then."

Hestia didn't want to involve Artemis, but she had no choice. With so much at stake and things looking grim, having Artemis with them was a huge relief.

"That's Lady Artemis for you!"

"She fights bravely for her best friend!"

Lante watched her adoptive mother and goddess agree to enter a dangerous world for her best friend. To Lante, Lady Artemis was gentle and inspiring. The thought nearly brought her to tears.

"Hey, hey, hey! That's not fair! Why does Artemis get to go, but I can't??" Hermes complained as he watched Hestia agree to Artemis's plan. It just wasn't fair.

Why were they leaving a poor god like him behind? They told him the big secret, but kept him out of everything. He was just a spectator, forced to watch the story happen. He had no part in it at all. What was the point?

Of course, Hermes knew he wouldn't be any help in a fight. Hestia and Artemis would just ignore him anyway.

But when he thought about August being summoned by a world, Hermes became unusually serious.

"In some ways..." Hermes murmured. "August has really surprised me."

"At first, I thought August didn't have the courage or spirit of my ideal hero. I thought he was just kind, or maybe ruthless enough to fight evil with evil. But I see now that I was too narrow-minded."

"Unless I'm wrong, August, like the army he leads, is creating his own story. It's a new kind of heroic epic we've never seen before."

As soon as Hermes mentioned a 'Heroic script,' he got so excited that he jumped onto the table and started praising August's achievements. He wanted to tell the whole world about August.

"Lord Hermes, what nonsense are you talking about now?" Asfi Al Andromeda groaned, putting her face in her hand. Why was he acting like this again? He'd embarrassed them enough already.

"Asfi, I'm serious," Hermes said, still smiling.

But that smile made Asfi stop. She knew Hermes better than anyone, and this time, he was truly serious.

"Being summoned by a world means you're born with a sense of responsibility," Hermes said. "Even if August tries to ignore it, he'll still make choices no one expects."

"Look at everything happening right now. A world found him and called him. That sense of responsibility means he's already started his own heroic journey."

Hermes's words left the Artemis Familia stunned. They had never heard anything so deep before.

At first, Hermes was too proud to notice August. But after seeing the army and their unusual ways, Hermes saw that August already had what it took to be a hero. He was not a hero made by the gods, but one shaped by people.

Hermes used to think well of him. But now, the whole world was calling out to August. Did anyone really understand what that meant? August was a hero recognized by the world itself—not just by gods or people, but by the world's own will.

Even when others doubted him, August kept making his own way. Was he a conqueror, a king, or someone who inspired fear? He was a mix of all these things.

"AH, WHAT A BRILLIANT, SHINING SOUL!" Hermes could hardly contain his envy.

As this amazing story unfolded, Hermes wanted to see how the hero's journey would go. He longed to watch August rise and wanted to be part of it.

Just thinking about it made him restless with excitement.

'I want to witness that story!'

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