Danmachi: The Multiverse Portal

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The East District of the War Game arena.

A twenty-man squad sprinted down the cobblestone streets.

"Where is everyone?"

"Didn't the scouts say they were moving through the East District?"

"I don't see a single person."

Each man carried a curved short sword as they moved carefully, checking every corner.

The streets were deserted. Their scouts had said the four non-combatants from Hestia Familia should be hiding here, and their mission was obvious: eliminate the support. Their weapons were meant for quick, close-quarters kills, but all they found were empty alleys...

"Did they already relocate to the South District?" a masked Apollo Familia member asked.

The enemy had likely noticed them coming and pulled back. With only about a hundred members, their Familia didn't have enough people to cover the whole map like a big faction, so there were gaps in their search.

"If that's the case, we head south." The elven squad leader turned to a subordinate. "Go notify the Captain. We are pushing forward."

"Yes, sir..."

Before the runner could go, the sharp, steady sound of hooves resounded throughout the quiet streets, coming quickly from the east.

"What is that?"

"Where is that sound coming from?" The elf frowned.

A white blur rushed through the alley, and the squad saw the shape right away.

"A Unicorn."

"Impossible. Why is there a monster here?"

They knew what it was right away. A Unicorn—a striking and dangerous creature that usually appeared only in the big rooms on the Lower or Deeper Floors, with Level 3 to Level 4 strength. Why was it here?

Before they could react, the Unicorn charged right at them. Only then did they notice the man riding on its back.

The masked elf's eyes widened in horror. "August."

Someone had brought a Dungeon monster into the fight. Even worse, it was their enemy.

August didn't say a word. He let his sword speak for him.

The Unicorn closed the distance in a flash. August drew his blade and slashed smoothly as he rode past an Apollo Familia member.

"GAH!"

The man flew backward, his light chest armor cut open. One hit was enough—he hit the ground and passed out.

August didn't finish him off. He didn't have to... The War Game had a safety rule: the whole city was filled with divine energy from the neutral Gods, so a fatal hit wouldn't kill.

It just puts the person into a safe, unconscious state.

There was a practical reason for this rule. Gods often took in members of the losing Familia after a War Game, and Adventurers were valuable. Killing them would ruin the reward.

No God wanted to lose good recruits.

Besides, this was still a game. Real war is harsh, but a War Game is just a contest for the Gods. If people died for real, it wouldn't be a game anymore. The divine barrier made sure that 'death' here only meant being knocked out.

"One strike. Where did he learn swordplay like that? So fast."

The elven leader stared in shock.

To him, August's sword skills seemed crude, but they were still deadly and efficient. Most of all, he hadn't even seen the attack coming.

August wheeled the Unicorn around and spurred it into another charge.

"SCATTER! It's a Unicorn! You can't outrun a monster of that caliber! Get on the rooftops!" The elf shouted orders, trying desperately to scatter his squad.

But the Unicorn was far too fast for Level 1 and Level 2 Adventurers to handle.

August shifted his weight, leaning precariously off the side of the saddle. Holding his balance perfectly, he thrust his blade forward and pierced straight through another assassin's chest.

A second Apollo member dropped.

"DAMMIT. HE'S USING CAVALRY TACTICS."

Now the elf understood. August had expected an assassination squad and brought the perfect answer. Cavalry easily beat foot assassins. With a Unicorn this fast, trying to run for the North District was hopeless.

Two legs would never outrun four.

With no way out, the elf started his magic. Sparks of lightning flashed around him as he chanted quickly under his mask. The rest of the Apollo members rushed at August to give their leader time.

"Chanting? Looks like someone here actually has a brain. Too bad long chants are useless against me."

August pulled the reins and sent the Unicorn charging into the group. His sword flashed as he quickly took down the Apollo members.

"Lightning Orb!"

The elf hurled the sphere of crackling energy straight at August.

Instead of blocking, August jumped smoothly off the Unicorn's back and dodged the attack. The Unicorn lowered its head and ran away from the group, staying out of danger.

"Impossible."

Seeing August dismount and land safely, the elf drew his weapons and charged the rookie head-on.

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Orario.

"WHAT AN AMAZING SHOW! The Hestia Familia saw the ambush coming! Rather than risk their weaker members, Captain August went out alone and used cavalry tactics to beat the enemy's stealth squad! It's a true lesson in tactics! A great battle of skill and strategy!"

Ibri Achaa shouted into the magic-stone microphone, and the crowd was fired up by the impressive tactics they were seeing.

"He learned quickly," Ganesha said seriously from the viewing room. "Riding and fighting on horseback isn't impossible to pick up. The real challenge is putting them together so smoothly in such a short time, fighting like a seasoned cavalryman."

Ganesha could see the purpose behind August's attacks. He chased down the enemy like soldiers on a real battlefield. All his hard work and tough training had paid off.

"Lord Ganesha," Ibri Achaa called out. "Is deploying a Unicorn Xenos in a War Game permissible under the rules?"

It was the question on everyone's mind.

"There is no issue," Ganesha confirmed firmly. "Taming an intelligent monster to serve as a mount is perfectly legal in a faction duel, especially one that provides mobility but refrains from directly attacking the opposing Familia. If a Familia lacks the capability to tame such a beast, they cannot blame their opponents for using it. August earned the assistance of the Xenos through his own sheer charisma and character."

Ganesha backed the decision with the straightforward reasoning of the strong, and the other Gods quietly agreed.

"Thank you, Lord Ganesha, for the expert insight!"

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Loki Familia.

After Ganesha spoke, the executives nodded in agreement. August's character really stood out. It was obvious that convincing a Dungeon monster to ignore its violent instincts and act as a mount took real personal charm.

Acting like it was anything less would just be petty.

"..." Finn Deimne, Riveria Ljos Alf, and Gareth Landrock watched the screen with approval.

"He gives us endless headaches," Gareth chuckled, "but earning the loyalty of intelligent monsters is a real talent."

Gareth admired August's way of fighting. There were no cheap tricks, just straightforward, honest duels. He both loved and hated it.

"Tch. The guy just wants to look cool," Bete Loga scoffed, folding his arms in jealousy.

He knew August was showing off on purpose. Even so, he had to admit he liked how direct and honest August was in a fight.

'In a way, this guy's temper matches mine perfectly, I really want to fight him.' Bete thought.

Finn rested his chin on his hand. "It seems he's bringing a completely new vibe to Orario."

Finn saw what was going on. August worked hard, but he was also shameless. Using a War Game just to make a flashy entrance? He would probably win over half the women in the city. No one could beat him at showing off.

Just as Finn expected, women all over Orario were swooning. August rode in on a spotless white Unicorn, played a sad song, and beat his enemies easily. It was the perfect romantic fantasy.

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Ishtar Familia.

"I want to sleep with him~"

The Amazonian warriors could hardly contain themselves.

August was handsome, dangerous, and full of rugged charm. Winning over a man like him would be the ultimate achievement. As they watched him on the screen, the Amazons made their interest obvious.

"Why the hell is he acting so cool??"

This time, Ishtar was in a terrible mood. She wasn't enjoying the show at all. She had set everything up to see Hestia embarrassed—not to make August the city's latest heartthrob.

Watching him look so impressive made her furious.

The other members of Ishtar Familia wisely ignored their Goddess's outburst. They all remembered that Hestia had beaten Ishtar in a fight a few days ago, and mentioning it would only get them in trouble.

So they stayed quiet and kept admiring August from afar.

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The Divine Assembly.

Apollo frowned as he watched August make his dramatic entrance.

"Dammit. Why does he get to look that good?"

He felt a wave of jealousy. Apollo could admit when someone looked good, but seeing August get all the attention really bothered him.

Still, Apollo wasn't an idiot.

"Not bad. It seems they specifically anticipated our strategy."

He quickly figured out what had happened. The Hestia Familia had seen right through his assassination plan. They were definitely not helpless amateurs.

"Tch. Apollo, you threw everything you had at my children. Did you really think your little schemes were that hard to guess?" Hestia didn't hold back, crossing her arms.

Since Apollo had specifically targeted August's weaknesses, predicting his next move wasn't hard.

The other Gods realized she was right.

August was the only frontline fighter in her Familia—the rest were support. Naturally, Apollo would target the vulnerable backline.

"Looks like your plan fell apart. And now, Apollo, you have to sit here and watch your children suffer." Hestia said.

On the screen, August was taking apart the Apollo squad, with only the elven leader still trying to fight back.

She wasn't about to miss the chance to rub it in. She had seen August go through three days of brutal training, barely sleeping while the weapon masters pushed him to his limits. Now, all that pain was being paid back to Apollo's team, and she planned to gloat as much as she could.

"DAMMIT."

Apollo clenched his teeth, putting up with the constant taunting. He hadn't thought August would see through his tactics so easily. The rumors were right—August really was as good as people said.

Still, it hurt to watch his own team get taken apart like this.

"What's wrong, Apollo? Don't you have any confidence in your children?" Hestia raised an eyebrow, throwing the exact taunt Ishtar had used on her days before right back in his face.

The other Gods watched the heated argument, clearly enjoying the show. It was obvious Hestia had been holding in a lot of stress lately, and now she was letting it all out on Apollo.

Feeling the mocking stares of his peers, Apollo snapped.

"DON'T UNDERESTIMATE ME. I HAVE PLENTY OF CONFIDENCE IN MY FAMILIA." He was angry. The tables had turned, and now Ishtar's old taunt was stuck in his mind.

"You'd better pray they actually put up a fight."

But from the way things were going on-screen, it was clear that Apollo's confidence was misplaced.

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