Danmachi: The Multiverse Portal

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At the Apollo Familia's defensive line.

"What's with this guy?"

"Isn't he supposed to be a long-range specialist with those weird weapons??"

Several beastmen holding longswords stared at August in disbelief. He moved so fast that it was far beyond what anyone expected from a typical Level 2.

August's blade was faster, sharper, and much more ruthless than theirs. Almost every swing broke through their defenses, hitting their weak spots. His weapon, a strange threaded rebar longsword, was very heavy.

It hit harder than any greatsword they had ever faced, and it was as tough as weapons made from the rarest materials.

"COME ON! IS THIS REALLY ALL YOU GUYS HAVE?" August kicked a beastman in the chest to push him back, then swung his heavy rebar sword in a wide arc.

In one smooth move, he blocked an attack and smashed the enemy's weapon.

The Apollo vanguard had fifty Level 2 Adventurers. Even though they should have been evenly matched, they were somehow losing to a single rookie.

"He's too strong!!"

For the first time, they felt just how big the gap in their basic stats really was.

"Don't panic! We have the numbers! We can wear him down!" Daphne Lauros yelled from the front line, drawing her own sword to rally the troops.

They had a huge advantage in numbers. Without his modern weapons, August was alone. In a long fight, they believed they would win.

"She's right! Drain his stamina!"

With their commander's encouragement, the fifty fighters got their confidence back. They changed formation and surrounded August, hoping to wear him out. If he got tired, he would be done for, and without him, the Hestia Familia would definitely lose.

Meanwhile, the mages in the back spread out and started chanting, getting ready for surprise attacks.

August was forced to duck into nearby houses to avoid the waves of magical explosions.

"A battle of attrition, huh? Classic. But I'm not exactly lacking in tricks either."

He dodged a fireball, letting the shockwave pass over him, and kept running while quickly chanting under his breath.

"Bound by my Goddess Hestia. Malice Summon. Come forth, Loki."

Mana gathered around his hands.

With that quick, unusual chant—a phantom figure appeared next to him and floated along as he ran. The projection reached into empty space and pulled hard.

A squinting, flat-faced image of the Goddess Loki was pulled out of thin air.

"..." Everyone on the battlefield stopped.

The projection floated above the ground, keeping Loki's usual blank expression.

Outside the city, the audience watching was speechless. No one thought August could summon other Gods.

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The Divine Assembly.

"Hey! Shrimp! Since when could your kid do that? What the hell is a Malice Summon?? Dammit, does this brat know something he shouldn't?"

Loki, physically restrained by several other Goddesses, was livid. She looked ready to strangle Hestia on the spot.

Hestia looked away awkwardly, feeling a bit guilty.

She realized it was a parasitic summon. It did not use up August's second skill slot. As a Level 2, he could have a second ability, but instead, he linked it to Hestia to force a weaker version of Loki to appear. It was not as strong as his main powers, but it was basically a free summon.

"As expected of my August," Hestia murmured, thoroughly satisfied.

She was pleased. The Goddess who was being used as a decoy definitely was not...

...

Back on the battlefield, August didn't waste a second after summoning the Loki projection. He pivoted and charged straight back at the Apollo Familia.

A new wave of magical attacks flew at him. Fireballs and other spells filled his path, but August kept going. He smiled confidently as he ran straight into the middle of the attack.

The spells exploded around him, but the blast did not kill him.

Instead, August's run turned into a sudden shift in space. In an instant, he appeared right behind the Apollo Familia's backline mages.

"Hello there."

He gave a polite smile, then swung his rebar longsword like a baseball bat and hit a mage in the stomach. He knocked the fragile spellcasters aside like spinning tops. The mages could not stand up to his heavy weapon—and in seconds, the whole backline was down.

"What? When did he get back there??" Daphne stared in horror.

The mages were defeated, and the truth of the situation sank in for her.

"Teleportation?? Lord Apollo never said anything about him having teleportation magic! THAT'S CHEATING!" she yelled, her composure cracking.

With him summoning other Gods and what looked like teleportation, how were they supposed to fight back?

"Congratulations, you guessed wrong. It's not teleportation," August said, wagging his finger.

"This is just how I use the Goddess Loki's domain. The Loki Familia is known for magic, and since Loki is a trickster, her powers are all about deception and illusion. My projection works like this: for five seconds after I summon it, if an enemy spell hits me, I switch places with the caster almost instantly. You thought I died, but I was just fooling you."

He casually explained how things work.

The ability was really only useful in certain situations, since it only worked against magic and needed physical contact. He chose not to mention those drawbacks.

...

"It's more than that," Ais Wallenstein noted, watching the screen in silence.

"He has healing magic. He can cure his own wounds. And his swordplay... every single strike is a counter. He doesn't possess his own specific style. He fights entirely on the defensive, waiting to break his opponent's technique."

Ais could see it right away.

This wasn't formal swordsmanship. It was a special kind of fighting meant for taking down people—awkward, not flashy or destructive—but every opening was a trap waiting to catch anyone who attacked.

The experienced Adventurers and Gods listening understood what was happening. August was an expert at fighting other people.

On his own, he was like an entire raid team. The fact that the Apollo Familia had lasted this long showed how well Apollo's special rules worked.

...

Once the mage unit was gone, the Apollo formation fell apart. Daphne could sense her team's spirits sinking to their lowest point.

"What do we do? We need a plan." She couldn't let herself look weak now. This was a War Game, and everyone in Orario was watching. If she failed, it would be a huge embarrassment.

"If I were you, I'd just surrender."

A voice resounded from a nearby corner, and two figures stepped out of a house.

"Cassandra!" Daphne gasped.

Cassandra Ilion stepped out with her hands up, her crystal staff missing. Their main healer was now a hostage.

"You..." Daphne stared at Liliruca Arde, standing behind her friend.

She hadn't noticed the Pallum sneaking by. Then she saw the baggy clothes hanging on Lili's small body, and suddenly understood.

"Transformation magic?"

They had been tricked by an illusion. The person who ran into the camp as "Luan" was never Luan in the first place.

Now that their healer was caught, the fight was basically finished. The other captain was a scary fighter up front and could also heal like a miracle worker.

Daphne glared at August.

"I thought you were busy chasing Luan. Why didn't you just finish him off? You let him go just to orchestrate this hostage situation, didn't you?" She gritted her teeth.

"Hostage is a strong word..." August said as he walked over to Lili. Cassandra was safely held—the plan had worked just as intended.

"...If I were up against the Freya, Ishtar, or Aphrodite Familias, this wouldn't work. They'd just attack, even if it meant hitting their own teammate."

He specifically named the three beauty goddesses on purpose. Hostages wouldn't matter against them. But the Apollo Familia was different—they still valued their relationships.

"Take her and go," August ordered Lili, securing the rearguard.

"Got it." Lili nodded.

She took hold of Cassandra's collar and started to leave. Cassandra didn't fight back and just accepted what was happening.

But just before she was pulled away, she murmured a single sentence. "The Child of Light descends like a shooting star."

"..." The moment the prophecy left her lips, August moved.

He lunged forward, grabbed Lili's arm, and yanked both her and Cassandra violently behind him. In the same breath, he raised his rebar sword horizontally, bracing for impact.

A blinding disc of light slammed directly into his blade.

August twisted his wrists, guiding the blade along the path of the attack to block its force, and sent the light disc flying into a nearby building. The building exploded in a huge burst of debris and dust.

August shielded both Lili and Cassandra with his own body.

The sudden, powerful attack left Daphne and the rest of the Apollo group in shock. They turned to see where it had come from.

Walking down the street was Hyakinthos Clio, Captain of the Apollo Familia. He had abandoned the main camp and brought the reserve troops with him.

"Captain Hyakinthos?" Daphne was shocked.

Why was the top commander out on the front lines? Even more worrying, that attack had been aimed right at August. Cassandra could have been killed in the middle of it.

Daphne was speechless.

Hyakinthos glared at August, angry that his surprise attack had been blocked so easily.

"No one reported back. Luan never returned, and I heard sounds of fighting in this sector, so I came to inspect it myself."

He glared at August with intense hostility.

"What a disgrace. To think Lord Apollo's flawless strategy was completely dismantled. Every single countermeasure I meticulously drafted was cracked wide open by a faction of rookies. How am I supposed to face Lord Apollo now?"

For the first time, Hyakinthos felt truly angry. He had planned all the tactics himself, but now everything was ruined. Even his main healer had been caught.

It felt like a bad joke.

As he looked at August standing in front of Lili and Cassandra, Hyakinthos felt jealous. It wasn't about looks or skill. It was the fact that this rookie, someone Lord Apollo didn't even care about, was dragging his pride through the mud.

"Since everyone is here... all units, kill him."

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