Danmachi: The Multiverse Portal

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"We won!"

"We actually won!"

Yui and Ui Hirasawa cried as they watched August secure the final victory. It was finally over.

Hestia, still wearing her princess dress and glass slippers, ran straight to August, forgetting all about acting regal. She was overjoyed.

Her Familia had just won a huge victory that would secure their place in Orario for good.

August was too tired to lift his arms and hug her back. He just let the Goddess tackle him.

His new skill—[Adventurer Killer]—had left him completely drained. It gave him a huge boost against falna-users, but it also used up his stamina fast. Even with a newly revived body, fighting alone for so long had worn him out.

Liliruca Arde saw how tired he was and decided not to jump on him as well.

"Lady Hestia, it's time to collect your winnings," she said.

Winning meant the loser had to pay up.

With her Supporter's reminder, Hestia immediately stopped acting like an elegant Goddess. She cracked her knuckles and glared at Apollo.

"..." As soon as Apollo felt her stare, he knew what was about to happen.

"Apollo, are you ready?" Hestia could barely contain her excitement. She was about to claim all of his Familia's assets.

"Wait, Hestia. This is all a misunderstanding. I only agreed because your children are so cute," Apollo stammered, starting to panic. He suddenly remembered the huge, unconditional bet he had made for the sake of the two sisters.

"SHUT UP! I distinctly recall a certain someone promising to grant me any request if I won." Hestia was too giddy to hold back. "As the victor, I am laying out my terms. Confiscation of all assets. Disbandment of your Familia. And you are permanently banished from Orario. You will never set foot in this city again."

Apollo turned pale. Years of wealth and power were gone in a moment.

"And that's not all, Apollo," Hestia added, almost drooling with greed. "Hand over your weapon. Give me the Bow of Apollo."

He was like a walking treasure chest. Taking all his assets at once would make her Familia rich overnight.

"WHAT DO YOU NEED MY WEAPON FOR??"

Being banished was bad enough, but asking for his personal divine weapon brought Apollo back to his senses. What was she planning? Gods almost never brought their divine weapons to the mortal world unless it was a real emergency.

"Don't forget, you promised to agree to any condition," Hestia said with a smirk, picking up a sword from the ground. "What, are you trying to back out?"

Apollo, who cared deeply about his reputation, felt a sense of dread. Hestia was clearly up to something. Still, he couldn't just give up his pride as a God.

"I want to know what you plan to do with it. Bringing a divine weapon to the mortal world causes huge tremors. Lord Ouranos has to approve this." He tried to save the situation. He wasn't going to give up his bow without a fight.

Hestia knew she couldn't keep her plans secret. Artemis would soon summon the Arrow of Orion, and the other Gods, especially Apollo, would feel the Arcanum.

She crossed her arms.

"When August fought Antares—he heard a strong call from another world. To answer that call, I'm going with him as his Patron Goddess. We don't know what we'll face there, so for safety, I'm bringing Artemis as our guardian, and she'll have her divine weapon. Our backup plan was simple: if we got trapped and couldn't escape, we'd set off the Arrow of Orion as a last resort to buy time to run."

"But now?" Hestia gave a wicked smile. "Apollo, I really have to thank you. You just handed me the perfect disposable bomb."

Apollo's mouth fell open. She wanted to use his divine weapon as an explosive to help her escape?

"..." What kind of ruthless goddess was she? He cursed himself for being so foolish and letting her treat him like a loot drop.

"I've already filed the paperwork with Ouranos," Hestia said with a sweet smile. "Artemis will summon her Arrow tonight. While it's still daylight—summon your Bow and give it to me."

"I..." Apollo let out a helpless sigh. He had brought this on himself. "Fine."

Despite his arrogance, Apollo was a God who kept his promises. He had set up the contest, changed the rules, and given it everything he had, but still lost. If he didn't pay now, what was the point of his children's efforts? He accepted his loss with dignity.

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Back in the Divine Assembly, where Hermes was sharing the conversation, the Gods were shocked.

"Hey! Ouranos! You really agreed to this??" Loki said, stunned.

What did Hestia mean by "answering the call of the world" and bringing Artemis for safety? The Gods knew August could travel between worlds, but this sounded like a real alternate dimension, not just a parallel world.

And now there was a "call" from another world? Things were getting serious.

Until now, the Gods thought Hestia wouldn't bring other deities with her. She hadn't even brought Hephaestus, her oldest friend.

But now she was openly saying she would take Artemis into a dangerous new world.

"Hermes, you jerk! You definitely knew about this!" Loki shot an angry glare at the Messenger God. "You were right there!"

'You knew and didn't even tell us? That's going too far.'

Hermes started sweating under the angry stares of the other Gods. How could he have said anything? If he had revealed their plans, Hestia and Artemis would have destroyed his Familia the next day.

Ouranos's deep voice resounded through the chamber, saving Hermes from trouble.

"The Adventurer's Guild is a neutral faction. We do not interfere in the alliances between Familias. Captain August's abilities are the sole business of the Hestia Familia. As for Hestia and Artemis's plans, they are not forming an alliance to influence this world. Their power will be directed entirely outside this realm. Naturally, I have no reason to deny their request."

He made it clear.

He was a neutral God, and they had just filed a normal request for a joint-Familia trip outside his control. If the other Gods wanted to travel between worlds, they would have to talk to Hestia, not him.

When they saw that Ouranos didn't care, the Gods turned their anger back on Hermes.

"Don't look at me! I'm useless!" Hermes threw his hands up. "I'd probably run away faster than any of them in a real fight, so they didn't want me coming along!"

He admitted it without shame. When it came to fighting, he was nowhere near Artemis's level. He just got in the way.

'At least he was honest,' the Gods thought.

Now they understood why Hermes had stayed quiet. Being left behind for being too weak was embarrassing.

"Hephaestus," Loki called, turning to the Forge Goddess.

But Hephaestus's seat was empty, she had already left to deal with Hestia herself.

"Oh my~ this sounds exciting," Demeter said, standing with a bright smile. "Why wasn't I invited? I have some protective capabilities, you know."

She wanted to join. Her curiosity made her jealous. Marrying off her children had only given her a taste for adventure. Exploring a new world was too tempting to pass up. If Artemis could go, why not her?

Hermes made sure the broadcast stayed within the assembly, keeping the divine commotion away from the public.

—•——•——•——•——•——•—

Back on the surface, Apollo finally fulfilled his end of the bargain. Standing under the afternoon sun, he reached toward the sky, pulling at the very light of the sun.

A huge longbow appeared in the sky, shot down like a meteor, and crashed into the ground far outside the city.

"Go fetch," Apollo sighed, looking at the distant crater.

His Arcanum was sealed, so he could call the weapon but not use it. If he tried to break the seal and fight, Ouranos would punish him.

Apollo gave in. Whether he got the bow back was up to fate. If it broke, he could always make a new one in Heaven—where materials were easy to find.

"Thanks," Hestia grinned, waving for her team to go retrieve the loot.

The group exited the War Game arena and headed for the crater.

At the same time, cleanup crews from different Familias arrived. Shakti Varma, the Captain of the Ganesha Familia, led the way. She was there to secure the city, help the injured Apollo members, and take them back to Orario to disband. She already knew about the summoned weapon, so she stayed out of it.

August and Shakti exchanged a polite, smiling nod as they passed.

"Congratulations, Lady Hestia. A decisive victory over the Apollo Familia," Shakti offered with a respectful bow.

She was truly impressed. Doing something this big at August's age was rare. Succeeding so early in a career was the sign of a real legend.

"Of course!" Hestia lifted her skirt, beaming. "This is my Familia's achievement. It cannot be denied."

Gods loved to brag about their children's success. As Hestia spoke, she sized up Shakti, seeing her as a skilled and sharp Adventurer.

"Thanks for the hard work," she added, knowing the Ganesha Familia had a bloody mess to clean up.

"It's no trouble, Lady Hestia. This duel brought a lot of excitement to Orario," Shakti smiled warmly.

A War Game was the biggest show of strength in the world, and there was always someone new rising up. August's win was simple and bold. That's why she led the cleanup herself—to show her respect.

"It's time to collect your weapon. Lord Ganesha has already briefed me," Shakti said, tactfully ending the conversation and gesturing for Hestia to claim her spoils.

Winner takes all.

"Time to collect!" Hestia pumped her fists.

The Bow of Apollo was a divine weapon. Having it as a backup made their upcoming journey to another world much safer.

"Let's go." Hestia signaled August to lead the way, and they parted from Shakti, heading straight for the forested crater.

At the crater, they found the Bow of Apollo floating in the center, pulsing with Arcanum.

Hestia walked right up to it.

"By the right of the victor, you belong to me for now. When you're no longer useful, I'll send you back to Heaven."

She let out her Arcanum and sent her power into the weapon. The divine contract accepted her claim. The Bow of Apollo seemed to know its master had given it away, so it let Hestia seal its power. It would stay locked until they really needed it.

Once the weapon was suppressed, Hestia handed it to August.

When August grabbed the bow, it felt more like steel than old wood or vines. As soon as he touched it, divine runes lit up along its surface.

It was a real godly weapon, powered by the runes in its frame. He could feel Hestia's divine energy holding it steady, stopping the bow from rejecting him and throwing him back.

"Store it for now," Hestia instructed.

August put the bow into his spatial backpack. Now he was a traveler from another world with a God's personal weapon. The Bow of Apollo was safe.

"Now we just wait for Artemis," Hestia cheered.

Artemis was already outside the city, waiting for the moon to rise. They had gotten Ouranos's permission to summon her weapon outside the city, as long as no bystanders got hurt.

"Alright, kids, time to get to work." Hestia turned to her Familia: Lili, Nodoka, Yui, and Ui.

It was time to claim and sanitize their new headquarters.

"YEAH!" The four girls cheered loudly.

A huge mansion and a complete makeover awaited them.

They were ready for it!

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