Danmachi: The Multiverse Portal

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As the sun set and the moon rose, the Artemis Familia gathered well beyond Orario's walls.

Rethusa personally assisted Artemis with her ceremonial robes.

Artemis glanced at her followers, who were all excited. Rethusa especially looked thrilled.

"You really don't need to do all this. Just look at Apollo," Artemis sighed. She didn't think a big show was needed.

"How is that the same?" Lante pouted. "Lord Apollo summoned his weapon in front of a huge crowd of Gods. You are our Lady Artemis! We have to make a strong showing!"

They had watched the day's events on the broadcast. August was now famous everywhere after defeating the Apollo Familia and taking everything. The Artemis Familia didn't want their goddess to be overshadowed by Apollo's showy display.

"Exactly, Lady Artemis! Consider it a token of our devotion."

"Seeing you use your power in person... It's going to be amazing," the girls said excitedly.

They respected Artemis deeply. As her followers, the idea of letting her down was unthinkable.

"Alright, alright. Have it your way," Artemis conceded.

Rethusa and the others carefully bathed and dressed her. In her ceremonial dress, Artemis stood in the mountains and raised her hand—sending her Arcanum into the sky.

"BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOMMM!!"

As her Arcanum flared—the Arrow of Orion—her special weapon, broke through the barrier in Heaven.

But as soon as the weapon passed through Heaven's gates, more than a dozen Gods rushed toward it. They all wanted to grab hold.

"YOU CAN'T LEAVE!"

"IF YOU'RE GOING, TAKE US WITH YOU!"

"ARTEMIS, I KNOW YOU CAN HEAR US! TAKE ME ALONG!"

The Gods in Heaven had been watching the Lower World. They saw the bet Hestia made with Apollo. Exploring another world was tempting for any God. When Artemis called her weapon, they immediately tried to attach their consciousness or avatars to the Arrow.

Sensing what the other Gods wanted, the Arrow of Orion turned and tried to escape.

Below, Artemis frowned as she felt her weapon run away.

"What's wrong?" Rethusa noticed her Goddess's expression and hurried over.

"My weapon is being chased. Those idiots are trying to latch onto it to sneak down to the Lower World," Artemis explained.

That was strictly forbidden. Some of those Gods might have been in a "banned from ever returning" state. Sneaking down would break the Divine Pact, but they were determined to come along anyway.

"Ah." Rethusa and the others were shocked.

"I'll contact Lady Hestia and see what we can do," Rethusa said, taking out a magical communication orb that used mana for long-distance calls.

—•——•——•——•——•——•—

"This is Hestia Familia. Who's speaking?" Lili's voice resonated from the orb.

At that moment, Hestia was busy helping Goibniu's crew clean up the Apollo mansion they had just taken over.

"It's Rethusa! Hurry, let me speak to Lady Hestia! We have an emergency!"

Hearing the panic, Hestia leaned over. "What happened?"

"Lady Hestia, we have a problem! Lady Artemis's summoning didn't work. She says the Gods in Heaven are chasing her divine weapon, trying to grab onto it and join your expedition. We need help," Rethusa said, glancing at Artemis, who looked even more worried.

Things in Heaven were a mess.

"Hah? What the hell are those idiots thinking? Did they lose their minds? Aren't they scared of getting hit by the Arrow?"

Hestia couldn't believe they were trying to join the trip. It was out of the question.

"That figures," Goibniu said. "That's just the kind of thing those busybodies would do. But Hestia, you're the one who has to fix this."

If Hestia was collecting divine weapons to go to another world, he didn't have much to say. He just suggested a solution: ask Ouranos for permission.

"OURANOS!" Hestia shouted up at the sky.

...

Deep in his underground altar, Ouranos heard her call. He looked up and used his power to find her on the surface.

"What is it?" he asked, already suspecting she was causing trouble again.

"Ouranos, Artemis is in trouble. Her weapon is stuck. Some idiots are blocking it," Hestia explained through telepathy.

She knew Ouranos could solve the problem. She and Artemis could technically handle it themselves, but if they went up without permission, they might not be allowed to return.

"..." Ouranos, who was busy calming the Dungeon, looked up and sent his vision into Heaven. When he saw the group of Gods surrounding the Arrow of Orion, he sighed.

"What a nuisance."

He hadn't expected the Gods above to try sneaking down. They wanted to take over Artemis's weapon and use it to leave their world. They had planned it all out.

"Just let Artemis return to Heaven for a moment," Ouranos decided.

He gave her temporary permission to go up, get her weapon, and come back. With his approval, she could handle the other Gods herself.

"Oh. Thanks!" Hestia called out, then passed the message on. "Artemis! Ouranos said yes. You can use your Arcanum. Go to Heaven first, then come back down."

Artemis, still chasing her runaway weapon, got the go-ahead.

In a flash, she disappeared from the Lower World.

Goddess Artemis had returned to Heaven.

She appeared right in front of her weapon and grabbed it out of the air. The Gods chasing it were startled.

"You parasites! Eat my fist of justice!!"

Artemis was furious. She had only been trying to summon her weapon, and these freeloaders tried to hijack it. As if she'd let them.

She cracked her knuckles, rolled up her sleeves, and jumped right into a brawl with the other gods.

"Ah! No, wait!"

Artemis went on a rampage. She landed lethal strikes, merciless hooks, and flawless combos, mowing down the mob of gods without mercy.

—•——•——•——•——•——•—

When she finally returned to the Lower World, less than three hours had passed.

Her Familia saw that she had left looking grim, but now she was back, clearly satisfied after a tough workout.

It seemed their Goddess had enjoyed herself in Heaven—they wisely chose not to ask any questions.

Instead, everyone stared at the divine weapon in her hand. It gave off a powerful holy aura, with glowing script and swirling patterns covering its surface.

"Is that Lady Artemis's Arrow of Orion?"

After all the trouble of getting it back, Artemis had easily knocked her peers aside once her power was fully unleashed.

Seeing her children staring in awe, Artemis handed the weapon over for them to look at. But divine weapons were special— even August, if he were there, wouldn't have been able to lift it. Just touching it felt incredibly heavy.

Rethusa could sense the immense power and information within the weapon. Even as one of Artemis's most loyal followers, she couldn't activate it. It was truly an amazing artifact.

Artemis gathered her things and held the bow tightly.

"Let's go. We need to regroup." She motioned for her children to come with her.

"Yes, ma'am!" Rethusa took the lead, and the group headed toward Orario to meet up with the Hestia Familia.

—•——•——•——•——•——•—

Meanwhile, at the former Apollo Familia estate in Orario.

Now that Artemis had given her approval and her own business was done, Hestia walked through the mansion with Goibniu.

As she walked down the hallway, she stared at the endless rows of Apollo statues. He had spent a fortune of his Familia's money on these tacky displays.

The over-the-top show of ego made her scowl.

"SMASH ALL OF THESE. If the stone is any good, recycle it into building materials for the renovation," she ordered Goibniu.

Leaving the statues up would just make her uncomfortable. There were so many. How much money had Apollo wasted on all this? His Familia must have been very patient with his ego.

"Don't worry about the cost. The Hestia Familia will pay for everything," Hestia said, feeling rich. She could afford to completely renovate the place.

"You're the boss," Goibniu said with a shrug. He wasn't worried about her not paying. Even the bankrupt Apollo Familia had managed to keep up the huge estate and its gardens.

"However... I was wondering if you could bring me back some unique materials from that other world."

Goibniu had his own reasons for taking the job. Did they really think he was doing this for a small fee? He wanted to request some otherworldly ores and materials. As a blacksmith, he was excited by that idea.

"Goibniu, you..." Hestia stared at him.

Did he really think she was running a delivery service between worlds?

"I'm not asking to go with you. I'm just curious about the materials. Consider it an official commission—"

Goibniu said. "Normally, my Familia scavenges for rare items across Orario. Unfortunately, because of the massive stir your child caused recently, several Gods have commissioned me to forge new weapons and, more importantly, heavy defensive gear. As you know, your child has his hands on some very high-quality steel. So I'm formally placing a request."

He was honest about what he wanted. He didn't want to get involved in the politics of traveling between worlds, and he knew it was a secret, so he wouldn't ask questions.

Keeping it as a business deal was safest.

August had a good reputation, and the Goibniu Familia really needed high-quality steel.

"Fine."

Hestia had thought she might need to negotiate, but if Goibniu only wanted crafting materials, that was easy enough.

"I have to warn you, though, this trip could be dangerous. I can't promise we'll find anything good."

She wanted to be clear. With Artemis coming along, they had to be ready for the worst. If enemies were waiting for them, they might have to fight just to survive.

"That's fine. I'll pay market value for whatever you bring back," Goibniu said casually. "After all, with both your Familias going... if the enemies over there are that strong, survival comes first."

The most important thing was to stay alive. If they didn't make it back, the materials wouldn't matter at all.

"Thanks." Hestia appreciated him not pushing the issue.

With the Goibniu Familia in charge, the huge renovation would be done in no time. Their skills went far beyond making weapons— they handled most of Orario's best construction projects and were known for delivering great value. As long as they were paid, they could build a perfect Familia home.

That's why Goibniu was so respected in Orario.

...

For example, outside in the courtyard, a group of Goibniu Familia blacksmiths gathered around the rebar longsword August had used in the War Game.

"This craftsmanship is amazing."

"The material of this blade easily rivals ultra-rare Orichalcum."

"And the most important part... this is a heavy sword."

To break this weapon, an opponent would need special skills to block its force just right. Otherwise, a direct hit could cause serious internal injuries. For the Goibniu Familia blacksmiths, it was the first spirally-threaded longsword they had ever seen.

"Captain August, would you happen to be interested in a trade?"

Three blacksmiths who loved heavy weapons came over to him. They wanted to buy raw materials like those used for the rebar sword. Because of someone in particular, they were searching for special materials to make a huge greatsword for a certain woman, and the rebar longsword was exactly the kind of heavy blade they needed.

"Sorry, I don't have any on hand," August replied apologetically.

The blacksmiths looked instantly crushed.

Still, they couldn't walk away. They stayed near the heavy sword in the courtyard, picking it up and testing its balance, admiring it.

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