Danmachi: The Multiverse Portal

—•——•——•——•——•——•—

Present-day Earth, the U.S—inside a classified laboratory.

"Begin condensing the magical energy collected from World Three—the Fate world."

"Energy concentration complete."

"Fire!"

A group of researchers in white coats worked a big energy collection machine, pushing the mana they had collected into one dense mass. The machine roared as energy built up at the barrel, putting on a show of light and pressure.

Then it fired.

The glowing mass barely moved five centimeters. As soon as it left the barrel, it broke apart and vanished.

"..."

The researchers stared at the empty space, then dropped their heads and marked big Xs on their notes. It was clear: this magical energy was even less useful than what they usually worked with.

A few older generals watched from behind the glass, their excitement fading fast. This was nothing like the magic they had seen from the Danmachi world.

"Why did that happen?" one of them asked. He had come hoping for mana cannons and a whole new kind of weapon, but all they got was a quick flash.

Even a railgun would have been better.

"The energy purity is too low," one of the chief engineers reported after conferring with the others.

"This is the magical energy humans can control in the Fate world—but its concentration is very poor by our standards. Compared to the magic from the Danmachi world, it has been diluted more than a hundred times!!"

"What you just saw was already the strongest result we could produce after concentrating as much mana as possible," another engineer added. "It looks impressive, but it has no practical value."

The others nodded. This couldn't compete with nuclear energy, let alone the fusion tech they were already working on.

"To put it simply, this is an obsolete energy source," the chief engineer concluded. "That applies to both the Od generated inside the body and the Mana gathered from the environment."

"So the difference between the first and third worlds is concentration?" the general asked with a sigh.

"Correct. The Danmachi world's magic is extremely dense. The magical energy in the Fate world has thinned to a fraction of that."

"Fine, then."

The generals lost interest right away. Why bother with a weak energy source when their electromagnetic weapons looked much better? The researchers agreed. They had been excited at first, but after a few tests, they lost interest too.

Od, Mana, Great Source, Small Source—whatever the magi called it, the entire system was useless to them.

"TERMINATE THE PROJECT."

"Yes, sir."

No one objected.

—•——•——•——•——•——•—

The Type-Moon World—Snowfield.

"You're sure this thing won't cause a problem?"

August stared at the projector in his hands, then looked at the group of researchers standing in front of him. These bastards were definitely trying to get him killed.

"We made it ourselves!!" one of them said proudly.

The researchers looked tired and messy, but their eyes were shining. They were all from August's world—so of course they knew who Hestia was and what kind of world they had entered. They had finally made it to the Fate universe—to anyone raised on anime and games, Snowfield was the largest theme park imaginable.

But none of them could summon a Servant, and none wanted to risk their life on a ritual their body couldn't handle.

That meant August was the group's only Gacha account...

"Hey! Who the hell plays a Gacha game like this?" August grabbed one of the researchers by the collar. "Are you trying to make the real one descend and kill me herself?"

These geniuses had used AI to manufacture something so ridiculous that August was starting to question why he had brought them along.

"Just try it. You might get a surprise."

"Hehe." Several researchers flashed their teeth and gave him enthusiastic thumbs-ups.

"Hehe my ass!"

August wanted to kick every one of them out of the factory. He had brought them here to experience another world, and this was what they used their brains for?

"But what if it works?" one of them argued. "We might pull someone outside the seven standard classes."

The others exchanged knowing looks.

"GET LOST." August refused immediately, but Hestia and Lili both nodded as though the idea made perfect sense.

"I think it could work," Hestia said.

"There's no harm in trying," Lili agreed. She was holding August's phone, which displayed the summoning screen from Fate/Grand Order. "Besides, it's not like every summon comes with rainbow rings."

"Don't underestimate me." August's heart tightened. Was she saying he might get a normal summon and end up with a two-star or three-star Servant?

Hell no.

"I'm getting rainbow rings. Guaranteed."

If he was going to summon someone, it had better be a powerful Heroic Spirit. A brilliant, multicolored rainbow summon!

Before August could keep arguing, Hestia sensed a new fluctuation moving through Snowfield's leylines.

"Five Servants have already manifested in the False Holy Grail War: Assassin, Berserker, Caster, Rider, and Archer," she said after closing her eyes for a moment. "Lancer is the final remaining slot."

"So it's almost time." August nodded.

The magus they caught earlier had already been let go. They only kept him long enough to get blood samples and study his Command Spells, and Hestia wiped the needed memories before sending him back.

The man had killed his own wife and child, so none of them felt bad for him. They just needed his Command Spells to link August to the Holy Grail War's summoning system.

"Get ready," August told the researchers. "And record everything."

"Got it!"

They had been joking just a minute ago, but as soon as the experiment started, everyone went back to their stations. Soldiers guarded the factory while the researchers watched their instruments, all waiting to see which Servant August would summon.

August stepped into the open area in front of the building and took a deep breath.

A full summoning circle was printed on a big sheet and fixed to the ground. He stood on it, lifted his right hand, and used the three Command Spells. Magical energy flowed from the red marks and spread through the pattern under his feet.

"Chanting is a pain." August had no interest in reciting the traditional incantation. He figured he might as well say what he wanted.

"If you're a Saber or Lancer, I'm summoning you here to fight. No grand plan or complicated goal. Fighting is the whole point."

"If you're an Archer like EMIYA who prefers running around with swords, that works too. Weird Noble Phantasms are welcome."

"If you're an Assassin, understand that this is a high-level lobby. Don't come down unless you can keep up."

"If you're a Rider and you can't fight, that's fine. We'll race instead."

"If you're a Caster... at least show up looking somewhat human."

"And Berserker?" August paused. "Sure. Berserker works."

That was his declaration to all seven classes. He didn't care who answered—the Heroic Spirit only needed to be ready for a fight.

The summoning circle glowed brighter as waves of light ran through its lines, but nothing showed up. August was about to keep going when he remembered the device those bastards had given him.

"...Fine."

He placed the projector next to the circle and switched it on.

"..." The researchers' eyes lit up, and they quickly typed in the last commands. A big projection appeared above the summoning circle.

The AI-generated video began to play...

A Goddess with two dragon horns had been turned into a young schoolgirl. Wearing a modern uniform, she stood next to August in a strange campus romance where they had grown up as childhood friends.

The video showed them walking to school, eating lunch under a tree, sharing an umbrella in the rain, and watching the sunset from the roof.

It looked disturbingly real...

This was the researchers' big plan!!

They made a whole set of fake memories to use as a trigger for Tiamat. Instead of a rough presentation—they used their best AI models and production tools to make scenes that looked almost real.

Hestia suddenly laughed.

She knew the images shown in this summoning ritual could reach the Throne of Heroes. Every Heroic Spirit linked to the system would see them. That was why she supported the plan.

Because she wanted to add something of her own.

Hestia lifted her hand and sent a bit of Divine Power into the projector. The fake school romance broke apart, replaced by August and Hestia standing together under a sky full of stars.

The researchers stared at the new scene.

"DAMN..."

"NO WAY."

None of them had expected Hestia to hijack the video.

The projection started showing the memories August and Hestia shared. They sat under the stars, talking softly about their feelings while gentle music played.

"Will I know your eyes a thousand years from now?"

"August... if one day you return to your Earth, we'll still be able to look up at the same sky, won't we?"

Beneath the moonlight, Hestia looked at the man beside her with tears in her eyes. Her gaze held nothing but him.

Then August's voice answered. "No matter how much time passes, somewhere on the other side of the stars, a beautiful Goddess will be waiting for me... Her name is Hestia."

The scene ended with the two of them hugging under the moonlight, as if they were about to be parted forever.

The researchers slowly raised their thumbs.

"Gods really are built different..."

Hestia had outplayed them at their own game.

Usually, a summoning ritual sent its information straight to the Throne of Heroes. Wasn't she just showing off her love life to every Heroic Spirit watching? Who else would use a Servant summoning to flex this hard?

And yet, none of them could bring themselves to hate it.

That felt exactly right.

Lili quietly opened Fate/Grand Order on August's phone—then tossed it into the summoning circle.

She wanted to help too.

Now, let her see which Heroic Spirit would answer.

—•——•——•——•——•——•—

The Throne of Heroes.

It was a place built from the legends and stories of myriad beings in human history, a peaceful and timeless realm beyond the usual flow of time.

At this moment, it was in chaos.

August's summoning ritual had made a direct link to the Throne itself, so every Heroic Spirit inside could sense what he wanted.

At first, none of them reacted much. A Master wanting a Servant who liked to fight was nothing new.

Then the memories involving Tiamat began to unfold, and the Heroic Spirits lost what little composure they had left.

Who in their right mind would cast the Primordial Mother as the heroine of a school romance?

Then Hestia swapped in her own memories, and everyone finally understood. The Master doing the summoning wasn't from their world. He had come from somewhere else.

Then Lili tossed the records of Fate/Grand Order into the ritual. The stories of Chaldea, the Singularities, the Lostbelts, and all the Heroic Spirits who had fought with humanity flowed through the connection.

The Throne fell silent.

WHAT THE HELL WAS THIS GUY DOING??

He hadn't merely opened a summoning path. He had forced his way into the Throne, showed everyone a different version of their lives, and then showed off his romance with a Goddess right in front of them.

"..." One particular Heroic Spirit opened her eyes.

Tiamat looked at the memories that weren't hers. They were full of affection and warmth, almost like someone had turned them into a Noble Phantasm made of love. Then she saw the phone in the summoning circle and understood.

But after seeing Hestia's recording, Tiamat couldn't sit still anymore.

Wasn't that NTR?

Tiamat stood up and walked toward the summoning gate.

Elsewhere, the Hestia belonging to the Type-Moon world stared at the same scene in disbelief.

"What the hell?? She's flexing directly in my face!"

It didn't matter that the other woman was just another version of herself from a different world. How could another Hestia show her something like this? She was supposed to be a gentle Goddess, but that didn't mean she had to just sit there and accept losing in public to another version of herself.

Still... the love story between the human and the Goddess was beautiful. The way they looked at each other across different worlds, the idea of one waiting under the stars for thousands of years...

Tears gathered in Hestia's eyes.

'It would be perfect if I were the heroine.' She wiped her face and stood up.

"I need to steal him from her immediately!"

Hestia ran toward the summoning gate.

By the time Tiamat and Hestia got there, countless Heroic Spirits had already gathered. The male Heroic Spirits were excited to claim the contract.

They had finally found a Master who openly wanted his Servant to come down and fight. A Master who didn't care about complicated wishes or demand obedience, morals, or some big show.

He only wanted a good battle.

Perfect!

A Master like that really understood them. Once they came down, they could fight as much as they wanted. No one wanted to give up their chance.

Unlike normal summonings, which made a Servant container from a copy of the Heroic Spirit's record, August's ritual connected straight to the Throne. The Heroic Spirits themselves could enter, making the competition even tougher.

At first, the female Heroic Spirits weren't very interested. August had the aura of several Greek Goddesses, so most thought someone from the Greek pantheon would suit him best. But when the records of Fate/Grand Order showed up, everything changed. Those stories proved August already had a connection with all of them.

And what was fate? It was when someone finally looked your way.

Artemis was the first to step up. She loved romantic stories more than anyone, especially ones about love, separation, and devotion. More importantly, she could feel the aura of another Artemis on August.

"LET GO OF ME." Before the Moon Goddess could reach the gate, a hand caught her from behind.

"And where do you think you're going?" Demeter gave Artemis a warm smile. That human had an aura linked to her too.

"I'm only going to take a look," Artemis replied.

—•——•——•——•——•——•—

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