Danmachi: The Multiverse Portal

Let's keep pushing.

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Commander James sat at the front of the hall, his face swollen beyond recognition after the beating.

The factory's meeting rooms were too small for the crowd, so the briefing moved to the main factory floor.

Thanks to Ereshkigal, the whole facility was lowered 30 meters underground and expanded into a fortified base capable of holding over 10,000 soldiers.

Almost the entire expeditionary force was gathered under the factory, joined by the Artemis Familia and the six Heroic Spirits. An intelligence officer stood on stage, sharing the latest reports as another team recorded all questions, answers, and decisions.

The briefing included more than just the known Masters and Servants. The military had also finished its first assessment of Magecraft.

"For the soldiers currently deployed in this world, most modern Magecraft has proven ineffective. Even suggestion spells and other forms of mental interference fail to take hold."

This discovery had already changed the military's view of the magi in this era. Techniques that worked on regular people were almost useless against soldiers whose bodies had been strengthened by traveling between worlds.

The officer changed the image on the main screen.

"Regarding the woman calling herself Ayaka Sajyou—we have confirmed that she is not the original Ayaka Sajyou."

The military already knew the basic plot, so they looked into not just the participants but also their identities, families, and past records. The inconsistencies around Ayaka were too big to overlook.

The next image showed a white-haired woman.

"We have also confirmed that the Goddess Ishtar has possessed Philia, an Einzbern homunculus."

Unlike the magi outside, who kept their secrets hidden, the soldiers had no problem with surveillance. They followed Philia, took photos from different angles, and kept a detailed record of her movements.

"Oh? She's already here?" Space Ishtar hid the whole underground base with her divine concealment, making sure Philia and anyone else couldn't sense her.

Even so, she hadn't expected this world's Ishtar to show up so soon.

"If she's here, then Gugalanna—the Bull of Heaven—can't be far," Space Ishtar said as she looked at Philia's photo. "And if I remember right, Huwawa might already be involved too."

The intelligence officer immediately recorded both names.

"Lady Ishtar, do you have any recommendations regarding this target?"

Space Ishtar leaned back in her chair. "I'm not interested in fighting her. What I want to know is what all of you intend to do next."

Her gaze swept across the thousands of soldiers in the hall.

"Once people know you're here, this won't be a local conflict anymore. It'll turn into a war between two worlds—"

Even with stronger bodies and better weapons, the expeditionary force was deep in enemy territory. If the whole world turned against them, winning a few battles wouldn't fix the bigger problem.

"If a full-scale battle starts, Snowfield will be destroyed," Space Ishtar continued. "And if you're choosing opponents, you'll obviously go after the strongest forces available."

She tapped one finger against the table.

"So what happens if you win? Do you abandon the city afterward?"

To her, that sounded wasteful. Snowfield was already a secure foothold, and winning would let them make it a permanent base. Why take over the area just to leave it behind?

August answered before Commander James could.

"We came here to fight and train the soldiers. Whether this base survives afterward doesn't matter."

He didn't care about conquering another world. Politics, running a government, and ruling long-term all sounded tiring.

A good fight was much simpler.

"Exactly!" one of the soldiers shouted from the crowd. "FIGHTING IS AWESOME!"

Cheers erupted throughout the hall.

Last time, they fought monsters. Now, they had a chance to face Servants, magi, Dead Apostles, and maybe even the defenders of this world.

Just the thought of it made the soldiers eager for action.

Space Ishtar stared at them.

"Alright... You people are unbelievable."

Was that really all they wanted?

No conquest, no grand plan, no new empire... They had come to another universe simply because the idea of fighting there was exciting!

The intelligence officer wiped sweat from his forehead and spoke louder to be heard over the crowd.

"Settle down. We're moving to the second report."

The hall slowly grew quiet as a photo of Jester Karture appeared on the screen.

"This concerns the Dead Apostles. We have confirmed that Jester Karture remains connected to the No Name Assassin—the Zealot."

Rethusa raised her hand.

"What exactly is a Dead Apostle?"

The Artemis Familia didn't recognize the term.

"A Dead Apostle is a human who has abandoned humanity and become a vampiric life-form," the officer explained. "They sustain themselves by consuming human blood and treating humans as livestock."

"In this world, they're commonly described as vampires or undead, though Dead Apostle is the accepted term used by the supernatural community."

He changed the slide.

"There are also beings known as True Ancestors. They are another vampiric species, but they are not the same as Dead Apostles."

That difference was important. They shared some traits, but their origins and roles in the world were completely different.

"Dead Apostles are particularly vulnerable to holy weapons and attacks carrying a strong sacred attribute. Against the right opponent, that weakness can be fatal."

The next series of photographs showed Jester hunting humans, tearing out their hearts, and implanting the organs into his own body.

The military had already taken out four of his lives during the sniper mission. Since then, Jester had been desperately trying to get them back.

Instead of attacking magi in Snowfield, he started going after families living outside the city, killing them before anyone from the supernatural world could step in.

"..." Artemis's expression darkened as she studied the images.

Seeing an undead creature kill innocent people to replace its own hearts went against everything she stood for as a hunting Goddess. Her displeasure was so obvious that the soldiers near her sat up straighter without thinking.

"An immortal that feeds on humans..." Rethusa muttered.

The rest of the Artemis Familia looked just as disgusted. To them, a creature like that had no respect for life at all.

If they ran into Jester, they wouldn't need to discuss what to do. They'd kill him without hesitation.

"One more thing," the officer continued.

"The Zealot approached the base around noon and attempted to conduct reconnaissance. She was driven away before reaching the inner perimeter."

Several other groups had tried to get into the factory since last night, but none had made it past the barriers set up by the Goddesses.

Even an Assassin-class Servant couldn't get in and had to stay outside.

"Lady Ereshkigal's bounded defenses cover the underground facility, while Lady Space Ishtar is suppressing our signatures. Unless the enemy possesses an ability capable of bypassing Divine Authority, entering this base without permission should be impossible."

The officer closed the final report.

"That concludes the current intelligence briefing."

Nothing was kept secret.

The Artemis Familia, the Heroic Spirits, August, and the military all received the same information. Every known Master, Servant, magus, Dead Apostle, and outside faction had been placed on the table for everyone to examine.

Now came the crucial part.

Choosing who to fight.

They listed the fixed targets first, then the Servants whose locations and abilities were already known. Artemis and her children discussed which enemies best matched their fighting style, while the soldiers reviewed which weapons they'd need and the possible battlefield conditions.

The Heroic Spirits made their own selections.

August stood in the center of the hall, listening as plans started to take shape around him.

The intelligence was out in the open.

The targets were chosen.

All that was left was to decide who would fight whom.

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