Danmachi: The Multiverse Portal

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Two sedans stopped near the Snowfield Police Department.

Artemis and her children stepped out, gathered at the nearest intersection—and looked toward the brightly lit building.

"We're here."

"Something feels weird in there."

Artemis was keenly attuned to divine and magical energy. She could sense the Magecraft in the station even from across the street. Most magi hid their workshops, but the police kept their spells out in the open.

That was exactly why she had come.

According to the military's intelligence, Snowfield's police department possessed a twenty-eight-member combat unit armed with Noble Phantasms.

Clan Calatin.

Artemis didn't care about fighting ordinary humans, but facing opponents with weapons as strong as Heroic Spirits was different. As soon as she heard about them, she wanted to see how the Artemis Familia measured up against these fighters.

Also, Hestia had spent the morning filming August's fight and catching every impressive moment. Artemis wanted her own children to look just as good on camera.

"Come on, let's move."

Rethusa motioned for the rest of the Familia to move up. The girls drew their weapons and walked straight toward the police station, making no effort to hide.

The officers at the entrance saw them right away. Over a dozen armed women crossed the street in formation, carrying bows, swords, staffs, and other weapons that stood out in modern Snowfield.

"DROP YOUR WEAPONS!"

The officers hurried down the steps and raised their guns. They had just finished dealing with the man and woman arrested after the opera house explosion, and now another armed group had shown up outside their station in the middle of the night.

Snowfield's police had suffered enough surprises for one evening.

Rethusa stepped forward before the situation could worsen.

"I'm Rethusa, Captain of the Artemis Familia."

She paid no attention to the guns pointed at them. To seasoned Adventurers, the officers seemed like regular civilians. Unless someone showed a hidden power, the Artemis Familia had nothing to worry about.

"We heard that this station is home to twenty-eight warriors who wield Noble Phantasms." Rethusa pressed one fist into her other palm—giving the formal challenge salute she had learned from August.

"We have come to request a match!"

The officers around them froze.

The woman spoke in a language they didn't know, but somehow they understood her perfectly. The odd feeling left several officers looking at each other, unsure what to do.

Their guns remained raised.

Inside the station, Orlando Reeve heard Rethusa's voice pass directly through the building's bounded field.

He closed his eyes and sighed.

"I thought the folks in that factory were just trouble."

His secretary—Vera Levitt—stood beside him, struggling to keep the corners of her mouth from rising.

"This is more than just trouble now."

She already knew what was happening. The whole Artemis Familia had come right to their door and openly challenged Clan Calatin. This was supposed to be a secret, since the station's twenty-eight enhanced officers were one of Snowfield's best-kept secrets.

Still, Vera couldn't help feeling excited. A real fight between Clan Calatin and the famous Artemis Familia was exactly the kind of battle she wanted to watch.

"Vera," Orlando said dryly, "aren't you supposed to dislike people showing up at our station armed?"

"Normally, yes." Her smile finally slipped through. "But this isn't exactly a normal night."

Orlando knew what his officers were thinking. Dumas had given them weapons that could copy the legends of Noble Phantasms, but they had never faced opponents like these women before. They wanted to see how strong they really were now.

Orlando wanted the answer too.

A man dressed as a priest remained nearby, watching the exchange with a steadily worsening expression.

Hansa Cervantes had come to Snowfield as an Overseer. He was supposed to keep things secret and stop the Holy Grail War from becoming public. But no one outside seemed to care about the rules of the supernatural world. They had just walked up to a police station and asked for a duel in the street.

"Father Hansa, what do you think?" Orlando glanced toward him.

Hansa's mouth twitched. His stomach was beginning to ache.

Wasn't Mystery supposed to stay hidden? Why did everyone involved in this Holy Grail War act as though they had escaped from an asylum?

"Do whatever you want. This has nothing to do with me." Hansa replied.

The challengers had come openly and given them a choice to accept or refuse. He had no intention of going outside, upsetting Artemis, and risking a divine arrow just to protect a secret everyone else had already given up on.

Hansa's job was hunting Dead Apostles.

Fighting a real Goddess was not part of his job.

"Fine."

Orlando looked at Vera. She understood at once.

Clan Calatin began assembling.

—•——•——•——•——•——•—

Orlando walked out of the station a few minutes later.

For the first time, he got a good look at the Artemis Familia. They were adult women, not children, though most looked young. The red-haired woman in front was clearly the oldest and most experienced, and one of the girls behind her had the pointed ears of an Elf.

'An Elf?'

Orlando studied them briefly, then stopped at the bottom of the stairs.

"The Artemis Familia."

Rethusa met his gaze without flinching.

Orlando looked over at Vera. She lifted her arm, and Magecraft sent her voice across the street.

"All personnel, lower your firearms. No one is to fire without direct authorization."

Several officers looked at her in disbelief.

"By order of Chief Orlando Reeve, you will not interfere. Stand aside and maintain the perimeter."

The regular police hesitated, but with Orlando there, they couldn't argue.

"Yes, ma'am." One by one, they lowered their guns and moved away from the center of the street.

Rethusa nodded in approval. Their opponents understood why they were there and cleared the battlefield instead of hiding behind regular officers. That was enough to earn her respect.

"Ayis."

At Rethusa's call, a Level 2 huntress stepped out from the formation.

Ayis drew her bow. The arrow on the string glowed with magic, and before the nearby officers could react, she fired it straight at Orlando.

The shot tore across the street.

A tall police sergeant moved first. He stepped in front of Orlando and lifted a huge shield. As soon as the arrow hit, bright light spread across the shield, showing the power of the Noble Phantasm inside it.

BOOOOOOOOOOOOM!

The impact rattled the station windows.

The ordinary police stared at the shield.

"What the hell...?"

"Since when could the Sergeant do that?"

"What is that thing?"

They had worked with the quiet, broad-shouldered officer for years, but none of them knew he had a shield that could make a wall of supernatural light. Everyone else just used guns.

When did their coworker turn into a fantasy knight?

"Not bad." Ayis lowered her bow, her eyes beaming.

She could still sense the force that had stopped her arrow before it reached Orlando.

"A Noble Phantasm."

The stage was set. Ayis could attack with full force now, and the other side had already shown they could defend themselves.

Orlando watched the Artemis Familia's excitement grow.

"These girls really came here just to fight."

There was no hatred in their eyes—and they made no move to hurt the officers who had stepped aside. They had heard about Clan Calatin and came straight here to test themselves against worthy opponents.

Orlando found it hard to dislike that kind of honesty. In fact, he wanted to see how his own people measured up.

He activated the Noble Phantasm Alexandre Dumas had prepared for him.

Spiritual particles gathered in the air. Several monstrous silhouettes coalesced around Orlando, taking shape as phantasmal constructs. At his command, the creatures charged toward the Artemis Familia from multiple directions.

Rethusa didn't move.

Her mages had already finished chanting. A girl at the rear raised her staff, and a violent gust of wind ripped through the street. The spell struck the incoming constructs head-on, tearing them apart before they reached the front line.

Fragments of light scattered across the asphalt.

"They brought mages too..." Orlando's eyes widened.

The Artemis Familia was more than just archers and huntresses. Their group had a real magical rear guard, and the speed of their chant showed how well they had prepared for this fight.

He glanced toward Clan Calatin.

That was enough of a signal.

A pink-haired woman with twin tails stepped forward. The ranged Noble Phantasm in her hands unfolded, locking onto the Artemis Familia's formation.

She immediately opened fire.

With that single shot, the tense situation erupted into battle.

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