Danmachi: The Multiverse Portal

New week, let's push!!!

—•——•——•——•——•——•—

In a hidden room in Snowfield, Faldeus Dioland watched the two Prelatis sitting across from him.

Francesca Prelati and her newly summoned Servant—François Prelati—looked so much alike that only their clothes made it clear who was who.

"Miss Francesca, what is your assessment of the situation?" Faldeus kept his expression stern.

"..." Francesca slouched in her chair, looking like someone who had already given up on her own plans. Her subordinate had come all this way just to ask for her advice.

'How charming,' she thought.

Francesca had originally planned to control Snowfield's Holy Grail War from behind the scenes, pulling every faction's strings while enjoying the chaos. She had even summoned another version of herself as Caster, fully intending to turn the entire ritual into her personal playground.

And what did she get for all that planning?

Before she could make a move, the Snowfield Police Department became the center of a free-for-all between half a dozen factions. Then outsiders arrived with two living goddesses and an army that seemed to carry the planet's blessing.

It was as if the Counter Force had taken one look at them, decided this fight was unwinnable, and dumped the entire mess in Francesca's lap.

Now, everyone in Snowfield was expected to deal with these new threats.

"You want me to fight Gods from another world and an entire otherworldly army?" Francesca pointed at herself.

"ME?"

Defeating a Goddess was out of the question. The soldiers had seen through her illusions right away, and a single missile had wiped away any sense of fun she had. She had no plans to challenge them again, so she did the only sensible thing:

She gave up!

Now Faldeus wanted her opinion. What did he expect her to say?

"The entire country has fallen... Their supply network lets them move troops and equipment wherever they please, whenever they please." Francesca said.

She leaned forward, propping her chin on one hand as a mocking smile touched her lips. "And you're asking me for a solution? Faldeus, unless I'm mistaken—your superiors ordered you to infiltrate them. So tell me, how exactly are you planning to get inside?"

She couldn't push around the monsters who had invaded Snowfield, but Faldeus was still an easy target. She knew his background, who gave him his orders, and what his superiors wanted from him.

"Every soldier in that army is built like a first-rate holy knight," Francesca continued, pointing at him.

"The fact that they haven't attacked the local population is already surprisingly courteous. If they discover what you're doing, care to guess how you'll die?"

She laughed at the younger magus. Faldeus was burdened with too many orders, and she knew them all. If his identity was ever revealed, none of those orders would protect him.

"Don't forget the most important part—they've allowed Magecraft to be used openly." Her smile faded. "They're making the rules now. Not you. Not your superiors."

That was the real issue.

The outsiders had removed the limits on supernatural activity in Snowfield. Magi could now practice openly if they registered and accepted military surveillance, and Servants no longer had to hide their battles from the public.

The Holy Grail War had become a public show—run by someone else's rules.

Faldeus kept his cold expression for a few more seconds before the tension slowly faded from his face.

Francesca was right.

The West had collapsed far faster than he expected. A single squad from that army had nearly wiped out an entire military base. Once all ten thousand soldiers arrived, every major installation in the region fell in quick succession.

Worse, they had seized the western states' nuclear arsenal while keeping weapons of their own ready to launch at a moment's notice.

If Commander James and his allies branded someone an enemy, people in every major city would either hand them over or drag them into the street themselves.

No one wanted to die protecting a stranger.

Did anyone honestly expect the public to volunteer for martyrdom? Most people were already looking for a way out. Entire military units had surrendered together rather than face an army that controlled their own weapons.

—•——•——•——•——•——•—

Faldeus no longer had any real way to fight back.

"If there's something you still want to try, go ahead," Francesca said.

"With that pathetic sense of duty, you'll probably sacrifice yourself for your country anyway."

She knew he would eventually try to fight the outsiders, and when that happened, watching her loyal subordinate struggle might be one of the few amusements she had left.

"Whatever." Faldeus looked at the ancient monster who wore the face of a young woman.

Francesca had figured out his plans before he could even act on them. To him, August and his people were still invaders, but against such power, every plan he made seemed ready to fall apart as soon as anyone noticed it.

—•——•——•——•——•——•—

Elsewhere in Snowfield, Tiné Chelc sat inside one of her family's high-rises.

Her family had lived on this land long before the city was built. An old promise tied them to the place, so they could not ignore what Commander James and his army had done. Still, they knew they could not stop him.

"My King, we..."

The members of the Chelc family turned toward the only person among them capable of facing a top Servant head-on.

Gilgamesh.

The outsiders had approached them with an offer of cooperation. As one of Snowfield's founding families, the Chelcs knew the city better than most, and its new rulers wanted their help governing it.

"Hmph. Outsiders from another world."

Gilgamesh had never lacked pride, but even he understood the difference between arrogance and stupidity. These enemies commanded an entire army, had two living Goddesses among them, and were backed by an advanced civilization. They even possessed the means to cross between worlds.

He could despise them. He could judge them from above. But he could not afford to underestimate them.

The outsiders understood both human civilization and warfare, and they were nothing like the frail modern humans Gilgamesh had expected.

In the Age of Gods, warriors of their caliber would have stood among the elite. In this army, they were merely rank and file.

Who would willingly provoke a force like that?

Gilgamesh knew that even with all his power, fighting an entire army alone would only get his people killed with him. That was not what he wanted.

"How troublesome." Gilgamesh rested one hand against his chin. "If this concerned only me, I would resist without a moment's hesitation."

His gaze swept across the Chelc family. "But doing so now would condemn every one of my subjects to annihilation."

He made his decision.

"Accept their terms. This land belongs to your people, and your family's covenant binds you to it. Cooperating with them will allow you to retain your place here."

For a moment, Gilgamesh wished he could bring down either his older or younger self from the Throne and let them handle this tiresome problem instead.

As if answering that thought—the clairvoyance he usually kept sealed opened slightly. A child's voice reached him from the Throne of Heroes.

"Oh? I didn't expect so many of them to come down there."

When Sha Naqba Imuru opened, Gilgamesh could see much more than what was right in front of him. It was also the only way his past and future selves could talk to each other. His older self did not want to speak to the person he used to be, while his younger self was a little more willing, but not by much. The younger Gilgamesh gave just enough information to explain the situation, then disappeared.

"My King," Tiné asked, "your judgment remains that we should accept their request for cooperation?"

Now, the whole Chelc family followed Gilgamesh. Tiné would not decide anything without hearing his final answer.

"And what alternative do you propose?" Gilgamesh scoffed. "Those outsiders do not merely have Gods among them. Several Heroic Spirits have already left the Throne to join their ranks."

"Several?"

Tiné stared at him. Heroic Spirits had descended from the Throne itself to join the outsiders?

Just how many monsters had gathered on their side?

For the first time, even her King's usual confidence seemed to fade a little.

"Whether you measure the forces they have here or the full strength behind them, the answer is the same," Gilgamesh continued. "They already have this world's governments and armies at their back. Unless they choose to kneel and bare their necks, defeating them is out of the question."

He folded his arms, crimson eyes narrowing. "Do you take this king for a fool who would throw away the lives of his own subjects? The only sensible move is to stand with them."

Tiné could not find any words.

Gilgamesh noticed the doubt in her eyes and straightened in his seat. "Keep your eyes on your king. That is all you need to do."

Then he started to laugh.

"HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!"

His people did not need to worry about every danger around them. They just had to trust his judgment, and Gilgamesh would guide them through whatever happened next.

Gilgamesh already had plans of his own. But the King of Heroes was far too conspicuous for the other factions in Snowfield to ignore.

Not long after midnight, one of them finally came for him.

An arrow shot through the darkness, heading straight for the Chelc building.

Gilgamesh had seen the attack coming. What surprised him was that those fools chose to strike at this moment.

"Have these mongrels lost what little sense they had?" Gilgamesh snarled as he rose to his feet. The world had been turned upside down, yet some Servant had still chosen this moment to challenge him.

—•——•——•——•——•——•—

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