Danmachi: The Multiverse Portal

New week, guys. We've gone down the rankings way too much, let's push!!!

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The Masters backing Hippolyta watched each other with caution. Olga Marie's blunt words made it clear: as magi in Snowfield's ritual, they would have to fight and kill each other sooner or later.

By now, the gathering felt less like a secret Holy Grail War and more like a tournament. Ambushes and assassinations could wait. It had turned into an open fight between rival groups.

"Hahahahaha! Then this king shall enjoy the performance." Gilgamesh called Tiné Chelc over.

She gathered her mana and quickly followed him, boarding Vimana just before the golden ship rose into the air and took them back to the Chelc family's base.

Hippolyta watched the King of Heroes depart, then turned to Flat Escardos.

"Come with me."

She climbed onto Kalion, grabbed Flat before he could react, and said, "My Masters want to meet you."

Flat gave an awkward smile as she pulled him along.

Now, only one of Snowfield's original Servants remained in the canyon: the Zealot.

"I want to know where that Dead Apostle is." She looked at the five women standing with August.

She still wanted to find her former Master—or rather, the target she had promised to kill.

"We're sending him back to my world for research," August answered bluntly.

"I see." It looked like she would not get her revenge after all.

"Don't leave just yet." Hestia walked over with a bright smile and looked the young woman up and down.

Faith ran through the Zealot without a trace of doubt. She would attack anyone who rejected it without a moment's hesitation. By any ordinary standard, she was a dangerous fanatic, but that didn't stop Hestia from stepping into her path.

"It looks like you're about to lose your Master," the Goddess said. "How would you feel about changing contracts?"

"What are you planning, Goddess from another world?" The Zealot sensed that Hestia was up to something. She started to leave, but the Goddess's next words made her pause.

"I felt it, you know. There's another Servant nearby who shares your faith. Or maybe I should say someone connected to you." Hestia tapped her chin, pretending to remember the name. "What did you call them again…?"

Then her eyes lit up.

"Hassan!"

The Zealot stopped in her tracks. A moment later, she turned and stared at Hestia.

"Don't you want to challenge him?" Hestia's smile grew. "My August isn't a magus, and he doesn't care about the Grail. He just wants fair fights in the open."

She held out a hand. "If I make him your new Master—you'll have the chance to challenge that Hassan. Isn't that what you want?"

The others watched from a safe distance as Hestia brought another female Servant into August's camp.

No one tried to stop her. After all, the Holy Grail War had turned into a tournament. Allies could become opponents at any moment. Rethusa and the other huntresses were already looking forward to facing the Zealot again.

The Zealot's wish was simple. She wanted to find a Hassan, defeat him, and prove she deserved the title she had once been denied.

"Very well." She clenched her fists.

The Zealot had never thought she would meet a true Hassan in this Holy Grail War. As someone who shared his faith, she had to challenge him. Only then could she prove herself worthy of the name Hassan-i-Sabbah and the title Old Man of the Mountain.

August held out his hands and made a new contract with her.

With Hestia's help, switching the Zealot's contract was easy.

As soon as the foreign energy entered her, the Zealot's eyes widened.

"Such pure mana…"

August's mana felt nothing like a normal magus's. It was clean, tightly controlled, and so vast that calling it a reserve barely seemed accurate. It felt more like someone had crammed an enormous source of power into a human body.

The contract also showed her something odd. Other than her new bond, August had no Servant contracts. The five women with him had left no marks. Instead, his whole body was filled with Hestia's presence.

The Zealot glanced sharply at Olga Marie and the other four women.

"Don't stare," Liliruca Arde said as she walked over.

"You'll find out about those five later."

Now that the Zealot was linked to August, she could sense what those women really were. They were not copies of Heroic Spirits summoned as Servants. They were the originals, pretending to be Servants.

Lili gave her a pointed look, warning her to keep quiet. The five women had their own reasons for hiding who they were, and telling the truth now would not help anyone.

"Fine. I understand." The Zealot sighed. She never thought she would find out that several Heroic Spirits had come down from the Throne in their real bodies. But what could she do with that knowledge?

They were the originals, and she was just a summoned copy. Each one was much stronger than her. For now, she would keep the secret to herself.

"Let's go," August said. "This battle is over."

Now that the Zealot was under contract, he had finally joined the Holy Grail War as a true Master. He gathered everyone and led them back to their base to rest and regroup.

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Artemis gathered the members of her Familia and followed the group back toward their base, while August asked Hestia to bring the others along.

But this time, the five women with him were thinking about something different.

"It's Mother's turn now!!" Tiamat pouted and glared at Olga Marie.

Not long ago, Olga Marie had gone with August, pretending to be the Servant meant to stay by his side. Now that the Zealot had joined them and the five women were openly calling themselves August's Servants, each one needed to play her part.

And a Servant should take good care of her Master.

So, walking August back to the base became the perfect chance to win his affection.

August had barely started walking when Tiamat wrapped both arms around him and pulled him against her chest. She held on with no intention of letting anyone take him away.

"W-W-W-What are you doing??" Hestia shouted.

Olga Marie was a different story. Hestia could let that slide since, in her own way, she already had a bond with August.

But what was Tiamat up to? She had started calling herself Mother, and now she was hugging August as much as she wanted, pressing him to her chest and showering him with affection.

THAT WAS HESTIA'S PLACE!

"Hmph. This is Mother's business. You're not allowed to interfere," Tiamat replied.

"All of you had your turns. I'm the only one who didn't." Her cheeks puffed up. "Mother needs a turn too."

Tears filled Tiamat's eyes and ran down her cheeks. In just a few seconds, she made herself look like she was being terribly bullied.

"..." Marie Alter watched the performance, then glanced at Jeanne Alter, who stood nearby with her arms folded.

"Aren't you going to fight for him?"

Both of them had just as much right to compete as Tiamat. Marie thought Jeanne should have jumped in instead of just watching from the sidelines.

"When it comes to love, that man may look like a flirt, but plenty of women are going to fall for him," Jeanne Alter said. "If I want to be the one who stands above the rest in his heart, I need to act like the proper wife."

She glanced at August and Tiamat.

"I'm not going to fight over every chance to cling to him. Refusing to compete for his attention is how I'll win the real contest. Besides, our relationship hasn't even reached the point where we can care for each other that way."

Jeanne spoke honestly. She didn't like to lie and didn't see any reason to hide her plan. Competing for a little of August's attention seemed childish, and any win would disappear just as fast.

"Besides, I can't act spoiled like Tiamat does," she said. "She's just too good at it, and she doesn't even have to try."

Jeanne gave the smiling Tiamat a wary look.

"I'm supposed to be a tsundere. How am I supposed to act sweet and innocent? She's basically made to be my opposite."

"Ohhh."

The girls nearby stared at Jeanne Alter, then started clapping. Even Artemis looked at her with new respect after hearing what she said.

It made sense... Someone as proud as Jeanne could never act like Tiamat in front of everyone. She might show a softer side in private, but holding on to August in public was too much for her.

Not everyone could match Hestia when it came to being shameless.

"Then what about you?" Jeanne Alter asked, turning the question back to Marie. She already suspected that the former Queen of France had her own plans.

Space Ishtar was the only one who didn't seem interested in August romantically. That made Jeanne even more curious about what Marie wanted.

This wasn't the Marie Antoinette from history. She was Marie Alter, created from August's memories—a version of the queen shaped by what he thought was hidden in her heart.

So what did that version of the queen want from him?

"Have his children..." Marie Alter answered, touching her chin as a sweet smile spread across her face.

"Two of them!!"

Every other woman present stared at her in shock.

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I'm lowering the goal for the bulk upload quite a bit this week!

Bulk upload of 5 chapters if we hit 600 Power Stones this week!!

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~ Every 200 Power Stones = Bonus chapter!

~ 30 Advanced Chapters Available on Patreon

https://p-atreon.com/dragonnx

(Just remove the hyphen to access Patreon normally.)