Danmachi: The Multiverse Portal

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"Seal."

Hestia's divine power surged through the room as she placed a powerful seal on August.

He felt something weightless gathering around his body. The Esplender flew out on its own and began drawing in the light surrounding him, and once every strand had gathered inside it, the toy-like transformation device dropped into August's hand.

"What is this?"

He was surprised that Hestia gathered the light and sealed it inside the Esplender.

"Phew... Much better."

The Gods could finally look at August without seeing a human-shaped mass of light. His radiance was different from divine light—it carried a faint sense of hope, as if some of the planet's laws had taken visible form.

With the light contained, Hestia sealed her divine power again and returned to her mortal state. She bent closer and examined the Esplender in August's hand.

"I never knew my August was this incredible!!"

She could hardly hide her excitement. The Esplender looked like a simple toy—yet August had powered it up and filled it with light in its purest form. If he could produce something like this, his potential was beyond question.

"Let me examine you." Miach stood and walked over to August.

He checked August from all sides, pressing on his arms, shoulders, and ribs to feel his bones and muscles. Even without using divine power, Miach could spot changes in a mortal's body.

"You've grown stronger. Your body hasn't changed much on the surface, but its durability has gone far beyond normal limits."

Miach could tell something had changed just by checking him. August's body was clearly stronger than before, and it didn't match any power-up system Miach knew.

"Where did this power come from?" Hephaestus asked.

"That light looks almost like a blessing granted by another God—"

"Well..." August scratched his head, looking somewhat embarrassed.

"When I was in the third world, I learned that the planet there had entities that acted as its guardians. So I tried using [Divine Possession] to invoke my planet and let Earth's power inhabit my body."

That's why August picked Gaia. Out of all the ways planetary light showed up in stories, Gaia looked the coolest—and August needed a form for the power to take. Using [Divine Possession] to call on his planet meant carrying a whole world inside himself.

Even by the standards of his ability, the result was unusual.

"Gaia is only the form I gave that power," August explained with a wave of his hand. "It represents one possible manifestation. It isn't the planet itself."

"..." The Gods stared at him in shock. August had managed planetary possession with a wild idea. None of them thought he would use his skill like that, let alone make it work.

Was it even possible for a human to come up with something like this?

One after another, the Gods gave him a thumbs-up.

"Invoking an entire planet through your own body..."

"Genius."

Hestia grabbed August by the ear. "AUGUST, I TOLD YOU NOT TO DO ANYTHING THIS FAR OUTSIDE THE RULES."

Her face looked calm, but her smile did not. She was angry that August had tried something so risky without telling anyone. Inviting a whole planet into himself was not something to take lightly.

"If you want something to possess you, choose one of us!" Hestia snapped. "At least invoke someone you know!"

She jumped up, climbed onto him, and started tugging at his clothes as if she meant to strip him right there. When that didn't help, she grabbed his cheeks and pulled them in opposite directions.

Artemis watched their struggle in silence.

She understood August's reasons better than most. Since their first trip to the Type-Moon world, he had been quietly restless. He didn't talk about it much, but whenever there was danger, he always stepped forward to protect everyone. August wanted to be strong enough to face those threats himself.

Artemis didn't feel right scolding him. Their relationship wasn't close enough for her to step in like that. If August were her own child, she would have pulled him aside and given him a lesson he'd remember.

Hestia was too busy roughing up August to notice that her best friend was already starting to think of him as family.

At last, Hestia released him and folded her arms.

"Fine. I'll let it go this time. But you're never doing this again." She glared at him.

"If you do, I'll bite you to death!!"

Then her face grew more serious.

"Life in Orario might get harder for you now," Hestia said, brushing her hair back. "You came back glowing like that. The Gods here weren't the only ones who saw it. There's probably a certain Goddess who's about to stick to you and never let go."

August got the message.

There was one Goddess in Orario who could see more than anyone else. The planetary light hadn't just covered his body—it had come from his soul and spread everywhere. Hestia had sealed it now, but Freya had likely seen plenty.

"Ah..."

August knew right away who Hestia meant—and Artemis had seen enough of this world's future to figure it out too.

"With her eyes, there's no way she missed this, If you go outside now, she might just swallow you whole." Artemis said with a small smile.

She could already picture Freya refusing to leave August alone. Temptation, tricks, and every odd plan the Goddess of Beauty could think up would soon be aimed at him.

Lili also realized what August's transformation meant. The change might have caught all of Freya's attention.

"Don't worry. I'll protect Lord August's chastity!" Lili said, thumping her chest. "I won't let any wicked woman get close while we're not looking!"

She made her point perfectly clear.

"Who is it?" Rethusa asked.

She and the other huntresses could tell their Goddess knew who it was, but none of them understood who everyone was talking about.

"Freya," Hephaestus, Miach, and Demeter answered together.

"What??"

Tsubaki Collbrande stared at her Goddess. "Lady Hephaestus, that isn't funny."

How did the Goddess of Beauty get involved?

"Hestia and Artemis are both sure that August was seen," Hephaestus said, folding her arms. "Freya might have already figured out what happened here in her own way. If she saw August like that, she'll come after him."

Everyone in Orario knew how Freya behaved when she found an exceptional child. She would use whatever means were necessary to claim them, and this was far from the first time she had stolen an Adventurer from another Familia. Those who eventually entered the Freya Familia became her willing captives, and none of them regretted surrendering to her.

If Freya saw August's soul shining over Orario, she wouldn't ignore him. Now everyone understood—someone as exceptional as August was bound to attract her.

"Tch," Hestia's face twisted in frustration. "Why does my child always end up so popular?"

Artemis reached over and pulled Hestia's cheeks. Complaining about everyone wanting her August was still just bragging, and Artemis wasn't going to listen to it.

Hestia soon got a few punches from her closest divine friend.

No one said out loud that they should keep it secret. They didn't have to. Everyone there had seen August's change, and none of them was foolish enough to tell the rest of Orario what happened in Hearth Mansion.

They finished their tea and left one by one.

Only the Artemis Familia stayed behind. They were ready. Next, they would head to Snowfield in the Type-Moon world and face its challenges again.

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