Player's Journey In Anime World

"You'd better bring those two along with Semiramis," Scathach said calmly, clad in an elegant purple evening gown. Unexpectedly, she added, "I'll be coming too."

Ryou didn't bother questioning Scathach's recent preference for elaborate and impractical outfits ill-suited for close combat. Instead, his expression grew gravely serious. Knowing Scathach, Ryou was certain she never wasted words. If she said so, it must be necessary. Given her terrifying foresight ability, the reason was immediately clear to him.

"It seems those treasure chest monsters are stirring trouble again," Ryou muttered, his eyes flashing with killing intent. The world of DanMachi ran deep, teeming with gods who wielded high-level combat prowess. Ryou understood this well. Yet, he held no reverence for the gods confined to that world; the nature of their existence had already determined their limits. As a system wielder capable of traversing multiple worlds infinitely,Ryou knew he would surpass them all, leaving them far behind. Such was the confidence of a system traveler.

Without the system, he admitted, he would be nothing. But, as fate would have it, the system had chosen him. Ryou saw nothing wrong with relying on his golden finger. Life was inherently unfair. Wealth, status, and connections inherited from previous generations were others' golden fingers, and his happened to be the system.

Everyone had their cheat in life—there was no shame in it. So, even though many gods in the DanMachi world were stronger than him at the moment, he felt no awe.

"Just a flock of caged birds."

Now, before he could trouble these birds, they dared to strike first. Ryou opened his system panel. The first stage of his Path to Godhood was written in stark, bloody text.

[Offer the lives of deities as sacrifices to evolve your life essence. (0/10)]

[The stronger the deity, the greater the evolution of your life essence.]

The system laid it out in the simplest, most straightforward terms, tempting Ryou, and he pursued it eagerly.

A man who doesn't strive to become the strongest can't call himself a man! The gods of the DanMachi world would be his stepping stones on the path to ultimate strength.

"Treasure chest monsters, here I come!"

Ryou gathered his forces and teleported to the DanMachi world.

This time, he brought only the top-tier combatants under his command. Scathach was given—being vastly more powerful than any Scathach version he'd read about in Fate, almost unrealistically so. At times, Ryou felt that even the strongest Grand Servants would be no match for her. And he knew this all too well—through painful firsthand experience. Would he ever admit that he, already at the pinnacle of Heroic Spirit strength and nearly a demigod, had been utterly crushed by her? Would he tell anyone that even with his EX-level Magic Resistance, her mastery of Primordial Runes had left him doubting his very existence?

"Maybe my Magic Resistance is just a joke," he mused bitterly. In her hands, Primordial Runes became a divine artist's brush, wielded with boundless creativity that left Ryou utterly defeated. With Scathach as his ace, Ryou doubted the DanMachi gods could cause much trouble. Still, he wasn't one to underestimate his enemies. Taking no chances, he brought his strongest forces: Lantoria, Morgan, Semiramis, Jeanne Alter, Jeanne d'Arc, Anastasia, and Miyamoto Musashi Alter.

...

A blinding white light enveloped his vision as they teleported.

In the next instant, they appeared in a stone-built structure. Just before the glow of the teleportation faded— Boom! A loud crash shook the entire building, sending a cloud of dust cascading down. The room was instantly filled with choking gray haze. With a wave of his hand, Ryou summoned a gust of wind that swept the dust away. From outside, the sounds of intense battle reached their ears. Ryou's expression turned icy.

"Let's move."

He led his group to the outskirts of the Tower of Babel, where they found Ishtar-Rin confronting a group of imposing and spirited individuals. Jeanne Alter, ever hot-tempered, immediately wanted to incinerate them with flames but was stopped by Ryou. The leader of the opposing group, a man wearing an elephant mask, spoke, "Lady Ishtar, please step aside. The dungeon is everyone's shared property." This was none other than Ganesha, the representative deity of the Hindu pantheon.

Ishtar-Rin showed annoyance.

"You disgusting lot dare to speak of fairness? We've allowed your Familia access to the dungeon. Our rates for buying magic stones are better than the Guild's, and we even provide extra rescue services. And yet you all colluded to ambush us? Shameless doesn't even begin to describe you. If I were you, I'd jump off this tower in disgrace!" Ganesha's expression turned awkward, though the elephant mask conveniently hid it. To be fair, Ganesha felt their actions were indeed ungrateful. Unlike the exploitative Guild, Ryou's forces were much more reasonable. Sadly, the Hindu pantheon's decisions weren't up to him but Shiva. No matter how conscientious Ryou's faction was, goodwill held little value in this brutal world.

The Guild's dominance stemmed from the Olympian gods backing it, especially Ouranus. Ryou, as a mortal, had no right to challenge Ouranus or stand as his equal. In this world of survival of the fittest, weakness was the ultimate sin. A weakling had no right to control a treasure like the dungeon. Observing from the shadows, Ryou quickly pieced together the situation. It wasn't complicated. Using Semiramis's magic, Ryou had transferred the entire dungeon into his Sky Palace, monopolizing access. While he allowed some Familia to enter the dungeon, his near-monopoly naturally sparked resentment. Certain factions, particularly the Olympians, were outright excluded, fueling hostility. Some couldn't tolerate the idea of a mere mortal dictating terms.

Seizing a moment of vulnerability, a coalition of disgruntled deities launched an attack on the Sky Palace. They targeted the guardian Istharin stationed there while sending elite adventurers to assault the core of the Hanging Garden. As long as they seized control of the Hanging Garden's core, not only would they reclaim the dungeon—this world-class treasure—but they would also gain the Hanging Garden itself. It was a deal too good to pass up. How the spoils would later be divided was a matter for these lofty gods to decide, and it had nothing to do with Ryou, a mortal.

Understanding the situation, Ryou burst into laughter, anger surging through him.

"These caged birds of gods truly think I'm an easy target."

Not only did they aim to reclaim the dungeon, but they also dared to covet the Hanging Garden.

"Semiramis, come with me to the Hanging Garden's core. The rest of you, no mercy—kill them all!"

In an instant, killing intent filled the air. Istharin was under heavy siege but fortunately held her ground. These gods were united only by shared interests, and most weren't willing to go all out; they simply waited to reap the benefits.

Moreover, Istharin had killed this world's Ishtar, absorbing her divine essence, which greatly enhanced her power. Coupled with the Hanging Garden's formidable fortress capabilities, Istharin managed to endure the assault. As she sweated under pressure, a cryptic message reached her. The control had shifted hands, and she immediately sensed it—the true master of the Hanging Garden had returned. Moments later, a blinding crimson light flashed, piercing through seven or eight gods in an instant before returning precisely to its wielder. The gods struck by the light bore tiny wounds in their hearts. While gods no longer had mortal vulnerabilities, these seven or eight collapsed and died immediately.

"It's her!"

The gods were filled with terror. Among Ryou's forces, Scathach was one of the few who instilled dread in the gods. The scene of her single-handedly taking on the Olympian gods was a haunting nightmare etched into their memories. The gods had only dared to unite and attack the Hanging Garden after confirming Scathach's absence. But now, the demon herself had returned?!

Panic washed over the gods, yet their nightmare wasn't over. A massive golden pillar of light erupted into the heavens, incinerating gods it swept past into ash before they could even scream. The ground erupted with black ice spikes, skewering gods like barbecued meat. Flames laced with purple-black energy surged skyward, a storm of fire fueled by boundless rage and hatred, claiming more lives in an instant.

Some gods counterattacked, only to have their efforts blocked by a seemingly fragile yet impenetrable golden barrier. When female heroic spirits—each possessing beauty rivaling that of goddesses—stepped onto the battlefield, the gods felt like crying.

"How can mortals be this strong?!"

Those among the gods still single wore defeated expressions as though taking critical emotional damage.

"Where did a mortal find so many stunning and powerful women?!"

As much as they hated and envied Ryou, the gods could do nothing.

With Scathach, Artoria, the black and white Jeanne, and Morgan joining the fray, these once-invincible gods fell like wheat before a scythe. Watching these beautiful women slaughter gods as if butchering pigs left even the hidden adventurers dumbfounded. "These aren't just random enemies—they're fully unleashed gods!"

"And they're being massacred like this?! We must be seeing it wrong!"

With Ryou's faction dominating, the gods retreated swiftly. They knew that even if they won, most would only gain scraps, while the real benefits would go to the major players. Life in the mortal realm was still too exciting to risk dying for petty gains.

Meanwhile, Semiramis seized control of the Hanging Garden from Istharin and teleported herself and Ryou directly to its core. Strangely, everyone still within the Hanging Garden felt an intense sense of dread, as if the lifeless structure had suddenly come alive. The moment Ryou and Semiramis exited the teleportation portal, the sounds of battle reached their ears. Ahead, Atalanta stood alone, fending off waves of adventurers while Medea Lily cast healing spells from behind.

Atalanta, already bloodthirsty, donned her cursed boar hide and transformed into Alter form. She dashed through the adventurers like a black lightning bolt, leaving blood and carnage in her wake. However, the adventurers were too numerous, and Atalanta refrained from using large-scale anti-army Noble Phantasms to avoid damaging the core of the Hanging Garden. The adventurers were cunning, treating her like a boss in a game. Heavily armored warriors with tower shields held the front lines, closing off Atalanta's mobility, while archers and mages attacked from afar, and lightly armored fighters provided support. Despite her ferocity, Atalanta's space for movement dwindled. She excelled in speed and ranged tactics, but the adventurers forced her into close-quarters combat, stifling her abilities.

When Ryou and Semiramis arrived, Atalanta's territory had been compressed to a dangerously narrow area. She endured the barrage of spells with the boar hide's potent magic resistance properties, but it was clear her defeat was imminent. The moment Ryou landed, he exchanged a glance with Semiramis. Without hesitation, he charged into the crowd like a human tank.

Boom!

Boom!

Boom!

He smashed into the adventurers, sending armored warriors flying like pebbles. Two heavily armored warriors, each weighing over half a ton with gear, were directly crushed upon collision with Ryou. Their chest plates caved in, and blood mixed with organ fragments spewed from their helmets—they were beyond saving.

Incredulous, the adventurers gawked as Ryou's rampage began.