I'm in a crossover anime world, and I've been transported to Hogwarts twice.

His wrinkled hands gripped the armrests of the chair tightly, his knuckles turning white from the force.

He looked down at the terrified and desperate faces below, his heart filled with bitterness and regret.

He had initially supported the decision to send Liliana to Vauban, thinking it was a brilliant move, but now it had become a fatal blunder.

"Why panic!"

The chief elder's voice was hoarse, but he tried his best to remain calm.

"Things haven't reached a dead end yet. We did offer tribute to Marquis Woban after all. Even if the Marquis disdains to personally protect us, as long as he acknowledges that he accepted this gift and recognizes Liliana Kranichal as one of his people, then if King Yusheng wants to exterminate us, he is, to some extent, challenging the Marquis's authority and face. The delicate balance between the two demon kings may be our only chance of survival!"

He took a deep breath, a desperate glint flashing in his cloudy eyes: "Immediately activate the most urgent communication device at all costs, contact Marquis Woban directly, adopt a humble attitude and use extremely modest language, inform the Marquis of the desperate situation we are facing, and emphasize that King Yusheng's anger is caused by Miss Liliana!"

"I beg, no, I implore the Marquis to grant us even the slightest hint of protection from the Bronze Black Cross, for the sake of our tribute, or at least to show some restraint on King Yusheng, considering that Liliana is now under his command!"

Once the order was given, the entire Bronze Black Cross headquarters sprang into action like an anthill thrown into boiling water, but this busyness was filled with desperate chaos.

The most precious magical gems were taken out to stabilize the communication channel; ancient runes were lit up one by one, emitting an ominous light; dozens of high-ranking magicians sat around a complex magic circle, drawing on their own magic power, trying to send the signal through layers of spatial barriers to the terrifying castle where the ancient demon king resided.

The chief elder personally oversaw the core of the communication cipher.

Sweat soaked his magnificent robes as he stared intently at the constantly twisting and shifting light and shadow in the center of the magic circle, trying to stabilize itself. His heart felt as if it were being gripped by an icy hand.

Every flicker of light and shadow captivated the attention of everyone present.

"Have you made contact? What is the Marquis's response?"

With a hoarse voice, he repeatedly asked the monk presiding over the ceremony.

The mage was pale, with veins bulging on his forehead, struggling to maintain the fragile connection: "The passage to the Marquis has been barely established, but the Marquis's response is extremely weak, filled with an indescribable sense of oppression and indifference."

"Let's try harder to convey our plea, using the most humble words!"

The chief elder growled, his voice carrying a plea he himself was unaware of.

Time ticked by, each second feeling like an eternity. The light from the magic circle flickered, and the presiding mage's face grew increasingly grim. Finally, he coughed up a mouthful of blood and collapsed to the ground.

The light and shadow in the center of the magic circle flickered violently a few times, emitting a faint, sigh-like noise, before extinguishing completely, as if it had never existed.

A deathly silence descended upon the hall once more, heavier than ever before.

Only the monk's painful gasps and the suppressed sobs of some people could be heard.

The chief elder stood frozen in place, staring at the completely dimmed magic circle, as if all his strength had been drained away.

His last shred of hope burst like a soap bubble.

Marquis Vauban, that ancient demon king, wouldn't even give a perfunctory reply.

In the eyes of the true demon king, their bronze black crosses were no longer even of any use; they were merely a flock of lambs to the slaughter.

A chilling despair completely overwhelmed him. He seemed to see the newly born demon king, bathed in the blood of two gods, breaking through the void with icy, merciless killing intent.

He, and the entire bronze black cross, were the next offering to the majesty of the new king.

The last rays of the setting sun outside the window vanished completely, and a thick darkness engulfed the entire city, swallowing up the last glimmer of light from the bronze black cross.

280 It's time to pay a visit to the senior.

At the temporary base of the Copper Black Cross in Tokyo, in front of the huge floor-to-ceiling window of the penthouse suite, Genichi Hanyu stood with his hands behind his back, overlooking the vast metropolis that was gradually lighting up with dazzling lights in the twilight.

Outside the window, neon lights flickered and cars streamed by, a scene of bustling prosperity and noise, yet none of it could penetrate the somber, abyssal atmosphere within the room shrouded in an invisible force.

Erica Blantri stood a few steps behind him, her posture still upright and elegant, her scarlet knight's uniform like solidified flame, but her expression was more serious and cautious than usual.

She had just finished a lengthy encrypted communication and was now reporting the latest intelligence from European headquarters, especially regarding the movements of her arch-enemy, the Bronze Black Cross, to her king with clarity.

“Your Majesty, according to the reliable information we’ve relayed from within the Bronze Black Cross and through our surrounding channels, they’re in complete panic.”

She paused slightly, observing Genichi Hanyu's back.

The figure stood out exceptionally tall against the backdrop of the city lights, exuding an unfathomable tranquility.

She continued, "Under the awe-inspiring reputation of your killing two gods in one day in the Land of Cherry Blossoms, the higher-ups of the Bronze Black Cross were like ants on a hot pan. They disregarded everything and even used the emergency communication secret device that had been passed down for hundreds of years and was very expensive, in an attempt to directly contact Marquis Vauban to beg for protection."

Erica's lips curled into an undisguised sneer, a contempt for her foolish opponent: "However, as you predicted, and as anyone with a modicum of sense could deduce, the ancient demon king Marquis Vauban offered no response whatsoever."

"The passage was established with extraordinary difficulty and maintained for an extremely short time. All that came back was a suffocating and oppressive indifference before communication was completely cut off. Judging from all the signs, the Marquis had abandoned them without hesitation."

"It's so stupid."

Erica's voice carried a hint of cold anger, not entirely for Yuzuru, but also mixed with disbelief at her arch-rival's foolish decision and a sense of being offended.

"They had the most direct and safest option—simply deliver Liliana to you unharmed, and they would have gained the protection of a newly promoted Campione, which would have secured their position for decades to come. But instead, they chose the most foolish and provocative path!"

A sharp glint flashed in her red eyes, as if she were dissecting a treacherous game: "Even if we take the deepest conspiracy theory into consideration, their move may not be without the intention of deliberately throwing the hot potato of Liliana to Marquis Woban, thereby sowing the seeds of conflict between you and that ancient demon king."

"After all, if the two Campiones develop a rift or even become enemies because of this, their organization, caught in the middle, might be able to benefit from it, or at least temporarily divert your anger."

Genichi Hanyu remained with his back to her, as if the flowing light and shadow outside the window were more worthy of his attention than the report from the knight behind him.

But his silence itself was a pressure. After a moment, he slowly spoke, his voice flat and emotionless, revealing neither joy nor anger: "Erica, what do you think?"

Erica paused for a moment, then quickly composed herself: "Is the King asking about Liliana or the fate of the Bronze Black Cross?"

"Let's all speak up."

Genichi Hanyu's voice remained calm, yet carried an undeniable command.

Erica took a deep breath, knowing that her next answer was crucial, not only in assessing the situation but also potentially influencing the king's final decision.

She first chose a relatively safe angle to approach the issue: "Regarding Liliana Kranichal, if Your Majesty still values ​​her talent and hopes to eventually bring her under your command, then in dealing with the Bronze Black Cross, you may need to leave some room for maneuver and not take overly cruel measures."

She raised her head, her gaze honestly fixed on Genichi Hanyu's retreating figure, and continued to explain, "I know Liliana's personality very well. She appears cold on the surface, but she is extremely sentimental inside, especially towards the organization that raised her from childhood, where she has an almost stubborn loyalty and sense of belonging."

"Even if the higher-ups of the Bronze Black Cross betrayed her by offering her up as a tribute, given her personality, it would be difficult for her to wholeheartedly serve under you, the very person directly responsible for the organization's destruction, after the organization has been completely destroyed and all her former comrades and mentors have perished. The intense guilt and remorse for the deceased would be insurmountable obstacles in her heart."

After Erica finished speaking, the room fell into a brief silence.

Genichi Hanyu finally turned around slowly. The city lights outside the window cast tiny specks of light into his deep eyes, but they could not illuminate the darkness deep within them.

His face was expressionless; he simply stared at Erica with a gaze that seemed to penetrate to the very core of her being.

Just when Erica thought her analysis would prompt the king to ponder and might even change his decision, Genichi Hanyu chuckled softly.

The laughter was soft, with a strange rhythm, like a night breeze brushing across an ice surface.

"hehe"

As the laughter subsided, Genichi Hanyu looked at Erica, a faint smile playing on his lips, yet conveying an air of boundless authority and control.

He took a step forward, and an invisible sense of oppression instantly spread as if it were a tangible force, causing Erica's heart to involuntarily tighten.

"Erica, do you think Liliana Klanichal has a choice?"

These words struck Erica like a thunderclap!

She looked up abruptly, meeting Genichi Hanyu's unfathomable eyes.

There was no doubt in it, only absolute certainty and an indifference that seemed to look down upon all living beings.

That wasn't an inquiry, that was a declaration!

"choose?"

Genichi Hanyu tilted his head slightly, his movements carrying a hint of languor, but his eyes were sharp as a knife.

"Faced with the will of Campione, what choice do mortals have?"

He took another step forward, getting even closer to Erica.

The invisible pressure almost suffocated her, as if the surrounding air had solidified into steel.

"Her loyalty? Her guilt? Her sense of belonging?"

Genichi Hanyu's tone carried a hint of playful coldness.

"These are nothing but dust in the wind, insignificant in the face of absolute power and will."

His gaze seemed to pierce through the barriers of space, landing on Liliana, whose whereabouts were unknown: "When my will descends, there is only one path before her. The so-called obstacles are merely the difference between whether I am willing to step on them and flatten them. Whether she is loyal or not does not depend on her personal will, but on whether I still need her loyalty and whether she is qualified to continue to exist and be used by me."

Genichi Hanyu's voice was not loud, but it carried a kind of power of law that made people tremble in their souls, as if he was expounding the most basic truth in the world: "Erica, remember, the fate of the Bronze Black Cross depends only on the degree to which they offend me, and on my mood at this moment."

"As for Liliana Kranichal, her future is no longer in her own hands, nor is it determined by that corrupt organization. Her choice was already written the moment I brought her back from Vobán."

He turned his gaze back to the myriad lights outside the window, as if his earlier words, which were enough to overturn common sense, were just idle talk.

"Bronze Black Cross, since you like playing with fire, you must be prepared to be burned to ashes. Their fate (Ma Lihao) will not be changed because of Liliana."

Genichi Hanyu's profile appears unusually cold and hard in the light and shadow.

"As for Marquis Woban, I'd like to see how this old man will react to me taking back what belongs to me."

"Erica, get ready. We should go visit that marquis, and while we're at it, let some people in Europe truly understand the significance of the name 'seventh'."

Erica stood there, feeling her back soaked with cold sweat.

Every word Wang said struck her mind like a heavy hammer blow.

Looking at Genichi Hanyu's back, which seemed to blend into the vast city outside the window, she felt not only awe but also an indescribable chill.

She got it.

On the king's chessboard, whether it's the bronze black cross that lives in constant fear, the sword fairy who was sent away as a bargaining chip, or even the ancient demon king Marquis Vauban who has dominated Europe for hundreds of years, they are all just pawns.

The unquestionable will of the player wielding the pieces is the sole law that determines the course of everything.

Liliana's choice?

That was never a question that needed to be considered.

281 If you slap me in the face, you'll pay with your lives.

Rome, Italy.

The ancient city was bathed in the slightly lazy afternoon sun. The mottled stones of the Colosseum, the flowing water of the Trevi Fountain, and the aroma of coffee wafting from the streets were all exactly the same as when Genichi Hanyu last left.

However, the air was filled with an invisible, unsettling heaviness.

Genichi Hanyu stepped out of the private jet and onto the tarmac at Rome's Fiumicino Airport.

He didn't deliberately release his pressure, but the terrifying aura belonging to Campion, which had just been bathed in the blood of the two gods, naturally enveloped the space like a tangible shadow.

The airport's hustle and bustle instantly subsided, as if an invisible hand had gripped its throat.

Staff, passengers, and even some perceptive low-level magicians felt a strange shiver from the depths of their souls, subconsciously holding their breath and casting their awe and fearful gazes at the Eastern figure dressed in simple casual clothes who looked no different from an ordinary young man.

The last time he descended upon this place, it was to pursue the trail of the disobedient god and ignite a war between gods and demons that shook the continent of Europe.

This time, however, his goal was clear and cold—punishment.

Genichi Hanyu's gaze swept calmly over the familiar city, yet deep within his eyes lay a chilling intent capable of freezing magma.

The actions of those idiots at the Bronze Black Cross have gone beyond mere stupidity, plunging into an unbelievable abyss of ignorance!

"Ah."

A very soft, cold laugh escaped from his lips, carrying a strong sense of mockery and a hint of barely perceptible absurdity.

He personally handed the Bronze Black Cross an opportunity—an opportunity that would drive any magic society mad—to curry favor with the newly minted Campione: all it took was offering up Liliana Kranichal to gain his protection.

This is not charity, but rather a recognition of Liliana's talent and a threshold for acknowledging the value of their organization itself.

This threshold is not high; it can even be described as a rare act of goodwill during the early years of a new king's reign.

But what did they do?

Not only did they reject this easy opportunity, but they were also blinded by the devil and slapped him hard in the face in the loudest and most humiliating way!

They treated Liliana, the person he had specifically requested, as a commodity to be traded and offered her to the ancient demon king known for his eccentricity and cruelty—Marquis Vobán!

This is not just a rejection, it's a blatant provocation!

This is a complete disregard for the dignity, will, and power of Genichi Hanyu as a Campione!

This behavior has crossed his bottom line of tolerance—no, it has completely shattered that line!

Rong Shan IVling【Qi Ren? Er?I【V Ba Si Qun?·Liao Ren?】

Genichi Hanyu was filled with nothing but cold killing intent.

The bronze black cross will become the first whetstone for him to proclaim the true will of the "Seventh". Their demise will clearly tell everyone what terrifying consequences await those who defy a god-slayer.

A low-key, luxurious black sedan silently slid up in front of him.

The car door opened, and Erica Blantri was already waiting inside.

Today, she changed into a more capable and practical crimson tight-fitting knight's outfit, her long golden hair tied into a neat ponytail, and her eyes flashed with a sharp light and a hint of cold pleasure at witnessing the demise of her nemesis.