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

"Your Majesty, welcome back to Italy."

Erica's voice was filled with absolute respect, but also contained a hint of tension as she prepared to carry out a mission.

Genichi Hanyu settled into the car, leaned back comfortably, and closed his eyes to rest, as if it were just a routine drive. The car smoothly drove away from the airport and merged into the traffic of Rome.

"The people with the bronze black cross didn't escape, did they?"

Erica's lips curled into a confident yet cold smile, like a drawn blade: "Please rest assured, Your Majesty, before we set off after receiving your orders, I contacted my uncle, Paul Brantley, immediately."

Erica's tone was filled with absolute trust and pride when she mentioned this name.

Paul Brantley, the Grand Master of the Copper Black Cross, is one of the strongest paladins of his time.

His efficiency and skill have earned him a renowned reputation throughout the European magic world.

"Upon receiving the news, my uncle immediately mobilized all the elite forces of the Copper Black Cross in Italy and the surrounding areas!"

"At this moment, the headquarters of the Bronze Black Cross, as well as all their known important strongholds and safe houses in Rome, Florence, Venice, and other locations, are under close surveillance and heavily sealed off by our people!"

Her eyes were sharp as an eagle's: "All registered core members, elders, high-ranking knights, and even some peripheral personnel who might be used by them, have been added to the surveillance list."

Familiars hovered in the sky, knights were deployed on the ground, layers of magical barriers were nested together, and spatial interference devices continued to operate.

Any attempt to escape by conventional or unconventional means will be detected and stopped immediately!

Erica's tone carried a hint of composure as if she were in control of the entire situation, and a hint of indifference towards the fate of the enemy: "My uncle assured me that before you arrive and make the final judgment, not even a fly that shouldn't be flying away will escape the sight of the Bronze Black Cross. Every single one of their movements is under the control of the Red Copper Black Cross, and they have nowhere to escape."

Genichi Hanyu slowly opened his eyes, looking through the car window at the ancient street scenes rushing past outside.

The corners of his mouth finally curved into a true smile, cold, cruel, and with a hint of indifference as if he controlled his own destiny.

"Very good, keep an eye on them. I need to make sure everyone is accounted for."

He uttered two words casually, as if commenting on a trivial matter.

The car drove through the streets of Rome, sunlight streaming through the windows and casting interplay of light and shadow on his face.

He resembled an elegant hunter, calmly making his way to a hunting ground that had already been besieged.

The prey, trapped in the inescapable net of the red copper and black cross, may still be praying in vain, or may have already fallen into utter despair. But no matter how they struggle, their fate was already sealed from the moment they foolishly chose to betray Genichi Hanyu's will.

The Italian sun still shines brightly, but in the hearts of some, it feels as cold as a harsh winter.

The prelude to punishment has begun.

The Savior of the 282 Bronze Black Cross?

The news of Genichi Hanyu's entry into Italian territory swept through the entire mysterious side of Rome like the coldest polar wind, completely freezing the last remaining, unrealistic hope within the Bronze Black Cross headquarters.

That invisible, Campionian pressure, even from a great distance, felt like a cold, giant hand gripping everyone's throat.

The atmosphere inside the council chamber was as oppressive as lead.

The air was so heavy it was almost impossible to breathe, with only heavy, desperate gasps rising and falling.

The sun outside the window was still shining brightly, but it could not dispel the shadow that shrouded everyone's heart, a shadow heavier than the deepest night.

"he came."

The intelligence officer's voice was dry and hoarse, as if he had used all his strength to squeeze out those few words.

This simple announcement, however, was like a final death knell, shattering all unrealistic fantasies.

The reason why Gen Hanyu appeared in Italy is self-evident.

He didn't come for sightseeing, nor to meet friends; he came to demand a price!

For that trampled dignity, for that resounding slap!

"It's over, it's over."

An elder slumped in an opulent chair, his eyes vacant, muttering to himself.

Fear entwined his heart like vines, and a chilling sense of despair spread from his feet to the top of his head.

The Marquis of Vauban's indifference has extinguished their greatest, and only, hope.

They were as insignificant as dust before the wrath of a newly minted Campione who had just accomplished the feat of killing two gods in a single day.

The entire organization seems to have entered a state of waiting for death ahead of schedule.

Some sat motionless, some covered their faces, some sobbed softly, and some even began to write their wills in despair, making arrangements for their final days.

The glory and pride of the bronze black cross for hundreds of years were rendered fragile and vulnerable in the face of this absolute crushing power.

They seemed to already see the figure burning with divine blood and flames, descending like divine punishment, turning everything to ashes.

However, the human instinct for survival is ultimately rooted deep in our bones.

Even a lamb awaiting slaughter will let out a final, mournful cry and make a futile struggle before the butcher's knife truly falls.

"No, I'm not resigned to this! I can't just sit here and wait to die!"

A slightly young but crazed voice suddenly rang out in the dead silence.

He was a knight captain known for his radicalism, with bloodshot eyes, clenched fists, and nails digging deep into his palms, drawing blood.

“We still have a chance! Marquis Vauban has abandoned us, but he is not the only god-slayer!”

These words, like a stone thrown into a stagnant pool, stirred up the last faint ripples on the surface of despair.

Countless gazes instantly focused on him, filled with bewilderment, but also with a faint, fervent hope that had been ignited within him.

"You mean..."

The chief elder suddenly raised his head, a glint of light flashing in his cloudy old eyes, as if he were experiencing a final burst of energy.

"Salvatore Tony, the sword king of Eastern Europe!"

The Knights captain practically roared it out.

"He's the youngest Campione before the seventh position, the most willful and unconventional in his actions, and he's never had a good impression of that old fogey Vauban. If we could get his protection..."

This proposal is as absurd as looking up at the stars from the depths of an abyss!

Salvatore, the sixth Campione, holds the title of King of Swords.

His power is undeniable, but his eccentric personality, unconventional thinking, and capricious behavior are well-known throughout the god-slayer community.

He pursued the ultimate in swordsmanship, was passionate about dueling with the strong, and had almost no interest in other worldly affairs, especially the petty squabbles among magic societies.

Seek asylum from him?

This is even less reliable than begging for mercy from the Marquis of Vauban!

It's tantamount to seeking the protection of order from a madman who is obsessed with his own world.

A drowning person in despair will grab onto even the smallest straw without hesitation.

"Contact the Sword King immediately!"

The chief elder seemed to have grasped at the last straw, his voice trembling violently with excitement and fear, even cracking.

“Use all our connections, all the channels we can use to contact those around him, offer whatever price we can pay—wealth, treasures, knowledge, and we can even promise that the entire Bronze Black Cross will henceforth become his most loyal servant under his sword, at his beck and call, as long as he can hold off Genichi Hanyu for us!”

This decision was made with an almost manic, desperate gamble.

Seeking refuge from the Sword King has a near-zero chance of success, and might even lead to a faster destruction by disturbing his enjoyment.

But they had no other way to go!

Even if there's only a one in ten thousand chance, it's worth gambling with the future of the entire organization!

Emergency communications were activated again, this time targeting the elusive and unpredictable Sword King.

The process was more difficult and chaotic than when contacting Vauban.

Salvatore Toni's whereabouts are a mystery, and most of the people around him are also eccentric.

The Bronze Black Cross, in a desperate attempt to find a cure, used every imaginable, even absurd, channel to scatter humble pleas and promises like snowflakes in the direction where the young demon king might exist.

Time ticked by in anxious waiting.

Every second feels like a century.

The atmosphere inside the headquarters oscillated between a deathly silence of despair and a morbid expectation, almost snapping everyone's nerves.

Just when the chief elder was on the verge of collapse again, believing that this final struggle was futile—

"My lord! There's a response!"

A mage in charge of communications stumbled into the council chamber, his face filled with extreme shock and disbelief, as if he had witnessed a miracle.

"Speak quickly! Is it a refusal?"

The chief elder's voice trembled uncontrollably.

"No, it's not a rejection!"

The monk was so excited that he became incoherent, and his voice even changed tone.

"It was the Sword King himself who responded directly through unconventional magical projections."

The monk took a deep breath, and with all his might, uttered those words that sounded like heavenly music: "He promised to protect us."

The projection flickered and then disappeared, leaving behind a short, casual, even playful and nonchalant sentence that echoed repeatedly in the deathly silent council hall.

"..."

The silence lasted for more than ten seconds before it was broken.

"He...he agreed?"

An elder trembled, unable to believe his ears.

"Lord Salvatore, the Sword King, has agreed to protect us?"

The knight captain's eyes shone with the ecstatic joy of surviving a calamity.

"Oh my god! Are we saved?"

An immense, unbelievable ecstasy swept through the entire council chamber like a tsunami!

The gloom of despair was suddenly torn open by this divine decree, creating a huge gash!

Some wept with joy, some hugged each other excitedly, and some even collapsed from the overwhelming emotions.

The chief elder exhaled a long, long breath, as if a heavy burden had been lifted from his shoulders, and he felt completely exhausted.

Although it's unclear why the eccentric Sword King suddenly agreed, none of that matters anymore!

Importantly, Salvatore Toni personally promised asylum!

For the Bronze Black Cross, which was mired in despair and on the verge of drowning, this was nothing short of a lifeline lowered from an abyss!

Although this rope came from a volatile madman who might let go at any moment, it was the only hope at this moment!

Like real drowning people, they clung desperately to this straw, as if they were grasping at the whole world!

"Quickly, immediately, announce the news of the Sword King's protection in the most conspicuous way possible, so that the entire mystical world, especially that King Yusheng, knows!"

The chief elder's voice was filled with the excitement of surviving a disaster and a hint of rekindled, morbid excitement.

"We are saved!"

However, beneath the waves of ecstasy, a faint unease lurked like a venomous snake.

Is it truly salvation to entrust one's fate to a sword king known for his capricious and willful ways?

Or did it plunge from one abyss into an even more unpredictable vortex?

283 The most ferocious god-slayer in history

Inside the Roman stronghold, the atmosphere was heavy as lead. Sunlight streamed through the tall stained-glass windows, casting dappled yet cold patches of light on the carpet.

Erica Blantri stood before Genichi Hanyu, her scarlet knight's uniform standing out strikingly in the light, but her expression carried a rare, barely perceptible solemnity.

She had just finished an emergency intelligence gathering session when the news she received, like a boulder thrown into a calm lake, instantly disrupted the original course of events.

"king."

Erica's voice remained respectful and steady, but her speaking speed was slightly faster than usual, revealing the urgency of the situation.

"We have just received definite and unexpected news: the Bronze Black Cross gang of stray dogs, after Marquis Vauban refused to take them in, have placed their last hope on the Sword King, Salvatoretoni."

She took a deep breath and said clearly and quickly, "They used every imaginable, even some unbelievable, channel to send a nearly humble plea for help to the elusive Sword King, and the most unexpected thing..." Erica paused, her ruby-like eyes staring directly into Genichi Hanyu's deep pupils, and uttered the name that could shake the entire European mystical world, word by word: "Salvatoretoni, he actually agreed!"

After the report was completed, a brief silence fell over the room. Only the faint sounds of the city from afar outside the window made the air inside seem to freeze.