I let the genie out of the bottle

The magicians, who had been discussing the matter and even seemed on the verge of conflict, fell silent in an instant.

Then, they all stood up straight, bowed their heads slightly, and adopted a posture of respect and submission.

The newcomer was a young man dressed in casual clothes.

To be honest, his appearance never really stands out; he's far from handsome. If judged by looks, he's just average in terms of human attractiveness.

Strangely, when their gaze fell upon him, for some reason, these magicians felt as if they were seeing thousands upon thousands of faces on the king's face. But then, in the next moment, they would think it was just an illusion.

However, the leaders of the various magic societies would not simply attribute this to their own illusions. On the contrary, they knew that this was some kind of anomaly manifested by the King, or even a reflection of the King's true nature.

At this moment, the boy had a faint smile on his lips, and his eyes, which looked weary, were half-open as he scanned the people in the conference room.

"I am deeply grateful to all of you for taking the time to come."

Lu Ye gently rubbed his temples and slowly walked to the head of the conference room to sit down.

"So, you all probably know why you've been summoned here, right?"

He asked in a gentle and kind voice, which felt like a spring breeze.

Upon seeing his gentle demeanor, many of the magicians in the conference room exchanged glances, feeling slightly relieved.

The relaxed atmosphere and the casual, conversational manner made them immediately realize that this new king was at least the type they could communicate with.

Coupled with his youthful appearance and the "ordinary" aura he exuded, even the commanders couldn't help but have some ulterior motives.

Suddenly, the atmosphere in the conference room seemed to become somewhat strange.

Then, the commander-in-chief of the "City of Lilies" subtly moved his eyes and then quietly gave a wink to a magician standing diagonally opposite him.

“Your Majesty, we know perfectly well why we have been summoned.”

The magician instantly understood, a faint look of sorrow on his face, and his words immediately drew everyone's attention.

He was a magician who came here with the commander-in-chief of the Lily City. Before coming here, the commander-in-chief of the Lily City had already instructed him on how to negotiate with the king if the king's attitude was relatively mild.

Although they are called god-slayers, they are still young and have just become god-slayers. Even if they possess unimaginable power, they are not incapable of dealing with them.

Advise wild beasts to tie bells around the lion's neck.

The only pity is that there are no beautiful and talented girls of the right age in the Lily Capital.

Thinking of this, the commander-in-chief of the Lily City felt a pang of regret and immediately began to envy the Bronze Black Cross.

Lu Ye looked at the magician who had spoken with a faint smile on his face.

Seemingly encouraged, the magician straightened up slightly and continued speaking.

"The king ordered us to present divine artifacts, but we failed to do so; it is indeed our fault."

As soon as he opened his mouth, he immediately admitted his own mistakes without making any attempt to shirk responsibility.

“However, divine artifacts are not ordinary things; they are rare and hard to come by. How can this be accomplished in a short time? It is not that we are disrespectful, but we hope that Your Majesty can grant us a few more days.”

Upon hearing this, Lu Ye immediately thought of the story of Duke Huan of Qi attacking Chu in the Zuo Zhuan.

The two countries appear aggressive, yet they don't cross any red lines, as if they've already raised their fists but then it turns into a game of rock-paper-scissors.

Perhaps he believed that his purpose at this moment was the same as that of the State of Qi at that time: to establish authority?

Or, going even further, is it to seize the moral high ground and force them to submit?

Therefore, if they just soften their stance a little, this matter will be over?

Unfortunately, Lu Ye had no intention of playing along with their pretense.

"Ha—" Lu Ye yawned, stood up, and looked at the magician who was speaking, his gaze gradually turning cold.

They misunderstood something; Lu Ye had no intention of resolving the matter through conversation.

"My friend, you may have made a mistake."

Lu Ye's indifferent tone sent a shiver down the spines of everyone in the conference room.

“I only asked you to answer why you were summoned here; I did not allow you to say anything else.”

"You've spoken so much on your own; are you perhaps trying to usurp my authority and challenge my dignity?"

Lu Ye smiled coldly and said casually.

"Your Majesty, I didn't—" the magician cried out in terror.

He sensed it; the undisguised killing intent.

"Shut up," Lu Ye said calmly. "Your arguments are pointless because I've never had the patience to listen to anything you have to say."

He raised his hand.

"Actually, it doesn't matter what you do, because I don't really care about you at all. As for how I act—"

The indifferent voice appeared again.

"It simply depends on my mood and personal preference."

He raised his hand.

Just moments ago, the two were quite far apart.

However, it was as if it had transcended time and space.

His seemingly frail hands, showing no signs of training, gripped the magician's neck tightly.

Then, they lifted him up.

This is something called power, an authority that humans cannot resist, derived from the gods in heaven—

Everyone thinks so.

"Don't overestimate yourselves. Everything you do means nothing to me. Anyone could do what I need you to do."

Do you understand—

The magician was no longer able to answer his question.

Because the hands that had gripped his neck deprived him of the right to speak.

Furthermore, even his right to breathe was taken away.

"Hehehe—" The magician made a labored sound, his face gradually turning red.

His face was filled with fear as he tried his best to pry Lu Ye's hands open.

"Although you acted so calm and collected just now, aren't you still scared to death now? What, did you think I was weak and easy to bully all along?"

As Lu Ye spoke, his gaze swept across the faces of everyone in the conference room.

In particular, he lingered for a moment longer on the face of the commander-in-chief of the Lily Capital.

If his goal was to establish authority, he wouldn't do this. Because the purpose of establishing authority is to command submission.

He was merely letting these magicians experience his wrath.

"How boring. I thought you would want me to rebel."

He understood where the malice in his heart came from.

"The magicians who are named after Italy."

"A renowned paladin in Europe."

"Or... people who stand on the culmination of thousands of years of human magic and martial arts."

"To save this guy."

"Do you... have the courage to bare your claws at me?"

Mozlis once told him meaningfully that he was able to open the bottle because he was a true "human".

He still doesn't understand the meaning of that sentence.

"Or rather, for no other reason than to challenge the Demon King who holds the authority of the gods, simply as a human being, as a human hero, using human wisdom and strength—"

"Let me know that you are not merely magicians skilled in groveling and manipulating power—"

"I swear on my name and reputation that I will not feel the slightest anger; on the contrary, I will feel immense joy."

Do you have the courage?

Wang said, his gaze sweeping across each person's face.

Paul Brantley, the Grand Master of the Copper Black Cross, was known as "Holy Knight Paul" for his virtue and martial arts skills, and had several encounters with the Godslayer.

He was physically robust and had a resolute face, like Michelangelo's David sculpture in marble.

The paladin's eyes were solemn as he slowly moved his hand toward the hilt of his sword.

but--

Behind him, someone gripped his hand tightly, their eyes filled with fear and anxiety.

So he hesitated.

PS1: Status restored~ Requesting votes~ OR2

P.S.: Zuo Zhuan is truly a great book; I recommend everyone read it. Thinking about the wisdom and courage of that era, honestly, it fills me with a sense of righteous indignation...

Chapter 40 How dare you?

The person who grabbed his hand was a colleague from the Copper Black Cross, and the two were also friends.

This colleague, his right-hand man in the bronze-black cross, frowned and shook his head at him.

Paul Brantley, the paladin whose hand was being held down, struggled slightly.

Sensing this, the colleague pressed down on his hand even harder.

However, there was one thing Paul Brantley knew very well.

Your own strength is far greater than that of the person holding your hand.

If you want to break free, it's actually very easy.

Otherwise, he wouldn't have earned the title of Paladin.

only--

Ultimately, his will wasn't that strong.

"Ugh."

He closed his eyes tightly, refusing to look at the magician who was being lifted up by the neck.

He was not a paladin, but the supreme commander of the Copper Black Cross.

His elder brother died unexpectedly, leaving behind a daughter who was not yet grown up.

Although the demon king had already said that he swore on his name and reputation that he would not be angry.

However, Paul Brantley still lacked the courage to take the risk.

"Heh, heh ha ha ha." Lu Ye laughed, a sharp and sarcastic laugh filled with deep mockery.

Among the magicians in the conference room, some remained expressionless, while others looked fearful, and still others lowered their heads in shame.

"The strong hone their claws, the weak compete with their wits. But—" Lu Ye drawled, adopting a slow, deliberate tone, "if you, who stand on the foundation of thousands of years of accumulated human wisdom, still only know how to play power games and lack the courage to show your teeth, then isn't that rather disappointing?"

As he spoke, Lu Ye thought for a moment and put down the magician he was holding, whose eyes had already started rolling back.

"you--"

After a moment's pause, the magician's eyes revealed unmistakable resentment.

"Do you have the courage to attack me right now?" Lu Ye said lightly, with one eye half-open. "If so, I will forgive your offense and rudeness."

"Release—" the magician moved his lips.

"Oh?" Lu Ye's eyes widened slightly. "Are you going to say something like 'bring it on'?"

"Let me go—" Fear returned to the magician's face, and snot and tears streamed down his face as he pleaded.

A look of weariness appeared in Lu Ye's eyes.