Anime Crossover: I, the Shadow King, slaughter my way through DanMachi!

Hestia immediately deflated: "Fine, alright, I'll do as Lord Yingping says..."

Chizuka swallowed the bread and looked at Yingping, saying, "Master, from now on, will Takina and I be responsible for protecting Lady Hestia?"

"No, don't worry."

Yingping patted Qian Shu's head and said, "When you have more companions in the future, you will be able to rejoin the team."

Chizuku smiled brightly: "I know! Then, Master and everyone else must return safely from this trial~"

...

Back in the center of his room at the inn, Yingping held the mysterious key and then opened the system panel.

[In the trial world, you can bring any number of attendants, and the time flow is synchronized with this world.]

[Activate the special trial?]

[Recommended unlock level: LV5]

"Confirmed to start".

After Ying Ping made his choice, the key emitted a blinding light, and a pitch-black portal slowly unfolded in the air.

"Oh~"

"Can I go to another world again?"

Kokoro and Elena immediately looked on with curiosity.

"Yes, hold on tight to me."

Yingping grabbed Elena with one hand and Kokoro with the other, and the three of them stepped into the portal together.

As they entered, the portal closed half a minute later.

The room returned to its usual state.

........

As Ying Ping and his two companions passed through the portal, a biting wind mixed with snowflakes rushed towards them.

They stood on an ancient stone bridge covered in snow, with a majestic ancient city looming in the distance amidst the snowstorm.

Welcome to the world of Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice

Main Quest: Go to Fountainhead Palace to slay the Divine Dragon and sever the Mortal Blade (requires collecting two Mortal Blades)

Side Quest: Defeat Genichiro Ashina and Isshin Ashina

[Reward: Unknown]

You need to complete the main storyline before you can return to your original world.

"Oh? Ashina Castle? The world of Sekiro?"

Ying Ping narrowed his eyes and gripped the Hestia Sword tightly in his hand. "This is truly beyond my expectations. It seems this trial is no simple matter."

"Luckily, I reached LV11 before coming to this world."

Elena hugged her arms and shivered: "Master, it's so cold... Where exactly is this world?"

"Don't worry, Miss Elena, I can use my newly learned magic to keep you warm!"

Kokkoro immediately raised her staff-gun: "Holy Light Protection!"

A warm golden light enveloped the three of them, dispelling the chill.

[Warning: The current area is blocked by fog]

Please kill 100 Ashina Castle soldiers.

Just as Ying Ping finished reading the system notification, a thick fog suddenly rose around them, blocking their escape route.

"Master, something's not right."

Kokoro gripped her staff tightly and looked around warily.

Elena frowned as well: "This fog... it's like some kind of barrier."

As soon as he finished speaking, the sound of orderly footsteps came from the mist.

Immediately afterwards, a hundred fully armed Ashina soldiers surged in from all directions.

They were clad in black armor, wielding sharp spears and samurai swords, their eyes cold and menacing, clearly highly trained.

[Ashina Castle Soldier, Level 1+]

[Characteristics: High intelligence, understands tactical coordination and weapon use]

"Are they invaders from the Shogunate?!"

The leading samurai shouted, "We are here on the orders of Lord Genichiro to kill you!"

Ying Ping sneered, "Irena, provide ranged support! Kokkoro, you're in charge of support and defense!"

"understand!"

They both responded in unison.

The battle breaks out instantly!

"Wind Blade!!"

With a wave of her staff, Elena sent several transparent wind blades flying out instantly.

"Puff puff puff!!!"

"Ah ah ah ah ah!!!"

Amidst the screams of the Ashina Castle soldiers, their bodies were all cut up, and blood splattered everywhere.

"Crippling blow!"

Ying Ping charged into the enemy ranks like a tiger, the Hestia sword gleaming with a cold light.

With a single sweep, he cut five soldiers in half, their armor and bodies severed at the waist!

Ying Ping's figure moved back and forth in the enemy ranks, leaving blood splattered and severed limbs flying everywhere he went.

Kokkoro stood at the back, her staff radiating light: "Divine Blessing, Aurora Bloom!"

The buff magic applied to Ying Ping and Elena greatly increased their speed and strength.

"Fireball!"

A massive fireball condensed at the tip of Elena's staff and blasted into the center of the enemy ranks.

"Boom!"

The blast wave sent more than twenty soldiers flying, and the burning human figures rolled and screamed on the snow.

"Second team, third team, charge together!"

The samurai commander roared.

Another wave of soldiers charged forward fearlessly.

This time they changed their tactics, with spearmen forming a spear formation in front and samurai swordsmen flanking from both sides.

"interesting."

Yingping's lips curled into a cold smile.

He suddenly leaped high into the air, dodging the thrusting spear, and with a somersault in mid-air, his longsword, imbued with the power of enchanted lightning, slashed down fiercely!

"boom!"

Lightning raged, splitting the ground into a deep trench, killing more than a dozen soldiers instantly.

Elena wasn't idle either; she swung her staff rapidly and chanted, "Chain Lightning!"

"Splash—"

A sudden burst of blinding lightning danced through the enemy ranks, and soldiers convulsed and fell to the ground.

"For Ashina! Slaughter all these yokai!"

A surviving samurai, rising from the corpses of his companions, roared with bloodshot eyes as he charged toward Kokkoro.

"Divine Punishment!"

With a flick of her staff, Kokoro unleashed an arrow of holy light that pierced the warrior's body instantly.

Although the Ashina soldiers were fearless, their formation was quickly torn apart by the perfect coordination of the three.

Ying Ping moved through the enemy ranks like a god of war; wherever his sword flashed, the enemies fell like harvested wheat.

"These guys... they're not even human!"

The last soldier retreated in terror, only to have his throat slit by Ying Ping's sword.

The battle involving more than 100 people lasted for less than a minute.

There was nothing they could do; these samurai were simply too weak.

Against adventurers of level 11, it was a one-sided massacre.

The entire bridge was piled high with corpses.

The blood stained the white snow, appearing particularly striking in the setting sun.

[Side Quest Update: Kill 100/100 Ashina Castle Soldiers (Completed)]

[Reward: 5000 Experience Points]

[Experience points full, you have leveled up]

[Shadow King Upgrade System]

[Level]: LV12

[Gained Skill: Killing Intent Lock]

[Effect: Consumes 1 point of mana. Reduces all stats of the enemy targeted by the killing intent by 50% for one minute.]

"This skill is pretty good; it can even apply debuffs to enemies."

Ying Ping flicked the blood off his sword and looked at the dissipating mist around him: "Let's go, keep going, we'll charge straight into the city."

However, when he turned to look at his companions, he found that Elena and Kokkoro were not in good condition.

Irena and Kokoro's faces were ashen.

The two women covered their mouths tightly with their slender fingers, their bodies trembling uncontrollably.

"vomit-"

Irena finally couldn't hold back any longer and bent over, vomiting up everything in her stomach.

Her magic hat was askew, and her gray hair clung messily to her sweat-drenched forehead.

Kokoro tried her best to endure it, but when she saw the broken corpses all over the ground, her legs went weak and she knelt down.

Her usually optimistic red eyes were now filled with terror, and her small body trembled in the cold wind.

Ying Ping quickly walked to their side, gently patting their backs and comforting them, "I'm sorry, I didn't notice you..."

"Master..."

Elena raised her tear-filled face, "These people...they're not monsters...they're living, breathing human beings..."

Kokkoro's nails dug deeply into her palms: "I...I actually took so many lives with my own hands..."

Yingping crouched down and embraced the two of them.

He could feel that their bodies were as cold as stones, and their heartbeats were frighteningly fast.

"Listen, you must adapt as soon as possible."

"Treat this place as a war, or treat these guys as monsters in human skin."

Ying Ping's voice was deep and firm: "In this world, if we don't kill, we will be killed."

“These soldiers are the absolute enemy. They have received a kill order and will never back down, so they will show us no mercy.”

"This is not your fault. We really had no choice. They gave us no way out, so we could only fight to the end and continue to complete the mission."

Elena looked up, covering her mouth, her purple eyes brimming with tears: "I know about this...that's why I..."