Sword Art Online Crossover: They're all close friends, how did I become a player?

Once he calmed down, Ichigo Hitofuri approached Yu Bai and picked up the item that Yu Bai was possessing.

With a crisp "whoosh," a cold and sharp light instantly illuminated Ichigo Hitofuri's face. His slightly gloomy eyebrows and eyes appeared even more stern and resolute under the cold light.

It was at this moment that Yu Bai discovered what he was possessing.

It was a uniquely shaped sword, full of ancient charm. The hilt was a deep black, curved like a withered branch, with a few plum blossoms cleverly inlaid on it. The slender and sharp blade seemed to contain endless coldness, shimmering with a chilling light.

Isn't this the sword that comes with my Fujin zither? Yu Bai exclaimed inwardly.

When Yu Bai followed the Tsukumogami into battle and accidentally traveled back to the Uruk era, he was holding Fu Jin, a weapon exclusively belonging to Mo Wen.

After time travel, he did find that the sword in the zither was missing. However, due to the special geographical location at the time, and the fact that Yu Bai believed that the sword in the zither was most likely to have fallen during the time travel, it was probably impossible to find.

Fortunately, as a weapon bound to a character, even if temporarily lost, it will reappear and return to its owner at some point if the owner doesn't actively search for it within a month. Of course, if the owner is in a hurry to recall it, they can forcibly summon it, but doing so will consume a lot of internal energy. Therefore, Yu Bai has never paid any attention to this sword hidden in the zither, whose whereabouts are unknown.

Unexpectedly, it ended up in this citadel and was discovered by a group of short swords, who brought it back here.

"What do you want to do?" Kashuu Kiyomitsu asked nervously as he saw Ichigo Hitofuri pick up a sword he had never seen before.

"I'm going to kill the Saniwa. My true form is on the verge of destruction, but fortunately, my brothers found this sword somewhere. I will use it to avenge my brothers! Besides, the Saniwa's disappearance will also mean your liberation, won't it? Or... Lord Kashuu, are you going to stop me?"

As he finished speaking, a layer of black mist slowly began to emanate from Ichigo Hitofuri's body. His once gentle and clear blue eyes now resembled deep, stagnant water, devoid of any ripples or vitality.

"Kukai Kiyomitsu, are you going to stop me?"

Ichigo Hitofuri's tone was resolute and unquestionable, and his figure appeared even more desperate under the swirling dark mist.

Seeing that Ichigo Hitofuri's condition was getting worse and worse, and that he was on the verge of falling into darkness, Kashuu Kiyomitsu bit his lower lip so hard that it almost bled. His mind raced as he tried to think of a way to solve the problem.

After much thought, he realized that Ichigo Hitofuri had previously been quite favored by the Saniwa, and his level and training were above his own. Looking at his current state, on the verge of turning evil, Kashuu Kiyomitsu felt even more strongly that he couldn't stop Ichigo Hitofuri with his current strength.

Damn it! The Saniwa of the citadel has somehow acquired a cursed power specifically targeting their sword spirits. If any sword tries to harm the Saniwa, it will suffer unbearable pain, gradually lose its sanity, and may even be controlled by the Saniwa.

Lord Kogarasumaru and Lord Mikazuki's plan is still in progress. According to their original plan, they would find out the Saniwa's real name after a while and then disappear from the world.

The Saniwa that Ichigo Hitofuri mentioned from the Saniwa exchange meeting, who seemed to know that woman, has also been contacted by Kogarasumaru-sama and his group.

Unexpectedly, this has happened. Ichigo Hitofuri is about to go berserk because of the short swords. If he really kills the Saniwa, then Ichigo Hitofuri's corruption will be a foregone conclusion, and there will be no way to stop him.

After being captured by the Time Government, there was one consequence: his sword was shattered!

Furthermore, given the contagious nature of the dark aura after corruption, the swords still alive in the citadel are highly susceptible to being infected and corrupted along with them.

No! We must stop Ichigo Hitofuri! For his own sake and for the sake of the other swordsmen in the citadel.

"Wait... Lord Ichigo!" Kashuu Kiyomitsu suddenly remembered something, and he grabbed Ichigo Hitofuri's sleeve, his eyes flashing with determination.

"I remember that before the short swords went into battle, Lord Kogarasumaru and the others gave the last few amulets to Hirano and the others. Also, after a sword breaks, some steel materials will appear next to the sword-breaking pool in the forging room. Let's go check now, maybe Hirano and the others haven't broken their swords yet! If... if all the short swords really have broken, then... count me in for assassinating the Saniwa!"

As he finished speaking, a smile crept onto Kashuu Kiyomitsu's lips, his once bright red eyes now completely replaced by scarlet. The disappearance of Yasusada and the shattered swords of the short swords actually made Kashuu Kiyomitsu's situation even more serious than Ichigo Hitofuri's.

He knew better than anyone that his current state was precarious. If it weren't for the belief in avenging An Ding, he would probably have fallen into darkness even earlier than Ichigo-dono.

Even so, he could not stand by and watch Ichigo Hitofuri head towards destruction. If he were to fall into darkness because of assassinating the Saniwa, then he should be the one who falls.

"You...really?" Ichigo Hitofuri tightened his grip on his sword, asking hesitantly. Even the slightest glimmer of hope was welcome now, as long as he knew his brothers hadn't lost their swords.

"The Saniwa just took Mikazuki out. Let's go check out the sword-dismantling pond now!"

The two hurriedly ran towards the forging room. Since Ichigo Hitofuri was still holding Yu Bai's koto-shaped sword, this was the first time Yu Bai had seen the entire Honmaru since he fell asleep and came here.

Along the way, Yu Bai saw no other swords besides Ichigo Hitofuri and Kashuu Kiyomitsu. As far as the eye could see, there were only withered grasses swaying in the wind, and the ponds had dried up, losing their former vitality. All these signs indicated that the owner of this citadel had no interest in managing it, and was even stingy with the slightest bit of spiritual energy he could spare to maintain any semblance of beauty.

……

"This is...this is wonderful..."

The two, each carrying a sword, arrived at the forging room, but found no extra materials left over from the broken short swords by the dismantling pool. At that moment, Ichigo Hitofuri seemed to have all his strength drained away, slumping down by the dismantling pool, quietly holding the sword in his hand, the heavy feeling weighing on his heart finally easing a little.

A feeling of relief welled up inside me, and tears were already streaming down my face without me even realizing it.

"Lord Ichigo, the current situation tells us that the short swords should still be on the battlefield. However, the Saniwa told you before that the short swords were all broken, which means that the Saniwa did not intend to let Hirano and the others return to the citadel alive, but wanted the short swords to be broken outside."

After all, for the Saniwa, short swords that are not rare and are easy to forge are a waste of her spiritual power..." As he said this, Kashuu Kiyomitsu's eyes flickered a few times. He had already guessed how the Saniwa wanted to deal with those short swords that she considered useless.

You cannot deliberately break your swords in the citadel, nor can you abuse them, as these actions will be detected by the Time Government's personnel who regularly inspect the citadel's condition.

So... there's no other way...

"Hirano and the others were probably thrown into a high-level map by the Saniwa, and then the Saniwa severed their spiritual power link."

Although we now know that Hirano and the others don't have broken swords, they can't hold out for long without the Saniwa's spiritual power. Lord Ichigo, do you know which map the Saniwa sent the deployed teams to?

"I think it was..."

……