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

It wasn't until the Saniwa returned to the citadel with a group of unfamiliar swords and Yu Bai explained the whole process that the sword spirits in the citadel realized that their Saniwa had been away for two days and had quietly accomplished such a big thing.

"Lord Yubai! This is too dangerous. You should have told us," Shokudaikiri Mitsutada said somewhat angrily.

“Yes, Lord Yu Bai, it’s really something that Hasebe allowed you to enter such a high-level map all by yourself,” Ran said, hands on his hips.

"It's all my fault... I actually let our lord choose not to bring any swords. We are just too weak. Please punish us, my lord!"

After hearing what the Saniwa had done, Hasebe knelt on one knee in front of Yu Bai and said in a deep voice.

The Saniwa ventured alone into a high-level map and encountered a group of wounded sword spirits abandoned by their masters.

Fortunately, Yamato no Kami Yasusada and the others did not have any ill intentions towards the Saniwa. What if Yubai encountered a Tsukumogami who had already fallen into darkness?

The thought that their lord might be injured or even die in a place unseen by them made the swords in Yubai Honmaru both riotous and saddened.

Ultimately, it's because their level isn't high enough; otherwise, the lord wouldn't have left without even a single sword spirit.

"I'm sorry, it was my fault this time, I promise it won't happen again. I'll wait until you're stronger and then protect me, but don't keep me waiting too long."

Unexpectedly, Yu Bai quickly tried to calm him down, saying that he had underestimated the importance that the swordsmen cared about their master after he accepted him, and he had also underestimated his own importance in their hearts.

However, this incident also helped Yu Bai understand the swordsmen better and know what they wanted. He didn't say anything else, only telling them that he was waiting for them to improve their strength and then protect him, and that he would stay by their side until then.

"Yes, my lord."

Upon hearing Yu Bai's words, the Tsukumogami in the citadel all knelt down on one knee to offer their loyalty and determination. Apart from Yu Bai, they would never recognize another Saniwa as their master.

If Yu Bai dies a hundred years from now, all these swordsmen will decide to be buried with him.

Yu Bai felt a deeper bond between himself and the swords. Through that connection, he could clearly perceive their thoughts, which made him both happy and moved.

This scene made the swords from Nobuko Sagawa's citadel very envious, because they had never received such recognition from their own Saniwa.

Standing next to Yamato no Kami Yasusada, Ran Toushirou looked at the other Ran Toushirou kneeling there, pledging allegiance to Yu Bai. He felt a little envious. They looked exactly the same, but Ran was able to meet a Saniwa like Yu Bai.

"Yagen-nii..." She tugged at Yagen Toushirou's sleeve, opened her mouth as if to say something, but couldn't utter a single word.

Yagen shook his head at Ran, knowing exactly what Ran was trying to say, because he had also seen Yagen Toushirou who looked exactly like him, but what didn't belong to them would never belong to them.

There's still Ichigo-san in their citadel waiting for them to rescue him.

So... I shouldn't think about it, and I can't think about it.

……

At night, after settling the swords in Sagawa Nobuko Honmaru, Yu Bai made contact with the Time Government.

After a brief conversation, the Time Government first thanked Yu Bai for providing them with useful information.

They then stated that Nobuko Sagawa was definitely involved with other dark citadels. When they tried to find the coordinates of Nobuko Sagawa's citadel, they discovered that her citadel coordinates had been erased from the records of the Time Government at some point.

At the same time, this incident also made the Time Government realize the seriousness of the problem. Erasing the records was definitely not something that Nobuko Hirasagawa could do on her own.

In other words, there was a mole within the Time Government. And if there was one like Nobuko Sagawa, then aren't there many more behind the scenes?

"Phew~ Lord Yu Bai, you've really brought us some explosive information. We can only forcibly find the coordinates from the outside world, while simultaneously infiltrating the black market and using the connections between buyers to wipe out these scumbags who sell sword spirits in one fell swoop."

The government official who contacted Yu Bai gave a wry smile. He had thought it was just the discovery of some scum who had recently fallen into the Dark Citadel, but he hadn't expected it to involve such a big matter.

If others find out that their own organization has been corrupted, will the Saniwa still be able to trust the Time Government?

Whether or not an explosion occurs is none of Yu Bai's concern. He has provided the information, and any changes within the government are none of his business at the moment.

He simply told the people there that since he was the one who helped find it, he demanded that he be involved in the entire process of cleaning up Nobuko Sagawa's citadel.

The Time Government initially disagreed, not only because Yu Bai was just a novice in Honmaru, but also because Yu Bai was actually a talent that the Time Government was focusing on cultivating and protecting.

He possesses pure spiritual power, formidable strength, and a gentle nature. Moreover, according to investigations, all the sword spirits in Yubai Honmaru speak highly of him.

Such a person is very likely to become the leader of the new generation of Saniwa in the future, so the Time Government does not want Yu Bai to participate in this dangerous cleanup activity.

However, Yu Bai was determined to go with them, so they could only ask that he bring the strongest squad in the citadel to protect him.

Not to mention that after receiving the news, the Time Government began to investigate thoroughly, and in a short time they actually uncovered many corrupt members, and even some who put on a good show but were completely rotten inside the citadel.

If it weren't for this raid triggered by Yu Bai's information, those moles would have remained hidden for who knows how long.

This made the kind and law-abiding faction in the government hate those corrupt officials with a passion.

It was this group of people who ruined their reputation, causing many Saniwa to harbor conspiracy theories about the Time Government.

But they are truly innocent!

To be honest, most of the employees who can join the Government of Time are from the Good and Lawful camp, with a small number from the Neutral camp.

But regardless of which one it is, they genuinely care about and value those sword spirits, and are sincerely grateful for their continued battles against the Time Retrograde Army.

My lord, I'm innocent! My lord!

With this in mind, the Time Government dispatched the largest and strongest search team in its history to begin searching each household in the citadel.

Whether there are records or not, whether there are coordinates or not, every citadel I see I have to go in and search it. In the process, I eliminated quite a few trashy Saniwa and corrupted Tsukumogami.

Some innocent people were rescued, but they were emaciated and barely recognizable as humans, tormented by corrupted spirits. These were Saniwa who had completely lost their human dignity in the hands of corrupted swords.

They also rescued many sword spirits who had suffered greatly. Those who were slightly corrupted could still be saved. They were taken to have their corruption removed and then handed over to Saniwa who had good values ​​and character.

As for those swords that are beyond redemption, those that only harbor hatred towards humanity or have completely fallen into darkness and become monsters that only know how to kill, the only option is to shatter them.

Let's talk about Yu Bai's side.

These past few days, Yu Bai has been dreaming of being transported to Nobuko Sagawa's citadel again.