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

The summer evening breeze, though carrying the last traces of heat from the day, gently caressed the pale skin, yet it also seemed to bring a subtle coolness that didn't belong to this season.

When he opened his eyes, he found himself standing in a dark alley, with light and noise intertwining to create a vivid scene not far ahead.

Under the dim lights, all kinds of small stalls are closely connected, like stars adorning the night sky, and many people dressed in kimonos come and go, making it a lively and bustling place.

What have I done to myself this time?

I remember Higekiri grabbing my clothes and bringing them with him?

Yu Bai looked around but couldn't find the tsukumogami with the milky-gold hair. Instead, he saw a katana that the tsukumogami was holding tightly in his hand.

"Higakiri?" Yu Bai hesitated, raising his katana and calling out Higekiri's name.

As if sensing Yu Bai's call, the katana emitted a low and long humming sound that echoed in the quiet alley.

"You can't leave your original body? What's the reason for that? Spacetime suppression?"

Seeing that Higekiri could only be in a state of being able to see but not speak or manifest, just like when he possessed the sword in the koto before, Yu Bai scratched his head helplessly.

Well, it seems I'll have to figure out where I am by myself for now.

"Cough~"

With a melody, Yu Bai instantly changed his outfit, now wearing the Changge school uniform, with his mustache hanging from his waist and holding Fu Jin in his arms.

Yu Bai slowly walked towards the brightly lit area, but after taking only two steps, he paused and released the power belonging to Enkidu within his body.

Although I don't know which point in time this is, improving my own strength is never a problem.

That way, no matter what happens in this unfamiliar place, you can directly defeat people with virtue and win them over.

As the power of nature was released, Yu Bai's hair began to faintly glow green. However, this time, due to the suppression of the Changge Sect's internal energy, the green color only appeared at the ends of his hair before slowly stopping.

Hmm, that's pretty good too?

"There's this hair end dyeing thing out there lately, so I might as well get my hair dyed for free," he thought helplessly, looking at his hair ends.

As Yu Bai approached step by step, he realized that he was at the foot of a mountain where a festival was being held.

Lanterns hung high, adorning the night with a dreamlike quality, while the air was filled with the aroma of food and the cheerful laughter of people.

Yu Bai's arrival was like a gentle breeze across a calm lake, instantly attracting the attention of the surrounding crowd.

Their eyes all turned to him.

Who is this person? He looks like a god.

If people are willing to buy something from my stall, then my stall will surely become more prosperous.

With that in mind, the stall owners began enthusiastically hawking their wares.

"My lord, would you like a mask? I have been making masks for over fifty years. Most of the masks circulating in the surrounding villages are my creations. Even nobles from Heian-kyo have come here seeking my expertise."

"Judging by your extraordinary bearing, could you perhaps be a noble lord who has traveled from the bustling Heian-kyo?"

An elderly stall owner, all smiles, was promoting the masks he made.

Heian Jing?

Having keenly grasped the key words, Yu Bai finally understood where he had arrived.

His gaze swept over the katana at his waist. If he remembered correctly, Higekiri was a "local specialty" of Heian-kyo, wasn't it?

Moreover... at this time, China was in the Tang Dynasty. Just thinking about that glorious and culturally prosperous dynasty, Yu Bai felt an indescribable impulse welling up in his heart, and he could hardly control his steps, rushing eastward.

He wanted to see if this Tang Dynasty was the one he had been dreaming of. He ran for an unknown amount of time, but reason eventually prevailed over impulse.

He slowly stopped running, staring at the ground with an inscrutable expression.

In fact, he knew very well that no matter how desirable the Tang Dynasty was at this moment, it was by no means the Tang Dynasty of his memory.

Every inch of land and every breath of air here is completely different from the world he knows.

I'm just... a little homesick.

A biting cold wind blew by, and the trees in the forest rustled softly.

Yu Bai suddenly realized that he had somehow ended up in a dense forest. It was dark all around, with only faint moonlight filtering through the treetops and casting dappled shadows.

"rustle."

The sound of wind rustling through the leaves could still be heard behind me, but in the quiet night, the sound seemed particularly eerie.

wrong!

A cold glint flashed in his eyes, and he instantly used his lightness skill to leave his original spot, landing steadily under a large tree not far away.

As his fingers gently caressed the strings of Fu Jin's zither, a delicate shield of plum blossom melodies (similar to Zhongli's protective shield) quietly appeared around him, protecting him within it.

He looked warily in the direction where he had been standing.

Something has appeared.

"Hungry...so hungry...it smells so good..."

A hoarse and distorted voice rang out in the night, and with it, a repulsive monster slowly entered Yu Bai's line of sight.

The monster resembled a slug, was over two meters tall, and was covered in yellowish-green slime. With each step it took, pus dripped down, emitting a suffocating stench.

Upon recognizing the owner of the voice, Yu Bai closed his eyes briefly, unable to bear looking at it any longer.

It's so ugly, it's blinding me.

"What a delicious smell... God? Let me eat you, eat you!"

The monster stared at Yu Bai with its bulging, snail-like eyes, its mouth revealing a jagged array of sharp teeth.

Okay, I admit I was genuinely shocked by how ugly it was.

Sometimes it's really helpless to be alone. If only Higekiri could show himself right now, he'd like to wash his eyes.

Seeing that Yu Bai hadn't made a sound for a long time, the monster over there couldn't hold back any longer and opened its big mouth, trying to rush towards Yu Bai.

"What kind of Tom, Dick, and Harry dares to swagger around in front of me? Die, you piece of trash!"

Yu Bai, who was already in a bad mood, was then entangled with this ugly thing.

Now this ugly thing still doesn't know its own mortality and wants to eat him, which makes Yu Bai even more irritable, and he blurts out a catchphrase that his close friend used to use.

Meanwhile, the Higekiri at Yu Bai's waist began to vibrate incessantly. The Higekiri was a sword famous for slaying demons, not to mention that this monster actually wanted to eat its master.

If he were able to reveal himself at that moment, he would have already grabbed his knife and attacked.

"Shh!"

Just as Yu Bai was about to give this ugly thing a long, uninterrupted musical performance, several flashes of light appeared simultaneously.

Before the monster could react, it had already sliced ​​through the monster's body and disappeared into the air.

"what!!!!!"

A few seconds later, pain was felt, and the slug monster, accompanied by a shrill scream, exploded instantly, scattering on the grass and turning into a puddle of pus.

"By order of my master, I shall eliminate the demons."

A deep and powerful voice rang out. Yu Bai looked in the direction of the voice and saw a handsome man slowly walking out from the shadows.

His long, black hair was tied up high, a bandage was wrapped around his forehead, and his eyebrows were like swords, giving him the image of a warrior, but he exuded a strange sense of gentleness.

He had just killed a monster, but there was little killing intent in his eyes, as if he had only done a trivial thing.

She was wearing a black and purple kimono adorned with delicate white and red patterns.

The powerful demonic energy surrounding him, along with his handsome, somewhat inhuman appearance, all told Yu Bai that the man before him was a non-human being.

However, at this moment, Yu Bai was more concerned about the man's appearance and demonic power than the katana the man was gripping tightly in his hand.

The style, the blade pattern, the blade groove—isn't it exactly the same as the Higekiri sword I wear at my waist?

Moreover, could the pattern on that man's clothes be the symbol of the Genji clan?

Upon seeing this, both the man and the sword froze in place, with Higekiri so surprised that even the buzzing sound stopped.

At this moment, the man also noticed the Higekiri at Yu Bai's waist. His expression instantly turned serious as he stared intently at Yu Bai and asked, "Who are you? Why do you have this sword?"

Yu Bai: Why does this knife look so much like my Higekiri?

Higekiri: How come this knife is exactly the same as mine?