Cross the woods into the streets of the East 6th District and then through the alleys. It seems to be a shortcut to the shortest distance, and when I ran straight through the entrance of the NPC shop and the courtyard of the private house, I saw a group of people blocking the path ahead.

Judging from the gray-green and black-iron uniformity, the group of at least ten people was the men and horses of the [army].

When Sasha, who rushed into the alley without hesitation, stopped, noticing that her army players were also turning back, a malicious smile appeared on her face.

"Oh! The nanny is here! ”

“…… Let the kids go! ”

Sasha said in a stiff, slightly trembling voice.

"Don't say it so badly. We're just teaching them some social knowledge, and we're going to let them go right away. ”

"That's right, it's the duty of citizens to pay taxes after all!"

Then the man let out a shrill laugh that made Sasha's clenched fists tremble slightly.

"Silver! Cain! Minay! Are you there? ”

Sasha shouted to the other side of the men, and immediately the girl's frightened voice was heard:

"Teacher! Teacher...... Help us! ”

"Don't worry about the money, it's okay to give it all to them!"

"Teacher...... Useless ......"

This time, it was a teenager's voice that seemed to be squeezed out.

"Giggle-hee."

One of the men, blocking the road, let out a spasmodic laugh.

"That's because you're owing too much tax...... It's not enough to just hand over the money! ”

"That's right, it's not okay not to hand over the equipment, plus all the armor...... No one is missing! ”

Seeing the men's mean smiles, Asuna instantly sensed what was going on in the alley. This group of [tax collection teams] is probably demanding that the children, including the young girl, even remove all their clothes. This caused an almost murderous anger to appear in Asuna's heart.

Sasha seemed to have expected this, and leaned over with the momentum of not directly beating the men.

"Immediately...... Get out of the way from there! Otherwise......"

"Otherwise, what does the nanny teacher want? Are you going to pay the taxes on their behalf? ”

I didn't see any intention of the giggling men moving at all.

In towns, i.e., in the protective circles of the street districts, programs called crime control orders are in operation at all times, so it is impossible to do things like hurt other players or simply move them.

But on the other hand, it is impossible to eliminate players who obstruct the movement, and it also causes vicious harassment such as [barriers] that block the passage and block people, or even [encirclement] that directly surrounds each other with several people, making people unable to move a single step.

However, this can only be done if you are moving on the ground. A black-gray figure rushed forward.

The figure casually stepped on the ground. , easily flew over the heads of Sasha and the members of the army, who looked up with surprised expressions, and landed in the open space surrounded by the wall.

Raised his eyebrows slightly, and looked at the soldiers with sharp eyes.

"You scumbags, know how to do it in moderation. Otherwise, I don't know how I'm going to die one day. ”

Several men on the scene showed shocked expressions on their faces, and they were also cold when they were stared at by Zhang Yusenran, and they took a few steps back.

In the corner of the clearing, two teenagers, who appeared to be less than fifteen years old, and a young girl, leaned against each other, standing stiffly in place. All the armor has been removed, and he is wearing only thin underwear.

"Beasts...... If only ...... outside the city"

Zhang Yu clenched his hands into fists and looked at the animals he called the army with a murderous gaze that was cold enough to freeze people.

Asuna bit her lip, walked over to the children, and smiled.

"It's all right, let's put the gear back on."

The surprised teenagers immediately nodded vigorously, and then hurriedly picked up the equipment at their feet and began to operate the window.

"Hey...... Hey, hey, hey! ”

At this time, one of the army players who came back to his senses remembered that this was his own territory, and shouted at Zhang Yu Asuna who didn't know whether he was alive or dead.

"Who are you? Want to get in the way of the Army's mission? ”

"Wait."

A man who was armed one rank higher than the others stepped in to stop him, and it seemed that he should be the captain. He also said to them in an arrogant tone.

"Although I haven't met you, do you know what it means to be a representative of hostility to the PLA? Would I like to take you to the headquarters for a good talk? ”

The captain's squinting eyes had a ferocious glow. He pulled out the huge broadsword from his waist and made a deliberate movement, making the blade clap in his hand and walked over.

The surface of the knife reflects the low setting sun, giving off a twinkle of light. It was a clear sheen peculiar to weapons that had never been damaged or repaired.

"Or do you want to go [outside the circle] and go outside the circle? Huh? ”

The moment I heard this, I heard it.

Asuna's clenched teeth rattled. Although she thought in her heart that it was best to solve the matter steadily, when she saw the young man and girl who were trembling because of the bad uncle, her anger was already broken.

Just when Zhang Yudu showed a comfortable smile and wanted to say that it was exactly what I wanted.

“…… Jade, Yui will be taken care of by you. ”

Zhang Yu was stunned and was forced to take Yui from Asuna's hand, and the killing intent in his heart was helplessly extinguished. He squinted slightly at the group of army members.

"The army, it seems, is the guild of the Tooth King. He provoked me before, and now he does this kind of thing. This disgusting thing seemed to make him remember ......"

Asuna threw the thin sword that materialized at her waist with one hand. She caught and unsheathed her sword, then walked briskly towards the captain.

"Oh...... Oh......?"

Asuna suddenly stabbed with all her strength into the face of the man whose mouth was half-open and who still couldn't figure out what was going on.

The surroundings were instantly dyed with purple flashes, followed by an explosion-like impact. The man's stiff face instantly leaned back, and he just opened his eyes wide and fell to the ground on the spot.

"If you want to fight like this, you don't need to go to the training area."

Asuna walked up to the man and waved her right hand again. Then there was a flash, a loud bang. The captain's body rolled backwards as if it were bouncing off.

"Don't worry, your health won't decrease. But on the other hand, I'm going to keep going. ”

Looking up at Asuna, who was approaching with a determined step, the captain's lips trembled as if he had finally understood her intentions.

Attacking a player with a weapon in the Crime Prevention Circle will prevent damage from being thwarted by a transparent barrier during the mission. However, there is also a hidden implication of this rule, which is that the attacker does not have to worry about being marked as a perpetrator.

[Circle Battle] is built on this point, and is usually used for simulated battles during training. However, as the attacker's stats and skills increase, the system color glow and impact sound effects when the command is activated become too intense, and it depends on the power of the sword skill.

It's not much, but knockback does happen. It's a feeling that people who aren't used to it, even if they know that their health won't decrease.

"Bah...... Stay, stop......"

The captain, who was knocked to the ground by Asuna's sword, let out a high-decibel scream.

"You ...... Don't just look from the sidelines...... Stop her. ”

The members of the army who came back to their senses because of this cry drew their weapons, and the players who were acting as a barrier in the north-south passage also ran over because they sensed the unexpected situation.

Glaring at the men in a semicircle with bright eyes that seemed to have returned to the Berserker era, Asuna galloped to the ground without saying a word, and then slashed towards the front of the group.

The next moment, a series of loud noises and screams filled the small clearing.

After about three minutes.

Asuna, who had calmed down, stopped and lowered her rapier. Only a few of the players left in the army collapsed to the ground, and the rest abandoned the captain and fled.

"Hoo ......"

Taking a breath, he retracted his sword into its sheath and turned around—and saw Sasha and the church children dumbfounded.

"Ah......h

Asuna held her breath and took a step back. Thinking that she might frighten the children with her angry appearance, she lowered her head in frustration.

However, the red-haired thorny iron-headed boy who was in charge of taking the lead every time suddenly screamed excitedly.

"That's amazing...... Big sister is really amazing! It's the first time I've seen it! ”

"Didn't I say that this big sister is so strong?"

Zhang Yu also walked over with a smile. He held Yui in his left hand and clenched his right hand into a fist. Just now, a few illiterate people ran to harass him, and after two or three clicks, he was solved and called the monster scared away.

“…… Hey, hey, hey. ”

Asuna laughed as if she didn't know how to react, and the children all cheered and rushed over. Sasha also clasped her hands in front of her chest, and her eyes showed a tearful expression of crying and laughing.

That's when it happened.

"Everybody...... Everyone's hearts ......"

There was a small but clear sound. Asuna immediately picked up her head. Yui, who woke up in Zhang Yu's arms for some time, looked into the air and stretched out her right hand.

Asuna hurriedly looked in that direction, but there was nothing.

"Everyone's heart...... ...... all."

"Yui! What's wrong with you, Yui! ”

Hearing Asuna's voice, Yui blinked two or three times before revealing a frightened expression. Zhang Yu also held Yui's small hand tightly and stared at her pretty face.

"Do you feel everyone's mental state? Yui ......"

"Yui...... Do you remember anything?"

“…… I...... I ......"

She frowned and bowed her head.

"I ...... Didn't stay here...... Always ...... A ...... alone Stay in a very dark place......"

As if remembering something, Yui frowned and bit her lip. And then, suddenly—

"Wow...... Yes...... Ahhh ”

Her face lifted up, and her tiny throat let out a high-pitched scream.

“……！”

The rustling murmur heard for the first time in SAO rang in Asuna's ears. The next moment, all parts of Yui's stiff body began to shake violently as if they were about to disintegrate.

"Knot...... Yui ......! ”

Asuna screamed as well, and hugged Yui's body tightly with both hands.

"Mom...... I'm so scared...... Mom......! ”

Asuna took Yui, who was screaming slightly, from Zhang Yu's hand and hugged her tightly into her arms. It wasn't until a few seconds later that the strange phenomenon disappeared and Yui's stiff body relaxed.

"Yui...... You're relieved in no time......"

Zhang Yu lowered his head and muttered, his voice flowing low through a silent clearing.