Both time-traveled characters ended up as villainous henchmen.

Kirito looked at the name of the longsword that occupied almost two-thirds of the information panel and suddenly felt a sense of powerlessness.

Is this sword really reliable?

"Do not doubt it, this sword is very powerful. As long as you can connect with the sword and sincerely call its name, you will gain unparalleled power."

He Nian explained earnestly.

"Do I have to call out...the full name?" Kirito seemed to realize the problem.

He Nian nodded first, then shook his head and said, "If you can't communicate with each other, then you can gain power by calling out the full name directly."

Conversely, if hearts are connected, then what name is called becomes irrelevant.

He Nian looked at Kirito, gently tapped his heart with his right hand, and then said, "Your intention at that time was the true name of the sword."

"My feelings..."

Kirito murmured to himself as he equipped himself with the longsword He Nian had given him.

This is a standard one-handed sword, but the blade is not made of metal. Instead, it is made of special crystal and constantly flashing light, giving it the feel of a futuristic sci-fi laser weapon.

It seems somewhat out of place in the Western fantasy world of SAO, which is about swords and magic.

However, considering the characteristics of He Nian's electronic virus life form, it seems quite reasonable.

Kirito swung the sword lightly a couple of times. The sword felt good in his hand, the weight was just right, and the base stats were quite good, but unfortunately there were no other affixes or effects.

"How can I connect my heart with this sword?"

Kirito sheathed his sword and looked at He Nian solemnly, asking her a question.

"You are no longer a human from the real world, but have entered the game world through the NERvGear full-dive device."

He Nian kept them in suspense for a moment, then began to explain the basic settings of SAO. After Kirito and Asuna both looked confused, she changed the subject and said, "So your current consciousness is essentially a piece of information data. Connecting with the game weapons constructed from data is actually much easier than you think."

The real challenge lies in whether they can maintain their connection after escaping SAO and returning to the real world.

The sword that He Nian traded to Kirito can record Kirito's emotional changes in detail.

If Kirito can defeat Kayaba Akihiko by relying on his own emotions to overcome the system's limitations, just like in the original work, then He Nian will be able to obtain that emotional data that breaks through the limitations.

This data could greatly accelerate his progress into the real world.

However, it remains to be seen whether Kirito, with his help, can still accomplish this.

After all, in the original story, it involved a life-or-death ordeal.

Now that we have this lifeline, our mindset is bound to be different.

Of course, these are He Nian's highest expectations for Kirito, and they are not necessarily things that must be fulfilled.

As the absolute protagonist of the Sword Art Online world, Kirito, after the intervention of He Nian's power, even though he ultimately did not manage to defeat Kayaba Akihiko by overcoming the limitations of life and death and the system as in the original work.

Based solely on the ample hints given by He Nian, Kirito will likely be able to surprise He Nian with a breakthrough in the connection between human intentions and code data.

The protagonist always manages to create miracles.

Furthermore, if Kirito were to stab Heathcliff, played by Kayaba Akihiko, into the body of this sword, He Nian would be able to obtain more core-level data and permissions from the SAO system.

In short, let Kirito do all the dirty and tiring work, while He Nian can win at mahjong just by lying down and fishing.

"Don't let outward appearances blind you; try to communicate with them using your heart."

Break free from the limitations and constraints of the rules, and infuse your strongest and purest emotions into the sword.

After saying that, He Nian told Tongren about some profound Taoist methods of cultivating the mind. As for how much Tongren could ultimately comprehend, that depended on his comprehension.

After completing the transaction, He Nian didn't linger. He removed the radiance barrier and teleported away.

"Breaking through the limitations and constraints of the rules..."

Kirito looked at the sword in his hand and murmured the words He Nian had said before leaving.

Asuna noticed that Kirito seemed somewhat delirious, and couldn't help but feel worried.

Yui, who had been silent for a long time, finally stepped forward and began to use her system privileges to analyze the special longsword that He Nian had traded to Kirito.

"How's it going, Yui? Any results?"

A moment later, Asuna looked at Yui's slightly sweaty face and asked softly.

Yui frowned slightly, shook her head gently, and said, "I can only analyze that this sword has the function of recording emotional data, but I am completely powerless when it comes to more subtle details."

Moreover, the way the data in the sword is structured is something I've never seen before, which further increases the difficulty of my analysis.

"alright."

Kirito smiled slightly, put the sword into his backpack, and said to Asuna and Yui, "Don't think about that now. Let's help Yui regain her memories first. Maybe once her memories are complete, we can successfully analyze them."

Asuna had no objection to Kirito's suggestion, and the three of them soon left the 22nd floor and headed to the starting town on the first floor.

On the other side, after leaving Kirito and the other two, He Nian changed back into his fisherman outfit, passing the time by fishing while quietly adjusting the emotional expression of his core data.

……

Time passed quickly. Although He Nian intervened, the plot did not go out of control; it just deviated from the expected course.

After Kirito and Asuna arrived at the initial town on the first floor, before they could help Yui regain her memories, they encountered Heathcliff—Kayaba Akihiko—who had also noticed the anomaly and appeared on the first floor.

Kayaba Akihiko noticed the abnormal data on Kirito, which was very similar to the special virus that had been active in the game recently, and guessed that his identity might have been exposed.

Kirito had no interest in playing riddles with Kayaba Akihiko and directly revealed his identity.

Thus, a battle between the two sides was imminent.

Yui intended to use her GM privileges to send Kirito and Asuna away, but this was completely useless to Kayaba Akihiko.

Soon after, Yui was stripped of her privileges by Kayaba Akihiko, and Asuna was also restricted from the battlefield between him and Kirito.

The one-on-one battle resumed.

This time, with He Nian's intervention, the outcome took a significant turn.

After both of Kirito's swords were broken, he quickly took out the sword that He Nian had given him. However, he did not directly call out the sword's full name. Instead, he poured all his anger into the sword and unleashed a powerful, explosive Fiery Sword.

Kayaba Akihiko sensed the unique data form presented by the sword, and a surprised smile appeared on his face.

In the final moment, he did not resist, but instead decisively took the sword strike and turned into specks of light, disappearing in front of Kirito and Asuna.

The next instant, the announcement of the game's completion resounded throughout Aincrad.

At the same time, the scenery around the small lake where He Nian was fishing quickly collapsed, turning back into data code and disappearing completely, leaving only a three-foot square lake surface.

He Nian remained unmoved, because as the surrounding scenery dissipated, a man in a white coat appeared out of thin air and slowly walked towards him.