Rosalia/Synopsis

## Biography

### Background

Not much is known about Rosalia, other than the fact that she seems to have studied psychology at some point.

### Aincrad Arc

#### Pre-Episode 4

On November 6, 2022, Rosalia got her hands on a NerveGear and a copy of Sword Art Online, a VRMMO set in a multifloored castle in the sky called Aincrad. She logged into SAO and was trapped in the game along with 10,000 other players.

She eventually formed a Guild named Titan's Hand, with her as the leader, and together they robbed players out of high valued items, occasionally killing them, becoming one of the most feared Guilds on the lower Floors. In order to hide her identity, and to find possible targets, Rosalia joined different Partys to make it seem like she wasn't part of any Guilds, before leading them into an ambush, thus keeping her Cursor green.

#### Episode 4

On February 23, 2024, Rosalia formed a party with a girl named Silica and three boys and they raided the Lost Forest on Floor 35. At some point during the raid, Silica got into an argument with Rosalia, as she demanded Silica to give up her pet Dragon, Pina, so she can turn them into a pair of leather pants. Silica adamantly refuses, despite the other Party members' eagerness to see Rosalia wearing them, to which Rosalia offers to make Silica a pair too. Horrified by Rosalia's compromise, Silica decides to leave the Party, stating that she'll form her own, which will just consist of Pina and herself.

Hours later, Rosalia is in the town of Mishe where she reunites with Silica, who is with another player named Kirito and isn't pleased to see Rosalia again. Noticing that she doesn't have her pet anymore, Rosalia asks Silica what happened to Pina, to which Silica informs her that they died. Rosalia then asks if Silica was able to make some pants out of Pina's remains, which Silica adamantly denies. Rosalia is disappointed that Silica wasted the opportunity, something Kirito agrees with, as Dragon leather is surprisingly comfortable.

Unamused by Kirito's comment, Silica proclaims that she'll revive Pina no matter what. Rosalia's attention then focusses on Kirito, commenting how nice it is that Silica found someone on her level, a statement that enrages Kirito. Rosalia then comments on Kirito's "tough guy" persona, calling it "cute" and sarcastically commenting on how convincing it is, all with an overly sweet tone. Rosalia then deduces that Kirito and Silica were heading to the Hill of Memories on Floor 47, as it has an item called the Pneuma Flower that can receive pets, stating that the two will have no problem clearing it together. Silica tries to explain that Kirito isn't joining her, but Kirito cuts her off, stating that "[they]'ve got a hamster to save". Silica is overjoyed that Kirito changed his mind, proclaiming that "Operation: Save Pina is go", as Rosalia watches them leave with a smile on her face.

Rosalia summoned her Guild to Floor 47 and waited for Kirito and Silica to acquire the item, hiding behind the trees near the exit of the Dungeon to ambush them. However, when Kirito and Silica exit the Dungeon, Kirito stops Silica from going any further. He starts monologuing that the tree Rosalia is behind must be the "fabled Word Tree of Gamagorath", but he soon gets bored and asks her to come out. Rosalia emerges, commenting that Kirito's Detection Skill must be quite high to have sensed her presence. Greeting her, Kirito tries to mock Rosalia by mimicking her overly cheery persona, but gets annoyed with it rather quickly, asking how Rosalia can keep it up all day. Rosalia is impressed that Kirito managed to see through her act, revealing that she is the leader of Titan's Hand. However, Kirito says he's never heard of her Guild, stating that he thought she was a member of Laughing Coffin. Rosalia tries to save face by declaring that they are one of the most feared Guilds the lower Floors, but Kirito states that means they're only intimidating to players that think Slimes are terrifying, which includes Silica.

Rosalia is unaffected by Kirito's sharp tongue, stating that it's just a distraction to hide the fact that he is a sad, lonely boy with no one who loves him. Rosalia proves this by revealing that she figured out that Kirito knew about her plans, and only helped Silica to use her as bait to lure Rosalia and her Guild out. Silica denies this allegation, stating that Kirito would never do that, only for Kirito to confirm that's exactly what he did, much to Silica's shock. Rosalia then belittles Kirito, pointing out how he's hiding behind the persona of the "invincible warrior" he can never be in reality, stating that getting trapped in SAO must've been the best thing that's ever happened to him. She finally concludes that it doesn't matter how tough he pretends to be, as it will never hide the one thing he can't escape: He sounds like a girl.

This comment sends Kirito over the edge, bursting into maniacal laughter. With Kirito reduced to such an unstable state, Rosalia confidently states that her Guild will be taking the Pneuma Flower now. Kirito doubts that Rosalia can take the item from them, which prompts Rosalia to summon her thugs out from their hiding places. Silica is surprised by how many enemies there are but states she'll back Kirito up in the fight. However, Kirito simply pats Silica on the head, telling her it's adorable that she thinks the bandits are a threat. He then tells her that the show is about to start, warning her that "the first three rows are a splash zone", before walking towards the Guild alone, laughing as he goes.

Seeing this, one of the thugs points out that Kirito thought he was going up against Laughing Coffin, yet he just brought himself and a small child, asking Rosalia if they should mess with him. Rosalia reassures her thugs, stating Kirito is all talk, and now that she's broken him, he's just a gibbering mess grasping at straws. Kirito is amused by this "theory" and allows the Guild to take the first shot. Slightly concerned, one of Rosalia's thugs tells her that he thinks this is a trap. Rosalia ignores him, stating that they're all Level 45 and outnumber Kirito, and orders them to kill him. The thugs then attack Kirito, who just stands there taking the blows.

Eventually, the thugs run out of breath and stop attacking him. Rosalia orders them to finish the job, but one of the thugs exclaims that they threw everything they had at him, yet Kirito is still standing. Kirito then explains that, while Rosalia may think she had him all figured out, there's one thing she didn't account for: He's Level 78. This means that his level is so high that his health regenerates faster than they can damaged him, meaning that their attempts to kill him are futile. Kirito then proclaims that the thugs don't have to wonder where their god is anymore, because he's right in front of them, "and he's fresh outta mercy". This causes one thug to burst into tears. Backed into a corner, Rosalia states that this only proves her point, and that Kirito's strength in the game is an illusion to cover his real weaknesses. However, Kirito attacks her midsentence, slitting her throat and fatally wounding her, telling her that he's "gettin' *real* tired of [her] first-year psych student bullshit". Unfortunately for Kirito, Rosalia gets the last laugh, telling him that this is the deepest he'll ever be in a woman, before she finally dies.

#### Legacy

Despite Rosalia's claim, Kirito would later have sex with a player named Asuna. In the heat of passion, Kirito screamed out to Rosalia, telling her to "suck it", as he was able to accomplish what Rosalia said he couldn't. However, this confused and angered Asuna, as Kirito mentioned another woman's name in bed, and she punched him.

After Kirito challenged Kayaba to a fight to the death, where if he wins Kayaba must free everyone from the game, Asuna questions why Kirito of all people would want to escape SAO. Kirito then has a flashback to when Rosalia mocked his tough guy persona and how being trapped in SAO was probably the best thing to happen to him. Kirito realizes that Rosalia was right, but he now had something he loves even more than the game that he's willing to die for.

## References

1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 Episode 4
2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 Episode 1
3. ↑ Episode 9
4. ↑ Episode 11