Episode 6

## Video

This is the sixth episode of the Aincrad Arc, and the sixth episode of Sword Art Online Abridged overall.

## Plot

On April 12, 2024, seconds after Yolko's death, Kirito looks out the window and sees a cloaked figure standing on the roof across from the hotel room. Believing them to be a suspect in Yolko's murder, Kirito jumps out the window to pursue the figure. But they manage evade capture, due to them using a Teleport Crystal to escape, and because Kirito misses the roof and falls through a window.

Kirito returns to the hotel room with the dagger used to kill Yolko and confirms the suspect got away. Asuna then insults Kirito by saying he's nowhere near as great a detective as Batman, whom she states Kirito will never be. Surprisingly infuriated by this comment, Kirito yells out "Fuck you!" and bashes his fist against the wall, before composing himself and congratulating Asuna for wounding him. Now being the only assumed traitor of his former Guild left, Schmitt starts to believe Yolko's theory that the killer is Griselda's ghost and therefore it's only a matter of time until Griselda kills him too. As Schmitt frantically panics, Asuna asks Kirito what their next move is, only to find out that Kirito has left her alone with the completely traumatized Schmitt.

Hours later, Asuna finds Kirito and chastises him for leaving her behind, but Kirito points out that it wasn't out of character for him. Asuna acknowledges this, and reluctantly gives Kirito a sandwich she made. Kirito asks Asuna how she was able to make it, given her difficulty with using her menu in the past, but before he can finish the question, Asuna threatens to stab Kirito in the eye. Terrified, Kirito shoves the sandwich into his mouth and is surprised by good it is. As the two are eating, Asuna proposes that they review what they've learned so far, only for Kirito to reveal he's already figured everything out. Furious that Kirito solved the mystery without her, Asuna stomps the ground, making Kirito drop his sandwich and it shatters. Grief-stricken by the "death" his sandwich, Kirito takes a moment of silence.

Terrified of being killed next, Schmitt goes to Griselda's grave in Cross Hill on Floor 19 and apologizes to her, stating he'll do whatever it'll take to make things right. Hearing this, a ghostly figure appears before Schmitt and asks what he's apologizing for. Terrified, believing the figure to be Griselda, Schmitt apologizes again and repeats his offer. A second figure then appears and asks the question again. Instead of confessing, Schmitt offers to kill others in order to stay alive, ranging from collecting scalps to crucifying people. Horrified by Schmitt's willingness to sacrifice others, the "ghosts" reveal to Schmitt that they are actually Kains and Yolko, who are in fact still alive. No longer concerned with Griselda for the moment, Kains asks Schmitt how many people he would've killed if they asked him to, but Schmitt dismisses the amount as unimportant.

However, as they're talking, Schmitt is stabbed with a throwing knife, which paralyzes him. Two members of Laughing Coffin then reveal themselves, with one of them holding Kains and Yolko at sword point while the one who attacked Schmitt inspects his prey. To his surprise, the Laughing Coffin member recognizes Schmitt from his YouTube channel, Piece of Schmitt Games, baffling Kains and Yolko that that's what Schmitt called his channel. The Laughing Coffin member then excitedly states that he's a huge fan of Schmitt's and reveals himself to be Johnny Black, the fan who threatened to kill Schmitt and ride his corpse like a meat toboggan. Johnny is flattered that Schmitt remembers and proceeds to introduce Schmitt to his "friends".

The Guild leader, Jeffrey, then emerges quoting Judges 15:16, stating that he's killed a thousand men with an ass' jawbone, which confuses his targets instead scaring them. This causes Johnny to break character and complain that, while "bible quoting serial killer" is a great motif, not every bible verse is as well-known or as scary as Jeffrey clearly thinks they are. Amused by his critique, Jeffrey challenges Johnny to think of a better verse than the one he just quoted. Johnny retaliates by quoting Mark 13:20, which talks about how "no flesh shall be spared", which shocks Jeffrey, making Johnny question if he's even read the bible. As Kains and Yolko watch on in confusion, Jeffrey tries to end the argument, stating that his word as Guild leader is final, but Johnny takes this opportunity to tell Jeffrey that they're religious quota might be holding the Guild back from their true potential, and that Jeffrey isn't good at it anyway. This insults Jeffrey, stating that everything he does is to the letter of "the J-Man's" teachings, and prepares to kill Schmitt, quoting an entirely fake bible verse in the process, much to Johnny's annoyance.

However, luckily for Schmitt, Jeffrey's assassination attempt is halted when he notices a horse galloping towards them, which causes Laughing Coffin to go on the defensive. At first, Kains is relieved that someone has come to rescue them, only to be disappointed when Kirito unceremoniously gets bucked off the horse. Kirito then chastises the horse for ruining his entrance, as it was almost perfect. Yolko tries and cheer him up, only for Kirito to snap back at her for patronizing him. After Kirito sends the horse on its way, Jeffrey asks Kirito what he wants, to which Kirito, in a batmanish tone, claims to be a member of "Aincrad PD" and demands Laughing Coffin to let Kains, Yolko and Schmitt go. Jeffrey refuses, as they have already been paid 50 bucks by their client.

Hearing the rather unimpressive amount of money given for the murder of three people, Kirito breaks out of character, stating that the Guild should cash in on their infamy, which Johnny completely agrees with, explaining that Jeffrey's persona always scares off the high paying customers. Kirito then suggests that Laughing Coffin should restructure their business strategy, advising them to tone down their religious theme, and spreading their appeal through ad campaigns, in a speech that shocks Kains, Yolko and Schmitt, and gives Johnny chills. Taking this advice under consideration, Jeffrey declares that the three friends are now Kirito's slaves to show his gratitude. As the Murder Guild leaves, Jeffrey quotes Ephesians 2:8 to Kirito, telling him that, "It is by grace you have been saved. Through faith... not by works". This quote impresses Johnny, only to become disappointed when Jeffrey states that Jesus told him to say it.

Though grateful for the save, Yolko asks Kirito why he came in the first place, to which Kirito tells her that he has finally solved the Safe Zone murders. Kirito reveals that Kains and Yolko had been exploiting a glitch that was unique to Floor 57, where if a player teleports while in freefall, the game's teleport animation would be replaced with the death animation, which is why Kains hung himself from a bell tower and why Yolko fell out the window. Yolko tries to justify their lies by reminding him that a ghost wouldn't obey the rules of the game, asking how he knew she was lying. Kirito explains that he didn't believe the ghost story they were telling, as he wasn't an idiot, which Kains agrees was a flaw in their plan, much to Yolko's dismay. Kirito also explains that he saw Kains use the Teleport Crystal while escaping, something a ghost wouldn't need. Having uncovered the method behind the "deaths", Kirito deduced that all of this must've been elaborate display to trick Schmitt, since he was the only remaining member who wanted to keep the item. Yolko once again tries to argue that Schmitt might've been in on it to scare Kirito off. This statement causes Kirito to burst out laughing, as Schmitt is too paranoid to be involved in a conspiracy, stating that a landmine handles pressure better than him, and would kill fewer people, an assertion that offends Schmitt. Kirito then concludes that the reason Kains and Yolko faked their deaths was because they thought Schmitt killed Griselda and were trying to scare him into confessing his guilt.

After Kirito is done unravelling the Safe Zone murders, Kains asks Kirito who he is, as this was the first time they officially met. Yolko admits she entangled Kirito in their web of lies, but when Kains asks her why she did that she couldn't think of an answer. Kirito then leaves Kains and Yolko to question Schmitt, who ask him how he could've killed Griselda for something as simple as money. Schmitt claims he had nothing to do with their friend's death, but neither Kains nor Yolko believe him. Kirito then comes out of nowhere and reveals that Schmitt is in fact not the killer, and he has solved Griselda's murder as well, much to Kains and Yolko's annoyance over how he revealed it. Kains isn't convinced that Schmitt is innocent, due to believing there weren't any other suspects, but Kirito proves otherwise, calling upon Griselda's husband, Grimlock.

Initially, Kains and Yolko are shocked to hear Grimlock's name, but the surprise wears off when he doesn't appear. After being summoned two more times, Asuna emerges with Grimlock, which annoys Kirito, as he planned out his grand reveal for Kains, Yolko and Schmitt. Asuna counters Kirito's snark by explaining that Grimlock wasn't very cooperative to meet with his former Guild mates. Kains is furious that Yolko involved yet another person, but Asuna points out that, if Yolko never friended her, they wouldn't have been able to save the three players from Laughing Coffin's attack. This makes Kains even more furious, as their plan could've been compromised, but Yolko claims she couldn't get the menu to delete her friend's list, something Kains can't believe she wasn't able do. After telling Kirito to stop laughing, due to her having similar problems, Asuna tells the two to focus on the fact that they just caught their friend's killer. Kains doubts that Grimlock is the culprit, because he was helping them catch Schmitt, but Kirito points out that it's not uncommon for killers to frame others for their crimes, a fact that makes Kains reluctantly hear Kirito out.

Kirito points out that Schmitt would have nothing to gain from Griselda's death, as the item would have been destroyed along with Griselda if he killed her. Kains argues that bandits extort items out of people all the time, but Kirito points out that Schmitt wouldn't have trusted a complete stranger with the task, nor would he have been skilled enough to defeat Griselda singlehandedly or smart enough to kill her with a sneak attack. Kains and Yolko realize that this is true, much to Schmitt's dismay. Kains then asks Schmitt why he was apologizing to Griselda in the first place if he wasn't guilty, to which Schmitt explains that, after receiving so many death threats as a game reviewer, he has "learned to just assume the position".

With Schmitt no longer a suspect, Yolko asks why Kirito suspects Grimlock, as he and Griselda were the perfect couple, but Kirito explains that's exactly what made Grimlock a major suspect. Kirito points out that, in Sword Art Online, married players have the unique ability of sharing inventory spaces, meaning Grimlock could've stolen the item at any time, and, with Griselda dead, the widower could have all the profits to himself. Grimlock only agreed to help Kains and Yolko because he hoped to cover up his crime by gathering the three of them together and hiring Laughing Coffin to kill them so they wouldn't discover the truth.

Hearing Kirito's explanation, Grimlock gets offended and suddenly interjects, saying that the item had nothing to do with why he killed Griselda. Grimlock then explains that he and Griselda were indeed a perfect couple and never had a single fight. However, their relationship changed when Griselda started becoming more independent, and became so focused on clearing the game that she forgot to make him dinner one night. Although Griselda promised to make up for it the next day, this shock to Grimlock's routine drove him to despair, believing that his wife betrayed him. Grimlock then became convinced that, in order to preserve the memory of who his wife used to be, he had to "kill the thing that took her place".

After hearing this revelation, everyone is shocked that Griselda died for such a stupid, sexist reason, even Kirito. Grimlock tries to have Kains and Schmitt back him up, but Kains tells him not to speak to them. Kirito then goes on a passionate speech about how love is something special that most people spend their whole lives looking for, and Grimlock wasted his own love over something as simple as a meal. Kirito then states that Grimlock never truly loved Griselda, he was just being possessive, before telling Grimlock that he disgusts him. Grimlock isn't fazed by this, however, and simply states that Kirito will understand what it's like to be in love someday. Before Kirito can retaliate, Asuna takes the opportunity to tell Grimlock his hat makes him look like a hipster, which makes the widower fall to his knees in despair, much to Kirito's dismay.

With Grimlock dealt with, Kains laments on the fact that they spent six months investigating only to think Schmitt was the culprit. Kains then tries to extend an olive branch to Kirito, thanking him for saving them, but Kirito ruins the moment by reminding the three friends that they're still technically his slaves, causing Kains to give up trying with Kirito. Now knowing who really killed Griselda, Kains, Yolko and Schmitt take Grimlock and start beating him to death behind a tree. As Kirito is about to move on, stating they better get back to the front lines soon, Asuna says she appreciated Kirito's speech to Grimlock, stating that it was nice to see that he has a sensitive side. Embarrassed, Kirito thinks this is her way of apologizing for not believing he was right and forgives her. Asuna explains that she is trying to have a moment, but it's being ruined by the sound of Kains, Yolko, and Schmitt beating Grimlock to death. Schmitt then apologizes for this and promptly snaps Grimlock's neck, finally avenging Griselda's murder.

With the two of them now left alone, Kirito awkwardly praises Asuna for using her friend's list to track down Yolko, stating that, since he never friends anyone, he never would have guessed where to look for Kains, Yolko, or Schmitt. Flattered, Asuna states that Kirito can treat her to breakfast as a reward for her help, since they never got to finish their meal the other day. But before they leave, Kirito and Asuna spot Griselda's ghost, who has appeared to try and thank them for solving her murder, as now her soul is finally free. Unfortunately, Kirito and Asuna are completely terrified at the sight of her, and they both run away screaming, with Kirito throwing his sword at her, causing Griselda's ghost to sigh in annoyance.

Sometime later, while the two are having breakfast back at the restaurant, Kirito suddenly realizes he almost forgot something important and hopes there is still time for it. Asuna becomes worried that they forgot something important to the case, only to have Kirito unveil a banner that reads "Kirito is Always Right Foundation! Grand Reopening!". Kirito then laughs at his joke, but he invokes the wrath of Asuna, who shoves a fork into Kirito's eye in a fit of rage.

## Cast

* **Rachel Michelle Thompson:** Yolko
* **xbubblemunkyx:** Asuna
* **YamatoSFX:** Kirito
* **KaggyFilms:** Schmitt
* **Hayabusa449:** Kains
* **Sonicring123Dubs:** Johnny Black
* **LordMegatronG1:** Jeffrey
* **KaiserNeko:** Grimlock
* **MOM0KI:** Griselda

## Music

* **Thirty Seconds to Mars:** "This Is War"
* **Sword Art Online Original Soundtrack vol.1:** "Despaired", "A Narrow Escape"
* **Bravely Default Flying Fairy Original Soundtrack:** "Under a Hollow Moon", "Strained Time"
* **Darksiders (Original Soundtrack):** "Strange Moment", "Battle with Tiamat", "Flight Path"
* **Darksiders II (Original Soundtrack):** "Demon Realm"
* **Psychonauts (Original Cinematic Score):** "Lili Kidnapped", "Rise Up Milkman"
* **Dust: An Elysian Tail Soundtrack:** "Save Point Ambiance"
* **Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney Dual Destinies (Original Soundtrack):** "Court Begins", "Cross Examination ~ Moderato 2013", "Phoenix Wright ~ Objection! 2013"
* **Persona Q: Shadow of the Labyrinth Original Soundtrack:** "Changing Me"
* **Awesomenauts Soundtrack:** "Awesomenauts Theme"
* **The Binding of Isaac Soundtrack**
* **Scott Pilgrim vs. the World: The Game (Original Videogame Soundtrack):** "Area Clear"

## Differences from the Original

The following is a list of differences *only* from this episode. To view any differences for the characters, view their pages, or if you want to see more click here.

* Kirito doesn't fail to jump onto the roof. He successfully lands on it and chases Caynz, but he teleports away before Kirito can catch him.
	+ Asuna never tells Kirito that he'll "never be Batman".
* Asuna no longer confronts Kirito at rapier point after he fails to catch Caynz.
* Kirito stating that Yolko should've been safe inside her room is skipped.
* Schmitt stating that Caynz was wearing Griselda's robe is skipped.
* Schmitt's rant about Griselda's ghost is a lot more deranged than it was in the original.
* Kirito doesn't leave Asuna alone with Schmitt.
* Asuna saying that she's starting to believe the ghost story is skipped.
* In the original, Kirito initially thinks Asuna bought the sandwich before she corrects him. In the abridged version, he realizes she made it straight away.
* Kirito doesn't figure out the mystery offscreen. He has two revelations while talking to Asuna.
	+ He figures out how Caynz and Yolko faked their deaths after dropping his sandwich.
	+ He figures out Grimlock's involvement in the restaurant after Asuna mentions the perks of being married in SAO.
* Kirito doesn't drop his sandwich because Asuna was mad he solved the mystery without her. He dropped it because he made a joke about how Asuna could get a second job selling her sandwiches, which Asuna didn't like.
* Kirito doesn't mourn the "death" of his sandwich.
* Kirito and Asuna don't head straight to Caynz, Yolko and Schmitt in the original. They first head to the restaurant, to let Caynz and Yolko deal with Schmitt on their own, before Kirito realizes they might be in danger.
	+ The conversation between Kirito and Asuna about what they would do if they got the ring is skipped.
* In the original, Yolko sneaks up on Schmitt when he gets distracted by a rabbit. In the abridged version, she suddenly appears before him.
* Schmitt thinking that Caynz is Grimlock is skipped.
* Schmitt doesn't offer to kill orphans for the "ghosts".
* Schmitt doesn't initially think that Kains and Yolko are still ghosts after they reveal themselves.
* The conversation between PoH and Johnny Black about how they should kill Caynz, Yolko and Schmitt is skipped.
* Kirito doesn't chastise the horse for ruining his entrance.
* Kirito doesn't claim to be a member of "Aincrad PD", nor does he give Laughing Coffin financial advice. He claims that there are players on the way to capture them, which scares them off.
* PoH doesn't declare that Caynz, Yolko and Schmitt are Kirito's slaves after their exchange.
* In the original, Kirito reveals how and why Caynz and Yolko faked their deaths to Asuna after he dropped his sandwich. In the abridged version, he reveals it to Kains, Yolko and Schmitt after he rescues them.
	+ Kirito's explanation of Caynz and Yolko's ruse isn't stylized like a Gameboy screen.
	+ The method Caynz and Yolko used doesn't involve exploiting a glitch. It involved disguising their teleporting in the explosions of certain items when they broke.
* Yolko doesn't try to justify her lies to Kirito or argue against his reasoning, she accepts that she and Caynz got caught.
* In the original, Schmitt did have a hand in Griselda's death. Grimlock anonymously ordered him to set a Teleport Crystal to the room she was staying in, which allowed Laughing Coffin to kill her. In the abridged version, Schmitt had no connection to Griselda's death whatsoever and was only apologizing to try and appease the ghost and save himself.
	+ Schmitt's innocence was revealed before the Laughing Coffin encounter.
	+ Kirito doesn't pretend to leave to let the former Guild mates argue before revealing Schmitt is innocent.
	+ Schmitt's innocence isn't proven by Kirito pointing out that Schmitt is too incompetent to kill Griselda.
* The part where Caynz and Yolko state that Grimlock was initially hesitant to help them is skipped.
* In the original, Grimlock is stated to have hired Laughing Coffin for both the murder of his wife and the attempted murder of his former Guild mates. In the abridged version, it's vaguely implied that Grimlock hired them to kill Kains, Yolko and Schmitt, and stated that he killed Griselda himself.
* The brief scene of Asuna capturing Grimlock is skipped.
* Kirito's speech to Caynz, Yolko and Schmitt isn't an intricate series of revelations that he had planned out, nor does it last passed Grimlock appearance, meaning Kirito doesn't get mad at Asuna for being "late".
	+ It's never stated that Asuna had trouble capturing Grimlock.
* It's never stated that part of Caynz and Yolko's plan involved them deleting their friends lists.
	+ Caynz doesn't get mad at Yolko for allowing herself to get tracked.
	+ It's never stated that the reason why Yolko was still trackable via her friends list was because she couldn't figure out how to delete it.
* Grimlock greeting his former Guild mates is skipped.
* Yolko asking Grimlock if he killed Griselda for the money is now something she asks Schmitt.
* Grimlock's motive is slightly altered to be more sexist. In the original, Grimlock was spurred on by the fact that he was afraid of dying while she seemed to be much happier in the game, and he feared that she would no longer be the woman he loved anymore. In the abridged version, he killed her because she started getting more independent and neglected to make him dinner for him at least once.
	+ The revelation that Griselda's real name was Yuuko is skipped.
* Kirito doesn't point out how stupid Grimlock's motive is.
	+ Asuna more or less gives the speech that Kirito gives, rather than pointing out that Grimlock's hat makes him look like a hipster.
	+ Grimlock doesn't crumble when Kirito and Asuna mock his hat. He crumbles when Asuna makes him realize how horrible he was.
* The part where Yolko bows to Kirito and Asuna in gratitude is skipped.
* Caynz doesn't lament on the fact that he and Yolko wasted six months chasing after the wrong suspect.
* Caynz, Yolko and Schmitt don't kill Grimlock in order to avenge Griselda.
* In the original, Asuna asks Kirito what he'd do if he discovered a hidden side to the person he loved, to which Kirito says he would consider himself lucky. In the abridged version, she says it was nice to see that Kirito has a sensitive side.
	+ Kirito doesn't thank Asuna for tracking down Caynz, Yolko and Schmitt.
* Griselda's ghost doesn't talk to Kirito and Asuna.
* Kirito and Asuna don't run away screaming from Griselda's ghost.
* The part where Asuna asks Kirito to friend her is skipped.
* Asuna doesn't stab Kirito's eye out. This comes from an earlier scene where the two are discussing the marriage system, where Kirito asks Asuna if she's ever been married before and she threatens to stab him with the fork for even asking such a question.

## Errors

* When Yolko confronts Schmitt, her mouth disappears for a frame.

## Trivia

* Originally, during Laughing Coffin's argument, Kains, Yolko and Schmitt were going to have a conversation about escaping, during which Schmitt revealed why he was offering orphan blood.
	+ An early version of the script had a line that revealed that Johnny Black was an atheist, who had still read the bible.

## References

1. ↑ Schmitt's reason
2. ↑ Johnny the atheist