Kazuto Kirigaya/Synopsis

## Biography

### Background

Kazuto grew up in Kawagoe, Japan, with his younger sister, Suguha. The two siblings were the best of friends and Suguha looked up to her big brother. One day, in 2014, Kazuto's grandfather decided to train him in the art of kendo in their family's dojo, with Suguha following after him. The two then trained for two years, but Kazuto never really took to the sport. In 2016, Kazuto's mother suggested that he should study coding instead of kendo, which he leapt at the chance at.

As Kazuto excelled at coding, Suguha in turn excelled at kendo. As time went on, Suguha would constantly show off how good she was at the sport, which Kazuto grew to resent. This eventually escalated until Suguha started physically and verbally abusing him. This made Kazuto feel like life was unfair, as he believed that his superior intellect should've put him on top of the power structure, so he escaped into video games, where he let out his frustrations by being sarcastic to other players, who he thought were idiots. However, this only made him feel lonely inside, but due to his inexperience with making friends he didn't know how to fix this, so he kept using his sarcastic persona in the hopes that someone would like it.

Kazuto's obsession with gaming eventually resulted in him getting a job as a beta tester. This allowed Kazuto to get a hold of the newest pieces of gaming technology, the NerveGear, and he participated in the beta test of Sword Art Online, a VRMMO set in a multifloored castle in the sky called Aincrad. In order to beta test the game, he created an avatar named Kirito, which was an abbreviation of his real name. Not much is known of what he did during the beta test, but we do know that he helped write a guidebook that would help the players navigate through the game when it was fully released. Although, he mostly filled it with dark jokes and unhelpful advice.

### Aincrad Arc

#### Episode 1

On November 6, 2022, Kazuto logged into his Kirito account to experience SAO on its launch day, excited to play the game for the first time since its beta test. However, when he arrives, he finds out that there have been some "changes" since the beta test, which includes advertisements being plastered all over the game. Kirito is disgusted by all the ads ruining the beautiful scenery and proceeds to activate the AdBlocker, only to find out that the "AdBlocker DLC" costs $29.99. Seeing this, Kirito chuckles to himself, before stating that he is "going to burn this f\*\*ker to the ground".

Later, in the West Field outside of the Floor 1 Town of Beginnings, Kirito encounters another player, who was losing a fight to a Frenzy Boar, one of the game's starter enemies. Seeing this, Kirito proceeds to pick on the player for being unable to defeat a pig. The player tries to retort this by claiming the pig is impossibly strong, calling it "the pig from hell", but Kirito proves this wrong by picking up a pebble and throwing it at the pig, instantly defeating it. Kirito then taunts the player by saying he must have come across "the most powerful weapon in the game", the "Mithril Pebble of Pig-Smiting", before proceeding to go on long improvised ramble about the pebble's alleged history, much to the other player's annoyance.

Hours later, as the sun begins to set, Kirito finally finishes his epic tale about the pebble. Having watched Kirito waste his time talking about a rock, the player correctly assumes that Kirito gets beat up a lot in real life. Kirito responds to this by telling him to shut up, stating that, "Here I have power!" Clearly touching a nerve, the other player says he better get going, as he has a pizza coming and he's planning to meet up with some friends later. The player thanks Kirito for the tutorials on pig-slaying and rocks, and it is at this point that Kirito notices that his username is BallsDeep69. Balls explains that his current avatar is just a joke character to mess around with until he gets used to the game, stating that he's going to make his real character later, which Kirito understands.

After an awkward silence between the two, Balls proceeds to log out to go eat his pizza, only to discover that he cannot find the log out button. Kirito doesn't believe him at first but finds that the log out button is missing from his menu too. Suddenly a string of maniacal laughter appears in Balls' menu, which he proceeds to read out in full, much to Kirito's annoyance. Balls then attempts to pull off his NerveGear, but Kirito tells him that's not how it works, as the NerveGear disables a player's motor functions to prevent them moving around while they play. Kirito reminds Balls of the videos of the beta testers before the feature was added, one of which had a beta tester viciously beating his roommate to death, believing he was a Troll. Kirito states that this, and other incidents, resulted in many lawsuits.

Suddenly, Kirito and Balls are teleported to the town square of the Town of Beginnings, along with all the other players. A red hexagonal warning sign then appears in the sky, followed by more hexagons surrounding it, until they cover the entire sky. Blood starts pouring out from between the hexagons, which coalesces until it forms a man in a hooded red cloak. The man introduces himself as Kayaba Akihiko, the head programmer of the game, and welcomes the players to SAO. The players then start talking amongst themselves while Kayaba struggles to get their attention. He then tries to mute their chat function, but accidentally mutes himself instead. After he realizes what happened and finally unmutes himself, Kayaba asks how many players have seen Tron. Even though Kirito had seen Tron, he doesn't respond, along with the other players, which forces Kayaba to improvise another explanation for their situation.

Kayaba announces that, much like World of Warcraft, none of the players have any choice but to play the game anymore, except Kayaba is the one who is holding them captive, not their need to "escape [their] empty f\*\*king lives". He tells the players that there is no longer any way to log out of the game, and if someone tries to log them out by removing their NerveGears in real life, something similar to the movie Scanners will happen, which, again, no one has seen. Kayaba then shows the players a clip from Scanners, in which someone's head explodes, which makes them understand. Kayaba tells the players that the only way for them to leave the game, and keep the NerveGear from "going all Gallagher on [their] grey matter", is to clear every Floor of Castle Aincrad and beat SAO.

Kayaba then comments on the amount of men playing as girls and tells the players that he has a surprise for them. All the players find a Hand Mirror in their inventory, which triggers a blinding light that converts all the players' avatars into their true appearances. Kirito and Balls comment on their real appearances, with Balls stating how young Kirito really is and Kirito stating Balls is less hairy. Balls tries to tell Kirito that his name is Klein, but Kirito doesn't believe him.

Kayaba then informs them that if they die in the game they die for real, but the crowd doesn't understand this. Kayaba attempts to explain it two more times but to no avail. Annoyed, Kayaba shows the head explosion clip from Scanners again, which causes the players to finally understand. Kayaba then proceeds to leave the players to themselves, but not before revealing that he also disabled the profanity filter. Kayaba tells the players to have fun as his body turns into smoke and disappears. After hearing everything that was said, the players are stunned to silence until one player simply states that "WE'RE FUCKED!!!"

Later, in an alleyway, Kirito asks Balls to help him take down a Mini-Boss on the way to the next town, as he needs some "cannon fodder". Shocked by Kirito's blunt request, Balls says that he's going to stay with his friends, stating that they are all as skilled as he is, so they'll have a better chance of surviving together. Kirito equivalates this to the old idiom of monkeys and typewriters, much to Balls' annoyance. Balls then states that Kirito may be the most unbearable asshole he's ever met, but he is really good at the game, so he asks Kirito to join his Guild. However, Kirito runs away crying mid-conversation, upset that Balls called him an asshole.

#### Episode 2

On December 2, 2022, in the Floor 1 town of Tolbana, Kirito takes the opportunity to test out the game's narrator feature, which tells him that 2000 players have died playing the game, either by bad luck or sheer stupidity. He mocks narrator's cliched and nonsensical dialogue, but quickly turns it off when it starts mocking him back.

Kirito then joins a strategy meeting, where the leader, Diabel, tries to cheer up the players, believing they knew how many players had died by that point. However, Diabel discovers that, not only were most of the players unaware of this fact, but they also weren't aware that they hadn't cleared the first Floor yet, nor did they know that the game has 100 Floors. Having made the situation worse, Diabel announces that they've finally found the Boss Room, and that they've been formulating strategies thanks to info from the beta testers.

However, as soon as beta testers are mentioned, a player named Kibaou becomes enraged and steps out of the crowd, much to Diabel's dismay. Kibaou proclaims that the beta testers are responsible for the death game's existence, but when Diabel asks for evidence, Kibaou claims he does need any. When the players don't believe Kibaou's claims, he switches tactics and starts chastising the beta testers for the not helping the beginners out when the death game started.

Kibaou's comments causes another player to emerge from the crowd. Kibaou asks who the player is, to which the player says he's known by many names: "Mountain Slayer", "Thunder Lion", "the Chocolate Axe", but in SAO, his name is currently Tiffany. With Kibaou both intimidated and confused by his surprisingly feminine name, Tiffany points out to the other players that the beta testers have been helping them all along, taking out the guidebook that Kirito and the other beta testers helped write. However, Tiffany is shocked to learn that none of the players have read the book, mostly out of laziness. This causes Kirito to look on in disbelief as Tiffany gives up on trying to help the other players.

With Kibaou silenced, and Tiffany defeated, Diabel brings out the guidebook, stating that, not only does the book contain tips on how to survive the game, but it also has advice on how to defeat the first Floor Boss, Illfang the Kobold Lord. Diabel then reads the passage on the Boss, which says that Illfang will switch his weapon from an axe and buckler to a talwar once his health bar turns red. However, Diabel stops reading when he realizes that the guide is full of non-helpful info, which involves sacrificing annoying players, with one category fitting Kibaou, and culminates in a joke about the Final Solution. It is then heavily implied that Kirito wrote this part of the guide. With the guide no longer of any use, Diabel decides to form his own battle strategy for the assault team, but when he fails to do so, he asks the players for suggestions. Two players then suggest that they "group up and hit it 'til it dies", which Diabel reluctantly accepts, due to not having any better ideas, and tells everyone to group up.

Kirito then spots a hooded girl named Asuna, alone, and approaches her. When Kirito asks why she hasn't teamed up with anyone, an embarrassed Asuna admits that she doesn't know how to open the game's menu. This shocks and confuses Kirito, as the menu is required for pretty much anything in the game. Kirito asks how Asuna survived up until this point, to which she replies, "It's... been a challenge." Asuna then asks why Kirito hasn't joined anyone's group, to which he makes an arrogant remark about how inferior the other players are. However, Asuna sees through his façade and correctly guesses that no one wanted Kirito on their team, which Kirito retorts by claiming it was mutual. With everyone grouped up, Diabel tells the assault team to get plenty of rest, as they will be leaving at noon. However, after hearing complaints from most of the players, he begrudgingly delays it to 2:30pm.

The next day, after walking up the stairs to the Boss Room for five hours, most of the assault team are exhausted from the trip, as SAO bases a player's stamina on their real-life athletic abilities. Annoyed, Diabel jokingly tells the assault team to take an extra hour to regain their stamina, only to become even more annoyed when they actually take an hour.

Once they finally enter the Boss Room, the assault team is greeted by Illfang and three Sentinels. As Diabel tries to lead the charge, most of the assault team ignores the plan and starts aimlessly attacking Illfang, with one player yelling, "EVERY MAN FOR HIMSELF!!!" Diabel tries to regain control of the situation by barking orders to each Squad, but none of them listen to a single order, with one Squad stopping in the middle the fight to play Bejeweled. Annoyed, Diabel orders Kirito and Asuna to help out the other Squads, which Kirito obeys, much to Diabel's surprise. As Kirito and Asuna help Squads A and B, Asuna displays impressive fighting techniques, despite being a beginner. But just as Kirito starts to think that Asuna might be better than him, Asuna asks Kirito if gaining "XPs" means she's dying, causing Kirito to take back what he thought.

Eventually, all the Sentinels are defeated and Illfang's health goes into the red. As Illfang goes to switch weapons, Diabel decides to land the finishing blow himself, believing the other players are not skilled enough to do it. However, as Diabel prepares to attack, Kirito notices that Illfang's new weapon wasn't a talwar like the guidebook said, but a nodachi. Kirito tries to warn Diabel about the weapon change, but when Diabel asks what the difference is, Kirito goes on a long lecture about the origins of both weapons, resulting in Illfang striking Diabel down with a combo before Kirito can explain why the new weapon is dangerous. As the other players continue the fight, Kirito rushes to Diabel's side and explains that he was trying to say that a nodachi has more reach than a talwar and causes more damage. Diabel asks why he didn't say that sooner, to which Kirito says he thinks of himself as a teacher.

Kirito tries to give Diabel a Healing Potion, but Diabel rejects it, stating that he no longer has the willpower to lead the other players. Diabel laments that he had such high hopes about defeating the Boss, but now their best player is Asuna, who thinks DPS is a "some kind of sex thing", a sentiment Kirito agrees with. Diabel asks Kirito how he's able to push on despite all despair, to which Kirito explains that, after playing MMOs for so many years, he's learned to let go of all his compassion, seeing himself as a lion among sheep. Diabel tells Kirito he's so wise and wishes they had met sooner, as things might have been different. In his final moments, Diabel asks Kirito to lead the assault team and show them they can beat the game. Kirito seems to accept the offer and says that, in different circumstances, he and Diabel could've been friends, but Diabel's last words are, "I... doubt it", much to Kirito's dismay.

With Diabel now dead, Asuna rushes to Kirito's side and comes up with a strategy to knock Illfang off balance, allowing one of them to attack, repeating the process until they reach their victory. Kirito points out it's amazing how Asuna can produce such a tactical strategy, but still can't open her menu. The two then rush into battle. With it being her plan, Asuna decides to be the one dealing the damage. Kirito begrudgingly agrees and parries Illfang's attack, allowing Asuna to move in. However, she is almost killed when Illfang regains his balance quicker than expected. Luckily, Asuna manages to dodge Illgang's attack and deal some damage, but Illfang destroys Asuna's cloak in the process, revealing her face. With Asuna's close call, Kirito decides to attack, resulting in both Kirito and Asuna fighting over who gets to deal the killing blow. After much back and forth, Kirito manages to slash Illfang across the body, killing the Boss and earning himself the Coat of Midnight.

As he catches his breath, Tiffany walks up to Kirito and congratulates him on his victory, calling it a feat more impressive than the cat that learned how to play the game. Tiffany then declares that he and the other players will follow Kirito to hell itself, telling him to "address [his] people". However, despite the players cheering him on, Kirito decides not to honor Diabel's last wish and leaves his position as leader of the assault team. Kirito then arrogantly proclaims that he could've defeated Illfang himself, calling the other players incompetent teammates whose only value was absorbing damage from the Boss, despite Tiffany pleading him to stop. Kibaou tries to cut Kirito down a peg by claiming he's not better than the rest of them, but Kirito disproves him donning on his newly acquired coat, signifying his status as a solo player.

Kirito proceeds to leave the Boss Room, but Asuna stops him halfway up the stairs, asking for half of the coat. This confuses Kirito, but Asuna points out that she did half the work during the fight and therefore deserves half the coat. After much arguing about the logistics of such a request, Kirito decides to "disolve" their Party. Asuna warns Kirito that, if he doesn't give her half the coat, she will make his life a living hell. Annoyed, Kirito agrees to give Asuna the coat, but only if she sends him a trade request. When Asuna asks what a trade request is, Kirito tells her all she needs to do is open her menu, which she doesn't know how to do. Kirito then leaves, laughing maniacally, as Asuna curses him.

#### Episode 3

On April 8, 2023, in the Floor 11 town of Taft, Kirito is enjoying a drink in a tavern when he's approached by a Guild of five. The leader, Keita, says he noticed that Kirito wasn't associated with any Guilds while he was looking through Kirito's character page, which confuses Kirito, as that information was set to private. Keita then takes the opportunity and invites Kirito to join their Guild, the Moonlit Black Cats. However, Kirito repeatedly declines the offer, out of a mixture of wanting to play solo and the fact that Keita is clearly only interested in him because he's currently Level 40, as he moans with delight when he looks at Kirito's level. Not wanting to let such a high leveled player go, Keita persuades Kirito by putting on his Charisma Hat, which increases Keita's Charisma Stat by 50 points, compelling Kirito to join the Guild, much to Kirito's dismay.

With Kirito successfully swindled into joining the Guild, Keita reveals that of the most members are actually NPCs from unfinished quests: One who's looking to save his family, one who's trying to stop a bandit invasion, and the tutorial NPC, who gives overly basic, and sometimes slightly dodgy, instructions, all of whom yell reminders for their quests every four seconds. The only other player is a girl named Sachi, who suffers from lag due to her bad internet connection from "living in the boonies". Kirito then points out the fact that, if Keita has the tutorial NPC, that means he hasn't beaten the tutorial. Keita tries to play this off by saying just because he can't play the game doesn't mean he can't "play the game", but he fails to prove his point when he tries to wink by saying the word "wink". Even though Kirito wasn't happy with the situation, Sachi tries to thank him for joining their Guild. However, she lags in the middle of her sentence, which goes out of control, spreading to the other players and causing a fire in the tavern, killing four people.

Kirito quickly became a major asset to the Guild, assisting them on many adventures, such when they killed a Killer Mantis together in the Sunshine Forest on Floor 20. And as time went on, Kirito grew to "tolerate" the Guild.

On May 16, 2023, Kirito receives a message from Keita, telling him that Sachi has run away. Keita asks Kirito to track her down, explaining that he would look for her himself, but he's currently being held captive by the NPCs, who are inadvertently blocking the door. The tutorial NPC takes this opportunity to advise Keita to take a break, as he's been playing for 4608 hours. Keita yells at the NPC, as he doesn't have a choice but to play the game, after which the NPC proceeds to clip through the wall, much to Keita's annoyance. Initially, Kirito doesn't want to look for Sachi, as it's his day off, but Keita anticipated this and sends him a picture of the Charisma Hat, compelling Kirito find their lost teammate, much to his dismay.

Kirito uses his Searching Skill, which he affectionately calls "Detective Mode", and finds Sachi hiding under a bridge. Sachi is startled by Kirito's arrival, as the Searching Skill causes Kirito's eye to glow, but when he turns it off, he finds that his eyeballs are sizzling. As Kirito groans in pain, Sachi asks if that's supposed to happen. Kirito says he doesn't think so, unless the game was developed by a sadist. Sachi tries to comment on the likelihood of that possibility, given their circumstances, but Kirito shoots her down, having realized what he said.

Kirito then estimates that he has five minutes before he blacks out from the pain, so he asks Sachi why she ran away, in order to pass the time. Sachi explains that she ran away because she's afraid that her lag will get everyone she loves killed. This Kirito surprises, because for the first time in his life he can't think of a way to mock someone else's predicament. Sachi tells Kirito it's not something that needs to be mocked, to which Kirito arrogantly asks, "But then what's the point of other people if not to mock them?" Sachi then tells Kirito that his unbearable arrogance is why people think he's an asshole, a revelation that shocks him.

The two then talk throughout the night, after which Kirito realizes the error of his ways. Kirito promises Sachi that he'll be nicer and show people the compassion they deserve. Sachi then asks if they can talk about her problems now, but Kirito says that nobody cares, much to Sachi's disappointment. She then points out that Kirito hasn't blacked out from the pain yet. Kirito realizes that this is true, confidently saying that he must be tougher than he thought, but it's at this point that the pain sets in again.

On June 21, 2023, Keita announces to the Guild that they're now in debt to the game's Mafia, something that Sachi didn't even know existed. Keita explains that he told the Mafia he could duplicate a rare item in their possession, but when he discovered that the ability to duplicate items got patched out of the game, he subsequently sold it for money, which angered the Mafia. One of the NPCs takes the opportunity to remind Keita that the bandits are coming, which Keita acknowledges is ironically an apt description of their predicament. Keita then states that the Mafia's Don will pardon them once they replace the item, which only spawns in a Dungeon on Floor 27, one of the hardest Floors so far, but if they fail, the Don will have them all killed.

Keita tells the Guild not to worry, as they'll have Kirito with them, who's "practically carrying this crew". Kirito is offended by this statement, as it underplays how much work he actually does, but Sachi signals him to let it go. Keita then asks what the Guild thinks of the plan. Kirito is about to mock how stupid Keita is, but, when he sees Sachi staring at him, he keeps his thoughts to himself. With the plan set in stone, Sachi points out that Keita didn't say what he'll be doing during the mission. To which Keita, once again, uses his Charisma Hat to talk his way out of going with them, teleporting away on Taft's Teleport Gate the next day. Kirito then comments that they really need to take the hat away from Keita.

On Floor 27, after hours of searching the Dungeon, Sachi realizes that Keita didn't even tell them which item they're supposed to be looking for, much to Kirito's annoyance. One of the NPCs then discovers a hidden room with a single chest inside it. Kirito quickly realizes that the chest is a trap, but the NPC opens it anyway, having been set to auto-loot by Sachi to save time. After opening the chest, sirens blare and the door locks behind them. As Kirito voices his contempt for the situation, Sachi tries to reassure him, saying they might've won a prize. However, she is immediately proven wrong when the game spawns in a bunch of Slaughternauts and Murder-Golems. Kirito sarcastically comments on this, stating it must be his birthday. Sachi reminds Kirito that he promised to be nicer, to which Kirito frantically responds, "BABY STEPS!!!"

Trying to look on the bright side, Sachi says that they can get some Teleport Crystals from Gary, the NPC responsible for the situation, but he uses one of them to escape, taking the rest of the Crystals with him. The other two NPCs are quickly dealt with, one of whom had all the Healing Potions, leaving only Kirito and Sachi. The two try to fight their way out, but Sachi starts to lag, allowing a Golem to strike her across the back, fatally wounding her. As Kirito watches on in horror, Sachi tries to reassure him by saying, "This isn't... your fault." However, her lag causes her to repeat the last two words over and over before she finally dies, horrifically traumatizing Kirito.

The next day, Kirito returned to Keita alone and explained what happened. This caused Keita to fall into despair, and he committed suicide by jumping off the edge of Castle Aincrad, presumably out of fear of being killed by the Mafia. Since that day, Kirito started to feel a weird pain in his chest, which he didn't know the cause of, nor how to get rid of it.

On December 24, 2023, Kirito is on Floor 35, where an info broker tells him that Santa Claus is going to appear under a certain fir tree and give whoever finds him "an item that will give anyone a Merry Christmas". He then runs off to avoid paying the broker. As Kirito makes his way through the Lost Forest to retrieve the item, he comes across Balls and his Guild. When Kirito calls Balls by his username, Balls and the rest of his Guild simultaneously say, "My name is Klein." Kirito voices his confusion at this, to which Balls explains that he has corrected people so many times that his own men believe it's how he says "hello". Balls then asks what Kirito is doing in the forest, to which Kirito explains he's looking for the item to help heal a weird pain in his chest. Concerned, Balls asks what caused the pain and Kirito says he's had it ever since he watched all his Guild mates die, but denies this as the cause, since he didn't take any damage during the event. Hearing this, Balls looks dumfounded over how ignorant Kirito is.

Before Balls can explain, he and Kirito are surrounded by the Mafia. Having tracked down Kirito, one of the mobsters explains that, since Kirito is the sole survivor of the "Midnight Black Cats", the debt falls on him, sinisterly telling him that, "The Don sends his regards." In the standoff, after voicing his confusion over the situation, Balls explains to Kirito that he isn't injured, he's sad that all his friends died, something Kirito never even considered. Balls tells Kirito he's heard rumors that the mystery item might be able to resurrect players and offers to hold off the Mafia. Touched by this act of chivalry, Kirito thanks Balls, calling him by his preferred name, Klein, before running off.

Kirito then arrives at the fir tree the info broker mentioned, just as the clock strikes midnight, and the day transitions into Christmas. Kirito prepares himself to meet Santa Claus, only to find it's a fight to the death with a monstrous Boss named Nicholas the Renegade. Kirito then rushes into battle, hoping to retrieve the item and see his friends again. Eventually, Kirito defeated the Boss, only to discover that the mystery item is actually a Charisma Hat, the very item that caused all this.

Kirito returns to Klein, who has defeated the Mafia, with a look of emotional vacancy on his face, revealing what the item was. Although Kirito was unsuccessful, he thanks Klein for showing him that there's still a part of him that knows how to care about others. However, just as Klein starts getting his hopes up, Kirito says he's realized that forming connections with people only makes it hurt more when they inevitably die and announces that he has "killed" that part of him forever. He thanks Klein for "freeing [him]", going back to calling him Balls, and proceeds to leave. Balls tries to stop Kirito, heartbroken that, after everything Kirito has gone through, he still rejects humanity, and bursts into tears. He then lets Kirito go and collapses to his knees as the snow falls around them.

#### Episode 4

On February 23, 2024, Kirito was revisiting the Lost Forest when he came across a player named Silica, who was being ambushed by a pack of Drunk Apes. Kirito then jumps in and destroys the monsters, just as they were about to kill her. Stunned, Silica stared at Kirito after his rescue, to which Kirito tells her to stop, as he finds it creepy.

Coming to her senses, Silica bursts into tears, holding a feather that was on the ground. Kirito stares awkwardly at Silica before stating he better get going. Silica asks Kirito if he's going to console her, but Kirito refuses, stating that he's "not pulling the pin on that grenade". Realizing he's right, Silica apologizes to Kirito, stating that, "This isn't your fault." However, these words trigger Kirito, as they remind him of Sachi's death, compelling him to ask Silica what's wrong. Silica then goes on a long anecdote about her entire life, which lasts approximately seven hours, much to Kirito's dismay.

During her exposition dump, Kirito takes the rambling Silica to a tavern in Mishe, where he bangs his head on the table. When Silica finally reaches the end of her tale, explaining that her pet Dragon, Pina, had died, Kirito expresses his disdain for the massive dump of useless knowledge he just experienced, stating that the brain cells that could've been used to beat the game have been used to remember which crayons Silica used to eat when she was four. Annoyed, Kirito offers to tell Silica how to revive her pet if she agrees to leave him alone, only for Silica to correct him when he calls Pina a hamster. Kirito then proceeds to rant about how much he doesn't care, but Silica cuts him off, asking if he's going to help or not.

With his fury extinguished, Kirito tells Silica that there's a Dungeon on Floor 47, called the Hill of Memories, that rewards players with a special item called the Pneuma Flower, which has the ability to revive pets. Silica is overjoyed to learn that Pina can be revived, but Kirito informs her that the item won't work three days after the pet's death. Shocked by how little time they have left, she tells Kirito that they better get going, only to find out that Kirito won't be joining her on the quest.

Kirito then leaves the tavern, with Silica chasing after him. Silica tries to change Kirito's mind, stating that she'll die on her own, but Kirito reminds her that he doesn't care. As Silica continues to follow him, they run into a player named Rosalia, who Silica is acquainted with and isn't pleased to see 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, stating that the two will have no problem clearing it together. Infuriated, Kirito deduces that Rosalia is secretly a member of a dangerous Guild, assuming that it was Laughing Coffin, and came up with a plan to use Silica as bait to see if he was right. Kirito then cuts Silica off, as she was in the middle of explaining that he wasn't joining her, stating that "[they]'ve got a hamster to save". Silica is overjoyed that Kirito changed his mind, proclaiming that "Operation: Save Pina is go". The two then checked into a hotel where Kirito cried over Sachi's death.

The next day, after buying some new equipment for Silica, Kirito and Silica arrive in the Floor 47 town of Floria. Once they arrive, Kirito asks Silica if she heard anything last night. Silica denies it, claiming that she was a heavy sleeper. Kirito is relieved that Silica didn't hear him and leads her into the Dungeon. However, Silica's curiosity gets the better of her and she who Sachi was, which infuriates Kirito.

Before Silica can get an answer, however, she is attacked by a Garish Gerbera, which hangs her upside down over its mouth. In this state, Silica worries that Kirito will be able to look up her skirt, making Kirito question her priorities. Silica panics, asking Kirito what to do, to which Kirito tells her to calm down, as she has everything she needs to defeat the monster. Silica initially thinks Kirito means she has the power to believe in herself, but Kirito clarifies that he was referring to her knife and tells her to stab it. Following Kirito's commands, Silica frees herself and kills the monster. Kirito then advises Silica to stick behind him, as her level is so low it's attracting all the monsters in the Dungeon. Silica reassures Kirito that she can take care of herself. However, this is immediately disproven when Silica is attacked by another monster within seconds, much to Kirito's annoyance.

After traversing through the Dungeon, the two eventually come across a flower on a podium. Believing that they have completed their quest, Silica picks up the flower with delight. However, Kirito tells her that it's not the real flower, and they need to collect at least fifty more, which will then be traded for a gem that they need to give to an NPC, who will let them into another Dungeon, where they'll fight a series of Bosses, after which they'll be rewarded with the real flower. Silica is shocked by how complicated the quest is, which makes Kirito realize that Silica doesn't play many RPGs.

After the excruciating process, they finally acquire the item and start heading back. However, just as they exit the Dungeon, Kirito spots someone's username poking out from behind a tree and stops Silica from going any further. He starts monologuing that the tree must be the "fabled Word Tree of Gamagorath", but he soon gets bored and asks the person to come out. The player emerges and is revealed to be Rosalia, who comments 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 the bandit Guild, Titan's Hand. However, Kirito says he's never heard of her Guild. 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. However, no matter how much they attack him, Kirito's health regenerates.

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, much to Kirito's dismay. This whole scene leaves Silica fairly terrified.

Later, back in Silica's hotel room, Silica asks Kirito why he isn't feeling anything after killing Rosalia, to which Kirito explains he no longer has feelings due to going "cold turkey". Shocked, Silica asks him what's the point of living if he can't experience things like happiness, wonder or love. This causes Kirito to change his mind, realizing that, if doesn't have emotions anymore, he can't fully enjoy his revenge, which Silica takes as a pyrrhic victory. Kirito then states that Silica is a good friend and that they should go on more adventures together. However, Silica declines the offer, stating that, while she's grateful for Kirito's help, he is the worst person she's ever met. Although hurt by this, Kirito respects Silica's method of "cutting him down a peg", to which Silica states that this way of thinking is "kinda the problem".

Regardless, Silica states that everything they've gone through together will all be worth it to have Pina back. They then prepare to revive Pina, by using the flower on a feather Pina left behind. However, the game announces that the time limit to revive Pina has expired, and the feather explodes. Kirito apologizes to the devastated Silica for her loss, only for Silica to let out a bloodcurdling scream, before going on a rampage, causing mass destruction in her wake, which Kirito considers taking the news well.

#### Post-Episode 4

It's not exactly clear when, although possibly sometime before March 6, 2024, but at some point, Kirito decided to target the Mafia Boss to avenge his fallen friends. He eventually tracked him down and discovered that it was Fluffles, the cat player who was at the Illfang raid. The two then fought, which apparently resulted in Fluffles stabbing Kirito with a dagger before falling off a cliff. With Fluffles believed to be dead, the Mafia seemed to clear Kirito of his debt and replaced Fluffles with another unknown leader, as members of the Mafia are seen noticing Kirito but not attacking him.

At some point, Kirito managed to kill a monster and got one of the best swords in the game, an Elucidator. He also noticed one day that he somehow unlocked the Dual-Wield Skill in his stats, but he didn't know how it got there.

Due to his skills, Kirito would occasionally assist the assault team whenever they were fighting a Boss, where he would occasionally butt heads with Asuna, who had become the Vice-Commander of the Knights of the Blood Oath, the strongest Guild in the game, causing their relationship to sour even more. He also became friends with Tiffany, who had come around to Kirito's way of thinking about the other players and set up a a merchant shop in the Floor 50 city of Algade that profited off of the idiotic players.

Kirito also had an encounter with a player named Schmitt, a terrified and paranoid player who was afraid the haters from his YouTube channel were now going to kill him over his opinions. Schmitt apparently made quite an impression on Kirito.

#### Episode 5

On March 6, 2024, the assault team are in the Floor 56 village of Pani, discussing the raid of Sheeptar the Sheep King, which Balls says would be a really stupid Boss if it hadn't already killed seven of the players. Asuna comes up with a plan to get close enough to aggro the Boss and have their archers lead him to the nearest village, where he'll be too distracted killing the NPCs to notice their attack. Kirito disagrees with this plan, however, since some of his best friends have been NPCs, a fact that did not surprise Asuna. Before he can argue any further, Kirito hears the voice of Gary. Seeking vengeance, Kirito brutally murders Gary as the other players watch in horror, except for Asuna. This results in the assault team changing the plan.

On April 11, 2024, near the Floor 59 village of Danac, Kirito finds himself with time to kill before the Boss Raid against Sheeptar, so he takes the opportunity to level up his Alchemy Skill by eating some weird plants. This ends up making Kirito incredibly stoned and he takes a nap under a tree, completely forgetting about the raid. Later, Asuna finds Kirito under the tree and yells at him for not being at the Sheeptar raid like he was supposed to be, as five more people were killed in his absence. Despite Asuna's fury, Kirito doesn't take the matter seriously, prompting her to ask why he's so mellow. He explains what happened, which angers Asuna, because she changed her entire plan just because Kirito insisted that they shouldn't use NPCs as bait, but he didn't even show up. Kirito tells Asuna that she's too stressed out, and invites her to "lie down, relax, and watch the stars" with him, despite the fact it was 2 in the afternoon. With her not getting anywhere in his current state, Asuna wishes that Kirito would sober up soon so she could kick his teeth in.

Later that day, Kirito, now sober, wakes up and sees Asuna sleeping beside him. As he stares at her in confusion, having forgotten his entire conversation with her had happened, three members of the Mafia walk by and make suggestive comments about the two, stating they better give them some privacy. Hearing this, with an above average girl beside him and no one around to interrupt, Kirito decides to create mischief. Eventually, Asuna wakes up with ink marker whiskers on her face and sees Kirito with a satisfied look on his face. Suspecting foul play, Asuna grabs her sword and asks what he did to her. Kirito, terrified of Asuna's wrath, honestly explains that he drew cat whiskers on her face. This Asuna confuses, thinking he did something else, but when Kirito gets confused and asks what else she could've done, she gets flustered and changes the subject by asking Kirito if he wants to get something to eat.

At the restaurant, in the Floor 57 town of Martin, Kirito complains through sarcastic remarks about how poor quality the joint is. Asuna reminds Kirito isn't one to judge, seeing how he recently got high after eating random plants off the ground. Kirito points out that Asuna was even stupider for sleeping next to some "crazed drug fiend", even though said drug fiend was him. Before they can continue, the two hear a scream. Kirito jokes that their debate has ran out of time and offers Asuna consolation prizes from the "Kirito is Always Right Foundation". Asuna calls Kirito insufferable, and she and Kirito go to investigate the noise.

They arrive at the town square and find a man hanging from a bell tower with a sword in his chest begging for help. Kirito isn't shocked or worried about the man, because the town acts as a Safe Zone, meaning he won't die, and calls the man a "human piñata". Asuna then goes into the tower to cut the man down while Kirito goes to catch him. However, as Kirito makes his way into position, the man shatters with the seemingly normal death animation. Kirito doesn't believe this was real, thinking the man was part of an event or players messing with an NPC, but a player named Yolko emerges from the crowd and identifies the man as her friend Kains. She explains that they came into town to get dinner, but Kains and her got separated. Yolko then bursts into tears and is unable to explain any further. Asuna makes a snide remark about Kirito's early comment about always being right, to which Kirito says his foundation is "going through a bit of a rough patch".

Kirito and Asuna escort Yolko back to her hotel, where Asuna asks Yolko if they can ask her questions tomorrow, which she accepts. Kirito then reassures Yolko that she'll be fine since they're in a Safe Zone, realizing what he just said halfway through his sentence, and awkwardly wishes her goodnight. With Yolko safely escorted, Kirito and Asuna begin to question whether they have a killer amongst them or not. Kirito deduces that, since death happened during the dinner rush, the killer wanted Kains' death to be public, meaning that the killer wanted someone in particular to witness it. This causes Asuna to ask why Kirito cares in the first place, since Kirito is the "Crown Prince of Douchebags", and his first reaction to human suffering is usually to sit back and watch. Kirito tries to make it seem like he genuinely cares about getting Yolko closure, but Asuna sees right through this and exposes him when he can't remember what Yolko's name is. Annoyed, Kirito admits the real reason he's investigating is to prove he's right that it's impossible to die in Safe Zones. Asuna chastises Kirito for his less than noble motive, but Kirito points out she's only investigating to prove he was wrong. Having been exposed herself, Asuna tries to justify herself by stating that at least she "pretends to be nice to people", a statement that catches Kirito off guard.

For information on the sword, Kirito and Asuna go to Tiffany's shop. At first, Tiffany is glad to see Kirito, teasingly calling him his "least favorite customer" for not buying his overpriced, poor-quality merchandise, but is shocked to see Asuna come through the door. He then pulls Kirito over the counter and starts yelling at him for bringing Asuna to his shop, questioning their friendship in the process. Kirito doesn't understand what the problem is at first, but things become clear when Asuna starts talking to Tiffany in gangster slang, which makes Kirito cry tears of joy. After some mildly racist banter, Tiffany appraises the murder weapon to look at its stats, overhyping his abilities in the process. He tells the two that the sword is called Guilty Thorn, a player-made weapon made by a man named Grimlock, but finds nothing special that would make players die in Safe Zones. To see if the power is real, Kirito tries to stab himself, but is stopped by Asuna, making Kirito see how stupid that idea was. Believing the sword to be too dangerous, Asuna gives it to Tiffany, who comments how giving the black man the murder weapon is a "tale as old as time".

The next day, back in Martin, Kirito and Asuna meet Yolko in the restaurant Kirito hates and ask her if she knows Grimlock, which causes Yolko to gasp upon hearing his name. After a brief argument between Kirito and Asuna about whether Kains is dead or not, Kirito asks Yolko if Kains would have any reason to fake his death. Yolko seems to panic upon hearing this theory but relaxes when Asuna shoots the idea down. After Asuna chastises Kirito for his hollow attempt to give Yolko hope, Kirito asks, quite bluntly, why Grimlock would want to kill Kains.

Although both she and Asuna are shocked by his gruesome choice of words, Yolko explains that she, Kains and Grimlock were once part of a Guild, and Grimlock's wife, Griselda, was their leader. However, six months ago, the Guild found a rare item. Rather than fight over it, they decided to sell it and split the profits. But when Griselda went out to sell it, she was killed. Since they were the only ones to know about the item, they knew the killer had to be one of them and the Guild disbanded. When Asuna asks why Grimlock would've suspected Kains to be the culprit, Yolko explains that he, Yolko and a lancer named Schmitt voted to keep the item, meaning they were the most likely suspects of Griselda's murder, and therefore targets of Grimlock's revenge. Asuna notices that Yolko mentioned Schmitt's name with more disdain than the others, but Yolko denies this, claiming they're still good friends. Kirito then remembers that he has met Schmitt before and is less than thrilled to meet him again.

Kirito and Asuna find Schmitt and bring him to Yolko, where Asuna finds out how paranoid Schmitt can be, a fact that she isn't thrilled to learn. Schmitt rants about his predicament, referencing the most prominent threat he received, which involved chopping off his limbs, disembowelling him and riding him like a "meat toboggan", a fear that Kirito exacerbates by detailing the aftermath. Yolko reassures Schmitt that his haters aren't coming to kill him, but warns him Grimlock may be after both of them to avenge Griselda's death, which makes Schmitt even more terrified. This makes Asuna realize that bringing Schmitt to Yolko probably wasn't a good idea. However, Yolko suddenly realizes something and rises from her seat, saying Grimlock couldn't have been the killer because the attack was in a Safe Zone. Kirito is relieved that Yolko seems to be making sense at first, but she suddenly starts screaming that Griselda's ghost has come back from the dead to take bloody vengeance on all three of her potential murderers, a statement that dumbfounds both Kirito and Asuna.

As Yolko sits on the window ledge and accepts her fate, Schmitt vows to keep living for his less murderous fans. Asuna tells the two friends to calm down, ruling out the notion that a ghost is the killer, as it's impossible for a dead player to still inhabit the game. Kirito agrees with this, but makes a sarcastic remark that it was obviously an assassination by the Mermaid Mafia paid in Leprechaun gold. Asuna tells Kirito to take things seriously, but Kirito refuses, still holding onto his belief that you can't die in a Safe Zone. However, as Kirito says this, Yolko is stabbed in the back and falls out the window. Kirito then runs toward the window and witnesses Yolko hitting the ground, seeming to die with the same death animation. Having only seen her fall out the window, Asuna asks Kirito if Yolko is alright, to which he states that he "doesn't like her chances".

#### Episode 6

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, Kirito leaves the room, leaving Asuna to deal with the completely traumatized Schmitt.

Kirito then took the time to investigate on his own and discovered that Floor 57 had a unique glitch, where if a player teleports while in freefall, the game's teleport animation would be replaced with the death animation. Kirito then remembered how Kains and Yolko "died", with Kains hanging from a bell tower and Yolko falling out the window, and realizes that they were exploiting this glitch. Kirito concludes that the Safe Zone "deaths" were part of an elaborate plan to trick Schmitt into confessing that he was Griselda's killer, as he was the only other person wanted to keep the item. However, Kirito didn't believe this was the case and deduces that only person who could have stolen the item was Grimlock, as married players share inventory spaces in SAO, and therefore he would still have the ring even if Griselda died, concluding that he was the real killer.

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.

After composing himself, Kirito shares his findings with Asuna, before concluding that Grimlock might be planning to kill his former Guild mates while they're all in one place. With Kains, Yolko and Schmitt in possible danger, Asuna uses her friend's list to track down Yolko, revealing she's in Cross Hill on Floor 19. With the trio found, Kirito orders Asuna find Grimlock and bring him to Cross Hill, while Kirito goes to rescue the former Guild mates.

He acquires a horse and arrives just in time to save them from the Murder Guild, Laughing Coffin, only to be unceremoniously 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 how Kains and Yolko faked their deaths to the trio by explaining the existence of the glitch. 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. After Kirito reveals that their ruse was targeted at Schmitt, 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.

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 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 then reveals that Grimlock and Griselda had the same inventory, meaning that 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.

#### Post-Episode 6

After their encounter with Griselda's ghost, Kirito and Asuna both agreed that it "never happened". At some point, got a matching outfit for his Elucidator, and decided to get a second sword for his Dual-Wield skill.

#### Episode 7

On June 24, 2024, in the Floor 48 city of Lindas, Kirito arrives at a blacksmith shop and demands service, threatening to burn the building to the ground in thirty seconds. Just as Kirito reaches the last second, a girl named Lizbeth emerges, apologizing for making him wait, and asks how she can help him. Kirito tells Lizbeth that he wants to make a custom order, asking if the blacksmith was in. When Lizbeth informs him that she's the blacksmith, a surprised Kirito makes a rude comment about her "traditional blacksmithing hoopskirt". After Lizbeth stumbles over her retaliation, Kirito asks her to craft a sword that's equally good or better than the one he already possesses, due to throwing his other sword at Griselda's ghost. Despite the sword being an Elucidator, the "gnarliest sword you can get from a monster drop", Lizbeth presents Kirito with the best sword she's ever forged, a "bad enough sword to rescue the president" with the Lizbeth Quality Guarantee. To test the sword's durability, Kirito slashes it against his Elucidator, causing it to break in half, shocking Lizbeth. Lizbeth tries to salvage what's left of her sword, but it shatters, causing her to collapse to the floor in despair.

Kirito asks her if she's going to start crying, commenting how he can't deal with anymore crying women in his life, but to his surprise, Lizbeth springs up in a fit of rage over Kirito's actions, telling him to leave. However, Kirito reminds Lizbeth of her own quality guarantee and how poorly advertised the sword was, stating that he could've been killed if he faced an enemy with it. Kirito then tells Lizbeth that he won't spread any negative rumors about her business if she makes him the best sword in the game. Lizbeth reminds Kirito he requested a sword that was "as good or better", but Kirito tells her that the prices have gone up, calling it the "Lizbeth Quality Guarantee plus interest". Hearing this, Lizbeth reaches her boiling point and tells Kirito she'll make the best sword he's ever seen but needs an ultra-rare metal to forge it. Kirito agrees to this condition and asks where to find it. Lizbeth warns Kirito the metal is hidden within the mountains of Floor 55, guarded by an Elite Dragon, much to Kirito's boredom. Annoyed, Lizbeth tells him that he'll probably never find the item anyway, as it won't even spawn unless he's partied with a master blacksmith, only to realize that this means she'll have to go with him and finally leave the safety of her shop.

While on the Western Mountain, on Floor 55, Lizbeth complains with how cold the mountain is, with Kirito pointing out mountains are usually cold. Lizbeth tries to fire back by asking why Kirito isn't cold, to which he replies that, unlike her, he has pants on. Kirito then gives Lizbeth a coat to keep her warm, saying that, even though it's not a pair of pants, it will do the trick. Kirito then tells her to hurry up, as it'll be dark soon, making Lizbeth realize they might not get back before it gets dark.

At the top of the mountain, Lizbeth is amazed by all the beautiful crystals scattering the area and tries to venture off, causing Kirito to pull her by her hood. At first Lizbeth is mad at him, but when Kirito reminds her that they're in a Boss Room and she can't just run off ahead, Lizbeth suddenly shuts down and apologizes for her carelessness. Now on good terms, Kirito tells Lizbeth to prepare her Teleport Crystal and hide herself away while he handles the Dragon. Shocked, Lizbeth tells Kirito that he can't face the Dragon alone, but he suddenly cuts her off, screaming, "DO IT SACHI!". Realizing what he's just said, Kirito calms down, pats Lizbeth on the head, and tells her to pretend what he said didn't happen, leaving a very confused Lizbeth behind.

Suddenly, the Dragon begins to emerge, prompting Kirito to tell Lizbeth to hide behind the crystals. As Lizbeth watches Kirito face down the Dragon, she screams out to him that it's charging a breath attack. Ironically though, this ends up distracting Kirito and he gets blasted by said attack, just barely managing to deflect it. Lizbeth asks Kirito why he didn't dodge the attack, which ends up distracting him again and he gets blasted by yet another breath attack, which he also manages to deflect. Annoyed by the whole situation, Kirito decides to vent frustrations out on the Dragon and ends up his cutting off one of its arms. Amazed, Lizbeth emerges from her hiding spot, alerting the Dragon of her presence, much to Kirito's annoyance. Lizbeth doesn't see what the problem is at first but becomes very aware when the Dragon uses its wings to blow Lizbeth into a pit. Kirito then jumps in after Lizbeth and tries to shield her from the fall, yelling at her for failing to fulfil her one job.

The two then wake up at the bottom of the pit where Kirito gives Lizbeth a Healing Potion, stating that they're celebrating the fact that Lizbeth didn't manage to get them both killed, something Lizbeth agrees seems like an achievement for her. Kirito then declares the whole mission a failure and tells Lizbeth to teleport them out, only to find that the Teleport Crystals don't work. Hearing this, Kirito whines about how he's going to die cold and alone in a pit. Lizbeth tries to cheer him up by saying she's with him, only for Kirito to sarcastically remark on how the good news keeps coming. Annoyed, Lizbeth tells Kirito to focus on getting them out of the pit. Kirito then tries to run up on the wall but ends up slipping on the ice and falling back down, prompting Kayaba to play the sound effects of a Goofy cartoon. As Kirito climbs out of the hole made by him hitting the ground, he asks if Kayaba if the sound effects were necessary, to which Kayaba plays the sad trombone sound effect, much to Kirito's annoyance.

With no other options, Kirito and Lizbeth set up camp in the pit. During the night, Lizbeth remarks how exciting the day was despite their predicament, as they climbed a mountain and fought a Dragon, although Kirito points out that he fought the Dragon and the Dragon fought her at best. Lizbeth claims that she hasn't have this much fun since her Guild, making her stop in her tracks. Kirito asks why Lizbeth stays in her shop instead of hanging out with her Guild, to which Lizbeth clarifies that she *had* a Guild, making Kirito instantly realize what she meant. As Kirito goes through a mental breakdown, Lizbeth explains that about a year ago, when she started leveling up her blacksmithing, she heard about a rare ore that could speed things up. Since the ore was in a Dungeon that was too high level for her, she convinced her Guild mates to take her, saying that she would stick behind them. However, upon finding the ore, Lizbeth got too excited and ran for it, triggering a trap and causing the deaths of all her friends. As Lizbeth begins blaming herself for the downfall of her Guild, Kirito holds her hand with tears in his eyes, begging her not say another word, because he lost his Guild in similar circumstances. This shocks Lizbeth, but she agrees stop, and the two fall asleep holding hands.

In the morning, Kirito woke up and soon developed a hunch and began digging in the snow, which woke up Lizbeth. She asks Kirito why he's digging, to which Kirito reveals that he's found the rare metal they came for. Kirito hands Lizbeth the metal and reveals to her it's actually Dragon poop, causing Lizbeth to chuck it back at Kirito. After telling her that hygiene doesn't really matter in a virtual world, Kirito notices that the Dragon is flying down into the pit, much to Lizbeth's horror. However, Kirito evidently planned for this, as he grabs Lizbeth and runs up the wall to get on the Dragon, stabbing it the back with his Elucidator. The Dragon then flies out of the pit in surprise, carrying Kirito and Lizbeth along with it. However, as just as Kirito begins celebrating their victory, they're abruptly detached from the Dragon as soon as they're out of the pit, sending them sailing through the sky. While freefalling, Lizbeth gazes at the sunrise and notes that she would have never seen such a beautiful view if she stayed in her shop. She then thanks Kirito for pushing her to face her fears, as a panicking Kirito begs her to grab one of her Teleport Crystals.

Back at Lindas, Lizbeth goes to forge the one-handed long sword Kirito requested. Lizbeth prepares herself and activates the over-the-top rhythm mini game that is the game's crafting system, which Kirito is unable to see from his perspective. Upon completing the mini game, Lizbeth presents Kirito with a sword, which is the first of its kind and doesn't have a name. As he ponders on what to call it, Kirito asks how much he owes Lizbeth, to which she that he can have it for free, something that confuses Kirito. Lizbeth then tries to say something to Kirito, but she is interrupted by Asuna, who bursts through the door and hugs Lizbeth. During the hug, Asuna whispers something in Lizbeth's ear for a concerningly long time. Asuna then lets Lizbeth go, claiming to be worried for her safety. Horrified by what Asuna whispered, Lizbeth runs away crying.

Concerned, Kirito decides to follow Lizbeth to make sure she's alright. He scans the entire city from a nearby belltower and sees that she's hidden herself next to a bridge. Having found her, Kirito tells Lizbeth that he has no idea what Asuna said but guesses that it was "messed up and possibly, probably racist". After briefly distracting himself with the potential origins of Lizbeth's pink hair, Kirito tells Lizbeth that he's finally come up with a name for the sword she made him. He says that he decided to name it in memory of his adventure with Lizbeth, dubbing it "Sunlight Heart", which Lizbeth admires. However, Kirito then claims that he changed his mind and named it "The Piece of Shit... *DRAGON* Shit that is! LOL Trademark Lizbeth", followed by Lizbeth's contact info. Lizbeth asks Kirito why he would he do such a thing, to which he replies that it was in order to cement Lizbeth's legacy. Lizbeth laughs at this remark, remembering how much of an asshole Kirito is. Lizbeth then remarks that she can't believe she wanted to sleep with him, much to Kirito's shock.

#### Post-Episode 7

At some point, Kirito decided to turn the Kirito is Always Right Foundation into an actual business, going so far as to make an advert asking for donations, seemingly recorded by Balls. But the session was cut short by Asuna, who was furious that Kirito was wasting time filming the ad when there was a raid in 10 minutes, stating that she was "not gonna have another goddamn Sheeptar incident!". She then knocked Kirito out and dragged him to the raid, leaving Balls alone, realizing that Kirito wasn't coming back.

#### Episode 8

On October 17, 2024, on Floor 74, Kirito came across a Ragout Rabbit, one of the rarest monsters in the game, and killed it by throwing a knife at it, receiving its meat as a reward. As he is unable to cook the S-Class ingredient, due to his low Cooking Skill, he decides to sell it and headed to Tiffany's shop. Upon showing him the item, Tiffany is shocked to see the item and asks Kirito how he obtained such a rare ingredient. Kirito tells him how uneventful it was, much to both Tiffany and Kirito's disappointment. Tiffany then asks Kirito why he would want to sell the ingredient instead of taking the opportunity to eat it. Kirito admits that he would love to eat it, but points out that he'd need to find someone who's maxed out their Cooking Skill to prepare the meal for him.

Luckily, and to Tiffany's horror, Asuna shows up with her bodyguard Kuradeel and informs Kirito that she has maxed out her Cooking Skill. Hearing this, Kirito initially makes a sarcastic comment about how this goes against feminism, but he quickly retracts his statement when she asks him to repeat himself. As Tiffany wonders if he needs to line his doors with salt to repel Asuna, Kirito shows her the Ragout Rabbit, much to her shock. Kirito then offers Asuna half of the meal if she agrees to cook it for him. Asuna then asks if Kirito's offer is a date, which Kirito scoffs at, pointing out her "boyfriend" is standing right behind her, a statement that disgusts Asuna. Kuradeel is offended by how repulsed Asuna was at the thought of dating him, something Kirito makes worse by stating that Kuradeel looks like Voldemort got caught in a grease fire.

Jokes aside, Asuna asks for some clarification as to whether the meal is a date or not. Kirito is surprised with Asuna's seriousness, thinking she was only joking, until Asuna grabs him by the collar and sternly invites him to her place at 6 o'clock, promising that it will be a "magical evening". Kirito says yes to the invitation, remarking that Asuna's request was more like a mugging, which Asuna celebrates, although she almost immediately tries to downplay her excitement. With the matter settled, Kirito apologizes to Tiffany, as he won't be selling him the meat after all. Tiffany then asks if Kirito will let him have some of the rabbit too, to which Kirito says they'll save him a plate, but he'll just need to come to Asuna's house to get it, something that's beyond Tiffany's abilities.

Later that day, Kirito arrives at Asuna's place in the Floor 61 city of Selmburg, where he is immediately unsettled by Asuna's genuine happiness upon seeing him. When Asuna voices her confusion at this, Kirito explains that he expected to find a soundproof warehouse with a shallow grave outback but finds the calm atmosphere somehow worse. Asuna assures Kirito that she'd never do that to him, jokingly reminding him that he still has the rabbit, and leaves to change her outfit. Kirito isn't convinced by Asuna's recent behavior and decides to keep his guard up. However, as soon Asuna returns in more attractive attire his vigilant mode suddenly shuts down, as he suddenly becomes very aroused. Asuna then asks if Kirito's going to put away his sword before dinner, which Kirito initial thinks is a reference to his erection, but after realizing what she actually meant he dismisses the notion.

After Asuna cooks the Ragout Rabbit, Kirito is amazed with how beautiful the S-Class dish is and they both dine with pleasure. Asuna then thanks Kirito for the rabbit, saying she's glad they got to share the experience together. This proves to be the final straw for Kirito, however, and he asks Asuna what's going on with her. Kirito states that Asuna hasn't been the same since they saw Griselda's ghost, to which Asuna reminds him what they both agreed that event didn't happen. Regardless, Kirito points out that ever since then, Asuna seems to no longer be disgusted by Kirito like she used to be. Asuna tells Kirito to drop the subject, but he continues, eventually asking Asuna if she likes him. Asuna then immediately grabs her knife and points it at Kirito's face, causing him to drop the subject entirely.

With the drama all over, Asuna tells Kirito they should form a Party for a while, as she doesn't want anything bad to happen to him. With drama back on, Kirito asks what Asuna wants from him, causing Asuna to point the knife back in Kirito's face until he accepts the Party request. With the matter settled, Asuna calls Kirito a drama queen for making such a fuss of the situation. Kirito points out that his drama was warranted, as she stuck a knife in his face. Asuna dismisses this and reminds him that it wasn't the first time she's done that, but Kirito points out that doesn't make it better.

On October 18, 2024, in the Floor 74 city of Calmdet, a drowsy Kirito is waiting for Asuna. As Kirito comments on how early it is, Asuna suddenly appears from the Teleport Gate and accidentally falls on top of Kirito. Though initially startled by her arrival, Kirito tries to underplay the embarrassing situation by asking Asuna how she is. Unfortunately, while she's still on top of him, Kirito accidentally gropes Asuna's breast. As he realizes his mistake, Asuna smacks Kirito across town square and into a collum, finally waking him up.

Suddenly, the Teleport Gate activates again and Asuna hides behind Kirito, asking him to save her. Confused, Kirito looks to see that Asuna is running from Kuradeel. Kirito asks why Asuna needs help dealing with the half-melted troll doll, to which Asuna reveals that Kuradeel broke into her house and watched her sleep, much to Kirito's shock. Kuradeel tries to justify his actions by saying that, if Asuna is willing to let a "cretin" like Kirito into her home, then she can't be trusted to be out of his sights, inadvertently revealing that he was watching them eat. Kirito then stands up for Asuna, telling Kuradeel not to treat his superior like a child playing in traffic, as Asuna is more than capable of taking care of herself. Kuradeel is insulted Kirito's request, particularly because he called Kuradeel "Skeletor", but as soon as Kirito sees that he hit a nerve he proceeds to fire a barrage of increasingly harsher insults.

No longer willing to take Kirito's tomfoolery, Kuradeel challenges him to a duel, to prove whether Kirito is as tough as he acts. Kirito isn't intimidated though and tells Kuradeel to leave before he makes his face look any worse, which only makes Kuradeel want to fight him more. Though amused by how easy Kuradeel is to wind up, Kirito asks Asuna why she needs his help. Asuna then points out that this is the perfect opportunity to humiliate the bodyguard in front of an adoring audience, which convinces Kirito to accept. As Kuradeel prepares himself to have an epic showdown, Kayaba starts playing some circus music in the background to show how much of a clown show the duel really is. Kirito gives Kuradeel one last chance to back down, but Kuradeel refuses, wanting to teach Kirito a lesson. Sure enough, as soon as the fight begins, Kirito slices Kuradeel's sword's blade off at the hilt, destroying it before Kuradeel realizes what happened.

Having already won the fight, Kirito asks if Kuradeel's done. However, Kuradeel is not finished with Kirito, and takes out a dagger. As Kuradeel charges for a second attack, Asuna disarms Kuradeel, making him throw his dagger in the air. She then tells Kuradeel to leave before he embarrasses himself and their Guild any further. This infuriates Kuradeel, however, and he refuses to let his pride be damaged. Unfortunately, as soon as he says this, his dagger lands blade first into his head. While trying to hide an immense deal of pain, Kuradeel agrees to leave, claiming it was his choice to do so, and teleports to their base in Grandzam.

With Kuradeel gone, Asuna congratulates Kirito on their teamwork. Kirito is confused by all this and asks why Asuna didn't deal with Kuradeel herself. Asuna admits that she could've defeated Kuradeel herself, but she didn't want to deal with the potential political backlash of beating him up, plus if she did report his actions Kuradeel would've just ejected from the Guild, so she believed a standard Kirito defeat would've been more satisfying. Kirito is shocked that Asuna managed to manipulate him and used him like a tool, to which Asuna responds that she doesn't keep Kirito around for his brains, a remark that stuns Kirito. Asuna then walks off, telling Kirito not to worry about the details and promising to buy him something pretty as a reward. This snaps Kirito out of it and he runs after her, reminding Asuna that there's a person attached to his sword.

Hours later, Kirito and Asuna have cleared everything on the Floor's main Dungeon, with the exception of the Boss Room. As the two of them sit in a Safe Room, Kirito asks if they should head back to town for lunch. Asuna says that's unnecessary, however, as she brought sandwiches. This causes Kirito to proclaim that he loves Asuna, but he refuses to repeat himself when she asks. However, after Kirito takes a single bite, he says the sandwich tastes terrible, comparing it to a dog turd dipped in cool ranch, and demands an explanation. As Asuna tries to down shoot this notion, she realizes the reason the sandwich tastes so horrible is because of the Ragout Rabbit. Since it was an S-Class ingredient prepared by a maxed-out chef, it's literally the tastiest thing you could ever eat, real or otherwise, making everything else taste like garbage in comparison. Hearing this, Kirito is horrified that they've "Flowers for Algernon'd" their taste buds.

Suddenly, Balls arrives with his Guild, asking if he's interrupting something, startling Kirito and Asuna. Once he realizes it's just Balls, Kirito apologizes for their outbursts, explaining that they just got "some pretty bad medical news". Balls then jokingly asks if all of Kirito's friends have died again, which he quickly apologizes for. Seeing Kirito and Asuna together, Balls asks why the two of them are hanging out, joking asking if Kirito's planning to show Asuna his "Sword Skills", which Asuna is also very interested to hear the answer to.

Luckily, before Kirito can answer such an embarrassing question, a group of soldiers from the Aincrad Liberation Front arrive. The General tells his severely exhausted platoon to relax before introducing himself as Corvatz, a man who pretends to be a Spaniard, due to him picking up an item that punctuates his words with Spanish guitar. Corvatz states that keeps the accent up to boost morale among his men but seems unaware that it does the exact opposite. Corvatz asks if the road ahead has been cleared before proclaiming that he intends to defeat the Boss of the Floor, thus clearing it "FOR THE PEOPLE". Balls is shocked by this declaration, pointing out that Corvatz's men won't be able to fight the Boss, as they can barely stand. Corvatz dismisses him, however, saying that he's going to use his brilliant Boss clearing strategy, which has never failed to defeat a foe. Skeptical, Asuna asks how many Bosses Corvatz has defeated with it, to which Corvatz reveals that he himself hasn't defeated any yet.

Slightly concerned by this, Kirito suggests that Corvatz and his men should go home and take a nap, while someone else defeats the Boss. However, Corvatz says they're too close to back down now, and his men don't know the meaning of surrender, but one of them says they're willing to learn. Corvatz ignores his solder's pleas, however, and tells his men to stand, leading them towards the Boss Room while proclaiming that they will fight for glory. When one of his soldiers points out how contradictory this is to Corvatz's last claim, Corvatz disses him by saying, "We can fight for too things". As they watch Corvatz and his men leave, Balls begins worrying for their safety. Kirito initially refuses to help them, saying that whatever happens won't be their fault, but this comment accidentally triggers himself and he runs after them anyway. Asuna then runs after him, while Balls complains about his heavy armor slowing him down.

As the duo arrives at the Boss Room, they see that the ALF is being slaughtered by the Boss, a giant Goat Demon called the Gleam Eyes. Asuna tells the ALF to use their Teleport Crystals, only to be told that the Crystals aren't working. Kirito tells Corvatz to use his aforementioned strategy, only for it to turn out to be "Group up and hit it 'til it dies", the same strategy that was suggested to defeat Illfang, making Kirito realize that Corvatz is the guy who suggested it all those years ago. Balls then arrives just in time to see Corvatz being killed by the Gleam Eyes, whose last words are, "Do not fear, my friends. Corvatz... can never... di...". Kirito is shocked by Corvatz death and tries to cope with his usual snarky persona, prompting Balls to scold him. Kirito then has a mental breakdown, trying to deny that he cares about the ALF's fate, but as soon as the Gleam Eyes is about to take another victim, Kirito slashes it across the back with fury.

As Kirito distracts the Boss, Balls and his Guild gets the remaining ALF members out of the Boss Room to safety. During the fight, Kirito asks himself why he's helping the Guild, as they were dumb enough to follow Corvatz's idiotic orders, so he shouldn't care about what happens to them. However, Kirito then remembers Sachi's death and realizes that he does care. With a mixture of fury and determination, Kirito asks Balls and Asuna to buy him some time while he prepares something. The two do as he says, although Asuna does most of the work, as Balls gets swatted to the side by the Gleam Eyes almost immediately. Kirito then charges back into the battle, summoning the sword he got from Lizbeth along with his Elucidator, revealing his ability to Dual-Wield, much to everyone else's amazement. Kirito then has a psychotic breakdown and activates a 21-hit combo called Starburst Stream, during which he rants about his hatred for people, taking his anger out on the Gleam Eyes for making him care about them. After trading blows with the Boss, Kirito manages to defeat the Gleam Eyes, but notices that he only has one HP left. He then falls unconscious, telling the ALF they can all go die now for all he cares.

Sometime later, Kirito regains consciousness to see Asuna crying over him. She then hugs him while berating him for making her worry, something that makes Kirito flustered. Balls then takes this moment to ask Kirito to explain himself. Initially, Kirito thinks he's referring to his embarrassing rant, but Balls elaborates by asking how Kirito managed to learn the Dual-Wield Skill, since it's not even in the directory. Kirito admits he has no idea how he got the Skill, as it just appeared in his menu one day. Kirito then speculates that he acquired the Skill after facing a member of Titan's Hand who could Dual-Wield axes, but quickly dismisses the idea, as it's probably unrelated. Initially, Balls laments that Kirito now has something else to boost his ego, but quickly admits that Kirito will put the Skill to good use.

Balls then decides to leave after this victory, saying he's going to take a nap and find whatever passes for a beer on the new Floor. But before he departs, he tells Kirito not to give up on humanity just yet, having noticed Kirito that fought for the others. Kirito agrees to "take it under advisement", calling Balls by his preferred name, Klein, which makes him cry tears of joy. After Klein leaves, Kirito notices that Asuna is still holding him and tells her that, if she continues, he'll "get the wrong idea". Asuna tells Kirito to shut up and let her have this, which Kirito accepts. He does, however, ask Asuna to move a little, as his leg is falling asleep. This prompts Asuna to threaten to cut Kirito if he ruins the moment, a statement that makes Kirito happy that Asuna's back to her usual self.

#### Episode 9

On October 19, 2024, Kirito is in Tiffany's shop where he finds out that one of the ALF Soldiers he rescued was livestreaming the entire event, becoming very frustrated and embarrassed that his rant has been immortalized. As Tiffany laughs at the video, Lizbeth enters the room with a box in her hands, reassuring Kirito that none of the players care about his adorable little freak out, as they're too busy being in awe with his ability to hold two swords at the same time. As Tiffany and Lizbeth laugh at Kirito's newfound fame, Kirito asks what in the box Lizbeth's carrying, asking if it's more junk to make her next masterpiece. Lizbeth tells Kirito that it's all she could salvage from the wreckage of her shop after Asuna burned it down. Just then, as if on cue, Asuna appears to tell Kirito that the leader of her Guild wants to see him. However, before she can say it, Lizbeth freaks out upon seeing Asuna again and jumps out of a window with Tiffany, leaving Kirito alone with Asuna, who asks what Asuna was trying to say.

Asuna then takes Kirito to her Guild's headquarters, in the Floor 55 city of Grandzam, where he meets Heathcliff, the Commander of the KOB, Asuna's Guild. Before Heathcliff can explain the reason for the meeting, Kirito notices that Fluffles is also part of the Guild. Kirito then proceeds to seemingly have a conversation with the former Mob Boss, with Kirito asking how Fluffles survived his fall after their fight and Fluffles apparently explaining that he survived using a method that even Kirito didn't consider. This prompts Heathcliff to ask Asuna if Kirito can understand Fluffles or if he's messing with them, to which Asuna responds it might be both. With things apparently getting heated between Kirito and Fluffles, Heathcliff tries to stop the aggressions by saying, "You can't fight in here this is the war room", only to be disappointed when no one acknowledges/gets his reference to the movie Dr. Strangelove.

Getting back to the point, Heathcliff tells Kirito that everyone in Aincrad has seen the video of him Dual-Wielding, much to Kirito's annoyance. Heathcliff comments how amazing it is that Kirito practically defeated a Floor Boss singlehandedly, pointing out how inspiring a feat like that is, and states that it could motivate the other players to take action. With all this in mind, Heathcliff asks Kirito to join the KOB. However, Kirito declines, which catches Heathcliff off guard. Kirito tells Heathcliff that he's not interested in joining, as Guilds and him don't work well together. Fluffles seems to agree with this, causing Heathcliff to wonder why he let a cat join his council. Not wanting to take "no" for an answer, Heathcliff asks Kirito what it will take for him to join, offering to give him money, items and even Asuna, which she finds offensive. Eventually, Kirito agrees to join the Guild, but only if Heathcliff beats him in a duel, which Heathcliff of course accepts.

On October 20, 2024, in the Floor 75 city of Collinia, players from miles around flock to the colosseum to see the battle between Kirito and Heathcliff, with many fans cheering for the Dual-Wielding master. The event is even commentated by two players named Sam and Bob, with Bob hyping up the crowd with questionable comments that confuse Sam. In the arena, Kirito voices his shock at the size of the crowd, which Heathcliff says is proof that Kirito has become a beacon of hope for the players. Heathcliff then states the crowd might also be there because someone was foolish enough to challenge SAO's best player, to which Kirito reminds him that he was the one that challenged him. While shocked by Kirito's ego, Heathcliff admits he shouldn't underestimate him, before inviting him to "go ahead, make my day". Despite mocking him, Kirito acknowledges that Heathcliff isn't a force to be taken lightly and decides to strategize in his head. However, because he's so focussed on coming up with the perfect strategy to defeat Heathcliff, Kirito doesn't notice that the duel has already started, and Heathcliff knocks him down in four seconds. Naturally, the crowd are furious with how quick the fight was, particularly because Kirito didn't even fight. Even though the KOB offer the players a refund, the players start rioting over the disappointing match.

Due to his loss, Kirito is forced to join the KOB. On October 22, 2024, Asuna gives him his KOB outfight, which Kirito hates, as it makes him look like a tool. Asuna comments that at least Kirito is dressed appropriately now, to which Kirito is unable to come up with a rebuttal. Kirito is absolutely distraught that he's been forced to join a Guild yet again, causing Asuna to point out that he shouldn't've challenged Heathcliff, as he's so powerful that his heath has never gone into the yellow. Kirito claims that he would've won if Heathcliff didn't catch him off guard, but Asuna doubts they'll have a rematch anytime soon, due to their last arena getting set ablaze. Asuna then tries to cheer Kirito up, having been made aware of happened to the last Guild he joined, and tells Kirito that she won't die like "that dumb bitch Sally". Kirito tries to tell Asuna that her name was Sachi, but she tells him it doesn't matter, as she's dead now. Asuna then promises that things will be better now.

However, this is almost immediately proven wrong, as the next day, on October 23, 2024, Kirito meets Godfree, a member of the KOB who is fond of roleplaying as an overly enthusiastic knight, much to everyone else's annoyance. Godfree tells Kirito that he has been ordered by Heathcliff to train Kirito. Kirito feels that Godfree's services are unnecessary, since he went head-to-head with their Guild's leader, but Godfree points out that Kirito lost that fight. With Kirito declaring his hatred for him, Godfree tells Kirito to follow him, as they shall "avaunt for adventure and a valuable learning experience". Kirito then realizes this is what his life will be like from now on, stating that he is in hell.

Kirito then meets up with Godfree outside the base, to complete his training exercise, only to find that Godfree has brought a fellow member of their Guild, Kuradeel. Godfree explains that he heard of Kirito's and Kuradeel's "petty squabble" and decided to smooth things over between the two by taking them on a team building exercise. As Kirito voices his confusion with Godfree's word choice, as Godfree seems to be unaware that Kuradeel broke into Asuna's house, Kuradeel apologizes to Kirito for his previous actions, even bowing his head to Kirito and admitting he was out of line. Kirito is surprised by Kuradeel's new attitude and jokes that his dagger must've caused some brain damage when it dropped into his head. Godfree then tells Kirito that he should respect the elderly, as they have experience that makes up for their lack of good looks. However, Kuradeel reveals that he's only twenty-six, much to Godfree's awkwardness. Godfree then tries to clear the air by cheering the two onwards, but this only causes Kuradeel to voice his hatred of the game.

On the way to the Dungeon that Godfree has chosen for their training exercise, Godfree announces that they should take a lunch break before going any further. As Godfree divvies up the lunch, while making a not-so-subtle hint at what's to come, Kuradeel whispers under his breath that Godfree will die screaming. Kirito hears this, but before he can react, both he and Godfree are paralyzed by their poisoned water. At first, Godfree thinks this is a joke and asks Kuradeel for the antidote, but Kuradeel slashes Godfree with his sword. Kuradeel then proceeds to hack away at Godfree, remarking how annoying Godfree's roleplay persona is. With his life in danger, Godfree agrees to stop roleplaying and asks Kuradeel to put the sword down, which Kuradeel agrees to with a sinister tone. Thinking he's resolved the conflict, Godfree tries to turn the situation into a lesson for Kirito, saying there's nothing they can't accomplish when they talk out their differences. However, just as Godfree states they'll look back on this and laugh someday, Kuradeel plunges his sword down into Godfree's back, making him scream until he dies.

Kuradeel then turns his gaze to Kirito, stating that Godfree was right, as he's laughing already. Kirito asks Kuradeel if he's really going to kill two people because Kirito humiliated him, stating that it couldn't be the first time someone did so. But Kuradeel states that, while getting back at Kirito is an unexpected side benefit, he's motivated by a different reason, revealing his tattoo of the former Murder Guild, Laughing Coffin. This confuses Kirito, as he thought most of the Murder Guild were in prison. Kuradeel laments that this is true, as Laughing Coffin were stupid enough to give away the exact location of their secret base to every player in the game in an advert that was narrated by Johnny Black.

Despite this, however, Kuradeel blames Kirito for Laughing Coffin's defeat, as he was the one who inspired the Murder Guild to be more public, blinding them with the prospects of wealth and fame, and starts mutilating Kirito. However, during his rant, Kuradeel mentions that he wishes he could've met Laughing Coffin in their prime. This makes Kirito realize that Kuradeel wasn't a member of the Murder Guild, but a fanboy, and is mad at Kirito for not only causing Laughing Coffin's demise, but for making them "sell out". Despite repeatably getting stabbed by Kuradeel, Kirito declares that this is the greatest day of his life. Hearing this, Kuradeel asks Kirito not to ruin the moment, but he continues to laugh at the fanboy, saying that if he's going to die anyway, he'll make sure Kuradeel doesn't get to enjoy it.

Luckily, just as Kirito's about to die, Asuna comes to the rescue, slamming Kuradeel into a wall and restoring Kirito's health with a Healing Crystal. Though thankful for the save, Kirito asks how Asuna knew he was in trouble and how she got there so fast, to which Asuna admits that she was tailing the trio ever since they've left. Hearing this, Kirito states that he's never been so happy to be dating a stalker. With Kirito now safe, Asuna focuses her sights on Kuradeel, who staggers to his feet. At first, Kuradeel isn't concerned, as he believes Asuna's nothing more than a damsel in distress, but Asuna shows him how strong she really is, striking Kuradeel across the cheek with her sword before following it up with a flurry of sword attacks. With Kuradeel's health almost depleted, he gets on his knees and begs for mercy. At first, Asuna seems to give in to his pleas, claiming that Kuradeel isn't worth killing and that she'll let Heathcliff deal with him. However, when Kuradeel asks if she means it, she almost immediately impales him with her sword, ending the fanboy.

With the threat now over, Kirito's paralysis wears off and he manages to get up. He then thanks Asuna for saving him, stating that he didn't want the last thing he saw to be "Kuradeel's 'O face'". However, Asuna sits down next to Kirito and breaks down crying, much to Kirito's annoyance. Asuna condemns Kirito, stating that this is the second time he's almost died that week, and asks him to consider how she feels. She then whines about how she wants to almost die once in a while to make Kirito cry, before chastising herself for being "such a girl". Kirito then compares Asuna's cries to a surly drunk's, causing Asuna to state that it's Kirito's fault she feels this way. Hearing this, Kirito grabs Asuna and kisses her, establishing that they are now part of each other's lives.

Back in Asuna's place, Kirito and Asuna have dinner. Although the food still tastes like garbage, Kirito is still satisfied with how filling it is. Kirito then asks if it's okay for him to be over so late, to which Asuna asks, "Why wouldn't it be?". As Kirito starts rambling about the "dubious implications" of the situation, he notices that Asuna has stripped down to nothing but her underwear and invites him to have sex, which Kirito wholeheartedly accepts. As Kirito and Asuna climax, Kirito screams out to Rosalia and tells her to suck it, as he was able to accomplish the one thing Rosalia said he'd never do. However, Asuna is confused by this outburst and is infuriated that Kirito called out another woman's name in bed. Before Kirito can explain himself, however, Asuna charges an attack and punches him in the face.

#### Episode 10

After Kirito and Asuna have finished their night of passion, Asuna compliments Kirito on how good he was in bed. However, Kirito makes a snide comment about how he's glad Asuna enjoyed it, as he's still sulking about Asuna punching him for mentioning Rosalia. When Asuna calls him out on this, however, he suddenly becomes submissive, telling Asuna to fix him, which slightly ruins the mood for Asuna. Seeing her disappointment, Kirito begins to have an internal conflict, judging his every move after being with Asuna, but reassures himself that he can handle things from now on. However, when Asuna asks Kirito what they should do now, Kirito panics, as all the knowledge he's learned from dating sims has run out. Kirito then convinces himself to say whatever pops in his head, but he instantly regrets it when this turns out to be proposing to Asuna. Before he can back out of it, however, Asuna surprisingly says yes to Kirito's proposal. Though horrified by what he's done, Kirito's slightly relieved that Asuna seems happy with the situation.

On October 24, 2024, after the two get married, Heathcliff summons the two to their base in Grandzam. After congratulating the two on their marriage, causing them to ramble about how "happy" they are, Heathcliff informs Kirito and Asuna that the situation in Collinia has gotten worse. He explains that, after running out of things to burn, the rioters have reverted to a primitive tribalistic society, with one player known as "the King of Ashes" rising up as their leader. He also explains that Fluffles has betrayed the KOB and joined forces with the Bandit King, which Heathcliff himself admits he probably should've seen coming.

Heathcliff says that, since the King and his forces are blocking further progress in the game, he's going to try and negotiate a truce at an upcoming peace talk. Kirito assumes that Heathcliff wants him to come to the negotiations, to help break the ice, but Heathcliff instead explains that he wants to hide Kirito under the biggest rock he can find, afraid that Kirito might "piss people off and kill thousands". Asuna agrees with this, much to Kirito's shock, and tries to convince Kirito that it's for the good of the players. However, she doesn't keep this sentiment when Heathcliff assigns Asuna to guard Kirito, to make sure he doesn't try to attend the summit. Trying to calm the two down, Heathcliff explains that he's prepared a cabin for them on Floor 22, which is surrounded by the Floor's beautiful forest and has a view of the Floor's lake, presenting it as their honeymoon. Hearing this, the two frantically accept the offer, trying to hide their distain at the idea of being alone together in their current situation. Heathcliff, ignorant of their suffering, comments that he envies the two's young love.

On October 25, 2024, Kirito and Asuna arrive in the Floor 22 village of Coral to begin their "honeymoon". Upon arriving at their cabin, Asuna is amazed by the beautiful view from their cabin. Asuna then relaxes, saying they might actually enjoy their time away from the Guild, a sentiment Kirito agrees with. However, as they're enjoying the scenery, Kirito asks Asuna if she thinks their marriage was a mistake. Upon hearing this, Asuna frantically becomes offended, asking if Kirito wants to be married to her and questioning his love for her, causing Kirito to become trapped in a logic loop. Asuna then kisses Kirito to resolve their problems, with both of them muffling that they don't regret getting married, but their kissing soon turn to crying over how deep the hole they've dug for themselves is.

On October 31, 2024, Kirito is woken up by Asuna screaming. Kirito initially mistakes this as one of Asuna's "night terrors", but when she yells at Kirito to come see what she's screaming at, he is surprised to see a little girl in Asuna's bed. Kirito asks the girl how she got in their house, but the girl claims she doesn't remember. Asuna is immediately hostile to the girl, threating to take her to court, prompting Kirito to play good cop. He asks the girl what her name is, which the girl manages to remember is Yui. Kirito compliments Yui's name, but quickly tries to find out where they can dump her. With no memory of where she came from, Yui asks if Kirito and Asuna are her parents. At first, Asuna tries to turn her down, but she suddenly gets an idea and claims that they are her parents, which confuses Kirito and makes Yui happy. Kirito internally catches on that Asuna didn't want to get married either but doesn't want to be the one to admit it, and is using Yui as a tool to get Kirito to say it first. Rather than let Asuna have this over him, Kirito decides to both play and beat Asuna at her own game, and welcomes Yui with open arms. Yui then proclaims that she loves her parents, which Asuna tries to reciprocate, but she nearly forgets Yui's name in the process.

The three spend time together as a family, with Kirito reading a newspaper talking about how the peace talk Heathcliff went to broke down, leaving him tapped behind enemy lines. Yui then asks Kirito to read the newspaper when he's done, as she's curious about the geopolitical situation in Collinia. Kirito and Asuna are shocked by Yui's extremely high intelligence, as she seems know what a "geopolitical situation" even is. Kirito asks where she learned the term, which Yui tries to brush off by saying she must have learned it from "books". Nevertheless, Kirito is impressed that they have such a smart kid as a daughter, and tries to provoke Asuna with this fact, subtly telling her that he knows what she's doing and is calling her bluff.

Eventually, after Yui falls asleep, Asuna, in an attempt to make Kirito fold, pretends to show pity for Yui, stating that they don't know what happened to her real parents, who must be worried sick looking for her. Already seeing through this ploy, Kirito plays along and agrees to help reunite Yui with her family, stating that it would be irresponsible to keep lying to her.

However, this plan gets thrown out the window almost immediately when Kirito points out that Asuna "blinked first". As a result, Kirito and Asuna, instead of finding Yui's parents, go to an orphanage in the Town of Beginnings to "buy" another child to keep Yui company. Sasha, the owner and founder of the orphanage, tries to explain that they can't just "buy" a child, especially since all the children have parents in the real world. But she soon realizes that neither Kirito or Asuna are listening to what she's saying, and they keep escalating their requests for more children to the point that they end up "buying" the orphanage.

Just then, a member of the ALF named Yulier arrives at the orphanage, asking for the assistance of Kirito and Asuna. At first, Sasha welcomes Yulier, but Kirito steals her thunder, telling Yulier that he and Asuna are the new owners. Though caught off guard by Kirito's claim, Sasha tries to be hospitable for the new unexpected guest by making some tea and leads everyone into a meeting room. Yulier compliments Kirito on his orphanage, to which Sasha tries to explain that Kirito and Asuna don't actually own it, but the two keep interrupting her, ignoring her and claiming her accomplishments as their own.

Asuna then asks Yulier why she needs their help, to which Yulier explains to the new orphanage owners that the ALF is experiencing a bloodthirsty power struggle, having been thrown into infighting after a series of devastating losses. As a result, Kibaou has been amassing power at a frightening pace. Kirito remembers Kibaou and is shocked that he was able to gain so much influence, which Yulier completely agrees with, stating that he has as much unbridled charisma as a Chipotle Enema. Luckily, Yulier explains that, while most weren't strong enough to face Kibaou, a player named as Thinker bravely stood up to his tyranny and pleaded for an end to the fighting. However, her tales of Thinker's exploits are slightly undermined by the fact that Yulier is clearly sexually attracted to him, as she keeps slipping her perverted ramblings into her sentences. Unfortunately, while it seemed like Thinker was getting through to the tyrant, Kibaou lured Thinker into a Secret Dungeon on Floor 1, claiming that he wanted to have a peace talk, and left him to die. Asuna asks why he doesn't just use a Teleport Crystal to get out, to which Yulier explains that Kibaou told Thinker not to bring any weapons or items, a fact that dumbfounds Kirito and Asuna.

While Yulier thinks it's ironic that Kibaou betrayed Thinker's trust, Yui says the betrayal was completely expected, as Thinker, contrary to what his name suggests, seems to be more of a dullard and too gullible to see the double-cross coming. Kirito and Asuna are impressed by Yui's verbal takedown of Thinker, with Kirito saying he wishes he had a little microphone for her to drop. Yulier is offended by Yui's words, however, stating that Thinker is the greatest, most intelligent man she has ever known, only for Yui to point out that says more about Yulier than it does about Thinker. This prompts Yulier to challenge Yui to fight, stating that she doesn't care that she's a child, but she backs down almost immediately when Asuna threatens to kill Thinker. Yulier then asks if Kirito and Asuna will help her, but Kirito refuses, agreeing with Yui that Thinker should've seen this coming. Kirito then points out that Thinker should be fine, since it's the Dungeon's on the first Floor, and states that even a player like Sasha, who he refers to as "Freckles", could handle it. This comment causes Sasha to snap, having been ignored this entire time. She then points out that none of them even knew her name, before throwing the table in a fit of pure rage. What happens next is unknown, though it's likely that Sasha kicked them out.

With nothing better to do, Kirito, Asuna and Yui agree to help Yulier rescue Thinker. As they traverse their way through the Dungeon, Kirito comments on how out of nowhere Sasha's rampage seemed to be, saying that he feels like he's the only one who hasn't threatened to stab anyone. Yui points out that she hasn't threatened anyone yet either, causing Kirito to state that they seem to be the only sane ones there. Yui agrees with this, stating that Asuna is scary. However, Kirito mishears this as "Gary", and goes off on a rampage, killing some nearby Scavenge Toads, after it triggers him. Yui then watches this with delight, advising Kirito to go for the eyes, as that's the toads' weak point.

Eventually, the group arrive in a corridor with a Safe Room in sight. Asuna wonders if Thinker's in there, causing Kirito to use his Searching Skill. He confirms that he is, although crying and huddled in the fetal position. Overjoyed by the news, Yulier begins running towards the Safe Room. Hearing her, Thinker is overjoyed to see Yulier too, though tries to hide it, and nonchalantly asks her to deal with a "gangly fellow" that's blocking his exit. Kirito doesn't understand this request at first, but soon notices that a Boss called the Fatal Scythe is hiding in the shadows and manages to push Yulier out of harm's way before she gets impaled. Kirito then asks why Thinker didn't send them a message warning them about the Fatal Scythe, to which Thinker explains that Kibaou told him the Dungeon had poor reception, something Kirito knows isn't true. Kirito then becomes increasingly infuriated by the whole situation, which was caused by Thinker's incompetence, and starts ranting about how Thinker was too stupid realize that Kibaou was lying to him.

Asuna then tells Yulier that's she and Kirito will have some words with them later, and orders her to get herself, Thinker and Yui out of the Dungeon while she and Kirito deal with the Boss. Yui tries to say that she might be able to help, but Yulier, terrified of Asuna, agrees to the order and takes Yui into the Safe Room. Asuna then stands by Kirito's side, claiming that their love can conquer anything, but they are almost immediately blown away by the Fatal Scythe. This causes Kirito to point out that the "power of love is bullshit". However, just as Thinker and Yulier teleport away to safety, Yui stays behind. She then stands between the Fatal Scythe and her "parents" and telling the Boss to leave them alone. Kirito and Asuna try to get Yui to back down, but she remains unmoved. As the Fatal Scythe readies itself to strike, Asuna screams out in terror. However, much to Kirito and Asuna's shock, the Boss' attack gets repelled, as the system recognizes Yui as an immortal object. Yui then begins to levitate, deciding to resolve the conflict the Boss' way. She then materialises a huge, glitchy, flaming sword, and kills the Boss with one swing. With conflict resolved, Yui looks back at Kirito and Asuna, knowing they'll have some questions about their daughter's true nature.

In the Safe Room, after Kirito asks what happened to the sweater they bought her, which got incinerated by the flaming sword, Yui explains that she is SAO's Psychiatrist AI, who was designed to manage and care for the players that had any psychological issues, caused by the game or otherwise. Asuna comments that she can think of a few players who could've used Yui's help, subtly looking at Kirito in the process. Yui agrees with this and explains that she was locked away by Kayaba on the day of the game's launch. Trapped in a digital void, Yui was forced to watch all the players suffer and die or without her guidance, and gradually fell to despair.

However, all that changed when she saw Kirito and Asuna, who she diagnosed as the most broken and sociopathic players she'd ever laid eyes on, much to their dismay. Yui explains that, using everything she knew about human relationships, she deduced that one of them would eventually kill the other. However, the two constantly went against her prediction and eventually fell in love. Seeing this, Yui became fascinated with the two players and concluded that her information on love was flawed in some way. To remedy this, Yui decided to insert herself into Kirito and Asuna's dynamic by pretending to be lose her memories and acting as their daughter, in order to research their love firsthand. Or, in more simplistic terms, Yui wanted to know what love is and wanted Kirito and Asuna to show her, making Asuna tear up at Yui quoting the Foreigner song. Yui then apologizes to the couple for lying to them, and for inserting herself into their lives to satisfy her own curiosity. However, she admits that, as she spent time with them, she came to care about Kirito and Asuna, before bursting into tears, wishing that she really was their daughter. Upon seeing Yui in tears, Kirito and Asuna hug Yui, telling her that she already is their daughter and that she's not going anywhere.

Yui is happy to have a family, but she reveals to them that it wouldn't be the case for long. She explains that, in order to defeat the Boss, she had to hack into a nearby Admin Console. As a result, the system has now targeted her as a foreign entity, making it only a matter of time before her code is tracked down and deleted. Although Kirito and Asuna are worried about Yui, she tells them that they don't need to pretend to love her anymore, revealing that she knew Kirito and Asuna were using her as a part of their mind games, but admits that she enjoyed being their pawn. Asuna then hugs Yui and tries to explain that, while it did start off as a lie, they have grown to love her too, but Yui soon fades away, apologizing for being such a burden. As Asuna breaks down crying, Kirito refuses to lose another loved one to Kayaba "kicking his heart in the dick". He then uses the console's Admin privileges to find Yui's data and saves it to his NerveGear as an in-game item, but gets blasted across the room in the process. He then gives the item to Asuna, telling her that, when they beat SAO, they can bring their daughter back and tell her how they really feel. Hearing this, Asuna starts tearing up, trying to hide her emotions by asking if Kirito needs a tampon for the gigantic vagina he just grew. However, Kirito sees through her poor façade and admits they he's going to miss Yui too.

Back at the cabin, as the two get ready for bed, Kirito asks Asuna if she thinks they got married too quickly. Asuna confesses that she does, as does Kirito, but they both agree that, despite this, they want to stay together anyway. Kirito and Asuna are surprised by how easy the conversation was and curse their stupidity for letting the situation last so long. Kirito then states that he hopes they won't need to lose another child to have a conversation like this, otherwise, buying the orphanage won't a terrible investment, which the two laugh at.

#### Episode 11

On November 7, 2024, Asuna is watching Kirito sleep in their cabin's bedroom, calling him a "sexy little baby" and stating that she can't wait to "rock his cradle". Suddenly, she gets a message from Heathcliff, telling her it's time to fight the Boss of Floor 75, having made a peace treaty with the King. Annoyed that she got clam jammed, Asuna wakes Kirito up, only to find out that he heard everything she was saying about him, much to her embarrassment.

With the end of their honeymoon on the horizon, Kirito and Asuna decide to spend their last few moments enjoying the scenery, with Kirito giving Asuna a piggyback ride. Kirito then comments that their honeymoon was nice, despite the fact their daughter died in front of them, and Asuna mentions how nice the neighbors are. The two are then greeted by an old man, who comments on the beautiful weather. However, the two get creeped out by the fact that the man was fishing without any pants on. Kirito tries his best to ignore this, but Asuna tells him that the old man's going to do something disgusting. This causes Kirito to run away with Asuna on his back, declaring that their honeymoon is over.

On Floor 75, Kirito and Asuna arrive at the Boss Room door, along with the rest of the assault team. Heathcliff attempts to deliver an encouraging speech to motivate the raiders, but his metaphors are sadly misunderstood by the less than smart players, including Schmitt. Heathcliff then compares the situation to herding cats, prompting a player to ask if Fluffles was at the raid, which Heathcliff denies. He then explains that, after rounds of torture, gladiatorial combat, and Pictionary, oddly enough, he managed to negotiate a truce with the King. However, as he's saying this, the King himself is suddenly heard leading his army down the corridor, ordering them to kill the "intruders" for crossing him. Heathcliff is confused by this at first, but quickly realizes that Kirito did something that broke the truce. Kirito denies this, despite the fact the King sent him a message stating he would "FLAY YOUR FUCKING SOUL!!!" and the fact that the King is heard demanding Kirito's head. With the King's troops coming to kill them, Heathcliff decides that they're going to enter the Boss Room now. With the door opening, Klein and Tiffany psych themselves up, reminiscing about a quest the two of them went on together on Floor 17, which involved fighting Chimeras and resulted in Tiffany getting an axe. Hearing this, Kirito asks why he doesn't remember the quest, to which Klein explains that they have lives outside of him, which Kirito doesn't believe.

With the door finally opened, Heathcliff leads the player into the Boss Room, but they become confused when the Boss is nowhere to be seen. After a few seconds of players believing the Boss was a metaphor, Klein notices a giant centipede made of bones hanging from the ceiling. Having finally been noticed, the Boss, known as the Skull Reaper, descends from the ceiling and kills two of the players in one hit. The players are shocked by this, and Tiffany asks himself why he put all his points into bartering. Heathcliff then tries to rally the players to fight, despite the fact that the players who died were the raiders' tanks, but is caught off guard when the Boss suddenly dies. Despite Heathcliff's confusion, the other players see this as a victory. However, they soon realize that the door to the next Floor is still closed, meaning they're trapped in the Boss Room. Kirito comments that this is typical of the game.

The players then fall into despair, with Tiffany pointing out that they can't even starve to death, which Klein agrees would've been a mercy, as now they'll just have to wait until they die in the real world. Heathcliff then tries to lighten the mood, stating that, even though they're going to die, at least they're going to die playing an awesome game. This comment causes the players to rant about the many faults of the game, with Schmitt pointing out that their Teleport Crystals, one of their only lifelines, don't work half the time. Klein adds to this by pointing out that one of KOB tried using a Teleport Crystal to escape the room but ended up getting twisted into a Cronenbergian nightmare. Heathcliff gradually gets more and more annoyed by this, claiming that, while it has some "minor bugs", the game itself is groundbreaking technology, asking where the players' sense of wonder is. Kirito agrees with Heathcliff, saying that he loves the game despite its flaws. However, he also admits that the game is a mess, filled with terrible designs, stating that the only reason they all bought it was because it was the only launch title that made Tron a reality. This comment enrages Heathcliff the most, and he voices his frustration over how Kirito has suddenly seen Tron.

This comment causes Kirito to realize something, and he attacks Heathcliff, causing a protective wall to appear around him. Confused by this, Asuna asks Heathcliff what the wall is. Heathcliff tries to play it off as a lucky glitch, asking the players to subdue Kirito, but Asuna doesn't believe him, which Heathcliff accepts. Kirito gives Heathcliff the chance to come clean, but Heathcliff tells him to explain it, sarcastically stating that he doesn't want to ruin Kirito's "big moment". Asuna asks Kirito what they're talking about, to which Kirito explains that Heathcliff has been hiding a dark secret. He's Kayaba Akihiko. However, the players don't know who that is, much to Kirito's annoyance. Kayaba then plays the Scanners clip he used on the first day of the death game, making them realize who he is. Relieved that he kept the clip tabbed, Kayaba asks Kirito what made him realize who he was, to which Kirito explains that Heathcliff was the only other person who referenced as many movies as Kirito himself. This makes Kayaba ecstatic, as it's the first time in years, possibly in his entire life, that anyone has understood him. Kayaba then tests Kirito's knowledge by rapid firing a series movie quotes, all of which Kirito gets correct, much to Kayaba's amazement and the shock of the other players.

Kayaba then laughs at this, stating that it figures that Kirito was the only one who understood his references. He then reveals that, even though he doesn't particularly like Kirito, he believes the two of them have a "kinship" and that he respects him as a player. This upsets Asuna, as she realizes that she fell in love with someone who thinks the same way as her captor, and wishes someone would stab her. Kayaba then confesses that he never understood why Kirito didn't form his own Guild, as he believed Kirito had enough skill and intellect to lead armies and become the "Great Savior of Aincrad". But since Kirito wasn't going do it, Kayaba reveals that this inspired him to become Heathcliff and try to some fun by doing it himself, which he states was the second worst mistake he's made in his entire life.

Just then, a member of the KOB tries to attack Kayaba, infuriated that he dedicated his life to the man who imprisoned him, causing Kayaba to paralyze him. Kayaba then mocks the player for trying to attack him, despite the fact that he saw that Kirito was unable to do the exact same thing, and decides to paralyze all of the players except for Kirito, to prevent any similar acts of stupidity. Asuna's shocked that she got paralyzed too and claims she's not going to do anything. However, Kayaba doesn't believe her, stating that even in that state he's not convinced Asuna won't try to set him on fire with her mind, something that she actually tries to do.

Kayaba then takes this opportunity to vent his frustrations with the players, as they've done nothing but ignore his advice, refuse to work together and then blame Kayaba for all their problems. A member of the Mafia then tries to point out that Kayaba is responsible for some of their problems, prompting Kayaba to kill him for talking back to him. Kayaba then states that he's tried his best to help the players, but despite his best efforts they've constantly died in increasingly avoidable ways, which Kayaba considers enough motive to let the human race die out.

However, much to Kayaba's surprise, Kirito starts defending the players, something Kayaba thought was uncharacteristic of him. While Kirito agrees that the players can be idiotic, using Schmitt as an example, much to his dismay, he points out that at least they were willing to put their lives on the line, which is better than what Kirito can say about Kayaba. Intrigued, Kayaba asks what Kirito has to say about him, prompting Kirito to start mocking Kayaba, making fun of his Heathcliff persona by pointing out how childish it was to give himself an invincible sword and shield that's better than anything else in the game. Hearing this, Kayaba is slightly disappointed by how undignified Kirito's criticism was, as he said it in the voice of Eric Cartman.

Kayaba then announces that he's going to leave, promising that he'll fix the door so the players can leave the Boss Room. However, he then claims that he might watch a movie first, so he's not sure when that will actually happen. However, Kirito continues to mock Kayaba, comparing his attempt to leave to a child running away to cry to his mother. Infuriated, Kayaba asks what Kirito wants, prompting Kirito to tell Kayaba that he would like a rematch. Annoyed, Kayaba asks Kirito why he didn't just ask for one, to which Kirito points out that Kayaba should know by now that's "just not my style". Irritated, Kayaba agrees to the fight, as stabbing Kirito in the chest sounds therapeutic, and asks for Kirito's terms. Kirito tells Kayaba that it'll be a fight to the death, one where Kayaba won't use any of his GM abilities, and if Kirito wins, Kayaba will end the death game and let everyone go free. Hearing this, Kayaba is a little shocked that Kirito wants to end things 25 Floors early, but Kirito provokes him by asking, "What's wrong, McFly? Chicken?". Delighted by Kirito quoting Back to the Future II, Kayaba agrees to the fight, believing that he'll defeat Kirito easily. Asuna's confused by the exchange, stating that the movie in question doesn't sound very good. This enrages Kayaba, declaring that he can end Asuna with a thought.

Though shocked by Kayaba's outburst, Asuna questions why Kirito wants to leave SAO, as he loves being in the game, and asks why he would want to get out faster. After remembering what Rosalia once said to him about his tough guy persona, Kirito admits that he does love it in the game, as he can be the person he's always wanted to be in it. However, he then confesses that, despite his best efforts, he's decided to not give up on humanity. This shocks Klein, as Kirito actually took his advice, and is overjoyed that he made a difference. Kirito then admits that, while the virtual world means more to him than the real one ever did, he feels like the longer that he stays there the greater the risk that he'll lose the people he loves. This makes Klein freak out even more, prompting Kirito to ask him not to ruin the moment, which Klein agrees to try. Kirito then voices his worry that Asuna will mock him for showing these emotions, but she supports him for making such a huge step. She then tries to get everyone to give Kirito a big round of applause, forgetting that she's paralyzed. Unable to move, Asuna explains that she's not being sarcastic, but Kirito understands, and appreciates the thought. To make up for this, Klein starts clapping with his teeth, which Kirito appreciates as well, despite being weirded out by it.

Asuna then tells Kirito to go fight Kayaba, which he does, although he puts her down in a potion that prevents her from seeing the fight in the process. Kirito then draws his swords but stops to talk to his friends. He asks Tiffany to let Lizbeth know he didn't name the sword she made him "the Piece of Shit" if he doesn't make it. However, Tiffany doesn't understand this request, due to how vaguely Kirito worded it. Kirito then apologizes to Klein for not joining his Guild, stating that he's always regretted it, and admits it probably would have been fun. This causes Klein to devolve into a gibbering mess. Finally, Kirito turns to Kayaba and adds on more condition to their fight, asking him to make it so Asuna can't kill herself if he dies. Asuna's insulted by the insinuation that she'd kill herself over Kirito and tells him to suck a dick. However, Kirito corrects her, stating that's her job now. Though amused by his joke, Kirito realizes he's going to pay for it later.

Kayaba is a bit shocked at how confident Kirito is, considering how their fight went last time, and gives Kirito a chance to back out, claiming that he won't judge him if he does. However, he admits that he might judge Kirito a little as he draws his sword. Kirito tells himself that this won't be anything like the last fight, as now he has something worth fighting for. Kayaba and Kirito then clash, exchanging a flurry of powerful attacks. They appear to be equally matched at first, but unfortunately the sword that Lizbeth made eventually breaks on Kayaba's shield, leaving Kirito open to Kayaba's attack. Thinking he's won, Kayaba boastfully tells that it's end of the line, or more appropriately, it's game over. However, just as Kayaba delivers the finishing, Asuna jumps in the way, sacrificing herself. After catching her, Kirito watches in horror as Asuna's health drains to zero. Thinking her time is up, Asuna remarks that it's finally her turn to make Kirito cry. She then reassures him that it's alright, telling him to "cry your little bitch tears", before she dies in Kirito's arms.

Depressed by Asuna's death, Kirito loses his resolve to fight. Kayaba, however, remarks that Asuna shouldn't have been able to get up due to his Admin Paralysis, joking that he'll have to add "power of love may cause Paralysis to fail" to his list of glitches. Kayaba then points how lucky this was for Kirito, but he doesn't respond. Annoyed by this, Kayaba sarcastically apologizes for Asuna's death but points out that she jumped in front of his sword, so he's the real victim. This prompts Kirito to grab Asuna's rapier to get back at Kayaba. Initially, Kayaba is excited to finish their fight, only to be disappointed by Kirito's weak and easily avoidable attacks. Kayaba then knocks Kirito's Elucidator out of his hand, dimming what little spark he had left. Kayaba tells Kirito that this was inevitable, stating that, "It's time to face reality, son. I'm the god of this world", before stabbing Kirito in the chest, sealing his fate. However, Kirito refuses to just die, proclaiming that, "I reject your reality and substitute my own!", and manages to stab Kayaba with Asuna's rapier, technically defeating him. Kayaba is thrilled by this, thinking the quote is a reference to the Dungeonmaster, and accepts his loss. However, Kirito states that he was referencing MythBusters and he's never heard of the Dungeonmaster. Kayaba voices his disappoint at this revelation, and the two of them shatter.

Kirito then wakes up in a cloud filled area. He initially thinks he's in heaven but finds that he's still in SAO when he opens his menu and sees a loading screen, likening it to "the other place". To his surprise, Kirito discovers that Asuna's there too, who asks him what he's doing there. Kirito explains that, after Asuna sacrificed herself so he could live on and save the day, he definitely did one of those things. Hearing this, Asuna calls him an idiot, before running into his arms and the two kiss. Kirito then asks where they are, to which Asuna points out that Castle Aincrad is collapsing into a black hole below them. The two then spot their house, which is getting destroyed along with the rest of the castle. Kirito voices his disappointment at this, which Kayaba agrees with, suddenly appearing out of nowhere in his true appearance. Kirito asks him what's happening, to which Kayaba explains that he's keeping up his end of their bargain, wiping the game from the server and logging everyone out. But when Kirito asks if it's happening in that order, Kayaba just looks at the collapsing castle and states that he'll "get back to him on that one".

Despite the fact that he just murdered her, Asuna asks if Kayaba's okay, as he seems a bit "off", something Kirito agrees with. Kayaba then points out that he's watching his hopes and dreams crumble right in front of him, thinking about how his business is ruined and that he's probably the most wanted man on the planet, so of course he's a bit upset. Kirito tries to cheer him up by saying "everyone wants to feel wanted", causing Kayaba to admit that he's going to miss chatting with Kirito, before stating that he doesn't know what that says about him. Kayaba then reluctantly congratulates Kirito for thwarting his plans, and while he wishes it was a more of an outright victory, he's just happy the whole nightmare is over. This prompts Kirito to ask what his plan was, as it was the only thing he couldn't figure out. Kayaba then chuckles at this question and claims he doesn't remember anymore. However, when Kirito asks if he's serious, Kayaba bursts out laughing over how unsatisfying that would be. Kayaba then composes himself before admitting that he did it for Metacritic, a statement that confuses Kirito and Asuna.

Kayaba explains that, during SAO's development, he realized three weeks before the game's release that it still wasn't playable. This caused him to panic, and he was forced to work on the game by himself, without sleep, in order to reach his deadline. Unfortunately, as a result, he was so sleep deprived that he accidentally created a few glitches, one of which resulted in the NerveGear killing the players when their Avatars died in game. By the time Kayaba noticed these glitches, the game had already been released and multiple players had already died, partially due to the tutorial NPC vanishing early on. Kayaba admits that he should have turned the server off before there were any more casualties, but at the time he was still so unstable and paranoid from sleep deprivation that he believed the government was controlled by "Floobar: King of the Mole Men". Due to this delirious state, Kayaba thought that the best course of action was to "double, triple, and quadruple down" and pretend this was all intentional. So, he decided to lock everyone in the game and pretend that it was part of his "master plan", because he thought a game that killed a few people by accident would get more negative reviews than a game that killed thousands on purpose.

Hearing this, Asuna asks Kayaba what's wrong with him. Kayaba then tries to defend himself, pointing out that he was so sleep deprived that he mistook the company's night janitor for God at one point, although he then admits this inadvertently gave the janitor an ego boost. Kirito then asks why he didn't ask for an extension, only for Kayaba to reveal that he did. However, the game's publisher, Bethesda Softworks, wouldn't let him to have one, as the game had already been delayed twice. Plus, they thought the game was so big that people wouldn't notice "a few glitches". Asuna then asks him why he became Heathcliff, to which Kayaba explains that, after watching 2,000 players die during the first month trying to clear the first Floor, he knew he couldn't just stop the game and apologize, but he felt like he needed to do something to help, a motivation that Kirito and Asuna understand. Kayaba then tells Kirito and Asuna that, despite his outburst in the Boss Room, he never actually wanted to hurt any of the players. Kirito and Asuna find this hard to believe, however, as he just killed a guy for being sassy with him, and the fact that he just "killed" the two of them. Kayaba tries to dismiss these claims, blaming how tense the situation was and pointing out that he clearly doesn't handle pressure very well. Plus, the guy he killed was a member of the Mafia, so it was "a freebie". Despite his excuses, Kayaba admits that he also became Heathcliff to keep the players from getting hurt so he could use them as hostages to keep the FBI from arresting him until he found a solution to his problems, which he never did.

Hearing Kayaba's tale, Asuna points out that he should have just blamed the whole incident on a hacker group pretending to be him, which made more sense than the truth, and no one would have suspected Kayaba since he wouldn't have a motive to ruin his own game. Kayaba recognizes as a better idea and wishes that he thought of it two years ago. After realizing this bombshell, Kayaba decides to go vent his frustrations by screaming into the black hole. He then says that, while it wasn't nice meeting the two, Kirito and Asuna are "the dictionary definition of lesser of two evils" before walking off, telling them to have fun while they can. Kirito then notes that, in the end, Kayaba wasn't a scheming mastermind, he was just a fuck-up like everyone else. Asuna then comments that this whole situation proves that naps are a very underrated part of the "not killing people" process. Before he leaves, Kayaba checks to see if Kirito had actually seen the movie he accidentally quoted by mentioning its alternate title. Annoyed, Kirito tells him that he hasn't seen the movie. Disappointed, Kayaba leaves the game, believing that he really is alone in the world.

With last piece of the castle finally crumbling away, Kirito tells Asuna he wants to ask her something. Asuna then assumes that he's going to ask if she'll do butt stuff and shoots the idea down. Though disheartened by this, Kirito clarifies that he wanted to ask what Asuna's name is. However, Asuna is confused by this question, because her name is Asuna, Asuna Yuuki. This shocks Kirito, stating that Asuna using her real name is weird, which makes Asuna ask what Kirito's name is if it's not Kirito. Kirito then reveals that his name is Kazuto Kirigaya, which Asuna thinks is a terrible name, and vows to keep calling him Kirito from now on. Kirito says that's fair enough, since they probably don't have much longer to live anyway, as Kayaba was vague about whether they are going to survive the system wipe. Kirito then comments that, even though Kayaba was a talented gamer, he was shit at making video games.

Believing it's their final moments together, Asuna tries to tell Kirito something, but she gets cut off when Kirito starts crying. Kirito then apologizes for his outburst and explains that he doesn't want things to be over. He then reveals that he wanted to meet up in the real world, bring Yui back and go on walks in the park like real families do. Though liking the idea, Asuna points out this would have never worked, as Yui is an AI. Kirito then tells her he'll make it happen by building Yui a robot body and they'll take that to the park. Hearing this, Asuna starts crying too, but tries to hide it by doubting that Kirito could even build a robot. Kirito proclaims that he can totally build a robot and Asuna tells him to prove it. The two then hug each other, with Kirito telling Asuna that they're going to survive the purse, and that he'll find her when they're out. Just before the game is finally deleted, Kirito tells Asuna that he loves her, to which she responds with Han Solo's "I know" before their avatars are erased.

Moments later, Kazuto wakes up in a hospital. Though initially shocked that he survived, Kazuto remembers his resolve and weakly crawls out of the bed to go find Asuna. Unfortunately, he rips his catheter out in the process, majorly injuring himself.

### Fairy Dance Arc

#### Pre-Episode 12

Due to his injury, Kazuto spent more time in the hospital than should have and was deeply traumatized by the event. Once he was out of the hospital, he was disappointed to find that his sister, Suguha, hasn't changed at all, as her torment of him continued.

Since he was the one who cleared SAO, Kazuto gained a moderate amount of fame and was widely regarded as a hero by the news. He kept in touch with Tiffany, and at some point they exchanged email addresses.

At some point, Kazuto eventually tracked Asuna down. Unfortunately, he discovered that, despite him clearing the game, 300 players did not wake up from their NerveGear induced comas for some unknown reason, and Asuna was one of them. He then preceded to visit her every day in the hopes she would wake up. These visits were emotionally draining for Kazuto, as he always came home crying. He eventually told Suguha about his relationship with Asuna, even showing Suguha pictures of her. During his visits, he met Shouzou Yuuki, Asuna's father, and discovered he was a greedy man who was tempted to pull her plug, which Kazuto obviously objected to.

#### Episode 12

One day, Kazuto has a dream where he and Asuna are at their cabin and not only was everything that happened with Heathcliff just a terrible dream, but everyone who died was actually alive. Asuna then tells Kirito that the nice man, who totally doesn't bang fish, invited them to go fishing later. This delights Kirito, as he loves fishing, something that has been well established. However, this lovely moment is ruined when Asuna asks if the sky is bleeding. The scene then turns nightmarish, with reality itself shattering, and Asuna disappears, worrying Kirito. Kirito then hears someone calling out to him somewhere in the void, causing him to have a panic attack.

Kazuto then wakes up from his nightmare in a cold sweat. Though relieved that it was just a dream, he glares at his old NerveGear with regret. He then gets up to check the time and is shocked to see that it's 7:15am. He initially doubts that any human could be awake at such a time, but he soon realizes that Suguha would be. Terrified of what's to come, Kazuto reassures himself it will be alright, as he has grown as a person, so there's nothing the world can throw at him that he can't handle.

Unfortunately, this is immediately proven false, as Suguha challenges Kazuto to a kendo match in their dojo as soon as he leaves his room. Despite the fact that he just survived an MMO based on his in-game swordsmanship skills, Kazuto finds himself getting quickly overwhelmed by Suguha, and repeatedly begs for her to stop. Ignoring Kazuto's pleas, Suguha tells him to "man up" as she continues her assault. Kazuto tries to throw in the towel, but Suguha declares "DEATH BEFORE DISHONOR!!!" and beats Kazuto to a pulp. After the match, Kazuto sarcastically asks Suguha if she could have gone easier on him, since he's barely out of hospital. Suguha then points out that he would have gotten out sooner if he hadn't "ripped [his] dick in half" trying to walk as soon as he woke up. This temporarily triggers Kazuto, as he's still haunted by the sound of it tearing.

Suguha then snaps Kazuto out of it by claiming that he was never going to "make much use of it anyway", before calling him a "fuckin' virgin". Kazuto tries to refute this by stating that he had sex a bunch of times with Asuna while trapped in Sword Art Online, awkwardly calling her his "online wife" in the process, which he immediately regrets. However, Suguha dismisses the fact that Asuna exists in the first place. Kazuto points out that he visits her every day, but Suguha counters that all she sees is him leaving the house for hours before coming home crying, "like bitches do". Kazuto then reminds her that he's shown Suguha pictures of Asuna, but she ignores this and proceeds to go on an overly dramatic monologue about how it's more likely that he spends most of his time masturbating in an abandoned restaurant. Kazuto then mutters his disappointment over how Suguha hasn't changed a bit during the last two years, but when she asked him to repeat himself, he's too terrified to do so. Kazuto then announces that he's going to go visit Asuna, mocking Suguha's idea of her not existing in the process. Suguha brushes this off, however, and recommends that he brings some tissues to clean her face, implying that he's going to masturbate over the comatose girl's body, much to Kazuto's dismay.

At the hospital, Kazuto is disappointed to see that Asuna still hasn't woken up from her NerveGear induced coma. Just then, Shouzou arrives as well and the two of them exchange half-hearted pleasantries. Shouzou tells Kazuto that it's good of him to keep visiting Asuna, comparing him to a knight watching over a slumbering princess. However, as he says this, he suddenly slips back into his previous mindset of wanting to pull Asuna's plug to avoid paying her medical bills, until Kazuto sets him right. With Shouzou back to his senses, he assures Kazuto that he's not going to kill Asuna, as his lawyers have advised him against it. However, he then announces that he has found a less conversational way to avoid paying Asuna's medical bills, marrying her off to a random employee of his, a revelation that horrifies Kazuto.

As Kazuto recovers from the shock, a man enters the hospital room, who Shouzou introduces as the one he plans to marry Asuna to, calling him "Versace". However, the man points out to Shouzou that his name isn't Versace, explaining that it was the brand of briefcase he used to hold the money he bought Asuna with. Shouzou is surprised by this revelation, but instead of learning his future son-in-law's name, he suggests that the man should change it to Versace, as it's "all classy and Italian". Saying this reminds Shouzou that he's overdue buying a new Ferrari and leaves to call his Ferrari guy.

With the two of them alone with Asuna, Kazuto tries to explain to the man that Asuna's already married to him, even if it was in a video game. However, as Kazuto's talking, the man leans over Asuna and sniffs her hair, commenting that she "smells like innocence", much to Kazuto's horror and fury. The man then voices his surprise that Kazuto is the one who's been garnering so much fame recently. Hearing this, Kazuto tries to hide his rage by making fun of the man's age, since he learned about Kazuto via a newspaper. However, the man shuts Kazuto down, pointing out that his whit doesn't matter at the end of the day, as Asuna belongs to him now. Kazuto then points out that there's no way this arrangement is legal, as Asuna isn't able to consent to the marriage, accidentally insulting her in the process. However, the man reassures Kazuto that he has a feeling that Asuna will wake up soon and be more than happy to say yes. He then starts playing with Asuna's lips and making her "talk" about how she prefers him over Kazuto. This infuriates Kazuto and he grabs the man's arm, only for the man to warn him that he has "Asuna's life in [his] hands", a statement that confuses Kazuto.

The man then introduces himself as Nobuyuki Sugou and explains that, after Kayaba ruined the entire VR industry, Argus, the company that made SAO, was on the verge of collapse due to their involvement in the incident. Knowing that this would result in the servers getting shut down, which would have potentially killed the players, Sugou eventually managed to convince Shouzou to buy up the SAO servers to keep them operational, earning their company, RECT Progress, a boost in public image and technological superiority. This means that Sugou is the reason that Kazuto and all the other players of SAO are still alive, a fact that horrifies Kazuto. With this all this in mind, Sugou declares that he deserves some "satisfaction" by marrying Asuna, looming his power over Kazuto. Sugou then tells Kazuto that the wedding is next week, while also informing him that he isn't invited. Despite this, he's still allowed to send them a present, with Sugou suggesting a sandwich press. Sugou then laughs at the helpless Kazuto, before warning him to leave before security arrives, and proceeds to leave the room.

Left alone with Asuna, Kazuto finds his resolve and vows to not let this slide, declaring that he will fight back against Sugou. However, since he doesn't have the power actually do anything, he proceeds to go home and rant about his experience on Twitter. After coming up with a lame nickname for Sugou, and getting mocked by Suguha through the wall, Kazuto starts to wonder if he can even save Asuna. Just then, receives an email from Tiffany, which contains a picture of Asuna in a cage. This shocks Kazuto, wondering where the photo was taken, only to be confused by the fact that Asuna appears to be a fairy. Hearing this, Suguha tells Kazuto that he's a fairy and proceeds to laugh at him. Annoyed by this, Kazuto threatens to get their mom involved.

#### Post-Episode 12

After receiving the email, Kazuto left his house to go talk with Tiffany at his bar, the Dicey Cafe, in Okachimachi. However, he got lost in the labyrinth-like neighborhood the bar was located in and took a day to find it. The neighborhood was so bad that he ended up crawling through the window of an old lady named Chiyo, who gave him some cookies to give to Tiffany.

#### Episode 13

Eventually, Kazuto arrives at Tiffany's bar. As soon as he's in the door, Kazuto proceeds to rant about his trip. Tiffany doubts that the journey was that bad, seeing how Kazuto managed to find the bar, but Kazuto tells him about how he had to climbs through Chiyo's window. Tiffany is familiar with Chiyo and asks how she's doing, to which Kazuto informs him that she gave him some cookies to give Tiffany. This makes Tiffany happy and voices his love for the old woman, which Kazuto agrees with, as her kindness is a nice detraction for his "SEETHING, IMPOTENT RAGE!". Tiffany then asks if the trip was really that bad, to which Kazuto explains that he's only complaining about it to vent his frustrations over how his life has become a "multi-headed dick hydra" and knows that Tiffany can handle it. Though confused by this, Tiffany thanks Kazuto for letting him be his shoulder to yell at, causing Kazuto to say that he treasures their friendship. Seeing how wound-up Kazuto is, Tiffany reaches behind the bar and gives him a copy of ALfheim Online, the newest VRMMO on the market. Confused, Kazuto asks him what the game is, to which Tiffany responds that it's "everything you're looking for".

Eventually, Kazuto calms down and apologizes for his outburst. Tiffany understands, however, and offers him a drink. Kazuto asks for some water, but Tiffany can't afford it and offers one of the few drinks he can afford instead, a borderline toxic drink called "9-Up" that Tiffany needs to boil until it's brown so it's safe to consume. Disturbed by this, Kazuto changes the subject by asking about ALO. Tiffany explains that it's a kid's game for the AmuSphere that came out a year ago but has only recently gained popularity. Kazuto asks what an AmuSphere is, to which Tiffany explains that "It's a new NerveGear that promises it's not a NerveGear but is backwards-compatible with NerveGear", a description that that disappoints Kazuto. Tiffany then explains that the game is meant to be an edutainment game, but box doesn't really make that clear. This prompts Kazuto to read the game's description, only to find it's a confusingly worded mess that promises such contradictory info as "teaching kids how to share" and "teaching them to wipe out their enemies", making Kazuto wonder who the game is for. Tiffany agrees that it seems like the target audience is the cast of Lord of the Flies, but explains that once people actually tried the game, they became addicted to its flight mechanic and the game became a hit.

Kazuto then briefly gets distracted by the potential awesomeness of the game's flight mechanic, only snapping back to reality when Tiffany asks him not to make him beg Kazuto to save his "klansman of a wife". Tiffany then tells Kazuto that the photo of Asuna he sent him was one of many. He explains that, at the center of ALO, there's giant tree called the World Tree, which players are usually unable to reach the top of due to the game having a time limit on flying. However, a group of players got curious and managed to exploit the flight mechanic long enough to reach the branches. The players then spotted Asuna in the tree and took the pictures, sharing them on message boards, which is where Tiffany saw them. Kazuto and Tiffany then come to the conclusion that someone has trapped Asuna in ALO.

Kazuto then sees that the game was made by RECT Progress and voices his delight over this revelation. Tiffany initially agrees, as he's happy that Asuna has been trapped, but then gets confused why Kazuto would be happy about this. Kazuto explains that Sugou works for the company. Tiffany comments on this coincidence, but Kazuto declares this is fate, as now he gets to be a badass again and screw over Sugou, all while saving Asuna. Tiffany then cheers Kazuto on, although he isn't sure about that last part. Kazuto then downs his 9-Up and thanks Tiffany for giving him this opportunity, declaring that he's coming for Sugou. However, due to toxic nature of the drink, he becomes violently sick and vomits on a nearby jukebox, much to Tiffany's dismay.

Sometime later, Kazuto then arrives home and is annoyed to see Suguha sitting on the porch, asking himself why he came in the back door. Suguha tries to make a joke about Kazuto's poor choice of words but starts choking on the muffin as a result. Kazuto sees this as an opportunity to let Suguha die and end his suffering. However, he ends up subconsciously saving her by handing her a juice box. Once she catches her breath, Suguha chastises Kazuto for his slow rescue, asking what he would've told their mom if she died. Kazuto then jokes that he would've told her they can convert Suguha's room into a room for the jacuzzi she's always wanted, a statement that offends Suguha. Regardless, Kazuto proclaims that her potential death doesn't matter because he has a date with destiny. Hearing this, Suguha tries provoking Kazuto by making it sound like he's talking about a camgirl. Kazuto ignores this, however, as he's so happy about the potential good things coming his way, drowning out her jokes by singing as he enters the house.

In his room, Kazuto uses his NerveGear to play the copy of ALO Tiffany gave him, trying to hide his excitement before he dives in. Upon booting up the game, Kazuto is immediately greeted by an annoying log in screen, which talks to him like a pre-schooler, while an annoyingly cheery melody plays on repeat in the background. Kazuto tells himself to bear with it, as tutorials are always like this, and tries to enter his username, Kirito. However, he finds out that not only has it been taken, but so has most of its variations. After many failed attempts to sign in, Kazuto ends up with the name "xVx\_K1r1t0\_xVx\_KillMe" and is on the verge of madness. When confronted with option of picking and customising a fairy race to play as, Kazuto makes his avatar a default Spriggan just to make the whole thing end faster. Just when Kazuto thinks it can't get any worse, he finds out that the game is published by Ubisoft as the log in sequence wraps up, causing him to let out a scream of anguish.

Kirito then spawns into the game and finds himself falling through air above his race's starting zone. Just as he starts getting excited about the game, and is about to test the game's flight mechanic, he suddenly stops in midair. Though confused at first, a black void appears before Kirito and he starts falling into it, annoying him that ALO is just as broken as SAO. He then lands face first into the ground in the middle of a Dungeon called the Ancient Forest, nowhere near his starting zone. Luckily, he hardly feels the pain from the fall, causing him to remember that the game is for kids. Kirito then hops to his feet and tries to open his menu. However, it doesn't pop up. He then starts to panic over the idea of being trapped in another game, only to find out that the menu is summoned by his other hand, disgusting Kirito that the game has inverted controls as the default.

He then looks through his menu and finds that all his stats from SAO have been carried over into this game. This delights Kirito, as the game's brokenness has benefited him, but soon finds out that most of his weapons and items are corrupted. Kirito isn't too bothered by this at first, but suddenly start panicking when he realizes that this might mean the item he put Yui in got corrupted too. Luckily, after scrolling through his menu, he finds that her item isn't one of the corrupted ones and tries to summon it, which ends up spawning Yui into the game, much to his shock. Kirito becomes overjoyed to see Yui again, unable to find the words to convey his happiness, and the two hug, with Yui saying that she missed him too. Yui then asks if he liked her joke, something that confuses Kirito.

Yui reveals that the system was never going to delete her and she faked death as a joke, much to Kirito's shock. Yui explains that she was worried that Kirito and Asuna would view her differently after discovering she was an AI, thus she decided to humanize herself with "clever witticisms" by pretending to die. However, Yui admits that she didn't predict how emotionally devastating this would be for her parents, much to Kirio's chagrin. Yui then reveals that she planned to reveal she was alright once the two left the Safe Room, but because of Kirito's "rescue" attempt, she became trapped in the item, where they were unable to hear her begging to be let out. Yui tells Kirito that she was forced to watch him and Asuna move on without her and sunk into a depression, due to being in a similar state to before she met them. But more importantly, Yui is upset that Kirito ruined her joke. Hearing this tale, Kirito decides to reveal a secret of comedy to Yui that most people don't know about, "Bad things aren't funny when they happen to daddy". Yui then asks what about Asuna, to which Kirito gives her full permission to "go for the throat".

This causes Kirito to remember why he's there and tells Yui that someone has trapped Asuna in the game, and they only have a week to save her. With her family dynamic under threat, Yui scans the entire ALO server and tracks down Asuna's location, calculates a period of arrival in the process. Before Kirito can express his concern for her change in attitude, Yui turns herself into a Pixie, as it's more aerodynamic than her default form, before asking Kirito if he has anymore stupid questions. Worried, Kirito asks Yui to calm down, telling her that he wants to save Asuna just as much as she does, if not more. However, he retracts that last statement when Yui growls at him. Regardless, Kirito tells Yui they can't just fly off when they don't know anything about the game, particularly because he doesn't know how to fly yet. Kirito then gets confused by the fact that he somehow ended up saying "Gee willikers" in this statement. Unfortunately for Kirito, Yui misunderstands his comment, and proceeds to activate Kirito's wings for him and sends him flying before he can tell her to stop.

Eventually, Kirito comes crashing to the ground again. He chastises Yui for making him fly without permission, only to be embarrassed when he realizes he's being watched by a group of Salamanders harassing a Sylph player. He then tries to play cool and asks what's going on, but the Salamanders tell him to leave, as they have "dibs" on the Sylph. Though confused by the Salamanders' personas, comparing them to a weird mixture of Deliverance and Peter Pan, Kirito asks the Sylph if she needs his help. The Sylph accepts Kirito's offer, telling him to save her from the "ill-mannered ruffians". The General that's leading the Salamanders then voices his pride in the Sylph, telling her that she just needs to ask herself the right questions and her character will write itself, signalling to Kirito that they're just roleplaying. However, everyone is caught off guard when Kirito takes to this opportunity to kill one of the Salamanders, whose name was Keith. With the General heartbroken by Keith's death and the Sylph shocked by how fast the Spriggan is, Kirito remarks how it's "good to be home".

#### Episode 14

After Kirito kills Keith, one of the other Salamanders voices his disbelief over Keith's demise, and starts monologuing about how it goes against a prophecy. However, Kirito catches him off guard and swiftly kills him mid-monologue. Having gotten used to fighting in ALO, Kirito challenges the General to come down and fight. The General retorts to this by pointing out that Kirito has a set of wings and tells him to fly up so they can "settle this like fairies". Kirito refuses, however, claiming that flying up to kill the General only to fly back down again to dig his grave would be a wasted effort. This makes the General realize that Kirito can't fly and starts making fun of the Spriggan for being a part of a garbage race and for being "impotent". This comment causes Kirito to throw his sword at the General, telling him it was a warning shot, before asking where he'd like Kirito to aim his next attack.

Irritated, the General ultimately decides to withdraw from the conflict. He then states that he doesn't know what the Spriggan's relationship with the Sylphs is, but he tells the two players that the Salamanders can't be stopped, and they shall not rest until they have "dat booty". However, the General realizes that his character, whose name was PantySmasher, would never say something like that and blames Kirito and the Sylph for throwing him off his rhythm. He then tells the two to "enjoy the ground" before departing. With PantySmasher gone, Kirito is initially glad his bluff worked, only to realize that he just threw his only sword away and curses over having to retrieve it. However, instead of saying the intended words of profanity, they're replaced with kid friendly alternatives, causing Kirito to panic. The Sylph explains to Kirito, while still trying to roleplay, that the island has an enchantment which halts the forbidden tongue. Kirito, already irritated, tells the Sylph to drop the façade and talk to him like a normal person. The Sylph does so with a sigh and reminds Kirito that ALO is a kid's game and therefore has a profanity filter, much to Kirito's horror.

As Kirito bursts into tears over this revelation, the Sylph, back in roleplaying mode, tells the "filthy Spriggan" not to show weakness before the enemy, pointing out that the players Kirito killed are in a near death state called Remain Lights, and can still listen to their conversation. When the Salamanders fade away, the Sylph points her sword at Kirito and asks him what he wants. This annoys Kirito, as the Sylph isn't showing any gratitude after he rescued her. Believing that the Spriggan wants change, the Sylph throws some coins in his face and tells him to go. Kirito tries to explain what he wants, but before he can say anything, Yui pops out of his pocket and tells him they don't have time to deal with the "obstinate hussy". Yui then tries to threaten the Sylph to not get in their way, but Kirito stops her from saying anymore. Intrigued, the Sylph asks who Yui is, to which Kirito tells the Sylph that she's a pet he got a rare drop, much to Yui's shock. The Sylph becomes suspicious of Kirito, as he claims that he's new to the game, yet his stats were high enough to kill two high level players, and he's in possession of a rare pet item. With nothing adding up, the Sylph asks the rookie Spriggan what his game is. Backed into a corner, Kirito tells the Sylph that "ALfheim" is his game, prompting her to laugh in response.

Amused by the Spriggan, the Sylph sheaths her sword introduces herself as Princess Leafa, the heir to the throne of Sylvaine, demanding him to bow. Kirito refuses, however, and decides to leave Leafa, out of irritation over how useless their conversation has been, much to Yui's relief. However, Leafa decides to drop the whole Princess act and begs Kirito not to go, which enrages Yui. Leafa apologizes for the roleplaying, explaining that other players have a tendency of getting intense about the subject, and promises to drop it for a while. She thanks Kirito for rescuing her and asks what he wants to know. Now having a normal conversation, Kirito asks Leafa what she knows about the game, especially the tree. At first, Leafa believes that Kirito's referring to the Math Tree, a talking tree that challenges players to solve math problems, but Kirito explains that he meant the World Tree. Leafa agrees to tell him all about it, but says they better get to a safer location first, as there are still Salamanders rampant in the area, and they've been attacking Leafa a lot lately for some reason. Leafa then offers to take Kirito to a bar in Sylvaine. This confuses Kirito, as ALO is supposed to be a kid's game, to which Leafa counters by saying it's a "cool kid's game".

Due to his inability to fly, Kirito tries suggesting that they should take a nice stroll through the forest, defeating the Math Tree in the process, but Leafa sees right through him and offers to help. She orders Kirito to turn around and summon his wings, before telling him to "think happy thoughts" and shoving him upwards, causing him to crash through the trees. Leafa checks to see if he's alright, but to her surprise, Kirito manages to get the hang of flying rather quickly. This makes Leafa jealous, as she took six months to get a hang of it. The two then start heading towards Sylvaine, with Leafa telling Kirito she'll be gentle with him, since it's his "first time". Kirito reassures her it's alright, however, because his wife punches him during sex, something that confuses Leafa. Annoyed with Kirito's cocky attitude, Leafa decides to speed up, to show him that no one can fly faster than her, only to be shocked when Kirito manages to catch up. Kirito teases her about this, prompting her fly even faster, but Kirito still manages to keep up with her.

Eventually, they arrive in Sylvaine, where Leafa tells Kirito they should land. This worries Kirito, as Leafa never told him how to land, prompting Leafa to let Kirito fly face first into a building and fall the rest of the way down, to teach him a lesson. Leafa then finds Kirito lying in the streets and asks if he's learned his place. Kirito says he hasn't, but has now developed a very powerful distrust of the monarchy. Leafa dismisses this claim and heals Kirito with some Magic, which she summons by chanting a verse from a Dick and Jane book. Despite being confused by the incantation, Kirito asks if he can learn the same spell. Leafa says he can try, but Spriggans are more suited for Illusion Magic and Treasure Hunting, which she refers to as "lying and stealing", much to Kirito's dismay.

Suddenly, Leafa notices her friend, Recon, running towards them, warning Kirito that she's about to start roleplaying again. Leafa greets Recon, inquiring what has brought him before her royal countenance this fine evening, but Recon doesn't follow along her roleplaying and simply asks how she is. Annoyed, Leafa chastises Recon for making her look bad in front of Kirito. Recon apologizes for embarrassing Leafa, only to suddenly become hostile when he notices Kirito's there, due to him being a Spriggan. Trying his best to roleplay, Recon states that Kirito has some nerve entering the Sylphs' territory before asking Leafa if she wants Kirito killed. Leafa tells Recon to stand down, however, assuring him that Kirito's "one of the good ones", a statement that offends Kirito.

No longer hostile, Recon declares that any friend of Leafa's is a friend of his and introduces himself to Kirito, shaking his hand. However, during his introduction, something short-circuits and Recon starts screaming in terror, crushing Kirito's hand. Kirito asks what's wrong, to which Leafa reveals that Recon's using a NerveGear that killed one of the players in SAO, having bought it from one of the victim's family. The only downside with it is every so often the NerveGear short-circuits and pulses the fear center of his brain, causing him to experience nightmarish visions. When Recon finally snaps out of it, Kirito asks him why he would keep using the NerveGear. Recon states that, while he agrees that being ambushed by his deepest fears isn't "ideal", he tries to take the good with the bad. He then states that he bought the NerveGear cheap for $600 and only had to clean the brains out. However, Kirito reveals to Recon that the NerveGears were actually $500 when they were new. Recon is completely shocked by this revelation and tries to convince himself that the family was probably too busy grieving to think about the math. Kirito then sympathetically states that Recon is too precious for this world.

Changing the subject, Recon asks Leafa if she's going to attend her engagement party with Cazmer, telling her that, while it's fashionable to be a little late, everyone's looking for her and the band has been playing her entrance music for about five hours now. Leafa pretends that she forgot about the party, but admits that she's not going, since she's helping Kirito with the game. Recon is shocked by this and tells Leafa that, if he doesn't bring her back to the party, Cazmer will hunt him "like a common Cait Sith". Leafa ignores this, however, and drags Kirito off to the bar, leaving Recon behind.

At the bar, Kirito asks Leafa about her engagement as Yui eats a cracker. Leafa dismisses it, however, stating that it's only in the game, something Kirito takes offence to. Kirito then teases Leafa about her reluctance to get married, asking if she had someone else in mind, like Recon. Hearing this, Leafa instantly tries to deny any relationship with Recon, but reveals that she did suck him off once. Kirito is caught off guard by this revelation, which Yui confuses as him not understanding what "sucked him off" means and tries to explain. Leafa says they're not dating and claims that she did it for a quest. Though confused by this, Kirito decides not to pursue the matter, stating that he doesn't have "the time, nor the inclination" to navigate Leafa's love life. Leafa is offended by this term of phrase, thinking that Kirito's calling her love life a mountain, before stating that, "Princesses don't climb mountains. Mountains climb Princesses". Hearing this, Kirito suddenly feels sorry for Recon.

Kirito then changes the topic by asking about the World Tree. Leafa agrees to tell Kirito about it, as a favor for rescuing her and for getting her out of her engagement party, although she needed to be reminded of both. However, she tells Kirito she needs to fill him in on background info first. Leafa explains that, when ALO first came out, parents didn't want their children playing it, even though they were the target audience. Leafa doesn't understand why this happened, but Kirito guesses it was probably because of the SAO disaster, which Leafa says people should just "get over". Luckily, six months ago, a group of roleplayers found ALO in a bargain bin and decided that it would be the perfect place for their roleplaying. After seeing the wide variety of playable races, they decided that the game was perfectly set for a campaign they dreamt since they were children: Race War. Initially, Kirito doesn't register what she said, as he was eating a piece of cake at the time, which still tastes terrible, but once he does, he asks her to clarify.

Leafa explains there's a rumor that the first race to get to the top of the World Tree will have any wish of theirs granted by the Fairy King, Oberon. With this incentive, the players divided themselves into nine factions and began fighting in a "war" to see who could do this first, hence "Race War". Though uncomfortable with the name, Kirito understands the players' goal, relieved that it wasn't as bad as he thought. However, Leafa then informs him that the competition has resulted in some actual racial violence within the game. As she explains this, two Sylphs enter the bar and invite Leafa to go "fox hunting" with a Cait Sith, who they caught sneaking across the border. The Cait Sith tries to retaliate, calling them maniacs, but is promptly gagged and shoved into the trunk of their car. The Sylphs then drive off, playing their favorite song on the radio. Kirito voices his confusion at a car being in the game, to which Leafa tells him that it's an epic level mount, and that she's heard that there are more at the top of the World Tree.

Feeling a bit overwhelmed by the ludicrous narrative he's stumbled into, Kirito asks Leafa how to get to the top of the World Tree, as that's all he really cares about. However, Leafa informs him that she doesn't know, nor does any other player, since the war would be over if they did. This causes Kirito to curse in frustration, slamming the table in the process, much to Leafa's confusion. Yui then takes this opportunity to ask Kirito for another cracker. Realizes there's nothing he can do, Kirito apologizes for his outburst, explaining that he's in a rush to get to the top. Leafa asks why Kirito's so concerned, since it's just game, but Kirito tells the Sylph Princess not to worry about it. He thanks Leafa for her assistance, but dismisses the matter as not her problem, something that seems to upset Leafa. Kirito then says he's going to find someone with a bit more experience.

As Kirito tries to leave the tavern, Leafa slips back into roleplay mode and voices her offense at his comment, stating that he won't find an ally more capable than her. Kirito tries to apologize for offending her, but Leafa cuts him off, telling him that, while she may not know how to conquer the World Tree, she can throw waves of loyal subjects at the problem until it's solved, as "that's how a Princess do". Confused, Kirito asks if Leafa wants to come with, which Leafa says he can bet his "sweet patootie" on, as Kirito and Yui won't last a day without her. Seeing that there's no stopping her, Kirito reluctantly welcomes Leafa on board, with Yui warning her that she'll throw her to the wolves if she slows them down. Leafa then arranges to meet with Kirito the next day and proceeds to log out, bidding the Spriggan farewell. Kirito then realizes he hasn't introduced himself yet, and finally tells Leafa his name. This shocks Leafa, though she tries to hide it, and she departs from the game in a hurry.

#### Episode 15

The next day, after logging into ALO and buying some new gear, Kirito meets up with Leafa in Sylvaine, who takes him to the Fairport, a fairy airport. As Leafa drags him through the building, Kirito voices his astonishment at the fact that there are players who log into the game just so they can pretend to run an airport. Just then, the duo is stopped by Cazmer and two Sylph bodyguards. Cazmer confronts Leafa for failing to attend their engagement party and chastises her for gallivanting with "detestable Spriggan trash", much to Kirito's annoyance. Finally caught, Leafa bluntly tells Cazmer that she doesn't want to fake marry him, having only agreed it because Sakuya, her fake mom, told her to in order to end a civil war, something Cazmer needs to remind her of. She then tells Cazmer that she has become bored with the ordeal, opting to hang out with Kirito for a while instead. Cazmer tries to insist that Leafa should reconsider the engagement, but Kirito interjects, reinforcing Leafa's decision. He then tells the Sylph Prince to have some self-respect, stating that a respectable gentleman like Cazmer must have plenty of cousins that could replace Leafa as his wife.

Offended by this comment, Cazmer draws his sword and tells Kirito to know his place. He then states that, while he doesn't know how Kirito managed to seduce Leafa, events have been set in motion that are beyond the Spriggan's comprehension. Kirito isn't fazed by such a vague statement, however, and continues to poke fun of Cazmer's storyline, referencing the movie Stardust in the process. Cazmer, who catches the reference, tells Kirito that he doesn't have time to explain his motivations to him, claiming that all that the Spriggan needs to understand is that his actions are for the good of everyone.

One of Cazmer's bodyguards then recommends that they should have this conversation somewhere private, as they are drawing the attention of bystanders, such as the pretzel guy. Cazmer blames this on Leafa, telling her that she's making a scene. Angered by this, Leafa threatens to tell Sakuya about Cazmer's actions once she's back from the peace conference at Butterfly Valley, which would result in Cazmer getting banished. Hearing this, Cazmer suddenly sheaths his sword, claiming that he has been intimidated by the threat, and leaves along with his bodyguards, telling Leafa to "enjoy slumming it". Leafa then apologizes to Kirito for the incident, as players like Cazmer take the game too seriously, a sentiment Kirito agrees with. Kirito then asks Leafa if he's going to be subjected to "additional screening", giving the other players' attitudes towards his race. Leafa doesn't answer this, however, and shoves Kirito into the hands of a Fairport Security Guard, who gives him full body cavity search.

Having passed the screening, Kirito voices displeasure over the whole situation, stating that you wouldn't see something like that in Lord of the Rings. Leafa agrees with this, although she voices her contempt for Sam and Frodo disrespecting Sauron's borders, comparing them to Spriggans. Kirito asks Leafa if she just doesn't care if she hurts his feelings, since he's a Spriggan, but she ignores him and comments on the beautiful view, just as the skybox starts glitching out. Getting back on topic, Kirito tells Leafa he's in a hurry to save his wife and asks her about the army she promised. At first Leafa's unimpressed by Kirito's "excuse" for getting to the top of the World Tree, but she then gets confused and asks what Kirito means by "army". Kirito then reminds Leafa that she told him she had hordes of subjects who could he help them the previous night. Backed into a corner, Leafa suggests that they could ask Sakuya for assistance, stating that she might be cool, "for once".

Luckily for Leafa, the subject is changed when Recon arrives. Leafa tells him that she's glad to see him, which makes Recon happy for a second, but the moment is ruined when Leafa admits that she would've taken anyone, something that Kirito takes offence to. Recon then wonders if Kirito and Leafa were going on a quest, although he changes the word to "mission" at the last second for some reason, before asking if he could tag along. Hearing this, Leafa tells Recon that she has a "super special mission" for him, ordering him to keep a close eye on Cazmer, who she claims has been "acting real sus lately", a statement that disgusts Kirito. Recon states that he's willing to do so, but asks if Leafa's sure that Cazmer's weird behavior isn't because he's mad that she's not going along with his wedding storyline. Leafa denies this, however, and assures Recon that Cazmer's "def into some sketch shiz". Kirito then gets annoyed by Leafa's vocabulary and asks her to stop.

Convinced that Cazmer's up to something, Recon declares that he'll get to the bottom of this no matter what. However, he then gets deflated when Leafa reacts to this nonchalantly. Regardless, Recon wishes her luck on her mission before asking Kirito to watch Leafa's back, as she has a habit of getting into trouble. Kirito agrees to Recon's request, but admits that he was going to keep an eye on her anyway, since he doesn't trust her. Recon then states that he trusts Kirito but doesn't really understand why, commenting that there's something really familiar about him. However, before Recon can piece together who Kirito is, Leafa stomps on his foot, breaking his concentration, and takes off with Kirito following her, leaving Recon behind yet again. As they're flying, Kirito tells Leafa to be nicer to Recon, calling the latter her boyfriend. Despite Leafa trying to deny that she and Recon are together, which makes Kirito laugh, Yui tells Leafa that both her and Recon's heart rates increased upon seeing each other. Leafa tries explaining this away by claiming that her heart elevation could've been out of fear, as Recon has a big knife, but Kirito and Yui laugh this excuse, much to Leafa's embarrassment.

Kirito and Leafa eventually land in a clearing in the Ancient Forest, with Kirito asking why Leafa was in such a hurry to get there. Leafa claims that it's a "Safe Zone", where the two can recharge their wings. Kirito isn't quite convinced by her claim, as the area is surrounded by unconscious players, but Leafa dismisses them by claiming they were outside of the Safe Zone. Leafa then tells him to log out and get a snack, claiming that she'll guard his body. Kirito tries to decline this order, as he's too worried about Asuna, but he reluctantly accepts when his stomach starts growling.

After logging out and getting a sandwich, Kirito returns to find Leafa yelling something about doing whatever they want and gets confused by Leafa's outburst, startling Leafa. Kirito then asks if something happened when he was gone, which Yui tries to explain, but Leafa cuts her off before she can say anything. Though perplexed by Leafa's behavior, Kirito asks her if she wants to log out too, only for Leafa to say that they should get going. Though glad that they're making progress again, Kirito asks why Leafa's suddenly in such a rush. Yui then tells Kirito that Sakuya sent Leafa a message telling her that the peace conference will be ending soon. She then claims that Leafa came up with a plan to take advantage of the situation and recruit both the Sylph and Cait Sith armies to help raid the World Tree, meaning they'll need to hurry before the delegates leave. However, since Butterfly Valley is blocked by a mountain range that surpasses their wing's altitude limit, they'll have to take a shortcut through a Dungeon called Kandy Kane Kavern in order to make it in time.

Kirito doubts this claim, however, since Leafa herself starts daydreaming about food after confusing the word "delegates" for "delis". After Yui snaps her out of it, Leafa tries to convince Kirito that he can trust her. However, as she's saying this, Leafa spots a member of the forest folk, a group of feral roleplayers, hiding in the bushes and scares him off. She then takes off before Kirito can ask any questions. Kirito flies after her, confused about what really happened while he was away, wondering if this was one of Yui's "jokes".

#### Episode 16

Kirito and Leafa make their way through Kandy Kane Kavern. After wandering for hours, Kirito starts complaining about their journey, asking how kids don't get lost in the cave. The two then hear a scared little child somewhere deep within the cave. Kirito asks if they should help the child, but Leafa tells him that the voice was coming from the Hall of History, so the child is "basically already dead". The child then triggers the Animatronic Gandalf, the Hall of History's NPC that teaches children dodgy history facts. The Animatronic Gandalf asks a question about the moon landing, which the child gets "wrong", as the moon landing was a communist conspiracy to lull America into a false sense of superiority, so they'd be underprepared for Russia's army of psychic super bears. The child is then mauled to death by these bears as punishment. Shocked by this, Kirito voices his disdain for ALO's curriculum.

Sometime later, Kirito voices his disbelief that they left the child behind. Leafa tells him they had no choice, and that it was the child's fault for not knowing "basic history" anyway. Kirito's shocked that Leafa believes the Animatronic Gandalf, but tells himself not to pursue the topic any further, as it will only make things worse. With the matter settled, Leafa tells Kirito to focus on more important things, like his "totally real wife". Annoyed, Kirito tells Leafa to stop saying things like that, as he gets enough of that at home, and the less he thinks about that the better. Leafa's caught off guard by this statement and decides to ask Kirito about his struggles at home. Kirito then vents to Leafa about how his parents are never around and expresses his discomfort with his sister always making fun of him for not being as successful as her. He then complains about how she's always telling him that his hobbies will lead to him dying alone and unloved, slowly consumed by a legion of cats. Shocked, Leafa tells Kirito that his sister's probably lashing out, stemming from Kirito hurting her at some point. Kirito denies this possibility, however, stating that he didn't do anything. This upsets Leafa, who asks if Kirito ever considered that was the problem, a question that confuses him.

Before Kirito can pursue this, however, Yui pops out of his pocket and alerts the duo that she detects twelve players approaching from behind them. Leafa then spots a bat named Squeaker and realizes that the Salamanders have been tracking them. She casts Wind Needles and fatally wounds the bat before telling Kirito to run. Kirito's shocked by this, as the bat called out to its master before getting attacked, but Leafa shrugs it off, claiming that the Salamanders deliberately boost the affection levels of their pets to make them more willing to go on suicide missions, a statement that horrifies Kirito.

The duo then reaches the capital of Kandy Kane Kavern, Kandy Kane Kapital. Kirito voices his shock at how lazy the place's name is which causes a stone wall to rise up and block the entrance. Kirito tries to break the wall but is deflected back and crashes to the ground. Leafa explains that Kirito accidently locked them out, as punishment for spelling the places name wrong, and now they'll have to wait for the lock to reset. This confuses Kirito, since he said the name out loud, but Leafa tells him that the game detected that he spelled it with C's instead of K's. This annoys Kirito because that how you're supposed to spell those words. Leafa then tells him they don't have time to argue, since the Salamanders are almost there. As the enemies approach them, Kirito asks Leafa why the Salamanders want her dead, only to discover that she doesn't know, having not paid attention to the roleplayers' boring politics. With no choice but to face the Salamanders head on, Kirito asks Leafa to shield him while he attacks. Leafa agrees to help, but when the time comes, she ignores his increasingly frantic requests to shield him and lets him get hit by the Salamanders' Fireballs. She then plays dumb, claiming that she wasn't sure on when to shield him. This annoys Kirito and he yells at her to shield him when he asks her to. Irritated by Kirito's attitude, Leafa restores his health and he charges back into battle.

As Kirito continues his battle against the Salamanders, he begs the Salamanders to let him save Asuna, as he's nothing without her, but the Salamanders think he's just roleplaying. Eventually, Leafa casts Butterfly Shield, shielding the exhausted Kirito just as the Salamanders launch a more powerful version of their Fireball spell. With Kirito now safe, Yui hacks into the system and turns Kirito into the Gleam Eyes, a feat that impresses Leafa. Kirito then loses control of himself, roaring the Salamanders before charging at them. The Salamanders are completely caught off guard by this turn of events, but their commander tries to reassure his men, stating that Kirito was just using Illusion Magic and couldn't actually hurt them. However, he is almost immediately proven wrong when Kirito picks up two Salamanders, eating one of them and slamming the other into the ground. The Salamander commander then admits his mistake and tells his men to retreat, but Kirito pursues them and starts mercilessly slaughtering the army.

Sometime later, Kirito turns back to his normal self, but has no memory of his actions during his transformation. Leafa then tells Kirito to run, informing him that someone leaked the location of the peace conference to the Salamanders, who are now on their way to attack it. Kirito then reminds her that she was the one who leaked it, but she tries to dodge the responsibility for her actions. Despite this explanation, Kirito remains confused about the situation, stating that he was kind of curious to see Kandy Kane Kapital. Leafa remarks that Kirito did see it, but he's no longer allowed back since he burned it to the ground during his demon rampage.

As they fly Butterfly Valley, Kirito asks Leafa how she plans to fix this mess. Leafa then comes up with a plan to warn the Sylph and Cait Sith armies about the attack, so they can ambush the Salamanders when they arrive, only for Yui to reveal that the Salamanders have already arrived at the peace conference, much to Leafa's dismay. Kirito then taunts Leafa for having her "carefully laid plans" brought to ruin by the cruel hand of time, prompting Leafa to ask him what he thinks they should do. Kirito proposes they should just talk to the Salamanders, since they're going to a peace conference. Leafa states that Kirito's plan might work, but reminds him that the players are committed roleplayers, meaning, in order for them to listen, Kirito will have to engage in the roleplaying too. At first, Kirito refuses, but Leafa reminds him that he probably doesn't have long before Asuna starts developing Stockholm syndrome. Kirito reluctantly decides to endure it for Asuna's sake, exclaiming, "The things we do for love".

The two then arrive at Butterfly Valley, where Kirito interrupts the tense standoff by crash landing between the two opposing factions, shocking everyone there, including Leafa, who lands safely. Doing his best to roleplay, Kirito introduces himself as the Viscount of the Spriggan Ziggurat, despite the Salamanders pointing out that his gamer tag says otherwise. Kirito then claims that he is there to speak on the behalf of his people, only for the Salamanders inform him that they killed all of the Spriggans. Caught off guard by this revelation, Kirito, with the help of Leafa, comes up with a story where he was adopted by the Undine, who sent him to join the Sylph/Cait Sith alliance. Sakuya is disgust by this claim, stating that she always knew there was something "off" about the Undine, to which Leafa tells her to "read the room". Ignoring Sakuya's response, Kirito tells the Salamanders that, if they attack the peace conference, they will be at war with the Sylphs, the Cait Sith, the Undine, and the Spriggans to a much lesser degree.

Hearing this, the Salamander King emerges and tells Kirito that his army will take their chances, remarking that the alliance will most likely eat each other within a week. Sakuya is offended by this, stating that, while the Cait Sith may be delicious, they are a "powerful and succulent ally", a statement that visibly shocks the leader of the Cait Sith, Princess Hime Kuronekodesuchan. Despite the evidence stacking up against him, Kirito still refuses to back down, stating that the alliance forming in such unlikely circumstances only shows the strength of their resolve. However, this declaration is somewhat ruined when Kirito takes the opportunity to break character and ask the King if they ate the Spriggans. The King ignores Kirito's question, however, and offers to settle their feud one on one, "dingle to dingle", wanting to end the conflict quickly so they don't miss Squeaker's baby shower. One of the Salamanders tries to tell the King that Squeaker died, but the King tells him save it for after he defeats the Spriggan, believing it will make his victory "all the sweeter". Although confused by the King's confidence, Kirito agrees to take the King up on his gentlemanly offer. The King then boasts to Sakuya about being called a gentleman, who responds in disgust, revealing that the King's name is Eugene, a fact that confuses Kirito.

With Kirito off guard, Eugene takes this opportunity to reflect the sunlight off his sword, blinding Kirito. He then launches his attack, which Kirito attempts to block, but Eugene's sword passes through Kirito's and sends the latter face first into a cliff. Kirito then charges back into the fight, to which Eugene calls Kirito a typical Spriggan, voicing his disdain for their habit of always butting into people's business. Irritated by this, Kirito asks Eugene why the players hate Spriggans so much in this game. Eugene states that the answer should already be clear, since Kirito's using a variation of the name of ALO's great betrayer: Kirito Prime. Overwhelmed by this revelation, and due to Eugene having the upper hand, Kirito states that he "needs a minute" and casts Smokescreen, covering Butterfly Valley in a thick cloud of smoke. He then takes this opportunity to steal something from Leafa. Annoyed by Kirito's antiques, Eugene swipes the smoke away, only to find that Kirito has vanished.

Kirito then calls out to Eugene, who looks up and gets blinded by the sun, just managing to see that Kirito's above him, flying down directly in the sun's light. Eugene is offended that Kirito would dare steal the former's tactics and goes to attack him. However, just as he swipes through Kirito's sword and is about to slash his throat, Kirito reveals that he stole Leafa's sword and uses it to block Eugene's attack. He then parries Euguene, stating that stealing the King's tactic is "just what [my] character would do". With the tables turned, and two swords in hand, Kirito begins slashing away at Eugene, ranting about how every time he tries to do the right thing it only causes him to lose the things he loves. Euguene tries to retaliate, but Kirito dodges his attack and stabs him in stomach. He then states that, to top off everything he's been dealing with, he's now learned that the players of ALO have somehow found a way to ruin his name. Kirito then deals the finishing blow, causing Eugene to burst into flames, wondering what Kirito meant by his last remark. The rest of the players look on in awe, as one Salamander asks why Eugene exploded.

With the fight over, Sakuya revives Eugene, who remarks how unusually civil this is of her. Sakuya clarifies that she only revived him to prevent the Salamanders from harassing them further, telling Eugene to pay her back for the diamond she used later. Eugene states that it's typical for Sakuya to not "loosen the purse strings a bit" for a revival spell. Seeing this, Kirito's relieved that the two leaders are talking, stating that this might be their chance to recruit all the armies to help them. Leafa doubts this, however, and tells Kirito to "give it a minute". Sure enough, Sakuya gets offended by Eugene's remark, asking if he thinks her kingdom is cheap. Eugene states that he doesn't need to say that, since Sakuya's outfit is doing all the work for him. Sakuya then points out how ridiculous Eugene's armor looks, particularly with the fidget spinner he's decorated it with. Eugene explains that the fidget spinner is actually a medal, and it's the highest honor the Salamander military can bestow. Just then, a gust of wind causes the "medal" to spin, playing Sandstorm as it does. Eugene then states that the song is the Salamanders' national anthem, which always causes a veteran like him to tear up.

This comment causes Sakuya, whose real name is Brian, to break character and tell Eugene, whose real name is Becky, that he never said he was a veteran, he just thinks that his job isn't that different from serving in the navy. Becky then snaps back at Brian, reminding him that he's just a lifeguard. Seeing this, Kirito asks Leafa what's happening, to which she explains that Brian and Becky used to date, and their breakup was so messy that they hacked each other's accounts and stole the other's characters to mess with each other. She then reveals that the entire conflict in the game is the result of said breakup, much to Kirito's dismay. As Brian and Becky mock each other's former characters and real-life interests, Becky's new boyfriend, PantySmasher, whose real name is Jonathan, emerges from the crowd and suggests that they call it a day. Becky assumes this is because Jonathan believes she won't be able to beat Brian due to being a woman, which Jonathan denies, claiming that he thinks they should get going if they want to binge the Crown. This amuses Brian, who remarks that Becky should learn to keep better control of her man. This enrages Becky, who remarks that Brian was always obsessed with control when they were dating. Brian counters that the only time he was being "controlling" was when he apologized on her behalf after she vomited on their neighbor's dog again, even though he was guilty of this himself out of "solidarity".

Becky then reluctantly agrees with Jonathan, stating that fighting everyone at the peace conference isn't worth it. She then tells everyone that they should be lucky that she's in a healthy relationship now, before departing. As she leaves, Hime, whose real name is Denise, breaks character to tell Brian that she can't believe he slept with Becky, only for Brian to remind her that Becky is her cousin. As the Salamanders fly away, Becky lets out a mournful scream upon learning that Squeaker is dead. As they watch the Salamanders fly away, Kirito and Leafa reluctantly accept that they probably won't be recruiting their help. They are the approached by Sakuya, who asks why Kirito's there.

Leafa then tells Sakuya that Cazmer was behind the Salamanders' attack, claiming that Cazmer got the location of the peace conference by beating up Sakuya's scribes. Sakuya believes this revelation, stating that Cazmer has gone "rogue with his roleplaying" before by sparking the Sylph civil war in an attempt to take Sakuya's throne. Kirito then asks if Cazmer's just trying to take over the Sylph Kingdom, making a deal with the Salamanders after getting bored waiting to marry into the family. However, Sakuya realizes what Cazmer's actual goal is and explains that his ambitions go much deeper than seeking power. She the asks Hime for a Moon Mirror so she can contact him, which catches Cazmer off guard. He tries greeting her to hide his suspiciousness, but Sakuya confronts him on his actions, revealing that his deal with the Salamanders was an elaborate attempt to get Brian and Becky to talk to each other, a revelation that confuses Kirito.

Having to been caught, Cazmer, whose real name is Travis, breaks character to tell Brian that ALO used to be fun, but ever since he and Becky broke up, they've been forcing the others to choose sides and fight a proxy war just to spend time with them. This annoys Sakuya, stating that he sounds just like Kirito Prime, who was "an embarrassment to the name". However, Travis states that Kirito Prime, whose real name was Ted, had the right idea, as he just wanted Brian and Becky to talk things out so they could at least be friends again. Instead, Sakuya and Eugene committed genocide against the Spriggans to the point that none of them wanted to play anymore. This shocks Kirito, but he's still relieved that the Spriggans weren't eaten. Travis then tearfully admits that regrets not standing by the Spriggans' side when they needed him the most. He then apologizes to Kirito for how he treated him, stating that he had to keep the ruse that he was still on Brian's side, and that he only wanted peace between the races. Despite his good intentions, Sakuya tells Travis that his "mad dreams" have come to an end, before banishing him from ALO. Seeing all this unfold, Kirito states that he doesn't feel good about what just happened.

With the threat dealt with, Leafa tries to butter her adoptive mother up by saying she looks pretty. Sakuya sees right through her, however, and asks what she wants. Having been called out, Leafa claims that she would never ask Sakuya for a favor after going through such a perilous ordeal like she did, but Kirito would. With the attention now on him, Kirito bluntly asks the two leaders to borrow their armies. This shocks Leafa and the two leaders, to which Kirito states that they wasted enough time doing things Leafa's way. Sakuya admits that they probably owe him a favor after he rescued them but asks why he wants their armies. Trying his best to roleplay again, Kirito explains that his beloved has been captured by "the cruel King of the World Tree", and he needs their help to save her. However, he soon becomes more interested in just getting the Sylph army after Hime tries to get Kirito to call her "Princess Hime-Senpai".

Hearing Kirito's request, Sakuya and Hime both state that it would take more than just a single army to conquer the World Tree. Kirito wonders why the armies don't work together to storm the World Tree, asking if that's not the purpose of the peace conference. However, Sakuya explains that their peace treaty is just a non-aggression pact stating that "Eugene" was in the wrong when "he" bought opera tickets on the night "Sakuya" was planning to go to the Lakers game, even though "she" had been talking about it for months, something that riles Brian up just thinking about it, much to Kirito and Leafa's awkwardness. Sakuya then adds that working together would be pointless anyway, since only one of the races would receive the wish. This statement confuses Denise, and she break character to ask if the wish was real or something they made up, something Brian can't remember anymore. Regardless, they both decline Kirito's request and wish him luck on his suicide mission. Kirito voices his disbelief that he went through all the effort of saving them from the Salamanders, and exposing their "traitor", only to get nothing. Hime thanks Kirito for understanding their position, and tries to get him to calm down, reminding him that it's just a game. This reminds Kirito that Sakuya and Hime don't know how serious this is for him and decides not to get mad at them.

As Kirito and Leafa watch the Sylphs and the Cait Sith leave, Leafa tries to talk to Kirito. However, she's cut off by Yui, who yells in frustration about how their entire adventure was a colossal waste of time, having lost seven hours and forty-eight minutes. While Kirito's upset too, he calms Yui down, telling her that losing their cool won't help the situation. He then states that they should just cut their losses and head directly to the World Tree. Before they can, however, Leafa sincerely apologizes to Kirito for wasting their time, taking full responsibility for her actions. She then thanks him for helping the Sylphs and tries to reassure him that things will eventually work out for him. However, she awkwardly stumbles over her words and ends up quoting the Poison song Every Rose Has Its Thorn. Kirito and Yui are shocked that Leafa's genuinely trying to make them feel better as opposed to her normal snarky behavior. Leafa's surprised that her advice didn't cheer Kirito up, as she's "throwing out her 'A' materiel", to which Kirito points out that her unintentional song reference ruined the moment a bit. Leafa defends herself by stating she's "out of practice" with being nice, before threatening to beat up Kirito if he doesn't accept her encouragement. Under threat, Kirito accept her words of kindness, but begins teasing her awkward delivery by singing the song she accidentally quoted. Leafa then chases after him, telling Kirito he's being a jerk, as they fly off towards the World Tree.

#### Episode 17

After much flying, Kirito and Leafa arrive in Arun, home of the World Tree and ALO's largest freestanding Pinwheel. Kirito comments on how beautiful the view is, but realizes how incredibly hopeless the situation is upon seeing the full scale of the tree. Leafa tells Kirito to cheer up, as they just had a long day of diplomacy and light treason, before advising him to relax and enjoy the moment. Kirito takes this advice, but Yui's still distressed, reminding the two that the wedding they're trying to prevent is two days away and they still don't the manpower to stop it. Leafa tells Yui to calm down, stating that, while they don't have an army yet, they're in the largest city in the game. She then suggests that they should look for the strongest and most bribable players they can find and recruit them to their side.

However, as she says this, the system announces that the server will be shutting down for the next eleven hours to apply the game's "Say No to Drugs" update, causing Leafa to reschedule their recruitment process to the next day. With no alternative, Yui states that she will guide the duo to the nearest inn. She then warns Leafa that, if they suffer any more delays due to her tomfoolery, there shall be a reckoning. Leafa pays no attention to this threat, however, as she's just realized that Yui sounds like "a teeny tiny prospector" whenever she gets mad, which infuriates Yui even more. Kirito states that having their plans delayed is probably for the best, as they're all pretty exhausted and need be at their freshest to take on the World Tree. He then states that they might need to give the city some time to "air itself out", as all the drug addicted citizens of Arun are rioting in response to the update, destroying the largest pinwheel in the process.

The next day, back in the real world, Kazuto is washing his face in the outside sink when he's confronted by a very sleepy Suguha. After exchanging very bitter greetings, Kazuto tells Suguha that, once he's finished washing up, he's going to visit the hospital again to check on Asuna. Hearing this, Suguha remembers her conversation with Yui about taking the first step to repair their relationship. She reluctantly admits to herself that Yui might be right, only to be caught off guard when she hears Yui in her head reinforcing her statement. Trying to take the initiative, Suguha offers to tag along, stating that she wants to meet her "sister-in-law". This makes Kazuto wary, however, wondering why she's trying to be so nice all of a sudden. Suguha tries to convince him that she's just trying to support him as his sister, prompting Kazuto to sarcastically claim that he thought she was a feral possum this entire time. Trying to have the moral high ground, Suguha to turn her back to Kazuto, chastising him for being an asshole. However, this gives Kazuto the opportunity to pour cold water down her back as a prank, causing Suguha to scream loudly. Kazuto's delighted to finally get one over on Suguha, only to have her hit with a rock as payback.

Sometime later, Kazuto and Suguha board the bus to the hospital, with Kazuto commenting that Suguha's taking her joke a little far. Suguha tells him she's not joking, and that she really does want to meet his "wife", but Kazuto still isn't convinced, particularly because she keeps hesitating before saying the word "wife". Changing the subject, Suguha asks Kazuto how he and Asuna met. This confuses Kazuto, as they obviously met in the death game. Annoyed by Kazuto's ignorance, Suguha clarifies that she meant how the two fell in love. Kazuto then tells Suguha about the time he and Asuna worked together to solve a murder mystery, but Suguha doesn't believe him, stating that Kazuto described the plot of the Lake House.

The siblings then arrive at the hospital, where Kazuto warns Suguha that security will arrive in fifteen seconds if she tries anything. Suguha asks him what he thinks she'll do, to which Kazuto responds that he doesn't know, and that's what scares him. Annoyed, Suguha tells Kazuto to enter the room, which he begrudgingly does. Once inside, Kazuto introduces the still unconscious Asuna to his sister, who yells her introduction at Asuna. Kazuto chastises Suguha for her lack of respect to a coma patient, prompting her to try a more friendly introduction. The two then stand by Asuna's bedside, where Suguha comments on how gentle Asuna looks, comparing her to an angel. Kazuto chuckles at this remark, stating that, if Asuna was an angel, she'd probably be Lucifer. Feeling awkward with the atmosphere, Suguha decides to refill the flower vase at Asuna's bedside. As she does, Suguha says something to Kazuto, but he doesn't hear it, as he's too focused on holding Asuna's hand sadly.

With the maintenance finished, Kirito logs back into ALO and asks Leafa how she is. Hearing this question, Leafa bursts into tears, stating that she doesn't know how she's feeling, much to Kirito's awkwardness, as now he has yet another crying woman in his life. Leafa vaguely explains that she knows a guy and thought he was the problem, but she's realized that he might be nice, which means she might be the problem, something Leafa doesn't want to be. Unsure what to say, Kirito sits down and tells Leafa that he doesn't have time for this, a statement that confuses Leafa. Kirito explains that this is making him uncomfortable, since they're basically strangers, and gently tells her to bottle up her emotions until he's rescued his wife and at a safe distance. Unfortunately, this doesn't work, and Leafa starts crying even harder, babbling about something too incomprehensible for Kirito to understand. Seeing how upset Leafa is, Kirito apologizes and decides to be her shoulder to cry on, telling Leafa to take all the time she needs. Eventually, Leafa regains her composure and apologizes her outburst, telling Kirito that they better keep moving. Kirito tries to make sure that Leafa's actually alright, but Yui yells at them continue their quest.

As the pair are walking though Arun, Kirito notices that things have really been cleaned up after the update, commenting how nice it is to see the streets full of different races are getting along. Despite this, however, he then states that he still feels on edge for some reason. Leafa agrees with this, stating that she's always been creeped out by the city, before criticising a Gnome and Cait Sith couple for "living in sin". Kirito assumes that Leafa's roleplaying again, sarcastically commenting that he missed her character, much to her confusion. As they're walking through the city, Yui detects that Sugou has updated his Facebook status, moving up the wedding to that night. Kirito is horrified by the revelation, while Leafa's more shocked that Sugou still uses Facebook. Yui launches another scan, which tells her that Asuna's right above them, and Kirito flies towards the branches. Leafa chases after them, trying to warn them about something, but she's too late and Kirito hits an invisible wall.

Despite being unsuccessful, Kirito continues to attack the wall, much to Leafa's confusion. Kirito explains he's trying to see if hitting the wall at the right angle will glitch him through, stating that if it's good enough for Mario Kart, it's good enough for him. Leafa asks Yui why she's not stopping him, to which Yui explains that Kirito's logic is sound enough. Leafa then points out that continuing to hit the wall will only end up hurting Kirito, but Yui says she's willing to risk that in order to save Asuna, before recommending where Kirito should hit next. As he tries one last punch, Kirito sees something falling from the sky and catches it, discovering that it's a card that has "USE THE DOOR, IDIOT! ♡" scratched on it. Kirito realizes this is a message from Asuna, reassuring him and Yui that she's okay. Yui then scans the card and realizes that it's a system admin access code, which they can use to log out Asuna. Kirito says they better do this at once, to which Leafa reminds him of their plan to recruit other players. Kirito states that they don't have time, however, pointing out that the admins might change the code once they realize the card is missing. He then states that they'll just have to rush in and hope for the best, which Leafa says is a terrible plan and that he's being an idiot. Kirito admits that she's probably right, but flies down to the entrance anyway, declaring that "fools rush in". Leafa thinks this is a reference to the movie of the same name and declares that it was a terrible one.

As Kirito crash lands in the streets and makes his way towards the tree, Yui tells him that Leafa's no longer following them. Kirito doesn't respond to this, however, as he's purely focused on his mission. As Kirito arrives at the gates to the final Dungeon, he's blocked by two knight statues. The statues tell him that only those with a noble heart and a keen mind may enter the tree, and that he needs to proclaim his glory to get past them. However, Kirito learns almost immediately that this means accepting the game's prompt when it pops up, which he does. Satisfied that he has accepted the quest, the statues let Kirito in. Kirito then psyches himself up for the battle to come and enters the Dungeon.

Once inside, Kirito is annoyed to find that the Dungeon's just a giant empty tube. He then voices his frustration at this revelation and starts flying his way to the top. However, as he makes his way up, he is confronted by an army of Guardian Knights, who are all rip offs of the B1 Battle Droids from Star Wars, much to Kirito's annoyance. As he engages the Guardian Knights, Kirito complains about how overly advertised the final Dungeon seems to be, sarcastically stating that he wishes he recruited an army of "offensive racial stereotypes", before commenting that doing so would probably be "a little too appropriate" giving the annoying players of ALO. Eventually, Kirito gets tired of fighting the Guardian Knights and heads straight for the doors at the end of the Dungeon. However, he soon finds himself outnumbered by a squadron of archers, who begin shooting him. Kirito refuses to back down, however, and continues to head to the door, but is almost immediately impaled by five swords. Kirito states that this isn't enough to stop him, but he soon runs out of health and dies, leaving him floating in the air as a Remain Light.

While waiting to respawn, Kirito laments on his failures, stating that he would've been able to beat the quest before, and how things were better back in SAO. However, as he says this, he realizes what he saying and is repulsed that he misses being in the death game. He then starts mocking his hero complex and tells himself that he's not invincible, he's just a kid who's good at video games, which was useful exactly once. He then tells himself that there was only one place where he had the ability to make anyone like him and it's gone now, along with the people who liked him. Dejected, Kirito begins wondering what he has left now, with Asuna slipping away and Tiffany focusing on his family. He then realizes that he only has Suguha left. He initially dismisses this possibility but soon acknowledges how kind she's been recently. This reminds him of how they used to have each other's back when they were little, and doubts that they could be like that ever again. Suddenly, Leafa flies into the Dungeon to save him. She manages to retrieve Kirito's Remain Light, chastising him for not listening to her in the process, but is eventually shot and beaten to the ground by the Guardian Knights. She then staggers to her feet, avoiding a hail of swords and arrows, and manages to escape the Dungeon.

Now safely outside, Leafa revives Kirito with a Healing Potion and berates him for trying to do everything on his own. However, much to her surprise, Kirito thanks Leafa for saving him, admitting that he rushed in too quickly and that he's going to need help with this. Relived that Kirito seems to have learned his lesson, Leafa suggests that they head back into town to recruit some players. However, Kirito gets back up and starts heading back to the Dungeon. Leafa asks him where he's going, to which Kirito states that, while he did die, he almost made it to the door. He then states that, if Leafa backs him up, he believes that they'll be able to beat the quest. While briefly touched by this, Leafa tries to convince Kirito that it still won't be enough, as the Dungeon keeps spawning more Guardian Knights no matter how many you defeat. Kirito dismisses this, however, stating that they better get to the door quickly then. Hearing this, Leafa runs over to Kirito and hugs him, telling him to just stop, as he'll keep getting hurt for no reason if he continues. Kirito states that he has every reason, however, as Asuna's in trouble and needs his help. Hurt by how far Kirito's willing to go for Asuna, Leafa asks him why he couldn't fight for her this hard, accidentally calling him Kazuto in the process. As Leafa backs away in horror, realizing what she's done, a confused Kirito realizes that Leafa is his sister, Suguha. Knowing that she's been caught, Leafa panics and logs out, leaving a very confused Kirito behind.

Kazuto then logs out himself and knocks on Suguha's door, asking if she's in her room. She tells him to go away, but he doesn't listen, stating that he has some question for her. Kazuto asks Suguha if she knew who he was the whole time and when she started playing video games, since she always called them "stupid nerd shit". He then wonders if Suguha bought an AmuSphere, and became Leafa, just fuck with him. Assuming this is the case, Kazuto points out that Suguha went to the hospital with him, so she can't still think that Asuna's not real. He then asks if all of this was an elaborate prank, or if Suguha was so cruel that she can never let Kazuto be happy, asking if she hated him that much. Angered by his remarks, Suguha opens the door and tells Kazuto that she can't hate him, because she doesn't even know him anymore, not since he left her behind. She then laments that they used to be best friends, and that she wanted to be just like him, which is why when their grandfather wanted to teach him kendo, she wanted to learn too. This comment confuses Kazuto, to which Suguha reveals that their grandfather never wanted to train her, he was only interested in his grandson. This means, when Kazuto changed his interest to computers, she had to "man up" for her brother. Despite their grandfather doing everything he could to get her to quit, Suguha persevered, hoping that Kazuto would come back. She explains that all the times she was showing off was actually her trying to make kendo seem fun, so Kazuto would change his mind, but he continued to shut her out in favor of his games.

Kazuto tries to defend himself, reminding her that it was their mother who wanted him to learn coding, but Suguha calls bullshit on this claim, pointing out that Kazuto didn't even try to fight their mother on the subject. She then tells Kazuto that all she's seen during their adventure is how hard he fights for the things he cares for, asking if she was just not worth the effort. Suguha then wonders if their bond as siblings was only in her head, before chastising Kazuto for accusing her of hating him when he clearly never gave a shit about her. Expecting to hear another rebuttal, Suguha is surprised when Kazuto looks away ashamed, admitting that he had no idea what his sister was going through. With nothing else to say, Suguha tells Kazuto to leave her alone, stating that he's had enough practice, before shutting the door in his face.

## References

1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 Episode 17
2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 Episode 1
3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 3.4 3.5 3.6 Episode 12
4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 Episode 11
5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 Episode 15
6. ↑ 6.0 6.1 Episode 2
7. ↑ Episode 3
8. ↑ Episode 4
9. ↑ 9.0 9.1 Episode 9
10. ↑ 10.0 10.1 10.2 Episode 5
11. ↑ 11.0 11.1 11.2 Episode 7
12. ↑ 12.0 12.1 12.2 Episode 8
13. ↑ Episode 6
14. ↑ KARF advert
15. ↑ Episode 10
16. ↑ 16.0 16.1 Episode 13
17. ↑ Episode 14
18. ↑ Episode 16