List of Sword Art Online

"The World of Swords"
"Know no Sekai" (剣 の 世界)



On November 6, 2022, the VRMMORPG, Sword Art Online, is officially released, with 10,000 copies released and sold immediately. Kirito, who beta-tested the game, logs-in to the world of Aincrad and meets Klein, a new player, who asks him to teach him the basics of the game including the Sword Skill battle system. Later, after several hours in the game, Kirito and Klein discover that they cannot log out. Shortly after, the pair are teleported to the town square, where they see that all other players have also been transported to the location. A red-hooded Game Master then appears in the sky and reveals himself to the crowd as Akihiko Kayaba, the game's creator. He tells them that he intentionally removed the log-out option. He cautions that they cannot log-out by simply removing the NerveGear, the VR helmet they use to log-in the game, as it will kill them instantly. The only way to log out is for the players to beat and clear all 100 floors of the game. Should they die in the game, their real bodies will perish as well. As a parting gift, Akihiko gives them a mirror which alters their in-game avatars to resemble their real appearance. Kirito asks Klein to follow him to the next town to level up before resources are depleted, but Klein politely declines as he wishes to remain with his friends. Kirito then heads out, vowing to be free from the game. By the end of the first month, 2,000 players have died and the 1st floor has yet to be cleared. 

"Beater"
"Bītā" (ビーター) 

On December 2, 2022, Kirito attends a meeting organized by an idealistic Diabel, who announces to the attendants that his party has found the boss of the 1st floor tower. He rallies everyone to team up and beat the boss, Illfang the Kobold Lord, which will open up the 2nd floor. Parties are formed and Kirito teams up with a girl name Asuna. A new player named Kibaou blames the Beta Testers of the game for running away to loot and level up while leaving the new players behind. Another player named Agil defends the Beta players, revealing it was they who gave them the free guide book that helped them survive the game. Using the guide book, Diabel devises a strategy for fighting Illfang and his minions. Later that night, Kirito shares his food with Asuna while she tells him that she joined them because she felt compelled to do something rather than nothing. The next day, Diabel's raid group arrives at the boss's room and battles Illfang and his minions. When Illfang's health becomes low, Diabel goes for the finishing blow. Kirito tries to warn him after noticing Illfang has a different type of weapon from the one described in the guide book, but Illfang strikes down Diabel. Kirito realizes that Diabel was also a Beta player as he had attempted to obtain the boss's rare item. As he dies, Diabel begs Kirito to defeat the boss and save the players. Having an epiphany on how Diabel was helping the other players while Kirito had only helped himself, Kirito experiences a renewed determination to defeat the boss. With Asuna and the raid group's help, Kirito kills Illfang, clearing the 1st floor much to everyone's joy. However, the celebration ends when Kibaou blames Kirito for Diabel's death, as his knowledge as a beta player might have saved Diabel. Fearing continued fighting between the beta and new players, Kirito mocks everyone, telling them he is unlike the beta players who were clueless about the game, as he obtained far more knowledge of the Beta test than any other player. Everyone is repulsed by Kirito, and brand him a Beater -- a Beta player who cheats. As Kirito leaves for the 2nd floor, he advises Asuna to join a guild. 

"The Red-Nosed Reindeer"
"Akahana no Tonakai" (赤鼻のトナカイ) 

Four months have passed with more powerful players and guilds clearing the game's floors. After saving a guild called the Moonlit Black Cats, their leader, Keita, thanks Kirito and asks him to join their guild. Kirito accepts the invitation, but hides the fact that he is Level 40, twice the average level of the guild. Kirito bonds with his new friends, especially Sachi, who confides in Kirito that she is afraid to die. Kirito assures her that he will protect her and that they will be free one day. On June 12, 2023, while Keita goes to buy a house for the guild, the Black Cats decide to earn some money by going to the upper floor dungeons, but set off a trap, locking themselves in a room with higher level Mobs. Kirito desperately tries to save his friends but they are all killed, including Sachi. Blaming himself for his friends' deaths, including Keita's, who committed suicide upon learning what happened, Kirito displays increasingly reckless tendencies and goes on a dangerous quest to obtain an item that revives the dead. On December 24, 2023, Argo the informant tells Kirito of the existence of a special boss named Nicholas the Renegade, which drops the item. As Kirito travels to the boss, he is followed by Klein and his guild Fuurinkazan, who fear for Kirito's safety. They are then surrounded by the Holy Dragon Alliance guild who are also seeking the item. Klein and his guild hold off the Holy Dragons, while Kirito goes off to face Nicholas alone. He emerges victorious, however to his despair, Kirito discovers that the boss item can only revive the dead within ten seconds of the person's death. When Kirito returns to his room, he receives a message from Sachi which she had recorded prior to her death to be delivered on Christmas Eve. In the message, Sachi asks Kirito not to blame himself over her death and that he should continue living to the end of the game. As she ends the message by humming "Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer" before saying goodbye, Kirito cries. 

"The Black Swordsman"
"kuro no kenshi" (黒の剣士) 

On February 23 2024, a beast tamer named Silica quits a party after arguing with their leader, Rosalia. Later, Silicia is ambushed by monsters while making her way alone through the forest, and her dragon familiar, Pina, is killed trying to protect her. Kirito appears and saves Silica, and then tells her of an item at the Hill of Memories on the 47th floor that can revive her familiar within three days of its death and offers to accompany her there. As they spend time together, Kirito warns Silicia of "orange players", players who commit crimes, and "red players", players who kill other players and then notices someone eavesdropping on them. The next day, as they make their way to the Hill of Memories, Kirito tells Silica about his younger sister, whom he was very close to and Silica reminds him of. As they finally retrieve the item, the Pneuma Flower, they are confronted by Rosalia and her men, who are actually part of the Titan's Hand, a notorious orange player guild and are after the flower. Kirito then reveals that his true motivations for escorting Silica was to draw Rosalia out and arrest her. The guild realizes Kirito is the infamous Beater, "The Black Swordsman", and are effortlessly outmatched and sent to prison. Later, Pina is revived, and as Kirito prepares to return to the front lines, he makes a promise to Silica that they would meet again in the real world. 

"A Murder Case in the Area"
"Kennai Jiken" (圏内事件) 

On March 6 2024, during a meeting between guilds on the 56th floor, Asuna, who has become Vice Commander of the Knights of Blood Oath guild, proposes a plan to lure a boss they are fighting into a village and is opposed by Kirito, as the NPC villagers will be killed. A month later on the 59th floor, Kirito is taking a nap until Asuna arrives and chastises him for being lazy, but Kirito persuades her to relax as well. To repay him for guarding her while she napped, Asuna offers to buy dinner for him at a town on the 57th floor. Their meal is interrupted by a scream, and they rush out of the restaurant to find a player hanging outside a church, impaled with a spear. He dies immediately after. As they investigate the murder, Kirito wonders how the player was killed in a safezone, speculating that either the victim was dueled by another player or that someone had found a new exploit to kill players. Yoruko, a friend of Kains, mentions someone may have been spotted behind Kains as he was impaled. Asuna and Kirito travel to Agil's shop to learn more about the murder weapon. Agil tells them that the weapon (Guilty Thorn) is a custom made weapon by a blacksmith named Grimrock. After informing Yoruko of their discovery, she explains to them how she and Kains are related to Grimrock. Six months earlier, Yoruko, Kains, and Grimrock had been part of an eight-man guild called the Golden Apple, led by Griselda, Grimrock's ingame wife. One day, the guild acquired a rare ring and voted whether to use it or sell it. Three members, Yoruko, Kains and Schmit, now a member of the Holy Dragon Alliance, voted to use it, but the other five voted to sell it. Griselda went out to sell the ring and was killed. Yoruko believes Kains's killer is targeting the three of them for going against Griselda's wishes. However, Schmit fears that the identity of the killer is Griselda's ghost, who wants revenge against them. Yoruko is then abruptly killed by a dagger thrown from the window. 

"Phantom Avenger"
"Maboroshi no Fukushū-sha" (幻の復讐者) 

Kirito pursues the assassin, who escapes by using a teleport crystal. Kirito wonders how it is possible to kill someone in a safezone to which a paranoid Schmit declares that the killer is Griselda's ghost. After watching a dropped sandwich vanish and talking to Asuna about the game's marriage system of inventory sharing, Kirito deduces how Yoruko and Kains "died" and who was Griselda's murderer. He explains to Asuna that Yoruko and Kains are actually alive, and that they had merely faked their deaths by using a teleport crystal when their armor broke from the damage over time weapon effect to give the appearance of a player death. Yoruko and Kains confront Schmit at Griselda's grave to investigate the identity of Griselda's killer. After Schmit explains that he had only followed instructions given to him and had not expected Griselda's death, the three are surrounded by members of the notorious player-killing guild, Laughing Coffin, who have come to kill them. Yoruko, Kains and Schmit are rescued by the timely arrival of Kirito, who intimidates the Laughing Coffin into retreating. Asuna arrives with the man who hired the Laughing Coffin and Griselda's killer, Grimrock. Grimrock reveals that he killed Griselda, who was also his wife in the real world, because he could not accept that his kind, dutiful wife he loved had become a fearless, independent leader. Asuna admonishes Grimrock for killing Griselda, telling him that he never truly loved his wife and that he was merely possessive. After Yoruko, Kains and Schmit take Grimrock into custody, Kirito and Asuna briefly discuss about marriage and Kirito states he would love his partner more after seeing a different side of her. Kirito and Asuna then see an apparition of Griselda thanking them. 

"Warmth of Heart"
"Kokoro no Ondo" (心の温度) 

On June 24, 2024 at Lindas on 48th floor, Asuna visits her friend, Lisbeth or "Liz", at her smith shop before going off adventuring, and Liz suspects that she was going away with a boy she likes. The next day, Kirito arrives at Liz's shop in search of a custom-made sword to buy. Much to Liz's shock, Kirito's sword, Elucidator, easily breaks her strongest sword. Angry and her pride hurt, Liz persuades Kirirto to let her accompany him to the Western Mountain on the 55th floor to get a rare mineral from a dragon that eats crystals, so that she can use the mineral to make a stronger sword. When they arrive at the Western Mountain, Kirito tells Liz to hide when he fights the dragon. However, she ignores his advice and emerges from hiding halfway through the battle, believing the dragon almost defeated. The dragon blasts her into a deep pit with a powerful gale, and Kirito jumps in to save her. Despite surviving the fall, the pair cannot find a way out of the pit and are forced to sleep there for the night. Liz asks Kirito to hold her hand while they sleep, which brings her to the realization that she has feelings for him. The next morning, Kirito discovers that the mineral they are seeking, a Crystallite Ingot, is under the snow as the hole is the dragon's nest. The dragon returns and Kirito grabs Liz with him as he stabs the dragon's back, forcing it to carry them out the hole before jumping out. Now safe with the mineral, Liz creates a new sword, Dark Repulsor, for Kirito and denies payment. She instead asks Kirito to make her his exclusive smith and is about to confess her feelings to him, when a worried Asuna suddenly arrives. Realizing Kirito is the boy Asuna likes all along, Liz abruptly excuses herself from them. As Liz cries over her heartbreak, Kirito finds her and tries to comfort her. Accepting that her feelings would go unrequited, Liz pledges her support to Kirito as his smith if he promises to win the game and free them all. 

"Black & White Sword Dance"
"Kuro to Shiro no Kenbu" (黒と白の剣舞) 

After adventuring on the 74th floor, Kirito finds a Ragout Rabbit, a rare animal with top grade meat. Since he cannot cook well, Kirito decides to sell it to Agil, but changes his mind when Asuna arrives and tells them she has mastered her cooking skills. Instead, Kirito requests her to cook it in exchange for a share of the meal. However, Kuradeel, Asuna's escort sent by the Knights of Blood, is against Asuna inviting Kirito to her home as he is a Beater, but Asuna ignores him. At her home in Selmburg on the 61st floor, Asuna cooks the rabbit meat for dinner. Over the meal, Asuna and Kirito discuss the two years that have passed since they were trapped in the game and how so many players have gotten accustomed to living in Aincard, with fewer than five hundred players clearing the floors. Both agree to party up and explore the dungeons in the 74th floor, and meet up the following day. However, Kuradeel appears and attempts to stop them. Kuradeel challenges Kirito to a duel, promising to leave them alone if Kirito wins. Kirito defeats Kuradeel by breaking his sword. However, Kuradeel refuses to give up, until Asuna relieves him of his duties and orders him to return to Knights of the Blood Oath headquarters. As Kirito and Asuna explore the 74th floor dungeons, they discover the boss room and its boss, Gleam Eyes. 

"Blue-Eyed Demon"
"Seigan no Akuma" (青眼の悪魔) 

Kirito and Asuna flee from the boss room to another part of the dungeon, where they stop for a meal and encounter Klein and the Furinkazan guild. The Aincrad Liberation Force guild, known as "The Army", also appears, visibly exhausted from exploring the floor. As the soldiers rest, their leader Corbatz demands Kirito to give them the map he made of the floor. Despite Asuna and Klein's protests, Kirito complies with his request. Kirito, Asuna, Klein and his guild later check up on Corbatz and his men, only to learn that they are battling Gleam Eyes by themselves, despite Kirito's earlier warnings. To make matters worse, the teleport crystals do not work in the boss room. As the members of the Army are killed off one by one, Asuna, Kirito and Klein charge at the boss to protect the survivors. Not wanting to see more people die, Kirito is forced to use a unique skill, Dual Blades, he has been keeping secret that allows him to fight with two swords. Using both Elucidator and Dark Repulsor, Kirito performs Star-burst Stream, a barrage of deadly slashes to defeat Gleam Eyes, before falling unconscious as his health hits red. Upon awakening, Kirito is greeted by the sight of a distraught Asuna, who announces her intentions to take a break from her guild and continue partying with Kirito. Shortly after the boss battle, Kirito's unique skill becomes the talk of Aincard, which gets him the attention of Heathcliff, the Commander of the Knights of Blood. Not wishing to see his vice-commander leave his guild, Heathcliff challenges Kirito to a duel. If Kirito wins, Asuna is allowed to leave the guild and join his side, but if he loses, Kirito must join the Knights of Blood. Kirito agrees to the terms and accepts Heathcliff's challenge. 

"Crimson Killing Intent"
"Kurenai no Satsui" (紅の殺意) 

The duel between Kirito and Heathcliff is held at an arena where a large crowd has gathered. Asuna warns Kirito to be careful about fighting Heathcliff as he has a unique skill called Divine Blade, which grants him maximum strength and defense. Heathcliff initially overpowers Kirito but the tide turns when Kirito forces Heathcliff on the defensive. Just as Kirito is about to deal the winning strike, Heathcliff mysteriously manages to dodge it and defeats Kirito. Now a member of the Knights of Blood, Kirito is questioned by Asuna about the reason for his strong aversion to joining guilds. After he confides in her about what happened to his old guild, Asuna comforts Kirito and tells him she will protect him. Later, Kirito is asked by fellow member Godfrey to follow him and a seemingly remorseful Kuradeel to the 55th floor dungeons for a skill assessment. As they stop for a break, Kirito notices too late that the water he and Godfrey drank contains a paralysis effect. Kuradeel then reveals he is a member of the Laughing Coffins and his intentions to kill both Godfrey and Kirito, while making it look like they were victims of an ambush. After finishing off Godfrey, Kuradeel attempts to kill Kirito, but the latter is saved by the arrival of Asuna who tracked them on her map. Asuna quickly whittles down Kuradeel's health until the critical stages. Kuradeel begs Asuna for forgiveness, which was a ruse to get her guard down and disarm her. Just as Kuradeel is about to strike Asuna, Kirito jumps in between them, blocking the attack with his arm before killing him. Asuna feels guilty for what had happened but Kirito kisses her, and tells her how much he cares about her and how he wants to protect her. They stay at her home for the night. Later, as he sits next to Asuna on her bed, Kirito tells her of a place where they can be alone together and then proposes to her, which she tearfully accepts.

"The Morning Dew Girl"
"Asatsuyu no Shōjo" (朝露の少女) 

Kirito and Asuna go on vacation and stay at their new home in a secluded village in the 22nd floor. The couple later find a lost girl in the forest and see her suddenly collapse. As they approach the unconscious girl, they discover that she does not have a cursor above her, suggesting a glitch. They take the girl to their home. She wakes up the following day, but, upon questioning from Asuna and Kirito, it is discovered that the girl cannot remember anything but her name, Yui. Yui, unable to pronounce Asuna and Kirito's name correctly, calls them "mama" and "papa" instead. Believing that she got separated from her family, Kirito and Asuna decide to head to the Town of Beginnings on the 1st floor to find Yui's relatives before they go back to the front lines. Instead, they find a young woman named Sasha and the children she's taking care of being extorted by the Army for taxes. Asuna attacks their leader, scaring him and the rest of the Army soldiers away. As Sasha and the children thank Asuna, Yui reaches towards the sky and repeats "Everyone's hearts..." several times. Asuna rushes over to ask Yui if she has remembered anything, and she tells Kirito and Asuna that she realizes she has never been to the Town of Beginnings before. Suddenly Yui's eyes widen and mysterious static sound affects everyone before Yui faints. 

"Yui's Heart"
"Yui no Kokoro" (ユイの心) 

Kirito, Asuna and Yui are resting at the church where Sasha takes care of the younger children, until Yulier, a high ranking member from the Army, suddenly arrives. Yulier explains that the Army under their leader, Thinker, had good intentions of helping players but as the Army grew bigger, unscrupulous leaders within the Army began abusing their powers. Thinker was going to expel Kibaou over the Gleam Eyes incident, but the latter trapped him in a secret dungeon on the 1st floor. Yulier then asks Kirito and Asuna for help in a rescue. The couple accept and, upon arrival at Thinker's location in the dungeon, get attacked by a boss called "the Fatal Scythe". Kirito and Asuna tell Yulier to escape together with Thinker and Yui as they fight the boss, but it is too strong. As the boss is about to strike down Kirito, Yui jumps in between them. The boss attacks, but is unable to damage her due to her being an "Immortal Object". Yui then promptly defeats the boss. After the battle, Yui tells Kirito and Asuna that she has finally regained her memories. She explains that she is an AI counselor created by the game's Cardinal system, whose purpose was to monitor and counsel the players on their mental state. On the day of game's launch, Cardinal refused to allow to her interact with the players, and she was forced to watch their mental states deteriorate. Sometime after, Yui learnt about the happiness of Asuna and Kirito and thus made an appearance in the 22nd floor forest to meet them. Despite the revelation, Asuna and Kirito still accept Yui as their daughter, but Yui bids them farewell when she realises that she is to be deleted for her interference in the game. Refusing to accept her deletion, Kirito uses the GM console Yui left behind to save Yui's data by turning her into a game item. With the data saved on his NerveGear local memory, Kirito and Asuna hope to recreate her in the real world. 

"The Depths of Hell"
"Naraku no Fuchi" (奈落の淵) 

While fishing near a lake, Kirito encounters Nishida, an old man and former network security manager for Argus, the company that made SAO, who oversaw the game's development. He remarks that despite honing his fisherman skill, he is unable to cook delicious dishes with what he catches. Kirito then invites him to his home for Asuna to cook the fish he just caught for them. During their meal, Nishida mentions a huge fish he tried to catch many times but failed, and asks Kirito to help him. Later, Nishida manages to hook the fish and passes the rod to Kirito to pull it away. The fish is revealed to be a huge monster which Asuna slays. Soon after, Kirito receives a summons from Heathcliff. Kirito and Asuna leave to meet up with him at the Knights of Blood headquarters, where they learn that a scouting party had been trapped and killed in the 75th level's boss room. A team of players from several guilds, including Kirito and Asuna, is being assembled to fight the boss. Fearing for her safety, Kirito asks Asuna to stay behind, but Asuna refuses, declaring that she would rather die than live without him. She also surmises that all players' real bodies must be currently undergoing treatment in hospitals and that their condition cannot be preserved indefinitely. Therefore, simply fleeing to live by themselves in the game is not an option. Later, when the players enter the boss room, they are confronted by the Skull Reaper, a ferocious, skeletal monster capable of killing players in one blow. Kirito, Asuna and Heathcliff battle the creature head on, while the other players flank it. 

"The End of the World"
"Sekai no Shūen" (世界の終焉) 

After the group defeats the Skull Reaper, suffering 14 casualties in the battle, Kirito deduces that Heathcliff is, in fact, Akihiko Kayaba himself. Akihiko paralyses everyone except Kirito, and then offers Kirito the chance to face him in a one-on-one duel where, should Kirito win, Akihiko would log out all the remaining players. After giving his best wishes to the others, Kirito accepts the challenge but is unable to overcome Akihiko's absolute defense and intimate understanding of the game's mechanics. As Akihiko readies the finishing blow, Asuna overcomes her paralysis and takes the hit instead, losing all her HP and disappearing as a result. Distraught by Asuna's death, Kirito loses the will to fight and receives a fatal stab from Akihiko. However, at the point of death, Kirito remembers Asuna's belief in him and re-materializes to defeat Akihiko using Asuna's sword. They are both killed simultaneously and the game is declared cleared on November 7, 2024. Kirito then awakens high above the game world, where he finds both Asuna and Akihiko. Akihiko informs Kirito and Asuna that he has logged out all the other players as promised, and also explains his motives for creating Sword Art Online before disappearing. Kirito and Asuna then tell one another their real names, Kazuto Kirigaya and Asuna Yūki, and embrace each other as the world falls apart. To his surprise, Kazuto awakens in a hospital in the real world and, despite being physically weak, sets off to search for the real Asuna. 

"Return"
"Kikan" (帰還) 

Two months after being freed from SAO, Kazuto continues to be plagued with nightmares about Asuna. Since his two-year coma in the game, his sister, Suguha, has been constantly worrying about him. The pair have a kendo spar, and though Kazuto loses, Suguha is both shocked and curious about his unusual yet proficient sword fighting skills as a result of his time in SAO. Later, Kazuto goes to the hospital to visit Asuna who, along with 300 other players, has yet to wake up even after the SAO incident. It is there that he meets an associate of Asuna's father, Nobuyuki Sugou. Much to Kazuto's fury, Sugou tells him that he intends to be adopted into Asuna's family while she is still comatose as a precursor to marriage. Claiming that this is his right since it was his company, RECTO Progress Inc., had been keeping Asuna alive after SAO's developer Argus went bankrupt, he informs Kazuto that the ceremony will occur in a week and tells him not to see her again. Later at home, Kazuto breaks down before Suguha, who tells him not to give up, despite knowing Kazuto is actually her cousin and harboring her own feelings for him. The next morning, Kazuto receives an e-mail from Agil with a screenshot of an avatar resembling Asuna from another game. 

"The Land of Fairies"
"Yōsei-tachi no Kuni" (妖精たちの国) 

Kazuto visits Agil, who explains that the screenshot he sent originated from ALfheim Online, an MMO where players take the role of fairies capable of flight. He explains that the figure resembling Asuna was spotted somewhere on the game's World Tree. Noticing that RECTO created the game, Kazuto decides to don his Nervegear once again and take up his role as Kirito in ALfheim Online. After selecting his character race as a Spriggan and diving in, he enters a strange warphole which leads him to a forest, where he finds to his surprise that his stats are identical to his SAO avatar's, with the exception of his dual wielding skill. He also discovers that he still has the SAO in-game item containing Yui's data, which he activates to bring Yui into ALfheim as a Navigation Pixie. Yui deduces that the game is made using a copy of SAO's servers, which was why all common skills and stats from SAO had been carried over to Kirito's ALfheim avatar. As Kirito gets used to his flight controls, two Sylph players named Leafa and Recon are being chased by Salamander players. Just as Recon is defeated and Leafa outnumbered, Kirito crash lands before her and steps in to help defeat the assailants. 

"The Captive Queen"
"Toraware no Joō" (囚われの女王) 

Leafa thanks Kirito for saving her and teaches him how to fly properly. They then travel to the Sylph Territory (Sylvein) where they meet one of Leafa's party members, Recon. Leafa and Kirito go to an inn and have a conversation about how Kirito can get to the top of the World Tree. Seeing Kirito's determination to reach the top of the tree, Leafa decides to help him and asks him to meet her at the inn the next day. When Leafa logs out, it is revealed she is actually Suguha. Meanwhile, Asuna is seen in a gigantic bird cage at the World Tree, held by the game master, Oberon the Fairy King. She recognizes Oberon as Sugou, who insists on calling her "Titania". He reveals to Asuna how he captured the minds of 300 players before they were logged out from SAO including her own, as part of his research on memory control. He threatens to alter Asuna's memories if she does not cooperate with him and then departs, leaving Asuna in despair and quietly begging for Kirito to save her. 

"To the World Tree"
"Sekaiju e" (世界樹へ) 

Suguha reminisces about how she started VR gaming, and then meets up with Recon's real life persona, Shin'ichi Nagata. She informs him that she will be leaving their party to join Kirito. Later, she logs in as Leafa and accompanies Kirito to shop for new equipment, but runs into her party. The group is led by Sigurd who does not take kindly to Leafa's departure and warns them they will be consider renegades for not sticking their allegiance to their race's territories. Before Kirito and Leafa set off, Recon approaches them, saying that though he wants to join them, he will remain in the party to keep an eye on Sigurd due to some suspicions he has on him. Later during their travels, Kirito and Leafa arrive at a landing point where they take turns logging out to refresh themselves. After Kirito returns, they both set off again, unaware that they are being followed by a mysterious group. Meanwhile, Asuna learns from Oberon that Kirito is still alive and secretly obtains the keycode for her cage's lock. 

"The Lugru Corridor"
"Rugurū Kairō" (ルグルー回廊) 

While passing through a cave, Leafa receives a message from Recon cautioning her to take care. She and Kirito then realize that they are being followed and try to escape, only to be cornered by a large group of Salamander players. Kirito asks Leafa to support him with her magic while he fights the group by himself. However, he is unable to break their formation until Yui comes up with a plan to have Leafa cast some protective magic on Kirito, while he conjures a spell that temporarily transforms him into a giant demon. In his new form, Kirito obliterates his enemies, but spares one whom Kirito bribes in exchange for information. The Salamander player reveals that his party was ordered to attack Kirito and Leafa by the same group which attacked them during their first encounter. After arriving at the next town, Suguha logs out for a while and answers a phone call from Shin'ichi. Shin'ichi tells her that Sigurd is in cahoots with the Salamanders, who plan on attacking the Sylph leader Sakuya and the Cait Siths during a meeting to establish an alliance. Upon returning to the game, Leafa explains the situation to Kirito and states that it would be in his best interest to continue without her, as allying with the Salamanders may be the best option for him in order to reach the top of the World Tree. Kirito instead chooses to help her and makes use of his speed to break out of the cave with her. 

"General of the Blazing Flames"
"Mōen no Shō" (猛炎の将) 

Kirito and Leafa reach the meeting place just as the Salamanders prepare to attack the Sylphs and Cait Siths. Seeing that they have no chance against them in a direct confrontation, Kirito rushes forward and addresses the Salamander General Eugene. Kirito bluffs that he is an ambassador for the Spriggans-Undines alliance, and cautions him that to attack them would be tantamount to declaring war on the other four factions. Eugene does not believe him and challenges him to a duel. Though both are equally skilled, Kirito is severely disadvantaged by Eugene's superior sword, which can phase ethereally and bypass his defenses. Kirito conjures a huge smokescreen, making use of it to borrow Leafa's sword and attack from Eugene's blind spot. Drawing his second sword to block Eugene's attack at the last instant is enough to surprise him, and Kirito proceeds to win the duel. After Eugene is defeated, he is revived by Sakuya, the leader of the Sylphs, and leaves in peace with his army. Now exposed as a traitor, Sigurd is contacted by Sakuya who strips him of his title and has him banished from the Sylph territory. After learning that the now allied Sylphs and Cait Siths plan an expedition to the World Tree in a couple of days, Kirito donates a large sum of money to Alica, leader of the Cait Siths, to aid them in their war effort and departs ahead with Leafa. Meanwhile, Asuna makes use of the code she had previously learned to open the cage and escape. 

"The Truth about ALfheim"
"Aruvuheimu no Shinjitsu" (アルヴヘイムの真実) 

Kirito and Leafa reachs Arun, the capital of Alfheim beneath the world tree, but upon an announcement of an emergency shutdown for server maintenance, the two find a nearby inn to stay before logging out. The next day, Suguha accompany Kazuto on his visit to Asuna at the hospital. At the World Tree, Asuna reaches a room where experiments are being made with the brains of the other SAO players trapped in ALO and just when she is about to free them all, she is captured by two of Sugou's assistants but manages to snatch a key card before being thrown back to her cell. Back in the real world, Suguha gets heartbroken upon seeing Kazuto tending to Asuna and is comforted by Kirito after she logs back as Leafa on ALO, still unaware that both him and her brother are the same person. As the pair approaches the World Tree, Yui detects Asuna's presence, prompting Kirito to fly ahead leaving Leafa behind.