Search Worlds Without End

In the year 2022, gamers rejoice as Sword Art Online - a VRMMORPG (Virtual Reality Massively Multiplayer Online Role Playing Game) like no other - debuts, allowing players to take full advantage of the ultimate in gaming technology: NerveGear, a system that allows users to completely immerse themselves in a wholly realistic gaming experience. But when the game goes live, the elation of the players quickly turns to horror as they discover that, for all its amazing features, SAO is missing one of the most basic functions of any MMORPG - a log-out button. Now trapped in the virtual world of Aincrad, their bodies held captive by NerveGear in the real world, users are issued a chilling ultimatum: conquer all one hundred floors of Aincrad to regain your freedom. But in the warped world of SAO, "game over" means certain death - both virtual and real...

Linked up and logged into the deadly VMMORPG "Sword Art Online" in both the real and virtual worlds, Kirito is stuck in a hell of one man's making, and like everyone else, unable to escape until the game is beaten. But while some players are crippled by fear and others throw themselves into completing the game, still others relax into everyday life in the face of their cruel predicament and live to the best of their ability...laughing, crying, but always enjoying the game. Among them are four women who make a mark upon the solo adventurer that Kirito has become: Silica, the beast-tamer; Lisbeth, the blacksmith; Yui, the mysterious orphan; and the tragic Sachi, never to be forgotten by the black swordsman...

Kirito has escaped Sword Art Online, the forbidden VRMMORPG of death, and returned to reality. He heads off to find his game partner and lover, Asuna Yuuki. But Asuna never made it back from the nightmare. Lost and desperate, Kirito's only clue to her virtual whereabouts is a mysterious screenshot of Asuna as a fairy trapped in a giant birdcage. His conclusion: She must be trapped within the new, high-powered VRMMORPG, ALfheim Online. Now Kirito must plunge into the world of ALO, where players are fairies who fly gracefully through the air!

Kirito plunges into a suspicious new VRMMORPG called ALfheim Online to rescue Asuna, who never returned from Sword Art Online. ALO offers many features to entertain players in the wake of SAO: ultra high-end graphics, action-heavy gameplay, and a choice of fairy races, complete with a next-generation flight engine. Playing as a Spriggan, Kirito heads for the location of Asuna's prison–the top of the World Tree, the final destination of every player in the game! Along the way, Kirito nearly falls to a plot hatched by the enemy Salamanders, just barely surviving the ordeal with the help of a Sylph named Leafa and his Navigation Pixie, Yui. But just as Kirito and Leafa make it to the foot of the World Tree, the end of their quest in sight, both Kirito and Leafa each realize the other has a very big secret...

Kirito reenters the world of VRMMOs, this time logging in to Gun Gale Online in order to investigate the Death Gun, an in-game item rumored to be responsible for real-world deaths. He immediately runs into trouble when, after transferring his old avatar into the new game, he discovers that he looks a bit more feminine than he'd anticipated!

With the help of Sinon the sniper, he enters the Bullet of Bullets tournament and tries to adapt his old skills to the new gun-based combat of Gun Gale Online. He'll need every friend he can get and every trick in the book, though, to crack the mystery of the Phantom Bullet and learn the truth about the Death Gun!

In an effort to discover the truth behind Death Gun, Kirito has entered the Bullet of Bullets tournament in Gun Gale Online, and both he and Sinon the sniper girl have made it to the finals, and the reality of what they discover is stranger than anything they could've prepared for. Lives are on the line once again as Sinon is forced to face her own past--but can Death Gun's bizarre rampage be stopped in time?

Kirito and Sinon's battle with Death Gun is over, but mere weeks later, something strange is afoot in the next-generation VRMMO ALfheim Online. A new duelist with a custom sword skill is defeating all comers--including Kirito! But when Asuna goes to face this duelist, she receives something she never expected: An invitation to an exclusive guild! But what is their aim? The Mother's Rosary arc begins!

The saga of Sword Art Online continues with three side stories set during the Aincrad and Alfheim eras. The game of death took its toll on every player in a different way--when one turns up dead on the fifty-seventh floor, the game's afoot, and it's up to Asuna and Kirito to crack the case. There's also the story of how Kirito got his Excalibur sword in Alfheim (with a little help from his friends). And when the game of death first began, Kirito learned a difficult lesson--one he would never forget.

Contents:

• A Crime Within the Walls
• Calibur
• The First Day

Kirito awakens in a vast, fantastical forest filled with towering trees. In his search for clues to the truth of his surroundings, he encounters a young boy who seems to know him. He ought to be a simple NPC, but the depth of his emotions seem no different than a human. As they search for the boy's parents, Kirito finds a peculiar memory returning to him. A memory from his own childhood, of this boy and a girl, too, with golden hair, and a name he should have never forgotten--Alice.

Kirito has wound up in another mysterious fantasy world again. In this VRMMO-ish place, the first person he meets is the young boy Eugeo. Kirito can hardly believe Eugeo's an NPC when seeing his rich emotions and thoughts and ends up heading to the capital, Centria.

Two years later, Kirito and Eugeo have become First Order initiates of the North Centria Imperial Discipline Sword Academy and have been taken under the wing of their seniors, Soltirina and Golgoth. As they train and learn, they do nothing but strive to become one of the highest keepers of peace and order in the human realm, the Integrity Knights.

Aiming to reach the center of the Axiom Church that controls the capital, the two break past numerous obstacles to try and become one of the elite Greater Master Swordsmen, a title that only twelve people lay claim to in the whole academy!

It's been two years since Kirito entered another mysterious fantasy world and met the boy named Eugeo. At the Northern Centoria Master Swordsmanship Academy, the two of them have advanced to become upper rank trainee swordsmen. Now they spend their days training, aiming to one day earn the rank of Integrity Knight, the greatest peacekeepers in the human world. Soon, appropriate for their new ranks, both Kirito and Eugeo are assigned apprentices and they all deepen their bonds while perfecting their bodies and minds. But suddenly, an evil rears its head and threatens their peaceful lives. Eugeo tries to draw his sword to fight but he finds himself helpless as a message appears in words he can't read. They say--SYSTEM ALERT.

Eugeo has finally met Alice again, but she's no longer the same girl he once knew, now calling herself an Integrity Knight. Even worse, the reason for Alice's unexpected return is to capture Kirito and Eugeo!

After Kirito and Eugeo are separated in the Central Cathedral, Eugeo continues his quest alone-until he encounters a legendary hero he's admired since childhood. Can Eugeo defeat him alone...?

After getting separated, Kirito and Eugeo have continued their struggle to reach the 100th floor of Central Cathedral--Eugeo in hopes of restoring Alice to her true self, and Kirito for the sake of the Underworld. But on the 99th floor, Kirito must first face a heartrendingly familiar Integrity Knight...

Adminstrator's defeat has come at a heavy cost: The death of Eugeo as well as the mental decline of Kirito. Six months after the epic battle atop Central Cathedral, Kirito spends his days in the Underworld wheelchair-bound; bereft of emotion or even a will to live. Although Alice and Bercouli do what they can to help him, it isn't long before the armies of the dark territory are start to move in earnest. The "Final Stress Test" has begun. But will Kirito be ready?

Gabriel Miller-assuming the identity of Emperor Vecta, the god of darkness-prepares to invade the human lands with his army of fifty thousand. Defending these lands are the remaining Integrity Knights, led by Commander Bercouli, and an army one-tenth the size of the enemy's! Meanwhile, Kirito, still out of commission, is left in the care of primary trainees Ronie and Tiese. And back in the Dark Territory, Dee Eye Ell, the chancellor of the dark mages guild, threatens to vanquish the Human Guardian Army by launching a large-scale magical attack of her own. But in the midst of the chaos, the one who appears to turn the tide of battle is none other than... Asuna?!

The Priestess of Light, Alice. If we sacrifice all members of the army of darkness, she will be within our grasp...

It is the second day of the final stress test. The army of darkness, driven to desperation by the coordinated onslaught at the hands of the Integrity Knights, has begun to retaliate with incredibly reckless tactics. Critter, who had been observing the events of the Underworld from the outside, has successfully created a gateway for the masses under the guise of an invitation for "A limited-time beta test for a new VRMMO in production." This digital invite has bolstered the forces of the army of darkness by over fifty thousand people.

Asuna, unable to compete with such a level reinforcement, begins to sink into depair. But all is not lost! Two new deities of the Underworld will descend to lend their aid: The Blazing White Solus and the Earthmother Terraria. And the ones in possession of these super-accounts are none other than Sinon and Leafa!

The second day of the final stress test rages on. Lisbeth, Silica, and Asuna push through the pain as they hold out against the Dark Army. But their efforts fall short as Kirito is captured by PoH, the former leader of Laughing Coffin! With PoH's twisted heart set on subjecting Kirito to the culmination of several years' vengeance, he prepares to end him once and for all. But when hope seems lost, a voice cries out in Kirito's heart. The voice of the person he lived with, laughed with, and fought with for years. The voice of his best friend...Grabbing hold of that light in the darkness, the Black Swordsman awakens...

After three-hundred years of turmoil, a new era begins for the Underworld. A lost child of Vecta, who seemed to appear out of nowhere, has defeated the Dark God and cemented peace for all the realm. But at the heart of human lands, atop Central Cathedral, Ronie Arabel, newly promoted to Integrity Knight apprentice, receives foreboding words from Kirito.

"War will come again."

It's back to the drawing board as the kidnapper just barely slips from Kirito's grasp. The new plan calls for a visit to the scene of the crime so that Asuna can use her scrying art to peek into the past, though what she learns is troubling to say the least... But before they can act on the new information, the villain strikes again! This time, Ronie and Tiese have been captured, and their fates rest in the claws of a young yellow dragon...!

It's been a month since Kirito and Asuna returned from the Underworld. Together again with Alice, who managed to secure a life in the real world, it should've been happily ever after... But, as luck would have it, the three find themselves involved in a VRMMO by the name of Unital Ring, and all their stats have been reset to level one! It's time for Kirito to put his experience to the test in a genuine Survival MMO!

Everyone knows that any good MMO has an abundance of side quests to complement the main storyline. With that in mind, join Kirito and friends for a peek behind the scenes across four all-new side stories! The Day Before: Kirito proposes to Asuna in-game and they begin their life as newlyweds. The Day After: Ever since arriving in ALO with a new avatar, Asuna's been suffering from a form of withdrawal... Rainbow Bridge: After conquering the undersea temple, a mysterious conversation between Kraken and Leviathan sparks yet another adventure for Kirito's party. Sister's Prayer: A heartwarming tale of two siblings and their involvement with the Death Game.

As Kirito, Asuna, and Alice brave the wilds of the mysterious VRMMO "Unital Ring," Sinon's introduction to the world is no less harrowing. After numerous setbacks, she finds herself without friends, equipment, and only a few Thirst Points left to her name. Backed against a wall, she'll need to defeat a terrifying boss monster to survive. Meanwhile, Kirito's group splits up in order to both search for Sinon and defend their home, unaware that a mysterious assailant lies in wait...

In the world of Unital Ring, the foreboding presence that has been targeting the party finally makes itself known! Elsewhere, a reunion with Seijirou Kikuoka leads Kirito, Asuna, and Alice back to the Underworld, where two-hundred years have passed since the great war. There, they meet descendants of Ronie and Tiese, as well as the new leader of the Integrity Knights. But something about this man seems all too familiar... A certain glint in his eyes reminiscent of someone dearly departed...

Kirito's chance encounter with Eolyne, a man with the same eyes and voice as his deceased friend, shakes him to the core. But with the possibility of an interworld war breaking out in the Underworld growing higher by the day, Kirito has no time to be sentimental. Meanwhile, the decisive battle against Mutasina of the Virtual Research Society looms, and she's used her powers to force a battalion of one hundred mages under her command. Can Kirito and company devise a strategy to defy their overwhelming disadvantage in time, or will it all be for naught?

On the 80th floor of the Central Cathedral, Kirito, Asuna, and Alice have a reunion with dear friends, but Kirito is pulled away to Planet Admina to investigate the approaching threat to the Underworld. Meanwhile, in Unital Ring, Sinon, Silica, and company are putting up a good fight against the field bosses, but the conflict intensifies in a way few could have predicted...

After two hundred years, Kirito is finally reunited with Selka, Ronie and Tiese, but the girls are shocked to see Eolyne, who bears a striking resemblance to their fallen comrade. Then, with no time to process their feelings, the three Integrity Knights are thrown into battle alongside Eolyne and the Integrity Pilots. The old defenders of the Underworld join the new as the next chapter of the Unital Ring arc commences!

A Brand-New Battlefield Awaits!

Karen Kohiruimaki is a college student who stands at an imposing six feet. While her complex about her height makes it hard for her to make friends in the real world, the VRMMO Gun Gale Online changes everything. Now equipped with her ideal "mini" avatar and clad in a pink battle suit, Karen is ready to shoot up the world of GGO as Llenn! Before long, she meets the beautiful Pitohui, and the two rare female players become fast friends. Little does Llenn know that this friendship is the key to her entry in the first-ever Squad Jam, a team-based battle royale that echoes the famous Bullet of Bullets tournament...

Though the official announcement of the second Squad Jam has come out, Karen Kohiruimaki barely shows any interest at all, despite being the champion of the first ferocious battle royale. Or at least, that was true right up to the moment she receives a cryptic message from a creepy stalker who informs her that on the night of the next Squad Jam, someone will die.

Now, LLENN needs to take up arms and cut through her inexplicable anguish to prevent her worst fears from coming true!

"The real-world death of Pitohui."

This was the sole motivator that pushed Llenn into entering the second Squad Jam. Accompanied by her best friend and ALO transplant, Fukaziroh, the two overcome wave after wave of enemy for the sake of achieving Llenn's ultimate goal. "In order to save Pitohui's life, I'll kill her myself!" This is no easy feat, however. Pitohui has the strength of a demon with the mentality to match. On top of that, Llenn isn't the only one hunting her! Will Llenn reach Pitohui in time? Or will one of the 79,408 bullets fired in the second Squad Jam beat P-Chan to the punch?!

Old frenemies become staunch allies as the strongest team in the history of Gun Gale is born! This time, LPFM, named for Llenn, Pitohui, Fukaziroh, and M, will enter the third Squad Jam and overcome fierce competition as they aim for the top! But with a map that's slowly sinking into the sea, an UNKNOWN area at its center, and a "special rule" that won't come into effect until the competition nears its end, this Squad Jam certainly seems shrouded in mystery...

A brand-new battlefield awaits!

As the third Squad Jam begins to wind down, the special rule takes effect. One player from each group is chosen to become a part of the new Team Betrayers and fight against their friends! LPFM-one of the favorites to win it all-has lost a crucial member, and Pitohui couldn't be happier to have been picked. Not looking forward to her rematch with the trigger-happy lunatic, Llenn is forced to watch as Pito gets escorted to the mysterious Unknown area at the center of the sinking map, which is surrounded by a thick fog. As bullets of betrayal fly past former allies, the fog finally clears to reveal... a luxury cruise ship?!

A month after the end of the third Squad Jam, a mysterious email is sent to former contestants all across the country. The email contains an invitation to brand-new game, and only the top contenders from the past three Squad Jams are allowed to participate! With objective of capturing bases as opposed to an all-out deathmatch, this new game mode has a completely different feel from Squad Jam. A fitting stage for the long-awaited rematch with SHINC!

During any difficult encounter, whether in game or in real life, it's always good to have an exit strategy. So when Karen Kohiruimaki gets completely blindsided by a rogue marriage proposal, she's able to respond with a smooth "P-Chan is more my type..." But when a handsome man appears before Llenn during her strategy meeting for the 4th Squad Jam, she gets a sinking feeling that this is one battle she'll have to face head on!

A BRAND-NEW BATTLEFIELD AWAITS!

The fourth Squad Jam heats up, with the marriage between Karen and businessman Fire Nishiyamada hanging in the balance! Despite this, Llenn cares only about settling her long rivalry with team SHINC. She's unprepared, though, for a shocking revelation about her battle against them--SHINC has allied themselves with a bunch of cowards!

Sparks fly as the fourth Squad Jam barrels towards its pulse-pounding conclusion. But are they the sparks of romance or high-grade explosives? With a marriage on the line, Fire is determined to win by any means necessary, and manages to win SHINC's assistance in overthrowing LPFM. Meanwhile, Llenn's team finally meets up with Boss's crew, but Fire's squad is there and ready to rumble as well! Who will emerge the victor?!

A BRAND-NEW BATTLEFIELD AWAITS!

Just a week after the ferocious Squad Jam 4, Llenn and LPFM face a devastating new challenge--with SHINC at their side! In a drastic departure from GGO's usual player versus player tournaments, the latest event, The Five Ordeals, is all about fending off deadly computer-controlled enemies. That doesn't mean the competition is any less fierce, though; the squad that clears the quest the fastest will come away with loot up to their eyeballs. But when the LPFM-SHINC alliance takes to the battleground, the first thing they encounter is... a talking dog?!

After clearing the Five Ordeals, LPFM and SHINC scarcely have a moment to rest before the 5th Squad Jam is announced. And this time around, there's a new rule that's sure to disorient the participants: Players can swap gear with any of their teammates during the match. Naturally, Llenn and her squad resolve to take on the challenge and quickly get to strategizing. But soon they catch wind of an additional stipulation that will stack the odds against them: Whoever takes out Llenn in the tournament will receive a bounty of one hundred million credits!

A BRAND-NEWBATTLEFIELD AWAITS!

There may be a hundred-million-credit bounty on Llenn's head, but she's not going to let that stop her from gunning for the champion's throne. However, she won't have the help of SHINC this time thanks to a new rule that forces all players to scatter to the four winds! Loose bonds will form while the bullets fly. But just as old rivals find themselves working together, Llenn soon finds herself staring down the barrel of Fukaziroh's grenade launcher. This Fifth Squad Jam may beanyone's game, but how will their friendships fare after the dust settles...?

A BRAND-NEW BATTLEFIELD AWAITS!

The fifth Squad Jam has had one surprise twist after another, and it's finally reaching a climax. Other teams have proven they're more interested in Llenn's hundred-million-credit bounty than winning the competition! It doesn't help that even her friends are tempted to take her out as well. Thanks to the target on her back, Llenn's allies are dropping like flies. It all comes down to a game of tower defense--will Llenn persevere when she's caught between a hail of bullets and a ten-thousand-foot drop?!

A HAUNTED QUEST

Asuka Empire--a VRMMORPG with a Japanese aesthetic, and the original home of the Sleeping Knights--is holding a new horror-themed event called the 108 Apparitions. Nayuta, a stoic warrior priestess, and Koyomi, an excitable ninja, are enjoying a break from the frights when they come across a mysterious monk named Yanagi. Despite knowing nothing about games, the elderly man is determined to complete a certain quest within a week, and he has agreed to pay a detective a ridiculous sum to make it happen. Just as strange as his request is the detective himself, a foxlike young man who has put all his stat points into luck. Yanagi's desired quest turns out to be none other than Ghost Orchestra, which has stumped every player who's tried it. Can this unlikely party manage what no one else has?

One month after Akihiko Kayaba's game of death began, the death toll continues to rise, two thousand players having already lost their lives to the ultra-difficult VRMMO world of Sword Art Online. On the day of the strategy meeting to plan out the first-floor boss battle, Kirito, a solo player who vows to fight alone to get stronger, runs into a rare, high-level female player. She gracefully dispatches powerful monsters with a single rapier that flashes like a shooting star in the night...

This volume contains three stories, including "Aria of a Starless Night," which details how Kirito came to be called the Black Swordsman. "Intermisssion - Reason for the Whiskers" and "Rondo of a Fragile Blade," the tragic tale of a young blacksmith that takes place before the second-floor boss fight.

Having cleared the first and second levels of Aincrad at great cost, Kirito, Asuna, and the rest of the players ascend to Level Three. New challenges await them even as tenuous new allies appear, in the vast forest that encompasses the entire level. Meanwhile, the first player-wide strategy meeting on the new level forces Asuna and Kirito to make a difficult choice.

"Here we go, Asuna! Hang on tight! Tilnel, launch!"

Having said their good-byes to the mysterious elven knight Kizmel, Kirito and Asuna set their sights on the fourth floor of Aincrad. But once they open the door, they find the way forward blocked by a powerfully flowing river. The updated version of the fourth floor has been changed into a water world! When they finally arrive at the floor's town, they're greeted by chalk-white streets and countless gondolas of all sizes. To navigate this place, Kirito and Asuna will need their own gondola--but getting one will involve confronting an eight-meter-tall beast of flame: Magnaterium... And that's only the beginning of the difficulties the fourth floor of Aincrad has in store!

Sword Art Online: Progressive, a new version of the Sword Art Online tale chronicling the entirety of Kirito and Asuna's epic adventure through Aincrad, continues!

It's been just two months since they were trapped in the game of death that is Sword Art Online, and Kirito and Asuna continue their struggle at the vanguard of progress through the game. The fifth floor of Aincrad is a mazelike ruin, and the two dare to take pleasure in raiding it for the treasure it contains. Upon returning to the fourth floor, it's time to do some questing on behalf of the Elf Lord Yofilis--but here begins Asuna's discontent, for in doing so they will have to face her least favorite monster ever...

After successfully untangling themselves from a dangerous encounter with the Black Poncho Man and clearing the fifth floor of Aincrad, Kirito and Asuna head to the next challenge, an area filled with... puzzles?

What's more, because of the precarious balance of power between two large guilds aiming for the same item, "The Flag of Valor", there's also a murderous PK group to be wary of.

As the problems seem to pile up, Kirito and Asuna face the sixth floor of Aincrad completely unaware of the malicious trap awaiting them!

"...CAST ASIDE YOUR DISTRACTIONS AND MAINTAIN THE TRANQUILITY OF YOUR HEART."

At long last, Kirito and Asuna have reunited with Kizmel the dark elf, and everything is as it should be...Well, almost everything. As the three continue the Elf War campaign and hunt for the remaining sacred keys, they're met with one surprise after another. Between the assassination attempts, off-script scenarios, and AI that seem a little too lifelike, Kirito can't help but wonder if this is the same game he beta tested! And if that wasn't enough, a shocking development allows the Curse of Stachion questline to finally come to an end-but not before the party receives another unwelcome visit from a PK agitator!

Sword Art Online: Progressive, a new version of the Sword Art Online tale that chronicles the entirety of Kirito and Asuna's epic adventure through Aincrad, continues!

LUCK BE A LADY TONIGHT!

The seventh floor of Aincrad--a massive casino where over half the game's beta testers dropped out before launch. Kirito was among the many who lost everything in its Battle Arena back then. When an informant named Argo the Rat entices Kirito and Asuna with knowledge that could aid in their investigation, the pair soon plunge into the casino's dark underbelly once more. Meanwhile, the "Elf War" quest also reaches a sudden turning point when a flurry of crises rock the dark elves' home!

A RACE AGAINST THE CLOCK!

The secret feud between the Nachtoy and the Korloy families, who control the Volupta Grand Casino on the seventh floor, takes an unprecedented turn when Kirito and Asuna intervene. But when Kirito attempts to expose the Korloy family's misdeeds, he ends up stumbling into a trap. Now he has just two days to unravel a mystery, put an end to an unscrupulous conspiracy, and defeat the floor boss. It's all leading up to a showdown in the arena where everything's on the line!