Reki Kawahara

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...

Kazuto Kirigaya (aka Kirito) has beaten Sword Art Online, a VRMMORPG that transformed into a literal game of death, and returned to the real world. Unfortunately, the same cannot be said for Asuna Yuuki (aka Asuna the Flash), the girl with whom Kirito fell in love in the virtual world of Aincrad but who has yet to awaken from her game-induced slumber. As his sister, Suguha, sadly looks on, Kazuto continues to visit Asuna in the hospital in the hope of finding answers. But when one day he meets a man claiming to be Asuna's fianc?, Kazuto fears that Asuna may be lost to him forever... That is until a fellow survivor of SAO taken form the latest VRMMORPG sensation, ALfheim Online - a screenshot that features someone being held captive who looks entirely too much like Asuna! His hope renewed, Kirito dives headlong into an all-new virtual adventure, but can true love conquer the game?!

Having defeated General Eugene of the salamanders and aided the alliance between sylphs and cait siths by protecting their leaders, Kirito and Leafa reach Alne, the town at the foot of the World Tree, at long last. But before they can tackle the tree--and their main objective--server maintenance begins, and they are forced to log out. Back in the real world, Kazuto and Suguha Kirigaya, each unaware of the other's in-game identity, pay a visit to Asuna Yuuki, who still lies asleep in her hospital room. While there, Suguha suffers a terrible shock when she realizes just how strongly her beloved brother cares for Asuna.Meanwhile Asuna, still imprisoned atop the World Tree within the game world of ALfheim Online, sets her escape plan in motion... The adventure in ALO finally reaches its climax! Enjoy the conclusion of the Fairy Dance arc in this massive final volume!

"There's no way to beat this game. The only difference is when and where you die..." One month has passed since Akihiko Kayaba's deadly game began, and the body count continues to rise. Two thousand players are already dead. Kirito and Asuna are two very different people, but they both desire to fight alone. Nonetheless, they find themselves drawn together to face challenges from both within and without. Given that the entire virtual world they now live in has been created as a deathtrap, the surviving players of Sword Art Online are starting to get desperate, and desperation makes them dangerous to loners like Kirito and Asuna. As it becomes clear that solitude equals suicide, will the two be able to overcome their differences to find the strength to believe in each other, and in so doing survive? Sword Art Online: Progressive is a new version of the Sword Art Online tale that starts at the beginning of Kirito and Asuna's epic adventure--on the very first level of the deadly world of Aincrad!

“This might be a game, but it’s not something you play.” — Akihiko Kayaba, Sword Art Online programmer With no memory of how he got there, Kirito wakes up in a mysterious virtual world, and it’s up to him to find a way back home. But with no way to log out and no idea what kind of land he’s found himself in, he’s going to need allies! As a new tale unfolds, Kirito’s journey through the Underworld begins!

“This might be a game, but it’s not something you play.” - Akihiko Kayaba, Sword Art Online programmer Without any memory of his first stint in the Underworld, Kirito has no idea what to expect now that he’s back inside. In his absence, however, much has happened in the lives of his former companions: Eugeo hasn’t been the same ever since Alice was taken by an Integrity Knight, and to make matters worse, Alice’s sister, Selka, has gone to follow in her footsteps, unaware of the danger that lies ahead…

Kirito and Asuna have learned a dangerous secret?the fifth-floor boss will drop a powerful item that might overturn the fragile relationship between the two strongest guilds! On top of that, the intrepid pair stumble across a Romeo-and-Juliet-style story between the guilds that gives them some distracting ideas about how dating in the game could work…But all that will have to wait until after they assemble a team to defeat the boss and stop the brewing conflict!