Two years after waking up in a mysterious fantasy world, Kirito and his oddly human NPC friend, Eugeo, continue their quest to become Integrity Knights--and find Alice, who disappeared so long ago and yet has somehow lingered in the back of Kirito's mind. Their journey takes them to the Imperial Swordcraft Academy, where they must train to become two of the top twelve seats in the class to have even a hope of seeing Alice again. Meanwhile, as Asuna desperately searches for Kazuto Kirigaya, she stumbles across the deeper secret of his new world...

Vor zwei Jahren landete Kirito, der Held der SAO-Krise, in einer rätselhaften Fantasy-Welt – ohne Erinnerung an seine Zeit davor. Gemeinsam mit seinem Freund Eugeo machte er sich nun in die Zentralstadt Centoria auf, um Novize an der kaiserlichen Akademie der Schwertkünste zu werden. Tag für Tag arbeiten sie darauf hin, Integrationsritter zu werden, die mächtigsten Vollstrecker von Recht und Ordnung in der Menschenwelt. Denn dann würden sie endlich ihrem Ziel einen Schritt näherkommen, die geheimnisvolle Alice zu retten, die vor langer, langer Zeit verschwunden ist.

Read the novel that ignited the phenomenon! 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...

READ THE NOVEL THAT IGNITED THE PHENOMENON! Kirito’s chance encounter with Eolyne, a man who bears a heart-rending resemblance to Eugeo, shakes him to his core. But now is no time to be sentimental. The fires of interworld war are being lit one by one, and the peaceful days in the Underworld may be numbered. Elsewhere, the decisive battle against Mutasina of the Virtual Study Society looms, and to make matters even worse, she’s used her powers to take a battalion of one hundred mages under her command! Can Kirito and company devise a strategy to defy their overwhelming disadvantage before time runs out...?

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...

READ THE NOVEL THAT IGNITED THE PHENOMENON! ​As Kirito, Asuna, and Alice brave the wilds of the mysterious VRMMO Unital Ring, Sinon’s introduction to the world is equally harrowing. After numerous setbacks, she finds herself without friends or equipment—and barely any 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 search for Sinon and defend their home, unaware that a mysterious assailant lies in wait...

READ THE NOVEL THAT IGNITED THE PHENOMENON! 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...