"Kazuto Kirigaya (aka Kirito) has survived the death game of Aincrad masterminded by Akihiko Kayaba, programmer of Sword Art Online, and made it back to the real world. Unfortunately, the same cannot be said for Asuna Yuuki (aka Asuna the Flash), the girl Kirito fell in love with in the game world and who has yet to awaken from her seemingly endless slumber. As his sister, Suguha, sadly looks on, Kazuto continues to visit Asuna in the hospital in...

In a deadly virtual world where the players are trapped and the violence is real, loners Kirito and Asuna must band together in order to survive challenges from both within and without. "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!"--Page [4] of cover.

After escaping Sword Art Online, the forbidden VRMMORPG of death, Kirito returns to reality to find that his game partner and lover, Asuna Yuuki, has not returned and his only clue to her virtual whereabouts is a mysterious screenshot than leads him into the new VRMMORPG world of ALfheim Online.

A few months after escaping from Sword Art Online, Kirito is ready to dive into a brand-new VRMMO-- Sword Art: Origin. This game promises to have all of the base features from Aincrad without any of the bad. When Kirito meets a mysterious girl in need of his help, that theory will be put to the test...

"After reaching the second floor of Aincrad, Asuna decided to have a player controlled blacksmith upgrade her beloved sword, a rare Wind Fleuret--but when the unimaginable happened and the sword was shattered in the attempt, Kirito suspected foul play. Did the blacksmith really just happen to destroy an incredibly valuable item? And if not, is there any way to get it back? And--if there really is a conspiracy of thieves--how can they be stopped before...

Having cleared the first and second floors of Aincrad at great cost, Kirito, Asuna, and the rest of the players ascend to the third floor. Tenuous new allies await them--most crucially, Kizmel, the elven knight. Kizmel is supposed to be a minor NPC with low-level AI, but she soon reveals herself to be much more. With new allies come new complications, though, and the elves of the vast third-floor forest are no more united than the players who have...

The virtual world of ALfheim Online might not be literally deadly, but there's still plenty of tough adventuring to be had. The trio of Liz, Silica, and Leafa set out on a quest for a magical ring but immediately run into monsters tougher than they expected. A certain black-clothed swordsman comes to their rescue--but it's not Kirito?! It seems the "game of death" has had lingering emotional effects on everyone, and even the survivors bear scars....

"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! What what is their aim? The Mother's Rosary arc begins!" -- page [4] of cover.