Most Popular Books by 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...

On the eightieth floor of the Central Cathedral, Kirito, Asuna, and Alice reunite with the petrified visage of Selka...and discover two more statuesque figures in need of assistance! Before Kirito can figure out a cure, though, he’s pulled away to Planet Admina to investigate an encroaching threat to the Underworld. Meanwhile, in Unital Ring, Sinon, Silica, and company are giving their all in the fight against the field bosses, but the conflict intensifies in a way almost no one could have predicted...

"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!

READ THE NOVEL THAT IGNITED THE PHENOMENON! Everyone knows that any good MMO has an abundance of side quests to supplement the main story line. With that in mind, join Kirito and friends for a peek behind the scenes across four never-before-seen side stories! The Day Before: Kirito proposes to Asuna in-game, and soon discovers that married life has its own set of challenges. 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. Sisters’ Prayer: A heartwarming tale of two siblings and their involvement with the VR realm.

At long last, Kirito and Asuna have reunited with Kizmel the dark elf. But the happy reunion doesn''t last for long. With remaining keys to collect, the appearance of AI that seem a little too lifelike, and a "secret quest" to deal with, Kirito and Asuna will have their hands full as they attempt to clear the sixth floor in one piece!

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...

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.

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...

Die in the game, and you die in real life. This is Sword Art Online, the latest VRMMORPG, and Kirito now finds himself trapped in its unforgiving virtual world. By chance, he comes across a swordswoman named Asuna, who agrees to team up with him to challenge the boss of the first floor. The two join a large raid party to take down the beast, but when its attack patterns become unpredictable, the group''s resolve will be tested...

After a harmless dungeon-crawling adventure with Premiere escalates into a high-level battle called the "Ground Quest," Kirito discovers remnants of the floating castle of Aincrad-a world that should have been destroyed long ago. Determined to find more clues to the puzzle and uncover Premiere''s identity, Kirito decides to delve deeper into this mysterious quest...Just where could it all lead?

The goddess Urd is in danger, and only Kirito and his friends can save her! The evil frost giants have invaded her homeland of Jotunheim, bringing death and destruction in their wake. The linchpin of it all is the frost giant king''s sword-the legendary weapon Excalibur! If Kirito''s crew can make it to the end of the dungeon and pull the sword from the stone, peace will be brought to the land once more!

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?

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!

Sword Art Online, the world''s first VRMMORPG (Virtual Reality Massively Multiplayer Online Role Playing Game), may have started out as a game, but it has since become a matter of life and death for the ten thousand players trapped within. Two years after game programmer Akihiko Kayaba''s chilling declaration--"This might be a game, but it''s not something you play"--the number of players has dwindled to six thousand, and for many, every day is a struggle for survival. Though Kirito has stayed alive by making a name for himself as a solo adventurer in that time, his life undergoes a major change when he unwittingly joins Asuna''s powerful guild, the Knights of the Blood. What does fate have in store for Kirito, Asuna, and the brave young fighters who are risking their lives to return to the real world?!

After two hundred long years apart, Kirito has finally been reunited with Ronie and Tiese, as well as Alice’s younger sister, Selka! But Kirito’s face is not the one they’re most shocked to see... Commander Eolyne Herlentz of the Integrity Pilothood bears a striking resemblance to Eugeo, a likeness that deals a heavy blow to the hearts of the reawakened women. But before they can process their emotions, the call to arms sounds once more. Protectors new and old of the Underworld will have to fight side by side to repel this fresh threat! And not to be outdone, the party back in Unital Ring reaches the second tier and launches into their next major encounter!

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!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...

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!

Read the novel that ignited the phenomenon!After three hundred years of conflict, a new era begins for the Underworld. The Lost Child of Vecta, who seemed to appear out of nowhere, has defeated the Dark God and given the world its first taste of peace. The human realm and dark realm have begun to intermingle, sparking the beginning of a much-needed cultural exchange. But while some see this as an opportunity to bury the hatchet and move forward, others are determined to sow the seeds of chaos anew. High in Central Cathedral, Apprentice Integrity Knight Ronie Arabel’s heart sinks as she receives foreboding words from Swordsman Delegate Kirito: “At this rate, there’s going to be another war.” “War will come again.”

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!!

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...

Read the novel that ignited the phenomenon!The final stress test bleeds into its second day. Driven to desperation by the Integrity Knights’ coordinated assault, the Dark Army reveals the ace up their sleeve! Critter, who has been observing the battle from the Ocean Turtle, has successfully created a gateway into the Underworld and masked it as an invitation to “an open beta test for a new, unannounced VRMMO." This digital invite bolsters the ranks of the Dark Army by the tens of thousands! Having already been pushed to her limits, the thought of taking on a fresh wave of bloodthirsty enemies fills Asuna with dread. But just when it seems like all is lost, two new deities of the Underworld appear to take up the fight: the Sun Goddess, Solus, and Terraria, the Earth Goddess. And the ones in possession of these super-accounts are none other than Sinon and Leafa!

Read the novel that ignited the phenomenon! 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 ofSAO: ultra-high-end graphics, action-heavy gameplay, a choice of fairy races, and 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, each realizes the other has a very big secret...

READ THE NOVEL THAT IGNITED THE PHENOMENON! After a brief respite, Kirito and Eugeo set off again to climb Central Cathedral-but the powerful Integrity Knights are not about to let them reach the top. Meanwhile, Kirito has learned the dark history of the Underworld and the true stakes of the battle they''re fighting, and every step toward Alice brings him closer to an impossible decision...

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...

"This might be a game, but it''s not something you play." - Akihiko Kayaba, Sword Art Online programmerWith 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!

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!

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!

"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!

READ THE NOVEL THAT IGNITED THE PHENOMENON!A year has passed since Kirito and Asuna’s return from the Underworld. With them is Alice, who has been given a physical body. But their peace is quickly broken when the three are suddenly thrust into an unfamiliar game, Unital Ring. This new world is a survival MMO that fuses together every VRMMO created with the Seed program. As soon as it starts, Kirito finds himself with nothing but his underwear. Now, he’s got to challenge a mysterious VRMMOSVG under desperate circumstances!

Two years into Kirito and Eugeo''s quest to reach the Central Cathedral, the pair have finally become elite disciples at the North Centoria Imperial Swordcraft Academy. Now all that''s left to do is train for the next tournament, build their relationships with their trainee pages, and do so without violating the Taboo Index. But just because this peaceful world is governed by law and order doesn''t mean evil can''t fester below the surface...and when it comes time to choose between the rules and what''s right, Kirito and Eugeo discover the darker secrets of the Underworld.

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...

Der Bosskampf der zweiten Ebene steht an und es sieht so aus, als würde Asuna aufgrund ihrer nicht abbrechbaren Kampfkunstquest diesmal nicht daran teilnehmen können. Kirito kämpft daher zunächst an Agils Seite. Auch die übrigen Spieler stellen sich auf Änderungen im Vergleich zur Beta-Phase ein. Allerdings wird es diesmal noch gefährlicher als auf der ersten Ebene, da ein unerwartet starker Gegner erscheint ...

The mysterious player Morte has manipulated the human guilds into fighting on BOTH sides of the Elf War! While Kirito challenges him to a duel, Asuna has an important task of her own: steal the battle plans from the Forest Elves so she can end this quest before it turns deadly. They need to stop the war before anyone loses their life--permanently!

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 fiancé, 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?!

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?

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.

Während Kirito und Asuna weiterhin an der Elfen-Questreihe arbeiten, versucht jemand die übrigen menschlichen Krieger der Raid-Gruppe gegeneinander aufzuhetzen. Argo bekommt Wind davon und informiert ihre Freunde, die sich sofort aufmachen, etwas dagegen zu unternehmen ...

Nach dem Bosskampf auf der zweiten Ebene erreichen Kirito und Asuna die dritte Ebene. In den weiten Wäldern starten sie eine Questreihe um zwei verfeindete Elfenstämme und treffen auf NPCs, die fast zu lebensecht wirken. Ehe sie sich''s versehen, stecken sie mittendrin in einer dramatischen Geschichte von Krieg, Liebe und Verlust.

Kirito hat sich mittlerweile gut in die Welt von SAO eingelebt und beginnt die Zeit in der virtuellen Welt nicht zuletzt dank der zauberhaften Asuna sogar zu genießen. Doch nach wie vor lauern an allen Ecken Gefahren, nicht nur durch gefährliche Dungeons und Bossmonster, sondern auch durch die Missgunst anderer Spieler ...