Chapter Summaries

After learning that the Aincrad Liberation Force had withdrawn from the Strategy Group following heavy losses on Floor 25, Mu Yu focused on restoring the front line’s confidence and preparing for another boss raid. At the Knights of the Blood’s meeting in Panarace, the guild considered Heathcliff’s invitation to coordinate a joint assault on Floor 25’s boss, and Mu Yu was eager to accept.

• Rat told Mu Yu that the Aincrad Liberation Force had suffered devastating casualties on Floor 25 and withdrawn from the Strategy Group.
• Mu Yu recalled Kibaou’s future rise and corruption within the Aincrad Liberation Army, but decided that the immediate priority was clearing Floor 25 and rebuilding confidence.
• Mu Yu returned to the Knights of the Blood’s base, where the members welcomed him and he called a strategy meeting.
• Diabel reported Floor 25’s increased difficulty, the Strategy Group’s casualties, and the fact that they had not yet located the Floor Boss.
• Diabel revealed that Heathcliff had invited the Strategy Group guilds to share intelligence and challenge Floor 25’s boss together.
• The Knights of the Blood members debated the Blood Oath Knights’ motives, while Mu Yu looked forward to meeting Heathcliff and advancing toward higher floors.

Mu Yu confronted Zahard at the Strategy Meeting, forcing the Holy Dragon Alliance to serve as the vanguard in the Floor 25 conquest after calling out its resource snatching. Asuna took charge of the meeting after learning the Blood Oath Knights' guild leader had gone to investigate reports of Laughing Coffin on Floor 20.

• Mu Yu and the Knights of the Blood arrived at the Strategy Meeting, where players openly criticized the Holy Dragon Alliance.
• Zahard appealed to Mu Yu to set aside their ideological differences and avoid disrupting the conquest effort.
• Mu Yu agreed that both guilds aimed to clear the game, then appointed the Holy Dragon Alliance as the vanguard because it had seized many resources.
• Zahard accepted the vanguard role, and the assembled players cheered Mu Yu while the Holy Dragon Alliance and Blood Oath Knights reconsidered their standing.
• Claude told Asuna that the Blood Oath Knights' guild leader had gone to Sunny Forest on Floor 20 to investigate reports of Laughing Coffin.
• Asuna ordered two people to stand by for the guild leader and took charge of the Strategy Meeting.

Asuna led the Floor 25 Strategy Meeting in Heathcliff’s absence, presenting a detailed plan and assigning the Holy Dragon Alliance to fight the centaurs. When the assault began, the Knights of the Blood rescued the Holy Dragon Alliance from a dangerous ambush, displaying their extraordinary strength and surprising Asuna and the Blood Oath Knights.

• Asuna apologized for Heathcliff’s absence and took charge of the Strategy Meeting, impressing the attendees with her meticulous Floor 25 strategy.
• Mu Yu praised Asuna’s plan and reminded her that the Holy Dragon Alliance had volunteered for the vanguard, so Asuna assigned Zahard’s guild to handle the Centaur Guards and Stone Golem Guardian.
• Thirty minutes later, the Strategy Group began its Floor 25 assault, where difficult terrain and powerful monsters made the operation perilous.
• Centaur Soldiers ambushed the Holy Dragon Alliance, shattered its formation, stunned its players, and prepared a deadly second strike.
• Knights of the Blood members rushed in, interrupted the centaurs’ attacks, and swiftly wiped out the unit, saving the Holy Dragon Alliance and astonishing Asuna and the Blood Oath Knights.

On Floor 25, the Blood Oath Knights and the Knights of the Blood raced each other through the raid, reaching the Floor Boss in less than a day. Mu Yu insisted on confronting the boss despite Asuna’s objections, and the chapter ended as the boss vanished and the assembled players sensed danger.

• Asuna’s disciplined commands helped the Blood Oath Knights hold off the centaur legion, while Mu Yu led the Knights of the Blood in defeating the stone golems.
• The Blood Oath Knights and the Knights of the Blood competed to clear successive areas, pushing the Strategy Group to the Floor Boss’s chamber in less than a day.
• Mu Yu proposed that the Knights of the Blood lead the Floor Boss attack, but Asuna objected that he was risking guild members’ lives.
• Mu Yu promised that no Knight of the Blood would die before him, and his guild members rallied behind him as he opened the boss chamber doors.
• Asuna ordered the Blood Oath Knights to support the Knights of the Blood, while Zahard prepared the Holy Dragon Alliance to rescue them.
• The raid group entered the cavernous chamber and saw the Floor Boss’s enormous health bar; when its red eyes lit up, it vanished, filling everyone with dread.

Mu Yu and the Knights of the Blood fought the Floor 25 boss, Minotaur, through its dangerous opening and transformed attack patterns. As the battle neared its end, Mu Yu repeatedly protected the guild’s members and revealed the boss’s weapon-breaking mechanic.

• Minotaur opened with damaging shockwaves and a [Tinnitus] attack, but Mu Yu blocked its strike against Agil and countered with Water Breathing: Fourth Form—Striking Tide.
• Kirito, Agil, Yosel, and the Knights of the Blood followed Diabel’s formations and rotation commands to steadily reduce Minotaur’s HP.
• Minotaur discarded its Wolf Fang Club, drew a butcher’s knife, and attacked Yosel, but Mu Yu intercepted its blow and saved him.
• Minotaur’s new attacks shattered players’ weapons, and Mu Yu warned the Strategy Group that it targeted weak points through [Sword Skill Weapon Attack Judgment].
• As the raid continued, the watching guilds recognized Mu Yu as the Knights of the Blood’s key protector.

The Knights of the Blood defeated the Floor 25 Minotaur, and the victory brought the guild great rewards and admiration across Aincrad. Mu Yu gained the exclusive Special Sword Skill Peerless Sword, while the story left the guild’s triumph spreading across the floors.

• The Knights of the Blood celebrated after Mu Yu led them to defeat the Floor Boss Minotaur on Floor 25.
• Asuna watched the guild’s joyful celebration and questioned whether Sword Art Online was only a prison, though she resolved to keep advancing at her own pace.
• The Knights of the Blood tallied their rewards, and Mu Yu gained two levels, a fortune in Col, and the Special Sword Skill Peerless Sword.
• Mu Yu learned that Peerless Sword dealt the highest single-target damage, with its upper limit shaped by his state of mind, and chose to save it for another fight.
• The Strategy Group applauded the Knights of the Blood, and the guild members activated the Transfer Gate to Floor 26 together.
• News of the Floor 25 victory spread across Aincrad, and players celebrated Mu Yu and the Knights of the Blood.

After Knights of the Blood cleared Floor 25 without casualties, Kibaou resolved to rebuild the Aincrad Liberation Force, while Lisbeth, Silica, and Yuna reacted to Mu Yu’s growing influence. Heathcliff, secretly Akihiko Kayaba, continued plotting around his chosen hero and ordered the Blood Oath Knights to claim the Floor 26 boss.

• Kibaou learned that Mu Yu and Knights of the Blood had cleared Floor 25 flawlessly, then vowed to reorganize the Aincrad Liberation Force and return to the front lines.
• Lisbeth read about the Floor 25 clear and wondered whether the Sword of Victory she had forged had helped Mu Yu before recommitting herself to blacksmithing.
• Silica reflected on how Mu Yu and Knights of the Blood had given her security, fame, and courage, then asked Yuna what their guild president was like.
• Yuna described Mu Yu as unconventional and felt proud of Knights of the Blood and its idol group.
• Heathcliff, secretly Akihiko Kayaba, considered Mu Yu’s possible Special Sword Skill and connection to the Floor 20 bug while continuing to plan his script.
• Heathcliff summoned the Blood Oath Knights and declared that their guild would claim the Floor 26 boss, exciting Asuna and the other members.

Asuna reflected on a year of rivalry between the Blood Oath Knights and the Knights of the Blood, and on how the long imprisonment had changed her and the other players. When Mu Yu gave his guild leave for the Mid-Autumn Festival, Asuna defended him, requested leave for herself, and left to celebrate, while Claude grew jealous and suspected she might be drawn to him.

• Asuna remembered how the Knights of the Blood and the Blood Oath Knights had raced to clear floors, expanded their influence, and pushed other guilds aside as the clearing pace slowed.
• Asuna worried about the players’ growing infighting and the rivalry between the two guilds, while also longing for home and her family.
• Claude told Asuna that Mu Yu had given the Knights of the Blood leave so they could take a boat out and admire the Mid-Autumn moon.
• Asuna rebuked Claude for insulting Mu Yu, then asked Heathcliff for leave and suggested the Blood Oath Knights celebrate the festival too.
• Asuna used a Teleport Crystal to leave, and Claude wondered whether she was going to celebrate with Mu Yu and became jealous.

Mu Ye received a Mid-Autumn Festival invitation from Yuna, Silica, and Sachi, then reflected on how much he had grown stronger during his year in Aincrad. He headed toward the celebration while anticipating that Akihiko Kayaba might soon test him.

• Mu Ye listened to a choir perform Sword Art Online’s theme song before Yuna, Silica, and Sachi sent him Mid-Autumn greetings and invited him to a festival organized by production-class and merchant-class players.
• Mu Ye realized the Knights of the Blood had kept the festival secret and decided he was glad the players had arranged a chance to relax.
• Mu Ye reflected on his growing familiarity with life in SAO and his feeling that his long-running test with Akihiko Kayaba might soon reach a turning point.
• Mu Ye recalled reaching nine-hit combos, evolving [Heavy Strike Slash] into [Fatal Heavy Strike], and obtaining the Dark Holy Sword from the Floor 69 Boss.
• Mu Ye noted that he had reached Level 83 and mastered [One-handed sword], [martial arts], and [Battle Recovery], while his risky, showy fighting style had made him a celebrated figure among the Knights of the Blood.
• Mu Ye set out for the Mid-Autumn Festival, planning to take his time and enjoy the scenery on the way.

Mu Yu went to Floria to gather rare honey as a gift, but collided with Asuna, who was fleeing an enormous bee swarm. Both were paralyzed and stung while arguing over the honey, and they remained trapped together as another couple arrived nearby and began flirting.

• Mu Yu decided to gather Floria's rare honey to give as a gift and used a Teleport Crystal to travel there.
• Mu Yu entered the Sea of Flowers and encountered Asuna as she ran from a massive swarm of bees.
• Asuna slapped Mu Yu for accidentally seeing her beneath her cloak, then chased him with Lambent Light until the bees caught them both and poisoned them with paralysis venom.
• Mu Yu and Asuna lay immobilized, teased each other about their swollen faces, and agreed that Mu Yu would receive one-fifth of Asuna's honey.
• As the paralysis began to fade and Asuna prepared to retaliate, a young couple arrived nearby, embraced, and began exchanging romantic words.

Mu Yu and Asuna hid in the Garden of Flowers, where they overheard Yu and Miko discuss their life in Sword Art Online and marry. Asuna reflected on her own feelings, then teased and confided in Mu Yu before helping him choose a gift for Yuna and the others.

• Mu Yu and Asuna overheard Miko tell Yu that she wanted to stay in Sword Art Online, and Yu proposed to her before they married through the system.
• After Yu and Miko left, Asuna asked Mu Yu whether their world was real and admitted she had wanted to escape her mother's control before entering it.
• Mu Yu praised Asuna's courage, then embarrassed her by mentioning her honey theft and calling her Pudgy Face; Asuna offered him three million Col to keep quiet.
• Mu Yu joked that he did not want to work hard anymore, and Asuna blushed before changing the subject.
• Asuna questioned Mu Yu about giving honey to Yuna and the others, then urged him to use a Teleport Crystal and make the gift more attractive.
• Asuna demanded that Mu Yu keep her embarrassing secrets private, and he teased her again before she struck at him with Martial Arts.

Mu Yu visited Asuna’s home in Selmubruk, where she baked him a cake and they talked about life in SAO and her growing sense of uncertainty. Asuna’s teasing hints left Mu Yu wondering about her feelings, but he reminded himself that he was only passing through this world.

• Mu Yu and Asuna walked through moonlit Selmubruk, where Asuna bought supplies for a gift and brought him to her apartment.
• Asuna changed into homewear and baked a cake while Mu Yu watched, then the two shared the cake and tea.
• Asuna asked why Mu Yu seemed so calm about SAO and questioned whether his life in reality was unhappy, then apologized for prying.
• Asuna told Mu Yu that she had begun to feel as though SAO was her real home and that Miko and Yu’s thoughts had left her melancholy.
• Asuna joked that men who looked at her like Mu Yu had often proposed, and Mu Yu teased her about inviting him to do the same.
• Mu Yu considered whether Asuna had feelings for him, then decided not to dwell on it because he was only a passerby in SAO.

Mu Yu and Asuna visited Guild Land for the Mid-Autumn Festival and saw how their support had helped lower-floor players, including Meli. They reunited with Silica, Yuna, and Rui Er, then joined the festivities and shared a happy evening with their friends.

• Mu Yu and Asuna arrived in Guild Land and were amazed by its bustling festival streets and cheerful players.
• Meli thanked Mu Yu for the Knights of the Blood's aid fund, which had helped her escape exploitation and build a life on Floor 25.
• Mu Yu and Asuna were mobbed by grateful fans, then escaped and met Silica, who welcomed them and chatted with Asuna.
• Mu Yu toured the festival preparations and was astonished by the players' creativity, including their homemade fireworks.
• Mu Yu reunited with Yuna and Rui Er, congratulated the couple on their relationship, and joined them and the others for a festive meal.

Mu Yu and Asuna attended Aincrad’s Mid-Autumn Festival, where performances and festivities brought the players together and reminded them to keep striving to return home. After the fireworks, Mu Yu realized he was holding Asuna’s hand.

• Mu Yu waited for Asuna, who arrived in a yukata, and he praised her appearance and white plum fragrance.
• Mu Yu and Asuna walked to the festival stage together, prompting surprise and teasing from the gathered guild members, including Yosel and Kirito.
• Yuna, Silica, and Sachi performed a dance that recalled SAO’s history and moved the audience.
• A traditional Mid-Autumn performance reminded players of their families and inspired them to work toward returning home.
• After the gala, Mu Yu joined Asuna and the crowd in a bonfire dance before they watched fireworks.
• Mu Yu came to his senses after the fireworks and realized Asuna’s hand was warm in his palm.

Mu Yu and Asuna enjoyed a romantic walk through Guild Land after the fireworks festival, but Laughing Coffin assassins ambushed them at the Transfer Gate. They survived repeated attacks and drew their weapons, preparing to fight back.

• Mu Yu held Asuna’s hand as they walked through Guild Land, and the two shared a tender moment at the Transfer Gate.
• As Mu Yu moved to kiss Asuna, a Laughing Coffin assassin attacked him from behind with [Armor Pierce] and [Concealment].
• Mu Yu used [Intent Skill] to evade the strike while protecting Asuna, and Asuna kicked a second attacker away when he lunged at Mu Yu.
• A third assassin attacked Asuna from behind as the other two renewed their assault, but Mu Yu used [Intent Skill] again to escape with her.
• Mu Yu and Asuna summoned Dark Holy Sword and Lambent Light, stood back-to-back, and prepared to counterattack.

Mu Yu and Asuna faced an ambush by Laughing Coffin leader PoH and executives Johnny Black and Crimson-Eyed Sasha. Mu Yu overwhelmed the attackers and killed Johnny Black, leaving PoH and Sasha to taunt him while he prepared to fight them.

• Mu Yu identified PoH, Johnny Black, and Crimson-Eyed Sasha as the three assassins who had ambushed him and Asuna.
• Mu Yu told Asuna to protect herself, then struck PoH with the Dark Holy Sword and sent him flying.
• Mu Yu redirected his attack toward Johnny Black, blocked Johnny’s thrown dagger, and wounded him with flame-based sword skills.
• Mu Yu killed Johnny Black, whose body vanished into fragments after his death timer expired.
• PoH and Sasha taunted Mu Yu about killing Johnny and suggested he join Laughing Coffin, while Asuna defended him.
• Mu Yu challenged PoH and Sasha to decide which of them would stay behind as he prepared to continue fighting.

Mu Yu and Asuna survived Laughing Coffin’s assassination attempt, grew closer, and returned to Asuna’s home, where they confronted her guard Claude. After rumors about the attack spread across Aincrad, Heathcliff sent Mu Yu a duel invitation through Asuna.

• PoH and Sasha fled after Mu Yu killed Johnny Black, and Mu Yu admitted he had prioritized Asuna’s safety over pursuing them.
• Asuna told Mu Yu she wanted to support him, and he explained his Special Sword Skill, [Peerless Sword], as their relationship grew closer.
• Mu Yu and Asuna traveled to Selmubruk, where they found Claude hiding outside Asuna’s apartment; Asuna dismissed him as her guard.
• Mu Yu warned Asuna that Claude might retaliate and advised her to be wary of food and water he provided.
• News of the ambush and Mu Yu’s victory spread throughout Aincrad, and Heathcliff sent Mu Yu a duel invitation through Asuna.

Mu Yu agreed to duel Heathcliff after Asuna worried that the commander was using her relationship with Mu Yu to force the confrontation. The duel drew enormous attention across Aincrad, and Mu Yu prepared for a one-hit match that could still turn deadly.

• Asuna told Mu Yu that Heathcliff had demanded a duel and worried that the commander’s unusual interference concealed something, while Mu Yu reassured her and accepted the challenge.
• News of Mu Yu and Heathcliff’s duel spread throughout Aincrad, fueling rumors that they were fighting over Asuna and inspiring widespread betting.
• Mu Yu and the Knights of the Blood arrived at the packed Floor 70 arena, where supporters of both swordsmen filled the stands and chanted for victory.
• In the preparation room, Mu Yu received Asuna’s warning to surrender if the duel became dangerous, but he told her to worry about Heathcliff instead.
• Mu Yu considered the dangers of one-hit duels, which ended at 50 percent HP but could still kill a player if a heavy attack struck before the system stopped it.

Mu Yu and Heathcliff fought a high-speed duel in the arena, revealing the power of Mu Yu’s unusual sword techniques and Heathcliff’s [Limit Assist]. Their clash continued with both fighters near half HP, and Heathcliff became absorbed in the joy of battle.

• Mu Yu and Heathcliff began a First Strike duel as spectators, including Kirito and Asuna, watched.
• Mu Yu used Water Breathing: Third Form: Flowing Dance to circle Heathcliff, who blocked his rear attack with a sword stance.
• Mu Yu switched to Sun Breathing: Phantom Sun Rainbow, but Heathcliff used [Limit Assist] to try to stop his lethal strike until Mu Yu’s [Intent Skill] disrupted the effect.
• Heathcliff changed tactics and pressed Mu Yu with a sword-and-shield assault, but Mu Yu answered with Sun Breathing, Eleventh Form—Solar Halo Dragon: Head Dance.
• Mu Yu and Heathcliff exchanged rapid attacks until both of their HP bars fell to around half, and Heathcliff showed that he too was enjoying the battle.

Mu Yu defeated Heathcliff by destroying his sword and forcing him to concede, exposing him as Akihiko Kayaba. Kayaba paralyzed the players and announced he would wait at the Crimson Jade Palace on the 100th floor, leaving Mu Yu to rally the shaken Strategy Group.

• Mu Yu used a brief recovery pause to restore HP, then baited Heathcliff into an opening and shattered his +20 Demonic Sword with a precisely planned series of strikes.
• Heathcliff conceded after Mu Yu broke the Holy Sword, then revealed that his original plan had been to end the game after his defeat.
• Heathcliff transformed into Akihiko Kayaba, who announced that he had planned to reveal himself as the final boss on Floor 95.
• Asuna, Kirito, and the Blood Oath Knights stood with Mu Yu, while Kayaba paralyzed the other players and dismissed their attacks.
• Mu Yu challenged Kayaba to a final duel, but Kayaba refused and said he would await Mu Yu at the Crimson Jade Palace on the 100th floor.
• After Kayaba vanished, Mu Yu stepped forward to support the devastated players and preserve the Strategy Group's hope.