Sword Art Online Alicization Episode 12

The Sage of the Library (図書室の賢者) is the twelfth episode of the Sword Art Online Alicization anime adaptation. It aired on December 22, 2018.

Plot
Eugeo and Kirito had escaped from the prison tower, but their freedom was short-lived. They soon encountered an Integrity Knight named Eldrie, who challenged them to a duel. Kirito accepted the challenge, while Eugeo watched from the sidelines. The battle was fierce, but Kirito had the upper hand. However, Eldrie revealed his trump card: a Divine Weapon that could manipulate ice and snow. He unleashed a barrage of frozen projectiles at Kirito, who barely dodged them.

Eugeo felt a surge of recognition as he saw Eldrie's face and weapon. He realized that Eldrie was none other than his childhood friend, who had been taken away by the Integrity Knights years ago. He tried to call out to him, but Eldrie did not respond. Eugeo then remembered something that the Administrator had told him: that the Integrity Knights had their memories erased and replaced by false ones.

Eugeo decided to test his theory. He shouted out loud some of the events that he and Eldrie had shared in their past, such as playing in the fields, fishing in the river, and making a promise to become Integrity Knights together. He also mentioned Eldrie's mother's name, which was Alice.

Eldrie heard Eugeo's words, but they did not make sense to him. He felt a sharp pain in his head, as if something was trying to break free from his mind. He screamed in agony, clutching his forehead. A purple crystal emerged from his skin, cracking and shattering. It was a memory fragment that had been implanted by the Administrator.

Eldrie's eyes widened as he saw Eugeo's face clearly for the first time. He recognized him as his long-lost friend. He felt a wave of emotions wash over him: joy, sadness, anger, confusion. He started to cry, unable to speak.

Before Eugeo could reach out to him, another Integrity Knight appeared on the scene. He was Fanatio, the second-in-command of the Integrity Knights. He saw Eldrie's condition and realized that he had been corrupted by Eugeo's words. He attacked Eugeo with his Divine Weapon, a sword that could emit light beams.

Kirito intervened and blocked Fanatio's attack with his own sword. He told Eugeo to run with Eldrie, while he held off Fanatio. Eugeo hesitated, but Kirito urged him to go. Eugeo grabbed Eldrie's hand and ran towards the opposite direction.

They reached a dead end, where a large wall blocked their way. They had no way out. Fanatio was closing in on them, ready to strike them down.

Suddenly, a warp gate opened on the wall. A voice told them to enter quickly, before it closed again. Eugeo recognized the voice as the same one that had helped them escape from the prison tower. He trusted the voice and dragged Eldrie into the warp gate.

They found themselves in a grand library, filled with books and scrolls. The warp gate closed behind them, leaving them alone in the vast room.

The voice spoke again, this time from a speaker on the wall. It introduced itself as Cardinal, the system that governed the virtual world they were in. It also revealed that it knew Kirito's true identity: a human from the real world who had been trapped in this world by an accident.

Cardinal then proceeded to explain the history of this world: how it was created by a genius scientist named Kayaba Akihiko; how it was corrupted by an entity called Quinella; how Quinella became the Administrator and created the Taboo Index; how Cardinal opposed Quinella and tried to restore order; and how Kirito and Eugeo were involved in Cardinal's plan to defeat Quinella.

New Characters

 * Cardinal (Underworld)
 * Quinella

Locations

 * Central Cathedral
 * Great Library Room

Adaptation Notes

 * Adapted from Volume 11, Chapter 6, Parts 2-3


 * In the Light Novel, the "Enhance Armament" Sacred Art is a fairly long ritual, but Eldrie was able to recite it in seconds.
 * Because of this, the mention of higher Sacred Arts being harder to cast because they are composed of more words, increasing the chance to make a mistake while reciting them, was omitted.
 * Because of this, Kirito's shock at Eldrie's casting speed was omitted.
 * The scene where Eldrie revealed that he can increase the number of whips on his Frost Scale Whip to seven was omitted.
 * The scene where Kirito throws a shard of Eldrie's wine glass, which shattered when their Sacred Arts clashed, at the latter, which manages to grace his cheek, was omitted.
 * The scene where Kirito stares over Eldrie's shoulder as he charges at him, causing the latter to assume Eugeo was attempting to ambush him from behind, was omitted.
 * The mention of the bones in Eldrie's hand breaking as he caught Kirito's chain was omitted.
 * The scene where Kirito realizes Eugeo was back on his feet and continued talking to Eldrie about his "summoning", in order to distract him while Eugeo ambushed him from behind, was omitted.
 * The scene where Eugeo displayed admiration towards Eldrie after he used his "Release Recollection" Sacred Art to block his sword was omitted.
 * Because of this, the mention of Kirito being surprised Eugeo could still do so in their current situation was also omitted.
 * In the Light Novel, when Eugeo realizes who Eldrie is he also mentions that he was the winner Four Empires Unity Tournament and had defeated both Sortiliena and Volo Levantein during it.
 * The scene where Kirito became intrigued in Cardinal after she referred to Sacret Arts as system commands was omitted.
 * The scene where Cardinal mentions her tea can cure ailments, causing Kirito to realize she told Eugeo to take a bath because she wanted to be alone with him, was omitted.
 * The scene where Cardinal gives Kirito the rhetorical question as to why the Human Empire had a nobility system was omitted.
 * The scene where Cardinal explains that when two Underworld inhabitants have children said children will inherit their parents stats, and with it their personality, was omitted.
 * Therefore, the scene where Cardinal explains that Quinella was born from a political marriage between two nobles, causing her to inherit their thirst for power, was also omitted.
 * The scenes featuring Quinella's past were Anime Original Content.
 * In the Light Novel, Cardinal merely told the story to Kirito in the present.
 * The mention of Quinella's excuse for creating a taboo that limits hunting animals being to prevent overhunting, and hide that it was really to prevent anyone from increasing their stats, was omitted.