Sword Art Online Episode 24

Gilded Hero (鍍金の勇者) is the twenty-fourth episode of the Sword Art Online anime adaptation. It aired on December 15, 2012.

Plot
Yui teleports Kirito somewhere atop the World Tree, where she detects Asuna. She guides him through the corridors and exits to the branches of the World Tree, where Kirito finds out that there's no City in the sky as claimed, thus The Grand Quest was a lie. They continue running until they see the cage in which Asuna is held prisoner.

Yui opens the cage and runs to hug Asuna. Kirito soon joins them and they're happy to meet again. But, suddenly, Kirito draws his sword because he senses someone coming. The space in the cage distorts into a black space and Yui tells them to be careful, because someone evil is approaching, before she disappears. Kirito and Asuna are forced onto the floor, where they can't move and as Fairy King Oberon appears, saying that it's the new "Gravity Magic" that will be implemented into the game in the next update. Kirito easily recognizes the so-called Fairy King as Sugou. Sugou reveals to him his true intentions behind the game: using it as a testing ground for developing technology for controlling human thoughts and emotions.

Oberon summons a pair of chains and attaches them to Asuna, after which is lift by the chains and left standing only on her toes. Oberon then shows how much he enjoys the Asuna's scent and tells her how hard it was to replicate it from the real world. Kirito tells him to stop while trying to stand up, but Oberon kicks him and stabs him with his sword, shortly afterwards reducing the Pain Absorption level from 10 to 8 to make Kirito feel the pain from being stabbed. He also says that he will gradually decrease the level and at level 3 or lower, it will affect his physical body.

Oberon returns to Asuna and strips her while Kirito curses him. He mourns if this was his punishment for thinking that he was the strongest game player and for believing that he had the ability to overcome the system. At that moment, Kayaba Akihiko appears and asks him whether he gives in to the power of the system. As Kirito affirms this, Kayaba tells him that if he thinks like that, their battle was a lie. He also tells him that he himself has learned from their battle that the human will  is more powerful than the system, and then encourages him to stand up.



Kirito comes to and manages to stand up. As Oberon attempts to slap him to get him back on the ground, Kirito catches his hand in mid-air as he activates Kayaba's system ID, Heathcliff via a voice command and then revokes Oberon's administrative privileges. Oberon tries to spawn an Excaliber, but the system doesn't respond to him. Instead Kirito repeats the same command and spawns the Excaliber, which he gives to Oberon and grabs his own sword. He then reduces the Pain Absorption level to zero before challenging Oberon to a duel. He tells him not to run, as Kayaba never did so. This enrages Sugou, when he figures out that Kayaba had helped Kirito, and begins to curse his rival. Kirito tells him that he felt the same when he lost his battle to Kayaba and had to work for him, yet he never wished to be like him.



Oberon desperately attacks, but Kirito parries all attacks with ease before cutting Oberon on the cheek and Oberon starts trembling from the pain. Kirito cuts Oberon's right hand, then his legs, and finally throws his remaining body into the air and stabs him into his eye making him disappear.

Kirito turns back to Asuna, breaks the chains then hugs her and starts crying. Asuna tells him that he is her hero, but Kirito admits that he is actually weak and tells her that he will become stronger before logging her out. He calls Kayaba who gives him "The Seed" and tells him to decide what to do with it. Then Kirito returns to the cage where he calls for Yui, who was stored in Kirito's NerveGear's memory. He tells her that Asuna has returned to the real world, as he hugs the girl, kisses her on the cheek and logs out.

When he opens his eyes he finds Suguha worried about him. She hugs him and he tells her that he has rescued Asuna, so Suguha prompts him to go to the hospital, because Asuna must be waiting for him. Outside where it starts snowing, Kazuto takes his bike and starts riding his way to the hospital.

Location

 * World Tree

Adaptation Notes

 * Adapted from Sword Art Online Light Novel Volume 4 Chapter 8


 * In the novel, Asuna told Kirito to log out when Oberon appeared, but he found out that he wasn't able to access the menu in that area due to using a NerveGear.
 * In the novel, Kirito actually recited a complex alphanumeric password to access Heathcliff's ID. This was omitted in the anime.

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