Sword Art Online Alicization Episode 28

Dark Territory (ダークテリトリー) is the twenty-eighth episode of the Sword Art Online Alicization anime adaptation. It aired on November 2, 2019.

Plot
As he descended into the dark realm, Gabriel Miller recalled his childhood fascination with the essence of life. He had logged in with the supreme account of the Dark Emperor Vector, and he swiftly asserted his authority over the forces of the Dark Territory. General Shasta, who opposed the Emperor's schemes, shared his secret plan to assassinate him with his trusted companion and lover, Lipia. Vector contacted his real-world allies and retired to his chamber, where Lipia awaited him. Pretending to be a courtesan, she stabbed him with a concealed blade, but Vector overpowered her and strangled her to death, witnessing her radiant soul depart from her body.

He flashes back to his childhood obsession with souls and his fixation on his friend named Alicia. Convinced her soul must be hidden deep beneath her brain matter, he jammed a long needle into her ear. As she died, he saw a glittering glow leave her body and ascend into the sky. In the Underworld, Vector addresses his legion of soldiers and presents Lipia's head frozen in ice as a warning to any who would challenge him. Shocked at the death of his lover, Shasta tries to kill Vector and unleashes a storm of incarnation, nearly wiping out the leaders of each respective army. As he aims for Vector, he is sucked into a void in his soul and disappears, leaving Vector unfazed. Meanwhile, in the human empire, Alice and Kirito arrive in the eastern camp near the Eastern Gate. Alice discovers that the gate is going to fall in a matter of days, removing the barrier between the Dark Territory and the Human Empire.

Locations

 * Underworld
 * Dark Territory
 * Obsidia castle

Adaptation Notes

 * Adapted from Volume 15, Chapter 17, Parts 1-4