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 and Kirito are teleported somewhere atop the World Tree, where Yui detects Asuna. Yui, in her normal form, does not have any mapping data of the World Tree, but knows where Asuna is, and guides him through the corridors and exits to the branches. Kirito discovered that there's no City in the sky as claimed, thus the Grand Quest was a complete lie, and curses Sugou Nobuyuki. They continue running until they see the cage in which Asuna is held prisoner.

Yui destroyed cage's opening and ran in to hug Asuna. Kirito soon joined them and they're happy to reunited. Kirito asks Yui if she can log out Asuna, but she sadly replies that Asuna is locked down by complicated codes that requires a system console to remove them. Suddenly, Kirito turns around as he had sensed something, but the space in the cage distorts into a black space and Yui tells them to be careful as something bad is approaching before she disappears. Kirito and Asuna are forced onto the floor, where they can't move. Fairy King Oberon appears, whom Kirito easily recognizes the so-called Fairy King as Nobuyuki. He then kicks Kirito to the ground and states they are restrained by gravity magic that will be implemented in the next patch, which Oberon defines it to be somewhat overpowered. Oberon reveals to Kirito his true intentions behind the game: ALfheim Online is a testing ground for developing technology for controlling human thoughts and emotions. As Kirito and Asuna swear that they will bring down Oberon, the madman states that they cannot stop him for he is a god in ALO.

Oberon then 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 the taunts both of them, stating how NPC women can't replicate Asuna's scared face and then sniffs her hair and tells them how hard it was to replicate her scent from the real world. Kirito orders Oberon to stop while trying to stand up, but Oberon kicks him and stabs him with his sword, shortly afterwards Oberon uses system command to reduce the Pain Absorption level from 10 to 8 to make Kirito feel more 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 in the real world.

Oberon then returned to Asuna and forcefully pulled off her top, then taunts them even more by stating he planned to molest her body in the real world as well and put it on recording, and began to lick her face. Kirito cursed Oberon and swore he would kill him. Feeling helpless, Kirito 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 appeared and asked him whether he gives in to the power of the system. As Kirito affirms this, stating that he is nothing more than a player and Oberon is a GM, Kayaba told Kirito 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 encouraged him to stand up.

As Oberon continued molesting Asuna, Kirito finally managed to stand up and the the sword impaled in his back slid out. As Oberon attempts to slap him to get him back on the ground, Kirito catches his hand and activated Kayaba's system ID, Heathcliff, via a voice command and then revokes Oberon's administrative privileges. Oberon arrogantly declares ALO as his own, but Kirito remarked that Oberon stole it. The so-called Fairy King then cursed Kirito and tried to generate an Excalibur, but nothing happens, and he ended up cursing the system. Instead, Kirito repeats the same command and spawns the Excalibur, 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 and tells him not to run, as Kayaba never did so. This enrages Oberon after he figured out that Kayaba had helped Kirito, and cursed his rival and randomly swung his sword. 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 attacked, but Kirito easily parried with ease before cutting Oberon on the cheek and he started to tremble from the pain. Kirito cuts off Oberon's right hand, then his legs, and finally throws his remaining body into the air and stabbed him into his eye, making Oberon disappear once and for all.

Kirito turned back to Asuna, broke the chains then hugged her and started to cry. Asuna tells him that he is her hero, but Kirito admitted that he is actually weak and told her that he will become stronger. She leaned on his chest and shed a tear as she told Kirito they should do all sorts of things in the real world before he logged her out. Kirito then called Kayaba, as he knew he was there, and tells Kirito that he was Kayaba Akihiko's afterimage. Kirito then thanks Kayaba, but he rejected it, stating that they aren't close enough to do things for each other for free and there was a price for his aid. Kayaba then gives Kirito an object called The Seed that is a beginning of a world and he will understand once it buds, but ultimately it is Kirito's choice to decide what to do with it. Kayaba then left, hoping the two will meet again. In a yellow binding light, Kirito is warped back to the birdcage. He then called for Yui, who popped out from nowhere and hugged her "daddy", stating she hid Kirito's NerveGear's memory. He informed her that Asuna has returned to the real world, and Yui is overjoyed. Kirito wonders what will happen to ALO but Yui states that because she is stored in his NerveGear's memory, she will always be with him forever. Before he logged out to visit Asuna in the hospital, Kirito kissed Yui's cheek.

When Kazuto opened his eyes, he found Suguha waiting and worried as he was still in ALO. Kazuto informed her that everything is over and thanked her, but she was already overjoyed that Suguha helped. As she leaned on his chest and he placed an arm around her, Kazuto also informed Suguha that he had rescued Asuna, but as he tried to apologize, Suguha immediately told him to get going to the hospital as Asuna must be waiting for him. Outside where it began snowing, Kazuto takes his bike and starts riding his way to the hospital, with Suguha requesting he introduce her to Asuna.

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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