Sword Art Online Episode 13

Edge of Hell's Abyss (奈落の淵) is the thirteenth episode of the Sword Art Online anime adaptation. It aired on September 29, 2012.

Plot
On November 5, 2024, Kirito went fishing and met a man named Nishida, a well-known fisherman of the area. After talking and eating one of the fish Nishida had caught with some of Asuna's "soy sauce". Nishida was amazed that something that tasted like soy sauce existed in Aincrad and Asuna allowed him to take a bottle of it back to his home. Nishida then asked Kirito to catch a very large fish he had seen in the lake but could not catch because of his low strength skill. Kirito agreed to help, with Nishida using his high fishing skill and Kirito's strength skill. A few days later, Nishida hosted an event, during which other fishermen came to watch. They managed to successfully catch the fish, which was actually a monster that Asuna easily defeated due to the monster's low level, but this ruined her disguise and everyone was able to recognize that she was Asuna, the Sub-Leader of Knights of the Blood. This caused everyone to run towards Asuna. Kirito was going to join in the crowd but, at that moment, he received a message from Heathcliff calling Kirito and Asuna to return to the front lines. The next day, they said their farewells to Nishida but promised to return as soon as they could as they teleported to Granzam.

Upon their arrival, Heathcliff told them that a group of twenty players had found the 75th Floor's Boss Room, but when 10 of them reached the center of the room, the door quickly shut and disappeared, leaving the other 10 players outside unable to assist them. When it reappeared 5 minutes later, no one could be seen there, neither the players, nor the boss. Because it was an Anti-Crystal Area, like boss room of the previous boss, the players could not escape and were slaughtered by the boss. Thus a team of players from several guilds was being assembled to confront the dangerous boss.

As the time of the battle approached, Kirito expressed his true feeling of wanting to run away with Asuna, believing that it would be better to live in Sword Art Online rather than risk their lives in order to return to the real world. Asuna then mentioned that the bodies of all players were most likely being treated in hospitals at that moment and that their condition could not be kept indefinitely, thus life in the game would not last forever. With that he came to the realization that whether they cleared the game or not, there was a time limit and that they had no choice but to fight.

Prior to the battle, Kirito and Asuna found out that Klein and Agil were also joining the fight. Agil told Kirito that he had closed his shop to join the battle against the boss monster. They all enjoyed a light conversation before Heathcliff and the Knights of the Blood's arrival. Heathcliff then used a Corridor Crystal to open a portal to the 75th Floor's boss room. After everyone got ready, Heathcliff gave a word of encouragement to the players. Meanwhile, Asuna held hands with Kirito, reassuring him that she would protect him and asked Kirito to protect her as well. Kirito told Klein and Agil not to die and Klein responded by telling him the same. The large party then charged into the boss room, and waited for the boss to appear.

Once all players entered the room, the gateway closed and disappeared. However, the boss was no where to be found. At that point, Asuna listened carefully and heard a snake-like rattling above her, so she quickly informed everyone that the boss was above them. The boss was a skeleton-like centipede named The Skull Reaper with a pair of gigantic scythes as weapons. It immediately killed two players with its scythe in one hit. The remaining players were horrified and frozen with shock at the fact that the boss could kill such high-level players in one hit. The Skull Reaper then attacked another player, but Heathcliff blocked the attack with his shield. However, the boss quickly ignored him and re-targeted the same player with its other scythe, killing the player in one hit. As it was about to kill another player who was in shock, Kirito quickly jumped in front of the player and blocked one of the scythes, although it continued dangerously pushing his swords towards him.

The boss was about to strike Kirito with its other scythe, but then Heathcliff came to the rescue, repelling one of the scythes, while Asuna helped Kirito fend off the other scythe, and the three began distracting the boss while ordering the others to attack it from the sides. Although some players were worried, they helped with defeating the boss. Agil, Klein and two other players started attacking the boss. However, The Skull Reaper then smashed with its tail, killing the two players and wounding Agil. Everyone then continued to attack the boss from the sides, while Heathcliff, Kirito and Asuna kept it busy from the front.

New Characters

 * Nishida

Named Monsters

 * The Skull Reaper

Guilds

 * Knights of the Blood
 * Divine Dragon Alliance
 * Fuurinkazan

Inventory

 * Kirito
 * Elucidator
 * Dark Repulser
 * Asuna
 * Lambent Light
 * Heathcliff
 * Liberator
 * Corridor Crystal

Known Sword Skills

 * Flashing Penetrator

Location

 * Aincrad Floor 22: Lake Outside Coral Village, Coral Village Teleport Gate Plaza
 * Aincrad Floor 55: Granzam - KoB headquarters
 * Aincrad Floor 75: Collinia - Teleport Gate Plaza; 75th Floor Labyrinth - Boss Room

Adaptation Notes

 * Adapted Volume 1, Chapters 18-21


 * In the Light Novel, Kirito wondered if Nishida was an NPC, before he clarified that he wasn't, while in the Anime, he explained his real-life occupation after meeting.
 * In the Light Novel, Nishida takes a fishing rod from one of his fellow fishermen to use it to help Asuna with the monster, while in the Anime, he panics and tries to get Kirito to call her back.
 * In the Light Novel, the fish takes a while to kill, being hurt when an explosion from Asuna's rapier sends it flying. The fish then gets hit by a chain attack, and is killed by the ability Flashing Penetrator. In the anime, Asuna instantly kills it using the same skill used to kill it in the novel.
 * The rare fishing rod that Asuna got for killing the fishing event monster was not mentioned at all in the anime.
 * In the Light Novel, Nishida, Kirito and Asuna are talking with each other, sitting on a bench nearby. In the anime, the three are near the Teleport Gate, instead of sitting on a bench, and Nishida's past is omitted in this scene.
 * Kirito does not mention that the Aincrad's quarter bosses, the 25th and the 50th Floor bosses, were much more dangerous than the bosses of the adjacent floors when Heathcliff explains that they have found the 75th boss room in the anime.

Quotes

 * "I got stronger so I'd be able to survive." - Kirito
 * "I cried alone every single night. It felt like every day that passed here stole another piece of my real life away. After I cried, I'd go and fight as hard as I could. My only thought was winning, moving forward, and getting stronger." - Asuna
 * "But as we partied up together. Even in a world like this, he was really living. He wasn't losing a day in the real world. He was gaining a day here. The one who taught me that was Kirito-kun." - Asuna
 * "For the first time since I arrived here, I was happy here. To me, Kirito-kun is the meaning of my two years here and proof that I am alive." - Asuna
 * "In other words, whether clear the game or not, there's a time limit?" - Kirito
 * "I want to stay with you forever, I want us to date for real. To really get married.. To get old together!" - Asuna
 * "Don't die." - Kirito
 * "If we block together, we can do this." - Asuna

Episodio 13