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Sword Art Online Progressive Volume 9 (ソードアート・オンライン プログレッシブ 009, Sōdo Āto Onrain Puroguresshibu 009?) is the ninth volume of the "Progressive" spin-off light novel series by Kawahara Reki that expands upon the Aincrad Arc of the main series. It was released on March 7, 2025.[3]
Preview[]
After fighting the floor boss on the seventh floor, Kirito has been transformed into a member of the "Night People" - a descendant of vampires. With great powers and a fatal weakness to sunlight, Kirito, along with Asuna and Kizmel, sets out to track down the Fallen Elves who have stolen the key items in the Elf War, the "Five Secret Keys."
However, Kirito and his friends unexpectedly end up on the fourth floor, which they have previously conquered.
"Can I ask you a favor?"
At the request of Larvik, the former commander of the Sandalwood Knights, the group becomes embroiled in an unexpected situation that is connected to the elves' past feud.
They are no longer just AIs!
Summary[]
After taking their leave from Nirnir, Kirito and his party stake out at the Fallen Elf portal in the 7th floor labyrinth. As Kizmel goes out to inspect, Kirito and Asuna wait back in a safe room. Asuna starts complaining about Kirito's repeated mumbling cause of his vampire fangs. He tries to bite her with it but thinks better off of it. As Asuna falls asleep on Kirito's shoulder, he tries to figure out the long range attack of his new Sword of Volupta but is interrupted by Kizmel's arrival. Having confirmed no suspicious activity with the help of pet spider set out by Nirnir, the trio take the portal which sends them to fourth floor labyrinth.
As they try to exit the labyrinth and head to Viscount Yofil's fort they come across Larvik, who was cooking fricatelle. When Larvik learns that Kirito has passed sage Bohroum's test, he envies a little. After debriefing the situation, they take ALS ship moored outside the labyrinth to reach the castle. Larvik says they need not worry about being fugitives cause elf priests wouldn't spread info on their shortcomings but he doesnt accompany them to the castle instead makes a request, "Bring Viscount Yofilis to the place where u dropped me off. Dont tell him I am here, leave him alone without any gaurds and servants"
On reaching the castle, the party recievies a warm welcome from Cetraan, heir of Yofilis (not said if he is the son of Viscount or not). Asuna hastily blocks all the curtains soon as they enter the room to block the sunlight and they go to take a bath till dawn. During bath they make a plan on how to take Viscount outside the castle without any commotion, when Kizmel says about a monster called Kelpie which floats on water, is present in the castle waters and appears in surroundings with dense mist. Asuna and Kirito end up sharing a room on Kizmel's advice considering a possibility of attack. After a long sleep throught the day, Kirito wakes up in the evening to find that Asuna is crawled up in his bed and fast asleep.
The trio go down to have food when Kizmel brings up an 91 year old wine, which was brewed in the year 2407, making the current Aincrad year 2498. Kizmel also brings up a story about Christmas eve, about a saint that appears in a certain forest as night falls with a sack on his back, having the blessings of holy tree (could have been the reference of Red-Noosed Reindeer). Asuna takes up the task of putting out the request to Viscount Yofilis, which he accepts. When they say about their plan with using Kelpie, Viscount shares his own story of near death experience with Kelpie in the castle lake when he was a child and provides information that they dont appear if people equipped with metal are nearby. They decide to use Kirito's Night Dweller's power of monster taming to tame a Kelpie to ride out of lake un-noticed.
Kirito and Asuna go to the castle instance boundry area (to fulfill the covered by mist condition) and remove all metal equipment for the second condition to meet a Kelpie. Asuna has to remove everything except her cape cause her clothes were metal plaited. Kirito succeed's in taming the Kelpie, the process was quite simple, to stare into the monsters eye until taming indicator reaches 100. Kirito gives the Kelpie a nickname, probably "Moo".
When they ride the Kelpie and Viscount uses his Vili shoes to walk on water and reach the shore, they meet up with Larvik. There it is revealed that Larvik, Viscount and Landeren(dark elf who made Asuna's Wind Flueret) are siblings. Larvik challenges Viscount to a "duel of honor" at the boss chamber of labyrinth tower, following day 9pm. Viscount accepts the duel and asks the trio to attend the duel as well. After going back to castle, Viscount invites them to a garden sitout to recollect the past.
Viscount starts by saying how elf's grow, that is by gaining respect in the society by doing right things, which includes the basic life stages of schooling, job, marriage and so on. And if an elf skips any one of these stages he stops aging. When viscount was a kid, he was lured by the kelpie in the lake and trapped. The one to save him was a Maiden of Vili, a boy. He was initially pissed of at the Vili due to arrogance but eventually seemed to like him. When Viscount had turned 16, his parents had introduced him to a girl, his would be wife, but he was under an internal conflict and realised that he loved the Maiden Vili, a boy. As that choice would stop his aging, Viscount father killed the Vili when he was away and got inflicted by a curse and died shortly after passing on the curse to his wife. His mother intending to stop the curse from spreading, suicided by jumping into the lake.
Kirito childishly starts saying out his wish to stay alive forever would come true had he been an elf. Viscount was shocked at Kirito's opinion and asks if that's what he truly desires. Kirito diverts it by saying he is just a child so cant truly comment on it and there is no point if Asuna dies and he alone lives on, which earns him a jab from Asuna. Viscount then tells the story of fallen and how they got the branded with the term Nuesian. In the attempt to stop aging, they tried to gain fear among the society (opposite of respect) to stop their aging, so they messed with holy tree and began to be feared as Fallen.
Later that night trio plan to visit the Fallen elf hideout on the fourth floor, where Kirisuna had encountered Fallen elf general to find out about the stolen keys and retireve them back. However they are interrupted by Argo's message telling the front line group was cornered by forest elfs because they cut down a tree in their area and they were waiting for help. After a conflict of opinions, Kirito decides to go to 8th floor by himself while Asuna and Kizmel go to the Fallen's hideout. Kirito decides to take the Fallen's portal in labyrinth to 7th floor ( cause castle was closer to labyrinth than 4rth floor main town ) but he unexpectedly encounters Kaisarah there. Kaisarah fears if their teleporter location was revealed by Kirito dodges it smartly and they start clashing with swords. Even with vampire power Kirito was not able to do much damage and came out as a equal match. Eventually Kaisarah lands over Kirito and checks his teeth and asks if the sword he was using belonged to Falhari. She had an unpaid debt pending with Falhari ( who is dead now ) so decides to let Kirito off the hook this time.
After the battle, Kirito fears that Kaisara might be headed towards Fallen's hideout where Asuna and Kizmel where out to inspect. When he tries to shoot a message, he realises that he is in a dungeon and he also hasn't friended Asuna. So he climbs labyrinth to 5th floor and teleports back to 4rth floor just to send a message. Luckily, the girls had finished their stake out by then and were headed back as they had got hands on important information, which Asuna says she will elaborate in person. Kirito then heads to 8th floor to meet up with Argo at a cafe where he has unexpected meetup with his old pal Klien.
Gallery[]