ソードアート・オンライン14:アリシゼーション・ユナイティング [Sōdo āto onrain 14: Arishizēshon Yunaitingu]

Sword Art Online #14

by Reki Kawahara

Kirito has faced innumerable hardships in the two long years since he first awoke in the Underworld, but his greatest battle yet lies ahead. As they near Administrator's chamber at the top of Central Cathedral, Kirito and Alice confront a heartrendingly familiar foe on the ninety-ninth floor. The final obstacle standing before them is none other than Eugeo...wearing the armor of an Integrity Knight! Can Kirito's cries reach Eugeo in the tortured recesses of his mind? Or will Administrator have the last laugh?!

Genres: Light Novel, Fantasy, Manga, Science Fiction, Young Adult, Japanese Literature, Fiction

344 pages, Paperback

First published April 10, 2014

About the author

Kawahara Reki (川原礫) is the writer of Sword Art Online and Accel World. He also uses the pen name Kunori Fumio. His hobby is cycling.

Reviews

[Carol · Rating 3 out of 5]

Well, these books are harder to review without spoilers. Honestly it felt too long, the battle was endless and just kept dragging on, I even had to put the book down a few times to rest. And while Administrator is a good villain, she is way too powerful for an Artificial Intelligence, so much so that it stops making sense. She is too dehumanised, which would be OK if she showed some emotions, but she doesn't, ever, so she is basically a machine with a human face, nothing more. It would've been more scary to know she felt something, but she was really just beyond comprehension, and then all her explanations towards the end about how she is going to defeat darkness and such... I don't know, it felt like too much, over the top.
What I did like though was Eugeo's growth as a character. It was impressive to see him gaining confidence as the books progressed, and to see him now as a proper warrior, fighting for what is right, for what needs to be done, and more importantly for love. I'm so pleased with him, and I was really very happy to see Kirito frozen in panic for a change. It allowed his partner to shine in battle and finally gives us a more human Kirito, even if it was for just a few minutes.
And now my question is what is going to happen in the next books. The Arc is not over yet, as far as I know there are still 4 books left. And now we've had a weird conversation from the outside, so I'm really hopping they go back to Asuna and company because that part of the story is very neglected.

[Jorge Rosas · Rating 4 out of 5]

We finally arrive at the 100th floor and the crescendo of this arc if finally here was impressed that most of the book was about a series of acts that I honestly thought were shorter or faster and still the thing that had to happen did and Kirito gets a small audio from the real word setting that, hopefully, the next book will have a lot about the neglected real word.

[Chris Flynn · Rating 4 out of 5]

All action - fight after fight, and it's about time with all build-up we've had for this arc. The final victory doesn't some without a price though; we lose a main character and the remaining two are left broken (one more than the other). One element that was done particularly well in this book was all the callbacks to the Aincrad days and the comments on just how deeply they still impact Kirito to this day.

The ending clearly signifies anther upcoming shift in the arc and you can feel that we're about half-way through. If this was the drop on the roller coaster, we're getting ready to go back up another climb.

[Aaron Nagy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very good ending to the Underworld Arc, you can really see how much the author has improved.

[Brian Wilkerson · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the conclusion of the "Human Half" of the Alicization storyline. It is basically a sequence of battles on the top floor of Central Cathedral. In that sense, it is kind of like how the Final Boss of a RPG video game has multiple forms and/or stages. Fitting, isn't it? (Even though Underworld is not at all a game. This isn't Aincrad.)

Our heroes face off against Integrity Knight Synthesis 32, Prime Senator Chudelkin, Administrator's secret weapon and then finally, Administrator herself. The pacing is good. This plot structure doesn't feel like a boss slog, like in the above analogy. Each fight has its meaning for the characters and a purpose in the narrative. Reading about them is a different experience than watching the anime.

The reader can feel Euego's guilt more deeply here, and Kirito's emotional state comes across more clearly as well. Here, in the source material, he is more like a normal boy who doesn't believe himself to be an epic hero.

We also get a better sense for Quinella/Administrator. While she is translated well enough to animation, we don't get a sense for quite how uncanny/eldritch the author envisioned her to be. By the time Kirito meets her, she is this not-quite-human THING that is both terrifying and awe-inspiring. Even after she loses both arms, her hair is melted, and her face is cracked, her sheer presence radiates "unfathomable beauty" to him.

Cardinal's fate is still stupid. When I saw it happen in the anime, I hoped that it had suffered adapation compression, and that the source material would have a better explanation. No, that is unfortunately not the case. It is basically the same here. It makes sense. Don't get me wrong. I can understand why Cardinal makes that choice, in that situation, but it is a stupid choice.

On the other hand, I like the transition to the trouble outside Underworld better. I feel like the anime provided more information earlier to provide more context, and perhaps be less confusing, but that harms the narrative shift. In this volume, one can better sympathize with Kirito's W.t.F. reaction to hearing gunshots after previously going through the grueling boss fight and the calm that came after.

[Casey · Rating 4 out of 5]

There will be spoilers -- I will mark them. It is impossible to review a book like this without spoiling something. Even if you've been following the Alicization Arc and have an idea what's going on there is plenty that can be spoiled. But before I get to that part -- if you are following this arc, this is a good one. Things happen. Not that previous volumes are awful, but this really is a climactic book for many of the threads that started being woven books ago. If you're getting tired of the arc -- keep at it for this one and you'll get some resolution. (Some new questions/threads as well -- but some resolution!) You will get to see a pretty epic battle with a pretty cool enemy (more in the spoilers).

If you didn't catch it, there are SPOILERS ahead so be warned!

So the epic battle with Administrator finally happens. In the process we see a few friends not make it through the fight. One of them I can't avoid talking about. Administrator has made this sword golem to do her dirty work since she can't break the taboo of killing a human directly. However, to create the monstrosity she has to use the memories of someone close to the Integrity Knights. The thing is monstrous and deadly. In order to stop it, Eugeo sacrifices himself to become a living sword and ends up not making it through the final battle. Cardinal... well, I don't have to spoil everything just because there is a spoiler tag... I will say that Administrator is finally defeated.

And the ending... oh that ending. I shan't spoil that -- you'll have to read it for yourself!

I've generally liked the Alicization Arc. It is certainly a lot more drawn out than the former story arcs of the SAO series. I'm not 100% convinced that is a good thing, but if I am generally enjoying each volume it doesn't seem like that is wholly a bad thing either.

Verdict -- If you're following Alicization, don't stop now. If you're finding yourself feeling it a bit of a slog in some of the earlier volumes -- stick with them, I think the payoff is worth it.

[Khari · Rating 2 out of 5]

I'm glad that's over.

The premise of this novel doesn't make any sense.

If Kirito is trapped in a VR world that is affected by the imaginations of the artificial souls that populate it...why can't they just imagine themselves different bodies? I mean, Administrator can turn human bodies into swords, so why can't a human imagine themselves some extra fingers?

Kids that are actually alive do this all the time, they imagine themselves with extra arms and whatnot. We already know that body dysmorphia is a thing, people can convince themselves of almost anything, so why are these souls, that are trapped in an imaginary world, incapable of imagining imaginary things? By imagining his super familiar outfit from SAO, Kirito is able to manifest said outfit and hairstyle ex nihilo, why can't these souls use it to create something else? Because it's unfamiliar? That doesn't make sense either. When humans dream, the most random, unfamiliar, impossible things become everyday, humdrum, and just accepted as true, why would that stop just because these souls are living in a dreamworld?

Why is the Senator limited to 22 fireballs simply because he has 10 toes, 10 fingers, and 2 eyes? Why can't he just imagine some extra digits to use? The administrator suddenly created 70. Why was she allowed to break the constraints, but the senator and Kirito and Cardinal weren't? It's just full of inconsistencies and I find it laughable and irritating.

And for a world that is imaginary and based on souls, there's quite an obsession with physical abilities. Why would that be the case? Again, these are souls copied from infant children. They live in an imaginary world where imagination can affect what's around them. Why not just imagine themselves into bigger bodies? Why should bigger bodies have any effect at all? The author actually makes the point that 'strength' doesn't have to match the body type at all. So why is the Cardinal losing simply because she's smaller? Just imagine herself bigger. I don't see why this is a problem when she can imagine a book into a meat roll.

[Emilie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have always and *will always* love Eugeo. Name-my-kid-after-him levels, potentially. So of course this installment of the story, although I knew from the anime what was coming, cut deep - but in the best way. I'm not sure it was more intense than in the anime, but it was certainly intense.

At times, I found this a bit hard to follow as far as who was moving, who was conscious, who was bleeding, etc. - but I also had a fever for some of the time I was listening to this book, so it could just be me.

I actually felt like the detail in this book explaining Alice's fluctlight and Eugeo's, while intricately conceived and quite confusing, made a bit more sense than it did to me in the anime. At the end, when Eugeo and Alice's childlike spirits walk away, hand in hand, into whatever version of the afterlife exists in-universe, I now realize it was connected to the fact that alice's core memory, essentially the kidnapped fluctlight of baby Alice (in a way - and separate from Integrity Knight Alice), helped to power Eugeo and joined with him in his sword form, and so when the sword broke and he passed away, she went with him. I'll have to rewatch that anime episode with that understanding.

I will say, I had to suspend disbelief a bit (which, I mean...it's already not a realistic story, so that's really mostly okay) because it apparently took Eugeo like half of this entire book to die after *literally being cut in half.* At some point I was just thinking, "Okay, I know this is a lot of thought processes and things happen faster than their descriptions, but shouldn't be realistically be dead by now?"

Anyhow. Over all, this was a good book, like I expected it to be.

[Jack Keener · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is the finale fight with the administrator. First we get the end of Kirito's and Eugeo's fight and Kirito manages to break loose the Administrator's hold on Eugeo. The sword fight was interesting and I imagine most of us wondered who would win in a fight between the two Aincrad Style swordsmen. It was nice to see someone legitimately overpowering Kirito, resident Gary-Stu, until Deus Ex Machina comes in and Kirito manages to release Eugeo. The next fight is with the weird clown thing that seems like a failed attempt at comic relief and ends as just cringy. Alice does the heavy lifting for that fight until Kirito through the power of friendship and strong feelings, channels his image of Kirito from SAO and goes beyond the limits of imagination and make an attack do what it shouldn't. The fight with the administrator is full of people sacrificing themselves to force Kirito to accept a part of himself we didn't know he had issues with to have a major boss battle with the Administrator. Even when he wins he loses to her and only the nonsensical survival of the cringy joke character actually ends her. Then we get a major cliff to hang from until volume 15. Overall this story is going downhill with all the Deus Ex getting handed out like candy and thinly veiled as Kirito beating the system with feelings and imagination.

[David Støen · Rating 1 out of 5]

How was so little content stretched so thin over so many pages? I found myself skimming this book due to all the exposition and pointless re-explenation of all previous events that led up to this book. Who did he write this for? People who randomly pick up the fourteenth book in a series they've never read before? Or is everyone's memory of the previous books so bad they can't remember what happened up to this point? I get that this is a kids series, but really? Even animorphs didn't drag on to this extent.

The only interesting part about this book was the last two or three pages when the story actually progresses beyond "we fight bad man now".

I get the feeling that Reki has no idea who he's writing these books for anymore, this entire Alicization story arc has been a dull read with only a few interesting highlights in between the boring exposition and empty moments with no substance.
"Oh, I'm too weak to go on"
*random deus ex machina appears*,
"wow, I think I'm strong enough now".

[kerrycat · Rating 5 out of 5]

only the great Kawahara could make a novel out of one battle

but what a devastating ending, three gut-wrenching and brutal deaths and a couple that moves into the afterlife together (so sweet for them, after such a long separation) . . .

and so so many parallels to SAO events and finally, after six novels, the reunion we've been waiting for, but it's not as wonderful as we need it to be because this is one unbelievable mess that will take us into volume 15

seriously, Kirito has never cried as much as he does here, and no one can blame the poor kid. our Black Swordsman is put through the wringer emotionally, intellectually, and physically by the last page.

there's no need for a system call: remove core protection because the tears will happen regardless

[Tuna · Rating 5 out of 5]

The 6th entry in the Underworld Saga was a rollercoaster ride of emotions. It brought us to the climax of the entire arc thus far bringing together our protagonists and the girl of their dreams face to face with the face of the antagonists thus far, but not of the arc, the dreaded Stress Test and the foes of the Dark Territory. I enjoyed having Kirito and his friend and partner Eugeo along with Alice Synthesis 30 as they faced the Pontifex and her pawn. It was intense, flashy, and incredibly and left me floored on the the edge of my seat.

The conclusion of which left me emotionally destroyed and wrecked and I dare not describe what happens, just, well, the next volume must be read emotionally.

This is definitely one of the most incredibly volumes of Sword Art Online yet.

[Rachel (rachels.geeky.stuff) · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoyed it but I'm also a little annoyed that this isn't the end of the arc. I put off this book so long because I felt book 13 was just filler and I couldn't read through another 200 pages worth of filler. While this wasn't filler it certainly could have been the conclusion of the Alicization Arc, however in the last few pages a plot twist is thrown in so we're given the reason for the next 4 books in the arc... which is driving me a little bit crazy. I already have to wait for translation, I don't know if I could handle it if one of the four is filler instead of actual progress to moving the story forward. I guess I'll have to wait and see.

[Miracle152004 · Rating 4 out of 5]

Kirito has faced innumerable hardships in the two long years since he first awoke in the Underworld, but his greatest battle yet lies ahead. As they near Administrator's chamber at the top of Central Cathedral, Kirito and Alice confront a heartrendingly familiar foe on the ninety-ninth floor. The final obstacle standing before them is none other than Eugeo...wearing the armor of an Integrity Knight! Can Kirito's cries reach Eugeo in the tortured recesses of his mind? Or will Administrator have the last laugh?!

[Tina B · Rating 2 out of 5]

The English translation on this volume was better than previous versions. I actually really loved the plot sequence for this drawn-out final conflict, and of course the great hero-team characters. However, Kawahara's penchant for clothing optional females in final conflicts rears its head again (as seen in the ending of the Aincrad sequence). The final twist at the end means there are more volumes to come.

[Al · Rating 5 out of 5]

Amazing

Wow, this book was a large boss battle. It took place only in one room. I am shocked it was good with this setting. I never read anything like it. I am shocked how good it was. I thought this would be the end of the arc but it looks like there is more to come. I was so hooked I read it in a day. I can't wait for season 3 now.

[Al · Rating 5 out of 5]

Amazing

Wow, this book was a large boss battle. It took place only in one room. I am shocked it was good with this setting. I never read anything like it. I am shocked how good it was. I thought this would be the end of the arc but it looks like there is more to come. I was so hooked I read it in a day. I can't wait for season 3 now.

[anderson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Historia enfocada meramente al final de la primera parte del arco, donde conoceremos algunos recuerdos, habilidades y debilidades de cada personaje. Muy buen final con toque de "Que esta pasando !!!!!!"

[Makayla · Rating 5 out of 5]

Once again, I enjoy the character development and emotion. It was quite an ending for the arc. I’m still left wondering (and anticipating) where the story goes from here. I’ve loved the anime adaptation so far.

[Anna Jones · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book because of personal reason is why I give it a 4 (My favorite character dies). The fights were crazy I am just glad that the administrator is gone she creeped me out. But uggggggggggg why did you have to kill him off!

[Ricardo Matos · Rating 4 out of 5]

In the hands of a better writer this could have been a 5 star. Some plot points just felt super silly. However, some really cool stuff happens and the ending pushes the story in a completely new direction that seems to be way more interesting. Enjoyed it enough to give it a 4 star rating.

[Yan M Garcia · Rating 5 out of 5]

No puedo con tanta muerte 😭💔 Las ganas de llorar son reales ¡Y el final! No voy a decir más. Quedé en trance.

[Marisa · Rating 4 out of 5]

😢 can the next book come out soon please???

[Jill · Rating 5 out of 5]

Good action and lots of twists in this one.

[Farid Aldi · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sometimes you should keep reading the book to get what you need in this book...

[ReadingFrog · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5 stars.

[Andy Febrico Bintoro · Rating 4 out of 5]

Truthfully half of the book was boring, but the end was quite suspense. The end has many possibility for the future story development. Hope the next volume would be a great one.

[Cazadores De Opiniones · Rating 5 out of 5]

Eugeo!!!!!!!!!TT

[Merry · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another great book in the series! Just like the anime.

[Aakash · Rating 3 out of 5]

It dragged on unnecessarily and was a bit boring just like the last few volumes. Overall a 'good' book I guess but still a chore to read.