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Sword Art Online #24
ソードアート・オンライン 24 ユナイタル・リングIII [Sōdo āto onrain 24 Yunaitaru Ringu III]
二百年後の《アンダーワールド》でキリトを運命の出会いが待つ!
総務省仮想課職員、菊岡誠二郎との再会。それはキリトとアスナ、アリスを、《大戦》から二百年後の《アンダーワールド》へといざなうものだった。
再びあの世界へ降り立った彼らを待っていたのは、ロニエとティーゼの子孫であるローランネイとスティカ、そして。
「これが《星王》を名乗る男の心意か。――よろしく、キリト君」
《整合機士団》団長を名乗るその男は、かつてキリトが失った《彼》と同じ目をしていて――。
一方、《ユナイタル・リング》世界では、キリトと仲間たちを狙う最大の《悪意》がついにその姿を現す!!
総務省仮想課職員、菊岡誠二郎との再会。それはキリトとアスナ、アリスを、《大戦》から二百年後の《アンダーワールド》へといざなうものだった。
再びあの世界へ降り立った彼らを待っていたのは、ロニエとティーゼの子孫であるローランネイとスティカ、そして。
「これが《星王》を名乗る男の心意か。――よろしく、キリト君」
《整合機士団》団長を名乗るその男は、かつてキリトが失った《彼》と同じ目をしていて――。
一方、《ユナイタル・リング》世界では、キリトと仲間たちを狙う最大の《悪意》がついにその姿を現す!!
312 pages, Paperback
First published May 9, 2020
22 people are currently reading
378 people want to read
About the author
Reki Kawahara
284 books911 followersKawahara 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.
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Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews
May 31, 2022
Oh my God, Reki, decide what you wanna do already! You know what’s frustrating with this author sometimes? I know his stories get very good, he has delivered amazing stuff, but boy when he’s stuck in between, geez.
This volume offered absolutely nothing new, even a boss was recycled but Christ’s sake, and on top of that, he can’t decide on a story to develop, because for some reason we are going back to the Underworld. The Unital Ring plot has been stopped twice already, first with random Aincrad stories that I really did not need, and now with this. And the plot about Alice and the impact of real AIs in the world? Also abandoned and hardly mentioned.
***SPOILERS AHEAD***
It feels like he’s not ready to give up on the Underworld as of yet, and I would be fine with it if we hadn’t started another game plot already. Why do I need to keep going back to see Laurannei and whatever her name, who are clearly copies of Ronnie and Tiese? Why do I suddenly have a “mystery” dude who is fooling absolutely nobody and better stay dead? Who am I gonna find next, Gabriel again? At this rate, I wouldn’t be surprised.
I know we spent a lot of time with these characters and it’s hard to let go. I’d happily read more about them on other circumstances, maybe like in a SAO Progressive kinda arc, but not now. Now I have UR running, I wanna know what’s going on with the seed, and I really need to start getting answers there because so far it has totally felt like a description of Japanese Valheim and nothing else, and yet it seems we’ll be getting more Underworld in the volumes to come. So where is this story really going?
I have been thinking for a long while now that he wants to get SAO into Accel at some point, but right now, it’s not very clear how this will happen, nor how UR and the Underworld might even be connected. But, I know I’ll keep reading even though we have these very slow volumes because I can see the potential for the story. I just wish he’d get there with less detours.
This volume offered absolutely nothing new, even a boss was recycled but Christ’s sake, and on top of that, he can’t decide on a story to develop, because for some reason we are going back to the Underworld. The Unital Ring plot has been stopped twice already, first with random Aincrad stories that I really did not need, and now with this. And the plot about Alice and the impact of real AIs in the world? Also abandoned and hardly mentioned.
***SPOILERS AHEAD***
It feels like he’s not ready to give up on the Underworld as of yet, and I would be fine with it if we hadn’t started another game plot already. Why do I need to keep going back to see Laurannei and whatever her name, who are clearly copies of Ronnie and Tiese? Why do I suddenly have a “mystery” dude who is fooling absolutely nobody and better stay dead? Who am I gonna find next, Gabriel again? At this rate, I wouldn’t be surprised.
I know we spent a lot of time with these characters and it’s hard to let go. I’d happily read more about them on other circumstances, maybe like in a SAO Progressive kinda arc, but not now. Now I have UR running, I wanna know what’s going on with the seed, and I really need to start getting answers there because so far it has totally felt like a description of Japanese Valheim and nothing else, and yet it seems we’ll be getting more Underworld in the volumes to come. So where is this story really going?
I have been thinking for a long while now that he wants to get SAO into Accel at some point, but right now, it’s not very clear how this will happen, nor how UR and the Underworld might even be connected. But, I know I’ll keep reading even though we have these very slow volumes because I can see the potential for the story. I just wish he’d get there with less detours.
June 17, 2025
its complicated.. not the book, my feelings about it.
maybe I should have rounded up its a 7/10, so 3.5/5..
instead I rounded down.
there is too much of midway through a chapter re-explaining stuff like this isn’t the 24th LN in a series. Sure I get it catch some people up at the beginning, Maybe someone hasn’t read the proceeding novels, maybe they started here, on page 120, of book 24. what do I know? (I picked the page number at random.)
As for the story itself, Kiri-boy is up to is usual antics, its nice to see other characters have focus for a bit, and perhaps the Underworld stuff could have waited.. guess i’ll find out how it all comes together eventually.
maybe I should have rounded up its a 7/10, so 3.5/5..
instead I rounded down.
there is too much of midway through a chapter re-explaining stuff like this isn’t the 24th LN in a series. Sure I get it catch some people up at the beginning, Maybe someone hasn’t read the proceeding novels, maybe they started here, on page 120, of book 24. what do I know? (I picked the page number at random.)
As for the story itself, Kiri-boy is up to is usual antics, its nice to see other characters have focus for a bit, and perhaps the Underworld stuff could have waited.. guess i’ll find out how it all comes together eventually.
August 11, 2022
Everything in the story feels way too slow at the moment, here and in the Progressive books too..
June 16, 2024
Well, it’s not too bad! We had our gang jumping between playing unital ring, and visiting the underworld, and some IRL bit too. Not much has really happened tbh tho. We seem to be progressing very slowly!
December 10, 2025
I loved how this story unfolded!
My favorite part of the book had to be when they entered the underworld and Kirito got arrested!
My favorite part of the book had to be when they entered the underworld and Kirito got arrested!
May 13, 2023
The Unital Ring arc continues to make steady progress developing one of the more exhaustive arcs in the Sword Art Online universe. Spanning the real world and two virtual worlds (Unital Ring and the Underworld) we are introduced to a wide variety of characters involved in a variety of plots that allows for a rather enriched and engrossing storytelling experience. Perhaps my favorite part are the forays back into the Underworld which definitely became my favorite world of Sword Art Online, however, the trails blazed in Unital Ring are definitely allowing Unital Ring to increasingly become my second favorite world thus far.
As stated this volume shows progress made in multiple fronts:
Real World: We finally receive much needed explanation on the fate of Chrysheight aka Kikuouka who we hadn't seen since the end of Alicization who took the blame for just about everything with the international diplomacy affairs and went into hiding. Now we see he's emerged, met with Argo, and wants Kirito to tackle the potential intruder in the Underworld.
Underworld: We finally get to get some sort of follow-up to the Underworld evolution which we hadn't seen since the end of Alicization where Kirito and Asuna were trapped in the Underworld for about 15 minutes but who initiated multiple advancements. Now we return to the world to see familiar faces as well as the culmination of those years of progress.
Unital Ring: The first antagonist of the Unital Ring arc is introduced, Mutasina and the group of the Virtual Study Society who can deploy hi-ougi, the wide area Noose of the Accursed which suffocates anyone ensnared in it when the caster strikes the ground with their staff...and additionally the first linchpin level god monster, the Life Harvester from SAO, which is the cliffhanger we end on.
Overall the three theaters of focus for this arc are pretty incredible and I like how they were introduced. I am greatly looking forward to how much more in depth we go in the future with them. I also believe that this arc definitely represents and shows the growth of Kawahara over the years. Lastly, the Incarnation System, the power of belief, being a thing here continues to show that the Accel World influence is incredibly strong. Good volume.
As stated this volume shows progress made in multiple fronts:
Real World: We finally receive much needed explanation on the fate of Chrysheight aka Kikuouka who we hadn't seen since the end of Alicization who took the blame for just about everything with the international diplomacy affairs and went into hiding. Now we see he's emerged, met with Argo, and wants Kirito to tackle the potential intruder in the Underworld.
Underworld: We finally get to get some sort of follow-up to the Underworld evolution which we hadn't seen since the end of Alicization where Kirito and Asuna were trapped in the Underworld for about 15 minutes but who initiated multiple advancements. Now we return to the world to see familiar faces as well as the culmination of those years of progress.
Unital Ring: The first antagonist of the Unital Ring arc is introduced, Mutasina and the group of the Virtual Study Society who can deploy hi-ougi, the wide area Noose of the Accursed which suffocates anyone ensnared in it when the caster strikes the ground with their staff...and additionally the first linchpin level god monster, the Life Harvester from SAO, which is the cliffhanger we end on.
Overall the three theaters of focus for this arc are pretty incredible and I like how they were introduced. I am greatly looking forward to how much more in depth we go in the future with them. I also believe that this arc definitely represents and shows the growth of Kawahara over the years. Lastly, the Incarnation System, the power of belief, being a thing here continues to show that the Accel World influence is incredibly strong. Good volume.
May 12, 2022
The is one reason and one reason only this book does not get 4-stars. It is simply -- Underworld.
I don't get it Kawahara-sensei--
I read 10 books about Underworld.
I enjoyed many of them.
You started a new "game" -- Unital Ring.
The you drop an uninspired Aincrad shorts collection.
You finally get back to Unital Ring and things are going alright.
Then you drop us back into Underworld?
I don't care if in the real world there could (and would) be ongoing issues. I came for Unital Ring, not to spend time in Underworld.
Then you tell me after leaving us with a rather large *cough* cliff-hanger in UR that there is going to be a significant section of Underworld in the next book... I'm wondering it I care any more.
I almost wish you'd just write SAO:Progressive and give the rest of this up. But I suppose you want to eventually evolve it into Accel World.
I don't get it Kawahara-sensei--
I read 10 books about Underworld.
I enjoyed many of them.
You started a new "game" -- Unital Ring.
The you drop an uninspired Aincrad shorts collection.
You finally get back to Unital Ring and things are going alright.
Then you drop us back into Underworld?
I don't care if in the real world there could (and would) be ongoing issues. I came for Unital Ring, not to spend time in Underworld.
Then you tell me after leaving us with a rather large *cough* cliff-hanger in UR that there is going to be a significant section of Underworld in the next book... I'm wondering it I care any more.
I almost wish you'd just write SAO:Progressive and give the rest of this up. But I suppose you want to eventually evolve it into Accel World.
May 9, 2022
possible spoilers
& extreme spoiler for Accel World
just another instance of The Great Kawahara breaking my heart - the Eugeo references (our poor Kirito) and Eolyne (again, our poor Kirito) and is it really possible that a child may have been born to a certain couple during their two centuries ruling over the Underworld, which of course they can't remember?
(me: Kuroyukihime is a machine child with a foreign fluctlight . . . Shikimi Kamura just showed up at SAO survivor school . . . and my head explodes about here)
& extreme spoiler for Accel World
just another instance of The Great Kawahara breaking my heart - the Eugeo references (our poor Kirito) and Eolyne (again, our poor Kirito) and is it really possible that a child may have been born to a certain couple during their two centuries ruling over the Underworld, which of course they can't remember?
(me: Kuroyukihime is a machine child with a foreign fluctlight . . . Shikimi Kamura just showed up at SAO survivor school . . . and my head explodes about here)
August 14, 2022
This is by far the best of the Unital Ring books so far. It has so many twists and turns that it kept me hooked throughout the entire thing.
Much like the last two books, this one leaves me with more questions than answers, and I am dying for to find out more.
Not many books series have kept me on the edge of my seat to the same extent as “Sword Art Online: Unital Ring”. The only other series absorbing me as much as this is the Bionicle saga.
Much like the last two books, this one leaves me with more questions than answers, and I am dying for to find out more.
Not many books series have kept me on the edge of my seat to the same extent as “Sword Art Online: Unital Ring”. The only other series absorbing me as much as this is the Bionicle saga.
May 23, 2022
I don't know if the underworld story will connect with the UR story, but I kind of wish Kawahara would pick a lane and stick with it. (Personally, I'm more interested in the Progressive novels over post-Alicization novels.)
September 28, 2022
This would be the same as alicization arc. The story progression is so slow.
June 1, 2025
UW again hype 8.5/10
Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews