Sword Art Online - Volume 24 - Chapter Aft

AFTERWORD

Thank you for reading Sword Art Online 24: Unital Ring III.

I ended the previous volume on an enticing note, so I was hoping to follow it up consecutively in short order…but in the end, it took five months. And if that one was bad, this one is a major cliffhanger (sweats). I-I’ll try to work quickly on the next one!

(Warning! Spoilers for this volume to follow.)

With the third book in the Unital Ring arc, it feels like the story is finally starting to move. Argo’s joining for real now, we’ve got the introduction of Mutasina the dangerous witch, and the Skullreaper has returned with a new coat of flesh. There’s a lot to draw your interest, but the biggest one has to be that figure who appeared in the Underworld, Commander Eolyne.

He’s a character I drew up to appear in my plot notes for the continuation of the story after the end of the Alicization arc. Some of the details I had in my head appear as they did here—the suspicious mask and the image of him seated in a luxury sedan. But once I put him into the story, I got the hunch that his role might not be exactly what I originally anticipated. I can’t tell you exactly what that means yet—only that I intend to keep writing, to find out the future ending the story desires for itself.

I’ll admit, writing the Underworld two hundred years later was much harder—and more painful—than I imagined it would be. All the characters Kirito loved, whom I loved, too, are no longer around, and that was a thought that stopped me in my tracks on many occasions. But there must be some measure of hope there, too. I’m planning to write plenty of the Underworld story in the next volume, so look forward to that!

The Alicization arc of the anime was scheduled to be airing its fourth cour at the time of this book’s publication, but the effects of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic have delayed it. Considering all the work the staff has put into the show, and the anticipation that all the readers and viewers have, this is a very painful development. But just like Kirito and Asuna, fighting through difficult circumstances in the story, I can only believe there is a light at the end of this tunnel. Please have patience.

To abec (Congratulations on the second art book!), Miki, and Adachi, I’m so sorry for taking things down to the last minute! Hope to see you all next volume!

Reki Kawahara—March 2020