Prologue:

(FIRST BOOK OF THE SAOR SERIES)

It's been twenty years after a death game was released that has killed about four thousand people. The NerveGear has evolved and so has the games within it.

Sword Art Online came back to life...this time, no deaths or life costly decisions.

When a casual player gets caught up in the fad and enters the games' tournament, The Swordsman's Festival, SAO starts making up the twenty years it hasn't been active for.