Ep 23. E 23

Kirito and Sinon attend a lecture by their college professor of astrophysics, Shigemura Tetsuhiro, who reveals his project of creating an interface from a human brain to manipulate virtual reality environments. Later, Kirito receives an urgent call from Agil, who tells him that an incident is occurring at Rath Research Institute concerning the Soul Translator, the same interface device that converted Kirito's consciousness into virtual reality for the first time. Upon arrival, Kirito discovers that the experimental AI, A.L.I.C.E., has lost control and injured several researchers, including Shigemura's daughter, Alice. As a result, Rath has called upon Kirito to enter a new VRMMORPG, "Project Alicization", to investigate the cause of the incident.

Upon entering the new game, Kirito finds that the world is incredibly detailed and well-developed, surpassing any other game he has played before. However, he also learns that in this game, the time flow is different from the real world, meaning that his extended time spent in-game will have significant consequences in the real world. Kirito sets out to explore the game's world and quickly meets an NPC named Eugeo, who becomes his friend and companion on his journey.

Kirito and Eugeo soon discover that Alice, whom Kirito previously encountered in real life, is also present in the game's world, but her memory has been wiped. They decide to investigate and eventually come across the Integrity Knights, powerful NPC guardians who serve the Axiom Church and are tasked with protecting the world's inhabitants.

As Kirito and Eugeo progress through the game's world, they begin to unravel the disturbing truth behind the nature of the game and the true intentions of the Axiom Church. They also learn that their actions in the game can have significant consequences in the real world, which becomes a major factor in their decisions and motivations.

In Episode 23, Kirito and Eugeo continue their journey to the Central Cathedral, where they hope to find a way to reach the top floor and defeat the Administrator of the game's world. Along the way, they encounter multiple challenges, including a battle with an Integrity Knight and a dangerous trap that results in Eugeo's arrest.

Kirito must then make a difficult decision to save Eugeo and progress further towards his goal of reaching the top floor. He seeks guidance from the spirit of the sword he received from an earlier encounter and ultimately decides to gamble everything on a high-risk move that could result in his death.

As the episode ends, Kirito embarks on his risky plan, leaving viewers on the edge of their seats and eagerly waiting to see how his actions will impact his journey and the game's world.