Kirito and Leafa arrive at the meeting place just in time to stop the Salamanders. Kirito claims to be an ambassador for the “Spriggan-Undine Alliance” that will join with the Sylphs and Cait Siths if the Salamanders attack, but General Eugene doesn’t believe him, and challenges him to a duel. Using his Spriggan skills to create an occluding smoke cloud, Kirito grabs Leafa’s sword and surprises Eugene with a dual-wielding attack. Sakuya heals Eugene, who agrees to withdraw for now. Sakuya contacts Sigurn and banishes him from the Sylph. Kirito and Leafa continue to Arun. High up in the World Tree, Asuna enters the correct key code on the door and escapes, but must now navigate the tree’s maze of branches.
Is it just us, or is Kirito growing more insuffrably noble by the episode? He dispatches one of the (if not the) most powerful players in the game with authority, and is then clung to and yanked on by no less than three comely lasses, because Kirito is like a heroin-catnip parfait for the ladies. It’s a good thing this is all taking place in virtual reality. In any case, Kirito’s fight convinces both the leader of the Salamander attack force and his men to withdraw and they all gain respect for the Spriggans, whom everyone seems to hold in high regard (isn’t that racist, BTW?)
Now that Kirito has dealt relatively easily with a problem Leafa thought would be much bigger and more hazardous, they can continue on to the base of the World Tree, where Kirito seeks to rescue his true love – and he ain’t even gonna give all these other floozies the time of day. And with Asuna escaping her cell (which we hope wasn’t intentional on Oberon’s part so as to mess with her, though we wouldn’t put it past him), it looks like Kirito isn’t far from facing off against Foe Numero Uno. The issue of Sugu/Leafa and Kazuto/Kirito not knowing each others’ real-life identities, seems to have been shelved for now. Maybe they’ll never know.
Rating: 7 (Very Good)
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