Rico Bekko

Witness the first steps in the story of the girl who would one day become the infamous “Zekken!” Leaving behind the VR hospice program Serene Garden, Yuuki and her older sister Ran follow their new friend Merida into the Japanese-style VRMMMORPG Asuka Empire! Astounded by the twins’ rapid progress, Merida questions how they acclimated so fast, leading Ran to divulge that they’re running the game on modified NerveGear-- the same technology used to dive into SAO...

Delve deeper into Kirito’s and Asuna’s pasts in this collection of three short stories adapted to manga for the first time! From their newlywed life in SAO to Asuna's time in ALO, revisit events from throughout the series as they originally appeared in the novels!

Kirito and the others try to unravel the mysteries of a new quest, traveling to new, unexplored areas of Alfheim Online!! And Yuki, at the hospital in palliative care for her incurable illness, spends her time playing a game for terminal patients called “Serene Garden” by using a medical-grade full dive system called Medicuboid. There, Yuki discovers a new VR game called “Asuka Empire,” and takes her first steps into the world of VR Games. Witness Yuki’s origin, and the birth of “Zekken!”