Kirito fights and kills Heathcliff in a duel to save the 6000 players left in Aincrad.  But when they find out that they weren't logged out of the game and are still in Aincrad, they soon also find the city of Tokyo sprawled out beneath them. Aincrad has entered the real world, and all of the players' stats and gear, as well as the games' NPCs and monsters, have all become real. Now the players must deal with being game characters in real life, while some play politics to secure their safety, and a few try to unravel how their situation came to be.