High above the realm of man, the gods of the world have convened to decide on a single matter: the continued existence of mankind. Under the head of Zeus, the deities of Ancient Greece, Norse mythology, and Hinduism, among others, call assembly every one thousand years to decide the fate of humanity. Because of their unrelenting abuse toward each other and the planet, this time the gods vote unanimously in favor of ending the human race. But before the mandate passes, Brunhild, one of the 13 demigod Valkyries, puts forth an alternate proposal: rather than anticlimactically annihilating mankind, why not give them a fighting chance and enact Ragnarök, a one-on-one showdown between man and god? Spurred on by the audacity of the challenge, the divine council quickly accepts, fully confident that this contest will display the utter might of the gods. To stand a chance against the mighty heavens, Brunhild will need to assemble history's greatest individuals, otherwise the death knell will surely be sounded for mankind.

With no more death flags in sight, personable but dense Catarina Claes is finally able to lead a peaceful life surrounded by all of her friends and family. For that reason, she is determined to enjoy the school festival to the fullest without any concern on her mind. Unbeknownst to her, however, the story of "Fortune Lover"—the game she used to play—has yet to end. Even more characters make an appearance, each with their own agenda to fulfill, and new mysteries await Katarina and those she loves. Will there be any way to avoid a bad ending when Catarina cannot remember what happens next?

As a chief operative of the villainous Kisaragi Corporation, Sentouin Roku-gou receives orders to help the organization conquer the entire known universe. Tasked with infiltrating the kingdom of Grace—a mission that could change the fate of the world—Roku-gou mistakenly believes that his skills as a combatant are superb, fuelling his arrogant attitude. To ensure the success of the mission, Alice Kisaragi, an exceptional android with a youthful appearance named after the company itself, is assigned to be Roku-gou's travel companion. Upon their arrival at the outskirts of the kingdom, Alice and Roku-gou encounter Snow, the commander of the country's royal guard. Snow leads the pair to a broken legendary artifact, and Roku-gou seizes the opportunity for a long-awaited promotion at his company and changes the recitation for the sacred ritual to an embarrassing phrase. As punishment, the princess of the kingdom forces Roku-gou to become an honorary knight, fulfilling part of his mission. Having infiltrated the kingdom's inner circle, Roku-gou must now help his new employer fight against the Demon Lord's Army, all while perpetuating evil deeds as a combatant of the Kisaragi Corporation.

"There's no way to beat this game. The only difference is when and where you die..." One month has passed since Akihiko Kayaba's deadly game began, and the body count continues to rise. Two thousand players are already dead. Kirito and Asuna are two very different people, but they both desire to fight alone. Nonetheless, they find themselves drawn together to face challenges from both within and without. Given that the entire virtual world they now live in has been created as a deathtrap, the surviving players of Sword Art Online are starting to get desperate, and desperation makes them dangerous to loners like Kirito and Asuna. As it becomes clear that solitude equals suicide, will the two be able to overcome their differences to find the strength to believe in each other, and in so doing survive? Sword Art Online: Progressive is a new version of the Sword Art Online tale that starts at the beginning of Kirito and Asuna's epic adventure—on the very first level of the deadly world of Aincrad!