Sword Art Online's creator Reki Kawahara is launching a new light novel series, set for release on Nov. 10.
The light novel, Demon's Crest, will be published by KADOKAWA's Dengeki Bunko imprint. Reki Kawahara will author the series, and artist Yukiko Horiguchi will be responsible for illustrations. It is the first new work by Kawahara since 2014's The Isolator. Demon's Crest is about a group of teenagers who test a new VR game, but when they log out, they find that it has fused with reality.
What You Can Expect From the Demon’s Crest Light Novel
Demon's Crest will take place in a mixed reality -- combining virtual and augmented reality. The story will follow 6th grader Yūma Ashihara as he beta tests a new virtual reality fantasy MMO called Actual Magic. As he plays and clears out dungeons with friends, he marvels at the new technology of the game. After logging out of the game for the day, Yūma's avatar loses consciousness after being enveloped by a strange red light. When he awakens, he finds himself in a "New World" where the VRMMO combines itself with the real world. As he processes the situation, he encounters class beauty Sumika Watamaki. However, her appearance is startlingly close to the game's monsters.
Series creator Reki Kawahara is a light novel author most famous for his work on Sword Art Online. He also wrote Accel World and The Isolator. Yen Press localizes Kawahara's light novels. The illustrator, Yukiko Horiguchi, also known as Shiromizakana, served as the character designer for the TV anime 22/7 and K-ON!.
Sword Art Online is author Reki Kawahara's first work. Kawahara wrote the story for 2001's ASCII Media Works Dengeki Game Novel Prize, currently known as Dengeki Novel Prize. However, he chose not to submit it as it exceeded the predetermined page limit. Instead, Kawahara published it as a web novel using the pen name Fumio Kunori. The light novels went on to be published by ASCII Media Works' Dengeki Bunko imprint in April 2009 and later received a manga adaptation published by ASCII Media Works and KADOKAWA.
About Sword Art Online
Sword Art Online takes place in the "near future" of 2022 and follows main character Kazuto "Kirito" Kirigaya and his in-game partner Asuna Yuuki as they play through various VR MMORPG worlds. Using NerveGear, a helmet that stimulates all five senses via the brain, players experience and control their in-game characters with their minds. On Nov. 6, 10,000 players logged in to play Sword Art Online for the first time and discovered they could not log out. The creator of the game Sword Art Online and NerveGear, Akihiko Kayaba, appeared to tell players they must defeat all 100 floors of Aincrad, a steel castle set in Sword Art Online if they want to be free. Those who experience death in-game or forcibly attempt to remove their NerveGear will pass away in real life.
Demon's Crest will debut on Nov. 10 in Japan.
Source: Comic Book