<span>A year has passed since </span><em>Sword Art Online</em><span> (</span><em>SAO</em><span>) was cleared. </span>Kirito<span> is asked by </span>Kikuoka<span> to investigate </span><em>Gun Gale Online</em><span>, specifically </span><em>Death Gun</em><span>, a weapon which seemed to link deaths in the virtual reality world to those in the real world.</span> <br /><span>Upon entering the game, </span>Kirito<span> meets </span>Sinon<span> who teaches him the ropes of the game. They both enter the Gun Gale Online tournament, </span><em>Bullet of Bullets</em><span>. Kirito displays his amazing skills although he is only a newcomer to the game. Later, Kirito finds out that the mysterious deaths are linked to a red guild named </span><em>Laughing Coffin</em><span> in SAO.</span>