"There are two more, back there." Kahlan briefly scanned the dark jumble of rock, but she didn't see any others. He gestured over his shoulder without turning to look. That was what he'd been watching as the rest of them waited in uneasy silence. Against the darkening sky, she could just make out the shapes of three black-tipped races taking to wing, beginning their nightly hunt. "You knew they were there, didn't you?" Kahlan asked in a hushed tone as she leaned closer. But their extraordinary variety and beauty also reveal them as wonders of self-expression and personal style. Nearly all these fittings were once owned by trained swordsmen, and the weapons they ornamented could surely inflict fatal wounds. It discusses the visual effects achieved with different alloys, the evolution of fittings following changes in warfare, the symbolism of motifs, and standards for connoisseurship. Lethal Elegance presents 150 of these remarkable sword fittings, and is one of the few books in a Western language to focus on their styles and techniques. And more than the weapon itself, it was the sword's metal fittings that reflected the complexities of samurai life, from codes of honor to flamboyant leisure - and that remain among the most sophisticated and accomplished metalwork ever created. Less known, at least in the West, is its role as a fashion accessory or status symbol. That is until a fellow survivor of SAO taken form the latest VRMMORPG sensation, ALfheim Online - a screenshot that features someone being held captive who looks entirely too much like Asuna! His hope renewed, Kirito dives headlong into an all-new virtual adventure, but can true love conquer the game?!Īs the soul of the samurai, the sword is famously both the symbol and the instrument of Japanese military prowess. But when one day he meets a man claiming to be Asuna's fiancé, Kazuto fears that Asuna may be lost to him forever. As his sister, Suguha, sadly looks on, Kazuto continues to visit Asuna in the hospital in the hope of finding answers. Unfortunately, the same cannot be said for Asuna Yuuki (aka Asuna the Flash), the girl with whom Kirito fell in love in the virtual world of Aincrad but who has yet to awaken from her game-induced slumber. Kazuto Kirigaya (aka Kirito) has beaten Sword Art Online, a VRMMORPG that transformed into a literal game of death, and returned to the real world.