The tree is a central plot element; it is believed to absorb the land's nutrients, preventing Rulid Village from expanding its fields. Eugeo is a seventh-generation woodcutter who has worked on the tree for seven years without success.
Sword Art Online Alicization Episode 02 | Sword Art Online Wiki
Episode 2 of Sword Art Online: Alicization , titled "The Demon Tree," serves as the foundational "world-building" chapter for the Underworld arc. Picking up immediately after Kirito is attacked in the real world by Johnny Black, the episode shifts from the high-stakes tension of the series premiere to a slow-burn introduction of the new virtual reality. Sword Art Online: Alicization Episode 2
A primary theme of the episode is the blur between reality and simulation.
Upon reaching Rulid Village, Kirito is challenged by Jink, the captain of the guards. In an anime-original scene, Kirito unintentionally activates a Sword Skill while using Jink's blade, shocking the villagers and confirming his identity as a "swordsman". The tree is a central plot element; it
While exploring, Kirito finds a boy named Eugeo tasked with chopping down a massive tree known as the Gigas Cedar or "The Demon Tree".
Kirito awakens on the 19th Day of the 3rd Month of the Human Empire Calendar in a dazed state. His memories of the real world—including his final moments with Asuna—remain intact, which confuses him given that his previous dives into the Underworld involved memory suppression. Picking up immediately after Kirito is attacked in
Because Kirito cannot explain his origin or "Calling," Eugeo identifies him as a "lost child of Vecta," a legendary figure spirited away by the dark God Vecta.