What, exactly, is Cardinal planning in giving Makoto Suguha's Alfheim Online avatar? Is it just an easter egg?

This is different, I like it.

So Alice is still there. That's a little messed up.

CAST huh? Casting spells?

Oof what a rough chapter, I hope to see more of this glitch affecting the players later on.

...I'd say someone's name angrily in a rising rage like they do in the shows, except I don't know WHO to blame.

I don't know if this is adressed in the next chapters, but:

A simple power disruption cannot happen with the NervGear(1). It has an internal battery inside that could last for minutes. It is the sole reason why the players have survived the move from their houses to the hospital.

It was also implied in the light novel that Kayaba has sent the warning to the outside world immediately after the game's launch due to him saying along the lines(2), "I have sent a warning to the outside world that removing NG will kill you. Unfortunately, some did not heed my warning, thus 230 people already died." So it does not make any sort of sense why Kayaba would wait for so long in this chapter to send the email to the PR officer as he wants as many players to be immersed in the world he created, not kill them off altogether.

(1) This has been narrated by Kirito in the LN vol.1 during Kayaba's revelation of the death game. If I recall correctly, the battery lasts around 3 minutes.
(2) Quote here is not exactly word per word as Baka-Tsuki has already taken down their SAO translations, yet I do have a copy of the PDF versions. They are still stuck inside the hard drive of my broken laptop

So is she that Cardinal that locked Damian and Argo in the time loop thing? And is Damian in America or Japan? Did IRL Talia know about the digital clone?

story is different from another, right? Or I'm confused.

Yeah Cassandra

So Cardinal is the perfected Talia who loved Arthur Light, Talia probably has the same contingency plan in place as in the original story and the in-game Alice is the original "copy" of the real Alice's soul. What was/is Sugou's involvement in the project that he has the access he does again?

You've changed a few things I see, it's still really enjoyable to read

Wow. I didn't quite remember that intensity.

It's been a good minute since you updated. I've read the story over on ao3 and it does get crazy with luthor, Iris, the league and the island.

What happened to all the Justice League stuff? They beat Talia.

so many questions not a lot of answers