Sumita Kazasa

With her father murdered, and her mother and sister abducted, Ason Asaki is now the leader of her land. She hunts down the person responsible for the crimes against her family only to find out he is a demon that Asaki is no match against. She is saved by Mikazuchi and Hisui who use their powers to protect her. Mikazuchi makes a contract with demons to borrow their strength and Hisui is actually a sword in human form that Mikazuchi uses to destroy evil. Mikazuchi is looking for the ten demons responsible for the destruction of his town and massacre of its people. Both sides soon realize that their fate is intertwined with each other.

The story takes place in a city resembling Italy, known as Belmonte, with the technology levels resembling levels in the late 19th century. In this city there are human-sized mechanical dolls known as "Automata" who serve the people of the city. The protagonist, Romeo, is a taxi driver who was originally involved in a organization known as the "Orma Rossa." He finds an automata in the shape of a young woman, who appears to have amnesia. He names her Anna, they start living together. However, sometime later, the Orma Rossa begin to catch up to Romeo, and an organization composed of automata also appears; thus, Romeo must fight to protect his current life.

This story introduces Takeru who is an average Japanese highschool girl raised in a Buddhist convent by nuns. She has been experiencing reoccurring nightmares about the Witchblade calling out to her. This is due to the secret that the temple houses within, the Witchblade sealed inside a box. Furthermore, her lineage keeps an unknown connection with the mystic artifact and the folklore of the Oni, hence explaining Takeru's strong attraction to the gauntlet which is locally called Oni no te (鬼の手, "Hand of Oni"). Ultimately, Takeru's life suffers a drastic change when she becomes the next bearer of the Witchblade due to some circumstances that force her to randomly encounter it.