Episode list

While the city heads for shelter, a deteriorating Masane fights off thousands of rogue I-Weapons. And all the while, Maria and her two Sisters are drawing near. Rather than seeking safety, Tozawa has tracked down the media to spill the full story out to the hidden public. The NSWF, Doji Group Industries, all of their dirty little secrets. A break in the battle and it's the Witchblade versus the Cloneblades, but Maria's madness may prove their own undoing. And high atop Tokyo Tower, as events recommence, a solitary soldier takes her place in the cruel history of the Witchblade?

Mother and daughter may share four walls, but hearth and home are sadly lacking. Reina dryly interprets her role as a maternal caregiver, taking clinical notes along the way. But their happy little façade is not the only thing starting to crack. Masane, an asylum candidate by this point, ignores the incessant calls from Takayama... But Takayama will not be ignored. He arrives to drag Masane off to a derelict old building to prove that she does indeed have a past. Yet not a memory stirs. Elsewhere, Maria has risen to the challenge and embraced the Cloneblades. Her wish granted: To see the family tree laid out with scientific precision.

In a daze, Masane stumbles home from battle to get some much needed rest. But her rest is to be short-lived as forces begin to gather around her. The good news: Wado's been unseated and Takayama's taken charge. The bad news: This time the lives of everyone in Tokyo are at stake! Takayama has reprogrammed the malfunctioning I-Weapons at Doji, but there's several thousands more approaching by boat. Three twisted Cloneblades head into the fray, planning to take the Witchblade by force. Masane is not alone and her few allies are prepared to join the battle, but another apocalypse hangs on the horizon.

Masane and Tozawa have come to a standstill in their standoff, and in the absence true friendship seems to be blooming. Little Rihoko has also found a new friend? A couple of new friends, actually.

Cho and Tozawa learn about family ties within NswF, and Maria learn about who her real mother is. Reina Soho learns what it means to be a real mother and what she is willing to go to to save one of her daughter from another. Rihoko and Masane understand that they are connected by something more, even though they are not blood relatives, and Takeyama confesses to Reine that he always remembered the feelings for her that bound them together.

The Child Welfare Ministry is not quite done with their meddling, and this time they come bearing DNA evidence. So what exactly defines true family? Is it simply shared blood? Or is it the bonds of real life? Whatever it is, there's no running away from this glaring truth.

The emotional strain is nothing when compared to the physical strain of the Witchblade, and it looks like Masane is fast approaching the end. Refusing to accept this as fact, Takayama and even Tozawa head out for Doji Group Industries, both with the hopes of finding some hint as to how to stop or reverse the internal destruction. Elsewhere, the farce of normal life continues. Masane sneaks off to try and take things into her own hands, but there's no removing the Witchblade? Nothing short of her death. Desperate and disheartened, Masane vows to take the weapon with her to Hell. Some enemies are without, others within.

Masane leans on Doji Group big shot Takayama to gain the truth behind the X-Cons, and the secrets she unearths are vexing... The dead live on, meant to change the very nature of modern warfare. From disgust to further disgust, the feisty bearer of the Witchblade soon learns that as punishment for Tozawa uncovering her own "little secret," she must pretty up and play nice at a fancy party later that evening. Elsewhere, Reina is growing weary of the Cloneblade project as she seems to be seeking out some deeper meaning to life. But it may not matter much, as a little fresh blood may be all that the project was lacking.

The NSWF has Masane in captivity and they're wasting no time to study her, digging for insight into the symbiotic relationship between the bearer and the blade. The agency's intent is to use such knowledge to improve upon the original, and the young Maria just might be the first to benefit... Unlikely allies meet up in interesting places, sending Tozawa up the back entrance and into a hotbed of Cloneblade activity. But ten million magic words revive the Witchblade in the nick of time, with the heavy artillery ready and waiting. Back at the hospital, what should be a joyous reunion with Rihoko may shake Masane to the core.

Maria has gained control of the NSWF, but the business of running the organization is the last thing on her mind. Her intent is singular and sinister, her mind unstable: Possess the Witchblade. Aware of the threat, Nishida and Wado work together to attempt the very same thing. Elsewhere, Takayama and Rihoko are out having a not-so-fun-filled day, but things pick up as soon as Masane arrives. She's relieved that Takayama would protect her daughter should something happen in her line of work, for those dearest to the destined seem to be in the greatest danger? But the bond between mother and daughter remains safe in its strength.