What starts as a routine investigation into a series of child kidnappings turns personal when detective Musubi Susono’s partner is viciously murdered by a fanatical cult. Stymied by her superiors and armed only with a mysterious sword, Susono must descend into the depths of her decaying city in search of answers—and what she finds will remake the world as she knows it. Set 3,000 years before the events of , this dark, action-packed prequel from sci-fi visionary Tsutomu Nihei ( , ) provides a glimpse into the origins of the Safeguards and the NetSphere, while standing alone as a gritty masterpiece of cyberpunk noir. Finally back in print, also includes Nihei’s prize-winning debut story, an early version of