In a time now long past, Mankind faced extinction at the hands of the Black Beast, a creature that appeared out of the darkness. The Beast was posessed by an awesome power, and it appeared that the race of man had met it's end. It was in humanity's darkest hour that six heros of unknown origin came forward to defeat the Beast. Bringing with them the power of magic, humanity used it's ingenuity to create a process to mix magic and technology together, thus creating the Armagus. Wielding a power far beyond both magic and technology by themselves, humanity and the Six Heros fought the Black Beast together. After many blood-soaked battles, the Beast was finally defeated—and man began to rebuild, while the Six Heros became legend.
After the war against the Black Beast, dubbed the First War of Magic, an organization arose to regulate the Grimoire Armagus, or Armagus training texts. Known as the Novis Orbis Librarium, they led mankind to rebuild and even become better then they ever had before. Unfortunately — the Librarium quickly became a dictatorship, and a major split began to form between those who could use Armagus, and those that could not. These created tensions — tensions that grew so great that a rebel group known as the Ikaruga Federation formed, and the Second War of Magic bagan. Also known as the Ikaruga Civil War, this period saw the first time when Armagus would be used against fellow humans.
It was only after the massive and total anhilation of the Ikaruga Federation that peace was restored — but it came with a price. The Librarium was quick to consumate the subjugation of those it already controled by issuing a blood-soaked ultimatium: "Whosoever chooses to defy the Novus Orbis Librarium shall be put to death, without exception." The fearful peace lasted for some time, until…
One day, a branch of the Librarium rumored to carry a power even greater then an entire nation's army was utterly and violently destroyed. The few survivors who remained spoke in hushed and horrified tones of a single man, a Grim Reaper, that suddenly appeared and destroyed everything in his path.
His name was Ragna the Bloodedge.
In responce, the Librarium immediately labeled Ragna the Bloodedge an "SS-Class" criminal, and placed upon his head the highest single bounty ever seen. The 13th Hierarchical City of Kagutsuchi was rumored to be the next target for the so-called Grim Reaper. There vigilanties flocked, some coming for the immense bounty placed upon his head — others for the ultimate power he was rumored to hold…
