Vexille

The United Nations announces a unilateral ban on further robotics research in 2067, signaling a turning point in world opinion against automation. Nations begin to impose stricter controls and redirect funding away from robotic development. The ban sets the stage for a broader political crisis surrounding Japan's robotic industry.

Japan strongly protests the ban but cannot prevent its passage, retreating from active international politics as a consequence. Foreigners are deported and immigration is halted. The R.A.C.E network is constructed, an energy field of 270 offshore installations that isolates Japan from external communications and satellite surveillance.

The US Navy special operations unit SWORD tries to trap a Daiwa informant in Colorado. The informant, Saito, escapes by cutting off his own leg, which is revealed to be bio-metal. The incident heightens SWORD's suspicions that Japan harbors advanced, banned technologies.

SWORD operatives infiltrate Japan to learn the frequency of the R.A.C.E. network and to obtain intelligence about the country. They manage to slip in, but security forces detect them before data can be transmitted. Vexille is the only agent to evade capture, while Leon is captured and taken to Daiwa's headquarters.

Vexille awakens to a Tokyo transformed into a shanty town under Daiwa's control. A small resistance movement opposes the company and uses Vexille's transmitter to broadcast a distortion frequency that disrupts Daiwa's control signals.

Maria, head of the resistance, details a decade of secrecy while SWORD studies Japan in shocked horror. She explains that the islands have become a lifeless wasteland as a result of Daiwa's secret experiments. The revelation reframes SWORD's view of the situation in Japan.

In 2067, an unknown disease struck Japan and was countered by an experimental vaccine. In truth, the disease was engineered by Daiwa, and the vaccine was used to begin testing nanotechnology. The nanotech spread leads to citizens being converted into semi-sentient lifeforms with limited free will.

The nanotech contamination yields the Jags, giant semisentient metal constructs that prowl the wilderness. Tokyo remains protected by an almost impenetrable wall of ceramic, while the rest of Japan decays around it.

The resistance lures the Jags toward a service bridge that connects to Daiwa's corporate headquarters in Tokyo Bay. Vexille volunteers to assist, using her flight-capable armor to guide the trap and draw the Jags toward the bottleneck.

The service bridge detaches from the headquarters, and the Jags plunge into the sea. Vexille and Maria are captured amid the chaos as security forces push back the Daiwa forces, marking a major setback for the resistance.

Kisaragi, the Daiwa mastermind, shoots Saito and escapes with his research. It becomes clear that Kisaragi has somehow survived earlier confrontations and remains determined to complete his project. The pursuit intensifies as both sides maneuver for the upper hand.

The town council forces the ceramic gates open, destroying Tokyo and enabling the Jags to enter Daiwa's headquarters. An underling releases Vexille and Maria from captivity before dying. The invasion marks the turning point as Daiwa's fortress begins to falter.

Vexille pursues Kisaragi while Maria frees Leon, who shows concern for Vexille, angering Maria. The tension between personal loyalties and the mission escalates as the final confrontation approaches.

Vexille prevents Kisaragi's escape in a helicopter, and Maria grapples him as a Jag devours them both. The moment signifies the collapse of Daiwa's immediate threat and the end of Kisaragi's bid for supremacy.

A SWORD helicopter arrives to rescue Vexille and Leon, lifting them away from a now lifeless Japan. Daiwa's headquarters sinks into Tokyo Bay along with the Jags, and the landscape fades into ruin. As they escape, Vexille concludes that humanity's spirit can never be extinguished.