The Moon over the Ruined Castle

As Prime Minister Tate scrambles to reach Aramaki after the Chief's car explodes, Purin works from Suzuka's headquarters and breaches the American Empire's Pentagon network, uncovering a lethal scheme. Five stealth bombers are inbound carrying Smart Gas, a toxin that would blanket Tokyo and kill an estimated seven million people within roughly three hours. She relays the intelligence to Tate so he can try to stop it.

The effort to save the city buckles from within as Takashi's influence converts the team into so-called N. Boma is decapitated by Takashi, and the reawakened Purin, unable to resist him, agrees to serve his vision. Cornered by Prosecutor General Kusunoki on treason charges, Tate is only cleared when Aramaki emerges from a Tachikoma with proof that the Americans engineered the entire post-human crisis, freeing him to call the American President.

The losses mount quickly. Ishikawa, discovering that he too has become N, sets off two grenades to take himself and Purin down; Saito is turned and then shot dead by a sniper wearing his own face; and Batou, refusing to accept his conversion, is killed by Purin after she confronts him and the Major. Aboard a submarine, Togusa destroys the android body of Suzuka and disables its nuclear missiles.

The Major chases Takashi with a Tachikoma and presses him on how he managed to ghost-hack so many people. When Togusa's call distracts her, she fires by reflex and kills the boy. His death cues those turned to N to press the launch triggers built into their hands, which rouses the Suzuka android to loose its missiles with its final reserve of power.

Dying beside Takashi as the Smart Gas settles over the city, the Major concludes that his true intent all along was the destruction of the world. The twenty-third episode of Ghost in the Shell: SAC_2045 follows The Battle Begins and precedes Event Boundary.