Darkness was spreading over the land of the ninjas, and there was a shadowy figure running behind the scenes.

"Irene Lew here," said a young lady by a cliff. "Investigation of the cliffs seems negative."

"Get back to base at once," said Foster. "Your mission has been done well."

"Got'cha Foster," said Irene Lew.

"Your days are over, Irene," said a voice.

"Who said that?" asked Irene.

Suddenly, a ninja jumped out from the shadows, and had Irene to the edge of the cliff.

"Who are you?" asked Irene. "Ryu Hayabusa?"

"Yes, this is Ryu Hayabusa," said the ninja. "Your mission is over, Irene."

"Ryu, what has gotten into you?" asked Irene.

"You know too much, Miss Lew. Your days are over."

"Ryu, stop!" yelled Irene.

But the ninja didn't stop, as he advanced onto Irene. She tried to keep the ninja off of her, but Irene eventually fell off the cliff…

"Mission successful," said the ninja. "Target Irene Lew is terminated."

"Excellent," said Foster. "Get back to the base at once."

"There's NO WAY Irene Lew could've been killed by Ryu Hayabusa," said Keisha. "Queen Lana, I request that I can go to investigate this."

"Ninja Gaiden is a very dangerous world," said Queen Lana. "I have long forbidden people to go there, even Captain N."

"I am a video game champion. I should be able to handle myself," said Keisha.

"Ninja Gaiden is a world of stealth and strike. A great strategy and adventure world, which will catch any unprepared person off-guard," said Lana. "It's why I forbid people to go there."

"I can handle myself," said Keisha. "Please, Lana. This could be a problem down the road."

Lana grumbled her face, then said, "All right Keisha, but I'll only let you go if you take someone who is half-way familiar with the world. I don't want you assassinated."

"I'll accompany Keisha," said Sandra. "I have read Ryoga MKN's strategy guide on how to beat Ninja Gaiden games in one life."

"Egads, what?" asked Lana. "Someone actually knows how to survive that perilous world?"

"Yes, Ryoga MKN," said Keisha. "He inspired many of us with a true upset victory over a great video game player, putting himself into the annals of video game history. He once had a chance at a greater prize than even Kevin did, the World Championship of Video Games!"

"I didn't know you took this mission this seriously," said Lana in shock. "You've done your homework: I can't hold you back any longer. Before you go, I need you to take these identification files:"

Killed on Mission "Biohazard"

Name: Ryu Hayabusa

Believed Assassin of Irene

Dragon Clan Ninja: Last of his clan

"Got the profiles," said Keisha. "There's no way Ryu could be guilty."

"That's up to us to prove," said Sandra.

"Good luck," said Lana. "We're counting on you!" Lana opened the forbidden warp to Ninja Gaiden, and Keisha and Sandra quickly entered it.

"Sire, Irene has been killed," said Baron Spider.

"Does the Dragon Ninja know anything of our plan?" asked the dark, shadowy figure named Ashtar.

"Nothing," said Baron Spider. "We got unexpected help from Foster."

"Excellent, continue with the plan," said Ashtar.

"Yes, sire," said Baron Spider, as he disappeared.

"Soon, the portals will be thrown open, and the darkness shall be released. I, Ashtar, shall rule the world!"

Keisha and Sandra were walking across rooftops from where they exited the portal, defeating various enemies. Sandra took out some ninja stars that she found and defeated some of the annoying ninjas that occasionally popped up. After climbing down, Keisha took her blade, and somersaulted down, with her blade out. The Jump and Slash took out the army of enemies waiting for them.

"You're good, Keisha," said Sandra. "Better than I thought."

"Only Ryoga could do that better," said Keisha.

When Keisha and Sandra arrived in a bar, they saw three hooligans waiting for them.

"Hey, who are those girls?" asked one of the hooligans carrying a sickle and chain.

"Look like easy targets," said a strongman with a mask and axe.

"Master Ashtar said they're after Ryu Hayabusa," said a man with a gun and knives. "Let's get 'em."

Bomberhead, Barbarian, and Basaquer, respectively, charged after Keisha and Sandra. Basaquer fired off three bullets, which Keisha deflected easily with her sword while drawing it.

"You guys are SO slow," said Sandra as she lassoed Bomberhead's sickle and chain, then proceeded to whip Bomberman into the nearby tables.

Keisha whipped Basaquer down, then proceeded to lay several wounds into Basaquer with her sword, making him fall down.

Sandra then tried her silver lasso on Barbarian, but Barbarian took his axe and cut the lasso in half.

"What the heck?" asked Sandra as she pulled in her rope.

"No fear," said Keisha as she jump-kicked Barbarian in the back, then used her whip to tie up Barbarian's legs and use it to pull him down, face-first into a set of glasses.

Sandra then pulled up Bomberhead's head, then asked him, "Do you bums know anything about Ryu Hayabusa and Irene?"

"Tower of Lahja," said Bomberhead faintly before he fainted.

"I think the train will take you there," said a mysterious army man with dark shades and a Guile-like hair cut. "I'll drive you there."

"Who are you?" asked Keisha.

"Robert T. Sturgeon," said the army man, "Videoland Special Forces. I've lived in Ninja Gaiden for years, and know this land well. Maybe I can be your guide for a while."

"We could use one," said Keisha. "Our warp doesn't even work right!"

"Then, come with me," said Robert. "I'll lead the way."

"Where are we going?" asked Keisha.

"A train ride, to Lahja," said Robert.

"How do you know we want to go there?" asked Sandra.

"I know this terrain too well," said Robert, "and all those who challenge people from the Malice Four usually want to head to challenge Ashtar.

"Malice Four?" asked Sandra.

"Basaquer, Bomberhead, and Barbarian, along with their leader Malth, make the Malice Four; Ashtar’s four main guardians. They are Ashtar’s main henchmen, and are also responsible for half the assassinations on this world not performed by ninjas."

"So, they’re the ones basically responsible for the minor evils in this land," said Keisha. "Now who is the one that killed Irene?"

"Jump on the train, and I’ll take you there," said Robert. "Your enemy is at Lahja."

After getting off the train, Robert, Keisha, and Sandra began to climb a mountain: unfortunately for them, the wind was blowing, and hard.

"Geez, I hate this wind," said Keisha. "I can’t walk against it at all."

"Leave that to the adventuring champ," said Sandra, as she threw her fixed silver lasso onto a secure rock. Sandra and Robert swung over together on the rope, and then threw the lasso over to Keisha. When Keisha tried to swing over, the wind suddenly shifted in the opposite direction.

"HELP!" yelled Keisha "This wind’s TOO STRONG!"

Sandra and Robert grabbed the rope by them and pulled Keisha over, then Sandra recovered the lasso.

"You got to watch the winds on this mountain," said Robert. "They are strong and switch direction at any given time!"

After climbing up a ladder, Robert, Keisha, and Sandra encountered some Bouncing Demons and Ku-Taos. After quickly disposing of the enemies, they came to a pit that was too long to jump over, and nothing to throw a lasso on to.

"How do we get over THAT?" asked Keisha.

Suddenly, the wind started blowing hard into their backs.

"Now we jump," said Robert, as the three of them made a move for it. As soon as they landed, the wind started blowing in their face.

"WHOA," said Keisha, "it’s changed again."

As soon as Keisha muttered those words, the wind shifted back, and Keisha laid out a Bouncing Demon with her golden sword. After climbing another ladder, they reached a crevice with a ledge on the bottom.

"How do we get down there?" asked Sandra.

"Be like the ninjas and climb the walls," said Robert. "There aren’t too many solidly smooth walls in Ninja Gaiden."

Keisha and Sandra followed Robert as he climbed down, and then jumped onto the ledge. After Sandra lassoed a quick Harpy and threw it against the wall, they reached another ladder. After climbing on the top of it, there was an elevator and an unpleasant surprise: BARON SPIDER!

"You think you can just barge in on Ashtar without anybody noticing?" asked Baron Spider. "I am the leader of the Tribesmen of Chaos, and you are not going to get any farther to Lahja!"

"That’s what you think, nobody," said Sandra.

"NOBODY?" asked Baron Spider, "TAKE THIS!" Baron Spider then threw four blood-sucking tarantulas onto Sandra.

"EEEEK! Get these off of me!" yelled Sandra. Keisha slashed the spiders off, while Robert shot the others, making them all disappear. The wind then suddenly started to suddenly shift.

"You fools, I’m immune to this wind!" said Baron Spider cockily. Sandra used her lasso to pull herself to the wall, then picked up the torch on the wall and threw it at Baron Spider.

"FIRE, NOOOOOOOO! I HATE FIRE!" The fire on the torch proceeded to burn Baron Spider until he fell dead in a pile of ashes.

"Remember the Art of the Fire Wheel worked very well against Baron Spider in the game," said Sandra. "Too bad I don’t know it personally."

"Well, if you’re going to find the girl, you had better get to Lahja," said a mysterious voice.

"Who are you?" asked Keisha.

"Clancy, a former partner of Foster," said the man. "There is a tremendous energy source deep in Lahja, and Foster killed Irene so that she wouldn’t find it."

"Foster killed Irene?" asked Robert. "I should’ve known that."

"Yes, Ryu Hayabusa is irate about it, and is scouring Lahja to find Foster," said Clancy. "Your time is limited though. If Ashtar gets his hands on the power source, you are finished!"

"We had better get going," said Robert.

"How can we trust you?" asked Keisha. "If you once worked for Foster, then that means you are on the evil side!"

"Not any more," said Clancy. "I have had enough of the killings. If Foster gets the power, several bio-noids like the imposter Ryu Hayabusa will be created. If Ashtar gets it, it will be total destruction."

"So it was an imposter that killed Irene?" asked Keisha. "Should've known."

"Go. Defeat Foster and Ashtar!" commanded Clancy.

"I have a bad feeling about this," said Keisha.

"No kidding," said Sandra, as she joined Keisha and Robert in the elevator.

When they reached Lahja, they entered the lab that Irene was supposed to have been investigating in the Biohazard project. Keisha, Sandra, and Robert used superb finesse to avoid the rising and sinking spikes, the crawling robots, and the planes that liked to shoot out projectiles. After climbing up a dangerous series of small, one-foot platforms, Keisha, Robert, and Sandra finally entered a room with a theatre screen in the background and circuitry everywhere else.

"It’s my pleasure that you have made it," said Foster. "You have done well."

"Give it up," said Keisha. "We know you have killed Irene."

Suddenly, a blue ninja appeared in front of Keisha, Sandra, and Robert.

"Ryu Hayabusa? It can’t be!" said Sandra in disgust.

"Yes that’s right. Ryu Hayabusa now works for me," said Foster cockily.

"Die, imposter!" Another blue ninja that looked like the one standing in front of Sandra and Keisha came dropping in from the ceiling, dropping fast fireballs on a downward angle. The fires caught the blue ninja and set him on fire. The ninja then unmasked himself.

"Ryu Hayabusa?" asked Sandra. "I thought…"

"An bio-noid created of me with a robotic body, the Biohazard Project," said Ryu. "Foster intended to use it to kill people, and Irene was on top of it."

"Well done, Ryu. You have done well. Now, the energy source is mine!" said Clancy suddenly popping in.

"Clancy?" asked Ryu surprised. "Where’s Irene, you scum!"

"I used you two to get this far, but it looks like Ashtar got a hold of her!" yelled Clancy evilly. "They’re through the supernatural portal, if you dare."

"No way Clancy, I’m getting to the power first," but as Foster tried to enter a brightly shining seam behind Clancy, his body was ripped to atoms.

"What the heck?" asked Keisha and Sandra as Clancy entered the portal unscathed and Foster was ripped apart.

"And it looks like you’ve ran into more hard luck," as a ball of energy crashed into Ryu’s back.

"ASHTAR!" yelled Sandra as Ryu fell down.

"You have done well, but not even the Dragon Ninja is a match for the Sword of Chaos. DIE, PUNY NINJA!"

Robert closed his eyes and fired a shot right into Ashtar’s back.

"What the? How did you get in here, you sewer rat?" asked Ashtar.

"Put down your weapon and surrender. This place is surrounded," replied Robert.

"Well, if you’re going to catch me, you have to follow me, INTO THE MAZE OF DARKNESS!" Ashtar departed into the energy crack, with a scream being heard….

"RYUUUUUUUUU!"

Ryu Hayabusa recovered and screamed, "IRENE!" Ryu finally collapsed in pain.

"We’ve got to stop Clancy and Ashtar, but how?" asked Keisha. "We’ll be vaporized if we try to step into that crack.

"I’m the key," said Ryu. "Explain Robert.

"Only the hero and the villain can step through the portal to the Maze of Darkness," said Robert. "But, the hero may grab whomever he wishes to bring into the Maze, and if you’re all holding hands, you’ll all make it."

"What’s the big threat?" asked Keisha.

"Clancy’s after the Ancient Ship of Doom, a powerful structure used to cause mass destruction. Ashtar wants to revive the demon Jaquio.

"We can’t stop them both," said Sandra despondently. " We’re doomed."

"Not so," said Ryu. "Ashtar has Irene obviously, and the Ancient Ship of Doom is nearby the demon’s temple.

"So, if we go after Ashtar, we may be able to stop Clancy," said Robert.

"But, I can only take two," said Ryu.

"Take Keisha and Sandra," said Robert. "I’ll hold the enemies off for you. Good luck."

"What about you?" asked Ryu.

"I’ll give my life," said Robert. "I’ve done some crimes too horrible to talk about…"

"Robert," yelled Keisha. "Please don’t go!"

"I’d rather save the world than live with everyone else dead," said Robert. "It’s more important that Videoland survives."

"That is true," said Keisha, as she remembered being charged with defending Videoland. "I hate when it costs lives."

"You don’t know half of ‘em," said Robert.

"Let’s go, before the portal closes," said Ryu. "Girls?

Keisha and Sandra grabbed on to Ryu Hayabusa’s hands and followed him into the portal, while Robert stared down the army of enemies coming up.

"C’mon, you freaks, come and get it! No one ever gets past ol' Jungle Rat Rob!"

When Keisha, Sandra, and Ryu Hayabusa arrived in the Maze of Darkness, they first arrived in a narrow passageway with flames erupting behind them. Skillfully advancing through the passage, Ryu cut down the Walking Eyeballs, Living Brains, and the Will-O-Wisps. After advancing through the fire passageway, they entered a passageway where they were carried along by streams, using the streams’ momentum to jump large pits. In the last passageway after climbing down a ladder, Ryu saw an item orb.

"What’s that?" asked Keisha.

"Stay back," said Ryu Hayabusa, and all of a sudden, Ryu jumped up and threw a flare of flames from his hand, destroying the item orb and obtaining a special medallion.

"What’s that?" asked Keisha.

"A 1-UP medallion," said Ryu, "has the same effect as LIFE 2 from Final Fantasy. It could come in handy."

As Ryu and Keisha destroyed the many monsters, Sandra helped the team cross perilous ledges in the Maze of Darkness with her lasso. After reaching a small chamber, a dragon’s head was in the middle of two platforms, with claws swiping at the platforms.

"How do we defeat such a thing?" asked Keisha.

"According to Ryoga MKN, if we had a Windmill Ninja Star, we don’t even have to jump down!" said Sandra.

Sure enough, Ryu Hayabusa was a step ahead of Keisha and Sandra, and took out the water dragon, Naga Sotuva, with a Windmill Ninja Star. There was suddenly an earthquake, and all the water drained.

"Let’s go," said Ryu Hayabusa. After defeating a gunman ahead, they climbed a wall, then over a few platforms, then down a ladder into a stone corridor with occasional flame pits. After defeating human-size cockroaches and Pumpkin Heads and falling down some pits with spikes at the sides, Keisha, Sandra, and Ryu Hayabusa ended up in an ice world.

"Where do we go now?" asked Ryu Hayabusa. "I know how to walk on ice, but not where to go…."

"According to Ryoga MKN if I remember correctly, Ashtar should be at the bottom of this maze," said Sandra. "We’ve only got a few slippery steps to go!"

Ryu, Keisha, and Sandra proceeded with caution, and defeated the several Bouncing Demons, Ku-Taos, Tarantulas, and avoided the ambushes from some ninja clans. Finally, after climbing down two ladders, they reached a platform, but right behind them was a Hustlin’ Jim with a knife.

"Run for it!" yelled Ryu Hayabusa. Ryu, Keisha, and Sandra made a run over the final icy platforms, only stopping momentarily to pick up a potion from an item orb. Finally, they reached Ashtar’s icy castle.

After entering the icy castle and locking the Hustlin’ Jim out, Ryu yelled out, "Show Yourself, Ashtar!"

Ashtar sure enough, showed his face. "So the puny ninja has finally came out to fight."

"You are not going any farther with Irene," said Keisha. "Give her up now!"

Then, a ninja came out with Irene with a knife at her neck. "Ryu! Take her!" yelled Ashtar.

"Irene," yelled Ryu back.

"AND TAKE THAT!" Ashtar then suddenly made a deep cut into Irene’s stomach, and Irene fell down in tremendous pain.

"And how the Sword of Chaos trembles with delight," said Ashtar menacingly.

"Enough of your games, Ashtar. This is between you and us," said Ryu forcefully.

"So, you dare to do battle with Ashtar?"

"That is correct," said Keisha.

"We’re going to take you out!" yelled Keisha.

"Well, I'll show you just how powerless you really are" boasted Ashtar with an evil laugh. "Die, little warriors!"

Ashtar suddenly shot out several fireballs in star-like fashion, then disappeared.

"When he re-appears, nail him!" yelled Ryu. "Ashtar can’t take much physical punishment."

When Ashtar reappeared, the fireballs sure enough came back. After they dodged the fireballs, Ryu, Keisha, and Sandra surrounded Ashtar and hit him with whatever they had. After dodging another set of fireballs, Ashtar disappeared, breathing heavily.

"He shouldn’t be able to take much more than that," said Ryu Hayabusa. "He’ll attack again, then nail him!"

Ashtar then re-appeared with trailing fireballs. After they dodged the fireballs, Ryu, Keisha, and Sandra laid the fatal blows on Ashtar.

Ashtar then crumbled in pain, but before he died, he had some brutal words:

"The student of darkness has died, but the demons not. One will rise, stronger than I, and throw this world in total darkness!"

Ashtar then disappeared, with the Sword of Chaos disappearing as well.

"Where now?" asked Ryu.

Irene then got up, and said, "Ryu, they are building an altar, somewhere farther down in the depths of darkness. You must go destroy this altar, but to do so, you will need this:"

Irene then held up a statue, and it resembled a demon. "This is the SHADOW statue. When this is combined with the LIGHT statue at the altar, they will bring back the demon. You must recover the LIGHT statue and try to get them out of the World of Darkness before the black moon shines…"

"Black moon?" asked Irene.

"Yes," said Irene. "You must go, Ryu. Take Keisha and Sandra with you: They may be important!"

"But what about you?" asked Ryu Hayabusa.

"I’ll be all right, as the Army saved me once and has given me a way to get out of here," said Irene.

Ryu Hayabusa then nodded to Keisha and Sandra, then said, "You ready to kick some major enemies’ tail?"

Keisha and Sandra replied, "If we must, we must. We’re the best in the game!"

After working their way through the ruins of Ashtar’s castle, they ended up at a solid red cliff and a vast plain. Suddenly, without warning, there was a tremendous earthquake.

"What the heck is this?" asked Ryu, and a huge ship suddenly erupted from the ground.

"THE ANCIENT SHIP OF DOOM," said Sandra. "It is said the ship has a tremendous potential for evil."

"The altar must be on it," said Ryu, "but who would have such power to operate it?"

"CLANCY!" yelled Keisha. "He beat us through this world, and probably has the LIGHT statue to boot!"

"Clancy, as the one that once worked with Foster?" asked Ryu.

"Indeed so," said Sandra.

"He helped order Irene’s ‘murder’, just to probably get the statues! We’ve got to stop him!" yelled Ryu. "Plus, avenging Irene would be nice."

"Don’t worry about Irene, just save the world," said Keisha. "Sandra, your lasso?"

Sandra threw her lasso, which caught onto the landing platform of the Ancient Ship of Doom. Ryu Hayabusa, Keisha, and Sandra hung on for dear life as the Ancient Ship of Doom flew at 50 MPH in the sky, and while holding on, slowly climbed up the rope. Finally, after reaching the top of the lasso, Keisha and Sandra jumped on top of the ledge that was on the Ancient Ship of Doom. Ryu jumped on the bottom.

"Ryu, why are you down there?" asked Keisha.

Ryu Hayabusa did not reply, but just started advancing towards the door that led to the inside of the Ancient Ship of Doom. Keisha and Sandra used Sandra’s lasso to jump over big-time holes, while Ryu just kept advancing hand-over-hand towards the door. Suddenly, the ship accelerated and Keisha and Sandra almost lost their footing.

"What the heck?" asked Keisha

Sandra threw her lasso onto a hook, and secured herself and Keisha to the lasso.

"WHOOOOAAAAAA," said Keisha as she held on for dear life.

"If you had came down here like I did," said Ryu, "this wind wouldn’t be a problem!"

"Easy for you to say," said Keisha.

"It’s right in Ryoga MKN’s handbook on Ninja Gaiden," said Sandra, "but we don’t have ninja skills, so we got to do it the hard way."

When the wind died down, Keisha and Sandra made a run for the door. Ryu had already finished his trek and broke open the door. As soon as they got inside, they got quite a surprise.

"So, you have made it this far?" asked Clancy. "And you’ve brought the Shadow Statue, oh goody."

"You aren’t going to get it any time soon," said Keisha determined. "You can forget about it, Clancy!"

"The Ancient Ship of Doom has the power to crush the world; however, it is not the strongest force in the world. Humans were built so weak, but their intelligence is beyond belief. One of the goals of the "Biohazard" project was to infuse humans with mechanical and evil energy so that they would become more powerful. And those that resisted would die. But, I offer your three the opportunity to join me and gain that power: To be tremendous bio-noids!"

"You’re nuts, Clancy!" yelled Keisha. "Your reign of terror ends here."

Clancy then grumbled his face and disappeared in a flash.

"WHAT THE?" freaked Ryu Hayabusa, as a huge machine suddenly erupted from the ground, with Clancy in the cockpit. Also, two item orbs suddenly appeared above Keisha and Ryu.

"What are these?" asked Keisha.

"Ninja Sword Scrolls," said Ryu. "They’ll increase the power of your sword so it has incredible range. We’ll need ‘em against Clancy."

Keisha and Ryu cut open the item orbs, and obtained the scrolls. As Clancy started shooting beams, Sandra used her lasso to climb up on an exposed rock, and Keisha and Ryu Hayabusa dodged the beams and started cutting at Clancy’s cockpit. After breaking through the cockpit with eight hits, Clancy ejected from the machine and a red CPU was suddenly exposed. Ryu Hayabusa and Keisha quickly cut into the CPU, totally destroying the machine.

"Ryu Hayabusa," said Clancy, "it’s a shame that it has to end this way. But, I wish to warn you that your arch-rival is still alive. Not only that, he has Irene…"

Clancy shut his eyes as the machine supported him ran out of power and disintegrated into the background.

Keisha and Sandra then turned to a crying Ryu Hayabusa, "What is it, Ryu?"

"There’s no way Jaquio could still be alive. I killed him long ago. Does this mean, "said Ryu.

"What Ryu?" asked Keisha.

"Why is this ship still flying?" asked Sandra.

"Only guess is that Clancy wasn’t the pilot," said Keisha.

Ryu then cringed, "Jaquio lives in the Demon’s Temple, and with the statues both in this ship, whomever is flying this is taking us there; right into a trap."

"We got to stop him before he reaches the Temple," said Keisha.

A door then suddenly opened behind them.

"Let’s find whomever’s flying this ship and stop him," said Ryu Hayabusa.

The heroes entered the next room, and it was a man with a bloody mask and shield.

"I am Malth, No one ever defeats me," said the man.

"I will defeat you," said Ryu.

"You are as weak and pathetic as your father," said Malth.

"You know my father?’ asked Ryu Hayabusa.

"What’s going on?" asked Keisha.

"Prepare to die, young Hayabusa!" cackled Malth overconfidently.

"No time to talk," said Ryu. "You’ve got to strike, and quickly!"

Malth gathered a huge thunderbolt in his hand. Sandra came down with a hard kick, while Ryu and Keisha struck hard with their swords.

"BOLT 4!" Malth called down a bolt that was ten times more powerful than any Final Fantasy lightning spell, and threw it at Ryu, Keisha, and Sandra, almost killing them.

"Oh, my goodness," said Keisha in shock. "How do we defeat him?"

Sandra just shook off the stars, "What was that?

"Just get him before he does it again," said Ryu Hayabusa getting up slowly.

As Malth summoned the lightning again, Keisha and Sandra got some quick hits on Malth, making him stagger.

Malth then shouted, "BOLT…."

But Ryu Hayabusa had got up and delivered a quick strike to Malth’s neck. It was enough to break up Malth’s spell and save Ryu, Keisha, and Sandra’s lives.

"We have won, Malth," said Ryu starting down at Malth who had just fallen down in critical pain. "You know my father?"

"Yes, I do, young Hayabusa. The "Masked Demon" is your father, yet he will not recognize you. And if you don’t act quickly, it will be your final moment…." Malth’s eyes then closed, as he fell dead.

Ryu Hayabusa cried out in great agony…..

"Ryu, is that what bothered you about Clancy’s lines?" asked Keisha.

"Yes, Keisha. I defeated Jaquio a long time ago, yet never could free my father. This started all years ago, when my father went out to duel with a mysterious ninja, and lost. Then, he left a note for me saying to take the Dragon Sword and uphold the code of justice. While working on that mission, that’s where I met Irene. After I met Irene, she at first thought of me as a bad ninja, but after realizing that I was good, she thwarted an assassination attempt by Foster and told me of Jaquio’s evil intentions. But, after defeating Jaquio, I could not find my father, and kept searching the world of Ninja Gaiden, one day in hope of doing so."

"Well, I think you got the chance now," said Keisha, "but not without the statues. I think they’ll be a key."

"But the demon’s too powerful to defeat," said Ryu Hayabusa. "Even I can’t defeat it."

"If Shinobi, your ancestor, could do it, then so can you," said Sandra. "And if you need help, we’ll be right there."

"The demon could cause more tragic consequences than anything," said Ryu. "We CAN’T bring the statues to the Demon’s Temple."

"We’ll have to chance it. They could be the bait to bring Jaquio into the picture," said Keisha. "You want to save as many lives as possible, Ryu?"

"I just don’t see how we can save lives with the demon," said Ryu Hayabusa. "He’s so strong and so powerful!"

"Figure we dump the statues here," said Keisha. "Then Jaquio finds them, and revives the demon on his own. Then, we’re all dead!"

Ryu screwed his face, then replied, "I guess you’re right. If Jaquio is going to revive the demon, I guess it’d give us the best chance of defeating it while we’re together and expecting it. Plus, we got a chance at saving Irene and my father."

The ship then landed in front of the demon’s castle ledge.

"Let’s get going," said Ryu Hayabusa.

Charging through an enemy barrage, Ryu, Keisha, and Sandra bolted up the glowing red rocks, knocking the cannons, Ku-Taos, Harpies, and gunmen all out of their way. They bolted into the door, and entered the room with two dog-like creatures with wings.

"KELBEROSS! We’re at the right place all right," said Ryu.

"Kelbeross, who are they?" asked Keisha.

"Jaquio’s personal pet demon dogs," said Ryu Hayabusa, as he drew his sword. "Prepare yourself!"

Keisha and Sandra drew their weapons, as the Kelbeross started jumping and releasing solid globs of energy-draining poison. Sandra threw the globs into the wall, as Ryu and Keisha started cutting into the dogs.

Suddenly, the dog in front of Keisha suddenly disappeared.

"What the heck?" asked Keisha.

"Kelbeross has an image besides himself," said Ryu. "But now, he’s going to get mad!"

Kelbeross then started to lift his wings. Ryu then jumped up on the pedestal, while Sandra used her lasso to grab on to Kelbeross’s leg. Keisha jumped onto the other pedestal.

"Now Keisha!" yelled Ryu, as he jumped up. Keisha followed suit, and they slashed Kelbeross from each side. The Kelbeross groaned in pain, and suddenly exploded. Ryu Hayabusa, Keisha, and Sandra took cover, and avoided the poison globs that came out.

"Well, only Jaquio remains now," said Ryu Hayabusa. "Let’s end this Trilogy of Chaos!"

Advancing into the Final Chamber, Ryu Hayabusa led the charge, annihilating the Harpies, Bouncing Demons, Clone Barbarians, and Gunmen. After climbing a ladder and destroying some Wisps, Keisha and Sandra led the charge, defeating a Harpy and a Clone Barbarian. Then, Ryu led a charge, where they killed a Masked Knifeman. Proceeding past more enemies, Ryu Hayabusa then destroyed a Biological Cannon on top of a pillar with the Art of the Fire Wheel. Sandra then used her lasso to pull the trio up, then they defeated more enemies and climbed a pillar, wiping out more Will-O-Wisps. After climbing the ladder, Ryu Hayabusa, Keisha, and Sandra made a run from the Clone Basaquer, then charged through a gunman, past an Obi bat into the gate. After locking the door, Ryu, Keisha, and Sandra took a deep breath.

"Now, the real fight begins," said Ryu Hayabusa. "This is the last stand for us before the altar."

Ryu started off, with Keisha and Sandra behind him. After slashing down an Obi Bat, Keisha turned around and defeated a quick Running Stan. Then, Ryu Hayabusa threw a Windmill Ninja Star, defeating a Ku-Tao, a Biological Cannon, and an Obi Bat. Then, Ryu kept his eye down on the lower platform, watching a Ku-Tao walking around and a Biological Cannon firing away. After the Ku-Tao turned his back, Ryu Hayabusa jumped down with a quick slash, taking them out. After watching a Living Brain explode harmlessly, Ryu and company moved on, defeating a Ku-Tao and eventually jumping over a large pit and defeating a Biological Cannon. After climbing a large ladder avoiding another Biological Cannon, Ryu led the team into another hallway. After Keisha defeated a Harpy, Sandra pulled a Clone Bomberhead down, and then Ryu jumped up on a wall and threw Fire Dragon Balls down on three Harpies. After climbing down the wall and being joined by Keisha and Sandra, Ryu and the team ducked a quick Clone Basaquer that jumped into a pit, then proceeded to defeat a series of five Harpies while jumping over two columns. Then, in quick fashion, Ryu jumped on the dangerous platforms, and defeated a Gunman, a Clone Bomberhead, and a Ku-Tao. After climbing a ladder, Keisha slashed down four Will-o-Wisps. When they climbed the last ladder, Keisha and Sandra were breathing heavily.

"Man, this is tough," said Sandra. "This is exhausting!"

"We're almost there, Keisha," said Ryu Hayabusa. "Don't give up now!"

Charging on, Keisha took care of some Lobsters, while Ryu annihilated the Clone Bomberhead. After jumping over the final pit, Sandra threw a Lobster in a pit, while Keisha took care of a Masked Knifeman. Then, Ryu skillfully defeated the last three Harpies. Ryu then cut open an item orb, and two red images appeared behind him.

"What are those?" asked Keisha.

"Phantom Doubles. We'll for sure need them against Jaquio," said Ryu Hayabusa.

When Ryu, Keisha, and Sandra entered the altar room, Irene was standing knocked out cold, chained on a wall. Also, a demon-statue-figure was on the wall. Suddenly, a huge door opened in front of them.

A voice suddenly sounded, "You have done well, Ryu Hayabusa. But, even you can’t defeat the Masked Demon."

"Jaquio?" asked Keisha, "Where are you?"

Suddenly, a demon-figure came out of the door with two swords in his hands.

"I can defeat him," said Ryu.

"Even, your father?" said the voice.

Ryu stopped short in his tracks. He recognized his father’s voice. "So Malth was right," said Ryu.

"Jaquio’s got him under his control," said Keisha.

"Well, there’s got to be something controlling him," said Ryu Hayabusa.

Sandra pointed to a red bulb with the Sword of Chaos on top of it, "Is that it?"

"THAT’S IT!" yelled Ryu. "You two keep him busy, I’ll end Jaquio’s scheme."

"Got’cha," said Keisha as she drew her golden sword. She deflected Ryu’s father’s blows while striking into his thick armor to keep him off. Sandra threw her lasso around his wrists to stop him from swinging at Keisha.

Ryu drew the Dragon Sword which was now glowing with power, and suddenly, with a huge swipe, cut off the red bulb just before a fireball that it shot hit Keisha.

KA-BANG! A huge flash enveloped the room, as everyone was knocked to the floor.

"Father, are you all right?" asked Ryu.

Ken Hayabusa, Ryu’s father, got up slowly, "Ryu, I’ll be all right," said Ken.

Irene was waking, up, "Ohhhhhhhh, Ryu!"

"So I can’t believe you’re still alive, ninja! DIE!" Jaquio from behind quickly grabbed the Sword of Chaos and tried to fire a shot at Keisha, but Ken Hayabusa saw Jaquio and jumped in front of the beam, taking it full force.

"FATHER!" yelled Ryu.

"Hmm Hmm Hmm Hmm Ha Ha Ha Ha!" laughed Jaquio." "Now with your father out of the way, I can tell you what’s going to happen. Irene’s life force is going to be used to draw the demon out of the portal, and you will call the demon. Then, the whole world will be annihilated with you to thank."

"You……," growled Ryu.

"And if you aren’t happy enough, the world will remember Ryu Hayabusa, the one that killed his father, the one that let the whole world down, the pathetic ninja!"

"I have had enough your speeches," said Ryu Hayabusa, "And I Have Had Enough of YOU!!!!!!!" Ryu was boiling with anger.

"So you want to fight, Ninja Dragon?" taunted Jaquio. "Well, I’ll show you just the power of real darkness!"

"Ryu, don’t!" yelled Ken Hayabusa, but it was too late as Keisha, Sandra, and Ryu had drawn their weapons.

"YOUR TIME HAS COME, JAQUIO!" Ryu turned viciously towards Jaquio, signaling the Phantom Doubles. Keisha and Sandra ran all around the bottom of the room, drawing Jaquio's attention and his fireballs. Ryu then proceeded with his doubles and cut frequently and hard into Jaquio as he passed by them every single time. Finally, Keisha climbed up on the broken pillar, and delivered the final slash to Jaquio. Blood spilled slowly out of the Jaquio's body.

"Let's get out of here," said Irene finally recovering.

"The statues?" asked Ken Hayabusa. "Where are they?"

"Right here, let's boogie!" yelled Sandra.

"The moon," said Keisha...

"So that is what was meant by 'the black moon shining.' A lunar eclipse! We got to run!"

But alas, it was too late. The lunar eclipse was at his height, and the blood of Jaquio was all over the Sword of Chaos. With a sudden thunderbolt, the two statues combined into a body, and an evil door sprang out of the altar. Opening with sudden force, two thunderbolts crashed into Ryu Hayabusa and Irene Lew. Ryu's power seemed to be drained, while Irene fell unconscious. But, the Dragon Sword started shining brightly.

"Take this Windmill Ninja Star, Sandra," said Ken Hayabusa. "And Keisha, get the Dragon Sword and slay the demon! We don't have time!"

Without notice, the body suddenly awakened, and fireballs started pouring out all over Ryu, Irene, Ken, Keisha, and Sandra. Worse, claws shot out at Sandra and Keisha.

"Take that!" yelled Sandra, as she threw the Windmill Ninja Star, cutting the demon's head off. A direct path to the heart awaited Keisha.

"Make a run and stab him in the heart! Shinobi did this years ago," said Ken Hayabusa.

Without a second thought, Keisha ran from the fireball showers and suddenly stuck the demon in the heart with the Dragon Sword. With a tremendous groan that shook the tower like an earthquake, the demon's body fell, and the Dragon Sword returned to Keisha's hand. The demon fell into the evil portal, and the door shut closed quickly. The door then suddenly evaporated into mist as Ryu Hayabusa started to recover.

"Father! Irene!" yelled Ryu.

"Ryu, take the girls and leave this tower," said Ken Hayabusa. "I have lived my life well."

"Father, stop!" yelled Ryu. "You can't die!"

"Ryu, you are a man now. It is customary in ninja training that at 18, the boy separates from his father. It is sometimes painful, but it has to be done. Don't save my life if other innocents will be killed."

"Father!"

Ryu's father then passed away. Irene seemed to have some consciousness left.

A large earthquake was happening...

"Uhhhhhhhh-Ohhhhhhhhhh!" said Ryu Hayabusa. "Let's get Irene and get moving!"

Keisha and Sandra wasted no time, and followed Ryu out of the Demon's temple. Mysteriously, when they exited, they seemed to be at the outside of the Tower of Lahja. The Tower then crumbled to pieces in a fiery explosion that was seen for miles.

KA-BANG! BOOM! RUMBLE! CRASH!

Lightning bolts finally struck the Tower, finally leaving it in a rubble of ash.

"Oh, Irene, I'm so sorry. My clan, defeating the demons, none of that matters now that you're gone," said Ryu despondently.

"She's not totally dead yet," said Sandra.

"Maybe this will help," said Keisha as she returned Ryu Hayabusa's sword.

"The Dragon Sword?" asked Ryu as it started to flash. Suddenly, the sword flashed and turned into an angelic ball of light. It came in front of Ryu Hayabusa...

"The Sword?"

Then, the ball of light traveled into Irene, and in a flash, Irene woke up...

"Ohhh, Ryu," said Irene softly...

"Irene!" cheered Ryu Hayabusa. "You're all right!"

"Is it... over?" asked Irene in a soft voice.

"Yes, it's over," said Keisha.

"It's all over," said Sandra.

"Look at the sky," said Keisha. "It's SO beautiful...

"And it'll stay that way, FOREVER!" yelled Ryu in excitement as he nodded to a friendly Blader with a video camera.

And in a distance, at the Palace of Power, Lana smiled when she got the word that Keisha, Sandra, and Ryu Hayabusa had succeeded and were on their way home.