God of War Ragnarök Transcript

Ninja Gaiden 3: Razor's Edge Full Transcript


PROLOGUE: HAYABUSA VILLAGE, JAPAN
(We see a classic Japanese house and a helicopter next to it. The owner of the house is standing on the veranda and looks at his garden. In the house we see two people – a man and a woman dressed in strict suits. Man passes the business card to the owner of the house.)

Man: Call me Ishigami.

Host: Ministry of Defense, External Affairs?

Ishigami: A special agency within the Ministry. Think of us like you ninja.

Host: And…?

Ishigami: She will provide you with the details.

Woman: Mizuki McCloud. Japan Air Self-Defense Force Special Security Unit, Flight Officer First Class. Yesterday… an unknown group launched a terrorist attack in London. They’ve taken control of the area around the Prime Minister’s residence.

Host: So why me? What do you need my help for?

Ishigami: Oh no. We don’t need your help. You need ours. Mizuki, show him the video.

Mizuki: This was just sent to us by the government.

(In the video, we see terrorists killing civilians, politicians taken as hostages and the footage from previous Ninja Gaiden games.)

Unknown voice from video: BRING US RYU HAYABUSA! BRING US RYU HAYABUSA!

Ishigami: It’s you they want, Ryu Hayabusa.

(The name of the game appears.)

Ninja Gaiden 3 Razor's Edge


(In the next scene we move to London. The camera is flying over Big Ben, and on the tower itself we see our hero, Ryu Hayabusa, dressed in a classic suit from the previous games. He is looking at the city with his trademark steel gaze and arms crossed over this chest. Mizuki talks to him over the radio.)

Mizuki: Hayabusa, can you hear me?

Ryu: Yeah. Go ahead.

Mizuki: All civilians have been evacuated. Any armed soldiers down there are fair game.

Ryu: The hostages are in the Prime Minister’s residence, right?

Mizuki: Yes. I’ll monitor the situation and guide you from the air.

Mizuki: …Be careful, Hayabusa.

DAY 1: LONDON, UK

(Ryu leaps stylishly from Big Ben, dodges the rockets, lands and starts slashing the terrorists. When he comes to the truck that blocking the road, he hears Mizuki over the radio.)

Mizuki: …Wait! Somethings there!

(A huge robot appears and releases several rockets. Everything explodes. Ryu retreats, followed by several terrorists.)

Mizuki: They’re after you. Find some place to hide! Hayabusa! Get out of there! There’s an alley nearby! Hurry! Looks like you get rid of it. We can’t do anything with that thing around.

(Ryu goes into a small alley, but it ends in a dead end.)

Mizuki: Dead end… You have to find another route.

(Ryu does his trademark somersault with jumping off the walls and climbs onto the roof.)

Mizuki: Nice work, ninja.

(Ryu goes further, stepping on the corpses of many soldiers. After a while he stumbles across a large and well-fortified group of enemies.)

Mizuki: We’ll disorient your enemies from the helicopter. Deal with them while they’re out of it!

Helicopter pilot: Humming 1, beginning operation. We’re out! Now it’s up to you, ninja.

(Ryu enters a cloud of smoke. He moves slowly, evading laser sights and killing terrorists from the back.)

Mizuki: This smoke should give you cover from its sensors.

(Suddenly Mizuki notices something.)

Mizuki: Getting thermal readings from inside the smoke!

(A huge robot appears.)

Mizuki: Get out of there. Hayabusa! Regroup!

Ryu: No. I can take this thing down.

(Ryu chops off one of the robot’s legs.)

Mizuki: With just a sword… Amazing…

(Ryu chops off the second leg.)

Mizuki: I can’t believe it’s still moving…

(Ryu chops off a few more legs and the robot falls, exposing his generator.)

Mizuki: The generator’s exposed! Take it out!

(Ryu pierces the generator and the robot explodes. One of the pieces of it breaks through the jammed passage.)

Mizuki: Amazing… Such power…

Ryu: I’m heading for the residence.

Mizuki: Roger.

(Ryu goes on. After a while, he comes to dead end again.)

Mizuki: Watch out! They’re on the roof!

(Ryu climbs onto the wall, killing those who are above with shurikens and goes on.)

(Ryu finds the door on the roof and goes down the stairs.)

Ryu: Do you know where the hostages are being held?

Mizuki: No. We can’t monitor anything inside the residence. Watch yourself, Hayabusa.

(Ryu come down and finds blood spots on the wall.)

Ryu: Damn…

Mizuki: Hayabusa, what’s wrong?

Ryu: …There’s blood.

Mizuki: Are the hostages already…?

Ryu: …I’m going on.

(Ryu goes on until he comes out into the yard. He sees the traces of blood leading to the white door and knocks it out.)

Hostage: Please, help!

(A stranger in a red robe and white mask kills a hostage.)

Masked Stranger: I’ve been waiting for you, hero.

Mizuki: Who are you?

Masked Stranger: Let’s dispense with the introductions and get straight to the killing, shall we? Come, Ryu Hayabusa!

(Ryu wins and pierces the stranger with his sword. On the last gasp the stranger reads some kind of spell.)

Ryu: What…?

Masked Stranger: Open your eyes, Ryu Hayabusa.

(Ryu notices that his Dragon Sword disappeared.)

Ryu: The Dragon Sword.

(Swirls of blood fly around Ryu and soak into his hand, making it crimson-red.)

Masked Stranger: So. How does it feel to suffer as all your victims?

(Ryu tries to attack the stranger with his sword, but without success.)

Masked Stranger: No, no! We are both steeped in the blood of our countless victims my brother… Farewell until we meet again.

Ryu: Damn you…!

Mizuki: Hayabusa! Hayabusa, respond! Hayabusa!

Ryu: I’m fine.

(Ryu hardly gets to his feet and starts walking slowly.)

Mizuki: Listen. Radar has picked up a missile incoming. One minute to impact. You need to get out of there! There’s got to be a way out somewhere… Hurry up or you won’t make it!

(In the building where Ryu fought with the stranger, several missiles fly in. Everything explodes.)

Mizuki: Hayabusa!

Old Man: How disappointing. I had hoped the mighty Dragon Ninja would put on more of a show. No matter…. Begin the next phase.

Soldier: Yes, sir.

(We see a large capsule with a huge face in it. The camera returns to the wreckage of the building where Ryu was.)

Mizuki: …yabusa? Can you hear me? Hayabusa, come in!

(Ryu climbs out of the wreckage.)

Mizuki: Hayabusa…?

Ryu: Yeah.

Mizuki: We’re coming to pick you up.

Ryu: Good.

JSDF DESTROYER YUNAGI, NORTH SEA

(We see Ryu on the ship and realize that he managed to get out.)

Ryu: I owe you one.

Mizuki: Don’t worry about it. What matter now is…

Ryu: What’s the situation?

Mizuki: The soldiers withdrew once the residence was destroyed. It appears you really were their objective.

Old Man: Mizuki, turn on the news…

(Mizuki turns on a TV, on the screen of which we see a stranger in a mask.)

Masked Stranger: This new world has no need of nation-states. No need of avaricious, incompetent prime ministers, or presidents, or kings, or despots. Every nation, every country must immediately agree to our terms of surrender. You have seven days--exactly the number of days it took God to create the world. Failure to comply will result in your immediate destruction. We did it to London, and we can do it to you.

Mizuki: So this is what they were really after…

THE STORY SO FAR…

Ryu faces the Regent of the Mask in London. At the end of a grueling tight, the Regent places a curse on the ninja, causing the Dragon Sword to dissolve and be sealed within Hayabusa’s right arm. He escapes London, and how--together with Mizuki McCloud, a pilot from the JSDF--Hayabusa heads to an abandoned city in the middle of a desert.

(We see an electronic map of the world. Mizuki speaks to Ryu in the background.)

Mizuki: Hayabusa, urgent call from HQ. Transmission source has been identified.

(The scene change to desert. Mizuki and Ryu are riding an SUV and talking.)

Mizuki: See that high-rise up ahead? It was abandoned in the middle of construction. As far as we can tell, the satellite transmission originated from that location. Then it was uploaded and distributed through hacked communication systems all around the world.

Ryu: Is that even possible?

Mizuki: If you had the entire world’s resources at your fingertips, maybe.

Ryu: So who are these people?

Mizuki: Whoever they are, they have access to some serious money. The UN has scheduled a crisis conference for today. They’ll probably order the mobilization of emergency forces. HQ has told me to provide you with whatever support you need. Looks like we’ll be working together for a while longer, Hayabusa.

Ryu: It does.

(Mizuki stops the SUV and the heroes come out.)

Mizuki: This is as close as we can get by car without attracting attention.

Ryu: It’s close enough.

(Mizuki takes a massive suitcase out of the trunk.)

Mizuki: This was developed by our own engineers. It’s still just a prototype, but…

Ryu: What is it?

Mizuki: It’s obviously not your Dragon Sword, now is it?

(In the suitcase there is a high-tech folding bow).

Mizuki: This is a special bow that can lock on to a target. Should be for you to use it, right?

Ryu: I’ve used bows before.

Mizuki: …Okay. Good luck. Remember, I’ll be watching your back.

(Ryu goes down the sand dunes and the game continues.)

DAY 2: DESERTED CITY, RUB’ AL KHALI

(After only a few steps Ryu comes across a half-ruined city wall and several towers. On the towers we see soldiers with rocket launchers.)

Mizuki: They saw you!

(Ryu uses his bow to shoot the soldiers. After that Mizuki hears a strange sound.)

Mizuki: What’s that sound?

(A few soldiers on motorcycles appear. Ryu kills them, then a sand storm strikes, in the center of which we see a girl with purple hair wrapped in a cloak.)

Ayane: It’s been a while, Master Ryu.

Ryu: Ayane?

Ayane: [[w:c:deadoralive:Hayate|Hayate]] asked me to come.

(Ayane gives Ryu a beautiful, but quite standard-looking Japanese sword.)

Ryu: The [[w:c:ninjagaiden:Jinran-Maru|Jinran-Maru]]. Word gets around fast.

Ayane: Make sure you bring it back in one piece. It’s just a loaner.

Ryu: Okay… Tell [[w:c:deadoralive:Hayate|Hayate]] I said thanks.

Ayane: You should have someone in the village take a look at that arm.

Ryu: I will. Soon. There’s something I need to finish first.

Ayane: Take care.

(Ayane disappears the way she appeared. Ryu continues his mission.)

Mizuki: How did she know about this place? It’s classified top secret.

Ryu: Ninja have their ways.

(After a while Ryu gets into an ambush.)

Mizuki: You’re cut off!

(Ryu kills the opponents and goes on.)

(Ryu stumbles upon a small precipice.)

Mizuki: Can you get over there?

(Ryu runs around it over the wall without any problem.)

Mizuki: I keep forgetting you’re a ninja.

(Ryu goes further, making his way through a series of fierce battles. Eventually he meets a helicopter, and, after a short fight, our hero falls into a hole in the wall of one of the buildings.)

Mizuki: You okay, Hayabusa?

Ryu: I’m in the dome. Where should I go?

Mizuki: I lost your coordinates in the last explosion. But the dome should have a monorail that links to the tower. Be careful.

Ryu: I will.

(Ryu comes across a helicopter again. After a short fight, the helicopter is out of ammo.)

Chopper’s pilot: That’s the last one. Missiles out! Reload!

(Ryu goes on.)

Mizuki: That’s the monorail station ahead. The intel we have says the dome is still being powered by its solar generator. Even though it’s been abandoned for two years… The source of the signal is above you. You should be able to take the elevator to the top floor. If it’s still working, anyway…

(Ryu goes in the elevator.)

Mizuki: Hayabusa, are you there? Come in! Are you okay, Hayabusa? What’s going on?

Ryu: I’m heading up…

Mizuki: The source is straight up ahead.

(Ryu go up to the roof of the building. After a small amount of acrobatics and a couple of opponents, he climbs onto the platform where he again meets the Regent of the Mask.)

Regent of the Mask: Aah. Good. You still live, Ryu Hayabusa. Quite a fast response today… By Japanese government standards, anyway. Unfortunately for you, we’re all done here.

Ryu: Who are you?

Regent of the Mask: Ah. An alchemist. Born again in the here and now.

Ryu: What do you mean?

Regent of the Mask: Magnificent, isn’t it? A skyscraper abandoned in the middle of construction. Like the Tower of Babel, built so high they incurred the wrath of God. What better backdrop for the beginning of the end of the world?

Ryu: I’m tired of your nonsense.

Regent of the Mask: You lack a sense of aesthetics, my friend. After all, doesn’t the art of your country teach you to appreciate austerity and elegance of decay? And speaking of decay… how is your arm? It’s an old Slavic curse, you know. The Grip of Murder, they call it.

Ryu: The Grip of Murder?

Regent of the Mask: All material things pulse to their own frequency. The words of the curse resonated with the blade of your Dragon Sword. broke down its structure, then melted into your arm, together with all the malice and hate it encapsulated. It was a simple spell to weave.

Ryu: Malice and hate?

Regent of the Mask: Think, think. How many lives has that hand taken? Hundreds? Thousands? The blood of those you have cut down infused your sword, together with their vengeful hatred… And now it is in your arm. Perhaps you can hear their sorrowful wails? Well, soon those cries will begin to rot your arm, from the inside out. The infection will spread to the rest of your body, and that will be the end of you. Death will follow shortly. The only real question is, who will die first. You or the world?

Ryu: Damn you!

Regent of the Mask: Do you really want to know who I am? I’m the same as you, Ryu Hayabusa. We’re cut from the same cloth. Look at your right hand. That is the symbol of all the lives you have taken, all the people you have killed. Make no mistake. You are an assassin of the darkness.

Ryu: Enough! A mirage?

Regent of the Mask: In the ruins of paradise where the corpses of dreams lie rotting, that could more befitting than a mirage? Yes, of course I am an illusion. As is all existence, nothing more than a collection of data point resonating in infinite expansion. But enough. The time for talk is at an end. War and strife is your fate, death and duty. Or am I wrong?

(A combat helicopter appears and a fight begins. Ryu tries to hit him with the bow.)

Mizuki: Your arrows can’t pierce it!

(After a while Ryu manages to climb the helicopter and destroy its guns. The helicopter loses control, Ryu clings to him using his kunai.)

Mizuki: Hang on just a little more! Just until the altitude goes down! The wings…!

(The helicopter falls and crashes.)

Mizuki: Hayabusa! Are you okay Hayabusa?!

JSDF DESTROYER YUNAGI, RED SEA

(We see Ryu aboard the Yunagi - it seems he was able to survive again. He talks to Mizuki and it seems we caught the heroes in the midst of the conversation.)

Mizuki: It has exploding tip that’ll blow up anything it hits.

Ryu: Tell me something.

Mizuki: Sure.

Ryu: Are you using me to test all of your prototypes?

Mizuki: N-no! It’s just that I thought… Well, there’s this guy in our lab who’s a bit mad, and he…

Man: A bit mad? You don’t mean me, do you?

Mizuki: If there were any others like you, this world would be in even more trouble than It already is.

(A little girl and a guy come into the room.)

Mizuki: Canna?! What are you doing here!? You were supposed to be looking after her!

Man: Orders. Ishigami told me to come.

Mizuki: He didn’t order you to bring Canna along, did he? Didn’t I tell you to stay at home and wait for me to come back? It’s not safe for you here. You have to wait in a safe place until Mommy gets home, do you hear me?

Man: She said she didn’t want to be alone anymore. And besides, with this maniac on the loose, no place is safe. She’s better off with us.

Mizuki: …What’s done is done. You’re here now.

Ryu: Is she your…?

Mizuki: I guess an introduction are in order. Hayabusa, this is my daughter, Canna. It’s all right, Canna. You don’t have to be afraid of him. He may look kind of scary, but he’s a good man.

Canna: I’m not scary.

(Ryu leans over to Canna and takes off the mask. There’s a smile on his face.)

Ryu: Hello, Canna. My name is Ryu. That means dragon.

(Canna is hiding behind Mizuki.)

Mizuki: Canna, don’t be so rude. I’m sorry, Hayabusa.

(Ryu seems upset.)

Ryu: No, no. It’s okay. I’m sorry for scaring her.

Man: Er, ahem? Perhaps you could introduce me?

Mizuki: Oh, right, Hayabusa, this is Clifford Higgins, a scientist with the Ground Self-Defense Forces Special Research Unit.

Clifford: That’s all?

Mizuki: Why else is there?

Clifford: Such love for her dearest brother-in-law… Anyway! Hello. Call me Cliff. Your legend precedes you, you know.

Ryu: Nothing but stories.

Clifford: Perhaps, perhaps not. In any case, it’s a pleasure to meet you, Hayabusa! So, to business, shall we? We have identified the group behind the threat.

Mizuki: You have?!

Clifford: Yes. They’re called the Lords of Alchemy. You actually know them better by their global conglomerate front: LOA.

Mizuki: LOA?!

DAY 2: PARIS (AYANE)

THE STORY SO FAR…

While the rest of the world venues at the threat from the Regent of the Mask, the French government voices its opposition. Paris is under heavy security, but they still do not know who the enemy really is. A young kunoichi receives a request from the CIA and heads to The City of Light.

(We see how Paris is flooded with military. A small group of soldiers enters the SPA salon, where Ayane is resting. She receives a message with the text "5 seconds." Ayane sighs. The soldiers enter the salon. While she is chopping down on the soldiers, a girl contacts with her.)

???: Sorry to ruin your vacation, but we need you, Ayane.

Ayane: I’m not doing this for free, Irene.

Irene: The government declared their opposition to the Regent of the Mask. They acted way faster than we thought they would…

Ayane: …It’s good we got in before they could.

(Ayane climbs onto the roof.)

Irene: They’re heading for the Presidential Residence. The resistance won’t out for much longer. You have to hurry!

(Ayane jumps off the roof and walks on, killing the soldiers.)

Irene: This whole area is under their control. Be careful.

(Ayane goes on.)

Ayane: So much for taking it easy in Paris.

Irene: Clean this up, and they’ll probably give you a VIP vacation next time your in town.

(She goes forward until stumbles upon the Black Spider Ninja Clan.)

Ayane: Black Spider Ninjas…? What are they doing here?

Irene: Seems like they’re working for the terrorists.

Ayane: Guess this is what happens when you lose your leader…

(Ayane kills Black Spider Ninjas.)

Irene: Nice work ninja. You sure don’t fight like a little girl.

Ayane: Who are you calling a little girl?!

(Ayane goes on until he runs into an ambush.)

Ayane: What a pain…

(Ayane is getting to the president’s residence.)

Ayane: Okay. I made it.

Irene: This is it. Good luck.

(Ayane is attacked by many soldiers. She complains in the midst of the battle.)

Ayane: Dammit…! How many are there…?

Irene: Looks like reinforcements are on the way! Watch out!

Ayane: Yeah, now this is getting fun…!

(Ayane kills all the soldiers.)

Ayane: Looks like that’s the last of them.

???: Well, well… I come to see what all the fuss is about and look who I run into.

???: Such a darling little heroine…

Ayane: This is as far as you go. Prepare to die.

???: Heh heh heh… Breaking in, killing… You’ve been naughty. Time for your punishment, girl!

(The battle begins. Irene contacts Ayane to cheer her up.)

Irene: Don’t let him get to you. You can do this!

Ayane: I know! So shut up and let me fight!

(She defeats all of them.)

???: Now it ends…

Ayane: Don’t even try to act all tough…

Communicator: Warning. Missile strike commencing. Time until impact…

???: May the unclean world… be purified…!

Ayane: Irene!

Communicator: 2… 1…

Irene: Looks like I got them in time!

Ayane: Seriously… You wanna try NOT waiting until the last second to do that…? So--

Irene: I hacked their transmission codes and got control of the communication satellite they were using.

Ayane: So I didn’t really have to worry about death from above or whatever. I guess I’m done here, right?

Irene: Now we’re going to find out who these people really are. Ryu’s trying to figure that out too, but in his condition… You’re the only one I can count on.

Ayane: Alright, fine… You can use me a little longer.

THE STORY SO FAR…

The image of the enemy vanishes as a mirage in the desert. Seeking new leads, Hayabusa heads for an island in the Indian Ocean. There in the cutting-edge facility for alchemical research hidden within the verdant tropical forest, unknown threats lie in wait.

(Ryu sits on the plane. Mizuki contacts him on the radio.)

Mizuki: Arriving at objective.

Ryu: I’m goin in.

(Ryu jumps out of the airplane through the cargo bay. In flight, he dodges missiles, cuts down the missile launcher upon landing, and kills the crowd of soldiers guarding it.)

DAY 3: ABISMO ISLAND, INDIAN OCEAN

Mizuki: Impressive. Crazy. But impressive.

(Ryu goes further, fighting with soldiers and the local fauna.)

Mizuki: We gotta be careful. Who knows what kind of stuff is waiting for us out here.

(Ryu kills several dogs.)

Mizuki: It’s a patrol. Get in the shadows!

(Ryu knocks out the door and kills the guard of the checkpoint. As he exits, he hears a voice on the radio.)

Radio: Transport team request immediate assistance.

Mizuki: Hm? I can hear something.

Radio: Jungle patrol, come in.

Mizuki: A radio. But where is it?

Radio: Is this radio broken? Come in! Com in! This is the transport team. Respond.

Mizuki: Can you jump onto that truck?

(He jumps on the truck.)

Mizuki: Looks like he didn’t notice.

Radio: Whatever. I’m leavin’.

Mizuki: Don’t get caught. I’m going offline.

(Moving back to the base. Mizuki’s talking to Clifford.)

Mizuki: LOA… The ‘toothbrushes to the tanks’ guys?

Clifford: The one and only. They used to be your average massive high tech conglomerate, but ever since the economic crush and resulting industry take down they diversified into manufacturing… well, anything and everything. After analyzing the weapons we seized, we realized they’d been secretly developed by LOA. No question about it. In fact is, if you’ve got technology, money, and you’re pretty much invincible. It’s always been that way… What I could do with the tiniest fraction of LOA’s budget…

Mizuki: Look at all these offices and affiliates. LOA has global reach. If anyone could control the mass media, it’s them. So that means they could be behind this. The only question is, why?

Clifford: Don’t ask me. That’s your job.

Ishigami: Mizuki. I need you and Hayabusa on Abismo Island at once.

Ishigami: We think this is the location of LOA’s secret lab. We don’t have much of a window. Get going.

Mizuki: Understood. LOA…

Clifford: Hey. Listen. Watch your back with Ishigami. He’s hiding something.

Mizuki: Like what?

Clifford: This operation isn’t sanctioned be any government. This is his little project. He’s off the grid.

Mizuki: No.

Clifford: Yes. The Americans know you and Hayabusa are on the move. And let’s just say they aren’t happy about it. Something’s not right about this mission.

Mizuki: Understood, Cliff. But regardless, we still have to check LOA out. I’m going.

Clifford: OK. Just be careful out there.

(Mizuki comes to her daughter, Canna.)

Mizuki: Mommy has some work to take care of. I’ll be back soon, okay? You listen to Cliff while I’m away.

(They hug.)

Mizuki: Take care of her for me, Cliff.

Clifford: You got it. And this time, I won’t let her out of my sight. Promise.

Mizuki: Let’s go, Hayabusa.

Ryu: Okay.

(Mizuki leaves. Canna grabs Ryu’s hand.)

Ryu: What is it?

(Canna shows Ryu her phone on which is written in Japanese "Mama-o mamotte" - "Protect my mommy".)

Ryu: Of course. Her and you both. I promise, Canna.

(Mizuki returns.)

Mizuki: C’mon, Hayabusa.

(Ryu and Mizuki leave. The frame changes and we see that Ishigami watched them all this time.)

(We return to Ryu, hanging on the truck. The truck drives to the base.)

Soldier 1: What the…?! Back of the truck! The ninja!

Soldier 2: Damn… Burn the truck!

Soldier 3: R-roger! Fire!

(Ryu jumps off a damaged truck and start the carnage. After a while, the soldiers retreat.)

Soldier 1: Leave it to Airborne! All units fall back!

Soldier 2: Fall back! FALL BACK!

Mizuki: …busa? Can you hear me? …heading your way! Wait! That sounds like a…! Incoming! Get the hell out of there! That’s an incendiary round! It’ll burn the whole area! Get out of there! Hurry!

(Ryu dodges the missiles and jumps into the wide ravine, where he fights with the boss-helicopter and wins.)

Ryu: Mizuki, come in. I took care of the helicopter.

(Ryu goes farther, making his way through a small cave with narrow passages, where he’s confronted by soldiers and the local fauna. After getting out of the cave, Ryu gets in the underground military base where he is happily greeted by the ninja soldiers with whom Ryu is cruelly straightened out. Getting on to the surface, Ryu calls Mizuki.)

Ryu: I’m at the lab. Can you hear me, Mizuki?

(Mizuki does not answer and Ryu continues to follow the mission. Ryu points to the banks with small dinosaurs.)

Regent of the Mask: Aah! Fast as ever. You ninja are nothing if not punctual.

Ryu: You again. Now I know LOA is up to something. Tell me about dinosaurs.

(Ryu points to the jars with small dinosaurs.)

Regent of the Mask: Aah. Clones from fossil cells.

Ryu: Why?

Regent of the Mask: Why? Business, of course. How many children would want a dinosaur as a pet? We could sell millions of the things. And! The technology represents something even the richest man can’t buy. Think about the potential of cloned organs. Or cloned young bodies.

Ryu: You’re out of your mind.

Regent of the Mask: Am I? Well, there’s always another application. I see you like my little watchdog. I really must apologize for forgetting to leave out a "beware of dog" sign.

(A huge dinosaur, resembling a tyrannosaur appears and the fight begins. Ryu wins.)

Regent of the Mask: Well done. As I would expect from a Dragon Ninja. Where you go, bodies lie in your wake.

Ryu: And you will join them.

Regent of the Mask: Ah, ah, ah.

(Several soldiers lead Mizuki in handcuffs.)

Mizuki: Hayabusa! I’m sorry…

Regent of the Mask: Drop your sword, ninja.

(Ryu takes out his sword and throws it to the ground.)

Regent of the Mask: Smart move, Hayabusa. Now…

(Ryu instantly raises his sword and kills soldiers guarding Mizuki.)

Regent of the Mask: Well, well! Not bad. Sudden death is a ninja specialty, after all.

Ryu: Are you okay?

(Mizuki nods.)

Ryu: And now for you.

(Mizuki takes out her gun and points it to Ryu.)

Ryu: Mizuki?!

(We hear a knock of the heart. The screen is darkened and we hear a shot.)

THE STORY SO FAR…

The enemy is actually a multinational conglomerate known as LOA. A mutant dinosaur, revived and weaponized with the latest science, tears after Hayabusa. The ninja’s blade cuts the dinosaur down, but Mizuki shoots Hayabusa, rendering him unconscious. The LOA conspiracy, Mizuki’s true intentions, and the fate of the ultimate ninja are now intimately intertwined.

(We see Ryu lying in darkness.)

???: I thought you’d never wake up, Ryu Hayabusa.

(Ryu moves to a beautiful field.)

Lovelace: My name is Lovelace, and I’m in charge of the Abismo Laboratories. We shoot you with enough tranquilizer to bring down a dinosaur, you know. You’re indeed an impressive specimen.

Ryu: That is this place?

Lovelace: Welcome to our virtual simulation environment. We would appreciate your cooperation for a few moments.

(The scene changes and Ryu gets to the bridge with heavy car traffic.)

Ryu: I won’t help you.

Lovelace: I’m afraid you don’t have any choice.

(Everything around freezes.)

Lovelace: In this simulated space, we convert quantum oscillations into real-time tracing and reconstruction of physical objects.

(Lovelace snaps his fingers and the scene changes to a baseball field. Ryu catches a baseball ball that flies unexpectedly. The ball dissolves in his hands, and then the scene changes back to the bridge.)

Lovelace: In other words, this space is just like real world. You can be hurt here… and you can die.

(Right after her words, one of the cars heads straight for Ryu. The machine loses control, flies into the wall and explodes.)

Ryu: Expensive toy.

Lovelace: I have your friend with me. The woman who shoot you, and her daughter.

Ryu: …You’re dead.

Lovelace: If this all goes well, you might even get to see them again. So, shall we begin to test?

(The scene changes on the roof of the airship. It is a hint of Ninja Gaiden Sigma 2 and its third mission - Skies of Vengeance. Lovelace disappears. The scene is filled with thunder and lightning. Ryu continues to hear her voice, rolling and deep, like she was the goddess of this world.)

Lovelace: I’ve been waiting for this moment. Now show me. Show me what a Master Ninja can do.

(Ryu is fighting with a lot of ninjas.)

Lovelace: You’re the work of art, ninja. The power of the dragon courses through you…

(Ryu again kills all the enemies.)

Lovelace: Phase one complete. Well done. Let’s change the stage.

(Ryu jumps from the blimp straight to the balcony of the first mission of Ninja Gaiden Sigma 2 - Sky City Tokyo, where he fights with one of the bosses.)

Lovelace: I suspect you remember this.

(Ryu kills all enemies.)

Lovelace: Phase two complete. Curious as to there you’ll go next?

(Upon entering the building, where he first met the Regent of the Mask.)

Lovelace: Doesn’t this make you a little nostalgic?

(Ryu walks up to the hawk and saves his progress.)

Lovelace: Aah, to be a bird, flying free. But you, my little falcon, will not leave this cage.

(Ryu encountered Regent of the Mask once again.)

Regent of the Mask: Masks… They allow one to play the role by hiding one’s true face. Your mask is no different. Hero? Or murderer? Which is the true face of Ryu Hayabusa?

(Ryu fights the Regent and again throws him out the window. Ryu jumps after him, but instead of continuing the fight, he breaks out of the simulation.)

Lovelace: An impressive feet, Ryu Hayabusa. The machines you destroyed was no cheap, you know? I never have enough lab rats…

(Ryu quickly moves around the collapsing laboratory. After a while, he runs into the soldiers.)

Lovelace: The lab rat is loose. Subdue it. Quickly. You’re cleared to use lethal force! It cannot be allowed to reach GC07!

DAY 4: LOA BIOLAB, ABYSMO ISLAND

(Ryu kills enemies and goes on.)

Lovelace: There is no way out for you, ninja! Lab rat sighted. All units, secure bridge 6!

(After Ryu kills all the enemies on the bridge, it suddenly starts to open.)

Lovelace: Heh heh… Looks like you’ve nowhere to run, yes?

(Ryu glides smoothly over the bridge and jumps to the other side. He climbs using his kunai, and goes on until he runs into some office space.)

Soldier: What’s going on in there? What do you mean, “ninja”? We killed him at the bridge!

(Ryu brutalizes the soldiers and goes on.)

Lovelace: Still alive? You have resilience of a cockroach.

(After defeating the enemies.)

Lovelace: Your friends are up ahead, Ryu Hayabusa.

(Ryu enters the room, the doors close behind him.)

Lovelace: We trapped the rat. Open the capsule! Open it at once!

(Capsules with humanoid creatures opens.)

Lovelace: Now, to continue the experiment…

(Ryu defeat all the creatures.)

Ryu: Where are Canna and Mizuki?’

Lovelace: This time we’ll get serious.

(Out of nowhere a variety monsters appears.)

Lovelace: Isn’t it just wonderful?

(Ryu fights the monsters.)

Lovelace: More than wonderful, wouldn’t you say, Ryu Hayabusa? But playtime is over.

(The floor under Ryu is opens up, and he falls in some kind of green slime.)

Lovelace: Goodbye, Ryu Hayabusa.

(Ryu continue fighting monsters.)

Lovelace: My children have been so lonely… Play with them as long as you can hold out.

(Ryu kill the enemies and goes upstairs.)

Lovelace: Thank you for the data… And the wonderful stimulation. Now you will melt away into oblivion…

(Ryu climbs into the sewer pipe.)

Computer: Emergency. Emergency. Level 4 Situation in Lab Area 7. All researchers, please evacuate to upper levels.

(Ryu goes on killing crowds of monsters. After a while he hears Lovelace’s voice again.)

Lovelace: Surviving patrol units, report to elevator hall! Protect the lowest level at all cost! "At all costs." You understand what that means? What’s going on? What’s wrong with the chimera…? Are they reacting to the dragon blood? Huh. Incredible… Ryu Hayabusa…? No matter how many times I try to destroy you, you come back… How? Do you see this horror…? Perhaps this too is your doing…

(Ryu goes on. After a while he comes across a laboratory from which a wounded scientist comes out.)

Scientist: Hahh… Hahh… Managed to stop the blood… You-you’re the ninja…!

Ryu: It’s dangerous here. You should run.

Scientist: Did you come for the girl?

Ryu: Yeah.

Scientist: …Okay. I have access to the elevator. I’ll you down to the lowest level.

(Ryu descends on the elevator along with the scientist.)

Ryu: Why are you doing this?

Scientist: Hah. Don’t look a gift-horse in the mouth… I have a little girl. About her age. Or she was, last time I saw her… After I let you off, I’m going back to her.

(Ryu and the scientist come out of the elevator. The scientist shows the way.)

Scientist: It’s through this hall… Right…

(Suddenly, out of the blue, some soldiers appears and kill the scientist.)

Soldier: You… traitor…

(The battle starts. Ryu punches through the crowds of soldiers, finally ends up falling into bloody madness.)

Ryu: Canna, are you all right? You’re safe now. Where’s Cliff?

(Canna shrugs.)

Ryu: And Mizuki?

(Canna type the answer on her phone: "She was taken by a terrifying woman".)


Ryu: …That woman. Let’s go find your mother. Canna. Listen. Close your eyes. Don’t look at anything. Don’t listen to anything. You shut everything out.

(Ryu takes Canna in his arms and leaves with her.)

Mizuki: Where are you taking me?

Lovelace: You don’t need to know.

Mizuki: Where is Canna?

Lovelace: Move! Now!

Mizuki: Is Canna okay? If you’ve done anything to her…

Lovelace: Shut up and walk.

(Lovelace takes Mizuki with her. Ryu with Canna in his hands make his way through a long corridor with monsters, killing them with a single rapid strikes.)

Ryu: Be still.

Ryu: Close your eyes.

(Going further, Ryu enters a strange room with a huge vessel inside, in which some bulbous creature floats.)

Ryu: What is this…?

Regent of the Mask: The egg of a god.

Ryu: What?!

Mizuki: Canna!

(Mizuki breaks away from the Regent and runs to Canna. She hugs her.)

Mizuki: I was so worried about you! I’m so sorry. They had Canna… I had no choice…

Ryu: It’s fine.

Ryu: What do you want?

Lovelace: The modern alchemist makes the dreams of gods come true. I wish to see the birth of a new world. We took a little sample of your blood, while you were sleeping. A dash of your dragon DNA. You are all descended from the dragon god, are you not? While not in this prototype here, It will prove a most useful ingredient when the time comes to give birth to a new god…

Regent of the Mask: You know, I think you might add something to the mix as well.

(Regent of the Mask pushes Lovelace into the vessel.)

Regent of the Mask: Goodbye.

(Lovelace turns into a monster and breaks the vessel.)

Mizuki: What the hell?!

Regent of the Mask: Behold, the prototype of a god. It is… imperfect. Born of a warped heart, it stands before you incomplete, less than whole. Yet even so, it is far mightier than a mere man.

Ryu: Take Canna.

Mizuki: Hayabusa?!

Ryu: Go!

(The battle with mutated Lovelace begins.)

Regent of the Mask: Well now, shall we glimpse the power of a god?

(After Ryu chop off the front hands, the creature turns it into some kind of tentacles.)

Regent of the Mask: Heheh… Our little prototype seems quite attached to the chimera…

(Ryu chops off the hands of the creature again after that it screams and leave.)

Regent of the Mask: I’ve enjoyed this clowning around, but it’s time to leave. The two of you enjoy yourselves. We’ll meet again, I suspect. Ha ha ha!

(Regent of the Mask leaves and Ryu starts chasing the mutated Lovelace. Finding her in the next room, he kills her and hears the warning system.)

Computer: Self-destruct system activated. All units. Please evacuate all areas.

(Everything starts to explode and Ryu quickly leaves the lab. After reaching the elevator, he meets Canna and Mizuki, and they all leave the lab. On the surface they stumbled upon armed soldiers.)

Soldier: You’re coming with us, Ryu Hayabusa. You too, Ms. McCloud.

THE STORY SO FAR…

The group is sided to by a US naval vessel, and leans that Ishigami has disappeared. While Mizuki heads back to the JSDF to regroup, Ryu sets out for Hayabusa village. There he hopes to understand the secrets of the curse, and to gain the strength to defeat a great enemy.

USS WILLIAM HARRISON, PACIFIC OCEAN

(Ryu and Mizuki are on board the US aircraft carrier, there they being lectured by some military officer.)

???: What the hell do you think you’re doing? You trying to be a hero? We’ve made inquiries with your government, and they denied any and all involvement your activities.

Mizuki: I’m acting minder the orders and authorization of the Japanese Ministry of Defense, External Affairs…

???: We tried to find this Ishigami who you claim was running the op. No one knows where he is.

Mizuki: But the group was calling for Hayabusa! Back in London…

???: You are not the UN! You two don’t get to go running around trying to solve the world’s problems!Your actions are a direct affront to the sovereignty of other nations. That is a very serious offense. You will cease this operation. Immediately. You so-called ninja are ghosts of a forgotten age. These are different times, with different rules. You don’t belong here.

Mizuki: But what about the threat…?

???: Enough! Now, as long as we understand each other, you may go. We’re rendezvousing with a vessel which will take you back to Japan. That is all. You’re dismissed. I said, you are dismissed!

(Changing scene. Ryu stands on deck and looks at the ocean.)

Mizuki: I’m sorry about this. About everything…

Ryu: It’s not your fault.

Mizuki: But what happened to Ishigami? I can’t get in touch with him. Cliff even tried to warn me. I hope Cliff is safe.

Ryu: Listen. you can’t give up hope. You have to be strong for Canna.

Mizuki: …I know. The truth is, Canna isn’t my real daughter. My sister married Cliff’s brother and, well, Canna’s their child.

Ryu: Canna doesn’t talk much…

Mizuki: There was an accident. My sister and her husband were killed. It was a shock to her. Both parents, just gone. So I took her in. It’s been oven a year now.

(Canna runs up to them.)

Mizuki: Canna? What’s up? You getting hungry?

(Canna shows Ryu her phone, it says "Be my dad.")

Mizuki: C-Canna! You mustn’t ask people things like that! Oh, what am I going to do with you? We’re sorry. We’re very, very sorry.

Ryu: No, no. I just… never thought of being a father… I’m touched.

Soldier: Hey, you! Your ride’s here.

(The soldier points to the incoming ship, and we see Clifford on it. He waves the heroes.)

Mizuki: Cliff?! I’m so glad you’re okay!

Clifford: I was in the hold when we were attacked. I just kept hidden in there. How’s Canna?

Mizuki: She’s fine.

Clifford: I’m sorry. I know I promised…

Mizuki: It doesn’t matter. You’re both safe. That’s all I care about.

Clifford: Did you hear anything about Ishigami?

Mizuki: No. It was just like you said.

Clifford: So what do we do now?

Mizuki: First we need to get home and request backup. HQ might have news about Ishigami. At any rate we can’t do anything else here.

Clifford: I wonder what those Yanks are up to. Whatever it is, it doesn’t make any sense. Something’s up.

Mizuki: Hayabusa, what about you?

Ryu: I must return to my village. I… I need to look into something.

Mizuki: Then it’s settled. I’ll get a chopper to take us back to Japan, ASAP.

(Ryu is getting ready to fly away.)

Mizuki: Be careful, Hayabusa.

Ryu: I’ll be back soon.

(In the helicopter, Ryu’s tormented by his bloody hand again. He signals the pilot.)

Ryu: Here.

YOKOSUKA, JAPAN

(He jumps out of the helicopter and goes to the ninja cemetery. He finds Genshin’s sword, touching it and recalls their last battle. Ryu takes the sword from the ground and performs several swing strokes.)

Ryu: This one time, I will borrow your soul, lord of the dark ninja.

DAY 5: HAYABUSA VILLAGE, JAPAN

(Ryu fights his way to his village, killing a lot of ninjas, and in the end again falls into a bloody madness, overcoming which he hardly has strength left, but he still continues to stubbornly go to the village, at first slowly, and then completely crawling. Having reached the entrance to the village, the forces finally leave him and Ryu falls down. He awakes in bed, as from a nightmare. Momiji sits next to him.)

Momiji: Master Ryu, you must not move.

(Momiji heals Ryu with a glowing amulet - Dragon’s Eye, which we saw in the second installment of the game. A boy runs into the room.)

Boy: Master Ryu. Please get better soon so you can start training us again!

Ryu: I feel much better already, Sanji.

Momiji: Sanji is the one, who found you, Master Ryu.

Ryu: So you saved me. Don’t let it go to your head.

(The boy runs away, but Ryu calls him.)

Ryu: Sanji! I’ll train with you anytime you want.

Sanji: Yes!

Momiji: Master Joe is waiting in hermitage outside the village. We should go together.

(We return to the game. Ryu walks through the village with a walking step until he runs into one of the ninja village guards.)

Ninja: Are you okay?

Ryu: Sorry for scaring you. I’m fine.

(Ryu goes on.)

Ninja: Thanks the gods.

Ryu: You can thank Sanji for that.

(Ryu comes to a woman teaching another ninjas archery.)

Ryu: Omitsu.

Omitsu: Master Ryu! I’m so happy you’re okay. I worked on you bow… Here.

(Omitsu passes Ryu his bow. Ryu inspects it.)

Ryu: Thanks.

Omitsu: It’s nothing. That’s a very strange bow, though.

(Ryu goes to the target practice range.)

Omitsu: Here, watch closely.

Ryu: Looks like you did a good job.

(Ryu goes on.)

Ninja: Master Ryu, may you have victory in battle.

(Ryu goes on.)

Old man: Master Ryu… Are you going to see your father?

Ryu: Yeah.

Old man: It seems the Black Spider Clan is planning something again. You can leave the village to me. Me and the young ones can use the training.

Ryu: Thanks, Genjiro.

(Ryu goes on. Suddenly, Sanji jumps out of the ambush.)

Sanji: Gotcha.

(Ryu easily repulsed his attack.)

Ryu: Keep practicing.

Sanji: Heheh… I don’t think I’ll ever beat you… I’m looking forward to our training.

(Sanji leaves, and Ryu goes further, moving to his normal speed. He reaches the grave of Kureha and starts praying. Suddenly, someone is calling him from behind.)

???: Master Ryu.

Momiji: Thanks for waiting. Let’s go.

Ryu: Okay.

(Ryu and Momiji are running together.)

Momiji: This way.

(They are attacked by several ninjas. Heroes easily deal with them.)

Momiji: Master Ryu, you’re amazing!

Ryu: As are you, Momiji.

(Heroes go further and again come across opponents and defeat them.)

Momiji: We must hurry.

(After passing on the heroes come across a web blocking the path.)

Momiji: Leave it to me.

(Momiji uses a fiery technique to burn off the barrier. The heroes go further, reaching the vast arena. They battle with a lot of the Black Spider’s ninjas, and in the midst of the fight, Momiji turns to Ryu.)

Momiji: Master Ryu, look! Is this… Soul-Summoning?

???: Heh heh heh… Call forth a hell of perpetual slaughter!

Momiji: That voice… It’s Obaba!

Obaba: Ah ha ha ha! Two new morsels have fallen into my web… Prepare to meet your fate! Get them! Our hatred of the Dragon Ninja Clan… Rend his flesh from his bones! Kill him! Rip them to pieces!

(Heroes continue to fight with more and more opponents.)

Momiji: They just don’t stop!

(Momiji uses the technique and burns the squad of the Black Spider. Suddenly a huge hand emerges from the ground and grabs the heroes.)

Obaba: Foul servants of the dragon, hear me! Now you shall feel the vengeance of the Black Spider Clan! Kah, kah, kah! I will crush you like bugs!

(Obaba tries to crush Ryu, but he breaks away.)

Obaba: Humph… Very well, then. The maiden shall die first!

(Ryu runs on the huge body of Obaba, killing the Black Spider ninjas and breaking the barrier obstructing the path.)

Obaba: Heheh, who will die first…?

Momiji: It hurts…

(When Ryu cuts the outgrowth, Obaba screams and throws Ryu away. He makes a wobble in the air and flies to Obaba, clutching at her hand.)

Ryu: Momiji! Are you okay?

Momiji: Yes! I’ll take her from this side!

Obaba: You are finished, Dragon Ninja!

(Obaba tries to crush Ryu. He cuts the outgrowth and flies to the next one, which he cuts together with Momiji, after which both jump off and begin to fight the Black Spider ninjas.)

Obaba: Foul heir of the Dragons!

(Heroes defeat all ninjas and attack the outgrowth. Meanwhile, Obaba is preparing to shoot them with a ray from her mouth.)

Momiji: Master Ryu! Now!

(Momiji activates the defensive field and does not let Obaba hurt her, but a tentacle hits her. Heroes continue to fight the ninjas, and after a while, Ryu finishes the outgrowth. Obaba screams and tries to drop the heroes. Momiji and Ryu go down to the raised hand to Obaba’s head, but Momiji flies away and Ryu attacks the crystal on Obaba’s forehead and finishes her. The fire in his legs fades, Ryu hawks from the falling corpse of Obaba and manages to catch Momiji, who almost touched the ground. He cries her on his hands to some house on among the swamps.)

Host: Ahh, Ryu.

(We learn that the owner of the house is Ryu’s father - Joe Hayabusa. He has blindfold on his eyes, as he became blind after the fight with Genshin in the second game.)

Joe: …The way the curse pulses tells me it has infested your entire body.

Ryu: How do I get rid of it?

Joe: I do not know. Long ago, there was a dragon ninja afflicted by a similar curse. In the end, he was swallowed by the darkness. Only his Dragon Sword remained. The Dragon Sword was a gift, meant to be used to slay the Archfiend. But it became polluted by the souls of its countless victims. The sorcery cast upon you has cursed that pollution to fester and be absorbed into your very body. The curse of the Dragon sword is the karmic retribution for all the deeds committed by the Dragon Clan over this countless generations.

Ryu: There are still things I have to do.

Joe: It’s not an easy thing., to live in the darkness. But there are times when we must face the darkness, and overcome it. Or else…

JSDF DESTROYER YUNAGI, PORT OF YOKOSUKA

(Ryu returns to the aircraft carrier. We see the room in which Ryu, Clifford and Mizuki discussing the plan for further actions.)

Clifford: I have an idea. I’ve been looking into LOA in all sorts of ways. Some legal, some not.

Mizuki: You better watch it. The end doesn’t justify the means.

Clifford: So sue me. Come on. The facts are the facts. LOA has build some sort of secret facility in the middle of Antarctica. Talk about suspicious. That must be their base of operations.

Mizuki: Are you sure?

Clifford: Give me a little credit. You’re talking serious brainpower here. So that do you think?

Ryu: Well, we don’t have any other leads.

Mizuki: So that are we waiting for? I’ll arrange the jet.

Clifford: Right. There isn’t much time. You know, you’d better wait with Canna here on the ship. You can’t take here where we’re going.

Mizuki: So who’s going in as backup?

Clifford: Me. Sorry. I can’t be Canna’s surrogate parent forever. This time, you stay with her.

Mizuki: But…!

Clifford: I’m a better backup for this op, anyway. Come on, I want to play the hero here. So let me.

Mizuki: Fine. We’d better get you geared up, then.

(To Canna.)

Mizuki: You stay here with Hayabusa. I’ll be right back.

(Mizuki and Clifford leaves. Canna runs up to Ryu and hands him a paper shuriken.)

Ryu: What’s this?

(Canna shows her phone to Ryu again. It’s says: “Mommy taught me. You’re really a ninja, so it’s perfect.”)

Ryu: Thanks, Canna. I feel safer with this.

(Canna grabs Ryu’s hand. Ryu places his hand above hers.)

THE STORY SO FAR…

Ryu learns the truth of the Grip of Murder from his father, Joe Hayabusa. It is the burden of the countless lives he has taken. However, even with the curse eating away at his very being, the ultimate ninja struggles on to face further battles. Cliff finds the secret LOA headquarters and takes Hayabusa there… to Antarctica.

(We see Ryu and Clifford sitting on the plane. They land hard on the icy ground.)

Clifford: Hayabusa. The cave entrance is ahead.

(Clifford opens the door of the plane. A stream of icy air comes out from the open door.)

Clifford: You can use it to get inside their base.

Ryu: Got it.

(The game starts. Clifford continues to talk with Ryu over the radio.)

Clifford: Hey, can you hear me?

Ryu: Yeah…

DAY 6: HOWARD PHILLIPS PLAINS, ANTARCTICA

Clifford: Don’t you ever get cold in that get-up, Hayabusa?

Ryu: No.

(Ryu is attacked by several ninjas in red.)

Clifford: Looks like you have been spotted, mate. I really don’t get you guys. Nasty weather today. It was beautiful up until yesterday. Speaking of which, why did they build their facility in a place like this? Total white-out now, though. You’d better be careful, in this visibility.

(Ryu continues to walk through a thick white mist until he encounters a new group of enemies.)

Clifford: There’s more. Quite the welcoming party. Looks like there are… One… Two, three… Lots of hostiles!

(Ryu uses his upgraded bow to kill some enemies.)

Clifford: Is that some new model? Pretty slick. Watch it, Hayabusa! You’re on a crevasse! Watch out! Avalanche!

(Part of the mountain on which Ryu fought is split and he jumps from one piece of rock to another, reaches a sheer wall and climbs it.)

Clifford: I figured as much. Been meaning to ask… Can you hear me?

Ryu: …I can hear you fine.

Clifford: Your objective is inside. Good luck.

(Ryu starts to explore the ice cave and break through the crowds until he finds a huge door. When Ryu opens it, we return to the aircraft carrier to Mizuki. She works at the computer.)

Mizuki: Canna? Canna, are you okay?

(Mizuki goes looking for Canna. When she enters her room, she finds a mess.)

Mizuki: How many times have I told you to clean up after yourself when you’re done playing?

(Mizuki tries to call Canna, but her phone is lying on the floor.)

(We return to Ryu, who passing through the door and finds himself in some kind of mansion. Going through it and kills many enemies, he finds a room where he meets… himself. After winning a fierce battle, he sees Clifford.)

Clifford: I knew you have it in you, Hayabusa.

Clifford: Not even the ties of blood can stop you from taking a life.

Ryu: Why are you here?

Old man: Allow me… to answer that.

Ryu: Who are you?

Ashtear: Pleased to meet you. I’m the chairman of LOA. You may call me Ashtear. And this is my head of R&D, Clifford Higgins.

Clifford: Sure I was a contract scientist for the Japanese government, but my true calling is research for the Lords of Alchemy.

Ryu: So you behind all of this.

Ashtear: And you’ve proven to be our biggest obstacle, Dragon Ninja. You were supposed to have died in London.

Ashtear: But I stayed our hand when Clifford said he needed a sample of your blood.

Clifford: You should thank me, Hayabusa. I saved your life… for a little while at least. And thanks to the Dragon Ninja’s DNA, we are even closer to creating a perfect being. A magnificent addition to our bloodline.

Ashtear: You see, I am Clifford’s grandfather. Canna’s great-grandfather. She is a very special girl. I need her.

Ryu: What about Mizuki? Is she alive?

Clifford: Who cares?

Ryu: You son of a…

(Ryu wants to get his sword, but Ashtear stops her with his magic. Then he resurrects Ryu’s twin.)

Ashtear: You and your monster brother can kill each other. The death of the Dragon clan and its outdated ways will mark a birth of a new millennium!

(Ryu again fights his double at the limit of his abilities and skills. After defeating him, the laboratory begins to crumble.)

Clifford: This facility is going to collapse. Surviving ninja evacuate immediately.

Ryu: C’mon, live! For Canna’s sake!

(Ryu gets out of the lab on the way fighting the desperate ninjas. After Ryu gets to the surface, he encounters a large helicopter with Ashtear and Clifford in it. They use the helicopter weapons to kill Ryu.)

Clifford: You’re dead! You just never give up!

Ashtear: Humph. Knock him off!

Clifford: No. no… one moment, grandfather.

Ashtear: Very well. Go ahead. You have no more use of him, correct?

Clifford: Coming! …Bye, bye.

(Clifford is trying to shoot Ryu with rockets, but he jumps off the helicopter.)

Clifford: Still alive, Hayabusa?

(The mountain on which Ryu is stood, begins to collapse and he, jumping from one piece of rock to another, climbs onto the wall.)

Clifford: Hey, hey! Careful. You can’t die on me just yet. Only a little way to go. I’ll be waiting on the Black Narwhal.

(Ryu climbs the mountain. He sees a helicopter and blurred images of several people in a white mist in front of him.)

Ishigami: Hayabusa! Over here! Let’s go. They are abandoning this base which means we don’t have much time.

Ryu: How did you…?

Ishigami: Come on. We gotta hurry, before the whole world is goes to hell.

THE STORY SO FAR…

LOA exploits an operation in naval forces protecting Washington, D.C. and secretly takes control of a port. However, Ayane and the CIA operative Irene notice the suspicious activity in the facility. Under the cover of night, the kunoichi hurries to stop something big from heading out to sea…

(A rainy night. Several soldiers run into the port warehouse.)

Soldier: Come on. Come on. Move!

(We see Ayane standing on a huge crane. Suddenly, out of blue, a massive ship appears.)

Irene: The cloaking’s down. This is it.

(The soldiers spots Ayane.)

Soldier: Ah! There she is! Go on! Get over there!

(Ayane jumps off the crane, fly to the port warehouse and start killing. Irene is talking to her over the radio.)

Irene: The target is called the “Black Narwhal”… It’s a classified carrier created by the Pentagon for special ops.

DAY 6: MARITIME FACILITY, U.S.A. (AYANE)

Irene: The contractor that won the manufacturing bid was Genesis Dynamics. They’re actually a front for LOA military operations. It’s in dock right now, ready to ship out any time.

Ayane: So, you want me to get to that ship, right?

Irene: You’re such a smart kid.

(Ayane continue to explore the warehouse and killing soldiers.)

Irene: You see all the people around there. They’re all LOA mercenaries.

(Ayane kill all soldiers at the gate and climbs on it.)

Irene: Alright, you’re through the firs gate. Looks like you’ve got a nice welcome party.

Ayane: Yeah, whatever…

(Ayane goes on until she comes across two big monsters.)

Ayane: Gross… That the hell are these things?

Irene: LOA biological weapons. A product of their alchemy.

Ayane: Hmph. I don’t think me and alchemist would get along.

(Ayane continues to explore. Couple of dozens killed soldiers later she comes across two fiends.)

Ayane: Fiends…! Irene!

Irene: Looks like LOA were researching fiends as well. Their next generation of weapons…

Ayane: Gross… They’re perfect for the Black Spider Ninjas.

(Ayane goes further, climbs on another crane and jumps from it to the “Black Narwhal”. Shredded all fiends on its deck to pieces, she encounters a new type of enemies.)

Ayane: These things just keep getting more disgusting!

Irene: …You don’t have much time!

Ayane: No shit!

(After killing three new enemies that turn out to be bosses, Ayane hears a loud screech.)

Irene: It’s going to dive. Get out of there! Any longer and you won’t make it back! Move! You’ve done enough. Now get out of…

(Ayane turns off the radio and dive with the ship. A minute later Irene with GPS tracker runs up to the port.)

Irene: No way…

Ayane: I can’t tell if you are just watching us to keep us in check, or if you actually, like, give a damn. A GPS transmitter. A little much for this operation, isn’t it?

(We see how Ayane throws the transmitter into the ship’s hold.)

Ayane: Are you always going to be chasing us down?

Irene: The CIA is concerned. You aren’t allies or enemies. You’re ninja, and you’re too dangerous.

Ayane: That about you?

Irene: I just… you know… I just want to help Ryu.

Ayane: Okay, whatever… You’ll just keep chasing the rest of us…

Irene: Sorry… Ryu’s the only one I’m after.

Ayane: Seriously! What’s with you and Ryu!

Irene: I know him better, than you do, kid.

THE STORY SO FAR…

Ashtear Higgins, Chairman of LOA, recounts Hayabusa the dream of the modern alchemists… the creation of a new goddess. Ashtear and the traitorous Cliff leave Hayabusa for dead in the Antarctic wastes. However, Ishigami arrives just in time, and they head for a clandestine submarine carrier, the Black Narwhal. The mission is no longer just about stopping LOA. Hayabusa is determined to save little Canna.

UNNC RICK LINDEN, SOUTH ATLANTIC OCEAN

Ryu: Is Mizuki safe?

Ishigami: Yes. She’s already working on a plan to rescue Canna.

Ryu: Who do you work for? What’s you role in all this, Ishigami?

Ishigami: My role…? Aren’t I the hero? Look. I was as much in the dark as everyone at first. The orders that sent you and Mizuki to London came from above. The enemy had managed to infiltrate our upper ranks. I figured there might be some connections between Cliff and LOA, but I couldn’t figure out what they wanted. That’s when I went to ground.

Ryu: You expect me to believe that?

Ishigami: I don’t care that you believe. I did that I thought was right at the time. Why else do you think I came to the ends of the earth to pick you up? The problem is Canna.

Ryu: Canna?

Ishigami: It doesn’t make sense. Why would Cliff go to the trouble of bringing her to the Yunagi? If he wanted to kidnap her, it would have been easier to do back in Japan.

(Ryu remembering the words of Ashtear: “She is a very special girl. I need her.”)

Ishigami: They may have wanted to get you two together for a some reason.

Ryu: Canna and me?

Ishigami: In any case, we have to go after them. They are on the Black Narwhal, of the US Navy 1st Fleet.

Ryu: What are you talking about?

Ishigami: In 1973, the original 1st Fleet was absorbed by into the 3rd Fleet. However, the US government secretly reinstated it as a special, off-the-books “ghost fleet”. A fleet that isn’t supposed to exist. A mirage… Hayabusa, Mizuki and her sister Saya’s father was a colleague and good friend of mine… I owe him debts that cannot be repaid. I have duty to protect his family. That was the promise I made to him. Help me.

Radist: Sir! A message from Langley! The Black Narwhal has been sighted in waters near French Polynesia.

Ishigami: Langley? Why the CIA?

Radist: The signature’s just one word: Seaswallow.

Ryu: Seaswallow?

Ishigami: Sound familiar, Hayabusa?

Ryu: …We can trust it.

Radist 2: But the South Pacific is too far. You’ll never get there in time!

Radist 3: Not even at max speed…?

Radist 2: The crushing speed of the F-25 is Mach 2. Distance is 4000 km. Not enough fuel range. And there aren’t any intermediate airfields between here and there to refuel.

Radist 4: That about carriers? Are there any crossing the slight path?

Ishigami: No, there are no friendly ships within range. Not even a wake trail.

Radist 3: Even if we could rendezvous with another plane, without a place to land…

Ryu: There is a way…

Ishigami: What did you say?

Ryu: I said, there’s a way…

(Camera switches to somewhere else. We see several flying jets.)

Jet’s Pilot: We’re almost at bingo fuel. Where the hell are they…? Visual acquired. Here they come.

(Another jet flies up the first one. On the second seat of the first jet we see Ryu.)

Jet’s Pilot: You sure you wanna do this?

Ryu: Yes.

Jet’s Pilot: You gotta be crazy to try and jump between jets in midair! I ain’t helping you kill yourself!

(Another jet flies under the first one.)

Ryu: NOW!

Jet’s Pilot: Fine, whatever!

(Ryu jump off the jet. When he flies up to the another jet, he is met by Mizuki.)

Mizuki: Ryu! Take my hand! Here! Quickly!

(Ryu successfully gets in the another jet.)

Jet’s Pilot: Who IS that guy?

Mizuki: (to the base) Rendezvous successful. (everyone cheers.) Good entry. You done this before?

Ryu: First time.

Mizuki: Virgin flight. Nice.

(The first jet pilot takes off his helmet and put on sunglasses. We see his name of the stripe: “Robert.T.Sturgeon”.)

Jet’s Pilot: The fate of the whole goddamn world is resting on your shoulders.

(Ryu thumbs up him from his jet.)

(We see the Black Narwhal emerges from water with some aircraft carriers around him.)

Mizuki: Look. Down there.

Ryu: So, that’s the Black Narwhal?

Mizuki: Hayabusa?!

Ryu: I-I’m fine… We got a welcoming committee!

(Every rocket launchers at the Black Narwhal is shoots at our heroes.)

Mizuki: It’s no good! I can’t get any closer!

Ryu: Just get me above one of the escort ships! It doesn’t matter which one.

Mizuki: I’ll try!

Ryu: As soon as I’m down, you get out of here! FAST!

Mizuki: Please, Hayabusa… Find her for me!

DAY 7: THE BLACK NARWHAL, PACIFIC OCEAN

(Ryu jump off the jet. While he is flying, Ishigami talks to him over the radio.)

Ishigami: Can you hear me, Hayabusa? Our official objective to stopping the fleet… But I want you to make finding Canna your top priority. We still need to take care of the fleet, though. So you need to knock out their defenses at the same time. Can you handle that?

Ryu: I can.

Ishigami: Your targets are the close-in weapons systems. There’s one on the forward deck. Destroy them. Then we’ll launch a bombardment. Once you knock out the defenses, board their flagship, the Black Narwhal.

(Ryu destroys the first weapon system.)

Ishigami: You’ve disabled the bow unit, but there are more. You need to knock out all the weapons systems before we can attack.

Ryu: Understood. I’ll destroy everything.

Ishigami: Good luck.

(Ryu goes on, taking down the defense systems, until he sees that one of the ships launched three missiles.)

Ishigami: SMM launch detected! What’s the trajectory? …busa! Hayabusa!

Ryu: I read you.

Ishigami: I can’t believe they sacrificed their own ship. They’re desperate. I want to press the attack, but…

(Ishigami pauses for a few seconds.)

Ishigami: Hayabusa, we can’t wait much longer! Get the hell out of there! They’re still putting up the fight! Get out of there!

(But Ryu continues and jumps on the Black Narwhal. On its desk he encounters way more powerful enemies – spider-robots.)

Ishigami: This is all-out war. Take out its legs to slow it down, just like before!

(Ryu defeats two spider-robots when hear familiar voice.)

Ashtear: I should have not expected nothing less from the destroyer of lives.

Ryu: (with anger) There’s Canna? Leave her out of this.

Ashtear: How could a slave of convention and tradition understand? A blood-stained murderer at that!

(Ashtear uses his magic to drag in some metal parts and slowly transform himself into mechanical monster.)

Ashtear: All that remains, is to wait for the awakening… But simply waiting can be such a bore… Time to die, Dragon Ninja!

(The fight begins. After Ryu drains out Ashtear health he takes a brake, eat a jet and turns into a new flying form.)

(As Ryu drains out Ashtear health second time, his robot loses energy and fall down. Ryu slowly goes to Ashtear lying on the deck.)

Ashtear: Try as you might, this entire infernal world cannot stop us. Since ancient times, we Alchemists have studied the works of God. We worked on the fringes of society, disdaining simplistic social mores concerning, that is “right” or “wrong”.

(Ryu ruthlessly pierces him. Of the last forces Ashtear cries out his last words.)

Ashtear: May the unclean world be annihilated!

(The Black Narwhal begins to go underwater.)

Ishigami: Hayabusa. You’re submerging. We won’t be able to communicate much longer.

Ryu: Leave this to me. I’ll find her.

Ishigami: Thanks, Hayabusa.

(Ryu jumps into the hold of the Black Narwhal. Having made his way through several sections of the submarine, he finds Canna. She is placed in a capsule filled with some sort of solution and, apparently, unconscious. Ryu sees a Regent of the Mask with her.)

Ryu: (with anger) What have you done?!

Regent of the Mask: You’re late, Mr. Scary Ninja.

Ryu: Let the girl go.

Regent of the Mask: This is the final act, Dragon Ninja. You’re always fated to end in tragedy!

(They fight. After defeating Regent of the Mask Ryu cuts his mask in half.)

Ryu: Is that…?

(Suddenly Canna wakes up.)

Canna: Daddy…?

Ryu: He’s your…?

(Clifford comes t the room clapping.)

Clifford: A fine battle. A fine performance. Ah, Theodore, my brother. He was the ace up my sleeve.

Ryu: Her father died in an accident…!

Clifford: My brother opposed my plan. He tried to stop it. That’s why I had him die in the “accident”.

Ryu: What do you mean?

Clifford: But there was another role for him to play: to die by your hand. So I brought him back to life. Of course, I didn’t need his memories so I erased them… The mask controlled him through an AI. That’s who you were talking to. My brother did love the opera so I wonder if he enjoyed being a dramatic persona?

Ryu: You out of your mind!

Clifford: Tsk, tsk. Look who’s talking. You killed my brother… Canna’s father! Isn’t that right, Canna?

Canna: Murderer!

Ryu: Canna?!

(His hand begins to hurt wildly yet again and Ryu falls to his knees.)

Clifford: Ah, the curse is complete as well. You know, I was worries that you wouldn’t be able to bear the burden. But you did. A true Dragon Ninja. But it seems we’ve reached your limit.

(Ryu tries to attack Clifford, but he became so weak that even Clifford can dodge his attack. In return Clifford kicks Ryu.)

Clifford: No no. It isn’t naptime quite yet. Come, ninja. Get up. I SAID, GET UP!

(Clifford puts his hand in Ryu’s chest and takes out the Dragon Sword from there.)

Clifford: There it is. Behold the Dragon Sword, purified of sin and pollution, shining with original purity! It is a sword for a Goddess!

(He throws the Dragon Sword to the capsule with Canna.)

Canna: Why? Why did you kill my Daddy…? You… you MURDERER!

Ryu: (screams from the floor) C-Canna…!

(Canna cries and disappears.)

Clifford: It is done. Seven days it shall take… Now, begin thy work, my Maker!

(The Dragon Sword falls into the capsule and then its is grabbed by some sort of demonic arm. The creature grows and grows until it splits the Black Narwhal in half. Ishigami sees this madness on his monitor.)

Ishigami: What the hell is that?!

(Several jets are flying to the creature.)

Jet’s Pilot: Eagle 1, Fox 2!

Jet’s Pilot 2: Eagle 4, Fox 2! Clear to go hot, weapons free!

(Jets is trying to shoot the creature with rockets - no effect. The creature wave his hand and jets are turning into crystals and falls down.)

Ishigami: …We’re too late.

Clifford: HAHAHA! That’s it, that’s it! You think your pathetic modern weapons can stop her?! Go, Canna! Go and create a new world!

(Canna creates herself legs and already wanted to leave, but turns around to the cry that comes from the drowning Narwhal.)

Ryu: Canna!

(The Narwhal drowns, taking Ryu and his defeated enemies with it.)

(Ryu is standing on the snowy ground, recalling the episode with Canna and how she called him "murderer." Next to Ryu is Genshin, who passes his sword to him. Ryu takes it and the sword lights up with a bright red glow. Then Ryu wakes up and sees Mizuki.)

Mizuki: Hayabusa?!

(Ryu writhes in agony and breathes heavily.)

JSDF CRUISER ZANGETSU, NEAR JAPAN

Ryu: Where am I?

Mizuki: We’re on a JSDF destroyer. In the infirmary.

Ryu: You found me…?

Mizuki: You were out there. Floating. Clinging to a piece of wreckage. You… Those wounds… I don’t know how you made it. But here you are…

Ryu: You saved my life. Thank you.

Mizuki: I’m… um… I’m just glad you’re okay, Hayabusa.

Ryu: Call me Ryu.

Mizuki: Okay… Ryu.

Ryu: I… I couldn’t save her.

(We see the legs of Ishigami. He walks down the corridor.)

Ryu: The man in the mask… He was Canna’s father.

Mizuki: Theodore…?! It can’t be…

(Ishigami approaches the room where Ryu and Mizuki talking and wants to knock, but stops and listens.)

Ryu: …Cliff brought him back from the dead. And cut him down… I killed Canna’s father right in front of her. She called me a murderer.

Mizuki: No!

Ryu: Canna… doesn’t know who she is anymore. She’s gone.

Mizuki: That was Canna? Maybe she’s going to Japan… trying to find her way home.

Ryu: …Then we’ll follow her.

Mizuki: But, in your condition…

Ryu: I made a promise. To protect you, and Canna.

Mizuki: Do you remember when Canna asked you to be her father?

Ryu: Yeah.

Mizuki: She said id we were a family… we would be all together. Her, me… and you.

Ryu: Family… Let’s go. Let’s bring Canna home.

Mizuki: I’ll go tell the others.

(Ishigami enters the room.)

Ishigami: Hey. The helicopter is ready. Time to go.

THE STORY SO FAR…

The Regent of the Mask was really Canna’s father. Canna… seeing Ryu cut down her father right in front of her… cries out against the ninja. “Murderer!”. In despair, Canna absorbs the power of the Dragon Sword and becomes the giant Goddess. Ryu must deal with the burden of the curse and his own fate… what it means to be a ninja.

(Ishigami, Ryu and Mizuki fly away in the helicopter. As they fly we hear a news report.)

Reporter: The giant creature that suddenly landed on the shores of Japan continues to turn Tokyo into an ocean of flames… Sources indicate that the unknown military units that came ashore…

Mizuki: Oh, Canna…

(The helicopter starts to shake.)

Pilot: I can’t get any closer. It’s too dangerous!

Ryu: This’ll do.

Ishigami: You heard him. This is where you get off.

Mizuki: Okay. I’ll see you soon.

(Ryu jumps out of the helicopter and the game continues.)

DAY 8: TOKYO, JAPAN

(Ryu goes ahead, killing the soldiers. We see that Tokyo is almost completely destroyed. After a while, Ryu again falls into a bloody rage, and when it comes out of it, a group of new monsters attacks him. Ryu tries to fight, but he has almost no strength left. Fortunately, Joe and Momiji are here to help him.)

Momiji: Master Ryu, here.

(Momiji throws to Ryu The Eye of The Dragon.)

Joe: You’ve been burden with my sins, as well as you own.

Ryu: Father…

Joe: Ryu! Go!

(Ryu goes further and climbs onto a large building, from where he sees the Goddess. Ishigami is talking to him over the radio.)

Ishigami: Hurry, Hayabusa! We’ve set up your rendezvous point for Mizuki. It’s just past the Kabukicho Building to your north.

(After a while, Ryu finds Muramasa’s shop, which, like the whole area around, is destroyed. Ryu looks around.)

Ryu: Muramasa?

Muramasa: Ryu, tell me. What is that?

(Muramasa points at the Goddess.)

Ryu: They called her… the Goddess.

Muramasa: But she bore the Dragon Sword… How? Only those with dragon blood in their veins can wield that blade.

Ryu: …They took my blood. And the Dragon Sword.

Muramasa: She has terrible strength. But her souls is not pure evil. I’ve heard it said that the power of the Dragon Sword can only kill that which is truly evil. Even if you get your sword back, you may not be able to finish her.

(Mizuki drives up to them on an SUV.)

Ryu: …But I must try nonetheless.

Muramasa: Because it is your duty as a Dragon Ninja?

Ryu: Because I promise to a little girl.

Muramasa: Ooh! That’s a fine reason. Then you’d best get going. You must have faith in the Dragon Sword and yourself!

(Ryu sits in the SUV.)

Mizuki: I have to get Canna back. She’s my daughter.

(Mizuki starts driving. After a while they run into soldiers.)

Mizuki: I can’t believe these bastards…

Soldier: Aim for the vehicle! Take it out! Shoot the car!

Mizuki: I can’t shake them!

Ryu: Focus on driving. I’ll handle them!

Mizuki: Got it!

(Ryu uses his bow to kill soldiers.)

Mizuki: (seeing that the bridge is destroyed) No…!

Ryu: Just drive. Go! Fast!

Ishigami: What are you doing?

Mizuki: …OK! I trust you, Ryu.

Ryu: Hold on!

(Ryu takes Mizuki in his arms and jumps off the bridge. When Ryu lowers Mizuki to the ground, his arm starts to hurt again.)

Mizuki: Your arm…!

Ryu: Ugh… Forget it. Keep going.

Mizuki: I’ve got you back! I think we’re in Shinjuku.

(Some monster attacks Ryu. Mizuki shoots it.)

Mizuki: We did it…

Ryu: Thanks, Mizuki.

Mizuki: No problem. Don’t push yourself too hard, Ryu.

(They go on. In a few seconds we hear the voice of Clifford.)

Clifford: Do you ever give up, murderer? Still, you thirst for blood , even in the state you’re in?

Mizuki: Cliff!

Clifford: See, I kept my promise to you, didn’t I? I’m taking good, good care of Canna.

Mizuki: Don’t play games! Cliff, surely you don’t mean…? Why? Why Canna…?

Clifford: You really had no clue, did you? It was supposed to be your sister, Saya. But then she ran off with my brother. She couldn’t bear to destroy the world with something so dear to her in it… And our plans for new world went to hell. But! Thanks to their marriage, a better, a more PURE specimen was born: Canna. I suppose you should know. The cells of the Goddess’ body… They came from your sister.

Mizuki: Saya?!

Clifford: Isn’t it splendid? Your sister will be the Goddess of the new world! Ha ha ha… Whahahaha!

Mizuki: Cliff, you are insane!

Clifford: Oh dear, oh dear… I will be Adam, and she, my Eve. The new Eden will be all ours. And you two will be dead.

Ryu: You will be the one to die.

Clifford: In the state you’re in? I think not!

(Clifford takes off his glasses and turns into a four-arms monster.)

Mizuki: Cliff?!

Clifford: Behold the new form of the mankind! The old flesh shall be exterminated!

(The fierce battle begins. After several clashes, Clifford soars up into the sky and flies back, shooting at Ryu with a laser. Ryu tries to shoot him with his bow, but the arrow does not do Clifford any damage.)

Clifford: Do you remember who gave you that bow?

(Clifford waves his hand and the bow in Ryu’s hand disappears.)

Clifford: Hah hah hah hah! So what you will do now, you archaic hero? {although the voiceover is clearly said “primitive hero”.}

(Ryu defeats Clifford and tries to slash him with his sword, but Clifford pushes him away.)

Mizuki: Hayabusa!

(Clifford wants to shoot at Ryu with a beam of energy and Mizuki shields him. The shot does not reach the target, but Ryu and Mizuki loses consciousness. Clifford goes to the heroes to finish what he started, but gets shot in the chest. Clifford jumps to his feet in fury, but someone jumps off the roof and slash him with a sword. The Regent of the Mask appears on the stage.)

Clifford: Theodore…?!

Theodore: Well, Cliff? It’s time you returned my daughter.

Clifford: No! You remember?

(Clifford tries to attack Theodore, but he pierces him with a sword.)

Mizuki: Why, Cliff?

Clifford: (dying) Y-you all like my brother… so much. You… and Canna, and Saya. Everyone. I-I just wanted to bask in that spotlight. To wear that mask and see the world through his eyes.

Mizuki: …Did you love her? My sister?

Clifford: Hah… n-no… If you do nothing, the world will die… If you kill the Goddess, Canna will die. All things come to an end. Goodbye.

(Clifford falls to the ground and turns into ashes.)

Theodore: (cheerfully) I suppose we should do introductions.

Ryu: So you still alive.

Theodore: I am. More or less.

Mizuki: Theodore…

Theodore: It’s been a while, Mizuki.

Mizuki: I’ve got so many questions, so many things to ask…

Theodore: That can wait. First, we need to do something about those injures. We can’t have that pretty face spoiled by scars.

Mizuki: I don’t have time for that!

Theodore: Wouldn’t you agree, Hayabusa?!

Mizuki: I’ll be right back.

Theodore: Let’s go, Hayabusa.

(Ryu and Theodore leaves. The game continues.)

Theodore: Sorry for all the trouble I caused you.

Ryu: Forget it.

Theodore: All right… Guess that’s a Dragon Ninja for you.

(They make their way together through destroyed Tokyo infested by monsters. Climbing to a tall building they continue the conversation.)

Theodore: I fill like I’ve woken from a… a long, terrible nightmare.

Ryu: It’s good you’re awake again.

Theodore: Now we have to save Canna from her nightmare.

(The heroes goes on.)

Theodore: Such strength, even while cursed… I’m impressed. Let’s finish this!

(The heroes finds a massive force field.)

Theodore: Canna’s in there!

(Theodore trying to touch the field, but his arm is pushed away.)

Theodore: …Hm. The field seems to have been cast with high-level Enochian magic. But this cannot go on…

(Theodore touches the field again, but now his arm is glowing. The field disappears.)

Theodore: Let’s go!

(Ryu goes ahead, pulling his sword from its scabbard. He turns around and sees that Theodore is gone. Then he feels that Theodore’s sword is touching his neck.)

Ryu: That are you doing?

Theodore: Now that I’m here, I understand.

(Ryu beats off Theodore’s sword and they exchange a few blows, then stand up against each other.)

Theodore: It’s just as Cliff said. We just can’t save Canna, not anymore! When she wakes, she will destroy the world. It is your fate to use that sword to cut down my daughter. To kill her. As her father… I cannot allow that to happen!

(The battle begins. When Ryu defeats Theodore and hits him with the final blow, he reads some spell.)

Ryu: The curse…?

(The Grip of Murder is disappears from Ryu’s arm.)

Theodore: D-damn… The Grip of Murder is such a pain in the ass to undo…

Ryu: You wanted this…

Theodore: It’s my… atonement. Now… For Canna… the rest is in your hands.

(Ryu takes off his mask and flicks off the blood from the blade. Theodore falls down and dies. It’s time for a decisive battle. Ryu walks slowly to the edge of the building, when suddenly a huge Dragon Sword appears and cuts the building in half. Ryu comes face to face with the Goddess. After a fierce battle at the limit of strength and skills, Ryu and the Goddess cross their swords. The huge Dragon Sword chopped the Sword of the Archfiend, but it also collapses, transforms into its usual size and falling into Ryu’s hands. Ryu takes the Eye of the Dragon out of his pocket and accidentally drops the paper shuriken gifted by Canna. The hero overfills with memories. Inserting the Eye of the Dragon into his sword Ryu jumps and chops the Goddess in half, trying not to hurt Canna, and then catches her.)

Canna: Daddy…?

(Ryu turns his head away, remembering that he already killed her father twice. The Goddess and all the monsters are turning into dust. Ryu looks up at the sky watching the dust blown away by the wind.)

(Some time passes. Tokyo is overrun by the military. We see Mizuki making her way through the crowd.)

Mizuki: Canna!

(She sees Canna lying on the ground.)

Mizuki: Oh, my Canna…! Oh, Canna!

(Ryu watches them from around the corner, smiles and leaves.)

Ishigami: Leaving already?

Ryu: I’ve done what I came to do.

Ishigami: You are not a murderer. You’re not exactly a hero either. I guess that’s what it means to be a ninja. But, you saved both of their lives, so… Thanks.

(Ryu nods and leaves. Meanwhile, Canna wakes up.)

Canna: M-mommy?

Mizuki: Canna! Oh, Canna…! It’s over, baby. Its all over now! Where’s Ryu…?

Canna: I… said some bad thinks to him. Is that why he left…?

Ishigami: He will always be with you, watching over you.

Canna: Really?

Mizuki: Ryu made a promise, didn’t he? He said he’d always protect you… and me, too. Forever and ever.

(Mizuki and Canna are hugging. Suddenly a paper shuriken comes from somewhere and Canna takes it. Ryu looks at them from the roof for the last time, jumps over the buildings and disappears.)

THE END